Iran demands guarantees before resuming nuclear negotiations with US ahead of Istanbul meeting with EU powers
The Iranian diplomat said talks could resume as long as Tehran's rights under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty are recognised, Washington builds trust with Tehran and guarantees that negotiations will not lead to renewed military action against Iran. — Reuters
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Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
US says differences with India cannot be resolved overnight for deal
India faced Western pressure to distance itself from longstanding ties with Russia and the BRICS group of developing nations. (Reuters pic) WASHINGTON : Differences between the US and India cannot be resolved overnight to arrive at a trade deal, a senior US official told reporters late on Thursday, citing geopolitical disagreements. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Washington was still negotiating with India on trade after announcing earlier that day the US would impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from the country starting on Friday. The 25% figure would single out India more severely than other major trading partners, and threaten to unravel months of talks between the two countries, undermining a strategic partner of Washington's and a counterbalance to China. 'Our challenges with India, they've always been a pretty closed market… there are a host of other kind of geopolitical issues,' the US official said. 'You've seen the president express concern about, you know, membership in BRICS, purchases of Russian oil and that kind of thing.' While saying there were constructive discussions with India, the official added: 'These are complex relationships and complex issues, and so I don't think things can be resolved overnight with India.' India has faced pressure from the West, including the US, to distance itself from Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. New Delhi resisted that pressure, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and its economic needs. Trump has cast the BRICS group of developing nations – of which India is a key part – as hostile to the US. Those nations have dismissed that accusation and the group says it promotes the interests of its members and of developing countries at large. Trump has also drawn India's frustration by repeatedly taking credit for an India-Pakistan ceasefire that he announced on social media on May 10. The ceasefire halted days of hostilities between the nuclear armed Asian neighbours. India's position has been that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve their issues directly without outside involvement. Trump has reached a trade deal with India's rival Pakistan.
Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Malay Mail
US$200m Columbia deal called ‘devastating precedent' as Trump targets higher education
WASHINGTON, Aug 2 — Columbia University's US$200 million (RM855.5 million) agreement with President Donald Trump's administration marks the end of a months-long showdown, but academics warn it is just the first round of a government 'assault' on higher education. Academics from Columbia and beyond have expressed concerns that the deal — which makes broad-ranging concessions and increases government oversight — will become the blueprint for how Trump brings other universities to heel. The New York institution was the first to be targeted in Trump's war against elite universities, for what the US president claimed was its failure to tackle anti-Semitism on campus in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests. It was stripped of hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding and lost its ability to apply for new research grants. Labs saw vital funding frozen, and dozens of researchers were laid off. But Columbia last week agreed to pay the government US$200 million, and an additional US$21 million to settle an investigation into anti-Semitism. According to Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, the lack of due process — with the government slashing funding before carrying out a formal investigation — left Columbia in an 'untenable position.' Columbia law professor David Pozen agreed, saying the 'manner in which the deal was constructed has been unlawful and coercive from the start' and slamming the agreement as giving 'legal form to an extortion scheme.' Federal oversight The deal goes beyond addressing anti-Semitism and makes concessions on international student admissions, race and ethnicity considerations in admissions and single-sex spaces on campus, among other issues. Columbia also agreed to appoint an independent monitor to implement the deal, share ethnicity admissions data with the government and crack down on campus protests. Many of the provisions 'represent significant incursions onto Columbia's autonomy,' said Pozen. 'What's happened at Columbia is part of a broader authoritarian attack on civil society,' he said, pointing to similar pressures on law firms and media organisations to fall in line. According to the law professor, the deal 'signals the emergence of a new regulatory regime in which the Trump administration will periodically and unpredictably shake down other schools and demand concessions from them.' In the coming weeks, Pozen said he expected the 'administration will put a lot of pressure on Harvard and other schools to follow suit.' Harvard University has pushed back against the government, filing a lawsuit in a bid to reverse sweeping funding cuts. But Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard, said that 'in terms of academic freedom and in terms of democracy, the (Columbia) precedent is devastating.' 