India’s Modi prevails over allies in cabinet line-up/node/2528251/world
India’s Modi prevails over allies in cabinet line-up
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures before his speech as he holds a letter by President Droupadi Murmu (not pictured) requesting him to form the country’s new government, at the presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on June 7, 2024. (AFP)
India’s Modi prevails over allies in cabinet line-up
Modi has retained all key cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new government
Modi’s BJP fell well short of majority mark on its own in election that ended this month
Updated 11 June 2024
Reuters
NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has retained all key cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new government, signalling that he still calls the shots despite having to rely on coalition allies for a majority in parliament.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell well short of the majority mark on its own in the election that ended this month, but the government announced there will be no change in personnel at the four senior-most ministries — finance, home affairs, defense and foreign affairs. The party also retained other key ministries like commerce and agriculture.
Delhi was abuzz with talk of haggling by the allies for key portfolios in the lead-up to Modi taking office for a rare third straight term, and analysts said there could be some anger over the cabinet choices but no immediate fall-out.
“He has managed to prevail over his allies to keep all the important portfolios to demonstrate continuity, and they seem to have gone along,” said Tarun Basu, director of the New Delhi-based Society for Policy Studies think tank.
“Despite this outward projection, there will inevitably be internal pulls and pressures within the coalition, though these may not come out in the public so quickly.”
Only 5 out of the 30 cabinet seats were given to the allies, in ministries including civil aviation, food processing, steel, animal husbandry, and small and medium enterprises.
The BJP won 240 of the 543 seats in the lower house of parliament in the election. The alliance it leads won a total of 293 seats, crossing the majority mark of 272 seats.
“We believe that the distribution of seats displays continuity at its best and equitable treatment of allies, which is a big plus,” PhillipCapital analyst Anjali Verma wrote in a note.
Aside from the Hindu nationalist BJP, the two main constituents of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are two regional parties focused on getting funds for their states, Andhra Pradesh in the south and Bihar in the east.
Andhra-based Telugu Desam Party did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bihar’s Janata Dal (United) said it had given its “unconditional support to the NDA government.”
“People are saying many things but we are not concerned about cabinet portfolio allocations as it’s a special prerogative of the prime minister,” said spokesperson Abhishek Jha.
“(But) we are hopeful of getting something special for Bihar’s development.”
The BJP said it respects its partners and their aspirations, but added that all the allies had given a free hand to Modi.
“It’s a pre-poll alliance and the plan for the next five years has been deliberated and discussed with everyone,” said BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam.
“The focus is to ensure there is momentum in the economy, and continuity is important. There is no condition for their support — they also want the economy to be accelerated, for lots of jobs to be created.”
The leaders of the allied parties, Chandrababu Naidu of Telugu Desam and Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal, are veteran politicians who are known to have views that could be at odds with the BJP and its agenda of muscular Hinduism.
“Modi will need to moderate his positions on certain ideological issues that do not align with the views of his allies ... who are past masters in coalition politics,” said Basu of Society for Policy Studies.
“These leaders ... are bound to have their pound of flesh although they may not be vocal about their differences unless they reach a stand-off point.”
Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges including Columbia and Berkeley
Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism amid protests against Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza
Updated 17 sec ago
AP
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five US universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It’s part of President Donald Trump’s promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than former President Joe Biden’s administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. The new investigations were opened the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department’s power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of its investigations, which stem from complaints.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating “toothless” resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
“Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses,” said Craig Trainor, the agency’s acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn’t provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism amid protests against Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza. The searing hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia’s Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern’s negotiations with student protesters a “stunning capitulation.”
Since the outcry over the campus protests, universities say they have taken several steps to address antisemitism.
At Northwestern, that includes updates to the Student Code of Conduct and disciplinary procedures and investing in public safety, spokesman Jon Yates said in an email. “Free expression and academic freedom are among our core values, but we have made clear that these values provide no excuse for behavior that threatens the well-being of others,” Yates said.
Columbia has strengthened and clarified its discipline process, a statement said, and its interim president, Katrina Armstrong, has strengthened the Public Safety Office and established an Office of Institutional Equity to address discrimination and harassment. “Columbia strongly condemns antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we are resolute that calling for, promoting, or glorifying violence or terror has no place at our University,” the university’s statement said.
