USCIS provides update on immigration ban

US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced what they found after the Donald Trump administration halted all immigration from certain countries, while the agency was tasked with checking whether all checks were in place and whether they were adequate. The administration is known for its anti-immigration sentiment, but the DC shooting in November 2025, where the shooter was an Afghan refugee, prompted unprecedented restrictions on multiple countries. The administration announced that it would not allow any immigration requests for high-risk countries. The agency provided an update on what it found on March 30. The update came after several organizations reported that the US administration has committed a major immigration fraud by stopping immigration to more than 50 countries because they charged application fees but there was no update on the decision of the cases. USCIS said it found that the screening and testing measures that were in place were grossly inadequate. Many applications for naturalization and lawful permanent residence were not adequately investigated. Applications were approved and individuals were naturalized who should not have been.

Asylum > Green Card > Naturalization

The target of this review process was asylum seekers in the US who eventually become US citizens eligible for all federal benefits. Asylum seekers may be from any country where they fear persecution or their country is facing some crisis, disaster etc. Once granted asylum, they can live and work in the US. After living as a refugee for a year, they can apply for a green card. Once they have a green card, they can apply for citizenship through naturalization.

What did USCIS review?

USCIS said it has established an internal process for lifting holds on individual or group cases, which requires extensive review by multiple offices. The ban on aliens vetted through Operation Paris, certain petitions filed by U.S. citizens, intercountry adoption forms, certain rescheduled swearing-in ceremonies, issuance of statutory and regulatory adjudications, refugee registrations for South African nationals/nationals, certain special immigrant visa petitions, certain employment authorization documents, and asylum applications from non-high-risk countries has been lifted. USCIS has compiled information about each country listed in the travel ban proclamations and is working with the State Department to identify risk factors, including indicators of fraud, public safety or national security risks. The agency is also developing a layered vetting plan, which includes access to classified and unclassified information, as well as expanded criminal history checks, identity verification and ad-hoc security checks to close security gaps.

Candace Owens has reignited the debate over the murder of Charlie Kirk after reports claimed the bullet recovered from his body did not match the one from Tyler Robinson’s rifle. He criticized those supporting the case against Robinson, calling the evidence “non-existent”. While investigators cite the alleged confessions, new forensic details have raised new questions and intensified public scrutiny around the trial.

Candace Owens has injected new fuel into an already volatile case by using a new development to call into question the storyline surrounding Tyler Robinson. His reaction didn’t just spark debate. This made it faster. Public attention has once again turned to the murder of charlie kirkOwens decided to confront his critics head on, reviving doubts that many believed had been resolved.What makes this moment different is time. A technical detail of the investigation has reopened a door that seemed almost closed. And now, voices outside the courtroom are shaping how people interpret what is still, at its core, an ongoing legal battle.

Candace Owens hits back at critics after shocking update charlie kirk case

Responding to reports that the bullet recovered from Charlie Kirk’s body could not be matched to the rifle belonging to Tyler Robinson, Candace Owens minced no words. He wrote, “Where are all my neocons who are “overwhelmed” by the non-existent evidence against Tyler Robinson? You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Hope the money was worth your soul.”The post spread quickly, not only because of its tone, but because it highlighted a growing sense of uncertainty around the case. For Owens, the reported mismatch is no minor inconsistency. In his view, this is a sign that the official version of events deserves closer scrutiny.On the other hand, the law is still not very clear. Investigators have already pointed to Robinson’s alleged statements, which were made in online chats and early court hearings. The prosecution’s case still relies heavily on those claims, even as the defense tries to cast doubt on the physical evidence.This is where the tension lies. On one hand, there is forensic detail which forces people to think. On the other hand, there are confessions that prosecutors say can’t be ignored. Public figures, commentators and increasingly divided audiences are now filling the space between those two points.Owens has used that difference to make the case seem bigger than just a trial. It is a different story whether his claims will hold up in court or not. But outside the courtroom, her words are already changing the conversation, turning a legal battle into a larger battle about belief, evidence, and storytelling.

