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  • Operation ‘clog the toilet’: Far-right trolls target H-1B Indians with fake flight bookings

    10/02/2025 2:56:04 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 47 replies
    The American Bazaar ^ | 10/2/2025 | Zofeen Maqsood
    “Indians are just waking up after Trump nuked the H1B program. Want to keep them in India? Clog the flight reservation system!” “Operation Clog the toilet needs your help. 4chan hatched a diabolical plan to clog up flight schedules to keep the Poopjeets in India or pay a $100,000 fee to come back.” “Ben up all night participating in Operation Clog the Toilet. Preventing jeets from getting back in 24 hours so they are forced to pay $100k to renew H1B” These are some comments posted on 4chan — an anonymous imageboard known for controversial content because some boards lack...
  • Project firewall: US cracks down on H-1B misuse, prioritises American jobs

    10/01/2025 2:23:02 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 11 replies
    India Today ^ | 9/30/2025 | Education Desk
    The Trump administration has launched Project Firewall, a major initiative to curb H-1B visa misuse and prioritise American workers for high-paying, skilled jobs. This move signals a shift toward stricter enforcement and could reshape opportunities for both domestic and foreign professionals. The move comes amid rising concerns over the exploitation of the H-1B programme. According to a January 2025 report by fwd.us, the US hosts roughly 730,000 H-1B visa holders along with 550,000 dependents. Critics have long argued that some companies use the program to hire cheaper foreign talent, often at the expense of qualified American professionals. This initiative follows...
  • American Dream, Indian Dilemma: How the H-1B visa fee hike has rattled Indian students

    09/30/2025 8:54:58 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 38 replies
    Forbes India ^ | 9/26/2025 | Pankti Mehta Kadakia
    When Pratham Jain graduated in May with a Master’s in Business and Science from a reputable US university, job-hunting wasn’t the main hurdle.“In the beginning, my focus was on classes, internships and making the most of the campus life. But as graduation got closer,” he says, “the visa conversation started to overshadow everything.” -snip- “Every international student I know keeps one eye on their grades and the other on Washington, because even a small policy change can completely reshape your career path,” Jain says. “It’s almost like earning a second degree here, one in navigating immigration paperwork, deadlines, and constantly...
  • What to Know About Project Firewall, the Trump Administration’s H-1B Visa Probe

    09/30/2025 7:33:23 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 19 replies
    Time ^ | 9/23/2025 | Miranda Jeyaretnam
    Companies could face probes into their compliance with the H-1B visa program as part of the Trump Administration’s effort to clamp down on the program and force companies to hire more Americans. The Department of Labor announced on Friday that it was launching Project Firewall, an “enforcement initiative” that will investigate employers for potential abuse of the H-1B visa process. The initiative may be the first time the federal government has sought to broadly enforce H-1B legal standards intended to protect both the H-1B employee and American workers, such as paying wages on par with other workers of similar qualifications...
  • US senators target H-1B, L-1 visa loopholes in new bipartisan reform bill

    09/30/2025 5:13:28 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 19 replies
    India Today ^ | 9/30/2025 | World Desk
    Two of the US Senate’s most senior lawmakers are once again teaming up to overhaul America’s high-skilled H-1B and L-1 visa systems, saying companies have turned what was meant to be a tool for innovation into a loophole for outsourcing. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Dick Durbin reintroduced the H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act. This latest push comes just weeks after US President Donald Trump signed a sweeping presidential proclamation on H-1B visa applications. Under the new order, companies are now required to pay a one-time fee of $100,000 (around Rs 88 lakh) on every...
  • Donald Trump vs Bollywood: How new US tariffs will impact Indian films

    09/30/2025 3:38:39 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 15 replies
    Hindustan Times ^ | 9/30/2025 | Aarish Chhabra
    American President Donald Trump's decision to finally impose a massive 100% tariff — import duty or tax — on movies made outside the US comes as another major blow to India, which has been facing his wrath, with blips of bonhomie, for the past three months and more. -snip- The Indian diaspora in the US spends around $100 million a year to watch Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Punjabi, Bengali and other Indian language movies released in the US country, according to the Producers Guild of India. Indians are about 1.6% of the total US population, with other South Asians also...
  • Ukrainian delegation headed to Washington to finalize drone deal with Trump administration

