Hong Kong Invites Foreign Students As Trump Bans Them From Harvard
Hong Kong, a Chinese territory, has opened its doors to "top talent" at Harvard amid the American university's ongoing conflict with US President Donald Trump. The Trump administration last week revoked Harvard University's ability to enrol international students, leaving current students from foreign countries with little choice but to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status.
The government's move was temporarily blocked by a federal judge on Friday, with the next hearing scheduled for 29 May. However, the period of uncertainty has left thousands of students worried about their future in America amid threats of deportation and visa revocation.
"The Education Bureau has promptly called on all universities in Hong Kong to introduce facilitation measures for those eligible with a view to safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of students and scholars, and to attract top talent," Hong Kong's Education Bureau said in an emailed statement to universities.
The bureau has also contacted the Harvard Club of Hong Kong to offer support for students who have been admitted to Harvard for further studies.
"We will continue to keep a close eye on the needs of students whose studies have been affected by the shifting global education landscape," it said, adding that it would consider support measures as part of the city's role as an "international education hub."
Trump's ban on Harvard, effective for the 2025-2026 school year, comes as the administration said Harvard fostered antisemitism and coordinated with the Chinese Communist Party. The move affects around 1,300 Chinese students who make up about a fifth of Harvard's foreign student intake in 2024
Hong Kong, which is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China, has five universities in the top 100 of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Educational institutes in the former British colony with a population of 7.5 million were regarded as one of Asia's freest academic arenas until recently.
However, schools and universities in the financial hub are now obliged to integrate national security and patriotic themes into their teaching, bringing them closer in line with education in mainland China.
Hong Kong's University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on Friday announced an open invitation to international undergraduate and postgraduate students at Harvard University, as well as those holding confirmed offers to continue their studies at HKUST.
"The university will provide unconditional offers, streamlined admission procedures, and academic support to facilitate a seamless transition for interested students."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Taiwan votes to decide whether to oust lawmakers from China-friendly party in closely watched poll
Taiwanese were voting Saturday (July 26, 2025) to determine whether to oust about one-fifth of their lawmakers, all from the opposition Nationalist Party, in elections that could potentially reshape the power balance in the self-ruled island's legislature. The independence-leaning ruling Democratic Progressive Party won last year's presidential election, but the China-friendly Nationalists, also known as the KMT, and the smaller Taiwan People's Party have enough seats to form a majority bloc. Those who support removing the 24 lawmakers are angry that the KMT and its allies have blocked key legislation, especially the defense budget, and passed controversial changes that are seen as diminishing the power of the executive and favoring China, which considers the island its own territory. The opposition parties' actions sparked concerns among some Taiwanese about the island's democratic integrity and its ability to deter Chinese military threats, leading to the recall campaigns. The scale of the recall elections is unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on August 23. But the KMT alleged the ruling party was resorting to political retaliation after it lost the legislative majority, saying the recalls were undermining and challenging Taiwan's democratic system. The KMT holds 52 seats, while the ruling DPP holds 51 seats. For the DPP to secure a legislative majority, at least six KMT lawmakers would need to be ousted, and the ruling party would need to win all by-elections, which would need to be held within three months following the announcement of results. For the recall to pass, more than a quarter of eligible voters in the electoral district must vote in favor of the recall, and the total number of supporters must exceed those against. If KMT loses its seats in the recall elections, the party can file new candidates for the by-elections and may be able to win back the seats. Outside a Taipei polling station, voters old and young were waiting in line to cast their ballots. The poll will close at 4 p.m. local time, with results expected on Saturday (July 26, 2025) night. The elections have intensified tensions between those backing the status quo and those favouring improved ties with Beijing. Critics accuse China-friendly politicians of compromising Taiwan and take issue with their meetings with mainland Chinese politicians. But these Taiwanese politicians claim their connections are vital for dialogu,e given Beijing's refusal to interact with the DPP. When asked about the recall election, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said in June that since the administration of Taiwan President Lai Ching-te came into power, it has sought to achieve 'one-party dominance' and practised 'dictatorship' under the guise of 'democracy'; state broadcaster CCTV reported. She was quoted as saying that Lai's government has spared no effort in suppressing opposition parties and those who supported the development of cross-strait relations. Taiwan's mainland affairs council said Wednesday (July 23, 2025) that the Chinese authorities and state media had tried to blatantly interfere with the vote.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Trump struggles to shake off Epstein scandal once stoked by his own allies
