Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

A speechwriter for the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has come under scrutiny after being linked to a series of online posts promoting hate speech and extremist views. Eric Lendrum, who joined the DHS in March under Secretary Kristi Noem, previously served at the Department of the Interior during Donald Trump’s first administration. In the intervening years, he was active online, hosting a podcast, posting on X and Telegram, and contributing to the conservative website American Greatness. What speechwriter wrote In one 2021 blog post, Lendrum defended participants in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, claiming…

The administration of President Donald Trump has revoked more than 6,000 student visas, citing overstays and breaches of US law, with a small minority withdrawn over alleged links to terrorism, a State Department official confirmed yesterday. The decision, first reported by Fox Digital, forms part of the administration’s broader crackdown on immigration, which has seen tighter vetting of social media accounts and expanded screening measures. Directives issued this year instructed American diplomats abroad to exercise particular caution towards applicants viewed in Washington as hostile to the United States or with a record of political activism, according to Reuters. Of the…

DThe US Department of Justice has agreed to provide Congress with documents from the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation, a senior lawmaker confirmed on Monday, in a move that appears to ease, for now, a potential constitutional clash. The material will begin to be handed over on Friday to the House oversight committee, which earlier this month issued a wide-ranging subpoena to the department concerning a case that has long drawn intense public scrutiny, unsettled senior figures in Donald Trump’s administration, and fuelled numerous conspiracy theories. Republican speaks on many records in DoJ James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee,…

Two American tourists in their seventies have died in separate drowning incidents at a newly opened resort in the Bahamas, officials have confirmed. The deaths occurred on Friday at Celebration Key, a $600m private destination built for Carnival Cruise Line passengers, which opened in July around 100 miles (160km) off the coast of Florida. Carnival Cruise Line said its lifeguards and medical staff responded to two emergencies on the same day, one at a lagoon and the other on a beach. “Sadly, both guests have passed away,” the company said in a statement. According to police, the first incident took…

Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a direct attack on Anthony Albanese, describing Australia’s prime minister as “weak” in a social media post, hours after Jewish groups in Australia called for restraint in relations between the two countries. “History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” read the post on X from the Israeli prime minister’s account on Tuesday evening, Australian time. Australia silents on Netanyahu statement The Australian prime minister’s office declined to comment. The remarks came shortly after the Executive Council of Australian Jewry urged both governments to de-escalate tensions,…

For months, Israeli officials have spoken of Palestinians leaving Gaza in large numbers. Now, discussions have emerged over a potential destination: South Sudan, one of Africa’s poorest and most conflict-stricken states. According to officials and individuals briefed on the matter, Israel has held talks with South Sudan about receiving refugees from Gaza. The move forms part of a wider Israeli strategy of promoting large-scale emigration from the enclave, devastated by nearly two years of war with Hamas. Critics warn that permanently displacing Gazans would amount to ethnic cleansing and a war crime. They note that some Israeli leaders have openly…

SwatchSwiss watchmaker Swatch has apologised and withdrawn an advertisement featuring a model making a gesture widely condemned as racist, following a backlash on Chinese social media. The campaign showed an Asian male model pulling at the corners of his eyes, a gesture that internet users described as a racist caricature. The image quickly drew criticism on Weibo, with many calling for a boycott of Swatch and its associated brands, including Blancpain, Longines and Tissot. In a statement posted on Instagram and Weibo on Saturday, the company acknowledged the controversy and confirmed it had removed the material globally. “We sincerely apologise…

Twenty Unites States and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department over new immigration enforcement conditions tied to federal grants intended for crime victims. The legal action, lodged in federal court in Rhode Island on Monday, challenges a rule introduced under the Trump administration that makes funding contingent on compliance with federal immigration law. The case centres on the Office for Victims of Crime, a Justice Department division established 42 years ago, which distributes more than $1 billion annually to all 50 states. The funds support compensation schemes and services such as crisis counselling centres,…

Marius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-MaritMarius Borg Hoiby, the son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, has been charged with 32 offences, including four counts of rape, prosecutors have confirmed. The 27-year-old, whose stepfather is Crown Prince Haakon, Norway’s future king, is expected to face trial early next year. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could face a prison sentence of up to ten years. The indictment, made public on Monday, accuses Høiby of raping four women between 2018 and November 2024. Prosecutors allege that the assaults took place after consensual intercourse, while the women…

The United States has announced that visa applicants will be required to submit details of all social media accounts they have used over the past five years. In a notice issued by the U.S. Mission, the directive applies to those completing the DS-160 form, the standard application for non-immigrant visas. Applicants must provide usernames or handles for every platform they have used during that period. “Visa applicants are required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years on the DS-160 visa application form,” the mission stated. What US says…