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Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
‘Everything came crashing down': US visa freeze shatters hopes of young Pakistani students
ISLAMABAD: For many in Pakistan, the US visa freeze has felt like a devastating setback after years of academic effort and ambition, affected applicants and an education consultant said on Friday. The suspension, ordered by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week, halts new student and exchange visa appointments worldwide and is part of a broader policy under President Donald Trump's administration to intensify screening of foreign nationals, including expanded social media vetting. US embassies have been instructed to pause interviews while new guidelines are being finalized, as officials in Washington say the goal is to identify potential security risks amid a rise in campus activism following Israel's war in Gaza, which has sharply polarized student opinion. Trump's critics argue, however, the measures are discriminatory and risk undermining access to American higher education for bright students from developing countries — long considered a cornerstone of the US advantage in global research and innovation. 'I had always dreamed of pursuing higher education in the United States and after months of preparation, hard work and dedication, I finally got accepted into New York University,' Mohammad Ibrahim, a student from Lahore, told Arab News over the phone. 'But just as I was preparing for the next big chapter of my life, everything came crashing down,' he continued, adding that due to the sudden visa ban imposed by the Trump administration, his plans have been put on hold. Ibrahim said despite getting admission after meeting all the university requirements, he was now stuck in an uncertain situation, with nothing to do but wait, hope and keep trying to move forward, even when everything had suddenly gone beyond his control. 'It's disappointing,' he said. 'An entire year of my life feels like being wasted.' Inayah Murtaza, an exchange program candidate from the same city, said the new US policy had led to delays in visa interviews and a ban on the exchange student program, leaving her and many others devastated. 'American higher education system provides excellent opportunities. However, the recent policies by the Trump administration are extremely devastating,' she said, adding the ban had hurt her both emotionally and financially. For Malik Zalaid Hassan, from Sheikhupura, who had secured admission to study artificial intelligence at the University of California, the visa suspension was a huge setback. 'I won't get my money back… I just lost a ton of money,' he told Arab News, emphasizing he had already paid thousands of dollars in tuition and housing fees. 'I really hope America does something about this and I really hope it changes because this has an impact on a lot of people,' he continued. Mohammad Ayyan Akhtar, a counselor at UniGrad, an education consultancy firm in Lahore, said the visa appointments ban had placed many students in a heart-wrenching situation. 'It includes their financial losses, and on top of everything, their academic loss is a big concern,' he said. 'The Trump administration should lift [the ban] as early as possible to save the loss of hundreds of Pakistani students [of their] academic year,' he added.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- BBC News
Birmingham man admits causing deaths of two women in crash
Driver admits causing deaths of two women in crash 5 minutes ago Share Save Shehnaz Khan BBC News, West Midlands Share Save Family Handout Amanda Riley, 49, and Linda Philips, 72, died following the crash on 26 December 2023 A man has admitted killing a mother and daughter and injuring three others in a crash in 2023. Linda Philips, 72, and Amanda Riley, 49, died near the junction of Kitts Green Road and Mackadown Lane in Birmingham, on 26 December 2023. Mohammad Ibrahim, from Sheldon, pleaded guilty at Birmingham Crown Court to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. The 25-year-old was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing at the same court on 16 July. Four other people were taken to hospital with injuries following the crash. Police said at the time that a BMW 4 Series, a MG ZS and a quad bike were involved in the collision, and Mrs Philips and Ms Riley were both passengers in the MG. On Wednesday, Judge Andrew Smith KC said Ibrahim, who was driving the BMW, would be facing jail due to the "combined gravity" of the charges he had admitted. "You know that the serious charges you have pleaded guilty to will lead to you receiving a substantial term of imprisonment," he said. A family tribute released in the weeks after their deaths described Ms Philips as a "dearly loved" wife and great-grandmother and Ms Riley as a "beautiful and much-loved" mother and grandmother. "Amanda's parents, daughters, and grandchildren loved her so much, and Amanda was the apple of her grandchildren's eye," the statement said. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Jordan Times
10-04-2025
- Jordan Times
Cassation Court upholds over 3-year sentence for attempted drug smuggling into correctional facility
AMMAN — The Court of Cassation has upheld a June 2022 State Security Court (SSC) ruling, sentencing a man to over three years in prison after convicting him of attempting to smuggle illegal narcotics to an inmate in Tafileh in 2021. The court declared the defendant guilty of obtaining illegal narcotics with the intent of smuggling them while visiting an inmate at Tafileh Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre (TCRC). The SSC handed the defendant five years in prison for the offence of possessing illegal narcotics and ordered him to pay JD5,000 in fines. However, the court decided to reduce the fine to JD3,500 and the prison term to three years and four months in prison to give the defendant a second chance in life. Court documents said the Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) learnt the defendant was in possession of illegal narcotics and was planning to smuggle it while on a visit to TCRC. When the defendant arrived, the correctional officers searched him and found a small stash of illegal narcotics attached to three fake banknotes, court documents said. The defendant contested the SSC's ruling through his lawyer, who argued that the court 'did not provide solid evidence to implicate his client'. The lawyer argued that 'there were legal errors in the investigation process'. Meanwhile, the SSC prosecution office asked the higher court to uphold the sentence and the fine imposed on the defendant. The higher court maintained that the SSC had followed the proper procedures in issuing the sentence against the defendant. 'It was clear to the court that the defendant confessed willingly to attempting to smuggle the illegal drugs while on a visit to the correctional facility,' the higher court said. The Court of Cassation judges were Mohammad Ibrahim, Yassin Abdullat, Nayef Samarat, Mohammad Khashashneh and Hammad Ghzawi.
