British minister resigns over overseas aid cut/node/2592004/world
British minister resigns over overseas aid cut
Anneliese Britain's Minister for Development at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and women and Equalities Minister Anneliese Dodds leaves after attending a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in central London on February 11, 2025. (AFP)
In her letter, Dodds said she backed the need for higher defense spending and knew that the aid budget might have to pay for some of that increase
Updated 01 March 2025
AP
LONDON: The British minister responsible for international development quit on Friday after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision earlier this week to ramp up defense spending by slashing the foreign aid budget.
In a letter to Starmer, which she posted on social media, Anneliese Dodds resigned as international development minister and minister for women, saying there were “no easy paths” to increasing defense spending but that she disagreed with the decision to cut overseas aid.
On Tuesday, Starmer said the government would raise UK defense spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2027 from the current 2.3 percent, saying Europe is in a new era of insecurity that requires a “generational response.”
The increase would be funded by reducing the aid budget from 0.5 percent of GDP to 0.3 percent, a decision that Starmer described as “very difficult and painful.”
In her letter, Dodds said she backed the need for higher defense spending and knew that the aid budget might have to pay for some of that increase.
But she said the scale of the cut was so big it will “remove food and health care from desperate people” and “deeply” harm the UK’s reputation.
“You have maintained that you want to continue support for Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine; for vaccination; for climate; and for rules-based systems,” said Dodds, who attended Cabinet meetings.
“Yet it will be impossible to maintain these priorities given the depth of the cut; the effect will be far greater than presented.”
The increase in defense spending has been sharply criticized by aid agencies, who said it harmed some of the world’s poorest people and reduced Britain’s soft power.
In her letter, Dodds said she held back from resigning earlier this week when the cut to the aid budget was announced as it was “imperative” Starmer had “a united Cabinet” behind him ahead of his trip to Washington.
Millions of Muslims in Indonesia mark the start of the holy month of Ramadan
Updated 56 min 51 sec ago
AP
JAKARTA: Muslims in Indonesia are shopping for sweets and new clothes and taking part in traditional festivities as millions observe the holy month of Ramadan, which started on Saturday.
Celebrations in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country range from colorful nighttime parades and cleaning family graves to preparing food for predawn breakfasts and elaborate post-sundown meals known as “iftars.”
Each region in the vast archipelago nation of 17,000 islands has its own way to mark the start of Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset for the whole month.
Even a tiny sip of water or a puff of smoke is enough to invalidate the fast. At night, family and friends gather and feast in a festive atmosphere.
Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar announced on Friday that Ramadan will begin on Saturday, after the sighting of the crescent moon was confirmed by Islamic astronomy observers in Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh.
Shortly after the announcement, mosques flooded with devotees offering evening prayers known as “tarawih” on the first eve of Ramadan. In Jakarta’s Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, tens of thousands of worshippers crammed together shoulder-to-shoulder.
The daylong fasting is aimed at bringing the faithful closer to God and reminding them of the suffering of the poor. Muslims are expected to strictly observe daily prayers and engage in heightened religious contemplation. They are also urged to refrain from gossip, fighting or cursing during the holy month. Flares, drums and tradition
Samsul Anwar, his wife and their 8-year-old nephew were among hundreds of people taking part in a torchlight parade along the streets of their neighborhood in Tangerang, a city just outside the capital of Jakarta, on Wednesday after evening prayers.
They carried torches, lit flares and played Islamic songs accompanied by the beat of rebana, the Arabic handheld percussion instrument, as they walked along the cramped streets of the densely populated neighborhood.
“Every year we welcome Ramadan with a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation,” said Anwar.
Chinese Indonesian communities also participated in the parade by performing the vibrant “barongsai” or “lion dance,” a prominent part of Chinese New Year celebration, to the sound of drums and trumpets.
The barongsai performance “was also held to show unity between the religious communities of Chinese and Muslim, aiming to increase religious tolerance,” Anwar said. Cost of living anxieties
It’s also an exciting time for business. Hotels, restaurants and cafes all prepare special Ramadan promotions, and shoppers flock to shopping centers for new clothes and home decorations for the holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Children often receive new clothes and gifts.
However, some Muslims worry how they will cope financially during Ramadan this year amid soaring prices.
“Everything to do with cooking is rising (in cost) day by day,” said Asih Mulyawati, a mother of two who lives in Jakarta’s outskirt of Tangerang. “I worry this situation will impact Ramadan celebrations.”
Despite soaring food prices in the past month, popular markets such as Tanah Abang in Jakarta were teeming with shoppers buying clothes, shoes, cookies and sweets before the holiday.