Trump supporters are asking the release of secret files on Jeffrey Epstein, who officials say died by suicide in a New York jail six years ago while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges AP Washington Despite the sun bearing down on him and the sweat beading across his face, President Donald Trump still lingered with reporters lined up outside the White House on Friday. He was leaving on a trip to Scotland, where he would visit his golf courses, and he wanted to talk about how his administration just finished the best six months ever. But over and over, the journalists kept asking Trump about the Jeffrey Epstein case and whether he would pardon the disgraced financier's imprisoned accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. People should really focus on how well the country is doing, Trump insisted. He shut down another question by saying, I don't want to talk about that. It was another example of how the Epstein saga and his administration's disjointed approach to it has shadowed Trump when he's otherwise at the height of his influence. He's enacted a vast legislative agenda, reached trade deals with key countries and tightened his grip across the federal government. Yet he's struggled to stamp out the embers of a political crisis that could become a full-on conflagration. Trump faces pressure from his own supporters The Republican president's supporters want the government to release secret files about Epstein, who authorities say killed himself in his New York jail cell six years ago while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. They believe him to be the nexus of a dark web of powerful people who abused underage girls. Administration officials who once stoked conspiracy theories now insist there's nothing more to disclose, a stance that has stirred skepticism because of Trump's former friendship with Epstein. Trump has repeatedly denied prior knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claimed he cut off their relationship long ago. For a president skilled at manipulating the media and controlling the Republican Party, it has been the most challenging test of his ability to shift the conversation in his second term. This is a treadmill to nowhere. How do you get off of it? said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist. I genuinely don't know the answer to that. Trump has demanded his supporters drop the matter and urged Republicans to block Democratic requests for documents on Capitol Hill. But he has also directed the Justice Department to divulge some additional information in hopes of satisfying his supporters. A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss internal strategy, said Trump is trying to stay focused on his agenda while also demonstrating some transparency. After facing countless scandals and investigations, the official said, Trump is on guard against the typical playbook of drip-drip disclosures that have plagued him in the past. It's clear Trump sees the Epstein case as a continuation of the witch hunts he's faced over the years, starting with the investigation into Russian interference during his election victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton nearly a decade ago. The sprawling inquiry led to convictions against some top advisers but did not substantiate allegations Trump conspired with Moscow. Trump's opponents, he wrote on social media on Thursday, have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM. During the Russia investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of prosecutors were a straightforward foil for Trump to rail against. Ty Cobb, the lawyer who served as the White House's point person, said the president never felt exposed because he thought he had a legitimate gripe. The situation is different this time now that the Justice Department has been stocked with loyalists. The people that he has to get mad at are basically his people as opposed to his inquisitors and adversaries, Cobb said. It was Trump's allies who excavated the Epstein debacle In fact, Trump's own officials are the most responsible for bringing the Epstein case back to the forefront. FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bongino, regularly stoked conspiracy theories about Epstein before assuming their current jobs, floating the idea the government had covered up incriminating and compelling information that needed to be brought to light. Put on your big boy pants and let us know who the paedophiles are, Patel said in a 2023 podcast. Attorney General Pam Bondi played a key role, too. She intimated in a Fox News Channel interview in February that an Epstein client list was sitting on her desk for review she would later say she was referring to the Epstein files more generally and greeted far-right influencers with binders of records from the case that consisted largely of information already in the public domain. Tensions spiked earlier this month when the FBI and the Justice Department, in an unsigned two-page letter, said that no client list existed, that the evidence was clear Epstein had killed himself and that no additional records from the case would be released to the public. It was a seeming backtrack on the administration's stated commitment to transparency. Amid a fierce backlash from Trump's base and influential conservative personalities, Bongino and Bondi squabbled openly in a tense White House meeting. Since then, the Trump administration has scrambled to appear transparent, including by seeking the unsealing of grand jury transcripts in the case though it's hardly clear that courts would grant that request or that those records include any eye-catching details anyway. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has taken the unusual step of interviewing the imprisoned Maxwell over the course of two days at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where her lawyer said she would always testify truthfully. All the while, Trump and his allies have resurfaced the Russia investigation as a rallying cry for a political base that has otherwise been frustrated by the Epstein saga. Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who just weeks ago appeared on the outs with Trump over comments on Iran's nuclear ambitions, seemed to return to the president's good graces this week following the declassification and release of years-old documents she hoped would discredit long-settled conclusions about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The developments allowed Trump to rehash longstanding grievances against President Barack Obama and his Democratic advisers. Trump's talk of investigations into perceived adversaries from years ago let him, in effect, go back in time to deflect attention from a very current crisis. Whether it's right or wrong, Trump said, it's time to go after people. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 minutes ago
