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'The fear killed her': How an exam scandal in India sparked a student uprising

The prospect of retaking one of India's most competitive exams was so daunting for 19-year-old Sheikh Sana that a day before the test, the pressure became unbearable. Instead of preparing again for the exam, she wrote "I am sorry" on a plain sheet of paper and took her own life, her family said. Her death, along with the suicides of other aspiring students ​who sat medical college entrance exams only to face retakes after it emerged that test papers had been leaked, has become a focus for thousands of young protesters demanding accountability from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. On Saturday, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned over ‌the protests. About two months of protests have evolved from demands for action over the leaks into a broader expression of frustration over education, opportunity and accountability in a country where 65% of the population is under the age of 35. More than two million students sat the pen-and-paper...

US announces new visa restrictions targeting cybercrime, online scam networks

The United States has announced a new global visa restriction policy targeting individuals responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, including cyberscams and sextortion, according to a press statement issued by the US Department of State. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move follows President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14390 on Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens, under which the administration is taking action to counter an unprecedented threat from online investment scams. According to the statement, scammers, often orchestrated by Chinese transnational criminal organisations, defrauded US citizens of at least $10 billion in 2024 alone while fuelling corruption, money laundering and human trafficking. It added that American children have also been specifically targeted by offenders operating overseas for sextortion scams. President Trump has made clear that his administration will take action to counter cybercrime, fraud, and predatory schemes against Americans. Today I am announcing a new policy that will restrict visas to foreign nationals responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and… — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 23, 2026 Rubio said the new policy, introduced under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, targets individuals responsible for or complicit in cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, including those involved in cyberscams and sextortion. Immediate family members of individuals engaged in such illicit activities may also be subject to visa restrictions. The statement said the Trump administration would deploy sanctions, prosecutions, asset seizures, extradition requests and international law enforcement cooperation to dismantle criminal scam networks and impose costs on those who enable them. By restricting visa issuance to individuals responsible for or complicit in such criminal enterprises, the United States is sending a clear message that it will pursue those who prey on its citizens, Rubio said.

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