Trump emphasizes ‘fair’ trade relations in call with India’s Modi, White House says

Trump emphasizes ‘fair’ trade relations in call with India’s Modi, White House says
US President Donald Trump pressed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "fair" trading ties in a call January 27, 2025, the White House said, as Trump continues to push his hardline trade agenda with world leaders. Trump however also discussed plans for a visit to the White House by Modi, the Hindu nationalist leader with whom he had close ties in his first term as president, a readout of the call said. (AFP)
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Updated 28 January 2025
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Trump emphasizes ‘fair’ trade relations in call with India’s Modi, White House says

Trump emphasizes ‘fair’ trade relations in call with India’s Modi, White House says
  • Leaders discussed expanding and deepening cooperation and regional issues, including security in Indo-Pacific, Middle East, Europe
  • Reuters reported last week Indian and US diplomats are trying to arrange a meeting of the two leaders as early as February

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump stressed the importance of India buying more American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship in a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, the White House said.
In what the White House called a “productive call,” the leaders discussed expanding and deepening cooperation and regional issues, including security in the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe.
They also discussed plans for Modi to visit the White House, “underscoring the strength of the friendship and strategic ties between our nations,” it said.
Reuters reported last week that Indian and USdiplomats are trying to arrange a meeting of the two leaders as early as February.
“The president emphasized the importance of India increasing its procurement of American-made security equipment and moving toward a fair bilateral trading relationship,” a White House statement said.
The United States is India’s largest trading partner and two-way trade between the two countries surpassed $118 billion in 2023/24, with India posting a trade surplus of $32 billion.
India, a strategic partner of the United States in its efforts to counter China, is keen to enhance trade with the US and make it easier for its citizens to get skilled worker visas.
The White House said both leaders emphasized their commitment to advancing the US-India strategic partnership and the Quad grouping that brings together the United States and India with Australia and Japan, with India to host Quad leaders later this year.
Foreign ministers of the Quad, who share concerns about China’s growing power, met last week in Washington the day after Trump’s return to office and recommitted to working together.
Earlier on Monday, Modi referred to Trump as a “dear friend” and said they were both “committed to a mutually beneficial and trusted partnership.”
“We will work together for the welfare of our people and toward global peace, prosperity, and security,” Modi said in a social-media post.


Musk says US govt workers must explain their work week or lose jobs

Musk says US govt workers must explain their work week or lose jobs
Updated 8 sec ago
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Musk says US govt workers must explain their work week or lose jobs

Musk says US govt workers must explain their work week or lose jobs
  • Trump’s administration has already begun firing many other federal workers who are on probationary status

WASHINGTON: Elon Musk, the billionaire adviser to Donald Trump, said Saturday that all federal employees must submit an accounting of their work week or else lose their jobs, hours after the president pushed for “more aggressive” moves to slash government spending and waste.
“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” said a post on X from Musk, whom Trump tapped to head the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk — the world’s richest person and Trump’s biggest donor — has led the effort to fire swaths of the federal workforce.
His X post did not elaborate on what was required in the work accounting, nor what the deadline would be.
Earlier Saturday, Trump said on his Truth Social platform that Musk was “doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive.”
“Remember, we have a country to save,” the Republican leader added.
Trump has put the tech entrepreneur in charge of DOGE, tasking him with slashing public spending and tackling waste and alleged corruption.
In the latest cuts announced Friday, the US Defense Department is to reduce its civilian workforce by at least five percent starting next week.
Trump’s administration has already begun firing many other federal workers who are on probationary status.
DOGE is a free-ranging entity run by Musk, though its cost-cutting spree has been met with pushback on several fronts and mixed court rulings.
A judge on Thursday denied a union bid to temporarily halt the firing of thousands of people.
Musk said this week he would work with Trump for as long as he “can be helpful,” as the pair dismissed concerns over possible conflicts of interest due to the tech tycoon’s government contracts.
Trump showered praise on Musk, the head of SpaceX and Tesla, in a Fox News interview, calling the billionaire “brilliant,” “honest” and a “very good, solid businessman.”
“If there’s any conflict, he will stop it. But if he didn’t, I’d stop it,” Trump said. “We’re talking about big stuff, but he’s under a pretty big microscope. I mean, everybody’s watching him.”
Musk said DOGE was publicizing its actions on its website and that the transparency would hold him accountable.
“The possibility of me getting away with something is zero percent,” Musk said. “I’m scrutinized to a ridiculous degree.”
Musk has also waded into the Ukraine conflict this week, attacking President Volodymyr Zelensky and claiming Ukrainians “despised” their president — reinforcing Trump’s criticism of the wartime leader.


