Latest news with #KanishkaSingh
RNZ News
19 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Columbia University to pay over US$200 million to resolve Trump probes
By Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward , Reuters US President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP / Saul Loeb Columbia University has said it will pay over US$200 million (NZ$330m) to the US government in a settlement with President Donald Trump's administration to resolve federal probes and to have most of its suspended federal funding restored. Trump has targeted universities including Columbia since returning to the White House in January over the pro-Palestinian student protest movement that roiled college campuses last year. In March, the Trump administration said it was penalising the university over how it handled last year's protests by cancelling $400 million in federal funding. It contended that Columbia's response to alleged antisemitism and harassment of Jewish and Israeli members of the university community was insufficient. "Under today's agreement, a vast majority of the federal grants which were terminated or paused in March 2025 - will be reinstated and Columbia's access to billions of dollars in current and future grants will be restored," Columbia said in a statement. The university said it has also agreed to settle investigations brought by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $21 million and that its deal with the Trump administration preserved Columbia's "autonomy and authority over faculty hiring, admissions, and academic decision-making." After the government announced the funding cancellations, the school announced a series of commitments in response to the Trump administration's concerns. Last week, Columbia adopted a definition of antisemitism that equates it with opposition to Zionism. The school also said it would no longer engage with pro-Palestinian group Columbia University Apartheid Divest. The Trump administration had no immediate comment on Wednesday. Trump had said in recent weeks that a deal with Columbia was close. The government has labelled pro-Palestinian protesters as antisemitic and as sympathizers of extremism. Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the Trump administration has wrongly conflated their criticism of Israel's military assault in Gaza with antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism. Wednesday's announcement came one day after the university disciplined dozens of students over a pro-Palestinian protest in May in which demonstrators seized Columbia's main library. The government has attempted to use the leverage of federal funding with other educational institutions as well, including Harvard University, over campus protests. It has also tried deporting some foreign pro-Palestinian students but has faced judicial roadblocks. Rights advocates have raised concerns about due process, academic freedom and free speech over the government's actions. - Reuters
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Chinese state-sponsored contract hacker arrested in Italy at US request, DOJ says
By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday a Chinese state-sponsored contract hacker was arrested last week in Italy at the request of Washington, but the arrested man claimed he is a victim of mistaken identity. Xu Zewei, 33, was arrested on July 3, the Justice Department said, adding a nine-count indictment was unsealed on Tuesday in the Southern District of Texas alleging the involvement of that individual and a co-defendant in computer intrusions between February 2020 and June 2021. Xu was arrested in Milan, Italy, and will face extradition proceedings, the DOJ said in a statement. It alleged China's ministry of state security had directed theft of COVID-19 research and the exploitation of Microsoft email software vulnerabilities. The Chinese government has denied allegations of being involved. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Xu's lawyer said on Tuesday that he is a victim of mistaken identity, that his surname is quite common in China and that his mobile phone had been stolen in 2020. The 33-year-old IT manager at a Shanghai company appeared on Tuesday before an appeals court in Milan, which will decide whether to send him to the United States. The man was arrested last week after he arrived at Milan's Malpensa airport for a holiday in Italy with his wife. U.S. authorities allege that he was part of a team of hackers who tried to access a COVID-19 vaccine being developed by the University of Texas in 2020. The DOJ also says that in 2021, he was part of a cyber-espionage group known as Hafnium, which has alleged ties to the Chinese government and which "exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in U.S. systems to steal additional research." Hafnium targeted over 60,000 U.S. entities, according to the DOJ. The charges listed on the arrest warrant were wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and unauthorised access to protected computers.
