Latest news with #Sept.11
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
Indonesian govt scrambles to help Indonesian students in the United States amid visa suspension policy
JAKARTA: The Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry is looking for options to accommodate Indonesian students currently staying in the United States or planning to depart for their studies amid Washington's move to suspend visa processing for international students globally. Several options considered by the ministry to avoid the students being stranded and hindered from continuing their studies were changing their scholarships, looking for possibilities to move the student's destination to other countries and continuing their studies at an Indonesian institution. 'We are anticipating [this situation] by also coordinating with the Foreign Ministry and scholarship providers, including the Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP),' said Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto in Bandung on Thursday (May 29). 'We are watching, waiting and anticipating so that should the policy come into effect, we won't be caught off guard,' he continued. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered on Tuesday for embassies and consulates to pause scheduling appointments for student visas, pending new guidelines on checking applicants' social media postings, as reported by AFP. The US State Department said on Thursday the suspension would be brief, with its spokesperson Tammy Bruce encouraging prospective students to seek visa appointments. 'I would not be recommending that if this was going to be weeks or months,' Bruce said, as quoted by AFP. 'I can tell you that it's something that would happen perhaps sooner than later.' Following the announcement of Rubio's decision on Tuesday, Minister Brian said in a statement issued on Wednesday that his ministry would coordinate with various parties, universities abroad and in the country to explore possibilities of current and prospective Indonesian students in the US to move to their respective institutions. The ministry also suggested Indonesian students in the US to not leave the country to avoid being denied reentry. Brian also added that the higher education ministry would list Indonesian students for their study field, education level and visa status. Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) rector Tatacipta Dirgantara separately conveyed the university's readiness to accept Indonesian students from the US should the government decide to push them to continue their education from Indonesia. 'We have a clear procedure for transfer students should the situation force us to do so,' Tatacipta said. He added that ITB had done similar things after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC on Sept. 11, 2001, when the university received Indonesian doctoral students and helped them continue their study in the country. Harvard saga Rubio's decision on student visa suspension was announced one week after the US Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard University's certification to participate in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The decision effectively barred the university from accepting foreign students, who account for more than a quarter of its student body. The revocation was reportedly triggered by Harvard's refusal to comply with a federal request to provide records of visa-holding students allegedly involved in 'illegal and violent activities'. Minister Brian said the higher education ministry would ensure that affected students receive the necessary assistance should the situation deteriorate. The Foreign Ministry said it was watching the policy's development closely, while the Indonesian Embassy in Washington, DC established communication with Indonesian students at Harvard. Harvard filed a lawsuit against the federal government's decision, with US district judge Allison Burroughs ordering the halt of the policy. During an injunction hearing for Harvard's lawsuit in Boston on Thursday, Judge Burroughs said she would later issue a preliminary injunction that gives 'some protection to international students' as the university and Trump's administration prepare to make their cases, AFP reported. Former foreign minister and Prasetiya Mulya University rector Hassan Wirajuda welcomed Judge Burrough's injunction in Harvard's case. He added that Prasetiya Mulya would be ready to receive Indonesian students studying in the US should the government decide to repatriate them. In a post uploaded on Thursday, former deputy foreign minister and cofounder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) Dino Patti Djalal urged Foreign Minister Sugiono to communicate with Rubio to convey Indonesia's concerns regarding the US administration's recent policies that potentially affect international students. The Indonesian Embassy in Washington, DC previously said they had spoken with the US government and shared its 'deep concern over the negative effect' the policy has on Indonesian and other foreign students. The embassy also called for a solution that could ensure Indonesian students at Harvard and other US universities to continue their studies. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rudy Giuliani Chokes Up Remembering Former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik
