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US to strengthen military ties with Philippines to counter China’s aggression in Indo-Pacific – The Times of India

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US to strengthen military ties with Philippines to counter China’s aggression in Indo-Pacific – The Times of India


US to strengthen military ties with Philippines to counter China’s aggression in Indo-Pacific (Picture credit: ANI)

MANILA: US defence secretary Pete Hegseth, during his visit to Manila, said that the United States will strengthen its military partnership with the Philippines to “reinforce deterrence” against “China’s aggression” in the Indo-Pacific region, as reported by CNN News.
During a joint press conference with his Philippines counterpart, Gilbert Teodoro, Hegseth emphasized that these efforts highlight the strength of the US-Philippines’ “ironclad alliance,” especially in response to Communist China’s aggression in the region, CNN reported.
Hegseth announced that the US will deploy more advanced military assets for joint training, improve interoperability for “high-end operations,” and focus on strengthening defense industrial cooperation.
The Philippines has been at the forefront of China’s growing aggressiveness in Asia. Beijing aims to enforce its claim over most of the South China Sea, despite an international ruling that rejects its sovereignty over the area.
Expressing US’ readiness to stand alongside its allies and partners, he said, “He would truly prioritize a shift to the Indo-Pacific with the recognition that for the 21st century to be a free century, America needs to stand alongside our allies and partners shoulder to shoulder.”
In the US-Philippines partnership, he stated, “Together, we’ll encourage our other partners and allies in the region to step up their efforts and cooperation to increase defense capabilities and strengthen deterrence.”
According to CNN news, Hegseth will also travel to Japan during his tour, which comes as he aims to address the controversy surrounding his choice to share details about US military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen via Signal. Allies view the American military presence in Asia as a crucial counterweight in a tense region where China has been swiftly growing its military power.
China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific region has escalated in recent years, marked by territorial disputes, military expansion, and assertive claims over the South China Sea. Its actions challenge international law, destabilizing regional security and provoking concerns from neighboring countries, including the Philippines, Japan, and the United States.





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US asks for home addresses, biometrics of H-1B applicants first time ever: ‘Highly unusual’ – The Times of India

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US asks for home addresses, biometrics of H-1B applicants first time ever: ‘Highly unusual’ – The Times of India


USCIS is seeking home address and biometrics as additional data from H-1B applicants, if there is any ‘adverse information’ about the applicant.

In a fresh trouble for H-1B applicants, federal immigrant authorities are asking for home addresses and biometrics for H-1B and employment-based immigrant petitions, which immigrant lawyers think is highly unusual, as biometrics are not generally required. Immigrant authorities are issuing Requests for Evidence (RFE) for this data.
A Request for Evidence is a formal notice issued by the USCIS when additional documents are required for evaluating a petition. It can not be seen as a denial but a standard part of the process if there is any gap in the applications. According to USCIS guidelines, an RFE should clearly outline which eligibility criteria have not been met, explain why existing materials are insufficient, and suggest what additional evidence could help meet the requirements.
These requests are quite common if there is a missing documentation, inconsistencies in project details or a lack of supporting evidence.

Is it targeting H-1Bs amid crackdown on immigrants?

Immigration law firm Goel & Anderson’s Vic Goel told Forbes this is highly unusual because biometrics are not typically required for these case types.”The RFEs also fail to explain the nature of the adverse information, leaving employers and attorneys in the dark. It appears that DHS [Department of Homeland Security] may be using AI tools to flag individuals based on undisclosed data, possibly from social media or other government databases.”
“We have encountered potentially adverse information related to the beneficiary. To continue processing your application or petition, we required an updated address for the beneficiary so that we may collect biometric data,” a USCIS adjudicator wrote in a Request for Evidence, according to Forbes.
The “adverse information” part goes along with the crackdown on immigrants by the Trump administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently said making America safe means revoking visas when threats arise. “US visa holders should know in no uncertain terms that the US government’s rigorous security vetting does not end once a visa is granted,” Rubio said.