'First round' Education Secretary Linda McMahon said she hoped the Columbia deal would be a 'template for other universities around the country.' On Wednesday, McMahon announced a deal with Brown University to restore some federal funding and end ongoing investigations after the Ivy League school agreed to end race considerations in admissions and adopt a biological definition of gender. Brown President Christina Paxson admitted 'there are other aspects of the agreement that were not part of previous federal reviews of Brown policies' but were 'priorities of the federal administration.' Harvard is reportedly considering forking out US$500 million to settle, according to the New York Times. Others have made smaller concessions to appease the government, with Trump's alma mater the University of Pennsylvania banning transgender women from competing in women's sports, and the University of Virginia's head resigning after scrutiny over its diversity programs. Brendan Cantwell, a professor at Michigan State University who researches the history and governance of higher education, said government interference in universities 'has not happened at scale like this, probably ever in American history.' While some university staff see striking an agreement as the quickest way to reopen the federal funding spigot, Cantwell warned that concessions such as sharing ethnicity data from admissions could be 'weaponised' and provide fodder for future probes. Levitsky agreed, saying: 'Extortionists don't stop at the first concession. Extortionists come back for more.' 'There's a very high likelihood that this is just the first round,' he said. Pozen noted that it will be harder for 'major research universities to hold the line' compared to smaller colleges which are less reliant on federal funding. But Levitsky still urged Harvard to stand its ground and 'fight back,' including in the courts. 'Fighting an authoritarian regime is costly, but that's what we have to do,' he said. 'This is an unprecedented assault, and universities need to work together.' — AFP
Free Malaysia Today
10 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Trump to build huge US$200mil ballroom at White House
Work on the White House ballroom will begin in September and is expected to be completed before the end of Donald Trump's term in 2029. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : President Donald Trump, who is remodelling the White House to his tastes, will build a massive ballroom for hosting official receptions, one of the largest projects at the US executive mansion in over a century. Trump himself and unspecified donors will foot the bill for the US$200 million project, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a press briefing on Thursday. 'For 150 years, presidents, administrations and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex,' the spokeswoman said. 'There's never been a president that was good at ballrooms,' the 79-year-old president and former real estate developer told reporters of the latest bid to leave his mark on the White House. 'I'm good at building things, and we'll get it built quickly and on time. It'll be beautiful,' said Trump, assuring that the character of the original building would be preserved. The new structure will span over 8,000 square meters (90,000 square feet) and have space to seat 650 people, according to Leavitt. Work on the ballroom – one of Trump's long-time ambitions – will begin in September and is expected to be completed 'well before' the end of his second term in January 2029, Leavitt said. The hope is it will host grand state dinners, given in honor of foreign heads of state visiting Washington. Until now, these were generally done by erecting a huge tent on the White House grounds. Facade A model of the ballroom presented by the government shows it will be a white building with tall windows. Its columns and front look reminiscent of the main White House building, a facade is known worldwide. The ballroom building will replace the East Wing, which usually houses the offices of the US first lady. Trump, who does not shy away from the gaudy, has also redone the Oval Office to splash the room in gold — from the stars surrounding the presidential seal on the ceiling, to the gold statues on the fireplace, to the mantel itself. The project is shaping up to be one of the most significant to break ground at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since renovation and expansion works undertaken by President Theodore Roosevelt at the start of the 20th century. President Harry Truman also oversaw notable construction work between 1948 and 1952, but did so without changing the external structure. Trump has said for some time that he wants to build a White House ballroom inspired by his own properties. On Thursday, he praised the newly built, lavish ballroom — named after himself — at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, one of dozens of properties owned by the Trump family. It will also be inspired by the ballroom of the Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida, which has served as the model for Trump's remodeling of the White House to suit himself. The Republican billionaire, inspired by the patios of Mar-a-Lago, recently ripped up the lawn at the White House's historic Rose Garden and is paving that area, where official events are often held. He is flying two huge American flags outside the White House, which has been the residence and workplace of American presidents since 1800.
