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Trump administration escalated its rift with South Africa by declaring the country’s ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grata—a rare diplomatic rebuke typically reserved for lower-ranking officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Rasool of harboring anti-Trump sentiments, citing a webinar where the ambassador criticized Elon Musk’s ties to far-right European figures. Rubio’s announcement, made via social media during a flight from G7 meetings, left the State Department scrambling to clarify details, including whether Rasool was even in the U.S. at the time. Rasool, a veteran anti-apartheid activist and ally of Nelson Mandela, previously served as ambassador from 2010–2015 before returning in January. His expulsion follows Trump’s executive order slashing aid to South Africa, citing contested claims about land reforms targeting white Afrikaners. The move marks a dramatic downturn in relations, echoing Cold War-era diplomatic standoffs but breaking precedent by targeting an ambassador.

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president, has unexpectedly caught the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite initial skepticism, Trump recently called her “tough” and praised her leadership, particularly on migration and fentanyl trafficking. But what exactly did Sheinbaum do to earn this recognition?

Chief Election Commissioner and an election commissioner last month, needless questions are being raised on whether they were the right individuals for these offices because the Chief Justice of India was not on the selection committee. Argument being that the CJI's exclusion has rendered the selection one-sided as the Leader of Opposition is in the obvious minority. This logic is spurious. Article 324 (2) of the Constitution that outlines the composition and appointment of the CEC and ECs reads as follows: «The Election Commission shall consist of the chief election commissioner and such number of other election commissioners, if any, as the President may from time to time fix and the appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners shall, subject to the provisions of any law made in that behalf by Parliament, be made by the President.» The President has been appointing the CEC and ECs on the advice of the executive, that is the government of the day. Parliament has not enacted any law to amend this process. The LoP's inclusion in the selection committee for the appointment of any regulatory position started with the Right to Information Act, 2005. Under this law, the President appoints central information commissioners on the recommendation of not the executive but a selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, a minister nominated by him and the LoP in the Lok Sabha. In state information commissions, the governor makes the appointment on the recommendation of a committee comprising the chief minister, a minister and the LoP of the state assembly.

IIFA Awards 2025 held in Jaipur on March 8-9 have become a flashpoint between the ruling BJP and opposition Congress. Opposition leader Tikaram Jully accused the state government of spending Rs 100 crore of public funds on the event, while development projects for temples like Khatu Shyam ji and Govind Dev temple were stalled.

Consumers lost $5.7 billion to investment scams in 2024 — more than in any other type of fraud and up 24% from 2023, according to new data from the Federal Trade Commission.

Following the offer on Friday, Israel said the Palestinian militants had «not budged a millimetre» after a proposal from US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy. The first phase of the truce, which began in January, ended on March 1 without agreement on next steps. A Hamas official said negotiations began in Doha on Tuesday. «The ball is in Israel's court,» a Hamas spokesman said. «We want to solidify the ceasefire agreement and force (Israel) to implement its terms,» Abdul Latif al-Qanou told AFP, accusing Israel of «delaying» its enforcement.

Lakhimpur Superintendent of Police Mihirjit Gayan told PTI that Singh was arrested after a complaint by the wife of BJP MLA Manab Deka for a post on X two days ago. «We have arrested him under relevant sections of law. He is being brought to Lakhimpur now,» he added. Singh made a post on X on March 13 with a news report about three individuals being convicted by a court for a rape case in the Dhemaji district in 2021. «These culprits got the punishment they deserved. But what @BJP4Assam r@pe accused Ministers and MLAs like Manab Deka, Ex Party President Bhabesh Kalita, ex Minister Rajen Gohain? Is the law equal for all?» the Congress leader had asked in his post. Live EventsKalita, who was the BJP Assam president till January this year, is an MLA with Deka, while Gohain was the Union Minister of State for Railways during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first term. During the arrest of the Congress leader, a lot of drama unfolded at the apartment of the accused in the Ulubari area, with Singh initially clai

The dust up between FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and Terry Duffy, the boss of the US’s largest futures and options exchange, was emblematic of Wall Street’s skepticism then about a new generation promoting digital assets and the crypto bigwig’s plans to change the way derivatives trade.

OpenAI President Greg Brockman has just shared a game-changing framework to fix that—and it’s surprisingly simple.

US recession fears and tariff wars, unleashed by President Donald Trump. The top 10 laggards in the week gone by include BMW Industries, Triveni Turbine, Veranda Learning Solutions, Jai Corp, Orchid Pharma, Coffee Day Enterprises, Max Estates, EKI Energy Services, Gensol Engineering and K&R Rail Engineering which fell between 16% and 43%.

Vice President JD Vance has found himself at the center of an online controversy following remarks he made about his wife, Usha Vance, who also holds the title of Second Lady of the United States. The incident took place during a public appearance in Michigan, where his comments quickly drew widespread criticism across social media platforms. A video capturing Vance’s statement, which he seemingly intended as a lighthearted joke, did not sit well with the internet audience. Standing with Usha positioned behind him, Vance acknowledged her contributions as Second Lady before quipping, «Here's the thing. The cameras are all on; anything I say, no matter how crazy, she has to smile, laugh and celebrate it.» True to his words, Usha responded accordingly, smiling and laughing as the gathered crowd reacted to his comment.

Keir Starmer has told global leaders to «keep the pressure» on Russian President Vladimir Putin to back a ceasefire in Ukraine. In his opening remarks Saturday to a virtual gathering of what he has termed the "coalition of the willing," Starmer said Putin will «sooner or later» have to «come to the table.» Unlike the first summit on March 2, the meeting of what Starmer has termed the «coalition of the willing» is being conducted virtually. The call is expected to delve into how countries can help Ukraine militarily and financially as well as gauging support for any future possible peacekeeping mission. «If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious, and enduring peace,» Starmer told leaders, in remarks released by his office ahead of the meeting. «If they don't, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war.» Like last time, there will be no representative from the United States, which has shifted its approach on the war since the return of President Donald Trump to the White House. The change of approach relative to that taken by Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, became particularly notable after Trump clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Feb. 28 in the Oval Office.