Rudy Giuliani became visibly emotional while paying tribute to former New York police commissioner Bernie Kerik, who died Thursday at age 69. The disgraced former New York City mayor audibly sniffled and appeared to be holding back tears at several points during Thursday's episode of his 'America's Mayor Live' podcast, a segment of which was recorded just moments after Kerik's death was publicly confirmed. Describing Kerik as 'my closest friend and my brother, who saved my life,' Giuliani said, 'Actually, there was no one in my life who was braver than he was.' 'I was a better man for having known Bernie. I certainly was a braver man and a stronger man, and I wish my father had known Bernie because my father was the bravest man I ever knew,' he explained. 'I don't know what I'm going to do without him. Never expected this. I love him.' A New Jersey native and Army veteran, Kerik was appointed by Giuliani to serve as New York's police commissioner in 2000. He was hailed as a national hero after overseeing the city's response, rescue and recovery efforts in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In 2004, he was tapped by then-President George W. Bush to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Five years later, however, he pleaded guilty to federal tax fraud and false statement charges, and was given a four-year prison sentence, of which he served three years. President Donald Trump pardoned Kerik during a 2020 clemency blitz, after which Kerik reteamed with Giuliani to investigate Trump's baseless claims of election fraud following his loss to Joe Biden later that year. Deeming Kerik 'one of the first victims of lawfare,' Giuliani added: 'He was pardoned by a great president with a big heart and a lot of decency, and he loved that president. 'Bernie dedicated, I would say, the last years of his life, from about 2015 on, to making sure Donald Trump would become president, and would succeed as president,' he continued. 'He loved him. He absolutely loved him.' Toward the end of the broadcast, Giuliani said he'd been planning to visit Kerik over the weekend. 'I feel like I should've been with him,' he said. Watch Thursday's episode of 'America's Mayor Live' below. Giuliani's comments on Bernie Kerik begin around the 1:08:52 mark: Donald Trump Taps Rudy Giuliani's Son For Top Sports Gig Ex-NY Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik, Who Pleaded Guilty To Federal Tax Fraud, Has Died Rudy Giuliani Says He's Too Sick For Court Hearing — But Fine For Trump's Inauguration
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Bernard Kerik, who led NYPD on 9/11 before prison and pardon, has died at 69
NEW YORK — Bernard Kerik, who served as New York City's police commissioner on 9/11 and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, has died. He was 69. FBI Director Kash Patel said that Kerik's death Thursday came after an unspecified 'private battle with illness.' Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who tapped Kerik as a bodyguard for his 1993 mayoral campaign and later appointed him to lead the NYPD, reflected on their long history on his show Thursday. 'We've been together since the beginning. He's like my brother,' Giuliani said through tears. 'I was a better man for having known Bernie. I certainly was a braver and stronger man.' New York City Mayor Eric Adams, also a former NYPD officer, said he'd visited Kerik, his 'friend of nearly 30 years,' at a hospital earlier in the day. Kerik, an Army veteran, was hailed as a hero after the 9/11 attack and eventually nominated to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, before a dramatic fall from grace that ended with him behind bars. He served nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty in 2009 to tax fraud, making false statements and other charges. The charges stemmed partially from apartment renovations he received from a construction firm that authorities say wanted Kerik to convince New York officials it had no links to organized crime. During Kerik's sentencing, the judge noted that he committed some of the crimes while serving as 'the chief law enforcement officer for the biggest and grandest city this nation has.' President Trump pardoned Kerik during a 2020 clemency blitz. Kerik was one of the guests feting Trump after his first federal court appearance in Florida in a case related to his handling of classified documents. Kerik grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, where he dropped out of the troubled Eastside High School later depicted in the 1989 film 'Lean on Me.' He joined the Army, where he became a military policeman stationed in South Korea. He went on to work private security in Saudi Arabia before returning stateside to supervise a jail in New Jersey. He joined the NYPD in the late 1980s and was appointed in the 1990s to run New York's long-troubled jail system, including the city's notorious Riker's Island complex. Kerik was appointed by Giuliani to serve as police commissioner in 2000 and was often by the mayor's side in the period after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. 'He was at my side within 20 minutes of the attack and never left,' Giuliani recalled in a statement following Kerik's death. In Kerik's 2015 book, 'From Jailer to Jailed,' he described becoming 'America's Top Cop' after the attacks. 'But I'd give anything for that day not to have happened. I wish it hadn't. But it did,' he wrote. 'And I happened to be there at the time. I was there, and I did the best I could do under the circumstances. It's all any of us did.' He was tapped by President George W. Bush to help organize Iraq's police force in 2003, then nominated to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security the following year. But Kerik caught the administration off guard when he abruptly withdrew his nomination, saying he had uncovered information that led him to question the immigration status of a person he employed as a housekeeper and nanny. More serious legal troubles followed, culminating in his conviction. In 2005, Kerik founded the Kerik Group, a crisis and risk management consulting firm. More recently, he worked for Giuliani again, surrounding the efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 loss.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bernard Kerik, N.Y.C. Police Commissioner Who Led 9/11 Response and Was Pardoned by Trump for Felonies, Dies at 69
