CNA938 Rewind - Done deal between Nippon Steel, US Steel ends 18-month saga
CNA938 Rewind
Nippon Steel has closed its US$14.1 billion acquisition of US Steel, bringing an end to a bruising 18-month takeover battle that was embroiled in American politics for months until finally gaining support from US President Donald Trump. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng take a closer look at the terms and implications for the steel industry, and impending tariffs, with Professor Lim Tai Wei, Department of Business Administration, Soka University and Japan expert.
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US social media vetting for visas: What should prospective students do?
SINGAPORE: The United States' move to tighten social media screening for visas has left some foreign students perplexed and contemplating deleting their online accounts. Experts meanwhile have highlighted the challenges in scrubbing digital footprints, as well as the potential chilling effect of the new requirements. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday (Jun 18) ordered the resumption of scheduling appointments for international student visas after nearly a month-long pause. But all applicants will now be required to make their social media accounts public for review. In an internal state department cable dated Jun 18, US consular officers were directed to conduct "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who "bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles". New applicants who refuse to unlock their social media accounts and allow them to be reviewed may be rejected. The Trump administration on May 27 first ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new interviews for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as it prepared to expand social media vetting of foreign students. "HOPING THEY DON'T FIND IT" The move has left prospective students and those renewing their visas in a state of panic, with some turning online to try and clarify the new rules. One student wrote on social media platform Reddit that they were "not sure how to go about" the tightened vetting. The Swedish national was in the process of renewing their F-1 visa, which allows foreigners to enter the US as a full-time student at an accredited educational institution. The student said they had always only listed their Facebook account on the online nonimmigrant visa application form, known as DS-160; but also has accounts on Instagram and TikTok where they repost "political stuff". While the posts have since been removed, the student wondered if the best option may be to deactivate those accounts and indicate that they only used Facebook. Commenting on the discussion, another student said they deactivated all unused social media accounts such as those on Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter. "I'm planning on deactivating my main Instagram account where I do repost political stuff too and it's private (I don't want to make it public), but I don't know if this is good advice," the Redditor wrote. Both students were also unclear if government officials would be able to find accounts that did not have their real names. "We don't know what tools they'll be using, it's all unclear now. I'm hoping they don't find it," one of them wrote. 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Business Times
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