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As she prepared to leave for winter vacation, Tracey Pauline Albert, a master’s student at Columbia University originally from India, took no chances with her return plans. Her flight back to the U.S. was carefully scheduled to land well before Jan. 20. Columbia is one of a handful of U.S. colleges and universities that have been cautioning their international student bodies to return to campus early to avoid any travel delays. Some schools are specifically advising students to arrive before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The University of Southern California, Cornell University, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are among the schools that have advised concerned students to return to campus early. “There is a palpable sense of anxiety among internationals regarding the ambiguity surrounding immigration policies,” Albert, who is studying for a Master of Public Administration, told NBC News via email. “Small adjustments, like ensuring one is back in the U.S. before key dates such as January 20th, are manageable. However, the question of what comes after remains.” For students like Albert, who carefully navigate the complexities of living and studying in the U.S., the looming uncertainty of Trump’s second term has reignited fears of travel bans and stricter immigration rules. Schools say they are attempting to help, providing resources for visa holders and saying they can help mobilize in the event of an emergency. “Based on previous experience with travel bans that were enacted in the first Trump Administration ... the Office of Global Affairs is making this advisory out of an abundance of caution,” a University of Massachusetts Amherst office wrote on Instagram . “We are not able to speculate on what a travel ban will look like if enacted, nor can we speculate on what particular countries or regions of the world may or may not be affected.” Though not directly referencing inauguration, a note from Harvard said that it’s monitoring immigration policy closely. It encouraged international students to arrive well before the start of the semester. Referencing Trump’s Muslim travel ban, which was first put into effect just days after he took office in 2017, Cornell encouraged students to carry their papers with them at all times when traveling. “Ensure that they are up to date, and bring additional paperwork demonstrating your purpose at Cornell,” the university wrote . Lingering Muslim ban-driven fears Trump’s initial executive order, signed a week into his first term, barred all travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days. It left some students and faculty who were out of town stranded or held at the airport. “For most of the students, they were essentially stopped from boarding the flight,” said Gaurav Khanna, an associate professor of economics and immigration scholar at the University of California, San Diego. “There were a lot of students who did get detained. Some, for instance, if they were transiting through Canada, they couldn’t get on the last leg.” The ban was ruled unconstitutional, but was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. President Joe Biden repealed it when he took office in 2021. Though it’s unclear whether Trump will reinstate the ban, students have expressed concern over past controversial statements he’s made about deporting protesters on college campuses. “When I am president, we will not allow our colleges to be taken over by violent radicals,” Trump said at a rally in New Jersey earlier this year. “If you come here from another country and try to bring jihadism or anti-Americanism or antisemitism to our campuses, we will immediately deport you.” Though the largest numbers of international students in the U.S. come from India and China, experts say even the fear of potential bans could create a chilling effect on enrollment at universities. For Chinese students especially, this post-Covid fear coincides with a dip in their enrollment numbers at U.S. schools. “Given the tensions with China and the large number of students from China, there is this uncertainty,” Khanna said. “That can hurt not just the students, but the universities broadly. Even if the administration doesn’t actually end up doing anything in the short run, that fear might not go away for a while, and as a result it’s going to hurt enrollment.”RNA Therapeutics Market Future Trends, New Opportunities, Business Growth, Share, Global Size, Demand, Key Segments And Forecast
Perfect for the grind or the glide, the discounts are coming in hot. Meanwhile, U.S. retail sales are set to crack $75 billion, a 5% jump from last year. Online moves are outpacing the game too, with projections hitting $10.8 billion, up nearly 10% year over year. Amid the buzz, one scooter stands out, pairing raw performance, long range, and sleek design with a price that dares you to ignore it. The Hiboy X300: Black Friday's Best Deal The Hiboy X300 delivers raw power through its 500W motor, peaking at 700W, propelling you to speeds of up to 23 MPH. With a range stretching 37.3 miles per charge, it's built for more than just short trips—think daily commutes or weekend joyrides. Rugged 12-inch tires and a front suspension system eat up rough terrain with ease, balancing smooth comfort with rock-solid control. Additional features include: 3-light system : Headlight, taillight, and turn signals for enhanced safety. : Headlight, taillight, and turn signals for enhanced safety. Ergonomic handlebar design : Prioritizing rider comfort. : Prioritizing rider comfort. Removable battery : UL2272 