The Trump administration has told U.S. embassies to stop scheduling new visa interviews for international students and exchange visitors. This pause is part of a plan to increase social media checks on applicants.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government is reviewing how it screens these visa applicants and will soon update its guidelines. While interviews already scheduled can still happen, new ones must be canceled for now.
Officials say the goal is to make sure all visitors are thoroughly vetted, especially by checking their online activity. U.S. embassies are being told to focus on American citizen services, immigrant visas, and preventing fraud instead.
This move comes as Trump pushes stricter immigration rules, including deporting students or green card holders who support Palestinians or criticize Israel’s actions in Gaza. Critics say this violates free speech rights.
One student from Türkiye was even jailed for weeks after co-writing an article criticizing her university’s stance on Gaza. She was freed after a judge granted her bail.
Recently, Trump also moved to stop Harvard from accepting international students, accusing the university of resisting government demands. International students make up about 27% of Harvard’s student body.
A regional conference on Afghanistan in Moscow ended on Monday without a joint statement after Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban delegation failed to...
The German-Azerbaijani Connectivity Conference 2026 commenced on 6 October in Baku under the title “Mobilising Finance for Infrast...
An Azerbaijani citizen died and another is missing after a cargo ship was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, near the coast of Romania on Monday...
Australian counterterrorism authorities are examining the links of the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to take control of a flydubai flight bound for Israel. Authorities in New Zealand have also said they are investigating reports the suspect had spent time in that country.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the United States will 'help' Russia after a laboratory worker died at a plague research institute in Siberia.
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
A regional conference on Afghanistan in Moscow ended on Monday without a joint statement after Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban delegation failed to agree on wording about terrorism. It was the first time since the inaugural meeting that participants failed to issue a joint statement.
An Azerbaijani citizen died and another is missing after a cargo ship was attacked by a drone in the Black Sea, near the coast of Romania on Monday (5 October), Baku's Foreign Ministry has said.
South Korea is preparing a response to press North Korea into apologising for a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that seriously wounded two of its soldiers, a Defence Ministry Spokesperson has said.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 6 October 2026. These are the top five things you need to know about the 2026 Nobel Prize.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the United States will 'help' Russia after a laboratory worker died at a plague research institute in Siberia.
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