Trump says US wants Ukraine aid ‘money back’

Trump says US wants Ukraine aid ‘money back’
Updated 9 min 23 sec ago
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Trump says US wants Ukraine aid ‘money back’

Trump says US wants Ukraine aid ‘money back’

NATIONAL HARBOR, United States: President Donald Trump on Saturday said he was trying to get money back for the billions of dollars sent to support Ukraine’s war against Russia, as Washington and Kyiv negotiate a mineral resources deal.
“I’m trying to get the money back, or secured,” Trump said. “I want them to give us something for all of the money that we put up.
“We’re asking for rare earth and oil, anything we can get.”


UN Security Council urges Rwanda forces to leave DR Congo

UN Security Council urges Rwanda forces to leave DR Congo
Updated 22 February 2025
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UN Security Council urges Rwanda forces to leave DR Congo

UN Security Council urges Rwanda forces to leave DR Congo
  • M23 movement advances on several fronts in a troubled region rich in natural resources

NEW YORK: M23 fighters advanced on several fronts in DR Congo’s volatile east as the UN Security Council, for the first time, called on Rwanda to stop backing the armed group and halt the bloodshed.

The M23 movement, supported by some 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, according to UN experts, now controls large swaths of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a troubled region rich in natural resources.
Its rapid advance has sent thousands fleeing.
Fighters took control of the South Kivu provincial capital, Bukavu, last Sunday, weeks after capturing Goma, the capital of North Kivu and the main city in the country’s east.
Friday’s unanimously adopted UN Security Council resolution “strongly condemns the ongoing offensive and advances of the M23 in North Kivu and South Kivu with the support of the Rwanda Defense Forces.”
It also “calls on the Rwanda Defense Forces to cease support to the M23 and immediately withdraw from DRC territory without preconditions.”
The Security Council had previously called for an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” by all parties, but on Friday, all countries, including the three African members, pointed the finger at Kigali.
Recent gains have given M23 control of Lake Kivu following its lightning offensive in the east. According to the UN, the latest fighting has led to an exodus of more than 50,000 Congolese to Burundi, Uganda, and other countries.
The EU on Friday summoned Rwanda’s ambassador to demand Kigali pull out troops from the country and stop backing the armed group.
In a call with Kenyan President William Ruto, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for an immediate ceasefire, saying there was “no military solution to the conflict,” according to a State Department spokesperson.
Since the fall of Bukavu, the Congolese armed forces have been retreating without offering significant resistance.
“Almost no Congolese soldiers are fighting,” an observer said Friday, adding that the “only ones still fighting are the Wazalendo” pro-Kinshasa militia.
The North Kivu city of Masisi and its surroundings “are the scene of almost daily clashes” between the M23 and Wazalendo, medical charity Doctors Without Borders said.
The M23 is now moving toward the town of Uvira near the Burundi border on the northwestern tip of Lake Tanganyika — the main exit route for fleeing Congolese soldiers.
A source in Uvira’s municipality said Friday the military commander had taken “measures to secure the population and their property, adding that “undisciplined elements had been arrested.”
Residents said that Uvira was engulfed in chaos, with hundreds of soldiers and their families crossing the town on foot to reach the port.
At least 423 inmates from Uvira prison have escaped, and armed men robbed the bishop.
On the northern front, which has been relatively stable since December, M23 fighters are just 14 km from Lubero, a strategic town. Some Congolese soldiers have fled Lubero, but others were seen looting shops, according to local sources.
“The Congolese soldiers we met along the way robbed us of our phones, money, and other belongings,” said Aline Nyota, a displaced person who left Lubero to go further north.
“If you hesitate, they shoot.”
The Congolese army spokesman in the region urged fleeing soldiers to return “to their authorities” and to “avoid looting, extortion and rape.”
Traders in central Lubero have removed their goods, and schools are closed. A relative calm returned on Thursday evening with the intervention of Ugandan troops deployed in the region as part of a joint operation with the Congolese army.
Analysts have questioned how the Ugandan army would react if it were to encounter M23 fighters.
UN experts accuse Kampala of maintaining relations with the M23 while seeking to protect its influence in the area.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday denied his troops intended to fight the M23.