Windsurfer Eric Cremers collides with a surfacing gray whale, knocking him into the water/screengrab

A windsurfer in San Francisco was described as having a “whale of a day” after he collided with a gray whale while out riding, an encounter that was captured in a now-deleted video that has since circulated widely online. The incident took place at Crissy Field, where Eric Kramer He was gliding across the water when the whale suddenly appeared directly in his path. Not having time to react, he hit the animal and was knocked off his board and into the water. Footage of that moment, originally posted by Kramer but later removedShows a tranquil bay scene, with a cargo ship moving rapidly in the background, beachgoers scattered along the shoreline, before windsurfers come speeding into the frame. A few seconds later, the whale breaks the surface, and the impact sends it flying. The animal appears largely unaffected, disappearing beneath the water, while Kramer remains afloat, shaken but seemingly unharmed. In a caption accompanying the clip, cited by the New York Post, Kramer wrote: “It was a ‘whale’ of a day.. Please be careful and respect the wildlife, I slowed down a lot because I had seen a few whales in the area but she came right past me on my last run. Glad we’re both okay.” The footage, recorded on March 24, also shared online shows the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in a different angle. There were immediate reactions to the video, with some viewers questioning his decision to continue windsurfing despite seeing whales nearby. One commenter wrote, “I mean if you saw them there, why did you decide to go sailing anyway,” while another said: “Hmm – what’s the deal with keeping 300 feet away from marine mammals?” Such encounters, though rare, are not unheard of in the Gulf. Gray whales migrate to the California coast each year, and sightings have become more common, though also worrisome. report noting Four have already been found dead in San Francisco Bay this year.

Fuel prices in the UAE rose sharply in April 2026 as petrol rose above Dh3/image due to global oil volatility; file

The United Arab Emirates has officially announced petrol and diesel prices for April 2026, leaving motorists facing a massive increase of almost Dh2 per litre, one of the sharpest monthly hikes in recent years.The new rates were approved by the UAE Fuel Prices Committee and confirmed on March 31, 2026, in line with the country’s monthly fuel price revision mechanism. The surge reflects rising global crude oil prices amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and supply disruptions.

UAE fuel prices in April 2026

Driven by the global crude oil benchmark hitting multi-year highs, these changes represent one of the largest month-on-month increases in recent history. The official details of the new prices effective from April 1, 2026 are given below:

UAE rates rise due to global oil boom

The UAE’s fuel prices are directly linked to global oil markets, and the April increase reflects a sudden spike in crude oil prices around the world.In recent weeks, oil prices have hovered near $115-$120 per barrel due to rising geopolitical tensions. middle east and concerns over supply disruptions, particularly around major shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz.Market volatility has intensified due to ongoing regional conflict, which has pushed up refining and transportation costs globally. The price of diesel in particular has seen a sharp increase across the world, which is reflected in the latest UAE price.

UAE Monthly Review System

Since deregulation of fuel prices in 2015, the UAE has followed a market-linked pricing system. The UAE Fuel Price Committee reviews and announces updated rates at the end of each month based on the average global price of oil and refined fuel products.This mechanism ensures that local fuel prices reflect international market conditions with minimal delay. As a result, any sudden increase in global crude oil prices is immediately passed on to consumers, as seen in the April revision.

fuel price trends

Fuel prices in the UAE remained relatively stable for most of 2025 and early 2026, even falling during some months due to soft global oil demand.However, an upward trend began in March 2026, with petrol prices still below Dh2.60 per litre. Therefore, the April increase represents a sharp turnaround, taking petrol prices well above Dh3 per liter in the same revision cycle.

Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey have made a breakthrough in solving a decades-old geological mystery by identifying a large granite mass buried beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The team discovered the mystery after noticing some exotic (pink) stones located at the top of a black volcano within the Hudson Mountains. Next, they conducted state-of-the-art aerial gravity surveys and modern radiometric dating to establish how these ‘irregular’ boulders were tied to the huge, magmatic Jurassic-aged granite body (the ‘hidden giant’), which measured 100 kilometers across and covered a surface area almost half the size of Wales, extending to 7 kilometers depth beneath Pine Island Glacier. The incredible hardness of the hidden giant will also greatly influence the flow rate of sea ice, providing a new factor in the knowledge base used to predict global sea level rise due to the rate of ice melting around the world.

Origin of 175 million year old rocks found in Antarctica

It all started with a geological anomaly in the Hudson Mountains of West Antarctica, where exotic pink granite boulders were found on top of deep volcanic peaks. The pink granite boulders (‘irregular’) did not resemble the surrounding volcanic rock in any way and after much debate, scientists concluded that these boulders were ‘uprooted’ from the valley floor by a fairly thick ancient ice sheet and then deposited on top of the volcanic peaks when the ice receded. According to research published in Nature, using U-Pb zircon geochronology (radioactive dating), scientists determined that these rocks were about 175 million years old, dating back to the Jurassic period, when the supercontinent Gondwana began to break up.

How scientists discovered a 100-km-long granite mass beneath Antarctic ice

Because the source of the pink rocks was buried under miles of ice, the British Antarctic Survey used aerial geophysical surveys by flying Twin Otter aircraft equipped with geophysical instruments to conduct both gravity and magnetic surveys on Pine Island Glacier to define the density of the materials beneath. Ultimately, they discovered a giant granite body, or ‘pluton’, approximately 100 kilometers wide and 7 kilometers thick; The approximate area of ​​the granite body is half that of Wales. This large block of granite is significantly harder and more stable than the surrounding sedimentary basins.

