
Indian-origin MIT class president barred from graduation commencement after pro-Palestine speech
Some users distanced her views from the broader Indian-American community, describing her as part of the 'woke' movement.
MIT's response
MIT clarified that Vemuri's delivered speech differed from the one previously submitted to the university.
According to NBC News, MIT banned her from participating in the ceremony due to her actions. "While that individual had a scheduled role at today's Undergraduate Degree Ceremony, she was notified that she would not be permitted at today's events," said university spokesperson Kimberly Allen.
Allen added that MIT supports free expression, but the act was misleading the organisers of the commencement, and disrupting an important ceremony.
(This story was originally published in EdexLive)

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Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India-US trade deal: Commerce Ministry advised against accepting ‘unilaterally framed obligation' on digital taxes
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Another concern raised with the government was that agreeing to such unilateral provisions could set a risky precedent for future trade negotiations, where similar demands could be made by other trading partners during talks with New Delhi, thereby complicating future negotiations. In a move to assuage US concerns about India being a high-tariff nation, the Central government in March proposed abolishing the equalisation levy on online advertisements as part of the amendments to the Finance Bill, 2025. An equalisation levy is a measure to 'equalise' the tax treatment of resident and non-resident e-commerce companies. As part of the 35 amendments to the Finance Bill, 2025, the Centre proposed removing the 6 per cent equalisation levy (EL) it charges on digital ads, effective from 1 April 2025. A query emailed to the Commerce and Industry Ministry remained unanswered till press time. 'Digital taxation is typically discussed outside the framework of a trade agreement. 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The US has also raised concerns about digital services taxes with a number of trade partners, particularly the EU. 'The disproportionate capture of US firms by the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) is also noted as undermining US competitiveness due to increased compliance costs not borne by EU competitors,' the USTR said. Differences between India and the US assume significance as New Delhi continues to face the risk of 26 per cent reciprocal tariffs. After Indian negotiators completed another round of discussions in Washington last week, a US team led by the US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, Brendan Lynch, is expected to visit India in mid-August to continue negotiations for a trade agreement. While India and the US have agreed on a wide range of tariff lines, the negotiations — which currently only involve market access for goods — remain stuck over sensitive sectors such as agriculture and automobiles, which are key job creators in India. Ravi Dutta Mishra is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, covering policy issues related to trade, commerce, and banking. He has over five years of experience and has previously worked with Mint, CNBC-TV18, and other news outlets. ... Read More


India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Bharat must remain Bharat, shouldn't be altered: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bulldozers & cops reach Uriamghat as govt looks to clear reserve forest land
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