New Facial Hair Rule for US Troops; Woman Rescued from Oman

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a strict new grooming policy that effectively bans most beards in the US military, allowing exceptions only for elite special forces. During a speech at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Hegseth said, 'If you want a beard, join special forces. If not, shave. We don’t have a military full of Nordic pagans.' The new policy could force many service members—especially Sikhs, Muslims, Jews, and Black troops with skin conditions—to choose between their military careers and their religious beliefs or health needs. Critics fear this is the beginning of a broader crackdown on diversity, faith, and health-based accommodations in the armed forces. The Sikh Coalition, a group that has advocated for Sikhs in the military who want to wear turbans, beards, and other visible signs of their faith, has issued a statement saying it is 'angered and deeply concerned' about Hegseth’s comments about grooming standards. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami wrote to India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, urging him to take up the issue with the US defence secretary to ensure that Sikhs can practice their faith without any discrimination. Criticism has also emerged from other religious communities such as Orthodox Jews with payot and beards, and Muslims. Sikhs have served in the US military since World War I. Meanwhile, a young woman from Jalandhar, who went to Oman on 15 Jun with the hope of improving her family’s financial condition, has returned home after enduring months of physical and mental torture in Muscat. She credits her survival and safe return to efforts of Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) member Balbir Singh Seechewal. She was confined in an office-like building where more than 10 Indian girls were being held. The women were forced to work for up to 12 hours a day, beaten for the smallest mistakes, and often deprived of food. 'The travel agents took away mobiles and passports. We were treated worse than animals,' she said. Seechewal has appealed that people verify their visa types and job offers carefully before leaving the country (earlier coverage).