Khaleej Times
27-02-2025
- Climate
- Khaleej Times
Death toll from Afghanistan's rain, hail rises to 39, say officials
The death toll from recent heavy rain and hail in three Afghan provinces has risen by 10 to 39, disaster management officials said on Wednesday. Flash floods ripped through the western border province of Farah on Tuesday, washing away 21 people, while three more were killed when a hail storm caused their house to collapse. "The flood was strong, it destroyed my farm, it destroyed everything... all the lands were flooded away," Nasrullah, a 50-year-old farmer, told AFP. "In my 60 years of life I had never seen such wind, rain, and storm," said another farmer, Mohammad Ibrahim. He said the storm was so strong it "threw the fences 30-35 metres away" and blew away everything made of wood. The district governor, Mohammed Sadeq Jehadmal, told AFP that 50 houses and 60 shops were damaged, while "between 2,000 up to 2,500 solar panels were destroyed". Further east, six people were killed in Helmand province, including a child struck by lightning, and nine in Kandahar province. Officials said the deadly downpours may however help improve long-term drought conditions in several provinces, including flood-hit Farah. "It's constantly raining and snowing in most of the provinces, which has reduced the drought," said Abdullah Jan Sayeq, spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority. "This will enrich the water infrastructure. Agriculture will be improved and will have positive effects on livestock." Afghanistan is among the poorest countries in the world after decades of war and is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, which scientists say is spurring extreme weather. It is ranked as the country sixth most vulnerable to climate change. Drought, floods, land degradation and declining agricultural productivity are key threats, according to the UN. Flash floods in May last year killed hundreds and swamped swaths of agricultural land in Afghanistan, where 80 per cent of people depend on farming to survive.
Gulf Today
27-02-2025
- Climate
- Gulf Today
Death toll from Afghanistan's rain, flash flood soars to 39
The death toll from recent heavy rain and flash flood in three Afghan provinces has risen by 10 to 39, disaster management officials said on Wednesday. Flash floods ripped through the western border province of Farah on Tuesday, washing away 21 people, while three more were killed when a hail storm caused their house to collapse. "The flood was strong, it destroyed my farm, it destroyed everything... all the lands were flooded away," Nasrullah, a 50-year-old farmer, told the media. "In my sixty years of life I had never seen such wind, rain, and storm," said another farmer, Mohammad Ibrahim. He said the storm was so strong it "threw the fences 30-35 meters away" and blew away everything made of wood. The district governor, Mohammed Sadeq Jehadmal, told AFP that 50 houses and 60 shops were damaged, while "between 2,000 up to 2,500 solar panels were destroyed". Further east, six people were killed in Helmand province, including a child struck by lightning, and nine in Kandahar province. Officials said the deadly downpours may however help improve long-term drought conditions in several provinces, including flood-hit Farah. "It's constantly raining and snowing in most of the provinces, which has reduced the drought," said Abdullah Jan Sayeq, spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority. "This will enrich the water infrastructure. Agriculture will be improved and will have positive effects on livestock." Afghanistan is among the poorest countries in the world after decades of war and is particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, which scientists say is spurring extreme weather. It is ranked as the country sixth most vulnerable to climate change. Drought, floods, land degradation and declining agricultural productivity are key threats, according to the UN. Flash floods in May last year killed hundreds and swamped swaths of agricultural land in Afghanistan, where 80 percent of people depend on farming to survive. Agence France-Presse
