Latest news with #non-American
New York Post
8 minutes ago
- Automotive
- New York Post
Two ‘treasured' Barbie designers killed in head-on crash in Italy
Two of Barbie's leading designers were reportedly killed along with two others in a horrific head-on crash in Italy while both vehicles were going over 80 miles an hour. Mario Paglino, 52, and Gianni Grossi, 48, died in Sunday's crash after an elderly driver going the wrong way down the highway plowed into their SUV, killing himself in the process, Italian outlet La Repubblica reported. Barbie's official Instagram account praised the couple, describing them as 'two treasured artists whose work has forever shaped the world of dolls' in a statement. Advertisement 'The Barbie team is heartbroken by the loss of Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi, two treasured creators and Mattel collaborators who brought joy and artistry to the world of Barbie as Magia 2000,' the tribute read. 5 Two of Barbie's leading designers, Gianni Grossi (l) and Mario Paglino, have been killed in a car crash in Italy. Getty Images 'As passionate and talented designers and lifelong collectors, their spirit and love for the brand turned every creation they touched into a masterpiece. Beyond their remarkable talent, they shared an energy that lit up every space they entered,' the post continued. Advertisement 'Whether leading the Italian Doll Convention in Milan or showcasing their talents and love for Barbie at doll shows all over the world, their presence brought warmth, laughter and a sense of belonging,' the tribute concluded. Egidio Ceriani, the 82-year-old driving the other vehicle, made a U-turn after missing a toll booth and was driving the wrong way up the highway for more than four miles at over 80 mph, according to traffic cops. 5 The pair were hit by a car going 80 miles the wrong way down a highway. A couple in another vehicle described how they were almost killed by Cerian. Advertisement 'We barely survived: my husband swerved, I don't know how, it was a miracle,' the woman wrote on Facebook, as reported by La Repubblica. 5 The couple were the first non-American artist duo to design a Barbie doll for Mattel. World of Dolls/Facebook Amodio Giurni, 38, a banker traveling in the car with Paglino and Grossi, was also killed in the crash near the town of Mesero, 19 miles west of Milan. Giurni's wife, Silvia Moramarco, 37, was also in the SUV and was rushed to the hospital in Milan in a critical condition. Advertisement 5 Some of the dolls designed by the duo. @magia2000/Instagram 5 Barbie's official Instagram account paid tribute to the pair. @barbie/Instagram The two couples were old friends who lived on the same street, and were believed to be traveling for a day at the lake when they were killed, La Repubblica reports. In 2006, Paglino and Grossi became the first ever non-American artist duo to design a souvenir Barbie doll when they produced the Barbie Film Noir for that year's National Barbie Convention. They also produced a number of one-off dolls inspired by famous paintings, including works by Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Piet Mondrian. In 2015, one of their creations sold at a charity auction for around $15,000.
Hans India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Trump warning against hiring Indians is disgusting
US President Donald Trump has yet again spewed venom against India. His double standards are doing more harm than good to India. The American style of international relationships always smacks of sinister designs that include destabilising nations and then stepping in as a mediator on the 'bid to stabilise' pretext. From the time his second term began, Trump has been bullying all countries by dangling the 'tariff' threat on the one side and using his cunning to sabotage or subvert the interests of countries like India, Mexico, Cuba, Iran, Russia, etc. Trump's attitude defies all decency in international relations. He is acting as a sectarian leader in the name of 'America First', as if he doesn't know that USA is in fact a conglomerate of several races! Ironically, Trump himself is from a migrant family of Europe. Without creating the required infrastructure, manpower and other paraphernalia, Trump is hurrying American companies to hire only 'Americans' as if there are enough technical hands in his country. Several hundred private universities are striving only because of non-American students. As such Trump should first think of providing the wherewithal to corporate houses before thrusting "Make in America" on them. Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada
New York Post
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Trump makes academia face the damning truth about foreign students
Are American graduate schools still American? That's what President Donald Trump is asking as he takes action against Harvard University and its large international-student population. His effort to restrict Harvard's foreign-student visas seeks to address a growing problem in higher education: Many of our most renowned graduate schools are overwhelmingly non-American. Advertisement On Wednesday, Columbia University capitulated on the issue — agreeing in its deal with Trump to 'take steps to decrease financial dependence on international student enrollment.' The Ivy also promised to probe 'international student-applicants [on] their reasons for wishing to study in the United States' — in other words, to keep out the sneaky saboteurs coming here to wreak havoc. Significantly, Columbia's decision signals to other top-tier schools, Harvard in particular, that it's not worth fighting the administration over international-graduate-student enrollment. Advertisement And that is welcome news indeed. We support international educational exchange, as most Americans do. The problem is disproportionality: A huge influx of foreign students has changed the character of traditionally American institutions, leaving American students increasingly crowded out — and even making them targets of prejudice and discrimination. The numbers speak for themselves. Advertisement During the 2023-2024 academic year, the United States hosted 1.1 million international students, a