Trump targets Microsoft, tech firms, top universities over alleged green card abuse

The News International - Oct 9, 2026

Trump targets Microsoft, tech firms, top universities over alleged green card abuseUS President Donald Trump's administration has suspended Microsoft and several other technology companies from a US green card programme over allegations of fraud and misuse of foreign worker visas.US Vice President...

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Trump says anyone who does not call AI 'super intelligence' is 'the enemy'
Oct 9, 2026
Trump says anyone who does not call AI 'super intelligence' is 'the enemy'

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he wants the term "super intelligence" to replace artificial intelligence, said Thursday that anyone who does not heed his wishes will be treated as "THE ENEMY," without saying what the consequences would be. "The White House considers anyone that uses the term, 'Artificial Intelligence,' as opposed to the highly accepted new and more accurate term, 'Super Intelligence,' THE ENEMY!" Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network. Trump mentioned his proposed name change in a speech before the UN General Assembly last month, saying his new term "sounds much better." Then in late September, Trump signed an executive order, imposing the use of "super intelligence" across the U.S. government. That same obligation does not affect the private sector, but some there are already adopting it, including Mark Zuckerberg's Meta group. Trump ally Elon Musk is using "super intelligence" in his posts on his X network. The semantic debate is primarily a political one: the U.S. president, who has stridently defended the use of AI, is trying to put

Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium, nuclear chief says
Oct 9, 2026
Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium, nuclear chief says

DUBAI — Iran will not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium, state media reported on Thursday, citing the head of the country's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami, after the U.S. said Iran must make "meaningful" reductions in its enrichment capacity. Dismissing renewed U.S. threats against Iran's nuclear facilities as "nothing new", Eslami said enrichment was "an inseparable part" of the nuclear process. Eslami's comments come as Iran and the United States exchanged proposals in recent weeks aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday that Iran could reply within days to a U.S. response to Iran's proposal under which the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened within seven days if necessary conditions were met. "Enrichment is an integral part of the nuclear process, and we will not abandon it in any way. How can you claim to have a nuclear industry if you don't have the starting point of the process? The nuclear industry is the driving force of science and techn

French teens march for decent schools despite government's pledge to act
Oct 9, 2026
French teens march for decent schools despite government's pledge to act

MARSEILLE/PARIS — French teenagers blockaded some high schools and marched through cities on Thursday as the government promised to address their grievances about teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings but gave few specific details. The protest movement, now into its third week, has exposed deep tensions in France between popular demands for investments in deteriorating public services and a cash-strapped government under pressure from bond markets to reduce its debt and deficit. Large crowds demonstrated in Paris and across the country from Lille in the north to Rennes and Nantes in the west, and Toulon and Marseille in the south. The marches were peaceful, though scuffles between police and protesters took place at some locations in Paris and Nantes and police charged at a crowd and used water cannon in Rennes. In Paris' iconic Bastille square, where a large crowd had gathered, police charged protesters and used water cannon as dusk fell. High-school teacher Diane Di Sciullo joined students at a large march in Marseille, saying all they were asking for was a decent educati

Trump says he will not attack Iran before US elections in November
Oct 9, 2026
Trump says he will not attack Iran before US elections in November

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States is having productive discussions with Iran and will not launch an attack on the country before US midterm congressional elections in November. "We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. He said the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect and that oil is flowing through the Strait of Hormuz. "We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd," Trump said.

The skilled foreign tech workers' green card program under attack from Trump
Oct 9, 2026
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
Oct 9, 2026
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
Oct 9, 2026
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
Oct 9, 2026
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
Oct 9, 2026
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

Will Nobel Peace Prize pick make waves at the White House?
Oct 9, 2026
Will Nobel Peace Prize pick make waves at the White House?

OSLO — The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize will be announced Friday in Oslo, with much of the attention this year centered on how US President Donald Trump, eager to win it himself, will react. The laureate will be revealed at 11:00 am (0900 GMT) at the Nobel Institute in Oslo. In a world ravaged by conflicts and crises, 287 individuals and organizations have been nominated for the ultimate diplomatic and humanitarian accolade this year. Their identities are kept secret for 50 years, leaving Nobel watchers guessing about who will get the nod. The only thing experts agree on is that the winner will not be Trump, despite his -- unsubstantiated -- claims of having ended up to eight wars, and his assertion that he is the most deserving candidate. "They have a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me... and I think it would be a great discredit to them," Trump said on Wednesday. "And I'm not saying that out of scorn." In Oslo, the US president is generally considered disqualified due to his war against Iran, his territorial expansion ambitions as in Greenland, his hard line on mig

Russian strike on Ukrainian public buses kills 30 people as blackouts worsen in Kyiv
Oct 9, 2026
Russian strike on Ukrainian public buses kills 30 people as blackouts worsen in Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian-guided bomb exploded next to public buses filled with passengers in eastern Ukraine, authorities said Thursday, killing 30 people as part of a wave of attacks that also worsened power outages in the capital. The morning attack occurred next to a bus stop in the war-torn city of Kramatorsk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, prompting public transport to be suspended in the area. “There is no doubt that Russia is cynically targeting civilians,” Oleksandr Honcharenko, head of the city's military administration, said, adding that the rescue effort had been hampered by subsequent Russian attacks using small drones. Russia and Ukraine are locked in a long-range aerial war while their armies remain largely deadlocked on the front line, more than 4 1/2 years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Russia has escalated its aerial attack in recent weeks, putting pressure on Ukraine as it prepares for winter and hitting the infrastructure keeping its war-battered economy afloat. Recent targets have included energy systems, key industries, railways, post offices, shopping

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