Sajeeb Wazed, son of ousted Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, credited India with preventing his mother's assassination during last year's political crisis, expressing eternal gratitude to PM Modi's government. Speaking from Virginia, Wazed slammed Bangladesh's interim government for running an "illegal" trial that sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for allegedly ordering crackdowns on student protesters. He accused authorities of amending laws illegally, dismissing 17 judges, appointing inexperienced politically-connected replacements, and denying Hasina legal representation. The UN estimated 1,400 deaths during the July-August uprising. Wazed warned that barring the Awami League from February elections could trigger further violence as Bangladesh formally seeks Hasina's extradition from India. (PC: Awaz The Voice & Instagram)

H-1B visa petitions by Indian companies fell sharply in FY 2025, dropping 37% from last year and nearly 70% over the past decade. Recent US data shows Indian IT firms are no longer among the top sponsors, with only TCS, LTIMindtree and HCL America appearing in the top 25. Experts say Indian companies are hiring more US workers, using new tech, and shifting work outside the US. Meanwhile, US tech giants dominated approvals: Amazon topped the list with 4,644 new petitions, followed by Meta, Microsoft and Google. Major approval hubs included California, Texas, New York and New Jersey. (PC: India Today)

Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein urged US lawmakers to release all remaining documents linked to the late sex offender. At a news conference at the US Capitol, survivor Annie Farmer said they had faced “institutional betrayal” for years. The US House began debating a bipartisan bill that would force the Department of Justice to make the files public. More than 20,000 pages were released last week, some mentioning Donald Trump. Trump has now asked his party to support the bill. Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene also demanded full release, saying the issue has divided the MAGA movement. A vote is expected soon. (PC: BBC)

A major Cloudflare outage disrupted many top websites and apps on Tuesday, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Uber, Canva, Spotify and X. The company said a sudden spike in unusual traffic triggered errors across its network. A configuration file grew too large and caused a key system to crash. Cloudflare’s CTO later confirmed a “latent bug” was behind the failure and admitted the firm had “failed” customers. Services began returning to normal a few hours later. The company said there was no cyberattack or malicious activity. Cloudflare promised steps to stop similar incidents in the future. (PC: HT)

Sources say Delhi suicide bomber Dr Umar Mohammad, also known as Umar-un-Nabi, shot his video at least a week before the Red Fort blast. He had visited his home in Pulwama and handed one of his phones to his brother. After hearing about the arrests of Nabi’s colleagues, the brother panicked and threw the phone into a pond. Investigators later recovered it and found Nabi’s video praising suicide bombings as “martyrdom”. The phone was damaged, and the clip was retrieved only after days of repair. Officials say the video was likely recorded inside Al Falah University, where the group met. (PC: NDTV)

Two booth-level officers (BLOs) in Kerala and Rajasthan died by suicide during the ongoing voter roll revision. Their families said heavy workload and long hours pushed them to this point. Another BLO in West Bengal died of a stroke, which her family linked to stress. BLOs in many districts are protesting, saying they face unrealistic targets, late-night orders, and pressure to finish digital data entry. Kerala saw major demonstrations, while Bengal reported fear among people about being removed from the voter list. The Election Commission has said no direct link has been proven, but anger on the ground is growing. (PC: India Today)

Serious concerns have been raised about the death sentence given to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. According to senior legal experts, constitutional specialists, and people familiar with the tribunal process, the trial had major legal and procedural faults. They say judges were appointed improperly, defence rights were limited, and the case was rushed. The tribunal used an old law meant only for 1971 war crimes, and key changes to the law were made without proper authority. Hasina was denied lawyers of her choice, and the trial continued without her. Experts say the verdict is weak in law and cannot be enforced. (PC: NDTV)

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested Jawad Ahmad Siddiqui, founder and chairman of the Al-Falah group, in a money laundering case. Officials said he was taken into custody after searches at 19 locations in the NCR. The case is linked to alleged fake accreditation claims, fund diversion and misuse of university money. The ED said the group showed rapid growth, but its financial records did not match. Investigators found cash, digital devices, documents and shell companies linked to his family. The case also comes as the university is under a wider terror-related probe. Siddiqui has been sent to ED custody. (PC: HT)

India has begun issuing next-generation e-passports with new security features to make travel safer and faster. The passports come with RFID chips that store encrypted biometric data, including photos and fingerprints. These chips allow quick and secure checks at immigration counters and help prevent fraud. The upgrade is part of Passport Seva Programme 2.0, which uses AI tools, online document uploads, and faster verification systems. The government has already issued over 80 lakh e-passports. All new passports will now be e-passports, and India plans a full shift by 2035. Mobile Passport Seva Vans will help reach remote areas. (PC: India Today)

The UK is facing a major cold snap this week. New weather maps show snow is forecast as far south as Devon and Cornwall. Scotland will see a deep freeze with temperatures dropping to -9°C . Wintry conditions will hit the country between Wednesday and Friday. Snow and ice warnings are also in place for northern England and Scotland. The cold air brings a risk of travel problems and icy roads. People should prepare for the first serious winter weather of the season. (PC: Express)