Author: admin

Kristi Noem, the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has revoked Harvard’s certification to enrol any new foreign students. Foreign students already enrolled at the college must now transfer to another school or lose their legal status in the US. The government’s move, announced on Thursday, is the latest in escalating tensions between Harvard University and the Trump administration. Here is what we know about the move and its impact. What does Kristi Noem’s letter bar Harvard from doing? In a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, Homeland Security Secretary Noem announced that Harvard’s Student and…

CANNES, France (AP) — It’s called the Palm Dog contest, but Friday’s winner of the annual Cannes Film Festival tradition was a Panda.Panda, though, is an Icelandic sheepdog who stars in “The Love That Remains,” from Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason. Always positioned at the tail end of the festival, the beachside Palm Dog ceremony comes a day before the winner of the festival’s Palme d’Or is announced. Pálmason’s tragicomic film, which premiered at Cannes not in competition, follows five characters — Panda included — over the course of a year after the breakdown of a marriage. Panda is ever-present and…

BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium’s Royal Palace said Friday that Princess Elisabeth, who is first in line to the throne, is waiting to find out whether she can return to Harvard for her second year after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ban on foreign students at the university.The Trump administration on Thursday revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of students must transfer to other schools or leave the country.“We are looking into the situation, to see what kind of impact this decision might have on the princess,…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Harvard University is challenging the Trump administration’s decision to bar the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students, calling it unconstitutional retaliation for defying the White House’s political demands.In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Boston, Harvard said the government’s action violates the First Amendment and will have an “immediate and devastating effect for Harvard and more than 7,000 visa holders.”“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” Harvard said in its suit.The school…

Washington and Tehran have taken a tough public stance before talks, with enrichment a key point of contention.Iran and the United States are set to hold a fifth round of talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme amid uncompromising rhetoric on both sides. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are due to meet in Rome on Friday. The ongoing talks, mediated by Oman, seek a new deal in which Iran would be prevented from producing nuclear weapons while having international sanctions eased. However, little progress has been made so far, and both Washington…

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration is accusing Columbia University of violating the civil rights of Jewish students by “acting with deliberate indifference” toward what it describes as rampant antisemitism on campus. The finding was announced late Thursday by the Health and Human Services Department, marking the latest blow for an Ivy League school already shaken by federal cutbacks and sustained government pressure to crack down on student speech.It comes hours after the Department of Homeland Security said it would revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration’s monthslong attack on higher education.…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. homeowners are spending more on home renovation projects, bucking a broader pullback by consumers amid diminished confidence in the economy.Sales at building materials and garden supply retailers rose 0.8% last month from March, the biggest gain since 2022, and were up 3.2% from April last year. At the same time, U.S. retail sales overall rose 0.1%, a sharp slowdown from March.The trend comes even as prices for home improvement products have been rising.The cost of home repairs and remodeling climbed by nearly 4% in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to Verisk’s Remodel…

CEOs are now so immersed in AI, they’re sending their avatars to address quarterly earnings calls instead of themselves, at least partially. After the Klarna CEO’s AI avatar appeared on an investor call earlier this week, Zoom CEO Eric Yuan followed suit, also using his avatar for initial comments. Yuan deployed his custom avatar via Zoom Clips, the company’s asynchronous video creation tool. “I am proud to be among the first CEOs to use an avatar in an earnings call,” he — or rather his avatar — said. “It is just one example of how Zoom is pushing the boundaries…

BANGKOK (AP) — The Chinese government said Friday that the Trump administration’s move to ban international students from Harvard would harm America’s international standing, and one university in Hong Kong looked to capitalize on the uncertainty by promising to take them in.Chinese students make up a large part of Harvard University’s international student population. The university enrolled 6,703 international students across all of its schools in 2024, according to the school’s data, with 1,203 of those coming from China. The Trump administration’s move, announced Thursday, was a hot topic on Chinese social media. State broadcaster CCTV questioned whether the U.S.…

KARACHI: Tuba Hassan’s 35 and Fatima Zahra’s three wickets helped Stars edge Challengers by six runs in the qualifier of the National Women’s T20 Tournament at the National Bank Stadium on Thursday. The win means Stars will take on Conquerors in the final of the tournament, scheduled to be held on Saturday. After opting to bat first, Stars posted 134 for eight in the allotted 20 overs. Batting at number six, right-handed Tuba top-scored with a 24-ball 35, which included three fours and a six. Opener Huraina Sajjad contributed 34 off 32, hitting fours boundaries. Wicket-keeper/batter Sidra Nawaz consumed 34…