Centre for Public Interest Litigation, also sought direction of the court mandating that the CAG shall be appointed by the President in consultation with an independent and neutral selection committee comprising of the prime minister, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and the Chief Justice of India and in a transparent manner. It said that the direction for appointment of CAG should be similar to the appointment of other bodies including Information Commissions and the Central Vigilance Commission. The PIL will be taken up for hearing on Monday by a bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh. The plea filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan contended that the present mode of appointment of the CAG, which is done solely by the executive i.e. by the prime minister who handpicks any individual and recommends his name to the President for appointment, is unconstitutional as it is violative of Article 14 and several basic features of the Constitution. «The appointment of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India solely by the executive and the Prime Minister of India undermines the independence of the office of the CAG, suffers from grave conflict of interest and thereby is detrimental to good governance and democracy in India. It is also manifestly arbitrary, detrimental to institutional integrity and violates several basic features of the constitution,» the plea said.

Bahujan Samaj Party founder late Kanshi Ram on his 91st birth anniversary, with senior leader Rahul Gandhi saying his struggle for the rights of Dalits, deprived and exploited «will continue to guide us» at every step in the fight for social justice. «Respectful tributes to the great social reformer, Honourable Kanshi Ram Ji, on his birth anniversary. His struggle for the rights of Dalits, deprived and exploited will continue to guide us at every step in this fight for social justice,» Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also paid tributes to the late Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader. «We pay our humble tributes on the birth anniversary of great social reformer, Manyawar Kanshi Ram Ji, who contributed significantly in connecting the Dalit, deprived, exploited and backward classes of the society with the mainstream of Indian politics,» Kharge posted on X. «He left an indelible mark as a pioneer of equality and social justice,» he added. Born in Punjab's Rupnagar on March 15, 1934, Kanshi Ram worked for the upliftment and political mobilisation of people belonging to backward classes.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. A mineral-rights deal that the Trump administration says will make the U.S. vested in Ukraine’s defense has an instructive historical precedent in Washington’s unofficial oil-for-security pact with Saudi Arabia.

Emmanuel Macron on Friday (local time) called on Russia to accept the US-brokered proposal for an interim 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, emphasizing that «atrocities must stop.» Macron criticized Russia for its «delaying statements» on the proposed deal following his discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer. «I spoke today with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and then with Prime Minister Kier Starmer following the progress made during the meeting between the United States and Ukraine in Jeddah on Tuesday. Russia must now accept the U.S.-Ukrainian proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. The Russian aggression in Ukraine must end. The atrocities must stop. So must the delaying statements,» Macron wrote in a post on X. Macron assured France's unwavering support to Ukraine to achieve peace and informed that all partners will hold a video conference today to discuss the issue.

Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed in Iraq in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with U.S.-led coalition forces, the Iraqi prime minister announced Friday. «The Iraqis continue their impressive victories over the forces of darkness and terrorism,» Prime Minister Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, or "Abu Khadija," was «deputy caliph» of the militant group and as «one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world,» the statement said. On his Truth Social platform Friday night, U.S. President Donald Trump said: «Today the fugitive leader of ISIS in Iraq was killed. He was relentlessly hunted down by our intrepid warfighters» in coordination with the Iraqi government and the Kurdish regional government. «PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH!» Trump posted.

Donald Trump to be signed into law. The essentially party-line vote, 54-46, reflected gnawing Democratic angst over how to confront the Trump administration as its Department of Government Efficiency fires federal workers and dismantles operations. Democrats argued over whether to fight even risking a shutdown and fumed that Republicans drafted a measure that included little of their input, shortchanging health care, housing and other priorities. But in the end, enough of the Democratic senators decided a government shutdown would be even worse, and backed Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer's strategy to allow the bill to come forward. «A shutdown will allow DOGE to shift into overdrive,» Schumer said. «Donald Trump and Elon Musk would be free to destroy vital government services at a much faster rate.» Democrats were confronted with two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no and letting funding lapse. All told, 10 Democrats voted to break the party's filibuster to advance the bill to a final vote. On final passage, two Democrats supported the bill, and one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, opposed it. It funds the government for another six months.

Donald Trump delivered what sounded like one of his typical meandering, grievance-laden campaign speeches on Friday, but it was where he did it — inside the U.S. Department of Justice — that mattered. The appearance marked Trump's clearest exertion yet of personal control over the country's federal law enforcement apparatus, which is normally run by appointees who keep at least an arm's length from the president to avoid the appearance that politics are governing prosecutorial decisions. Trump, instead, embraced the notion of the agency as his own personal tool of vengeance. «As the chief law enforcement officer in our country, I will insist upon and demand full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred,» Trump told the audience, with Attorney General Pam Bondi (who is technically the country's chief law enforcement officer) and FBI Director Kash Patel in the audience. One of Trump's favorite campaign songs, «YMCA,» played after he wrapped up his nearly hourlong address inside the department's ceremonial Great Hall. Here's a look at what Trump said, what the reality is and the significance of his words.

David Sacks, President Donald Trump’s adviser for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies, and his venture-capital firm Craft Ventures have divested more than US$200 million worth of holdings related to the digital-asset industry, according to a memo released by the White House.

This month, many investors feel dazed and confused. No wonder: as the U.S. government flirts with another shutdown and U.S. President Donald Trump intensifies his trade war, indices of economic uncertainty have skyrocketed above even the 2020 pandemic or the global financial crisis of 2008.