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Indian applicants for US visitor visas are facing long interview waits, with Hyderabad at around 12 months, Mumbai 11.5 months, New Delhi 10 months, Chennai 7.5 months and Kolkata 6.5 months. The figures are drawing attention as families planning travel for tourism, business or family visits face delays stretching close to a year before they can secure an interview appointment.

Opinion polls ahead of Israel's upcoming Knesset election are showing widely divergent results, leaving the likely outcome uncertain. With surveys differing on party support and potential coalition scenarios, analysts and voters are watching closely as campaigning intensifies and the vote approaches.

Rising temperatures, humidity and extreme weather are being reported as growing threats to cultural treasures worldwide, with effects ranging from damage to centuries-old frescoes to risks for delicate instruments like Stradivarius violins. Experts caution that shifting climate conditions can warp wood, degrade pigments and accelerate deterioration of irreplaceable artworks and artefacts.

France's Rassemblement National will form a parliamentary group in the Senate for the first time, having won at least 10 seats in the indirect senatorial elections. The party picked up a seat in Gironde, another in Var, and two in Bouches-du-Rhône. Observers are framing the milestone as a first step toward broader institutional presence for the far right, long marginalised in the upper house.

Harvard University has been ranked the world's best in 16 STEM subjects, according to a new subject-by-subject assessment. The result underlines the university's dominance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, though rankings like this always prompt debate among academics and rival institutions about methodology.

Japanese leader Sanae Takaichi said Japan and the United States have agreed to work together on a range of issues relating to China. The announcement points to continued coordination between the two allies on security, economic and diplomatic concerns in the region. The remarks drew attention as tensions between Tokyo, Washington and Beijing remain a central topic in Asia-Pacific diplomacy.

Norman Finkelstein, in an interview, takes issue with Harvard's antisemitism inquiry, which stated that Israeli Jewish students "don't feel wanted" on campus and that Harvard must be inclusive to correct for antisemitism. Finkelstein responds that he supports inclusivity but challenges the framing of the inquiry's findings. The remarks touch on the ongoing controversy over antisemitism, campus climate and the treatment of Jewish students at elite US universities.

Harvard scientists report detecting a radio signal apparently coming directly from a planet outside the solar system. If confirmed, it would be a rare example of a radio emission traced to an exoplanet, possibly generated by the planet's magnetic field interacting with its star. Astronomers say such detections could open a new way to study distant planets, though further observations are needed to verify the signal's origin.

Club León beat FC Juárez in dramatic fashion, with a late goal confirmed after a VAR review sealing the win. Supporters are checking the Liga MX standings after the result, as the three points affect both clubs' positions in the table. The agonising nature of the finish and the referee's use of video review are driving debate among fans.

Costa Rica President Laura Fernández is defending her decision to fire Foreign Minister Manuel Tovar over a meeting with Donald Trump, declaring "I am the president" as criticism mounts. She has also warned her ministers that major decisions will require her personal approval, signalling a tighter grip on her cabinet amid the controversy.

Reports say a variable aperture camera system planned for the iPhone 18 Pro has passed testing, a feature that would let the lens adjust its aperture for better low-light shots and depth of field control. Coverage notes there is a catch, though details of that drawback remain unspecified in the reports circulating.

Jury selection is set to begin in the murder trial of Miguel Salguero Olivares, the man charged in the 2012 killing of Faith Hedgepeth, a University of North Carolina student found dead in her Chapel Hill apartment. The case went unsolved for years before his arrest, and the trial marks a major step toward a verdict that the Hedgepeth family and the UNC community have awaited for over a decade.

Faculty at Yale University differ over whether and how students should be allowed to use artificial intelligence in their coursework, the Yale Daily News reports. Some professors are embracing AI tools as teaching aids, while others are restricting or banning them, reflecting a broader debate in higher education about academic integrity and learning outcomes.

Florida Today reports that readers in Brevard County, Florida are reacting strongly to a mix of stories: Donald Trump, the growing use of Flock surveillance cameras, and state political developments. The roundup of letters and comments suggests local audiences are especially engaged with debates over privacy, Trump-related news, and Florida's political landscape.

During a professional golf round, a fan yelled as Nico Echavarria began his backswing, disrupting his shot. Scottie Scheffler responded by conceding the putt, allowing Echavarria to take par without completing the stroke. The sportsmanship moment between the two players is drawing attention from golf fans, who are discussing both the spectator's behavior and Scheffler's gesture.

A Nature publication describes a rational framework for choosing between SpCas9 and variant-derived adenine base editors when editing the human genome. The work aims to help researchers match editor choice to specific target sites and desired edits, improving precision in gene-editing applications. The paper is being circulated among readers following advances in CRISPR-based genome editing tools.

Chinese electric vehicle maker XPENG has entered the Philippine market, debuting with a lineup of six variants across two models: the X9, a premium electric MPV, and the L03 sedan. The move marks another step in XPENG's international expansion as Chinese EV brands push into Southeast Asian markets.

Reports are circulating that Apple's iPhone 18 Pro could include a variable aperture camera system, a feature that would let the lens adjust how much light it captures and potentially improve photo quality in different conditions. Commentators are weighing the expected camera results, noting that such hardware would mark a notable step beyond current fixed-aperture iPhones, though Apple has not confirmed any details.