Page 3 - Texas

Texas set to join GOP states tightening grip on university curriculum

The gubernatorially appointed boards that oversee Texas universities soon could have new powers to control the curriculum required of students and eliminate degree programs. The legislation sent Monday to Texas Governor Greg Abbott marks the latest effort among Republican-led states to reshape higher education institutions that they assert have been promoting liberal ideology. It follows similar moves in Florida and Ohio. The state actions come as President Donald Trump's administration also has injected itself into higher education, leveraging federal funding and its student visa authority to clamp down on campus activism and stamp out diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Some professors contend the moves violate the principles of academic freedom that many universities have followed for decades. "Political operatives have basically used their positions of power political power, economic power to demand that the institutions conform to their ideas," said Isaac Kamola, ..

Indian-origin professor Ganesh Thakur to lead Texas' top science academy

Indian-origin professor Ganesh Thakur has been named president of the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering, Science and Technology (TAMEST), becoming the first University of Houston (UH) faculty member to hold the position. Thakur, a professor of petroleum engineering at UH's Cullen College of Engineering, began his term in February, the university said in a release. He aims to raise the visibility of UH's research and promote collaboration across top institutions in Texas. TAMEST brings together top minds from UH, UT Austin, Texas A&M, and others to tackle real-world challenges, Thakur said. TAMEST includes 350 members of the US National Academies and eight Nobel laureates. Its next annual conference, focused on climate change, will be held in San Antonio in February 2026. Thakur's term runs through 2027, during which he plans to position Houston as a national hub for science and innovation. Ganesh's leadership will bring well-deserved attention to UH's faculty, said Cullen ...

Indian-origin entrepreneur killed by homeless fellow Indian on Texas bus

An Indian man fatally stabbed 30-year-old Akshay Gupta on a bus in Austin, Texas. The attack was unprovoked, and Kandel later admitted to the crime, citing a resemblance to his uncle

Voters approve Musk's plan to establish Starbase as his own city in Texas

By a margin of 173 to 4, residents of the far-flung community surrounding SpaceX's rocket-launch site and headquarters voted resoundingly in favour of the incorporation effort

Elon Musk plans to build a city near SpaceX site. But locals aren't happy

Voters in south Texas will decide whether to officially turn the home of Elon Musk's SpaceX launch site into a city called Starbase, despite growing public concern

Indian student killed in Texas hit-and-run just weeks before graduation

Vangavolu Deepthi, who was pursuing her MS in Computer and Information Science at the University of North Texas, had graduated from Narasaraopet Engineering College in Guntur in 2023

Trump threatens sanctions, tariffs on Mexico over Texas water dispute

Under the 1944 treaty, Mexico must send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the US from the Rio Grande through a network of interconnected dams and reservoirs every five years

Texas passes first-ever Holi resolution, 3rd US state to recognise festival

The Texas Senate has passed its first-ever resolution recognising Holi, officially acknowledging the Hindu festival of colours as a significant cultural celebration. With this move, Texas becomes the third US state after Georgia and New York to formally recognise Holi. The resolution was introduced by Senator Sarah Eckhardt and passed just ahead of Holi celebrations on March 14. It highlights Holi's cultural and spiritual significance, celebrating spring, renewal, unity, and the triumph of good over evil. "The origins of this jubilant festival can be traced back many millennia, and the holiday is recognised and celebrated throughout the world by people of all backgrounds who relate to the festival's themes of love, renewal, and progress," the resolution states. The Senate also emphasised Holi's role in strengthening community bonds and enriching Texas's cultural diversity. Consul General of India in Houston, DC Manjunath, told PTI, This is a proud and historic moment for Texas.

Greenpeace ordered to pay $660 mn to Texas oil company for defamation

A jury in North Dakota found Greenpeace and its US entities liable for defamation, conspiracy, and other claims for its involvement in protests at the Dakota Access pipeline

1st measles death reported in West Texas outbreak that's infected over 120

A person who was hospitalised with measles has died from measles in West Texas, the first death in an outbreak that began late last month. Lubbock city spokesperson Lauren Adams confirmed the death Wednesday. It wasn't clear the age of the patient, who died overnight. Covenant Children's Hospital in Lubbock didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The measles outbreak in rural West Texas has grown to 124 cases across nine counties, the state health department said Tuesday. There are also nine cases in eastern New Mexico. Measles is a respiratory virus that can survive in the air for up to two hours. Up to 9 out of 10 people who are susceptible will get the virus if exposed, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. The outbreak is largely spreading in the Mennonite community in an area wher