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Israeli airstrike kills at least 44 people in Gaza, hits a police station

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Israeli airstrike kills at least 44 people in Gaza, hits a police station


A view of destroyed machinery at the site of an Israeli strike, in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, April 22, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

An Israeli airstrike hit a police station in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday (April 24, 2025), killing at least 10 people, local health authorities said, and Israel’s military said it had struck a command centre of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad groups.

Medics said two Israeli missiles hit the police station, located near a market, which led to the wounding of dozens of people in addition to the 10 deaths. The identities of those killed were not immediately clear.

The Israeli military said in a statement apparently referring to the same incident, that it attacked a command and control centre operated by Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad groups in Jabalia, which militants used to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces.

It accused Palestinian militant groups of exploiting civilians and civil properties for military purposes, an allegation Hamas and other factions deny.

Local health authorities said Israeli strikes have killed at least 34 other people in separate airstrikes across the enclave, bringing Thursday’s death toll to 44.

The Gaza Health Ministry said the Durra Children’s Hospital in Gaza City had become non-operational, a day after an Israeli strike hit the upper part of the building, damaging the intensive care unit and destroying the facility’s solar power panel system.

No one was killed. There was no Israeli comment on the incident.

Gaza’s health system has been devastated by Israel’s 18-month-old military campaign, launched in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023, putting many of the territory’s hospitals out of action, killing medics, and reducing crucial supplies.

Since a January ceasefire collapsed on March 18, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,900 Palestinians, many of them civilians, according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone of Gaza’s land.

Efforts by Arab mediators Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have so far failed to reconcile disputes between the two warring parties, Israel and Hamas.

The attack on Israel by Hamas in October 2023 killed 1,200 people, and 251 hostages were taken to Gaza. Since then, more than 51,300 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to health officials.



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133 students, majority Indians, get their SEVIS records restored: What is this record? Why is this crucial to stay in US? – The Times of India

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133 students, majority Indians, get their SEVIS records restored: What is this record? Why is this crucial to stay in US? – The Times of India


A Georgia court reinstated the SEVIS records of 133 students, majority Indians.

Amid the Donald Trump administration’s massive crackdown on international students, a court in Georgia has ruled in favor of 133 students, reinstating their SEVIS records. A majority of these 133 students are Indians. They filed a lawsuit against the ICE after their SEVIS records were terminated.

What is SEVIS record?

SEVIS is the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System — an online database that the US Department of Homeland Security uses to maintain information regarding schools which have exchange programs, F-1 and M1 students studying in the US, J-1 visa exchange visitor program participants.

When is a SEVIS record terminated?

A SEVIS record is terminated if a student does something violating the terms of their visa status.

How to check SEVIS record

If you want to verify your valid SEVIS status, you can log into M-Passport and check your SEVIS Status. If your SEVIS Status is Active or Initial, then your SEVIS record is valid.

What happens if a SEVIS record is terminated?

If your SEVIS record is terminated, you have two options: travel outside the US with a new I-20 or submit a Reinstatement application to regain your status.
A terminated SEVIS record strips a student of their lawful status, leading to invalidation of their F-1 work authorization (including OPT and STEM OPT). OPT stands for Optional Practical Training which is related to an F-1 student’s major area of study.

What was the case of these 133 students?

The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups in the Northern District of Georgia. The students claimed that ICE terminated their SEVIS records “abruptly and unlawfully”. The lawsuit claimed that by terminating these records, ICE is ending a student’s status and making them deportable.
“DHS’s act of unlawfully terminating SEVIS records appears to be designed to coerce students, including each Plaintiff, into abandoning their studies and ‘self-deporting’ despite not violating their status,” the lawsuit said.
Some of the students are nearing graduation and are enrolled in work programs. Reasons for their record revocation were cited as traffic violations, minor misdemeanors etc. Government lawyers had argued that granting any relief to the students would affect the executive branch’s “control over immigration.”





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