6 d. ago US issues broad order to consulates to vet student visas over ‘terrorist activity’

State department shares new standard for denials based on social media posts, financial donations and membershipsThe United States has ordered consular offices to significantly expand their screening processes for student visa applicants, including through comprehensive social media investigations, to exclude people they deem to support terrorism.A state department cable from 25 March, obtained by the Guardian, describes a new standard for visa denials based on a broad definition of what constitutes support for “terrorist activity”. The directive states that “evidence that an applicant advocates for terrorist activity, or otherwise demonstrates a degree of public approval or public advocacy for terrorist activity or a terrorist organization” can be grounds for visa rejection. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago Cycle to Work scheme should be expanded to include freelancers and pensioners, say MPs

All-party group also calls for action on menace of pavement parking

Economics

9 d. ago Russia and Ukraine agree to ‘eliminate the use of force’ in Black Sea

Kremlin stipulates maritime ceasefire will start only if it gets sanctions relief on agricultural exportsRussia-Ukraine war: latest news updatesRussia and Ukraine have agreed to “eliminate the use of force” in the Black Sea after parallel talks with US negotiators in Saudi Arabia, though the Kremlin said a maritime ceasefire would start only if it received sanctions relief on agricultural exports.The two sides also agreed to implement a previously announced 30-day halt on attacks against energy networks and expand its scope to more locations, but resolving fundamental issues, including any division of territory, remains far off. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Sports Direct to open 350 new stores in huge retail expansion

Mike Ashley-owned Sports Direct is expanding its huge portfolio of stores, which already includes more than 500 in the United Kingdom, with the Fraser Group intent on taking hold of more countries

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Finding time for pleasure’: what orcas taught me about sex in midlife

Female killer whales lead playful sex lives as they age – and are also celebrated for their matriarchal wisdomHow much do you spend on health and wellness a month?Four years ago, I was thrown for a loop by a wave of strange new symptoms including night sweats, an expanding midsection, dry skin, and a strong and sudden intolerance for noise. I suspected they had something to do with the neurological and physiological changes of perimenopause but was frustrated by the absence of clear answers about what was happening to my middle-aged body. Lacking few nuanced representations of this period of life, I began looking at what midlife looks like elsewhere in nature.It was inspiring. Trees, for instance, illustrate the capaciousness of midlife: as they mature, they add rings to their ever-expanding trunks. Mature trees in urban areas – those 20 years and up – remove higher levels of air pollution, sequester more carbon from the atmosphere and provide much more leaf area and shade than thei...

Politics

3 w. ago Snub for Keir Starmer as terrorism watchdog rejects plan to expand laws on terror after Southport attacks

Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, Jonathan Hall, KC, has warned that expanding terror laws to include loners fixated on violence would overwhelm MI5 and counter terrorism officers.

Events