    09/29/2025 12:16:19 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 15 replies
    NY Post ^ | 9/29/2025 | Caitlin Doornbos
    Ukrainian defense and national security officials are on their way to Washington to hammer out details of a proposed drone deal with the Trump administration, The Post has learned. Representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and its National Security and Defense Council will be working with their American counterparts Tuesday through Friday as Washington and Kyiv aim to solidify a defense agreement that would bind the countries closer together. “Following the results of the negotiations between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, a Ukraine delegation will arrive to Washington from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 for technical...
  • Vladimir Putin to make 'major speech' this week as Kremlin sends cryptic message

    09/29/2025 5:11:39 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 34 replies
    Express UK ^ | 9/29/2025 | John Varga
    Vladimir Putin is set to make a "major speech" in what the Kremlin is promising to be an "interesting week". The announcement comes following remarks by the US Vice President J D Vance on Friday, in which he said Donald Trump was considering a request to supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dropped the cryptic message in an interview on Sunday with the Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin. "The President will deliver a fairly major speech next week," he said. "We will announce what it will be about, as well as exactly when and where. But the...
  • 'There are no such things as sanctuaries' — Ukraine can conduct strikes deep within Russian territory, Kellogg says

    09/28/2025 10:21:36 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 40 replies
    Kyiv Independent MSN News ^ | 9/29/2025 | Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
    Washington authorizes specific instances where Ukraine can carry out long-range strikes within Russia, U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said on Sept. 28 in an interview with Fox News. "The answer is yes, use the ability to hit deep, there are no such things as sanctuaries," Kellogg replied when asked if it is U.S. President Donald Trump's position that Ukraine can conduct long-range strikes. -snip- The final decision on whether Ukraine may conduct long-range strikes within Russia falls to Trump on a case-by-case basis, Kellogg noted. As Ukraine develops long-range missiles and drones of its own, Kyiv continues to...
  • Vance: It is ‘clearly time’ for Russia to ‘talk seriously’ about peace

    09/28/2025 9:09:57 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 73 replies
    Politico ^ | 9/28/2025 | CHEYANNE M. DANIELS
    Vice President JD Vance on Sunday attributed President Donald Trump’s recent change in attitude toward the Russian-Ukrainian war to the loss of human life and the impact to Russia’s economy. “The Russian economy is in shambles. The Russians are not gaining much on the battlefield. It’s clearly time for them to listen to his passionate plea for them to come to the table and actually talk seriously about peace,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News’ Martha MacCallum that aired on “Fox News Sunday.” “I think what has changed is the reality on the ground, with the Russians killing...
  • Vance Says US Considering Tomahawk Missiles for Ukraine

    09/28/2025 10:10:11 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 124 replies
    Newsmax ^ | 9/28/2025 | Reuters
    The United States is considering Ukraine's request to obtain long-range Tomahawk missiles for its effort to push back against Russian invaders, Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked the United States to sell Tomahawks to European nations that would send them to Ukraine. Vance said on “Fox News Sunday” that U.S. President Donald Trump would make the "final determination" on whether to allow the deal. "We're certainly looking at a number of requests from the Europeans," Vance said. Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles), and would be a powerful asset...
  • Vance urges Russia to sit down for Ukraine talks

    09/28/2025 8:34:12 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 34 replies
    Baha Breaking News ^ | 9/28/2025 | Christian Baha
    United States Vice President JD Vance called on Russia on Sunday to adhere to President Donald Trump's request and "sit at the negotiating table" on the conflict in Ukraine. Speaking to Fox News, Vance insisted that Russia is not making any gains on the battlefield and is only provoking losses in human lives.
  • Breakaway Transnistria is Russia's stronghold in Moldova

    09/28/2025 2:19:18 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 11 replies
    DW Yahoo News ^ | 9/28/2025 | Keno Verseck
    Located between Ukraine and the EU member Romania, Moldova has received increased international media coverage since Russia's full-scale war invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. In addition to coverage of pro-EU and pro-Russia parties battling for parliamentary control, there has been increased international reporting on the internationally unrecognized Kremlin-aligned Republic of Transnistria in eastern Moldova. Meaning "land beyond the Dniester," the name Transnistria refers to the area along the eastern lower reaches of the Dniester River. At the end of the 18th century, the region it was annexed by the Russian Empire. During the Soviet era, Transnistria was initially...
  • Police break up ring trafficking Kenyans to fight for Russia in Ukraine

