Azerbaijan women's basketball team clinch historic win in European cup final
The Azerbaijani women’s 3x basketball team clinched the silver medal at the European Cup to make history at the just concluded tournament in Copenha...
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.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
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.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
The Azerbaijani women’s 3x basketball team clinched the silver medal at the European Cup to make history at the just concluded tournament in Copenhagen, Denmark.
South Korean and Japanese defence ministers agreed on Monday to strengthen cooperation with Washington in response to North Korea’s nuclear threats and growing military ties with Russia, Seoul’s defence ministry said.
The Indonesian government removed finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati in a cabinet reshuffle on Monday, state secretariat minister Prasetyo Hadi said.
Five people were killed in a shooting at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Monday, Israel's ambulance service said, while the police said the perpetrators had been killed.
Kazakhstan has launched Space Days 2025, a landmark international forum in Almaty that gathers astronauts, scientists, policymakers, and investors from across the globe to debate the future of space technology, education, and cooperation.
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