The new investigation, Portland State spokeswoman Katy Swordfisk pointed out, “is not in itself evidence of any violation,” since the Department of Education apparently initiated it without receiving a complaint from someone at the university. Portland State plans to cooperate with the department. “The university continues to support and engage with efforts to combat antisemitism and mitigate the impact of hate and bias,” Swordfisk said in an email.
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Rep. Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was “glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students.”
Trump’s order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week’s order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
“The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found,” said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. “The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump’s renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools.”
Trump and Musk’s move to dismantle USAID ignites battle with Democratic lawmakers
USAID should have been shut “done a long time ago,” said Trump, whose freeze order on foreign aid in 120 countries has led thousands of people to lose their jobs
Created in 1961 at the height of the Cold War, USAID humanitarian programs had been credited for saving more than millions of lives worldwide
Democrats accuse Trump of causing a constitutional crisis and Elon Musk of acting like a fourth branch of government in the US
Updated 30 min 36 sec ago
AP
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration and billionaire ally Elon Musk's move to eradicate the agency that provides crucial aid that funds education and fights starvation, epidemic and poverty overseas, has sparked a showdown with congressional Democrats, who blasted the effort as illegal and vowed a court fight.
In one of the most dramatic efforts to push back on President Donald Trump’s bid to slash and reshape the federal government, some Democrats sought Monday to enter the headquarters of the US Agency for International Development. They were blocked by officers from even broaching the lobby, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was the acting administrator of the agency despite it being an independent body for six decades.
While Trump has spent the first three weeks of his new presidency making broad changes to the federal government, the fast-moving developments at USAID have emerged as a particularly controversial flashpoint with Democrats who argue it symbolizes the massive power Musk is wielding over Washington.
“Spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper,” Musk boasted on X.
In the space of a few weeks, in fact, much of the agency was dismantled — work and spending ordered stopped, leadership and staff gutted by furloughs, firings and disciplinary leaves, and the website taken offline. Lawmakers said the agency’s computer servers were carted away.
Trump told reporters Monday that shutting down USAID “should have been done a long time ago.” Asked whether he needs Congress to approve such a measure, the president said he did not think so.
Congressional Democrats, cheered by a few hundred supporters, vowed to act outside USAID headquarters, where federal officers and yellow tape blocked both employees and lawmakers from entering hours after Musk declared, “We’re shutting it down.”
“This is a constitutional crisis we are in today,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said.
Added Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin: “We don’t have a fourth branch of government called Elon Musk. And that’s going to become real clear.”
Showing the extraordinary power of Musk and his budget-slashing Department of Government Efficiency, thousands of USAID employees have been laid off and programs shut down around the world in the two weeks since Trump became president and imposed a sweeping freeze on foreign assistance.
The US is the world’s largest provider of humanitarian aid, and the moves have upended decades of US policy that put humanitarian, development and security assistance in the center of efforts to build alliances and counter adversaries such as China and Russia. Trump, Musk and Republicans in Congress have made the US foreign assistance program a special target, accusing it of waste and advancing liberal social programs.
The US spends less than 1 percent of its budget on foreign assistance, a smaller share overall than some other countries. Trump accused the Biden administration of fraud, without giving any evidence and only promising a report later on.
“They went totally crazy, what they were doing and the money they were giving to people that shouldn’t be getting it and to agencies and others that shouldn’t be getting it, it was a shame, so a tremendous fraud,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Democrats push back
Lawmakers sought to enter USAID offices in Washington, saying they wanted to speak to any staffers remaining about the dismantling of the agency. Department of Homeland Security officers and men identifying themselves as USAID employees blocked them. “Elon Musk’s not here,” one told the lawmakers.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland called it an “illegal power grab” and said it was “a corrupt abuse of power that is going on.”
“It’s not only a gift to our adversaries, but trying to shut down the Agency for International Development by executive order is plain illegal,” he said.
Democrats said court challenges already were in the works and pledged to try to block approval of Trump’s State Department nominations until the shutdown is reversed. Democrats are in the minority in the House and Senate after last November’s elections, leaving them with reduced leverage.
Musk announced the closing of the agency early Monday as Rubio was out of the country on a trip to Central America.