Why is the West Antarctic Granite Body important to climate models?

The discovery is important not only because of its geological significance, but also because it will impact climate science. Pine Island Glacier, one of the fastest melting glaciers in Antarctica, is one of the largest contributors to global sea level rise. The ‘hidden giant’, or the world’s largest granite formation, provides the bedrock support or structural skeleton for the ice sheet. Since granite is an exceptionally dense and hard bedrock, this would be a high-friction site where the glacier would grip the ground more tightly or create ‘sticky’ points in some places, slowing the movement of the glacier into the sea. The exact size and position of this granite structure will be a key variable in computer models that predict how much sea level rise will occur in the year 2100.

Granite bodies are a ‘missing link’ in Earth’s history

Furthermore, this granite body provides a glimpse of the history of Gondwana. According to a research paper published on USGS, the chemical composition of the granite boulders indicates that they were formed during a time of intense tectonic activity and rifting, thus providing geologists a more complete record of the ‘missing link’ in the West Antarctic Rift System. This confirms that this location was once an area of ​​large amounts of magma that was injected into the Earth’s crust and cooled beneath the surface before being covered by the West Antarctic Ice Sheet millions of years ago.

UAE extends distance learning for all schools, universities till April 17 / Image: File

The UAE has officially extended remote learning in all educational institutions until April 17, 2026, keeping millions of students out of classrooms for at least two more weeks.The decision was announced by the UAE Ministry of Education, which confirmed that the extension applies to nurseries, kindergartens, public and private schools across the country, as well as teaching and administrative staff.Officials said the move is aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of students and teachers while maintaining continuity in learning through digital platforms. The situation will be reviewed weekly, meaning the April 17 deadline could be revised depending on developments.

Why did UAE extend online classes again?

The latest expansion is part of a longer shift toward remote learning that began in March.Schools across the UAE initially began online learning between March 2 and March 4, followed by an early spring break from March 9 to March 22, which was brought forward due to regional developments.When Term 3 was due to start on 23 March, officials decided to continue with remote learning rather than reopening campuses. The initial plan was to resume physical classes by early April, but the new announcement has now pushed that timeline to mid-April.This gradual and evolving approach reflects how UAE authorities are responding in real time, rather than committing to a fixed reopening schedule.

Schools and curriculum affected

This expansion affects a wide range of institutions across different courses.Many Indian curriculum schools including

Online classes have continued till the end of the academic session, with students attending classes virtually rather than returning briefly before the new session.Similarly, schools with British, IB and US curriculums in Dubai and other emirates initially planned to reopen on staggered dates in early April, but those plans are now on hold.Following instructions from local regulators such as the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA), many schools in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates had already started the new 2026-27 academic year online.For younger students, including kindergarten children, schools held mock online sessions over the weekend to help families adapt to digital learning platforms.

university program

While schools are completely online, universities in the UAE are taking a more flexible approach.Under the guidance of the Ministry of Higher Education, some institutions have started a phased return to campus from March 30, but only for courses that require physical presence, such as:

On-campus examinations are also permitted where necessary.However, many major institutions continue to operate remotely.

This hybrid model highlights the shift toward flexible education systems rather than a one-size-fits-all reopening.

How is online learning conducted?

Schools across the UAE have now settled into structured digital routines, with many institutions replicating full-day schedules similar to physical classes. Students are attending live virtual lessons, completing online assignments and participating in regular assessments through dedicated learning platforms.Also, schools have strengthened communication with parents to ensure that students remain academically engaged and on track. Authorities had previously issued detailed Term 3 guidelines that encouraged flexible timetables, continuous assessment methods and close coordination between teachers and families.This approach has helped minimize disruption and maintain continuity of learning, even if campuses remain closed for extended periods.

Will schools reopen after April 17?

At present, the probable date of return is April 17, but officials have made it clear that the situation is being constantly reviewed.Any decision to resume in-person classes will depend on regional conditions, safety assessment and approval from authorities such as Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA).Schools seeking to reopen early must submit detailed requests, which are reviewed on a case-by-case basis before approval.Until then, distance learning remains the primary mode of education in the UAE, leading to one of the most extended and structured online learning phases since the pandemic era.

us President donald trump Iran has told its allies it is ready to end the war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has refused to open despite repeated warnings from the US President. This is another soft stance adopted on Tehran as Tehran has refused to bow down after US-Israel started the war.In recent days, Trump and his aides concluded that an operation to reopen the strategic chokepoint would likely prolong the conflict beyond his preferred four- to six-week timeline, The Wall Street Journal reported.