‘Thank you Uzbekistan’: PM Modi departs Tashkent to attend 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek
The departure came at the end of PM Modi’s two-day state visit to Uzbekistan, during which he held bilateral and delegation-level talks with President Mirziyoyev.
Rahul Gandhi in trouble over Haldwani ‘purification’ remarks, booked by Uttarakhand Police
Rahul Gandhi faces an FIR in Uttarakhand over his remarks on a Haldwani purification ritual, with police invoking SC/ST Act provisions. Know more about the matter.
Uttarakhand Congress to file police complaints across state over ‘purification’ ritual row
The Congress will also hold a major protest in state capital Dehradun on September 7 over the issue. Senior party leaders, including Uttarakhand Congress in-charge Kumari Selja, are expected to participate in the demonstration.
Federal government allows return of U.S. citizen deported after traffic stop in Central Texas
Brian José Morales García maintained he was born in Denver after the federal government accused him of having entered the country illegally.
Brother of migrant shot by ICE agent in Houston released from detention
Victor Salgado, the brother of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot by ICE agents, is the third witness to be released from detention.
DC public schools face special grand jury probe into attendance, truancy and graduation records
Federal prosecutors have launched a rare special grand jury probe into D.C. public schools, zeroing in on truancy, graduation rates and attendance records. The investigation, which was first reported by The Washington Post, is examining the supervision and oversight of young people in the nation’s capital, according to people familiar with the matter. D.C. public schools have been contacted about truancy and graduation rates, as well as attendance records. One law enforcement official emphasized this probe is about, “safeguarding youth in the District.” The use of a special grand jury is unusual. Fox News is told a judge must approve the creation of such a panel, which can conduct a sweeping investigation and issue a detailed report on its findings even if prosecutors ultimately file no criminal charges. DETROIT SCHOOLS OFFER STUDENTS UP TO $1,000 FOR PERFECT ATTENDANCE AS PROGRAM EXPANDS A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office told the Washington Post it could neither confirm nor deny an investigation. The office of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said its focus remains on the new school year. “Our focus remains on welcoming students and families back for a strong start to the new school year, and that is what we want our principals and teachers focused on as well,” the mayor’s office told the Washington Post. “We make all school data public and will continue to do so.” CHAOTIC TEEN BRAWL GOES VIRAL AFTER TEEN TERROR PROMPTS US ATTORNEY PIRRO’S PLAN TO PROSECUTE PARENTS The Washington Post reported that senior prosecutor Steven Vandervelden, one of Pirro’s top allies in the U.S. attorney’s office, is overseeing the inquiry. Pirro has repeatedly linked school truancy to youth crime and disruptive teen gatherings in the District. At a May news conference, she said authorities could take action when teens repeatedly break curfew or skip school. GRADY JUDD PUTS PARENTS ON NOTICE OVER TIKTOK TEEN TAKEOVERS: ‘WE’RE GONNA COME LOCK YOU UP TOO’ “We’re coming for you, and we’re coming for your parents,” Pirro said. She also said her office wanted school records involving students accused of chronic truancy and curfew violations, according to the Washington Post. The outlet reported that the city did not voluntarily turn over those records. EXPLOSIVE REPORT FINDS $230M IN ALLEGED K-12 EDUCATION FRAUD AMID TRUMP’S CRACKDOWN: ‘ESPECIALLY HIDEOUS’ The new probe comes years after D.C. schools were rocked by a graduation scandal centered on Ballou High School. A 2018 city investigation found the school had awarded diplomas to students who failed to satisfy attendance rules or had improperly completed makeup coursework. While the scandal initially centered on Ballou High School, it eventually spread to several D.C. high schools. The investigation found that about one-third of D.C. students who graduated in 2017 had not actually met the requirements for a diploma, according to the Washington Post. District officials later said they tightened enforcement of attendance standards. MORE THAN 400K NEW YORK CITY CHILDREN ENROLLED IN FAILING PUBLIC SCHOOLS: REPORT Absenteeism, however, has persisted. During the 2023-24 school year, nearly 16,000 D.C. Public Schools students, roughly one-third of K-12 enrollment, were considered truant after missing at least two weeks of classes without an excuse, the Washington Post reported last year. The special grand jury’s work is unfolding as D.C.’s school system, which serves more than 50,000 students, begins a new academic year. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education for comment.
