Hong Kong rejects US downgrade to lowest tier in human trafficking report

The skilled foreign tech workers' green card program under attack from Trump

The U.S. government said on Thursday it is suspending some of the world's biggest tech and IT firms including Microsoft, Cognizant and Capgemini from a key green card program that allows skilled foreign workers to gain permanent residency through their employment. Senior U.S. officials cited alleged fraud as the reason behind the move, saying companies have been using the program to replace American workers with cheaper foreign workers, and comes as the latest step in the Trump administration's crackdown on skilled foreign labor. What is under suspension? The suspension is targeting a key employer-sponsorship mechanism, called the Permanent Labor Certification or PERM, which is used by major technology companies and outsourcing firms. The U.S. government said that for certain companies, it would not accept any new PERM applications or process any pending ones. PERM came into effect in 2005, aiming to speed up the long processing times experienced under the previous paper-based "Alien Employment Certification" program. Under the program, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) allows an employe

The long-deployed USS Lincoln is returning home to San Diego

CORONADO, Calif. — The USS Abraham Lincoln is returning home to San Diego Bay Thursday after supporting the Iran war during a record long deployment of 265 uninterrupted days at sea that included reports of deteriorating conditions among its crew. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew out to the carrier on Wednesday to give the crew the Presidential Unit Citation , the highest honor a unit can receive that is typically reserved for significant achievement in combat. Hegseth pushed back against what he said were efforts to turn the “Lincoln into some sort of a symbol, a symbol of dysfunction or a symbol of low morale or a symbol of a failed mission.” The carrier drew national attention following reports of stress among the crew and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages, including food and hygiene products, during its Iran war mission. Families and loved ones of the crew arrived hours ahead of the carrier’s arrival Thursday, waiting in line to get on the naval base in Coronado near San Diego. Among the first to depart once the ship docks will be 64 fathers meeting theirs ba

White House official accuses S. Korea of flooding US with subsidized steel

WASHINGTON — A White House official on Thursday accused South Korea of flooding the U.S. market with heavily subsidized steel products and Chinese steel shipped through the country, warning that Washington is taking action to crack down on such purported measures. "South Korea is inundating the U.S. with highly subsidized steel and steel transshipped from China," Peter Navarro, White House senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, wrote on social media platform X. "We are cracking down," he added, while sharing a video clip of him speaking with reporters earlier this week on U.S. trade. In the news video clip from Tuesday, Navarro said he wants to "call out" in particular South Korea for "inundating" the American market with highly subsidized Korean steel and transshipped steel from China. "Even though we have very high tariffs, 50 percent on steel, they are blowing past that because they cheat, and we're gonna be doing something about that." Foreign steelmakers in the U.S. face tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the U.S. president to adjust i

US freezes green card applications from Microsoft, major IT firms over alleged fraud

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration froze on Thursday some green-card filings by Microsoft, Adobe and major IT outsourcers and opened probes into nine top universities, widening a visa crackdown it says targets fraud and protects American jobs. The twin actions mark the broadest strike yet against skilled-worker immigration programs — potentially cutting off a common path to permanent residency for foreign tech workers — while putting some of the country's top research universities on notice. "There has been no company in the United States, unfortunately, that has abused the system more than Microsoft," Vice President JD Vance said. He said the company laid off 6,000 American workers last year while benefiting from 6,300 H-1B temporary worker visas and nearly 3,000 green cards. The announcement about the permanent labor certification process — PERM — came hours before Trump was due to give Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Under PERM, required for most employment-based green cards, employers must show that hiring a foreign worker wi

US keeps S. Korea in Tier 1 group for human trafficking elimination efforts for 3rd straight year

The U.S. State Department has kept South Korea in the highest tier of countries in terms of anti-human trafficking efforts for the third consecutive year, while maintaining North Korea in the lowest category over state-sponsored forced labor practices, a department report showed Thursday. The department released the 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, where South Korea was listed in the Tier 1 group of 33 countries and territories, including the United States, Britain, Taiwan, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Israel and Denmark. In its tier placement, the report cited various efforts by Seoul, including increasing investigations and convictions, updating guidelines to provide potential victims with access to emergency support among other efforts. "The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period. Therefore, the ROK remained on Tier 1," the report said, referring to South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea. However, the report also noted that weak sentencing undermined accountability for traffickers in South Korea, while con

Man shot during ICE operation in NYC, Gov. Hochul demands explanation

Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it an ‘unconscionable and incredibly serious situation’

Zelenskyy accuses US of inaction as Russian strikes kill over 70 in 2 days

The ongoing Russian air assaults intensify, with significant civilian casualties reported, prompting Zelenskyy to call for increased sanctions on Russia and support from European partners

Congressional candidate who says she was raped while fixing campaign signs believes attack was ‘crime of opportunity,’ not political

The Democratic candidate was fixing a damaged campaign sign along her route in August when she says two men ambushed her from behind

Unlocking value from AI: What is holding companies back?

Holborn and St Pancras by-election result live: Greens concede Polanski ‘will come second’ as counting continues

Voters had the choice of 15 candidates to replace Sir Keir Starmer, who resigned from the House of Commons last month

Ukraine’s Zelensky accuses US of inaction as Russian strikes kill nearly 80 in 2 days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the US of being unwilling to help Ukraine after a Russian bomb attack on Thursday killed at least 35 people in the east, sending the two-day death toll from Russian strikes to over 70. Hours after the strike on the embattled city of Kramatorsk tore through two buses, Zelensky criticised Washington’s effort to pursue economic ties with Russia while also seeking to mediate the more than four-year war. City authorities reported a new ‌drone attack in...

Hong Kong rejects US downgrade to lowest tier in human trafficking report