Top News

Additional grants worth over $2.7 million also terminated after Ivy League institution refuses to bow the knee

Skirmish between one of America's most famous universities and the Donald Trump administration ratcheted up Wednesday in a pincer maneuver on Harvard.

The Homeland Security Department promised to withdraw Harvard's privilege of admitting foreign students and the Internal Revenue Service was said to be planning to take away the Ivy League varsity's tax-free status.

The conflict between one of America's most famous universities and the Donald Trump administration reached a fever pitch Wednesday with a pincer attack on Harvard.

The Department of Homeland Security threatened to withdraw Harvard's privilege to admit foreign students and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was said to be making arrangements to strip the Ivy League varsity of its tax-exempt status.

The DHS threatened action if Harvard did not submit by April 30 records on "illegal and violent" activities by its international student visa holders.

A last judgment in revoking the university's tax-exempt status is imminent, CNN news stated. 

The news follows a day after Trump pledged to pull the tax-exempt status from the university and stated Harvard should apologize after the varsity denied what it described as illegal demands to redesign academic programs or risk federal grants.

The Trump government also revoked grants amounting to over $2.7 million given to Harvard University. This followed a freeze on $2.2 billion in federal funding due to the fact that the university had refused to accept a list of demands.

"DHS Secretary Kristi Noem released two DHS grants worth more than $2.7 million from Harvard University, stating it was not worthy of being trusted with taxpayers' money," the DHS announced in a release on Wednesday.

"The Secretary also penned a stern letter calling for complete records of Harvard's foreign student visa holders' illicit and violent conduct by April 30, 2025, or risk immediate termination of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification," it added.

"Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism — a function of its spineless leadership — propagates a cesspool of extremist riots and imperils our national security," said Secretary Noem.

"With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology infecting its campus and classrooms, Harvard's reputation as an institution of higher learning is now a fond memory. America expects better from colleges holding taxpayer money," he added.

The DHS threatened to enforce action if Harvard did not make available by April 30 files on the "illegal and violent" activities of its international student visa holders.

A decision whether or not to revoke the tax-exempt status of the university will soon be made, according to CNN.

The DHS stated the grants cancelled were the $800,303 Implementation Science for Targeted Violence Prevention grant and the $1,934,902 Blue Campaign Program Evaluation and Violence Advisement grant.

Since the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, Harvard's foreign visa-holding rioters and faculty have "spewed antisemitic hate", focusing on Jewish students, the statement claimed.

"With a $53.2 billion endowment, Harvard can pay for its own mayhem—DHS won't," the statement said.

"If Harvard can't confirm it is in complete compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will forfeit the privilege of admitting foreign students," the statement continued.

Foreign students (6,793) make up 27.2 per cent of Harvard's enrollment in the 2024-25 academic year.

The Bengaluru hub will act as a liaison office and will also be employed as a platform for co-created research collaborations between Imperial and India's foremost academic and research institutions.

The Imperial College London will establish an international research hub  'Imperial Global India' in Bengaluru. To be opened in May 2025, the project seeks to enhance scientific, educational, and innovation collaboration between India and the United Kingdom.

As per a release by the Imperial College, the Bengaluru hub will be a liaison office and will be utilized as a platform for co-created research collaborations between Imperial and India's top academic and research organizations.

It will also act as a bridge for collaboration between government, industry, and innovation ecosystems. The initiative draws on long-standing connections between Imperial and Indian institutions and aims to create solutions to mutual global challenges.

Imperial's expanding presence in India is mirrored by its strategic alliance with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, which will enable collaborative projects across several scientific domains. Research collaborations at the college already extend across institutions like AIIMS, IITs at Bombay, Delhi, and Kharagpur, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Its researchers are collaborating with Indian colleagues on problems ranging from antimicrobial resistance, climate change, to clean energy technologies.

The action also supports the UK-India Technology Security Initiative, and is likely to facilitate economic growth, sustainable development, and enhanced quality of life on both sides.

The new hub will be led by Professor Sanjeev Gupta and Dr Elena Dieckmann. Professor Gupta, an Earth Scientist, has collaborated extensively with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur on research work including river systems and groundwater depletion.

Dr Dieckmann, who has specialisation in biomaterials and the circular economy, is working with Indian researchers to convert waste solar panels into architectural material. Both teachers will also take time in India to deepen interactions and collaboration.

Interestingly, the launch of Imperial Global India comes at a time when the roll-out of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is on-going, envisioning permitting high-ranked foreign universities to open campuses and centres in India.

In a significant development for education infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh, eight Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding Schools would be opened in all the assembly constituencies of Shimla district, Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap confirmed.

Addressing the people on Thursday, Kashyap said the project is as part of an aim-oriented move by the state government to step up educational institutions in rural and semi-urban belts. All locations for such schools have been determined, and respective departments are actively engaged to carry out all required formalities in order to initiate the process for the subsequent development phase.

