We love ourselves too often and need reach out much more often. It is a social responsibility and it effects the environment also.
Columbia University Columbia University © Seth Wenig NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University said Tuesday that it will be laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to President Donald Trump's decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Manhattan college's handling of student protests against the war in Gaza. Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices Tuesday represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said in a statement Tuesday. 4 Shocking Reasons America's Dollar Dominance May Be Crumbling Fast Ad 4 Shocking Reasons America's Dollar Dominance May Be Crumbling Fast Goldco Learn more call to action icon “We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources,” the university said. “Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard.” University spokesperson Jessica Murphy declined to say whether more layoffs were expected, but said Columbia is taking a range of steps to create financial flexibility, including maintaining current salary levels and offering voluntary retirement incentives. Research will also be scaled back, with some departments winding down studies and others maintaining some level of research while pursuing alternate funding. The work impacted ranges from a project to develop an antiviral nasal spray for infectious diseases to various scientific studies on maternal mortality and morbidity, treatments for chronic illnesses such as long COVID, caring for newborns with opioid withdrawal syndrome and screenings for colorectal cancer, according to the university. Related video: Harvard DEFUNDED: Trump Admin Cuts Billions Over Gaza Protests, Demands University Surrender Control (Oneindia - Video) Oneindia - Video Harvard DEFUNDED: Trump Admin Cuts Billions Over Gaza Protests, Demands University Surrender Control The layoffs, while expected, were “dispiriting" for faculty, said Marcel Agueros, secretary of Columbia’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration arguing the cuts are unlawful. University officials say they’re working with the Trump administration in the hopes of getting the funding restored. But Agueros, an astronomy professor, said it will take years to undo the damage already inflicted. “When there’s an interruption in funding, people have to leave, new people can’t be hired, some initiatives have to be put on hold, others need to be stopped, so research stops moving forward,” he said. In March, the Trump administration pulled the funding over what it described as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus during the Israel-Hamas war that began in October 2023. Learn Portuguese Phrases - Learn Portuguese On The Go Ad Learn Portuguese Phrases - Learn Portuguese On The Go go.babbel.com Learn more call to action icon Within weeks, Columbia capitulated to a series of demands laid out by the Republican administration as a starting point for restoring the funding. Among the requirements was overhauling the university's student disciplinary process, banning campus protesters from wearing masks, barring demonstrations from academic buildings, adopting a new definition of antisemitism and putting the Middle Eastern studies program under the supervision of a vice provost who would have a say over curriculum and hiring. After Columbia announced the changes, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the university was “ on the right track," but declined to say when or if Columbia's funding would be restored. Spokespersons for the federal education department didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday. Columbia was at the forefront of U.S. campus protests over the war last spring. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators set up an encampment and seized a campus building in April, leading to dozens of arrests and inspiring a wave of similar protests nationally. Trump, when he retook the White House in January, moved swiftly to cut federal money to colleges and universities he viewed as too tolerant of antisemitism.
US and China to start talks over trade war this week 1 hour ago Share Save Peter Hoskins Business reporter Laura Bicker China Correspondent Reporting fromBeijing Getty Images The SM Kwangyang container ship docked at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, US, on Sunday, 27 April, 2025.Getty Images US and Chinese officials are set to start talks this week to try to deescalate a trade war between the world's two biggest economies. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will attend the talks in Switzerland from 9 to 12 May, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer will represent Washington at the meeting, their offices announced. Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has imposed new import taxes on Chinese goods of up to 145%. Beijing has hit back with levies on some goods from the US of 125%. But global trade experts have told the BBC that they expect negotiations to take several months. It will be the first high-level interaction between the two countries since Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng attended Trump's inauguration in January. Mr Bessent said he looked forward to rebalancing the international economic system to better serve the interests of the US. "My sense is that this will be about de-escalation, not about the big trade deal, but we've got to de-escalate before we can move forward," he said in an interview with Fox News. "If the United States wants to resolve the issue through negotiations, it must face up to the serious negative impact of unilateral tariff measures on itself and the world," a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday morning. Chinese State Media reported that Beijing had decided to engage with the US after fully considering global expectations, the country's interests and appeals from American businesses. The report added that China's is open to talks but reiterated that if the country decides to continue to fight this trade war – it will fight to the end. The trade war has triggered turmoil in financial markets and sent shockwaves across global trade. What tariffs has Trump announced and why? Car giant Ford and Barbie maker Mattel warn over tariffs costs Trump considering 100% tariffs on movies not made in the US Two trade experts told the BBC that they were not particularly optimistic about the talks, at least in the initial phase. "You have to start somewhere, so I'm not saying it isn't worthwhile. Just unlikely to be the launch event people are hoping to see," said Deborah Elms, Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation. "We should expect to see a lot of back and forth, just like what happened last time in 2018," Henry Gao, Professor of Law at Singapore Management University and a former Chinese lawyer on the World Trade Organization secretariat said. "I would expect the talks to drag on for several months or even more than a year". Financial markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed after the announcements, while US stock futures rose. Stock futures are contracts to buy or sell an underlying asset at a future date and are an indication of how markets will trade when they open. Investors are also waiting for the US central bank to make its latest announcement on interest rates on Wednesday afternoon. Additional reporting by Bianca Mascarenhas
What progress can I picture in my mind? I just see the near future as a rapid change period where small discoveries of importance happen. Perhaps we need to communicate more, but not too much. People do tend to like to use words, but their is a dimension that we know as wordless.
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