Hindustan Times
03-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Abrego Garcia severely mistreated in El Salvador prison, his lawyers say
By Kanishka Singh Abrego Garcia severely mistreated in El Salvador prison, his lawyers say WASHINGTON, - Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the migrant returned to the U.S. in early June after being wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador, reported severe mistreatment in a high-security prison in the Latin American nation, according to a court filing on Wednesday. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Wednesday's filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland marked the first time Abrego Garcia gave a first-hand description of his experience at the Salvadoran prison CECOT. A Maryland resident whose wife and young child are U.S. citizens, he was deported on March 15 to El Salvador, despite a 2019 immigration court ruling that he not be sent there because he could be persecuted by gangs. Officials called his removal an "administrative error." KEY QUOTE "Plaintiff Abrego Garcia reports that he was subjected to severe mistreatment upon arrival at CECOT, including but not limited to severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture," his lawyers said in the filing, adding he lost 31 pounds in his first two weeks there. CONTEXT Critics of U.S. President Donald Trump pointed to the case as evidence his administration was prioritizing increased deportations over due process, the principle that people in the U.S., whether citizens or not, can contest governmental actions against them in courts. Trump has pledged to crack down on illegal immigration and says Abrego Garcia belongs to the MS-13 gang - an accusation his lawyers deny. The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday reiterated U.S. accusations against him in an online post. The Justice Department brought Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. on June 6 after securing an indictment charging him with working with at least five co-conspirators as part of a smuggling ring to bring immigrants to the U.S. illegally. He has pleaded not guilty and the government says it plans to deport him again. He is currently detained in Tennessee while his criminal case is pending. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Japan Today
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
U.S. urges Americans in Sweden to remain vigilant, citing threat of attack
By Kanishka Singh and Marie Mannes The U.S. embassy in Sweden said on Monday Americans in the country are "advised to exercise increased caution" due to local media reports on Iran potentially pressuring local criminal gangs to attack U.S. and Israeli interests. Washington struck Iran's nuclear sites over the weekend and Iran targeted a U.S. base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation. The U.S. State Department on Sunday issued a worldwide caution security alert for Americans living overseas. Analysts have warned that Iran, with its military weakened by Israeli strikes, could retaliate in non-traditional ways, including by activating proxy groups against American and Israeli interests worldwide. U.S. ally Israel's war with Iran began on June 13 when Israel struck Iran. The air war raised alarms in a region that was already on edge since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in late 2023. "Swedish media reports that Iran may be pressuring local criminal gangs, including the Foxtrot Network, to carry out attacks in Sweden against U.S. and Israeli interests. U.S. citizens in Sweden are advised to exercise increased caution," the U.S. embassy in Sweden said in a security alert. The alert was issued before President Donald Trump said on Monday Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. It urged Americans in Sweden to avoid crowds and demonstrations and keep a low profile. The Swedish criminal gang Foxtrot was accused in April by Britain of committing violence against Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe on behalf of Iran's government, a claim Iran rejected. Washington sanctioned the group in March. The embassy's alert did not identify the report it was quoting. A report by the Swedish public broadcaster on Sunday said Foxtrot and its leader were in the past few days pressured to carry out new attacks against Israelis and Americans. Sweden has suffered from a wave of gang-related violence for over a decade, including in recent months against buildings linked to Israelis or Israeli business. A Sunday advisory from the U.S. government warned of a heightened domestic threat environment. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Fast Company
17-06-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
ChatGPT maker OpenAI has won a $200 million contract with the Department of Defense
ChatGPT maker OpenAI was awarded a $200 million contract to provide the U.S. Defense Department with artificial intelligence tools, the Pentagon said in a statement on Monday. 'Under this award, the performer will develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both war fighting and enterprise domains,' the Pentagon said. The work will be primarily performed in and near Washington, D.C. with an estimated completion date of July 2026, the Pentagon said. OpenAI said last week that its annualized revenue run rate surged to $10 billion as of June, positioning the company to hit its full-year target amid booming AI adoption. OpenAI said in March it would raise up to $40 billion in a new funding round led by SoftBank Group at a $300 billion valuation. OpenAI had 500 million weekly active users as of the end of March. The White House's Office of Management and Budget released new guidance in April directing federal agencies to ensure that the government and 'the public benefit from a competitive American AI marketplace.' The guidance had exempted national security and defense systems. —Kanishka Singh, Reuters
