Page 54 - Us Government

Harvard plagiarism row: Gay defends research, calls it 'ideological battle'

The school's first Black president stepped down after allegations of plagiarism in her work and anger over the university's handling of antisemitism on campus following Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel

Harvard to move past firestorm brought on by Claudine Gay's resignation

Harvard University on Wednesday sought to move beyond the firestorm brought on by the plagiarism allegations, congressional testimony and resignation of Claudine Gay, the school's first Black president, as it seeks a new leader and tries to heal divisions at the elite Ivy League school. The search for a new president will begin "in due course" and will include "broad engagement and consultation with the Harvard community", the Harvard Corporation, the school's 11-member governing board said in statement on Tuesday, adding that it will be driven by "core values of excellence, inclusiveness, and free inquiry and expression". "At a time when strife and division are so prevalent in our nation and our world, embracing and advancing that mission -- in a spirit of common purpose -- has never been more important," leadership said. As it looks for a new president, the corporation also needs to examine its role in Gay's appearance before Congress, according to Khalil Gibran Muhammad, who ...

No damage reported after latest Houthi attack in Red Sea, says US

Multiple commercial ships in the area reported the impact of the missiles in surrounding waters, CENTCOM added

US intel says Hamas used Gaza hospital in campaign against Israel: Report

The US is confident that Palestinian militant groups used Gaza's largest hospital to hold at least a few hostages seized during their bloody Oct. 7 attack and to house command infrastructure, an American intelligence assessment declassified Tuesday and shared by a U.S. official found. The assessment offers the firmest U.S. support for Israeli claims about the Shifa hospital complex, which was raided by Israeli forces in November in an operation decried by global humanitarian organizations and some members of President Joe Biden' s party. Yet the information released doesn't fully back some of Israel's most significant allegations that the hospital served as the central node for activities by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The U.S. official shared the assessment on the condition of anonymity. The U.S. Intelligence Community is confident in its judgment on this topic and has independently corroborated information on HAMAS and PIJ's use of the hospital complex for a variety of ...

US rejects Israel's remarks on resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza

He said that the kind of future the US seeks is that in future, no terror groups are able to threaten Israel and Hamas has no control of Gaza

US national debt hits record $34 trn as Congress gears up for funding fight

The federal government's gross national debt has surpassed USD 34 trillion, a record high that foreshadows the coming political and economic challenges to improve America's balance sheet in the coming years. The US Treasury Department issued a report on Tuesday logging US finances, which have become a source of tension in a politically divided Washington that could possibly see parts of the government shut down without an annual budget in place. Republican lawmakers and the White House agreed last June to temporarily lift the nation's debt limit, staving off the risk of what would be a historic default. That agreement lasts until January 2025. Here are some answers to questions about the new record national debt. HOW DID THE NATIONAL DEBT HIT USD 34 TRILLION? The national debt eclipsed USD 34 trillion several years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office's January 2020 projections had gross federal debt eclipsing USD 34 trillion in fiscal year 2029. B

Harvard Prez Claudine Gay resigns amid backlash over antisemitism testimony

Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned on Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school's conduct policy. Gay announced her departure, which came just months into her tenure, in a letter to the Harvard community. She and the presidents of MIT and the University of Pennsylvania came under fire last month for their lawyerly answers to a line of questioning from New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who asked whether calling for the genocide of Jews would violate the colleges' code of conduct. The three presidents had been called before the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce to answer accusations that universities were failing to protect Jewish students amid rising fears of antisemitism worldwide and fallout from Israel's intensifying war in Gaza, which faces heightened criticism for the mounting ...

Biden administration grants Louisiana power to approve carbon capture wells

The Biden administration is handing Louisiana regulators new power to attract and approve carbon capture projects at a time when the state's influential energy sector wants to make the Gulf Coast a hub for the rapidly expanding industry. Louisiana will be able to issue permits for wells that store carbon dioxide, a critical component of carbon capture and removal technology. In all but two other states, the Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for permitting. Proponents of the change say it will speed up approvals of new projects that are critical for reducing climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups had opposed the move, doubting that a state home to a concentrated stretch of oil, gas and petrochemical plants commonly called cancer alley is capable of proper industry oversight and protecting residents. The EPA said the Louisiana agreement includes safeguards to protect poorer, often majority-Black communities that live near those facilities and that