Indonesia’s Trade Ministry has said prices of imported staple foods including wheat, sugar, beef and soybeans have increased sharply this year as a result of rising global commodity prices and supply chain disruptions.
But many people say the rise in prices not only impacts imported foods but also local commodities like rice, eggs, chili, palm oil and onions. Many also blame the government for rising gas and electricity prices.
“The current gloomy economic situation and extreme weather recently also contribute to the soaring prices and the weakening of people’s purchasing power,” said Heru Tatok, a trader in Jakarta’s Pasar Senen market.
Trump administration approves major nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel
State Department said it had signed off on the sale of more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads
Updated 01 March 2025
AP
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has approved a major nearly $3 billion arms sale to Israel, bypassing a normal congressional review to provide the country with more of the 2,000-pound bombs that it has used in the war against Hamas in Gaza.
In a series of notifications sent to Congress late Friday, the State Department said it had signed off on the sale of more than 35,500 MK 84 and BLU-117 bombs and 4,000 Predator warheads worth $2.04 billion.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio “has determined and provided detailed justification that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and defense services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements,” the department said.
Deliveries are set to begin next year, it said.
Using the same justification, the department also said Rubio had approved another munitions sale to Israel worth $675.7 million to be delivered starting in 2028.
In addition, it said Rubio had approved the emergency sale of D9R and D9T Caterpillar bulldozers worth $295 million.
What Trump’s order making English the official language in the US could mean
Designating English as the national language “promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement,” according to the White House
Of more than 350 languages spoken in the US, English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Arabic and the most widely spoken
Updated 01 March 2025
AP
As President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States, activists and advocacy groups are alarmed by what that will mean for non-English speakers when it comes to immigration, voter access and other issues.
The order, which was announced Friday, will allow government agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in languages other than English, according to a fact sheet. The move rescinds a mandate from former President Bill Clinton that required the government and organizations that received federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers.
Designating English as the national language “promotes unity, establishes efficiency in government operations, and creates a pathway for civic engagement,” according to the White House. But some activists and organizations think the move is just another way for the president to stoke division and fear.
“This isn’t just an offensive gesture that sticks a thumb in the eye of millions of US citizens who speak other languages, but also will directly harm those who have previously relied on language assistance for vital information,” Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice, an advocacy group for immigration reform, said in an email. What does it mean to have an official language?
According to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, an official language is what is used by the government to conduct official, day-to-day business. Having one or more official languages can help define a nation’s character and the cultural identity of those who live in it.
Prioritizing one language may place certain people in position of power and exclude others whose language is not recognized, according to the institute.
US English, a group that advocates for making English the official language in the United States, believes having an official language provides a common means of communication, encourages immigrants to learn English to use government services and “defines a much-needed common sense language policy.”
Currently there are more than 350 languages spoken in the United States, according to US Census Bureau data. The most widely spoken languages other than English are Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Arabic.
People in the US also speak Native North American languages such as Navajo, Yupik, Dakota, Apache, Keres and Cherokee, among others. Potential impact on citizenship and voting
Anabel Mendoza, the communications director for United We Dream, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization, said limiting the language of federal communication will make it harder for people to become citizens if they are denied the ability to speak their native tongue throughout the process. Currently, people of certain age and residency requirements can qualify for a waiver to do the citizenship test and interview in their native language.
“Trump is trying to send the message that if you’re not white, rich and speak English you don’t belong here,” Mendoza said. “Let me be clear: Immigrants are here to stay. No matter how hard Trump tries, he can’t erase us.”
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus announced Friday that New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, caucus chair, will deliver, on behalf of Democrats, the official Spanish-language response to Trump’s upcoming joint address to Congress.
George Carrillo, co-founder & CEO of the Hispanic Construction Council, said it seems like a step backwards in a country that has championed its diversity. He is also concerned how limiting governmental communication might affect US territories such as Puerto Rico where the predominant language is Spanish.
“This executive order, while framed as promoting unity, risks dismantling critical supports like ESL programs and multilingual resources that help immigrants adapt and contribute,” Carrillo said. “Imagine families navigating health care or legal systems without materials in a language they understand, it’s a barrier, not a bridge.”
APIAVote, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on registering Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, also expressed worry this could mean barriers for millions of voters such as naturalized citizens or elderly residents who aren’t English-proficient.
“It will make it harder for them to participate civically and vote, as well as access critical health care, economic and education resources,” the group said in a statement.
Furthermore, the organization says this action could make anyone who speaks another language a target.
