The US has revoked over 100,000 visas, including of around 8,000 students, in 2025 as part of its widespread efforts to crackdown on immigration citing criminal activity. "We will continue to deport these thugs to keep America safe,' the State Department said in a social media post on Monday. 'The State Department has now revoked over 100,000 visas, including some 8,000 student visas and 2,500 specialised visas for individuals who had encounters with US law enforcement for criminal activity," it said. State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that in less than one year, the Trump administration has revoked over 100,000 visas. 'That includes revoked visas from thousands of foreign nationals charged or convicted with crimes, including assault, theft, and driving under the influence,' he said. According to a Fox News report, the number of visas revoked in 2025 is more than double the 40,000 visas cancelled in 2024, the final year of former president Joe Biden's administration. The report said that while a majority of the revocations in 2025 were for business and tourist travellers who overstayed their visas, 8,000 students and 2,500 individuals on specialised visas had their document revoked due to criminal encounters with law enforcement. 'Among specialised workers, half of the revocations were based on drunken driving arrests, 30% for assault, battery or confinement charges, and the remaining 20% were revoked for theft, child abuse, substance abuse and distribution, and fraud and embezzlement charges,' it said. The report said nearly 500 students had their visas revoked for possession and distribution of drugs while hundreds of foreign workers lost their visas because they were believed to be "abusing children'. It quoted Pigott as saying that the administration would continue its "aggressive" enforcement posture through its new "continuous vetting centre". "The Trump administration will continue to put America first and protect our nation from foreign nationals who pose a risk to public safety or national security," he said. The Trump administration has intensified crackdown on immigration, both illegal and legal, and tightened rules for individuals seeking to enter the US for work or study. From December 15, the State Department also began enhanced screening of H-1B and dependent H-4 visa applicants, including checks of social media profiles. Several H-1B visa interviews scheduled across India have since been postponed, leaving many applicants who travelled for visa stamping stranded for months. The State Department has repeatedly underscored that a US visa is a privilege, not a right, and said it uses all available information during screening and vetting to identify applicants who may pose a threat to national security or public safety. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 January,2026 08:44 AM IST | New York | PTIUS Vice President J D Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have congratulated Sergio Gor as he took charge as the US Ambassador to India, expressing confidence that he would 'do a great job' in New Delhi. 'Namaste! Today marks my first day at the US Embassy in New Delhi. I am honoured to join this dedicated team and eager to get to work advancing President Donald Trump's priorities and deepening the US-India partnership. I couldn't be more optimistic about the days ahead for both of our nations under President Trump's leadership,' Gor posted on social media on Monday. Amplifying the post, Vance said, 'Congrats, Mr. Ambassador. You'll do a great job!' Rubio echoed the sentiment, saying, 'You will do a great job!' Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau also welcomed Gor, calling him 'a great addition to our team'. Gor, 39, arrived in New Delhi on January 9 to take up his new role as US Ambassador to India and Special Envoy to South and Central Asia. Addressing US Embassy personnel, he said no country is as essential as India for Washington, adding that both sides are actively engaged in firming up a trade deal. The envoy said real friends can disagree but ultimately resolve their differences, referring to the relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump. "India is the world's largest nation. So it's not an easy task to get this across the finish line, but we are determined to get there," Gor said. In another social media post, he said India will be invited to join the Pax Silica, a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain. 'As the world adopts new technology, it is essential that India and the United States work hand-in-hand together,' Gor said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 January,2026 08:40 AM IST | New York | PTIThe United States has accused Russia of a 'dangerous and inexplicable escalation' of its nearly four-year war in Ukraine at a time when the Trump administration is trying to advance negotiations toward peace. US deputy ambassador to the United Nations Tammy Bruce on Monday singled out Russia's launch of a nuclear-capable Oreshnik ballistic missile last week close to Ukraine's border with Poland, a NATO ally. She told an emergency meeting of the Security Council that the United States deplores 'the staggering number of casualties' in the conflict and condemns Russia's intensifying attacks on energy and other infrastructure. Ukraine called for the meeting after last Thursday's overnight Russian bombardment with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, including the powerful, new hypersonic Oreshnik missile, which Moscow used for only the second time in what was a clear warning to Kyiv's NATO allies. The large-scale attack came days after Ukraine and its allies reported major progress toward agreeing on how to defend the country from further Moscow aggression if a US-led peace deal is struck. The attack also coincided with a new chill in relations between Moscow and Washington after Russia condemned the US seizure of an oil tanker in the North Atlantic. And it came as US President Donald Trump signalled he is on board with a hard-hitting sanctions package meant to economically cripple Russia. Moscow has given no public signal it is willing to budge from its maximalist demands on Ukraine. And Russia's UN ambassador on Monday blamed the diplomatic impasse on Ukraine. Europe's leaders condemned the attack using the Oreshnik as 'escalatory and unacceptable,' and US envoy Bruce was equally tough on Monday. 'At a moment of tremendous potential, due only to President Trump's unparalleled commitment to peace around the world, both sides should be seeking ways to de-escalate,' she said. 'Yet Russia's action risks expanding and intensifying the war.' Bruce reminded Russia that nearly a year ago it voted in favour of a Security Council resolution calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine. 'It would be nice if Russia matched their words with deeds,' she said. 