KFC moves US headquarters from Kentucky to Texas in corporate shakeup

KFC, the fast-food giant named after its home state Kentucky, is set to relocate its headquarters to Texas. The move will impact approximately 100 corporate employees

Trump's tech buddies won't escape US scrutiny, warns Texas Attorney General

Trump realises they are a big part of our economy, how they perform matters, said Paxton

OpenAI announces $500 bn 'The Stargate Project'; here's what we know so far

The Stargate Project will focus on building data centres dedicated exclusively to OpenAI as the company continues to expand its generative AI computing capabilities

Powerful thunderstorms rumble across Texas delaying holiday travel

Some flights were delayed or cancelled in Texas on Thursday after a line of thunderstorms started moving across parts of the state in a system the National Weather Service predicted could bring high winds, hail and possible tornadoes. Nearly 90 flights were delayed and more than two dozen cancelled at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport early Thursday. Delays and thunderstorm-related cancellations also were reported at Dallas' Love Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, according to FlightAware, an aviation company that tracks flights across the world. The greatest weather risk was forecast for a stretch of Texas east of Dallas, between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Centre. There does look like the possibility of one or a few tornadoes with this risk, but the main risk will be with high winds and hail, Hurley said, adding .

Elon Musk wants to turn SpaceX's Starbase site into a new Texas city

SpaceX is launching a new mission: making its Starbase site a new Texas city. Billionaire Elon Musk's company on Thursday sent a letter to local officials requesting an election to turn what it calls Starbase the South Texas site where SpaceX builds and launches its massive Starship rockets into an incorporated city. Residents of the area known as Starbase submitted the petition, according to the company. The area is on the southern tip of Texas at Boca Chica Beach, near the Mexican border. Earlier this year, Musk announced he was moving the headquarters of SpaceX and his social media company X from California to Texas. To continue growing the workforce necessary to rapidly develop and manufacture Starship, we need the ability to grow Starbase as a community. That is why we are requesting that Cameron County call an election to enable the incorporation of Starbase as the newest city in the Rio Grande Valley, Kathryn Lueders, the general manager of Starbase, wrote in a letter to th

Texas offers 1,402 acres to Trump to construct deportation facilities

Texas has offered 1,402 acres to President-elect Trump to be used for constructing infrastructure to facilitate mass deportation of illegal immigrants. Trump will take oath as president on January 20. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, Dawn Buckingham -- commissioner of the Texas General Land Office -- said, "I am writing to formally offer 1,402 acres of land in Starr County, Texas, to be used to construct deportation facilities." Mass deportation of illegal immigrants was one of the major election promises of Trump. After his victory, the president-elect has expressed determination to fulfil the promise by remove illegal immigrants from the US. The number of illegal immigrants in the country is said to be more than 11 million, which also includes several hundreds of thousand of Indians. The outgoing Joe Biden administration has been removing such Indian nationals through chartered flights. Trump has not made public details of the deportation plan. In his letter, Buckingham wrote t

Elon Musk moves all X lawsuits to 'conservative' Texas court; here's why

This shift is seen by experts as a strategic move, known as "forum shopping", aimed at securing more favourable outcomes in a court district aligned with conservative viewpoints

Elon Musk's $35 mn Texas mansion: A family haven for 11 kids, their mothers

Elon Musk has purchased a $35 million mansion in Texas, designed to accommodate his blended family of 11 children. The estate aims to foster co-parenting and family bonding

One dead, several injured after hydrogen sulfide leak at Houston plant

One person died and several others were injured Thursday when a chemical was released at a Houston industrial plant, a Texas sheriff said. Authorities warned nearby residents to stay inside and close doors and windows. One of the people injured was transported to a hospital by a helicopter, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on the social platform X. City officials in Pasadena, a Houston suburb, told residents on social media that hydrogen sulfide had been released at a Shell Pemex facility. Television news crews showed multiple ambulances and emergency vehicles at the scene. Gonzalez said preliminary information indicated it was a chemical release but did not elaborate. The plant is located in the suburb of Deer Park, where city officials issued a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents out of precaution. Houston is the nation's petrochemical heartland and is home to a cluster of refineries and plants.

Florida braces for Hurricane Milton, second-strongest storm in Gulf history

Florida residents are bracing for Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm with winds of 165 mph, days after Hurricane Helene caused devastation. Evacuations are underway as Milton nears landfall