“The exclusionary nature of this policy will only fuel xenophobia and discrimination at a time when anti-Asian hate and hate against other minority and immigrant groups are rising.” States that have English as the official language
More than 30 states, from California to New Hampshire, as well as the US Virgin Islands have already passed laws designating English as their official language, according to US English. Hawaii is the only state to declare two official languages, English and Hawaiian.
For decades, lawmakers in Congress have introduced legislation to designate English as the official language, but those efforts failed. The most recent effort was in 2023, when Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and JD Vance, R-Ohio, introduced the English Language Unity Act. Vance is now vice president. How many countries have official languages?
It is estimated that over 170 countries have an official language, with some having more than one language.
Mexico does not have an official language. In Canada the official languages are English and French. According to Canada’s Official Languages Act of 1969, the purpose of designating two languages ensures “the equality of status” and protecting linguistic minorities “while taking into account the fact that they have different needs.”
Top Democrat accuses Trump, Vance of ’doing Putin’s dirty work’ as Ukraine backers lament White House blowout
While some key Republicans hoped the deal would revive American support for Kyiv, those who are opposed to Ukraine aid said Trump and Vance did the right thing
Updated 01 March 2025
AP
WASHINGTON: US Democratic lawmakers rushed to the defense of Volodymyr Zelensky following Friday’s blowup at the White House that saw President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance painting the Ukrainian president as “disrespectful” and anti-peace.
Top Democrats said it was proof that Trump is playing into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (New York) said.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York) described the meeting as “appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator.”
“The United States must not reward Russian aggression and continue to appease Putin,” he added.
For Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the meeting ”was a planned ambush designed to embarrass President Zelensky in order to benefit Vladimir Putin.“
”That was an embarrassment. That was an abomination. What you watched was American power being destroyed in the world as everybody watches President Trump become a lapdog for a brutal dictator in Moscow,” he said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut hoped that the talks “can be resumed or restored, and this event won’t derail continued support.”
“I have very strong hopes that the coalition we have in Congress — and it is a very strong bipartisan coalition — will be persuasive to the administration and others that we have a long-term national security interest in Ukraine prevailing over Putin’s brazen aggression.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said: “Answer to Vance: Zelensky has thanked our country over and over again both privately and publicly. And our country thanks HIM and the Ukrainian patriots who have stood up to a dictator, buried their own & stopped Putin from marching right into the rest of Europe. Shame on you.”
Losing support
Zelensky had traveled to Washington to sign a deal that would give the US access to its mineral riches as Trump attempts to pressure Ukraine into a deal to end the war with Russia. Although support for Ukraine has waned among GOP congressional members in the three years since Russia invaded, key Republicans hoped the deal would revive American support for Kyiv.
Instead, the fallout from a heated Oval Office exchange between Trump, Zelensky and Vance has many Republicans — even those who previously backed Ukraine — scolding Zelensky. For other GOP lawmakers who have long criticized US support for Ukraine, the exchange was an opportunity to laud Trump for berating Ukraine’s leader.
Here’s what Republican leaders are saying as the future of Ukraine hangs in the balance:
Republicans who have supported Ukraine in the past
Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina: Graham called the meeting a “complete, utter disaster” and said he’s “never been more proud” of Trump. “What I saw in the Oval office was disrespectful and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again.”
Secretary Of State Marco Rubio: “Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!”
House Republican Leader Steve Scalise, Louisiana: “President Trump is fighting for PEACE around the world and is putting America First as our best negotiator — he’s the only one to get Russia to the table to consider a serious and lasting peace agreement with Ukraine.”
Rep. Don BacoN, Nebraska: “A bad day for America’s foreign policy. Ukraine wants independence, free markets and rule of law. It wants to be part of the West. Russia hates us and our Western values. We should be clear that we stand for freedom.”
Rep. Mike Lawler, New York: “Diplomacy is tough and often times there are serious differences of opinion and heated exchanges behind closed doors. Having this spill out into public view was a disaster — especially for Ukraine.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania: “It was heartbreaking to witness the turn of events that transpired in today’s meeting regarding Ukraine’s future. It is time to put understandable emotions aside and come back to the negotiation table.”
Republicans who are opposed to Ukraine aid
Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri: “Remember: the US Senate has repeatedly and for years voted BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to Ukraine with no strings attached and with no true oversight. It’s time for some ACCOUNTABILITY.”
Sen. Mike Lee, Utah: “Thank you for standing up for OUR COUNTRY and putting America first, President Trump and Vice President Vance!”
Sen. Roger Marshall, Kansas: “Not another penny.”
Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona: “Dictator Zelensky had the audacity to disrespect President @realDonaldTrump and VP @JDVance during what should have been a friendly meeting, and @POTUS rightfully showed him the door. This is the leadership America has craved for four years.”