certified for safety and convenience. : UL2272 certified for safety and convenience. IPX5 water resistance: Reliable in light rain or wet... Isaiah McCallLAGOS – Latest Ericsson mobility report has predicted that 5G will make up 33% of total mobile subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa by the end of the decade. That’s according to the November 2024 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report which predicted that overall mobile subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa will grow at an annual rate of 4%, increasing from 950 million in 2023 to 1.2 billion by 2030. The strongest growth will come from 5G subscriptions, which are forecasted to rise from 11 million in 2023 to 420 million by the end of 2030, a growth rate of 59% annually. This is a big jump from the November 2023 edition of the report, which forecast around 180 million 5G subscriptions in the region by 2029, or 16% of total mobile subscriptions. It’s also much higher than recent forecasts from the GSMA, which predicted that 5G will reach 17% of total connections in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. Ericsson said that by 2030, 4G subscriptions will account for 35% of total mobile subscriptions, with 2G and 3G subscriptions expected to decline as the shift to 4G and 5G networks continues. “Driven by a young and dynamic population, the increasing affordability of smartphones, and the growing demand for mobile data and advanced services, the November 2024 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report highlights the significant growth potential of mobile subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030,” Ante Mihovilovic, VP and head of networks at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said in a statement about the findings. Ericsson said the mobile growth was due to handset evolution and network rollouts in urban areas. Mihovilovic also predicted that the region will make notable strides in connectivity and digital transformation, continuing the diversification into financial technology – particularly mobile money services – and fixed wireless access (FWA). Ericsson believes that as Africa’s broadband demands increase, FWA will serve as a pivotal technology for connecting the continent. The number of smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to rise from 540 million in 2024 to 880 million by 2030, further driving demand for data-intensive services. “While opportunities in the sector are substantial, significant infrastructure investments and supportive regulatory frameworks will be necessary for the telecom industry to play a central role in the region’s digital transformation by 2030,” the report said. The researchers also highlighted that mobile data traffic per active smartphone is projected to grow from 5.4GB per month in 2024 to 17GB per month in 2030 in the region, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21%.
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Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen have targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said the bombardment on Thursday took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the international airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military later said it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. An uneasy calm settles over Syrian city of Homs after outbreak of sectarian violence HOMS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and stirred fears that the country’s fragile peace could break down. A tense calm prevailed Thursday after checkpoints were set up throughout the country’s third-largest city, which has a mixed population of Sunni and Shia Muslims, Alawites and Christians. The security forces are controlled by the former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the charge that unseated former President Bashar Assad. The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern. WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor's warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The internationally Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel's “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told the AP it had asked for and gotten the report's retraction. USAID officials tell The Associated Press that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in Congress plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. They want to push through long-sought changes such as voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections. That's after an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Democrats say they are willing to work with the GOP but want any changes to make it easier, not harder, to vote. Americans are exhausted by political news. TV ratings and a new AP-NORC poll show they're tuning out NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of Americans, after an intense presidential election campaign, are looking for a break in political news. That's evident in cable television news ratings and a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they've found the need recently to cut down on their consumption of political and government news. That's particularly true among Democrats following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, although a significant number of Republicans and independents feel the same way. Cable networks MSNBC and CNN are really seeing a slump. That's also happened in years past for networks that particularly appeal to supporters of one candidate. New York to charge fossil fuel companies for damage from climate change ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Large fossil fuel companies would have to pay fees to help New York fight the effects of climate change under a bill signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. The governor signed the new law Thursday. It requires companies responsible for substantial greenhouse gas emissions to pay into a state infrastructure fund for repairs or projects that help avoid future damage from climate change. Lawmakers approved the bill earlier this year. It's meant to make big oil and gas companies contribute to the cost of repairs after extreme weather events or for resiliency projects. Such projects may include restoring coastal wetlands or upgrading roads, bridges and water drainage systems. Legal challenges to the new law are expected. Aviation experts say Russia's air defense fire likely caused Azerbaijan plane crash as nation mourns Aviation experts say that Russian air defense fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured. Azerbaijan is observing a nationwide day of mourning on Thursday for the victims of the crash. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region and face logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks. The intelligence agency said Thursday that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. Ukraine's president said earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Why this Mexican American woman played a vital role in the US sacramental peyote trade MIRANDO CITY, Texas (AP) — Amada Cardenas, a Mexican American woman who lived in the tiny border town of Mirando City in South Texas, played an important role in the history of the peyote trade. She and her husband were the first federally licensed peyote dealers who harvested and sold the sacramental plant to followers of the Native American Church in the 1930s. After her husband's death in 1967, Cardenas continued to welcome generations of Native American Church members to her home until her death in 2005, just before her 101st birthday.
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Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has diedURW acquires 38.9% stake in URW Germany JV from partner CPP Investments for 3.254 Mn URW stapled shares
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26. Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products. “We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir’s loved ones during this difficult time,” said a statement from OpenAI. Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said “appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation.” The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide. His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a “happy, smart and brave young man” who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends. Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT. “Suchir’s contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn’t have succeeded without him,” said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what made him such an exceptional engineer and scientist was his attention to detail and ability to notice subtle bugs or logical errors. “He had a knack for finding simple solutions and writing elegant code that worked,” Schulman wrote. “He’d think through the details of things carefully and rigorously.” Balaji later shifted to organizing the huge datasets of online writings and other media used to train GPT-4, the fourth generation of OpenAI's flagship large language model and a basis for the company's famous chatbot. It was that work that eventually caused Balaji to question the technology he helped build, especially after newspapers, novelists and others began suing OpenAI and other AI companies for copyright infringement. He first raised his concerns with The New York Times, which reported them in an October profile of Balaji . He later told The Associated Press he would “try to testify” in the strongest copyright infringement cases and considered a lawsuit brought by The New York Times last year to be the “most serious.” Times lawyers named him in a Nov. 18 court filing as someone who might have “unique and relevant documents” supporting allegations of OpenAI's willful copyright infringement. His records were also sought by lawyers in a separate case brought by book authors including the comedian Sarah Silverman, according to a court filing. “It doesn’t feel right to be training on people’s data and then competing with them in the marketplace,” Balaji told the AP in late October. “I don’t think you should be able to do that. I don’t think you are able to do that legally.” He told the AP that he gradually grew more disillusioned with OpenAI, especially after the internal turmoil that led its board of directors to fire and then rehire CEO Sam Altman last year. Balaji said he was broadly concerned about how its commercial products were rolling out, including their propensity for spouting false information known as hallucinations. But of the “bag of issues” he was concerned about, he said he was focusing on copyright as the one it was “actually possible to do something about.” He acknowledged that it was an unpopular opinion within the AI research community, which is accustomed to pulling data from the internet, but said “they will have to change and it’s a matter of time.” He had not been deposed and it’s unclear to what extent his revelations will be admitted as evidence in any legal cases after his death. He also published a personal blog post with his opinions about the topic. Schulman, who resigned from OpenAI in August, said he and Balaji coincidentally left on the same day and