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United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Washington holds significant leverage over Venezuela’s interim authorities and is preparing to execute a plan that would place control of the country’s oil exports firmly in US hands. Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Rubio said the administration is finalising an arrangement to take possession of oil currently immobilised in Venezuela and sell it on global markets at full market prices. According to Rubio,

A resurfaced claim from 2019 by former White House national security adviser Fiona Hill has drawn renewed global attention after a high-profile U.S. operation in Venezuela. Hill told a U.S. congressional hearing in 2019 that senior Russian officials informally signaled they would consider reducing Moscow’s support for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro if Washington granted Russia greater latitude regarding Ukraine. The suggestion, described by Hill as a “very strange swap arrangement,?

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that it had transferred what it described as evidence showing that Ukrainian forces targeted a Russian presidential residence earlier this week, an allegation that Kyiv and Western governments have firmly rejected. The announcement adds to rising diplomatic tensions as Moscow and Washington continue discussions related to the broader war in Ukraine. According to the ministry, fragments of a Ukrainian drone recovered after an alleged attem

A significant legal challenge to the steep increase in H-1B visa fees has suffered a major setback after a US District Court ruled that the federal government acted within its legal authority. The ruling has delivered a blow to business and employer groups that argued the move would restrict access to skilled foreign talent, even as the H-1B visa programme continues to face mounting pressure from stricter regulations and prolonged processing delays across the globe. The decision was i

The United States briefly slipped behind the rest of the world in timekeeping after a powerful storm struck Colorado last week, disrupting operations at the country’s official timekeeping facility. Following the incident, American time was recorded as lagging by 4.8 microseconds compared to the global standard, a tiny difference that nevertheless raised serious concerns about the resilience of critical infrastructure systems. The disruption occurred at the National Institute of St

Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir issued a direct warning to Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, urging them to choose between maintaining ties with Islamabad or supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. Addressing religious scholars at the National Ulema Conference in Islamabad on December 10, Munir alleged that a large portion of militants entering Pakistan were Afghan nationals. His remarks, shared on local broadcasts over the weekend, highlighted rising tensions b

The Union government has asked Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to return a large collection of letters and papers belonging to India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, asserting that the documents are part of the nation’s documentary heritage and cannot be treated as private family property. The clarification was issued by the Ministry of Culture amid a political row over claims that Nehru-related papers were missing from the Prime Ministers Museum and Library in New Delhi. A

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has told a federal court that construction of a new White House ballroom must proceed, arguing that national security concerns and presidential authority outweigh objections raised by a historic preservation organization seeking to halt the project. The position was outlined in a detailed court filing submitted Monday in response to a lawsuit challenging the demolition of the East Wing and the planned expansion of the Executive Mansion. The la

The United States government has revoked approximately 85,000 visas since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, according to a statement shared by the State Department on X. The announcement described the cancellations as part of a sharpened national security agenda endorsed by both the president and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The message emphasized that the administration intends to continue its intensified oversight of foreign nationals as part of its broader commitment

Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has strongly defended the Taliban government's right to maintain political and economic relations with India, pushing back against Pakistan’s criticism over Kabul-Delhi engagement. Speaking at a conference in Kabul, Muttaqi dismissed Islamabad's accusations that India supports anti-Pakistan groups, calling them inconsistent and politically motivated. He reminded that Pakistan itself maintains diplomatic presence in New Delhi with act

In a major political development, the central government is reportedly preparing to table the Amaravati amendment bill in the parliament, a long-standing demand pushed forward repeatedly by Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu. For months, Naidu has been urging the centre to legally cement Amaravati as the state’s official capital in order to protect it from any future policy reversals or political disruptions. His appeal was fueled by concerns that future governments, including

The Thiruvannamalai Annamalaiyar Temple, one of India’s most revered Shiva temples, stands at the foothills of the sacred Arunachala Hill in Tamil Nadu. Known as the temple of fire (Agni) among the five Panch Bhoota Sthalams, it holds deep spiritual significance. Devotees believe that Lord Shiva manifested here as an infinite column of light, symbolizing supreme truth and divine power. Rich in history, the temple has been shaped by the Chola, Pallava, Hoysala, Pandya, and Vijayanagara dynas

