AUB President elected to the American Academy
As an honorary society and an independent research centre, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences convenes exceptional global leaders renowned for their excellence that span across disciplines, professions and perspectives. All of its members have impacted the lives of people and societies, leaving their mark in every field of human endeavour.
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1780 by, among others, John Adams, the second President and first Vice President of the United States; American political and intellectual leader James Bowdoin; and American statesman John Hancock. Its first elected class included US Founding Father Benjamin Franklin and first US President George Washington.
Dr Khuri remarked, 'I am particularly proud to have been nominated by Board Chair Emeritus Philip S Khoury for work we have all done together over the last decade at AUB.' He added, 'Being selected among a constellation of global leaders and pioneers is truly humbling. And my mother will no doubt be thrilled that I was elected in the same class as Gloria Steinem, one of her heroes and one of feminism's greatest champions.'
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What does it take to make your embassy? In India, not much
NEW DELHI — There are more than 100 diplomatic missions based in India's capital, New Delhi. What does it take to set up your own? Not much, if you ask Harshvardhan Jain, aka 'Baron H.V. Jain.' Rent a bungalow, hoist some flags, park a few luxury cars on the curb, photoshop yourself into pictures with world leaders, and — voilà! — you have your own embassy. Until you are caught, that is. Indian police arrested Jain, 47, on Tuesday for running a fake embassy in a rented residential building in Ghaziabad, a city just outside New Delhi. This house, police said, alternately acted as the diplomatic mission for Westarctica or the Principality of Seborga or Poulbia Lodonia — depending on the day or the need, or the hour. These entities, technically, are 'micronations' — self-proclaimed sovereign states that lack a legal basis for their existence, as they are not recognized by other countries. For the better part of a decade, such legal inconveniences did little to undermine Jain's operation. Police said his building in Ghaziabad, with all its pomp and regalia, was the address for a range of criminal activities, from defrauding people of money by promising employment abroad to running a multinational hawala network — an informal system of transferring money that is illegal in India. Police officials suggested that Jain had been running his racket since at least 2017, when he declared himself the representative of Westarctica. His ambitions kept expanding from there. The micronation of Westarctica, in a statement on its website, said, 'Mr. Jain was an authorized representative engaging in unauthorized activities.' He had been made an 'honorary Consul to India' after he made a 'generous donation' to Westarctica, the statement said. The entity's website says it was set up in 2001 by Travis McHenry, an American citizen, while he was serving in the U.S. Navy. He refers to himself as Grand Duke Travis. In a statement on Westarctica's Instagram page, Grand Duke Travis said 'Baron H.V. Jain' had been removed from the micronation's 'roster of diplomatic representatives.' In an email to The New York Times, he added that Jain had had diplomatic number plates, passports, and many other items bearing the seal of Westarctica, none of which he had been authorized to produce. For almost eight years, Jain had created for himself the 'aura' of an important man, said Sushil Ghule, a senior superintendent of police involved in the investigation. 'An undiscerning layman will believe what he sees and cannot tell that it's all fraudulent,' he said. In the fake embassy, the police recovered 12 counterfeit passports representing different countries, 20 diplomatic license plates that had been obtained without authorization, stamps of government departments and agencies, forged documents, and foreign currencies — all used to keep up Jain's persona of a well-connected diplomat. Police said that Jain had a master's from a university in London and that he was well-traveled, having established dubious companies in several countries before returning to India. The son of an industrialist, he was booked by police in 2012 for owning a satellite phone, which is prohibited for use in India without a license. Ghule said police were still looking into the extent of Jain's activity from the fake embassy. Have they reached out to Westarctica for help with the investigation? 'No,' Ghule said. This article originally appeared in
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Boeing emerges as a winner in Trump's trade wars
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a day ago
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The forgotten bond between Liberia and America
When my brother asks me about what Netflix series I'm currently watching, I answer vaguely about being busy watching world news. My world news since November had been focusing on one person: President Trump. Being part of a very conventional Arabic culture, I always found the American Dream and becoming whatever you want hard to digest. You see, where I come from, you only treat people if you're a doctor and build things if you're an engineer. But become the president of a powerful country when you're a businessman with no political background - and still get elected - was fascinating and worth watching the consequence of during both terms. Everything about the first term was chaotic and my American friend Di kept sending apologetic messages on behalf of nice Americans that Trump doesn't represent. I still remember the month of November of 2020 - amidst the Covid-19 pandemic- when I received an ecstatic text from her declaring Biden's victory and how things will go back to normal. Four years later, the doubt crept in again while I joked that at least news will be fun to watch. For the past few months, I've been following news clips from different American news channels where topics were changing on daily bases: The Big Beautiful Bill, unexplainable administrative changes, mass deportation and mistreatment of immigrants and citizens alike and lately the Epstein files. But what surpasses all is the White House visits that seem like a bully trap for world leaders where some would fight back (Ukraine's Zelensky), tease back (Canada's Carney) or totally yield (Arab and African leaders). The recent bullying session was under the name of the African Summit that included leaders of five countries: Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal. The newsclips focused only on two: Mauritania's president Ghazouani who was nervously addressing an impatient Trump in French to finally be cut off and Liberian president Boakai who laughed incredulously when Trump complimented him for his good English, then looked baffled when he realised that Trump wasn't aware that English is Liberia's official language. To my shame, I didn't know much about Liberia either - other than it's mentioned in Michael Jackson's song Liberian Girl - and decided to find out more. Liberia is in the West coast of Africa with a capital called Monrovia (in honour of American President Monroe who supported it's establishment) and the currency of Liberian Dollar. In 1822, the American Colonisation Society sent African Americans - slaves and freeborn - to Africa, believing that they'd have a better life away from slavery and lack of civil rights (also fearing their uprise or rebellion). They settled in what was known to European traders as the Pepper Coast - later the Grain coast - and gave it the name Liberia which meant in Latin the 'Land of the Free'. The African American settlers didn't mix with the indigenous, instead they called themselves Americo-Liberians and practiced their American heritage including Protestant faith and republican values. They declared independence in 1847 that the US only recognised in 1862. Liberia is the first and the oldest republic in Africa that was never a European colony (along with Ethiopia). As the country was rich in rubber production, American company Firestone Tire invested in it at the start of the 20th century. Moreover, Liberia supported the US military in WWII which resulted in American investments in the country's infrastructure and economic development. However, it went through two civil wars in 1989-1997 and 1998-2003 between Americo-Liberians and the Indigenous. In general, American and Liberian historic ties are strong yet unknown to many of us, including President Trump. Hope you enjoyed this fascinating history lesson! The writer is author of The World according to Bahja