The schools will be located at the following places: in the vicinity of Radisson Hotel in Shimla Urban, Jalog in Shimla Rural, Saraswati Nagar in Jubbal Kotkhai, Gajedi in Theog, Palakn on Barara Road in Rohru, Bodna in Chopal, Chamiyana in Kusumpti, and Shingla in Rampur.

These boarding schools of the day will also be provided with up-to-date facilities, such as smart classes, indoor stadium, sports complex, race courses, and swimming pools. These schools will each cover an area of 50 bighas and will provide hostel facilities also to the students.

Higher Education Deputy Director Lekh Ram further added that after land acquisition is finalized, the school site plans will be drawn up and uploaded to the Parivesh portal as a part of formal procedural norms. He assured that the education department is working full steam to achieve the project in time.

The project is likely to enhance greatly the access to quality education and overall development of students in the region.

Students in Maharashtra aiming to enroll in professional courses after Class XII have been given additional time to apply for their caste validity certificates. The deadline has now been extended to April 30, according to officials from the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI), Pune.

The caste validity certificate is a compulsory requirement for admission into a wide range of professional streams, including medicine, engineering, architecture, pharmacy, agriculture, and animal husbandry. It is also essential for those pursuing postgraduate professional degrees such as MBA, MCA, and LLB.

Sanjay Dane, Deputy Commissioner and member of the District Caste Certificate Verification Committee, said that the extension was granted to ensure that no eligible student is denied admission due to missed deadlines. “Students who wish to enroll in any professional course after Std XII must submit a caste validity certificate. Since this is mandatory, the government has extended the deadline to April 30 to accommodate students who were unable to apply earlier,” he explained.

Interested students are required to fill out their applications online through the official websites: https://ccvis.barti.in or https://barti.maharashtra.gov.in. After completing the online process, students must submit the original documents to the district caste certificate verification committee office, located opposite Vishrantwadi Police Station in Pune.

The extension is expected to benefit a significant number of students, particularly those from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), who rely on the caste validity certificate for admission and scholarship benefits.

Officials urge students to complete the process well before the deadline to avoid last-minute issues.

Students in Maharashtra aiming to enroll in professional courses after Class XII have been given additional time to apply for their caste validity certificates. The deadline has now been extended to April 30, according to officials from the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI), Pune.

The caste validity certificate is a compulsory requirement for admission into a wide range of professional streams, including medicine, engineering, architecture, pharmacy, agriculture, and animal husbandry. It is also essential for those pursuing postgraduate professional degrees such as MBA, MCA, and LLB.

Sanjay Dane, Deputy Commissioner and member of the District Caste Certificate Verification Committee, said that the extension was granted to ensure that no eligible student is denied admission due to missed deadlines. “Students who wish to enroll in any professional course after Std XII must submit a caste validity certificate. Since this is mandatory, the government has extended the deadline to April 30 to accommodate students who were unable to apply earlier,” he explained.

Interested students are required to fill out their applications online through the official websites: https://ccvis.barti.in or https://barti.maharashtra.gov.in. After completing the online process, students must submit the original documents to the district caste certificate verification committee office, located opposite Vishrantwadi Police Station in Pune.

The extension is expected to benefit a significant number of students, particularly those from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC), who rely on the caste validity certificate for admission and scholarship benefits.

Officials urge students to complete the process well before the deadline to avoid last-minute issues.

Fear is beginning to spread across US schools as the Trump government presses ahead with its biggest-ever deportation operation. As close to six million kids risk being severed from their family members, schools are bracing themselves for impact.

Administrators and teachers across the country are receiving training on how to deal with possible Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on school campuses. Numerous schools have started developing emergency response protocols to safeguard students from unexpected detentions and deportations.

Certain institutions are enacting "safe zones", regions where undocumented students can take asylum in the event of an ICE presence in the vicinity. Instructors have also been taught responses to questions by immigration authorities to ensure student protection.

As a response to mounting fears, schools are teaching students about their rights under the law, such as the right to silence and the right to an attorney if they are approached by immigration officials. Several districts are working with attorneys to make sure that vulnerable students know how to defend themselves.

In addition, school social workers and counselors are being deployed to assist children in dealing with the psychological trauma induced by the looming uncertainty.

Nonprofits, religious groups, and advocacy groups are stepping up their efforts to support affected families. Across the nation, "Know Your Rights" workshops are being given to provide families with safety planning strategies and legal advice. For people who dread deportation, churches, mosques, and synagogues are offering sanctuary and services.

Since many undocumented immigrants work in vital businesses, community leaders warn that the crackdown hurts local economies in addition to destroying families.

The administration's plans for mass deportations have drawn harsh criticism from critics who fear social and economic repercussions. Critics claim that such acts traumatize youngsters and leave them unsure of their futures by fostering dread, escalating racial tensions, and upending the educational system. While protests have erupted in major cities demanding the protection of immigrant families, civil rights organizations have pledged to challenge the laws in court

The University of Melbourne has once again showcased its academic excellence by securing the 13th position in the prestigious Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2025. This remarkable achievement not only solidifies the University's standing as a premier institution within Australia but also underscores its global reputation.