Canada's wildfires could continue into fall, says government
Canada is facing its second-worst wildfire season on record, with 7.8 million hectares already burned, and the fires could persist for weeks, accordin...
Harvard University has urged a federal judge on Monday to order U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to reinstate $2.5 billion in cancelled federal research grant.
Harvard has said the cuts threaten key medical and scientific projects and were driven by politics, not genuine concerns over antisemitism
The hearing before U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston underscored the escalating clash between the administration and one of the U.S.'s most prestigious universities, which says the decision threatens hundreds of projects, including studies on cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and infectious diseases.
“Patients and the public at large are the ones who will suffer,” Harvard’s attorney Steven Lehotsky, Harvard Law School graduate, told the court, saying the government had offered “no real evidence” linking the funding cuts to its stated goal of combating antisemitism.
Michael Velchik, a senior Justice Department lawyer, said the administration had the authority to pull the grants, accusing Harvard of failing to protect Jewish students.
“Harvard prioritized campus protestors over cancer research,” Velchik said, adding that the dispute belonged in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, not before Burroughs.
Burroughs, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, questioned the government’s sweeping claims of authority.
“If you can make this decision – to withdraw all this funding for reasons oriented around speech – the consequences in terms of constitutional law are staggering to me,” she said.
The administration has ramped up pressure on Harvard since Donald Trump returned to office in January, accusing elite universities of harbouring antisemitic and “radical left” ideologies.
After Harvard rejected a 11 April letter demanding changes to its governance, hiring, and admissions practices, the government cut funding and moved to threaten its accreditation, according to court filings.
Harvard President Alan Garber said last week the measures could strip the university of nearly $1 billion annually, forcing layoffs and hiring freezes.
The administration has also pushed through an increase in the excise tax on Harvard’s $53 billion endowment, raising it to 8% from 1.4%.
Harvard has acknowledged Jewish and Israeli students faced “vicious and reprehensible” harassment following Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, but says it has taken steps to address the issue.
It argues the administration’s actions go far beyond combating antisemitism and violate First Amendment protections by attempting to control campus debate.
Burroughs is expected to issue a written ruling in the coming weeks.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
'Superman' continued to dominate the summer box office, pulling in another $57.25 million in its second weekend, as theatres welcome a wave of blockbuster competition following a challenging few years for the film industry.
Honduras has brought back mask mandates as COVID-19 cases and a new variant surge nationwide.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he expected Russian President Vladimir Putin to release more than 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners soon, after a trilateral meeting was set up with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Canada is facing its second-worst wildfire season on record, with 7.8 million hectares already burned, and the fires could persist for weeks, according to federal officials.
A research team led by Tsinghua University has unveiled a groundbreaking method for making organs transparent, offering the most detailed view yet of the brain’s inner workings.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in New Delhi today for a closely watched round of bilateral discussions with senior Indian leaders, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
In Bolivia's first-round presidential election, voters decisively rejected the leftist party that has ruled the country for most of the past two decades, signaling a shift toward more market-friendly policies to address the nation's economic struggles.
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