Six of the eight Ivy League schools, which include Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Columbia, now have women presidents. Yet, according to the American Council of Education, just 32% of all U.S. colleges do, even though a majority of collegiate-level students are women. But do students care about the president when choosing a school? And which…
Iran Sentences Filmmaker over Cannes-Selected Movie
A court in Iran has sentenced prominent movie director Saeed Roustaee to six months in prison for the screening of his film “Leila’s Brothers” at the Cannes Film Festival last year, local media reported Tuesday. “Leila’s Brothers,” a rich and complex tale of a family struggling with economic hardship in Tehran, has been banned in…
US Universities Launch Partnership to Elevate Free Speech
The presidents of 13 universities in the United States are elevating free speech on their campuses this academic year, as part of a new nonprofit initiative announced Tuesday to combat what organizers call dire threats to U.S. democracy. The Campus Call for Free Expression will take different forms on different campuses. The campaign, created by…
Neymar Quits French Club PSG to Sign for Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal
Brazil forward Neymar has signed for Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain, the clubs announced on Tuesday, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema as the latest big name lured to the oil-rich Gulf state. “I am here in Saudi Arabia, I am Hilali,” the 31-year-old Neymar said in a video posted to Al Hilal’s…
International Students Prefer a Third of Their Classes be Online
Despite the end of COVID-19 restrictions in many places, international students say they’d prefer that about a third of their classes be online. Students say they appreciate the flexibility, and students whose first language isn’t English can benefit from being able to rewatch a lecture afterward. However, 25% of students said they would like all…
Artists Mark 50 Years of Hip-Hop
The music genre hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with events across the United States. A Los Angeles art gallery is showing photographs of hip-hop legends. Genia Dulot visited the gallery and files this report. (Camera: Genia Dulot) …
Biden Administration Urges Colleges to Pursue Racial Diversity Without Affirmative Action
New guidance from the Biden administration on Monday urges colleges to use a range of strategies to promote racial diversity on campus after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in admissions. Colleges can focus their recruiting in high minority areas, for example, and take steps to retain students of color who are already on…
Collegiate Athletes, Including International Students, Can Receive Scholarship Aid
In U.S. collegiate sports, schools sometimes give full scholarships to students who commit to a team, including international ones. Some sports are dominated by international students, such as women’s tennis: 66% of top-tier Division I players are not from the U.S. However, there is mounting domestic pressure for schools to focus on financial need, and…
Comic Books and Superheroes Reflecting Asian American Identity
The word “manga” is used to describe a wide variety of comic books and graphic novels originally produced in Japan. It has long been associated with Asian culture. But new generations of Asian Americans are identifying more with American comic books. Genia Dulot has the report. (Camera: Genia Dulot) …
Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ Tops Box Office Again, Gives Industry a Midsummer Surge
“Barbie” has legs. Director Greta Gerwig ‘s film phenomenon remained a runaway No. 1 at the box office in its fourth week, bringing in $33.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Margot Robbie-led and produced film from Warner Bros., still in 4,137 theaters, refused to drop off as most box-office toppers have this year,…
Fiction Writers Fear Rise of AI, Yet See It as a Story
For a vast number of book writers, artificial intelligence is a threat to their livelihood and the very idea of creativity. More than 10,000 of them endorsed an open letter from the Authors Guild this summer, urging AI companies not to use copyrighted work without permission or compensation. At the same time, AI is a…
Peru’s Social Media Phenomenon Fuses Quechua, K-Pop
What happens when you take Quechua, the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas, and fuse it with K-pop, the global musical sensation with roots in South Korea? Ask Lenin Tamayo, who has become a social media phenomenon with “Q-pop” and this week released his first digital album. Tamayo grew up listening to his…
Final Four: Spain, Sweden, England, Australia – None Has Won a World Cup
There will be a first-time winner of the Women’s World Cup this year, and maybe, just maybe, it will be host country Australia. The Matildas, serving as co-hosts of the tournament with New Zealand, became the first home team since the United States in 1999 to win a quarterfinal in nine Women’s World Cups. Australia…
Young People Want Education, Jobs for Better Future
Education skills and employability are the pathway to a better life — that is the key takeaway expressed by 40% of young people across all age groups who participated in a survey to identify the hopes and aspirations of youth and learn what they need to enhance their prospects for a good, sustainable future. In…
