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Immigrants seeking a legal pathway to live and work in the United States will now face new scrutiny over alleged “anti-American” activity as part of their benefit requests, according to updated guidance by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The revised policy manual directs officers to consider whether applicants have previously supported, endorsed, or promoted anti-American or terrorist ideologies. Antisemitic activity and affiliation with antisemitic organizations will also weigh heavily against applicants in cases where officers exercise discretion. Expanded vetting through social media USCIS has also widened the scope of social media checks to cover more categories of benefit requests. Reviews for anti-American activity will now be added to that vetting. The agency said such behaviour will be treated as a strongly negative factor when deciding whether to grant immigration benefits. “America’s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is committed to implementing policies and procedures that root out anti-Americanism and supporting the enforcement of rigorous screening and vetting measures to the fullest extent possible,” said USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser.— USCIS (@USCIS) Impact on discretionary analysis The updated policy emphasizes that compliance with immigration laws will remain a key factor in decision-making. Officers will now be guided to deny applications where evidence shows support for terrorist groups, antisemitic terrorism, or the promotion of anti-American ideologies. The changes also extend to EB-5 investor petitions and other applications where issues of national security, fraud, misrepresentation, or criminal misuse are involved. With this update, USCIS underlined that while immigration benefits offer opportunities to live and work in the United States, they are considered a privilege and not an entitlement.

Shares of Regaal Resources made a strong debut on Wednesday, listing at a 39% premium on the exchanges. The stock opened at Rs 141.80 on BSE and Rs 141 on NSE, compared with the issue price of Rs 102, reflecting a 38.2% gain.The Rs 306 crore IPO, comprising a fresh issue of Rs 210 crore and an offer for sale worth Rs 96 crore, received an overwhelming response with an overall subscription of over 150 times.The issue had opened for bidding between August 12–14 and attracted strong demand across categories, with QIBs subscribing 190.96 times, NIIs a massive 356.72 times, and the retail category 57.75 times. The company also raised Rs 91.8 crore from anchor investors ahead of the IPO.Regaal Resources, incorporated in 2012, manufactures maize starch, modified starch, and co-products like gluten, germ, and fiber.Its 54-acre zero-liquid-discharge plant in Kishanganj, Bihar, caters to industries such as food, paper, animal feed, and adhesives, with exports to Nepal and Bangladesh.Financially, the company has delivered strong growth, with revenue rising 53% year-on-year to Rs 917.6 crore in FY25, while profit after tax more than doubled to Rs 47.7 crore.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered his assurances that US troops would not be sent to help defend Ukraine against Russia after seeming to leave open the possibility the day before.Trump also said in a morning TV interview that Ukraine's hopes of joining NATO and regaining the Crimean Peninsula from Russia are "impossible." The Republican president, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders held hours of talks at the White House on Monday aimed at bringing an end to Russia's war against Ukraine. While answering questions from journalists, Trump did not rule out sending US troops to participate in a European-led effort to defend Ukraine as part of security guarantees sought by Zelenskyy.Trump said after his meeting in Alaska last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Putin was open to the idea of security guarantees for Ukraine.But asked Tuesday on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends" what assurances he could provide going forward and beyond his term that American troops would not be part of defending Ukraine's border, Trump said, "Well, you have my assurance, and I'm president." Trump would have no control over the US military after his terms ends in January 2029.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later on Tuesday emphasised that "US boots will not be on the ground" as part of any potential peacekeeping mission.The president also said in the interview that he is optimistic that a deal can be reached to end the Russian invasion, but he underscored that Ukraine will have to set aside its hope of getting back Crimea, which was seized by Russian forces in 2014, and its long-held aspirations of joining the NATO military alliance."Both of those things are impossible," Trump said.Putin, as part of any potential deal to pull his forces out of Ukraine, is looking for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as recognition of Crimea as Russian territory.Trump on Monday said that he was arranging for direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy.But the Kremlin has not yet said whether Putin, who has resisted previous calls by Trump and others for direct negotiations on ending the war, is committed to a face-to-face meeting with the Ukrainian leader.Asked whether Putin has promised Trump that he'll meet directly with the Ukrainian leader, Leavitt responded affirmatively. "He has," Leavitt said of Putin.Trump early on Monday during talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders said that he was pressing for three-way talks among Zelenskyy, Putin and himself.But after speaking to Putin later in the day, Trump said that he was arranging first for a face-to-face between Zelenskyy and Putin and that three-way talks would follow if necessary."It was an idea that evolved in the course of the president's conversations with both President Putin, President Zelensky and the European leaders yesterday," Leavitt explained.Trump said he believed Putin's course of action would become clear in the coming weeks."I think Putin is tired of it," Trump said. "I think they're all tired of it. But you never know. We're going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks. That I can tell you."