Rubio told reporters in San Salvador that he was now the acting administrator of USAID but had delegated his authority to someone else. In a letter to lawmakers obtained by The Associated Press, Rubio designated Peter Marocco, a political appointee whose short stint at USAID in the first Trump administration generated unusual staff protests for pushing program cuts and investigations that ambassadors and other senior officials complained slowed work to a crawl.
In his remarks, Rubio stressed that some and perhaps many USAID programs would continue in the new configuration but that the switch was necessary because the agency had become unaccountable to the executive branch and Congress. USAID’s work worldwide
Conservative Republicans have long sought to roll back USAID’s status as an independent agency, while Democrats traditionally back its status as an independent agency. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 at the height of the United States’ Cold War struggle with the Soviet Union, seeking a more efficient way to counter Soviet influence abroad through foreign assistance, and viewing the State Department as frustratingly bureaucratic at that.
The Trump freeze on foreign assistance and targeting of USAID, which oversees humanitarian, development and security programs in some 120 countries, has forced US and international companies to shut down tens of thousands of programs globally, leading to furloughs, layoffs and financial crises.
That includes an HIV/AIDS program started by Republican President George W. Bush credited with saving more than 20 million lives in Africa and elsewhere. Aid contractors spoke of millions of dollars in medication and other goods now stuck in port that they were forbidden to deliver.
Other programs that would shut down provided education to schoolgirls in Afghanistan under Taliban rule and monitored an Ebola outbreak spreading in Uganda. A USAID-supported crisis monitoring program, which was credited for helping prevent repeats of the 1980s famine in Uganda that killed up to 1.2 million people, has gone offline.
Other organizations have filed for bankruptcy or are facing it after being told USAID would not be paying its invoices for projects that have already been approved and implemented around the world.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said USAID is not just about saving other countries from starvation and disease. “There is a reason that USAID is an arm of American foreign policy, and it is because we understand that a stable world means a stable America,” he said. Latest hit to USAID
USAID staffers said more than 600 additional employees had reported being locked out of the agency’s computer systems overnight. Those still in the system received emails saying that “at the direction of Agency leadership” the headquarters building “will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, Feb. 3.” The agency’s website vanished Saturday without explanation.
Musk is leading an extraordinary civilian review of the federal government with Trump’s agreement. The day began with Musk announcing on a live session of X Spaces that he had spoken with Trump at length about the agency and “he agreed we should shut it down.”
“It became apparent that it’s not an apple with a worm it in,” Musk said in a live session on X Spaces early Monday. “What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.”
Since Trump took office, appointees brought in from his first term like Marocco placed more than 50 senior officials on leave for investigation without public explanation, gutting the agency’s leadership. When the agency’s personnel chief announced that the allegations against them were groundless and tried to reinstate them, he was placed on leave as well.
Over the weekend, the Trump administration placed two top security chiefs at USAID on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Musk’s government-inspection teams, a current and a former US official said.
Musk’s DOGE earlier carried out a similar operation at the Treasury Department, gaining access to sensitive information including the Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems. The Washington Post reported that a senior Treasury official had resigned over Musk’s team accessing sensitive information.
Trump trade threats overshadow European defense meet
The trade threats from the White House add an unwelcome new layer to the already complex challenge of bolstering European defenses — faced with a menacing Russia and the spectre of Washington pulling back
Trump has vowed to bring a quick end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, leaving Europeans fearful he could sideline them and force Kyiv into a bad deal
Updated 04 February 2025
AFP
BRUSSELS, Belgium: The threat of a transatlantic trade war loomed large Monday over a gathering of European leaders aimed at boosting the continent’s defenses in the face of an aggressive Russia.
The EU’s 27 leaders, Britain’s prime minister and the head of NATO were in Brussels to brainstorm ways to ramp up European defense spending — a key demand that President Donald Trump has made to America’s allies.
But it was Trump’s repeated threat to target Europe “soon” — after having ordered tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China — that set the meeting’s tone.
“If we are attacked in terms of trade, Europe — as a true power — will have to stand up for itself and therefore react,” French President Emmanuel Macron warned.
The tough talk — which came before Trump temporarily backed down after talks with Canada and Mexico — mirrored the message from the European Commission, which said the EU would “respond firmly” to any US tariffs.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, labelled trade wars “totally unnecessary and stupid.”
