In a recent move, the Trump administration has suspended the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, which has been in place to allow Afghan nationals who have worked with the US military to immigrate to the US. According to reports, the administration has also terminated the special exemption from security screening for SIV holders.
The move comes after a recent shooting incident involving a National Guard officer, reportedly of Afghan descent. The administration has since taken a stricter approach to immigration, with reports suggesting that all new asylum applications will be put on hold.
Afghanistan is among the 12 countries subject to a complete travel ban imposed in June, along with a new set of restrictions on special immigrant visas. The US government has stated that this move is aimed at countries with poor screening, waiting, and information-sharing processes.
Meanwhile, Germany has announced plans to bring back 535 Afghan nationals who worked with German forces in Afghanistan before the US withdrawal, citing concerns over their safety under the Taliban government.
In other news, a Bangladeshi student leader, Osman Hadi, who was shot and wounded in a recent incident in Dhaka, has passed away while receiving medical treatment in Singapore.
A significant development was announced in the 16th report of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which revealed that Sultan Aziz Azam, the spokesperson for ISIS-Khorasan and the founder of the group’s media wing, has been arrested.
Reports suggest that the Trump administration is accelerating plans to revoke the citizenship of non-citizen Americans, with instructions issued to US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
In other international news, Taiwan’s city of Hualien has experienced tremors due to a recent earthquake. In Gaza, one Palestinian was killed and 13 injured in a recent Israeli military operation.
The UAE has experienced heavy rain, with parts of Dubai and Sharjah experiencing flooding. In other news, Justin Sun, the founder of the TRON blockchain network, has returned to the US after a visit to Pakistan.
In India, a 48-year-old woman, Deepika Sharma, was found murdered in her home in Ghaziabad, with her landlords suspected of the crime. The police have arrested the couple, Ajay Gupta and Akriti Gupta.
In a separate incident, a Chinese official has warned the US against selling arms to Taiwan, describing it as a “grave mistake.”
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has predicted that poverty will be eradicated in the future, with people no longer needing to worry about money.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has filed a lawsuit against the Nobel Foundation, alleging that he was treated unfairly.
In a separate development, the US has announced plans to sell arms to Taiwan, citing concerns over the island’s security.
In India, a 30-year-old engineer, Ambesh, has been arrested for murdering his parents and dismembering their bodies before throwing them into a river.