    09/27/2025 4:30:11 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 23 replies
    BBC News ^ | 9/27/2025 | Wycliffe Muia
    More than 20 people have been rescued in Kenya from a suspected human trafficking ring that lured them with job offers in Russia but intended to send them to fight in Ukraine, police said. It follows an intelligence-led raid on a residential apartment on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, where officers seized recruitment materials, travel documents, and job offer letters. One suspect, accused of coordinating the victims' travel to Russia in September and October, has been arrested. He was taken to court, which allowed him to be detained for 10 days while the police complete their investigations. There have...
  • Ukrainian drones hit oil pumping station in Russia’s Chuvashia: Governor

    09/27/2025 4:23:05 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 16 replies
    Al Arabiya ^ | 9/27/2025 | Reuters
    Ukrainian drones on Saturday struck an oil pumping station in the Russian Volga riverside region of Chuvashia, causing the station to halt work, regional governor Oleg Nikolaev said in a statement posted on Telegram. Nikolaev said that the attack took place near the village of Konar, around 1200km (745 miles) from Ukrainian territory. He said there had been no casualties and only “minor damage” inflicted. Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent weeks targeting refineries and export terminals to reduce Moscow’s export revenues, stir domestic discontent and push the Kremlin to peace talks. The attacks...
  • Russia Claims NATO Plotting Ukraine ‘Landing’, Moldova ‘Occupation’

    09/25/2025 8:55:41 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 21 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 9/23/2025 | Barney Henderson
    Russia has said it believes NATO is plotting a "landing" in Ukraine as part of a bid by the European Union to "occupy" Moldova. The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed NATO military units were massing in Romania close to the Moldovan border and were also planning a "landing" in Ukraine's Odesa region, according to TASS, Moscow's state news agency. Why It Matters Moldova goes to the polls on Sunday in a critical parliamentary election. The vote is seen as a stark choice for the country between a path to EU membership or closer ties with Moscow. Following Russia’s invasion...
  • Trump: I am very disappointed in Putin

    09/25/2025 10:21:50 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 43 replies
    Baha Breaking News ^ | 9/25/2025 | Christian Baha
    United States President Donald Trump expressed on Thursday his disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin, regarding the lack of progress toward resolving the war in Ukraine. "With all of the heavy bombardment over the last two weeks, they have gained almost no land. I'm not going to ever call anybody a paper tiger but Russia has spent millions and millions of dollars in bombs, missiles, ammunition and lives," Trump told journalists amid a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Oval Office.
  • Putin forced to raise taxes again as Ukraine war drains finances

    09/25/2025 8:16:46 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 41 replies
    Politico EU ^ | 9/24/2025 | GEOFFREY SMITH
    After three and a half years, President Vladimir Putin is having to lean more and more on ordinary Russians to pay for his war in Ukraine. The Russian Finance Ministry on Wednesday said it intends to raise value added tax by two percentage points to 22 percent, part of a three-year plan that aims to plug a rapidly expanding hole in public finances. VAT accounted for more than 15 percent of total government revenue last year. After raising personal income taxes sharply at the start of the year, Putin had pledged there would be no more big changes to the...
  • Ukraine war: Zelensky ready to step down after Russian conflict ends

    09/25/2025 7:17:12 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 75 replies
    South China Morning Post ^ | 9/25/2025 | Reuters
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview published on Thursday that he would be ready to step down after the war with Russia is over. “If we finish the war with the Russians, yes, I am ready not to go [for elections] because it’s not my goal, elections,” Zelensky told the Axios website in a video interview. “I wanted very much, in a very difficult period of time, to be with my country, help my country. My goal is to finish the war.” Zelensky said he would ask Ukraine’s parliament to organise elections if a ceasefire was reached. A...
  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to visit Ukraine

    09/25/2025 7:11:14 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 9 replies
    APA ^ | 9/25/2025 | Staff
    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Ukraine, APA reports. The announcement was made by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on his Facebook page. During their meeting, Rubio confirmed his agreement to travel to Ukraine. It should be noted that since assuming office, Secretary Rubio has not yet visited Ukraine.