Author: Press Room

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will now start considering migrants’ antisemitic activity on social media as “grounds for denying immigration benefit requests,” with Homeland Security vowing there is “no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers.” Homeland Security announced Wednesday that the change will “immediately affect aliens applying for lawful permanent resident status, foreign students and aliens affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity.” “Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests,” it…

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Ontario is proposing to more than triple the number of mayors who have so-called strong mayor powers, looking to add 169 municipalities to the list. The powers, which critics decry as undemocratic, include allowing heads of council to propose bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, veto bylaws and hire and fire department heads.Premier Doug Ford’s government first granted the powers to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa, and since then has expanded them a few times, with the list currently at 47.Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack…

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou accepts the general feeling within English football is that he will be be ditched as manager even if he steers them to victory in the Europa League.On the eve of his potentially make-or-break quarter-final tie against Eintracht Frankfurt, Postecoglou sounded almost resigned to that narrative at Spurs as he reflected on what he believes is a continuing “negative” agenda against the club.But the Australian is adamant nothing’s going to stop his “burning ambition, desire and determination” to lead Spurs to success whatever the doomsayers are predicting for him.Amid their poor Premier League campaign, the speculation about…

“The relationship between Prabowo and Megawati has always been good and friendly … both leaders shared their thoughts on how to navigate the current global situation as Megawati has dealt with crises before so her experience is valuable,” Dasco added, describing the meeting as a warm-hearted Eid al-Fitr gathering.  Prabowo’s predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reportedly expressed his approval of the meeting. On Tuesday night, the former president said that a meeting between Prabowo and Megawati could lead to peace in the country’s politics. “The meeting (between Prabowo and Megawati) is good, for the good of the country. A meeting is…

Augusta National Golf Club has several rules for its golfers and patrons, both stated and unwritten. Arizona State University men’s golf coach Matt Thurmond learned about one of those rules the hard way this week ahead of the 2025 Masters tournament. Thurmond, who has been with the Sun Devils since 2016, was removed from the golf course during a practice session on Tuesday after he went to say hello to former ASU player Kevin Yu, who is making his Masters debut this year.  Arizona State coach Matt Thurmond at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. (IMAGN)The reason for…

The European Union voted on Wednesday to approve its first retaliation measures in response to President Trump’s tariffs, moving closer to placing increased duties on a range of manufactured goods and farm products including soybeans and corn.The new tariffs would take effect in phases starting on April 15, and would affect about 21 billion euros ($23 billion) worth of goods.The final list responds to Mr. Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs and is a slightly trimmed-down version of one that was first announced in mid-March.E.U. officials have spent recent weeks consulting with policymakers and industries from across the 27-nation bloc, trying…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the worldBrent crude dipped below $60 per barrel for the first time in four years as Donald Trump’s sweeping global import tariffs went into effect and his trade war with China escalated. The price fell to $58.60 in morning trading in London and hovered close to $60 throughout the day, marking a roughly 18 per cent drop over the past five days as Trump has pushed ahead with tariff plans.The last time Brent crude has fallen below $60 was in February 2021. “This…

There’s a lot going on in the Treasury market right now, and none of it is good. Liberation Day seems to have morphed into Liquidation Day.You might have seen terms like “off the runs”, “basis trades”, “swap spreads” and “omg are we going to die” bandied about over the past few days (including here on Alphaville) and been a little baffled.We realise that not everyone is quite the fixed income dorks that we are, so here’s an explainer of some of the more common “relative-value” strategies that hedge funds often pursue in the bond market.This is not the really funky…

An Israeli strike destroyed an entire residential tower block in Gaza’s Shujayea neighbourhood.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent state leaders, warned in a speech on Wednesday that President Trump’s trade war could have calamitous effects but was careful not to blame him directly as she embraced a bipartisan message.“Tariffs need to be used like a scalpel, not a hammer,” Ms. Whitmer said in Washington, at an event space near the White House. “Unfortunately, it’s unclear how this is going to strategically benefit the American economy or the American consumer. And I think that’s the big problem.”During her address and while responding to questions from Gretchen Carlson,…