“There are no winners in trade wars,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
Trade aside, Trump has rattled US allies with a series of direct threats — not least his insistence that he wants to acquire strategically important Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reiterated in Brussels that the Arctic island was “not for sale.”
The trade threats from the White House add an unwelcome new layer to the already complex challenge of bolstering European defenses — faced with a menacing Russia and the spectre of Washington pulling back.
Trump has made clear Europe can no longer take US protection for granted, insisting that NATO countries more than double their defense spending target to five percent of their total economic output — a goal out of reach for many.
He has also vowed to bring a quick end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, leaving Europeans fearful he could sideline them and force Kyiv into a bad deal.
NATO chief Mark Rutte insisted the trade tensions would not weaken the alliance’s collective deterrence.
“There are always issues between allies — it is never always tranquil and happy going,” he said.
European nations have ramped up their military budgets since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the all-out invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.
But EU officials concede they are still not arming themselves fast enough as warnings grow that Moscow could attack one of their own in the coming years.
There is widespread consensus across Europe on the need to spend more on defense, with Brussels estimating the needs at 500 billion euros ($510 billion) over a decade.
But the question remains how to do it.
Key dividing lines revolve around the way to fund investments, whether EU cash should be spent only on EU arms, and NATO’s role.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen after the talks suggested relaxing EU budget rules for defense and getting the bloc’s lending arm to work more with weapons producers.
On the crunch issue of calls for possible joint borrowing, there appeared no clear movement.
But von der Leyen indicated the EU could potentially look to use it to fund common projects in crucial areas such as air defense.
The leaders’ discussion is now set to feed into proposals being drawn up by Brussels next month on the future of EU defense — before another round of talks on the issue in June.
As doubts swirl over the transatlantic relationship, many were keen to step up ties with an old friend: Britain.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was back in the fold — at least for one dinner — as the first UK leader to attend a European Council gathering since the country withdrew from the EU five years ago.
Starmer said he wanted to work with EU leaders to “crush Putin’s war machine” by further targeting Russia’s economy.
The British leader, who has sought to reset relations after the rancour of Brexit, said he wanted to strike a “ambitious” security partnership with the EU.
That could bring Britain, with its potent military and large defense industry, a little closer — with security cooperation to top the agenda at an EU-UK summit planned for May.
But the bitter legacy of Brexit remains.
Numerous EU diplomats said there cannot be progress until a dispute over fishing rights is resolved and London drops its opposition to a youth mobility scheme proposed by Brussels.
Trump pauses tariffs on Mexico and Canada, but not China
Mexico agreed to reinforce its northern border with 10,000 National Guard members to stem the flow of illegal migration and drugs
Trump suggested on Sunday the 27-nation European Union would be his next target, but did not say when
Updated 04 February 2025
Reuters
MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON/OTTAWA: US President Donald Trump suspended his threat of steep tariffs on Mexico and Canada on Monday, agreeing to a 30-day pause in return for concessions on border and crime enforcement with the two neighboring countries.
US tariffs on China are still due to take effect within hours.
Both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said they had agreed to bolster border enforcement efforts in response to Trump’s demand to crack down on immigration and drug smuggling. That would pause 25 percent tariffs due to take effect on Tuesday for 30 days.
Canada agreed to deploy new technology and personnel along its border with the United States and launch cooperative efforts to fight organized crime, fentanyl smuggling and money laundering.
Mexico agreed to reinforce its northern border with 10,000 National Guard members to stem the flow of illegal migration and drugs.
The United States also made a commitment to prevent trafficking of high-powered weapons to Mexico, Sheinbaum said.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Trump pauses tariffs on Mexico and Canada
• Mexico, Canada to bolster border enforcement
• EU leaders meet to discuss tariff threat response
“As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that. I am very pleased with this initial outcome,” Trump said on social media.
The agreements forestall, for now, the onset of a trade war that economists predicted would damage the economies of all involved and usher in higher prices for consumers.
After speaking by phone with both leaders, Trump said he would try to negotiate economic agreements over the coming month with the two largest US trading partners, whose economies have become tightly intertwined with the United States since a landmark free-trade deal was struck in the 1990s.
CHINA TARIFFS STILL PLANNED
No such deal has emerged for China, which faces across-the-board tariffs of 10 percent that are poised to begin at 12:01 a.m. ET on Tuesday (0501 GMT). A White House spokesperson said Trump would not be speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping until later in the week.
