Are international students good for American universities?
This is the Trumpian viewpoint in a nutshell: The enrolment of foreign students is basically an elite scam. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Several years ago, a colleague teaching at Miami University, a large state school in Ohio, kindly invited me to give a talk there.
After picking me up at the airport, he suggested that we have lunch at a Sichuan restaurant near the campus. I was sceptical. Sichuan in small-town Ohio? 'Trust me,' he said. 'It's fantastic.' And it was.
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Trump ‘very disappointed' by Musk criticism of his mega-Bill as an abomination
Visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (left) sat in silence as US President Donald Trump unloaded in the Oval Office on former adviser Elon Musk. PHOTO: REUTERS Trump 'very disappointed' by Musk criticism of his mega-Bill as an abomination WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on June 5 he was 'very disappointed' by Elon Musk's criticism of his policy mega-Bill, adding he didn't know if his friendship with his billionaire former adviser would survive. In an extraordinary rant in the Oval Office as visiting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sat mutely beside him, Mr Trump unloaded on SpaceX and Tesla boss Mr Musk in his first comments on the issue. 'Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised,' Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office after former adviser Mr Musk slammed the Bill as an 'abomination'. 'I'm very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this Bill better than almost anybody sitting here... All of a sudden, he had a problem,' Mr Trump added. Mr Musk hit back minutes later on his X social network, saying the 78-year-old president's claims he had advance sight of the Bill were 'false.' 'Whatever,' he added above a video of Mr Trump saying Mr Musk was upset about the loss of subsidies for electric vehicles. The latest clash comes less than a week since Mr Trump held a grand Oval Office farewell for Mr Musk as he wrapped up his time leading the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). Mr Musk stunned reporters at the time by turning up with a black eye that he said was caused by his son. 'You saw a man who was very happy when he stood behind the Oval desk, and even with the black eye. I said, you want a little makeup? We'll get you a little makeup,' Mr Trump said. 'But he said, 'No, I don't think so,' which is interesting and very nice. He wants to be who he is.' Mr Trump said he could understand why Mr Musk was upset with some steps he had taken, including withdrawing a nominee to lead the Nasa space agency whom the tech tycoon had backed. The US president's 'big, beautiful Bill' on tax and spending – the centrepiece of his domestic agenda – could define his second term and make or break Republican prospects in the 2026 midterm elections. Mr Musk, however, called it a 'disgusting abomination' on June 3. A day later, the magnate called for Republicans to 'kill the Bill,' and for an alternative plan that 'doesn't massively grow the deficit.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Chairman of UK's right-wing Reform party resigns
Zia Yusuf, Chairman of the Reform party, looks on as he is interviewed by the media on the day of the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, in Widnes, Britain, May 1, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo LONDON - Zia Yousuf, the chairman of Britain's right-wing Reform UK party, resigned on Thursday. Reform, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, won five parliamentary seats in a breakthrough result at last July's national election, and last month performed strongly in local elections. The party currently leads national opinion polls, ahead of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party. "I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office," Yusuf said, without giving further details of the reason for his exit. Divisions in the party's upper ranks have been made public before. In March Reform referred one of its lawmakers, Rupert Lowe, to police over allegations including threats of physical violence against Yusuf. Prosecutors later said they would not bring charges against Lowe, who was suspended by the party. Earlier on Thursday, Yusuf said Reform lawmaker Sarah Pochin's question to Prime Minister Keir Starmer in parliament, asking whether the government would consider banning the burqa, was "dumb". Yusuf, who is not a lawmaker himself, became Reform chairman last year. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Old man in China built a lift to get home, but had to tear it down after video went viral
The lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked the man's apartment to a lamp post across the street. PHOTO: DUSHI PINDAO/REDNOTE The lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked the man's apartment to a lamp post across the street. PHOTO: DUSHI PINDAO/REDNOTE Old man in China built a lift to get home, but had to tear it down after video went viral An old man in northeast China who needed a lift up to his apartment on the 5th floor of a lift-less building decided to take matters into his own hands - by building one himself from scratch. That was in 2020 when the man from Huludao city in Liaoning province felt that age was catching up with him. But five years later in 2025, the authorities also caught up with him. That was because the lift system he assembled did not comply with China's Special Equipment Safety Law that covers machinery such as lifts, passenger ropeways and large carnival rides. His suspended lift, that resembled a cable car with a seat and a few buttons inside, worked on a pulley system that linked his apartment to a lamp post across the street, reported Chinese media outlets. On June 2, a video of an interview showing the man - whose name and age were unknown - demonstrating his invention went viral, and caught the attention of the authorities. In the interview, he said his lift was not a nuisance to the neighbours because it moved silently, and he did not use it after 8pm. The man said he found it inconvenient for old people to walk up and down the stairs due to the lack of a lift, and that spurred him to build one at a cost of more than 7,000 yuan (S$1,250). He even successfully applied for a patent for his innovation. But on June 3, he dismantled the lift after he was repeatedly asked by local authorities to do so for his own safety as well as the residents' in the area. Naysayers on Chinese social media Weibo felt that the installation was dangerous for a residential area, and expressed concerns that the metal parts will get corroded by weather. But there were also some who supported the man's innovativeness. 'It can still be used after modification for safety,' wrote one Weibo user, adding that the authorities should not remove it for 'no rhyme or reason'. Another user said: 'I want to get one for my granny too, so that she can make her way up and down easily. Now, she can't even leave the house.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
