US opens probe into University of Michigan's foreign funding
Similar foreign funding probes were opened earlier at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley.
WASHINGTON - The US e ducation department said on July 15 that it had opened a foreign funding investigation into the University of Michigan while alleging it found 'inaccurate and incomplete disclosures' in a review of the university's foreign reports.
As part of the investigation, the department asked the university to share, within 30 days, tax records related to foreign funding, a list of foreign gifts, grants, and contracts with any foreign source, and other documents, the department said in a statement and in a letter to the university.
The University of Michigan will cooperate fully with federal investigators and it takes its responsibility to comply with the law seriously, it said in a statement.
'We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university's critical public mission,' the statement said.
The education department said the university's research laboratories were 'vulnerable to sabotage', citing charges brought by the US Justice Department against two Chinese nationals allegedly involving a University of Michigan lab.
In June, American federal prosecutors accused two Chinese nationals of smuggling into the US a dangerous biological pathogen that they said had the potential to be used as an agricultural 'terrorism weapon'.
Zunyong Liu, 34, a Chinese researcher, is alleged to have brought the pathogen into the US while visiting his girlfriend, Yunqing Jian, 33, in July 2024, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation complaint.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore July BTO launch to have over 4,600 balance flats, 2 BTO projects with under than 3-year wait
Singapore Acute psychiatry services to be expanded across all healthcare clusters: MOH
Singapore 'Kpods broke our marriage, shattered our children': Woman on husband's vape addiction
Business US tariffs may last well after Trump; crucial for countries to deepen trade ties: SM Lee
Multimedia Telling the Singapore story for 180 years
Asia Indonesia police detain 12 suspects over baby trafficking ring linked to Singapore
Life Walking for exercise? Here are tips on how to do it properly
Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years
The complaint said he admitted to smuggling in a fungus so he could conduct research on it at a University of Michigan laboratory where his girlfriend worked. However, experts have raised doubt about the FBI's claim that the crop fungus smuggled was a threat.
In its statement, the education department said the university has received US $375 million ( S$482 million ) in foreign funding since 2020 and was late in reporting US $86 million of that amount. US law requires universities to report donations from foreign sources exceeding US $250,000 in a year.
President Donald Trump's administration has launched a widely condemned crackdown against top US universities over a range of issues including pro-Palestinian campus protests against Israel's war in Gaza, transgender rights, climate initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Similar foreign funding probes were opened earlier at Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Berkeley. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
6 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Ukrainian drone attack sparks fire at railway station in Volgograd region, Russia says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A Ukrainian drone attack damaged a power line and sparked a fire at a railway station building in Russia's southern region of Volgograd overnight, the regional administration said on Monday. An unexploded drone fell on railway tracks near the Archeda train station, the administration of the region said on the Telegram messaging app, citing Volgograd region's governor, Andrei Bocharov as saying. "No damage to the tracks has been reported," the administration said. Russian state news agency TASS reported several regional trains were delayed in the area. Flights at the regional airport in the city of Volgograd, which is the administrative centre of the broader Volgograd region, were halted for several hours before resuming at around 0300 GMT, Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said on Telegram. The full scale of the attack was not immediately clear, but the region's administration cited Bocharov as saying the attack was "massive" and targeted energy and transport infrastructure. Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which has staged frequent attacks on infrastructure inside Russia that Kyiv deems key to Moscow's war efforts - including on the Volgograd region which lies not far from the border with Ukraine. REUTERS
Straits Times
6 minutes ago
- Straits Times
‘See you in Seoul': Pope Leo says Catholic Church's World Youth Day to be held in South Korea in 2027
