Author: Verified News Online

US government has shut down the immigration court at 100 Montgomery Street in San Francisco earlier than planned, leaving thousands of cases in limbo and raising concerns among lawyers and advocates about delays and missed hearings.The closure took effect eight months ahead of schedule and ended operations at one of the country’s busiest immigration courts. On its final day, only one person was seen waiting for services.The step marked a quiet end to a facility that handled a large volume of asylum and removal cases.According to legal experts, the shutdown affects around 15,000 pending cases.Bill Hing, a professor of law and migration studies at the University of San Francisco, said the impact is significant. “We are talking about 15,000 cases that are in limbo in San Francisco. It's a major hub of immigration in the US Many people who are applying for asylum come to San Francisco, come to the Bay Area, and this is major blow for them,” he said, according to ABC News.In the months..

A severe pollution incident in Knockando Burn has led to the death of numerous fish, eels, and birds, impacting nearly a mile of the watercourse. Experts suspect a chemical compound, possibly with industrial origins, contaminated the burn, causing significant ecological and economic damage during the peak fishing season. In an environmental disaster, there has been the death of many fish, eels, and birds in Knockando Burn, which drains into the River Spey within the last few days. Experts suspect that a certain chemical compound found its way into the water body and polluted the watercourse for almost a mile in length, causing significant harm to the ecosystem at the peak of the season for fishing.Media reports from the BBC, along with information released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, have brought to light initial details regarding the event. The agency's officials are busy investigating how the chemicals managed to contaminate the water and cause environmental h..

AdvertisementUS, Israel war on IranWorldMiddle EastCargo ship near Strait of Hormuz reports being attacked as Iran makes new peace proposalThere was no claim of responsibility for Sunday’s attack, the first reported in the area since April 22, the UK maritime trade monitor said
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenAssociated PressPublished: 1:04am, 4 May 2026A cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz has reported being attacked by multiple small craft, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said on Sunday, marking at least two dozen attacks in and around the strait since the Iran war began.
All crew on the unidentified northbound carrier were safe after the attack off Sirik, Iran, east of the strait, the monitor said. Iranian officials have asserted that they control the strait and that ships not affiliated with the United States or Israel can pass if they pay a toll.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the first reported in the area since April ..

AdvertisementEducation in Hong KongHong KongEducationTsinghua University alumni can help Hong Kong serve nation: liaison office chiefOffice director Zhou Ji says alumni resources are ‘rich ore’, while city leader John Lee asks graduates to support shift towards education hub
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenEmily HungPublished: 11:08pm, 3 May 2026Beijing’s point man on Hong Kong affairs has called on the alumni of the prestigious Tsinghua University to help the city better serve national development with their patriotism, pragmatism and global networks.
Adding to the remarks by the director of the central government’s liaison office on Sunday, city leader John Lee Ka-chiu also expressed hope that more of the university’s graduates would assist the city in becoming an international education hub and promoting high-quality national development.
Liaison office chief Zhou Ji said the alumni had “led the way” in practising the “one country, two systems” governing principle as it had aided collaboratio..

A former JPMorgan staffer who has accused a senior executive of sexual harrassment had taken advice from an online legal chatbot while describing similar allegations, according to reporting from The New York Post.Indian-origin Chirayu Rana, whose now-withdrawn lawsuit alleged that executive director Lorna Hajdini forced him into degrading sexual acts, is said to have used the legal advice platform AskALawyerOnCall.com around July 2024, roughly 10 months before his claims became public. Watch JPMorgan Executive Sued Over Sexual Abuse, Coercion And Racial Harassment Allegations In New YorkIn the exchange, the user identifying as Rana described sexual assault and workplace retaliation.“I was raped, secually assulted [sic], harassed, and forced to do drugs by my former boss at Morgan Stanley,’’ the transcript quoted him as saying.“I was then retaliated against for seeking to move groups internally at the firm,” he allegedly added.He claimed: “HR conducted an ‘investigation’ but they ultima..