'In the spirit of that resolution, Russia, Ukraine and Europe must pursue peace seriously and bring this nightmare to an end.' But Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that until Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'comes to his senses and agrees to realistic conditions for negotiations, we will continue solving the problem by military means.' 'He was warned long ago, with each passing day, each day which he squanders, the conditions for negotiations will only get worse for him,' Nebenzia said. 'Similarly, each vile attack on Russian civilians will elicit a stiff response.' Ukraine's UN Ambassador Andriy Melnyk countered that Russia is more vulnerable now than at any time since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Its economy is slowing and oil revenue is down. 'Russia wants to sell to this council and the whole UN family the impression that it is invincible, but this is another illusion,' he told the council. 'The carefully staged image of strength is nothing but smoke and mirrors, completely detached from reality.' This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 January,2026 08:36 AM IST | United Nations | APFive human heads were found hanging from ropes on a beach in southwestern Ecuador, police said on Sunday. Next to the heads was a warning sign directed at alleged extortionists of fishermen in the small fishing port of Puerto Lopez. The ropes were fixed to wooden poles on the beach. The police attributed the incident to a conflict between criminal groups. Drug-trafficking networks with links to transnational cartels are active in the area and have used fishermen and their small boats for their illicit activities, according to authorities. A dispute for territory and control of drug-trafficking routes has triggered violent episodes across the Manabi province, where Puerto Lopez is located. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 January,2026 08:30 AM IST | Quito | AgenciesUS President Donald Trump ignited an online firestorm with a cryptic social media post on Truth Social that has both his supporters and critics scrambling for meaning. The post consisted solely of an image that had ‘acting president of Venezuela’ written beneath his photo where he has a grim face. There was no additional text, explanation, or context provided with the fake photo Trump shared, leaving observers to interpret its meaning in vastly different ways. Earlier, addressing reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “Venezuela is really working out well. We’re working along really well with their leadership, and we’ll see how it all works out.” Trump also spoke with the interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez. On the meeting Trump said, “She’s been very good. She asked us if we could take 50 million barrels of oil, and I said yes, we can, it is worth $4.2 billion, and it is on its way right now to the US...” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 January,2026 08:26 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesScientists have identified two unknown circoviruses in short-finned pilot whales and orcas living in the Caribbean region of the North Atlantic Ocean, the first to be detected in cetaceans from this part of the world. The team recovered seven complete circovirus genomes. Five of were found in short-finned pilot whales, while two came from orcas. The viruses represent new species, which the team named shofin circovirus and orcin circovirus. Both are clearly different from the only cetacean circovirus previously identified, beaked whale circovirus, discovered in a whale from the Pacific Ocean. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 January,2026 08:23 AM IST | Paris | AgenciesA team of astronomers recently discovered something they didn’t predict in a “cosmic hamburger” — one of the biggest planet-forming disks of gas and dust, or protoplanetary disks, humanity has ever seen. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a powerful array of 66 radio antennas located in northern Chile, the team discovered the first signs of planet formation in the dense gas layers of a system known as Gomez’s Hamburger (GoHam). GoHam’s tasty appearance is due to the fact that from Earth it is seen edge-on with stacked layers of gas “buns” rotating around a young star “burger.” This orientation allows the structure of Go Ham to be viewed in a way that isn’t possible for other protoplanetary disks swirling around similar young stars. As such, the study of GoHam and the discovery of tantalising hints of planet formation could give astronomers a better understanding of how giant planets form at great distances from their parent stars. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 January,2026 08:19 AM IST | Santiago | AgenciesMalaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s xAI, after authorities said it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and non-consensual images. The moves reflect growing global concern over generative AI tools that can produce realistic images, sound and text. The Grok chatbot, which is accessed through Musk’s social media platform X, has been criticised for generating manipulated images, including depictions of women in bikinis or sexually explicit poses, as well as images involving children. Regulators in the two nations said existing controls were not preventing the creation and spread of fake pornographic content. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 January,2026 08:17 AM IST | Jakarta | AgenciesIran drew tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators to the streets on Monday in a show of power after nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy. Iranian state television showed images of demonstrators thronging Tehran toward Enghelab Square, or “Islamic Revolution” Square in the capital. It called the demonstration an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism”, without addressing the underlying anger in the country over the nation’s ailing economy. That sparked the protests over two weeks ago. State television aired images of such demonstrations around the country, trying to signal it had overcome the protests, as claimed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier in the day. At least 544 people have been killed, and more than 10,681 individuals arrested and transferred to prisons amid protests in Iran during the unrest, according to the Human Rights News Agency. Araghchi said that there was clear evidence “linking this deadly violence to Mossad terrorists,” as reported by Press TV. ‘Iran ready for talks’ US President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters. Iran didn’t immediately respond to his comments but on Monday, called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy. Iran snubs US intervention The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) strongly condemned recent “terrorist acts” carried out amid violent unrest in Iran and criticised US President Donald Trump for what it described as “blatant interference” in the country’s internal matters. The IRGC said that, as with past attempts at destabilisation by Iran’s adversaries, the latest acts of sabotage committed by terrorist groups backed by the US and Israel are destined to fail. Truck speeds through rally in Los Angeles A man drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people on Sunday, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver. The truck, with a window and side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars, with officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver’s side window. The driver wasn't immediately identified and nobody was seriously hurt in the incident. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 January,2026 08:14 AM IST | Dubai | AgenciesTech giant Meta has urged the Australian Government to rethink its world-first ban on social media use for children under the age of 16, even as the company reported blocking more than 5.44 lakh underage accounts under the new law, news agency AFP reported. Australia introduced the legislation on December 10, 2025, requiring major social media platforms — including Meta, TikTok and YouTube — to prevent users under 16 from holding accounts. Companies that fail to take what the law describes as “reasonable steps” to enforce the ban face fines of up to Australian dollar 49.5 million (US dollar 33 million). Notably, children and parents are not punished for breaking the rules. In a statement released on Monday, Meta said it was committed to complying with the legislation but raised concerns about its effectiveness and long-term impact. Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg’s company said it had removed 3.31 lakh underage accounts from Instagram, 1.73 lakh from Facebook, and 40,000 from Threads in the week to December 11 alone. “The company said it was committed to complying with the law,” Meta stated, while also urging the government to explore alternative approaches. That said, we call on the Australian government to engage with industry constructively to find a better way forward, such as incentivising all of industry to raise the standard in providing safe, privacy-preserving, age appropriate experiences online, instead of blanket bans,” it said in statement. Meta renewed its earlier call for app stores to play a greater role in enforcing age limits. It also proposed that age verification should happen at the app store level (Apple or Google) with parental consent, rather than on each individual app. This approach would help avoid what it described as a “whack-a-mole” problem, where teens simply move from one platform to another to bypass restrictions. “This was the only way to avoid a ‘whack-a-mole’ race to stop teens migrating to new apps to avoid the ban,” the company said. The ban is intended to protect children from cyber-bullying, sexual exploitation, harmful content and mental health issues linked to social media design. However, parents and experts have raised concerns that it could instead isolate young people from online communities and drive them towards less regulated platforms or the “darker corners of the internet”. Meta argued that early indications show the law may be falling short of its aims. “Initial impacts of the legislation ‘suggest it is not meeting its objectives of increasing the safety and well-being of young Australians’,” Meta said. Raising concerns over the ban, the National Institute of Health said, “the legislation does not equip young people with the skills to navigate online spaces safely and responsibly, which are essential in today’s digital landscape." While acknowledging the lack of an industry-wide standard for determining users’ ages online, Meta further added complying with the Australian law would require a “multilayered process”. Since the ban came into effect, the California-based company said it has helped found the OpenAge Initiative, a non-profit group that has launched age-verification tools called Age Keys, designed for use across participating platforms. (With AFP inputs)
12 January,2026 05:06 PM IST | mumbai | mid-day online correspondentUS President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544. Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman "long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran" travelled toIran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defence. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran, insisted "the situation has come under total control" in fiery remarks that blamed Israel and the US for the violence, without offering evidence. "That's why the demonstrations turned violent and bloody to give an excuse to the American president to intervene", Araghchi said, in comments carried by the Qatar-funded Al Jazeera satellite news network. Al Jazeera has been allowed to report from inside the country live despite the internet being shut off. Meanwhile, on Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted "Death to America!" and "Death to Israel!" Trump acknowledges proposal for talks Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran, including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the US or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. "The military is looking at it, and we're looking at some very strong options", Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran's threats of retaliation, he said: "If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they've never been hit before". Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters. "I think they're tired of being beaten up by the United States", Trump said. "Iran wants to negotiate". He added, ¿The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what's happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.¿ Iran's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the US military and Israel would be "legitimate targets" if America uses force to protect demonstrators. More than 10,600 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran cross-checking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces. With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran's government has not offered overall casualty figures. Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran's security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country's capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media. Fear pervades Iran's capital In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted. Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: "Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers". Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations. "Dear parents, in view of the enemy's plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country", the text warned. The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown. The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to USD 1, as the country's economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear programme. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran's theocracy. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
12 January,2026 01:30 PM IST | Dubai | APADVERTISEMENT
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