sharp 7% increase from the year prior. Nearly half of them, 500,000-plus, were graduate students. International grad-school enrollments grew by 10.2% between 2021 and 2022, as American enrollments dropped by 4.7%. Some fields, mostly STEM-related, have seen a 100% international-student enrollment boom since the COVID-19 pandemic. Advertisement President Donald Trump listens during a briefing with the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, at the White House in Washington. AP At Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, for example, the percentage of international students rose from 56% in 2023 to 59% in 2024. At Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Columbia and others, international students make up 48% or more of the graduate-student body. At MIT, it's 42%. As the foreign graduate population soared, so too did antisemitism and anti-Americanism on college campuses. Coincidence? We don't think so. One analysis found that once the international-student population surpasses 13% at a university, campus protests double. Advertisement Any reasonable observer of the post-Oct. 7 campus troubles must notice the heavy involvement of foreign graduate students like Mahmoud Khalil, who reportedly helped organize a campaign of intimidation at Columbia. Rather than trying to address the problem, schools like Harvard are fighting federal subpoenas seeking foreign students' disciplinary records — while simultaneously claiming the government has no proof their foreign students are a problem. Only intense pressure from Trump forced Columbia to confront the truth. But the problem is not just campus culture — there's strong evidence that international enrollment is shutting American students, particularly minorities, out of opportunities. Advertisement Harvard's Kennedy School saw a 50% drop in 'black or African American' enrollment in 2023 compared to 2021, while international enrollment rose. In addition, multiple scholarship opportunities at publicly funded colleges are open only to illegal-immigrant students, excluding those who are American-born. Demonstrators join the group Crimson Courage, who gathered to support Harvard University during a hearing before a federal judge at the federal courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., July 21, 2025. REUTERS Our Equal Protection Project has filed legal challenges to such programs at five schools (so far — there are many more), prompting the US Department of Education to open investigations into our cases. Advertisement And there's a hidden long-term cost to these disproportionate numbers of foreign students in America's graduate programs: brain drain. Most of the international students who gain higher-level degrees in American programs take their education and skills back to their home countries — talent and training lost to us domestically, because those spots could and should have been filled by Americans. Only about 30% of all international graduate students eventually seek green cards and legal permanent US residency. Advertisement And there's some evidence that those who do join the US workforce after graduation undercut their job-seeking American classmates — because employers can sponsor them for H-1B visas and hire them on the cheap. Most international students come here for good reasons, but their disproportionate representation has undeniably created negative consequences. Trump's effort to force schools to address the problem is a step in the right direction — and the Columbia deal shows academia that ignoring it is no longer an option. We love international students. But we also love the American character of our American universities — and don't want to see that lost. William A. Jacobson is a clinical professor of law at Cornell University and founder of the Equal Protection Project and where Kemberlee Kaye is operations and editorial director.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Lucid Flags Tariff-Driven Price Surge, Localizes Battery Sourcing
Lucid Group, Inc. LCID came out with a stern warning from its interim CEO, Marc Winterhoff, stating that the U.S. automotive industry will witness a rise in the cost of vehicles, owing to Trump's tariff policies. As modern automakers do not just limit sourcing of key components to local chains, the global supply of various resources has become indispensable. Although a 25-per-cent U.S. duty is to be levied only on non-American content, there remains no escape from the net surge in prices. Automakers largely import graphite, lithium and semiconductors from all over the world in huge volumes. The tariffs enacted were expected to bring the industry to a standstill by disrupting the formerly favorable import scenario. Despite such challenges, the production still continues. For rescue came the supply chain strategies and established supplier networks from the pandemic era. Companies have also been figuring out ways to take advantage of the tariff exemptions. These factors combined, automakers have been able to absorb the impacts, but the hit is anticipated to show its consequences in due time. As for Lucid, the company is making efforts to localize its supply chain to cut costs. Lucid's EV batteries have become a subject of worry. To localize battery material sourcing, the company is going forward with a new deal with Graphite One for U.S.-processed graphite. Lucid's previous partnership with Panasonic is being modeled to offset tariff burdens. Hence, the Kansas facility's produce will not be used by Lucid until 2026. Shares of Lucid have slumped 38.6% over the past year compared with the industry's 2.3% decline. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research LCID's Zacks Rank & Key Picks LCID currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). A few better-ranked stocks in the auto space areFerrari N.V. RACE, Rivian Automotive RIVN and Westport Fuel Systems WPRT. While RACE sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present, RIVN and WPRT carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RACE's current-year earnings is pegged at $9.89 per share, indicating a 7.97% year-over-year earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 10.75%. RACE's shares have gained 15.