celebrated with fellow colleagues that night with dinner and drinks at a San Francisco bar. Another of Balaji’s mentors, co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, had left OpenAI several months earlier , which Balaji saw as another impetus to leave. Schulman said Balaji had told him earlier this year of his plans to leave OpenAI and that Balaji didn't think that better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence “was right around the corner, like the rest of the company seemed to believe.” The younger engineer expressed interest in getting a doctorate and exploring “some more off-the-beaten path ideas about how to build intelligence,” Schulman said. Balaji's family said a memorial is being planned for later this month at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, not far from his hometown of Cupertino. —————- EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. —————-- The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.How major US stock indexes fared Friday, 11/22/2024NoneNorth Carolina vote challenge relies on theory election deniers call extreme
NIGEL FARAGE’s Reform UK has smashed past the Conservatives in membership numbers, the party has claimed. A digital counter on its website hit 131,680 on Boxing Day, surpassing Tory numbers revealed during their leadership race in November. Mr Farage , who was all smiles yesterday at a Boxing Day hunt in Chiddingstone, Kent , hailed the moment as “historic”, adding on X: “The youngest political party in British politics has just overtaken the oldest political party in the world. “Reform UK are now the real opposition.” Meanwhile, party chairman Zia Yusuf insisted Mr Farage will be “the next prime minister, and will return Britain to greatness”. To mark the moment, Reform projected the new membership number onto Conservative Campaign Headquarters on Wednesday night. READ MORE POLITICS NEWS But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch hit back, branding the claim “fake” and accusing Mr Farage of “manipulating” supporters at Christmas . She wrote on X: “How do I know for certain the Reform announcement is not true? Because the Conservative Party has gained thousands of new members since the leadership election. "But we don’t shout about it...we are building quietly and steadily on principles and values, not gimmicks.” The Tories had 131,680 members eligible to vote in the election that crowned Ms Badenoch leader on November 2 — the lowest on record. Most read in The Sun It was a huge drop from the 172,000 members they boasted during the 2022 leadership contest. Mr Farage fired back, pointing to his 5.4million followers compared to Badenoch’s 320,000. He said: “We understand you are bitter, upset and angry that we are now the second biggest party in British politics, and that the Conservative brand is dying under your leadership. "However, this is not an excuse to accuse us of committing fraud.”One Nation One Election: ‘It Should Not Be Similar To What Happened With Article 370 In 2019’ Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday spoke on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ and said it should not be similar to what happened with Article 370., Speaking to news agency, Abdullah said “It has not come before the Parliament yet. It will be debated in the House. The debate should be open; it should not be similar to what happened with Article 370 in 2019. it should be discussed openly. As far as the National Conference is concerned, we will sit and form an opinion on it and tell our MPS how to vote.” The Narendra Modi-led Union Cabinet’s approval of the One Nation, One Election (ONOE) Bill has sparked controversy across India’s political spectrum. Described by the BJP as a revolutionary step towards streamlining governance and boosting development, the proposal has been fiercely opposed by Opposition parties, which argue it undermines federalism and concentrates power in the hands of the centre. The Bill aims to synchronise elections for the Lok Sabha, state assemblies, and local bodies and is expected to be tabled in the Parliament during the ongoing winter session. While the BJP and its allies are pushing the idea as a significant reform, the Congress and other regional parties, have branded it as “anti-democratic” and a threat to India’s diverse political fabric. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had already articulated his party’s strong disapproval in January 2024, describing the concept as “anti-democratic.” The party’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, accused the BJP of using the Bill to divert attention from critical issues. “There are many concerns among the INDIA bloc about the impact on the federal character of our country through this Bill,” Gogoi said, adding, “PM Modi has not walked the talk...he does Haryana and Maharashtra elections separately. He does Gujarat elections separately.” TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee minced no words, calling the legislation a “draconian” attack on democracy. “Bengal will NEVER bow to Delhi’s dictatorial whims,” she declared. Her colleague Kunal Ghosh echoed her sentiment, raising doubts about the practicality of the move. “Who will give the guarantee that after voting once, a government will last for its full term, i.e., 5 years?” Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin launched a scathing attack on the Bill, labelling it “impractical” and “anti-democratic.” He warned that it would erase regional voices and disrupt governance. “Let’s resist this attack on Indian Democracy with all our strength!” Stalin wrote on X.