 


Philippines welcomes removal from money laundering ‘grey list’

A customer counts Philippine peso after selling US dollars at a money changer in Manila on September 8, 2008. (AFP)
A customer counts Philippine peso after selling US dollars at a money changer in Manila on September 8, 2008. (AFP)
Updated 22 February 2025
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Philippines welcomes removal from money laundering ‘grey list’

A customer counts Philippine peso after selling US dollars at a money changer in Manila on September 8, 2008. (AFP)
  • Marcos last year also banned offshore gaming operators, known locally as POGOs, that were said to be used as fronts by organized crime groups for human trafficking, money laundering, online fraud, kidnappings and even murder

MANILA: The Philippines on Saturday praised its removal from a global financial “grey list” of countries under increased monitoring for money laundering and terrorism financing, a status that can hamper global financial transactions.
The Southeast Asia nation had been on the Financial Action Task Force list, which identifies countries “working with it to correct deficiencies in their financial systems,” since 2021.
“The (Financial Action Task Force) removed the Philippines from its increased monitoring following a successful on-site visit and updated its statements on ‘high-risk and other monitored jurisdictions’,” the Paris-based group said after a Friday vote at its annual plenary.

HIGHLIGHT

The move would provide relief for more than 2 million Filipinos who work overseas and send remittances home each year.

The FATF, an international organization that coordinates global efforts to crack down on money laundering and terrorism financing, includes representatives from nearly 40 countries including the United States, China and South Africa.
In a statement Saturday, the Anti-Money Laundering Council in Manila hailed the FATF decision as a “milestone” that would bring a litany of benefits.
“The Philippines’ exit from the FATF greylist is expected to facilitate faster and lower-cost cross-border transactions, reduce compliance barriers, and enhance financial transparency,” it said.
The move would also provide relief for more than two million Filipinos who work overseas and send remittances home each year, the council added.
It singled out President Ferdinand Marcos’ 2023 signing of an executive order targeting money laundering and “counter-terrorism financing” as having played a key role in the decision.
Marcos last year also banned offshore gaming operators, known locally as POGOs, that were said to be used as fronts by organized crime groups for human trafficking, money laundering, online fraud, kidnappings and even murder.
But rights groups have accused the government of filing “baseless” charges against civil society groups to improve its standing with the FATF.
“This move by FATF, we are afraid, will be taken as a stamp of approval by the government and will thus very likely embolden them to continue, even intensify, the harassment,” Human Rights Watch senior researcher Carlos Conde told AFP on Saturday.
“While we recognize the need to stamp out money laundering — and FATF did acknowledge the supposed improvements the Philippine government did in this regard — there clearly is a need for the government to adhere to international human rights standards as it pursues this campaign.”

 


Macron says knife attack in east France was “Islamist terrorism“

Macron says knife attack in east France was “Islamist terrorism“
Updated 22 February 2025
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Macron says knife attack in east France was “Islamist terrorism“

Macron says knife attack in east France was “Islamist terrorism“
  • A man attacked local police officers in the city of Mulhouse shouting “Allahu Akbar“
  • “It is without any doubt an act of Islamist terrorism,” Macron told reporters

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday a knife attack that killed one and injured three in eastern France on Saturday was “Islamist terrorism,” after France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office confirmed it was investigating the case.
A man attacked local police officers in the city of Mulhouse shouting “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest“) on Saturday afternoon, the PNAT prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

A passer-by was killed trying to intervene, while three police officers were injured, the prosecutor’s office added.
“It is without any doubt an act of Islamist terrorism,” Macron told reporters on the sidelines of the annual French farm show, adding that the interior minister was on his way to Mulhouse.
The suspect has been arrested, the prosecutor’s office said.