Trump slaps $100,000 fee on H-1B visas: what’s at stake for Big Tech?

US tech giants — Amazon, Google and Microsoft — have long depended on foreign skilled workers to fuel their global dominance. But Donald Trump’s decision to impose a one-off $100,000 charge on new H-1B visa applications could reshape that talent pipeline.

Tech

U.S. flag, mock passport, banknote, H-1B Visa application form and displayed company logos are seen in this illustration taken September 26, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

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Lucía Aliaga

Front of mind

The Deepfake Dilemma: Can technology and law catch up with AI fakes?

A familiar face on a video call. A trusted voice giving instructions. A social media post quoting a senior executive. Increasingly, these may not be real at all. Thanks to artificial intelligence, deepfakes, convincing but fabricated videos, images and audio, are spreading fast, and their consequences are serious. Dr Áine MacDermott, Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security and Digital Forensics at Liverpool John Moores University, warns that organisations and governments must act now.

India’s political troubles explained

On August 7, 2025, Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of enabling “vote theft” during the 2024 general elections. He pointed to alleged irregularities in voter rolls in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura constituency, citing thousands of duplicate entries, invalid addresses, bulk registrations, and faulty photographs. Gandhi labelled the claims as the result of six months of research by his team and demanded transparency, including access to digital voter lists and CCTV footage.