Trump warned he might increase tariffs on Beijing further.
“China hopefully is going to stop sending us fentanyl, and if they’re not, the tariffs are going to go substantially higher,” he said.
China has called fentanyl America’s problem and said it would challenge the tariffs at the World Trade Organization and take other countermeasures, but also left the door open for talks.
The latest twist in the saga sent the Canadian dollar soaring after slumping to its lowest in more than two decades. The news also gave US stock index futures a lift after a day of losses on Wall Street.
Industry groups, fearful of disrupted supply chains, welcomed the pause.
“That’s very encouraging news,” said Chris Davison, who heads a trade group of Canadian canola producers. “We have a highly integrated industry that benefits both countries.”
Trump suggested on Sunday the 27-nation European Union would be his next target, but did not say when.
EU leaders at an informal summit in Brussels on Monday said Europe would be prepared to fight back if the US imposes tariffs, but also called for reason and negotiation. The US is the EU’s largest trade and investment partner.
Trump hinted that Britain, which left the EU in 2020, might be spared tariffs.
Trump acknowledged over the weekend that his tariffs could cause some short-term pain for US consumers, but says they are needed to curb immigration and narcotics trafficking and spur domestic industries.
The tariffs as originally planned would cover almost half of all US imports and would require the United States to more than double its own manufacturing output to cover the gap — an unfeasible task in the near term, ING analysts wrote.
Other analysts said the tariffs could throw Canada and Mexico into recession and trigger “stagflation” — high inflation, stagnant growth and elevated unemployment — at home.
Pakistan threatens to deport Afghans in resettlement programs if cases are not swiftly processed
An estimated 800,000 Afghans have either gone back voluntarily or been deported since despite criticism from UN agencies, rights groups and the Taliban
Updated 04 February 2025
AP
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan threatened to deport Afghan refugees awaiting relocation unless their cases are swiftly processed by host governments, officials said Monday.
Tens of thousands of Afghans fled to neighboring Pakistan after the Taliban took over in 2021 and were approved for resettlement in the US through a program that helps people at risk because of their work with the American government, media, aid agencies and rights groups. However, after US President Donald Trump paused US refugee programs last month, around 20,000 Afghans are now in limbo in Pakistan.
The Trump administration also announced the US Refugee Admissions Program would be suspended from Jan. 27 for at least three months, fueling concerns amid Pakistani authorities.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided last week that the refugees would be deported back to Afghanistan unless their cases were processed quickly, according to two security officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to the media on the record.
The two also said March 31 has been set as a deadline to expel Afghan refugees from the capital, Islamabad, and the nearby city of Rawalpindi in preparation for their deportation if they are not relocated to their host countries.
There was no immediate response from Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs.
News about forced deportations has panicked many Afghan nationals who fear for their lives if sent back home.
Ahmad Shah, a member of the Afghan US Refugee Admission Program advocacy group, told The Associated Press that the latest decision by Pakistan comes at a very critical time as Afghan refugees in general and those seeking resettlement are already under emotional stress and trauma.
He asked Pakistan to seek answers from the United States and other countries “if and when they will begin completing the process” for their relocation.
“We appeal to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif not to be deported like this,” said Khalid Khan who has been waiting for relocation to the United States since 2023.
Khan said some Afghans prepared to leave Islamabad and move to other cities to avoid arrest. He also urged the host countries to expedite their cases.
Another Afghan refugee who lives in Islamabad with his family, and who refused to be identified because he is worried about the Taliban reprisals and arrest by Pakistan, urged Trump to revive the refugee program “in the name of humanity.”
Besides those living in Pakistan and the thousands awaiting travel to host countries, there are around 1.45 million Afghan nationals registered with UNHCR as refugees. Their stay has been extended until June.
Pakistan started a crackdown on foreigners who are in the country without proper documentation in November 2023. An estimated 800,000 Afghans have either gone back voluntarily or been deported since despite criticism from UN agencies, rights groups and the Taliban.
The two officials said the crackdown will continue in the coming months.
Last month, Amnesty International expressed its concern over “reports of arbitrary detention and harassment of Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers by law enforcement agencies in Islamabad.”