California bill recognizing 2 Islamic holidays nears Newsom’s desk
California could soon formally recognize two of Islam’s most important holy days under legislation that would give state workers greater flexibility to take them off and allow public schools to close in observance of the holidays. The measure, which overwhelmingly passed the state Assembly and is awaiting Senate action, would recognize Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha in state law and could soon head to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. Assembly Bill 2017, introduced by Democratic San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, passed the Assembly 64-1 in late May. It must clear the Senate before the legislative session ends Monday to reach Newsom. TRUMP DOJ EXPANDS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY PROTECTIONS AFTER MAJOR SUPREME COURT RULINGS The bill would let state employees use existing paid holiday credits to take time off for Eid. Public schools and community colleges could also close for the holidays. “California is home to one of the largest and most vibrant Muslim communities in the country, and their traditions deserve recognition and respect,” Haney said in a news release about the bill in March. “No student should have to choose between celebrating one of the holiest days of their faith and showing up to school, and no worker should feel they have to sacrifice their religious observance.” Haney also said the bill is also about treating Muslim Californians equally. “AB 2017 is about making sure Muslim Californians are seen, valued, and treated with the same dignity as every other community in our state,” he said. Eid al-Fitr, or the “Festival of Breaking the Fast,” marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Eid al-Adha, or the “Festival of Sacrifice,” commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT SUED OVER FIELD TRIP TO MOSQUE WHERE STUDENTS ALLEGEDLY DONNED MUSLIM GARB Supporters say the bill would make it easier for Muslim workers and students to take part in Eid prayers and spend the holidays with their families. “For decades, Muslim families across the state have had to navigate an unfair balancing act between their faith and their academic or professional obligations,” Oussama Mokeddem, legislative and government affairs director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ (CAIR) California chapter, said in a statement in July. “AB 2017 is a meaningful step toward ensuring Muslim students can celebrate Eid with the same dignity, respect, and accommodation afforded to other faith communities.” Hala Hijazi, founder of the Muslim Impact Council, recalled missing Eid with her family earlier in her career while working for the city of San Francisco. “It was really painful to not be with my family,” Hijazi told the Sacramento Bee. She said her family would go to lunch after Eid al-Fitr services and give gifts to the children. The California Family Council, a conservative Christian advocacy group, opposes the bill’s school provisions, while saying it supports allowing students to take time off for religious holidays. FEDERAL COURT UPHOLDS TEXAS LAW REQUIRING TEN COMMANDMENTS IN PUBLIC CLASSROOMS The group objects to language allowing schools to hold exercises “acknowledging and celebrating the meaning and importance” of Eid. It also criticized a provision allowing the State Board of Education to develop a model curriculum guide for those exercises. “No California statute authorizes public schools to hold exercises celebrating the meaning of Christmas, Easter, or Good Friday,” the group said in a May statement, arguing Christian and Jewish holidays have not received comparable treatment. “The asymmetry is written into the law.” If signed into law, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha would join other holidays California has recognized, including Lunar New Year and Diwali. California would not be the first state to recognize the Eid holidays. Washington was the first, according to the Sacramento Bee. Hijazi told the newspaper that California’s proposal would go further by allowing state workers to use paid holiday credits, while Washington allows unpaid time off.