Hip-Hop Turns 50, Reinventing Itself and Swaths of the World Along the Way
It was born in the break, all those decades ago — that moment when a song’s vocals dropped, instruments quieted down and the beat took the stage. It was then that hip-hop came into the world, taking the moment and reinventing it. Something new, coming out of something familiar. At the hands of the DJs…
‘Barbie’ in Crosshairs of Growing Censorship in Lebanon
Lebanon is considering banning the “Barbie” movie because the culture minister said the film “promotes homosexuality” and contradicts religious values, in a move that some experts say underscores the poor state of free speech and gay rights in the country and throughout the Middle East. Mohammad Mortada, Lebanon’s culture minister, moved to ban “Barbie” Wednesday, saying…
International Student Bank Accounts in the US: A Guide
TimesHigherEducation.com takes a look at the different kinds of bank accounts in the U.S. and their pros and cons for students. It also tells students how to open a bank account in the U.S. and what documents they’ll need to do it. Get the details here. (July 2023) …
Fans in India Rejoice as Superstar Actor Rajinikanth’s Latest Movie Hits Theaters
Fans of an Indian movie star with a cult following thronged movie theaters and celebrated with dancing and prayers as his latest film hit screens on Thursday. Hundreds of avid supporters of Rajinikanth, one of India’s biggest movie superstars, carried photo cutouts and flower garlands as they made their way to a theater in Mumbai…
7 Key Tips for Indian Students in the US
American Bazaar Online takes a look at some of the potential pitfalls for Indian students in the U.S. and explains how to deal with them. Among them: handling health care in the U.S., pursuing employment and understanding the structure of U.S. universities. (July 2023) …
Emmys Pushed to January as Hollywood Strikes Press On
The 75th Emmy Awards ceremony is postponed to Jan. 15, the Television Academy and broadcast network Fox said on Thursday, as Hollywood writers and actors strike over labor disputes with major studios. The Emmys were originally slated to air on Fox on Sept. 18, and nominations for the highest honors in television were announced in…
Seattle Volunteers Help Museum of Flight Mural Gain Liftoff
When faced with the task of painting a giant mural at Seattle’s Museum of Flight, artist Esmeralda Vasquez found it was best not to do it alone. More than 160 volunteers helped out, as reported in this story by VOA’s Natasha Mozgovaya. …
‘Searching for Sugar Man’ Singer, Songwriter Sixto Rodriguez Dies at 81
Sixto Rodriguez, who lived in obscurity in the U.S. only to find musical success in South Africa and a stardom he was unaware of, died Tuesday in Detroit. He was 81. Rodriguez’s music career flamed out early in the U.S., but it took off after the singer and songwriter became the subject of the Oscar-winning…
Guitarist, Songwriter Robertson of The Band Dies at 80
Robbie Robertson, The Band’s lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as “The Weight” and “Up on Cripple Creek” mined American music and folklore and helped reshape contemporary rock, died Wednesday at 80. Robertson died in Los Angeles, surrounded by family, “after a long illness,” publicist Ray Costa said in a statement. From their…
How to Plan for College Tuition
With President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program shelved, many families are wondering whether school is affordable. Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard, financial aid experts, answer reader questions on international tuition, savings plans, merit scholarships and more. See the questions – and ask one of your own – in The New York Times. …
Preserving Pioneering Work of Black Modernist Architects
Modernist structures designed by African Americans targeted for preservation …
Differences Between Colleges and Universities for International Students
Different countries use different names for education institutions, which can lead to confusion. For example, in Spanish-speaking countries, colegio means high school, so many international students ignore U.S. schools with “college” in the name. In the U.S., colleges are usually smaller and focused on undergraduates, while universities are larger and offer both graduate and undergraduate…
‘Comics for Ukraine’ Anthology Raises Relief Money for War-Torn Country
Watching news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, U.S. comic book editor Scott Dunbier felt compelled to help. He reached out to comic book professionals to create “Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds” to raise funds to provide emergency supplies and services to Ukrainians. Genia Dulot has this report. …
Mourners in Ireland Pay Their Respects to Singer Sinead O’Connor at Funeral Procession
Throngs of fans lined the streets of Sinead O’Connor’s former hometown in Ireland to bid farewell to the gifted singer as her funeral procession passed by Tuesday following a private memorial service. A vintage VW camper van with rooftop speakers blasting Bob Marley’s song “Natural Mystic” led a hearse at walking pace through a thick…