Morning Digest: U.S. looking to slow down processing of all student visas; protesters lock Central Government offices in Manipur, and more

U.S. looking to slow down processing of all student visas; protesters lock Central government offices in Manipur, and more in the morning digest of May 28, 2025

Days after trying to ban international students at the U.S.’s Harvard University, the Trump administration appears to be slowing down all international student visa processing and tightening requirements for international students on campus. According to a report by U.S.-based Politico, that was later reported by Bloomberg news agency, a cable sent by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio late on Tuesday (May 27, 2025) ordered that no “visa appointment capacity” should be added at embassies worldwide until arrangements for “social media screening and vetting” are put into place.

The civil disobedience campaign in Manipur’s Imphal Valley intensified on Tuesday (May 27, 2025) with protesters fanning out to lock Central government offices. The action was concentrated in the State’s capital, Imphal, which straddles two of the five districts comprising the Valley.

The Opposition parties under the banner of INDIA bloc are gearing up to pen a joint appeal to the government demanding a special session of Parliament to discuss the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent developments. Several Opposition leaders have individually made this demand, including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Former Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar, dancer Shobana Chandrakumar, actor Anant Nag, footballer I.M. Vijayan, music composer Ricky Kej and Vice Chancellor of prestigious King George’s Medical University Soniya Nityanand were among 68 eminent personalities who were honoured with the prestigious Padma awards by President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday (May 27, 2025).

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has retained its April forecast for ‘above normal’ rainfall from June-September. It expects the country to see about 92 cm rainfall (106% of the long period average) during this southwest monsoon season, slightly higher than the 91.3 cm (105% of the average) rainfall that it had forecast in April.

The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, has recommended the transfer and repatriation of 21 High Court judges across the country. The proposed transfers span across the High Courts of Telangana, Karnataka, Madras, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Bombay, Delhi, Rajasthan, Calcutta, Allahabad, Punjab and Haryana, Gauhati, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Patna.

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) official who was arrested for alleged espionage activities by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier this week had information and photographs on his phone that he allegedly shared with his Pakistani handlers, a senior government official said on Tuesday (May 27, 2025).