Trump indicates support for Christian-backed plan to help Canadian Jews escape antisemitism
Jewish Canadians facing rising antisemitism might have President Donald Trump’s support for an expedited legal pathway into the United States. Trump shared a report on the plan Sunday with his millions of followers on Truth Social, amplifying the appeal as Christian lawmakers and religious leaders press his administration to act because of a “disproportionate” amount of antisemitic incidents north of the U.S. border. The National Association of Christian Lawmakers (NACL) founder and President Jason Rapert told Fox News Digital from Israel on Sunday morning that he wants Trump to press Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney directly on the perceived “roadblocks” set up against the “quick recognition of the plight” of thousands of Jewish Canadians fearing for their safety. TORONTO POLICE INVESTIGATE GUNFIRE, VANDALISM TARGETING JEWISH-OWNED BAKERY CHAIN “We will find out” if Canada is getting in the way of the more than 2,000 Jewish Canadians who have expressed interest in relocating, Rapert said. “Trump should ask Carney right now,” he added. “Canada should be embarrassed and ashamed of these perceived roadblocks. And we’re trying to rally leaders to take a stand.” The comments come after the NACL and its partners asked Trump to direct the State Department and Department of Homeland Security to create “lawful, secure, and appropriately expedited pathways” for Jewish Canadians and their immediate family members who face persecution or can credibly demonstrate fears for their safety because they are Jewish. TRUMP DOJ EXPANDS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY PROTECTIONS AFTER MAJOR SUPREME COURT RULINGS “For generations, America has served as a refuge for people fleeing religious persecution,” the group wrote in a letter Thursday to Trump. “We urge you to ensure that, consistent with federal law and the security interests of the United States, that door remains open to our Jewish brothers and sisters in Canada who need it today.” Rapert and former U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback signed the letter along with more than 50 state legislators, religious leaders and other civic figures, sending it to Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and congressional leaders. “Recent data demonstrate that Jewish Canadians are being targeted at a grossly disproportionate rate, while community-based reporting reflects thousands of antisemitic incidents across Canada,” Rapert wrote. “These numbers represent more than statistics. They represent families who increasingly question whether they can safely send their children to Jewish schools, worship openly, display their faith publicly, or continue building their lives in communities where they no longer feel secure.” ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE ESCALATES AS DEADLY WEAPON ATTACKS SURGE IN 2025: REPORT Canada, which recently had a broadcaster reject the use of the word “terrorism” with regard to 9/11 coverage, has reported nearly 7,000 antisemitic incidents in a country of roughly 41 million people. By comparison, the U.S. has more than 342 million people and has reported fewer than 6,300, Rapert noted. “It’s definitely a problem” by greater proportions in Canada, and “it’s eerie to hear,” he told Fox News Digital after a Sunday visit to the Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum in northern Israel along with a delegation of U.S. lawmakers, where he spoke with a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor. CHRISTIAN LEADERS HOLD EMERGENCY SUMMIT IN JERUSALEM TO CONFRONT GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM Rapert said the NACL was alerted of the concerns of the Jewish Canadians fearing their inability to emigrate to the U.S. from a piece in the National Post by Canadian/American Jewish community leader Michael Sachs, who is currently the Senior Director of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Okla. Jewish Canadians have expressed interest in relocating because of safety concerns, harassment, vandalism, intimidation, threats and violence against Jewish schools, synagogues, businesses, institutions and families following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks on Israel, according to Sachs. Now, amid Trump’s frustration with Canada and Carney, Rapert sees the urgency for a proposal that would use existing refugee, humanitarian and visa authorities to help facilitate movement. ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE REACHES DEADLIEST LEVEL SINCE 1994, NEW GLOBAL REPORT FINDS Carney has himself acknowledged a severe rise in antisemitism in Canada, saying his country has failed to adequately protect its Jewish community. “Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Carney told an audience at Toronto’s Holy Blossom Temple in June, saying the country’s antisemitism crisis is “specific, severe and demands a targeted response.” Carney said antisemitism in Canada had surged to levels not seen since the aftermath of World War II. More than two-thirds of religion-motivated hate crimes recorded in the previous year targeted Jewish Canadians, he said, despite Jews making up only about 1% of the country’s population. The prime minister pointed to bullets fired at Jewish schools, firebombings at synagogues, attacks on community centers and Jewish-owned businesses and the targeting of Jewish students on university campuses. MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD-LINKED NETWORKS EMBEDDED ACROSS CANADIAN INSTITUTIONS, NEW REPORT ALLEGES The NACL letter urged the administration to coordinate with state and local governments, Jewish organizations, churches, nonprofits and employers willing to help families establish new lives in the United States. “Antisemitism is a moral evil, and Christians must be willing to stand with our Jewish friends when they face hatred and persecution,” Rapert said. “We are asking President Trump and his administration to consider what lawful steps America can take to help Jewish Canadian families who are genuinely concerned for their safety.” Oklahoma has emerged as one potential destination. Jewish and Christian leaders in Tulsa have offered to help receive Canadian Jewish families, while Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has told Trump his state would welcome Jewish families who legally enter the United States, according to a July 22 letter obtained by Fox News Digital. “They bring talent, faith, family values, entrepreneurship, and a sincere desire to contribute to the Nation that offers them safety and religious liberty,” the letter said. Alex Gray, a former deputy assistant to the president and Chief of Staff of the White House National Security Council (NSC) from 2019 to 2021 during the first Trump administration, says Oklahoma is ready to accept Jewish Canadians. “Oklahoma has a long tradition of helping those seeking refuge from
