Vietnam, US Upgrade Partnership; Activists Critique Silence on Human Rights

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Hanoi and Washington have announced an upgrade in bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the top designation in Vietnam’s diplomatic hierarchy. A U.S. strategy of noninterference into Vietnam’s domestic politics has been crucial to Hanoi agreeing to the deal, experts say, but activists and rights groups are frustrated by the lack of focus on human rights as the crackdown on civil society worsens in the Southeast Asian country. U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Hanoi on Sunday to meet with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. That afternoon, Trong and Biden announced they had agreed to a comprehensive strategic partnershipmore

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US House’s Bipartisan Measures Target Iran Over Woman’s Death, Missile Program

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The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved measures Tuesday targeting Iran for its human rights record and placing restrictions on the country’s ability to import or export its expanding arsenal of weapons. The measures would impose a series of sanctions on Iran’s supreme leader, president and other individuals as Washington seeks to further punish the Islamic Republic ahead of the one-year anniversary of nationwide protests. The resolutions will now go to the Senate, where it is unclear if the Democratic-controlled chamber will take them up. The first bill takes aim at Iran’s production and exports of missiles and drones by sanctioning individualsmore

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Road to Grad School for 1 Afghan Student Has Been Far From Simple

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Amena Sadat, a political science Ph.D. student at the University of California, Riverside, fled Afghanistan with only the clothes on her back after the Taliban took over. Her educational journey has been harrowing. Many of her family members did not want her to study, and one, a local politician, even canceled a scholarship rather than award it to her. But she did not give up. Imran Ghori reports for the university publication Inside UCR. (August 2023) …

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Affirmative Action Ban Affects Elite Hiring, Not Just Elite Admissions

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While the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling eliminating affirmative action in college admissions only applies to higher education, many elite industries, such as consulting and investment banking, that hire students right out of college may struggle to meet their own diversity goals, according to an article in Forbes. While firms have promised to broaden their search, some observers are questioning their dependence on elite schools in the first place. Forbes investigates.(August 2023)  …

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North Carolina School Will Offer Early Admissions for First-Generation Students

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Many selective universities in the U.S. offer “early action,” which can boost a student’s chances of getting in if they apply early. These programs have been criticized, since underprivileged students are often unfamiliar with the deadlines and unable to get their applications in on time. Now, Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, plans to only offer the option to students who are the first members of their families to attend college. Liam Knox has more for Inside Higher Ed. (August 2023)  …

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Can 14th Amendment Keep Trump From Seeking a Second Term?

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A new lawsuit to bar former President Donald Trump from appearing on the 2024 Colorado primary ballot has revived a legal and political debate over an obscure provision of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, a progressive watchdog, filed the lawsuit on behalf of six Colorado voters on Wednesday. It claims that Trump is ineligible to run for the White House again because he supported an “insurrection” against the Constitution on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the Congressional certification ofmore

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Could ‘Google Effect’ Make You Less Smart?

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A 2011 study claimed that information learned from Googling is less valuable because we don’t remember it. There was academic controversy over the findings, but new follow-up research suggests the “Google Effect” is real. The easier it is to find information, the less likely you are to retain it. Jill Barshay summarizes the research for The Hechinger Report. (August 2023) …

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Prosecutors Seeking New Indictment for Hunter Biden

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Federal prosecutors plan to seek a grand jury indictment of President Joe Biden’s son Hunter before the end of the month, according to court documents filed Wednesday. The filing came in a gun possession case in which Hunter Biden was accused of having a firearm while being a drug user, though prosecutors did not name exactly which charges they will seek. He has also been under investigation by federal prosecutors for his business dealings. Prosecutors under U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss, newly named a special counsel in the case, said they expect an indictment before Sept. 29. Hunter Biden’smore

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US Lawmakers Have 10 Working Days to Keep the Government Open

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US lawmakers face a long list of priorities as they return to work this week after their monthlong August recess. With battles looming over U.S. aid to Ukraine and a possible impeachment of President Joe Biden, the top concern remains funding the U.S. government to keep it from shutting down on Oct. 1. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more. …

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How to Plan Finances if You Want to Study Medicine in the US  

