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Good morning, happy Friday and welcome to FirstFT Asia. In today’s newsletter:
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Trump administration escalates its attacks on Harvard
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An embarrassing setback for North Korea’s navy
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India and Pakistan launch rival diplomatic offensives
The Trump administration has barred Harvard University from enrolling international students, in a major escalation of its attacks on one of the most prestigious Ivy League schools in the US.
How it happened: Secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem sent a letter to Harvard yesterday telling its administration that the university’s student and exchange visitor programme certification had been revoked, “effective immediately”. The decision comes amid a deepening crackdown by US President Donald Trump on elite institutions which he accuses of promoting “woke” ideology and failing to tackle antisemitism.
What it means: The move would affect the admission of students for the coming academic year, but Noem also said the ban meant Harvard’s almost 6,800 existing international students, representing more than 27 per cent of its intake this year, must switch their enrolment to other universities. It will also spark concern for the 1.1mn foreigners enrolled in American universities — of whom the largest share come from India and China — as well as others hoping to study in the US.
Harvard’s response: The university said the administration’s move was “unlawful” and that it was “fully committed” to maintaining its ability to host international students. Harvard has already sued the administration for halting more than $2bn in funding for the university. Read the full story.