Massive AI boom puts one of America’s oldest manufacturers on path to double in size, CEO says
The race to build more data centers for artificial intelligence is driving demand for more than chips and electricity. It also requires vast networks of high-speed optical fiber to move data between servers, putting one of America’s oldest manufacturers at the center of the boom. Corning, the New York-based company best known to many Americans for its kitchenware and smartphone glass, is ramping up optical-fiber production as the data-center buildout accelerates. Nearly 175 years after its founding, the company is supplying a critical piece of the infrastructure behind the AI boom, the glass connections linking the servers inside the facilities powering it. ONE OF THE WORLD’S HOTTEST INDUSTRIES IS SPARKING A BLUE-COLLAR JOBS BOOM The company is partnering with NVIDIA to build three advanced optical-manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Texas. The project is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs and expand Corning’s U.S. optical-manufacturing capacity tenfold. The investment offers a window into how the data-center boom is reaching well beyond the massive facilities themselves, creating demand for American factories and workers who make the equipment needed to keep them connected. CRACKDOWN ON CRITICAL TECH COULD OPEN AMERICANS TO A NEW NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT At a time when many Americans worry that artificial intelligence will replace human workers, Corning chairman, CEO and president Wendell Weeks said the opposite is happening inside one of the nation’s oldest manufacturers. “AI is a huge job creator, and it’s a huge manufacturing job creator,” Weeks told Fox News Digital. He said demand for Corning’s optical fiber is fueling the company’s fastest period of growth in nearly two centuries. “As a 175-year-old company, we’re going through our fastest growth period,” Weeks said. “We will probably double our size over the coming years and almost all of our new hires will be in advanced manufacturing, a significant part of them right here in America.” That growth is already taking shape on Corning’s factory floors. “As the world develops and tells us what it needs, we’re right there at the forefront,” Emily Capek, planning supervisor at Corning’s Wilmington, North Carolina, facility, told Fox News Digital. She said employees are seeing firsthand how demand for AI platforms is driving demand for Corning’s products. FROM NETFLIX TO GPS: 10 WAYS THIS HIDDEN TECH INFRASTRUCTURE QUIETLY POWERS MODERN LIFE “Right now, the world needs our glass optical fiber to support the AI demand we’re seeing,” Capek said. “It’s a great feeling on the factory floor.” While much of the attention surrounding AI has focused on chipmakers and software developers, companies like Corning are supplying the glass technology that connects those systems and supports the industry’s rapid expansion. “The common story is AI being powered by chips, but actually, those chips are connected by glass,” Weeks said.
Trump just brokered a deal with the country sitting atop the world’s largest oil reserves
President Donald Trump’s new oil agreement with Venezuela could give the United States access to a 65 billion-barrel crude-oil prize — an energy-security win, even if drivers are unlikely to see benefits quickly. The deal announced Friday would give the U.S. a stake in 17 Venezuelan oil fields holding an estimated 65 billion barrels of crude, according to Venezuela’s government. Venezuela controls more than 300 billion barrels of crude reserves, roughly 20% of the world’s total. It is the largest oil stockpile on the planet, exceeding even Saudi Arabia’s. TRUMP’S AMBITIOUS ENERGY BET COULD BE A WINNING HAND AS THE WORLD BURNS MORE OIL, GAS THAN EVER Yet Venezuela has long struggled to turn that oil wealth into steady production. Political instability and deteriorating infrastructure have left the country producing only about 1% of the world’s oil despite holding an estimated 17% of global reserves. For Trump, the potential benefit goes beyond the deal’s headline number. Venezuela produces heavy crude, the type many Gulf Coast refineries were designed to process. Much U.S. production is lighter shale crude, while Gulf Coast refiners have historically relied on heavier imports from Canada, Mexico and Venezuela. TOP ENERGY TRADER HAILS TRUMP’S VENEZUELA OIL DEAL AS A ‘GENERATIONAL WIN’ FOR GAS PRICES A steadier Venezuelan supply could support Gulf Coast refineries, diversify U.S. oil imports and provide a buffer against future supply disruptions. It could also help replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which remains well below its 714 million-barrel authorized capacity. That prospect has taken on added importance as the war with Iran disrupts oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. The average U.S. price for regular gasoline stood at about $4.07 a gallon Sunday, according to AAA, compared with roughly $3.19 a year earlier. For Trump, the deal is a bet that long-term access to Venezuelan heavy crude can strengthen U.S. energy security and eventually ease costs for Americans. Whether it translates into relief at the pump will depend on how quickly Venezuela can turn its vast reserves into market-ready barrels.