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RIVN's 2025 loss is pegged at $2.49 per share, indicating an improvement of 38.37% from year-ago levels. The company's earnings beat the consensus estimate in two of the trailing four quarters, while missing it in the rest with an average surprise of 10.81%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WPRT's 2025 loss is pegged at $1.27 per share, indicating an improvement of 40.93% from year-ago levels. The company's earnings beat the consensus estimate in three of the trailing four quarters. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Westport Fuel Systems Inc. (WPRT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ferrari N.V. (RACE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Lucid Group, Inc. (LCID) : Free Stock Analysis Report Rivian Automotive, Inc. (RIVN) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Business Times
12-07-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Trump is sowing confusion in the markets
THERE are many reasons to feel confused by current American policy. US President Donald Trump keeps issuing 'final' tariff threats – then backing down. The White House wants to create industrial jobs – but is gutting the Inflation Reduction Act that was doing just that, mostly in red states. Scott Bessent, Treasury secretary, wants dollar dominance, but has presided over a 10 per cent fall in its value. And so on. However, if you want to feel more baffled, look at markets. This month, the one-year swaps market is pricing modest rate cuts from the US Federal Reserve, which normally implies lower growth and inflation. However, equity prices suggest an improving economy: American stock markets are at record highs and Wall Street analysts are projecting continued gains amid strong earnings forecasts. Moreover, so-called cyclical stocks (which benefit from growth) are significantly outperforming defensive ones, notes Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo, the private capital group. 'This is not consistent,' Slok adds. 'Either the bond market is wrong, and rates must move higher due to accelerating growth. Or, equity markets are wrong, and stocks have to move lower because growth is slowing down.' Ouch. Why? There are at least three possible explanations. One might be a 'double Taco' trade (I am referring here to my colleague Robert Armstrong's idea that 'Trump always chickens out'). More specifically, equity prices might be pricing an assumption that tariff threats will be watered down, and bond markets pricing a belief Trump will not actually execute debt-expanding measures and cause investors to spurn Treasuries. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up This is not crazy. Trump has repeatedly reneged on tariffs this year, along with threats to fire Jay Powell as chair of the Fed, and a so-called Section 899 clause that might have caused non-American investors to flee from Treasuries was recently removed from Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' (BBB), which passed into law last week. Hence, that Taco tag. But there is an alternative explanation that might be dubbed the 'double genius' idea: investors believe that Trump will actually execute his plans, but they will be so brilliant that they deliver higher growth, lower prices and falling debt – all at once. More specifically, figures such as Kevin Hassett, Trump's economic adviser, insist that the BBB act will turbocharge growth, while inflation is lowered through deregulation and lower energy prices. And when the rating agency Moody's cut the US credit rating because of its US$37 trillion (and rising) debt, Bessent dismissed that as a 'lagging indicator', arguing that revenues will rise due to tariffs and growth. In the meantime, he is rolling out tricks to ease the scheduled US$9 trillion Treasury auctions in the next 12 months, such as reforms to encourage banks to buy more bonds and weighting issuance towards short-term, not long-term, bonds. (That is ironic since Bessent's team lambasted his predecessor Janet Yellen for doing just that.) And some investors accept this spin – or so it seems. No wonder: the Atlanta Fed's real-time estimate of current GDP is 2.6 per cent, and there is little evidence that tariffs have caused major price increases – yet. And while institutions such as the World Bank have slashed their global growth forecasts, due to tariffs, the Oxford Economics group – to cite one private sector entity – thinks this week's 'new tariff rates... and the 50 per cent copper levy' creates 'only modest downside risk'. Indeed, it thinks these measures will 'only' add 0.08 percentage points to core inflation next year, and reduce real GDP by a mere 0.1 per cent – and the latter will be offset by the BBB's fiscal boost. Thus while 'the mix of trade agreements and threatened tariffs will push the US effective tariff rate to almost 20 per cent on Aug 1' that is 'less than our recession threshold'. Hence, the market calm. However, another, more cynical, way to explain the disjunction is that it is simply impossible to make credible – or consistent – forecasts now due to a lack of recent historical precedents for Trump, and pernicious time-lag effects. One problem is that US companies have amassed huge stockpiles to dodge tariffs. Another is that companies are 'rearranging' China-linked supply chains, as a McKinsey report says – and while this is easy in some sectors (like T-shirts), it is hard in others (like laptops and fireworks). Similarly, although the Dallas Fed just warned that immigration curbs could reduce growth by 0.75 to 1 percentage point this year, the timing of this is unclear. So is the impact of Trump's proposed spending cuts (which mostly hit after the next midterm elections in 2026), and whether his wild policy flip-flops prompt companies to delay investment or else just adapt to this uncertainty (as they eventually did during the pandemic). Maybe more clarity will emerge when American companies report on earnings next week. Or maybe either the bond or equity markets will adjust. Until then, however, they symbolise the confusion. Think of this when you next look at your portfolio. FINANCIAL TIMES