6 Indian-origin family members killed in fatal crash in Texas, US

In a tragic car accident, at least six Indian-origin family members, including two children, were killed in the US state of Texas, officials said. The accident occurred on Tuesday evening when a minivan and a pickup truck collided head-on near Johnson County, near Fortworth, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). Seven people of the same family were in the minivan, and only one of them, 43-year-old Lokesh Potabathula, survived with critical injuries. On Wednesday morning, the DPS identified the driver of the minivan, 28-year-old Rushil Barri of Irving, as one of the deceased victims. The other five in the van are from Alpharetta, Georgia: 36-year-old woman, Naveena Potabathula,64-year-old man, Nageswararao Ponnad, 60-year-old woman, Sitamahalakshmi Ponnada, 10-year-old boy, Krithik Potabathula and 9-year-old girl, Nishidha Potabathula. The elderly were visiting their daughter Naveena and grandkids Karthik and Nishita from India, the Consulate General said. The

The late-night email to Tim Cook that set the Apple Watch saga in motion

Masimo's goal, people close to the matter say, was for the ITC to impose its ban in the summer

LIVE: Mamata unlikely to attend Ram Mandir inauguration, says TMC

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Police investigating incidents involving Colorado Supreme Court threats

Police said on Tuesday they are investigating incidents directed at Colorado Supreme Court justices and providing extra patrols around their homes in Denver following the court's decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the state's presidential primary ballot. The Denver Police Department declined in an email to provide details about its investigations, citing safety and privacy considerations and because they are ongoing. The department "is currently investigating incidents directed at Colorado Supreme Court justices and will continue working with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate any reports of threats or harassment," the email said. Officers responded to the home of one justice on Thursday evening, but police said it appeared to be a hoax report. That case is also still being investigated police said. The FBI said it is working with local law enforcement on the matter. "We will vigorously pursue investigations of any th

US shoots down 12 'Iran-backed' Houthi attack drones, 5 missiles in Red Sea

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari termed the attacks "acts of terror" directed by Iran

Apple files appeal after Biden admin allows tribunal's ban on watch imports

The U.S. International Trade Commission's (ITC) order will go into effect on Dec. 26, barring imports and sales of Apple Watches that use patent-infringing technology for reading blood-oxygen levels

US govt condemns vandalism of Shri Swaminarayan Temple in California

We strongly condemn the defacing of SMVS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir at Newark, California with anti-India graffiti, the Consulate posted on X

US intelligence suggests Iran 'deeply involved' in Red Sea attacks on ships

On Tuesday, a senior US military official said the Iranians are operating in the Red Sea when asked whether Iran is helping the Houthis select targets

Top US, Chinese military officials hold 1st high-level talks in over a year

The restoration of communication was identified as a priority in the recent talks between President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping

US Steel sale to Japanese company warrants 'serious scrutiny': White House

President Joe Biden believes serious scrutiny is warranted for the planned acquisition of US Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, the White House said Thursday after days of silence on a transaction that has drawn alarm from the steelworkers union. Lael Brainard, the director of the National Economic Council, indicated the deal would be reviewed by the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which she participates in and includes economic and national security agency representatives to investigate national security risks from foreign investments in American firms. She said in a statement that Biden believes the purchase of this iconic American-owned company by a foreign entity even one from a close ally appears to deserve serious scrutiny in terms of its potential impact on national security and supply chain reliability. This looks like the type of transaction that the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment Congress empowered and the Biden administration ...

Rudolph Giuliani files for bankruptcy following $148 mn defamation loss

Chapter 11 protection will give Giuliani time to pursue an appeal of the Georgia lawsuit while providing transparency and fairness for creditors, the lawyers said

US, allies avoiding another veto of UN resolution on critical aid for Gaza

The United States, key allies and Arab nations engaged in high-level diplomacy in hopes of avoiding another US veto of a new UN resolution on desperately needed aid to Gaza ahead of a long-delayed vote now scheduled for Thursday morning. The US has been struggling to change the text's references to a cessation of hostilities in the Israel-Hamas war. Another sticking point is the inspection of aid trucks into Gaza to ensure they are only carrying humanitarian goods. The current draft proposes a U.N. role, an idea Israel is likely to oppose. US President Joe Biden told reporters on his way back from Milwaukee, Wisconsin late Wednesday afternoon that we're negotiating right now at the UN the contours of a resolution that we may be able to agree to. Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh of the United Arab Emirates, which sponsored the Arab-backed resolution, said earlier that high-level discussions are underway to try to reach agreement on a text that can be adopted. Everyone wants to see a ...