- Business Standard
US data experts unite to save public statistics amid political interference
The data nerds are fighting back. After watching data sets be altered or disappear from US government websites in unprecedented ways after President Donald Trump began his second term, an army of outside statisticians, demographers and computer scientists have joined forces to capture, preserve and share data sets, sometimes clandestinely. Their goal is to make sure they are available in the future, believing that democracy suffers when policymakers don't have reliable data and that national statistics should be above partisan politics. There are such smart, passionate people who care deeply about not only the Census Bureau, but all the statistical agencies, and ensuring the integrity of the statistical system. And that gives me hope, even during these challenging times, Mary Jo Mitchell, director of government and public affairs for the research nonprofit the Population Association of America, said this week during an online public data-users conference. The threats to the US data infrastructure since January have come not only from the disappearance or modification of data related to gender, sexual orientation, health, climate change and diversity, among other topics, but also from job cuts of workers and contractors who had been guardians of restricted-access data at statistical agencies, the data experts said. There are trillions of bytes of data files, and I can't even imagine how many public dollars were spent to collect those data. ... But right now, they're sitting someplace that is inaccessible because there are no staff to appropriately manage those data, Jennifer Park, a study director for the Committee on National Statistics, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, said during the conference hosted by the Association of Public Data Users (APDU). Gender' switched to sex In February, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's official public portal for health data, was taken down entirely but subsequently went back up. Around the same time, when a query was made to access certain public data from the US Census Bureau's most comprehensive survey of American life, users for several days got a response that said the area was unavailable due to maintenance before access was restored. Researchers Janet Freilich and Aaron Kesselheim examined 232 federal public health data sets that had been modified in the first quarter of this year and found that almost half had been substantially altered," with the majority having the word gender switched to sex, they wrote this month in The Lancet medical journal. One of the most difficult tasks has been figuring out what's been changed since many of the alterations weren't recorded in documentation. Beth Jarosz, senior program director at the Population Reference Bureau, thought she was in good shape since she had previously downloaded data she needed from the National Survey of Children's Health for a February conference where she was speaking, even though the data had become unavailable. But then she realized she had failed to download the questionnaire and later discovered that a question about discrimination based on gender or sexual identity had been removed. It's the one thing my team didn't have, Jarosz said at this week's APDU conference. And they edited the questionnaire document, which should have been a historical record. Among the groups that have formed this year to collect and preserve the federal data are which monitors changes to federal data sets; the University of Chicago Library's Data Mirror website, which backs up and hosts at-risk data sets; the Data Rescue Project, which serves as a clearinghouse for data rescue-related efforts; and the Federal Data Forum, which shares information about what federal statistics have gone missing or been modified a job also being done by the American Statistical Association. The outside data warriors also are quietly reaching out to workers at statistical agencies and urging them to back up any data that is restricted from the public. You can't trust that this data is going to be here tomorrow, said Lena Bohman, a founding member of the Data Rescue Project. Experts' committee unofficially revived Separately, a group of outside experts has unofficially revived a long-running US Census Bureau advisory committee that was killed by the Trump administration in March. Census Bureau officials won't be attending the Census Scientific Advisory Committee meeting in September, since the Commerce Department, which oversees the agency, eliminated it. But the advisory committee will forward its recommendations to the bureau, and demographer Allison Plyer said she has heard that some agency officials are excited by the committee's re-emergence, even if it's outside official channels. We will send them recommendations but we don't expect them to respond since that would be frowned upon, said Plyer, chief demographer at The Data Center in New Orleans. They just aren't getting any outside expertise ... and they want expertise, which is understandable from nerds. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