Bernard Kerik, who served as NYPD police commissioner during 9/11, has died at age 69 Kerik was first hailed as a hero for facilitating the emergency response to the attacks, but later fell from grace due to multiple legal woes He pleaded guilty to eight felonies in 2009 and served three years in prison, then was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2020Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik has died. He was 69. FBI Director Kash Patel announced news of Kerik's death in a Thursday, May 29 post on X, noting that Kerik had been in the midst of a "private battle with illness." Kerik led the NYPD during the 9/11 terrorist attacks and was widely regarded as a hero for facilitating the department's response, according to Reuters. His career was on a steady rise until a series of accusations and investigations in the mid-2000s — including tax evasion, fraud and making false statements — landed him in prison. President Donald Trump pardoned him in 2020. Kerik, the 40th NYPD police commissioner, grew up in Paterson, N.J., and dropped out of Eastside High School. He then enlisted in the Army and was stationed in South Korea, according to the Associated Press, which reports that Kerik worked in private security in Saudi Arabia before coming back to the U.S., where he supervised a New Jersey jail. His career with the NYPD began in the '80s, and Kerik was eventually tapped to oversee the city's troubled prison system. In 2000, Kerik was appointed police commissioner by then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani and held the position for 16 months, The New York Times reported. Kerik was on the ground at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, and helped facilitate the building's evacuation. His actions on 9/11 earned him praise and many formal honors, cementing him as one of the day's heroes. Yet, his legal troubles began shortly after. In 2004, he was nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security by former President George W. Bush. Kerik unexpectedly withdrew his name from consideration because he employed an undocumented person in his household and his failure to pay payroll taxes, according to the Times. His admission led to further investigations into Kerik's dealings, which revealed that he carried on an extramarital affair in an apartment meant for rescue workers at the World Trade Center site. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. It was also revealed that he had commissioned renovations from a construction firm with alleged ties to organized crime, had committed tax fraud and had made false statements to federal investigators, according to the Times. In 2009, Kerik pleaded guilty to eight felonies, according to CNN, including tax fraud and making false statements to federal officials. He was sentenced to four years in prison but ended up serving three for good behavior. Kerik later wrote a memoir, From Jailer to Jailed, which was published in 2015. Trump granted Kerik a full pardon in 2020, after which Kerik became a staunch supporter of the president. Like Giuliani, Kerik denied the results of the 2020 election and said former President Joe Biden won because of fraudulent voting practices, according to the Times. During the House Jan. 6 committee, Kerik provided documents implicating himself in other efforts to deny the election results. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former NYC Mayor Giuliani remembers best friend Bernie Kerik as 'true patriot': 'Much better for knowing him'
Rudy Giuliani, who served as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001, mourned the death of former New York City Police Department Commissioner Bernard "Bernie" Kerik on Thursday, describing the grief of losing his "best friend" and a "true patriot" as "inexpressible." Kerik died at 69 years old "after a private battle with illness," according to FBI Director Kash Patel. Kerik and Giuliani were prominent figures during and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City due to their leadership roles in the city, and they quickly became close friends. "On September 11th, Bernie Kerik and I saved each other's lives. If we weren't already friends, that bound us together forever. He was my best friend, a true Patriot, and one of the bravest men I've ever known," Giuliani wrote in a statement. Bernard Kerik, Former New York Police Commissioner And 9/11 Figure, Dies At 69 Giuliani said Kerik was at his side "within 20 minutes of the attack" on 9/11 and "never left." Read On The Fox News App The first collapse trapped both of them in a building for what Giuliani thinks was 20 to 30 minutes, but they were able to escape safely with "substantial additional assistance" and "extraordinary bravery" – an attitude that Giuliani said "permeated the way" for recovery over the next four months. "Bernie's leadership helped guide the people of a very frightened city to draw from their inherent individual strength as Americans and children of God," Giuliani said on Thursday. He also praised Kerik's career in law enforcement, specifically pointing out his role as Commissioner of Rikers Island, where he was able to reduce violence in the prison by 90%, and his role as NYPD commissioner, where he reduced crime in the city. "He was driven by an unwavering love of this country and a commitment to serving others. He was one of the most decorated New York City police officers of his time," he said. Former Nypd Commissioner Calls On Political Leaders To 'Get Out There' And 'Deescalate' Violence Kerik's 35-year career has been recognized with more than 100 awards for meritorious and heroic service, including a presidential commendation for heroism by President Ronald Reagan and two Distinguished Service Awards from the Department of Homeland Security. He was considered for the role of Homeland Security chief in 2004, but lied to the White House during vetting, which ultimately led to him pleading guilty to eight felonies, including tax fraud, in 2009. He spent about three years in prison, then moved to home confinement and, later, supervised release. President Donald Trump pardoned him of the convictions in 2020. Kerik worked with Giuliani again to investigate claims of election fraud following the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani expressed his condolences to Kerik's wife, his two daughters and his son – who is also a police officer – and said he believes all of Kerik's friends and admirers are "much better for knowing him." Fox News Digital's Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Andrea Margolis contributed to this article source: Former NYC Mayor Giuliani remembers best friend Bernie Kerik as 'true patriot': 'Much better for knowing him'