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox The pope described the event in Seoul as a meaningful step in the faith journey of younger generations. Pope Leo XIV announced on Aug 3 that the next World Youth Day will be held in Seoul, South Korea, from Aug 3 to Aug 8, 2027. The announcement came just before he led the Angelus – a brief prayer traditionally said at noon in the Catholic Church – at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, about 16km east of central Rome. 'With this jubilee concluded, the 'pilgrimage of hope' for young people continues and will take us to Asia,' he said in front of 1 million Jubilee of Youth participants from 146 countries, including South Korean pilgrims. As the next host country of World Youth Day, South Korea was represented by around 1,000 young pilgrims, who were given the special honour of being seated closest to the altar. The pope also renewed the invitation first extended by his predecessor. 'I renew the call that Pope Francis made in Lisbon two years ago,' he said, referring to the 2023 World Youth Day in Portugal. The pope described the upcoming event in Seoul as a meaningful step in the faith journey of younger generations. The chosen theme for 2027 is: 'Take courage, I have overcome the world.' 'I look forward to seeing you in Seoul. Let us continue to dream together and to hope together,' he added. Preparations underway Pope Leo XIV's visit to Seoul in 2027 would mark the fourth papal visit to the country and the first since Pope Francis' five-day trip in 2014. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Live: Ong Beng Seng convicted; defence urges court to exercise judicial mercy Singapore Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran Asia Nearly 1,500 Singapore drivers fined for entering Johor without VEP tag since July 1 Singapore The past and future of Choa Bungalow, a 'last reminder' of Marine Parade's former shoreline Multimedia How Singapore is rethinking nature in the city Business Are Gen Z-ers in Singapore worried about generative AI coming for their jobs? World Trump is winning his trade war, but Americans will pay the price Business Buyers take up over 900 condo units at three new launches in Singapore over the weekend South Korea is the second Asian country to stage the event after the Philippines in 1995, which drew a record-breaking crowd of 5 million. World Youth Day, the Catholic Church's largest global gathering of young people, is traditionally attended by the pope. The event was launched in 1986 under Pope John Paul II and has since been held every two to three years. In South Korea, preparations are already underway for the 2027 event. The Archdiocese of Seoul expects the concluding mass of the 2027 World Youth Day to draw at least 400,000 to 500,000 participants, and potentially as many as 700,000 to 800,000, including international and domestic attendees. The World Youth Day Seoul 2027 local organising committee, headed by Archbishop Peter Soon-taik Chung, is mapping out venues, accommodations, security protocols and outreach strategies to ensure the capital can accommodate one of the largest religious gatherings in its history. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Business Times
6 minutes ago
- Business Times
BYD shares fall as stalling sales put annual target in question
[HONG KONG] BYD shares fell in Hong Kong trading on Monday (Aug 4), as sputtering monthly sales growth raised doubts about whether the Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) maker will meet its annual target. The stock fell as much as 4.2 per cent in early trading, taking its decline from a May peak to around 28 per cent. Sales of the Shenzhen-based auto giant barely grew last month. The world's biggest EV seller delivered 344,296 vehicles in July, it said on Friday. That's up 0.6 per cent from a year earlier, but down 10 per cent from June. BYD's overseas sales also fell 10 per cent compared to June to 80,737 units. While the slowdown is not unexpected given China new car sales are typically weak in the summer, BYD faces headwinds in hitting its annual goal of 5.5 million units. Chinese authorities have stepped up scrutiny on the nation's auto sector, pledging to crack down on the heavy discounts that have fuelled a price war. Having sold 2.5 million units to July, the maker of the electric Seagull hatchback now needs to deliver on average roughly 602,000 vehicles a month for the rest of the year to reach its target. The most vehicles BYD has ever sold in a single month was just shy of 515,000 last December. Most rivals are showing signs of resilient demand. Geely Automobile Holdings sold 237,717 cars in July, its highest since November. Meanwhile, Stellantis-partner Leapmotor and Xpeng achieved new monthly records, delivering 50,129 and 36,717 vehicles respectively. Fellow upstart Xiaomi also reported record deliveries of more than 30,000 units. In contrast, Li Auto's 30,731 units were down about 40 per cent from a year earlier. Li Auto shares fell as much as 2.6 per cent in Hong Kong trading on Monday. China's Passenger Car Association last week said that retail passenger vehicle sales in July were estimated to grow 7.6 per cent from a year earlier, though would be down 11 per cent from June. Nio continued to struggle as it posted a 16 per cent month-on-month fall in sales, recording its smallest sales volume since March. Nio's shares jumped 8.6 per cent on Friday, after the launch of its Onvo L90 model which analysts see as attractive in its pricing and offering. BLOOMBERG