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If you plan to study medicine in the United States, you need to plan your finances first.   Even schools that don’t carry the prestige of universities like Harvard or Stanford will require fees, tuition, books and materials, and you’ll need to cover living expenses for the eight years it takes to get an undergraduate and medical degree.   The Education Desk of The Indian Express has some tips for helping students and parents prepare. (August 2023)     …

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Students Transform Their Drab Dorm Rooms Into Comfy Living Spaces

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From $300 studded headboards and $100 coffee table books to custom-made cabinets to disguise your mini-fridge, students are spending big bucks to decorate their dorm rooms, adding yet another layer to the soaring costs of college. Some are even going so far as to hire interior designers to beautify their 12 feet by 20 feet of space. Lesley Lachman, 18, planned her furnishings for her dorm room with her roommate immediately after deciding to attend the University of Mississippi back in May. The Rye, New York resident scoured websites like Pinterest and designed her room herself — with hues ofmore

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Politicians, Officials Reflect on Death of Bill Richardson

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Politicians and officials are sharing memories and reflections on the life of Bill Richardson following news of his death on Saturday. The two-term governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico, who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and worked to free detained Americans, died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts. He was 75. In a statement Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden said Richardson wore many weighty titles during his life – member of Congress, governor, ambassador, Cabinet secretary. “He seized every chance to serve and met every new challenge with joy, determined tomore

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Texas AG’s Impeachment Trial Rests With Fellow Republicans

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Billionaires, burner phones, alleged bribes: The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is going to test the will of Republicans senators to oust not only one of their own, but a firebrand who has helped drive the state’s hard turn to the right for years.  The historic proceedings set to start in the state Senate Tuesday are the most serious threat yet to one of Texas’ most powerful figures after nine years engulfed by criminal charges, scandal and accusations of corruption. If convicted, Paxton — just the third official in Texas’ nearly 200-year history to be impeached —more

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Biden Heads to Florida to Survey Storm Damage; No DeSantis Meeting Set

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U.S. President Joe Biden heads to Florida on Saturday to survey damage caused by Hurricane Idalia and comfort people affected by the storm, but he will not be meeting Ron DeSantis, the state’s Republican governor and a potential presidential rival. Biden, a Democrat, told reporters on Friday he would see the governor during the trip, but DeSantis’s spokesman Jeremy Redfern said later that no meeting was planned and that “the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts.” DeSantis, 44, is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination to oustmore

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US Election Workers Getting Death Threats, Warnings They Will Be Lynched, Officials Say

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More than a dozen people nationally have been charged with threatening election workers by a Justice Department unit trying to stem the tide of violent and graphic threats against people who count and secure the vote. Government employees are being bombarded with threats even in normally quiet periods between elections, secretaries of state and experts warn. Some point to former President Donald Trump and his allies repeatedly and falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen and spreading conspiracy theories about election workers. Experts fear the 2024 election could be worse and want the federal government to do more to protectmore

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Proud Boy Convicted of Helping Spearhead Jan. 6 Attack Sentenced to 18 Years

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A one-time leader in the Proud Boys far-right extremist group has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, tying the record for the longest sentence in the attack. Ethan Nordean was one of several members convicted of spearheading an attack on the U.S. Capitol to try to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election. Nordean was “the undisputed leader on the ground on January 6,” said prosecutor Jason McCullough. Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence themore

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Tuition Discounts on the Rise, but Are They Going to Neediest Applicants?

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U.S. colleges often slash thousands of dollars off the “sticker price” to entice students to enroll. The more options a student has, the bigger the discount a college needs to offer. However, the savings have disproportionately gone to white and Asian applicants. “Put merit in quotation marks,” says one admissions official. “It’s not really about rewarding students for their wonderful performance in high school, as much as it is trying to change that student’s enrollment decision.” Read more from Jill Barshay in The Hechinger Report. (July 2023) …

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Indonesia Student Hopes Harvard Research Helps Her Home Country

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A doctoral student from Indonesia studying community well-being at Harvard University hopes to use her research to aid her country. Fairuziana, who uses a single name, is studying emotion regulation in youth mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries. Eventually, she’d like to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety in psychosis in youth. Read the full story at UNews. (July 2023)  …

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