A federal appeals court has ruled that Alina Habba, previously an attorney for former President Donald Trump and later positioned by the administration to continue serving as New Jersey’s acting U.S. attorney, is legally disqualified from holding the post. The decision, issued Monday by a three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, upholds a lower court’s conclusion that Habba’s appointment did not comply with federal law governing interim federal prosecu

The United States has initiated a comprehensive review of Green Cards held by permanent residents from 19 designated “countries of concern” after a deadly shooting near the White House left one National Guard member dead and another injured. The directive, issued by President Donald Trump, instructs US Citizenship and Immigration Services to reassess existing Green Cards and tighten vetting standards for residents originating from these nations. Officials described the Washington attack as an act of terror, citing the suspected assailant’s Afghan nationality as a factor prompting immediate policy action. Under the updated USCIS guidance, agency officers may now treat an applicant’s country of origin as a significant adverse factor when assessing eligibility for immigration benefits. This marks a notable shift in the approach to immigration review, as the order applies not only to new applicants but also to long-term permanent residents whose Green Cards were approved under earlier administrations. The list of 19 countries includes Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. These countries mirror those identified in a June presidential proclamation that imposed full or partial entry suspensions. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the policy aims to strengthen national security by giving officers broader discretion to weigh security concerns. He emphasized that ensuring stringent screening remains a core responsibility of the agency, stressing that the safety of American citizens is paramount. According to Edlow, the updated guidance directly responds to the Washington shooting and reflects the administration’s belief that previous vetting procedures were weakened in recent years. The shooting suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a resettlement initiative created after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Lakanwal had served alongside US Special Forces and spent more than a decade as a soldier in the Afghan army. Authorities said the incident has reignited debate surrounding resettlement programmes for individuals from conflict-affected regions, especially those relocated under emergency evacuation procedures. While the revised review process affects a wide group of nationalities, officials confirmed that Indian Green Card holders will not be impacted. However, immigration experts noted that the move forms part of a broader tightening of immigration policy that could signal further enforcement actions in the coming months. They cautioned that the directive underscores a continued shift toward heightened scrutiny of immigrants from nations perceived as high-risk, particularly in cases involving national security. The comprehensive review is expected to unfold over the coming months as USCIS examines existing records and evaluates cases under the strengthened criteria. Officials maintain that the updated policy is designed to close gaps in the vetting process, asserting that national security concerns necessitate more rigorous oversight of immigration status for individuals from the identified countries. The directive marks one of the administration’s most extensive actions on immigration security since the presidential proclamation earlier this year.

The Department of Government Efficiency has rejected claims that it was quietly dissolved months before the end of its contract, calling recent reports inaccurate and misleading. The agency, known for its focus on reducing federal spending and reviewing large segments of the government’s budget, responded after speculation arose regarding its operational status. A recent report had cited an unnamed United States official asserting that the department “doesn’t exist,” prompting widespr

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held discussions with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi on Monday, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter, marking the latest attempt by the Trump administration to revive momentum toward a negotiated settlement in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The meetings were described as part of a broader diplomatic effort aimed at narrowing longstanding divisions between Moscow and Kyiv, which have intensified despite repeated international appeals for de-es

The United States and Ukraine announced that they have agreed on an updated peace framework designed to advance efforts to end the nearly four-year conflict with Russia. The revised approach follows a new round of intensive diplomatic discussions in Geneva, where senior officials from both nations worked to address concerns that earlier proposals leaned too heavily toward positions seen as favourable to Moscow. The previous iteration of the plan, strongly backed by President Donald Trump, had

The Department of Education’s decision to exclude nursing from its updated definition of a “professional degree” has set off widespread concern among national nursing organizations, which argue the change could significantly restrict access to advanced nursing education and deepen the country’s ongoing workforce shortage. The redefinition comes as part of the federal government’s implementation of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a sweeping measure that r

The Cupertino City Council voted unanimously to appoint Tina Kapoor as the city’s next city manager, formally removing the word “interim” from her title and signaling a shift toward stability after years of leadership turnover. The decision places Kapoor at the head of the municipal administration during a period of ongoing debate over housing, development, and long-term economic planning in the Bay Area. Her appointment follows a series of frequent leadership changes that have shaped t