Ukrainians rally around Zelensky as defender of Ukraine’s interests after White House blowout
Many Ukrainians on Friday seemed unfazed by the blowout between Zelensky and Tru
Backers praised his commitment to acting in Ukraine’s national interest, even if it meant coming into conflict with the US president
Updated 01 March 2025
AP
KYIV, Ukraine: Soon after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left the White House on Friday after an astonishing Oval Office blowout with President Donald Trump, Ukrainians rallied around Zelensky as a defender of his country’s interests.
The shouting match that unfolded in the final minutes of the highly anticipated meeting between the two leaders seemed to dash, at least for now, Ukrainian hopes that the United States could be locked in as a reliable partner in helping fend off, and conclude, Russia’s three-year onslaught.
The exchange, which saw a frustrated Zelensky lectured by Trump and Vice President JD Vance over what they saw as his lack of gratitude for previous US support, delighted officials in Moscow, who saw it as a final breakdown in relations between Washington and the Ukrainian leader. Many Ukrainians unfazed by the row
But many Ukrainians on Friday seemed unfazed by the blowout between Zelensky and Trump, expressing a sense that the Ukrainian leader had stood up for their country’s dignity and interests by firmly maintaining his stance in the face of chiding from some of the world’s most powerful men.
Nataliia Serhiienko, 67, a retiree in Kyiv, said she thinks Ukrainians approve of their president’s performance in Washington, “because Zelensky fought like a lion.”
“They had a heated meeting, a very heated conversation,” she said. But Zelensky “was defending Ukraine’s interests.”
The meeting at the White House was meant to produce a bilateral agreement that would establish a joint investment fund for reconstructing Ukraine, a deal that was seen as a potential step toward bringing an end to the war and tying the two countries’ economies together for years to come.
But as Zelensky and his team departed the White House at Trump’s request, the deal went unsigned, and Ukraine’s hopes for securing US security backing seemed farther away than ever.
Yet as the Ukrainian leader was set to return to Kyiv empty handed, his support at home seemed undiminished.
Regional Ukrainian leader says president ‘held strong’
As two drones struck Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv on Friday night, the head of the region which sits on the border with Russia, Oleh Syniehubov, praised Zelensky. He said the president held strong to his insistence that no peace deal could be made without assurances for Ukraine’s security against future Russian aggression.
“Our leader, despite the pressure, stands firm in defending the interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians. … We need only a just peace with security guarantees,” Syniehubov said.
Kyiv resident Artem Vasyliev, 37, said he had seen “complete disrespect” from the United States in the Oval Office exchange, despite the fact that Ukraine “was the first country that stood up to Russia.”
“We are striving for democracy, and we are met with total disrespect, toward our warriors, our soldiers, and the people of our country,” said Vasyliev, a native of Russian-occupied Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.
Vasyliev criticized the US president for what he said was a failure to recognize the human cost of Russia’s invasion, saying Trump “doesn’t understand that people are dying, that cities are being destroyed, people are suffering, mothers, children, soldiers.”
“He cannot understand this, he is just a businessman. For him, money is sacred,” he said. Broad praise for Zelensky on social media
Ukrainian social media was awash in praise for Zelensky late Friday, with officials on the national, regional and local level chiming in to voice their support for their leader.
The outpouring resembled a recent surge in Ukrainian unity after Trump denigrated Zelensky by making false claims that Ukraine was led by a “dictator” who started the war with Russia — comments that led some of the Ukrainian president’s harshest critics to rally around him.
Oleksandr Prokudin, head of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, which was mostly occupied by Russia early in the war but later partially retaken by Ukrainian forces, said three years of war had hardened his countrymen to the ups and downs of the fight to survive.
“We know what pressure is, on the front lines, in politics, in daily struggle,” Prokudin said. “It has made us stronger. It has made the president stronger. Determination is the force that drives us forward. And I am confident that we will endure this time as well.”
Trump’s administration cast the heated exchange with Zelensky as part of its “America First” policy and slammed the Ukrainian leader for a perceived lack of gratitude for US assistance.
But Zelensky’s backers in Ukraine praised his commitment to acting in Ukraine’s national interest — even if it meant coming into conflict with the president of the United States.
“Unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s interests and devotion to his country. This is what we saw today in the United States. Support for the President of Ukraine,” Vice Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba wrote on Telegram Friday.
Not all of Ukraine’s political figures, however, were as full-throated in their praise for how the Oval Office meeting concluded. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that he hoped “that Ukraine does not lose the support of the United States, which is extremely important to us.”
“Today is not the time for emotions, from either side. We need to find common ground,” Klitschko wrote in a post on Telegram.
