Latest news for 22 September 2025

UNITED STATES

Pay up.

Firms wanting to bring folks into the US on the H-1B skilled visa will now have to pay up to $100k per application, though there are national interest exemptions. (NBC)Comment: It’s an attempt to curb H-1B overuse: companies will presumably only fork out that $100k when they really have to. Within the US, the biggest impact will be felt in the tech sector, home to perhaps 70% of all H-1B holders. Abroad? It’ll hit hardest in India, the birthplace of ~70% of H-1B workers. That’s why India’s foreign ministry has already voiced unease, right as the two powers try to negotiate a trade truce.

CANADA

Palestinian statehood.

Canada has become the first G7 nation to recognise a State of Palestine after Mark Carney formalised the move at the annual UN ‘Leaders Week’ now underway in New York. The UK, Australia, and Portugal have also followed suit so far (we covered this issue here). (BBC)

Comment: Both the Palestinian Authority (the West Bank) and Hamas (Gaza) have welcomed the recognition, which some of the above Western capitals had conditioned on Palestinian political reforms and the exclusion of Hamas (which in turn just publicly executed three Gazans it accused of collaborating with Israel).

UNITED STATES

TikTok updates.

The US president has suggested the Murdoch family will be part of the US investor syndicate buying social media platform TikTok, along with others like Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Dell’s Michael Dell. The White House also says six US citizens will sit on the company’s seven-seat board, Oracle will handle the data, and the algorithm will be in US hands. (The Hill)Comment: China hasn’t yet confirmed any of the above, though official statements out of Beijing seem a little more conciliatory lately, with an emphasis on respecting TikTok’s wishes and welcoming the negotiations.

SYRIA

Back on the international stage.

President Ahmad al-Sharaa has arrived in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, the first Syrian leader to do so in nearly 60 years. (AP)

Comment: It’s still hard to believe al-Sharaa’s journey, from al-Qaida member to representing Syria in New York within a decade.

PHILIPPINES

Contagion?

Thousands took to the streets of Manila over the weekend, amid reports corrupt officials might’ve pilfered $1.5B or more from flood relief projects. (Guardian)

Comment: It all gives echoes of the recent unrest we’ve covered in Indonesia, Nepal, and elsewhere. We’d argue these echoes are partly amplified by social media, with young netizens quickly drawing comparisons to their own frustrations closer to home.

SUDAN

The civilian toll.

A drone strike by the notorious ‘RSF’ paramilitary has killed over 70 worshippers in Sudan’s North Darfur. The RSF has been besieging the city for more than 500 days, attempting to seize the military’s last stronghold in the region amid a civil war that’s already displaced ~nine million people. (Al Jazeera)

SOUTH KOREA

Don’t insult them.

A South Korean court has ordered a social media user to pay a $360 fine for defaming a virtual K-pop band. The case rests on the fact the virtual characters are still voiced and animated by real but anonymous performers. (Korea Times)