Donald runs amok: The latest update

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Donald runs amok: The latest update

Colombian crackdown: Trump is making good on his promise to deport undocumented migrants—including two plane-loads of Colombians. Bogota refused to accept the two US military aircraft—and its President Gustavo Petro waxed eloquently: “Your blockade does not scare me, because Colombia, besides being the country of beauty, is the heart of the world."

The fallout: All that Colombian courage disappeared the moment Trump threatened to slap a 25% “emergency” tariff on its imports to the US—rising to 50% from next week. The US is Colombia’s biggest trade partner. The White House immediately claimed victory: “Today’s events make clear to the world that America is respected again”—guaranteeing it will use the tariff bomb over and over. Al Jazeera has more on the Colombian climbdown. Petro’s drama-filled post on X is a wild read.

Greedy for Greenland: Trump has been promising to take Greenland one way or another—by bullying, buying or even annexing the island. Nope, it’s not a joke. We now have a leaked report of a ‘fiery and confrontational’ phone call with the Danish PM Mette Frederiksen:

“It was horrendous,” said one of the people. Another added: “He was very firm. It was a cold shower. Before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.”

The Danish government is now apparently in “crisis mode”—but doing its best to appease the hungry bear without buckling to pressure—much like the rest of the EU:

European countries are scrambling to work out how to react to Trump’s threats against Denmark without ending up in his crosshairs themselves. Some have urged Frederiksen to “fight back” against the US president. So far, the Danish prime minister has insisted that Greenland is not for sale but has welcomed increasing US interest in the Arctic.

Btw, while Greenland already houses a major US base—it would be unprecedented for the US to take military action against a NATO ally. As to why Trump wants Greenland: It has untapped rare minerals—necessary for all tech devices. BBC News outlines the four ways this mess could play out. Reminder: Trump has also threatened to take over the Panama Canal. (Financial Times)

Ethnic cleansing of Gaza: Trump has said very little about the Middle East—except to express his love for Bibi. But he suddenly waded in over the weekend with this shocker:

Speaking aboard Air Force One during a flight from Las Vegas to Miami on Saturday, Trump described Gaza as a “demolition site” and suggested moving its residents to Jordan and Egypt. “I’d like Egypt to take people. I’d like Jordan to take people,” Trump said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing.” He added that the move could be either temporary or long-term, saying, “something has to happen”.

To state the obvious: All sane people would call this ‘ethnic cleansing’—but the Trump White House is framing it as an act of mercy. It is very unlikely any of the Arab nations will go along with this plan—including Donald’s BFF Saudi Arabia. Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said his country’s “rejection of displacement is fixed and unchangeable.” FWIW, it will be far harder to bully the Arab nations. They are not quite as hopelessly dependent on Washington’s largesse—especially with China and Russia waiting in the wings to help. (Al Jazeera)

Bye bye, USAID? We’ll leave you with this last bleak Trump-ian update—in true ‘America First’ fashion, the administration has sent a blunt stop-work memo to 10,000 USAID staff that pretty much calls for freezing US foreign aid worldwide, indefinitely. The US has been the world’s largest single donor of aid: “In fiscal year 2023, it disbursed $72 billion in assistance. It provided 42% of all humanitarian aid tracked by the United Nations in 2024.” Needless to say, USAID’s future outside Washington DC ranges from uncertain to irrelevant. (Reuters)

Casteism charges rock IISc

Infosys co-founder Senapathy Kris Gopalakrishnan, former Indian Institute of Science Director Balaram and 16 others have been booked under the Prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act. The person who filed the complaint—-Durgappa—belongs to the tribal Bovi community, and was a faculty member at IISc. The details for now are thin:

He claimed that in 2014, he was falsely implicated in a honey trap case and subsequently dismissed from service. He further alleged that he was subjected to casteist abuse and threats.

FYI: Gopalakrishnan is on the board of trustees at IISc—which may be why he is named on the complaint. That said, this is hardly the first time IISc has been accused of discrimination. Scroll has disturbing details of a Dalit scholar’s death back in 2023. (The Hindu)

Moving on to other victims: The police search for Saif Ali Khan’s assailant has resulted in collateral damage: The reputation of Akash Kailash Kanojia—who was initially arrested because of his unfortunate resemblance to the suspect. He has now lost his job—and no one wants to marry the young man:

My family was left shocked and in tears after the media started showing my pictures and claimed I was the main suspect in the case. One mistake of the Mumbai police ruined my life. They failed to notice I had a moustache and the person in the CCTV grab from the actor's building did not.

If you’re curious, you can see the side-by-side photos of Kanojia and the CCTV image. (Hindustan Times)

Microsoft India hit by sexism scandal

According to a Morning Context exclusive, Microsoft’s India arm is being accused of discriminating against its top women leaders. The report specifically names President Puneet Chandok and HR head Arun Kakatkar—-whose behaviour has triggered an exodus of women execs— including Ira Gupta (chief HR officer) and Lathika Pai (country head for venture capital partnerships). The attrition rate among women has skyrocketed from 10% to 40% just in FY2024—all because of an openly dismissive attitude toward women—flaunted at the very top:

All three people we spoke to drew attention to HR head Kakatkar’s role in hurting Microsoft India’s work culture, particularly his labelling of women leaders as “suboptimal”... In another incident last year, Kakatkar—who joined in February 20204—referred to a senior women executive who had left as a “troublemaker” who “deserves to be thrown out”.. On another occasion, responding to colleagues about worries that Microsoft may face legal fallout from women who feel mistreated, Kakatkar said “it's okay, let people take us to court. You know, we are Microsoft. We have a lot of lawyers,” according to the second executive.

We encourage you to read the rest over at Morning Context (paywalled).

what caught our eye

business & tech

UK buyers do not want to buy Teslas because of Musk. Why this matters: the UK is the largest European market for EV cars—even overtaking Germany.
Government begins search for new SEBI chief as Madhabi Puri Buch’s term ends and Adani controversies linger.
Digital media outlets owned by Ambani and Adani want to join Indian Express and Hindustan Times in their ongoing copyright lawsuit against OpenAI.
Oracle and Microsoft are reportedly in talks to take over TikTok’s global operations.
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman launched an AI startup to revolutionise cancer treatment discovery.

sports & entertainment

Winner winner, Jannik Sinner! The world’s best male tennis player has retained his Australian Open title. The women’s champion: Madison Keys with her first-ever Grand Slam!
Tickets for the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE are finally out, except for the final—whose venue depends on whether India makes it that far. ESPNCricinfo has more on the crazy logistics of the ‘hybrid model’.
The annual ICC cricket awards are in! India’s big winners: Jasprit Bumrah as the Best Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year, and Smriti Mandhana as the Best Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year. Check out the full awards list here.
An update on the fallout of sexual abuse allegations against Neil Gaiman—comics publisher Dark Horse has dropped him from their roster and cancelled all his upcoming releases.
It’s reunion season for upcoming desi films! SRK once again teams up with ‘Pathaan’ director Siddharth Anand, Randeep Hooda reunites with ‘Extraction’ director Sam Hargrave—and over 17 years since the success of ‘Taare Zameen Par’, Aamir Khan and Darsheel Safary are making a sequel.
The slow death of hard copy entertainment continues—Sony will stop producing recordable Blu-Ray discs—18 years after they were introduced.
Hans Zimmer is in talks to re-create Saudi Arabia's national anthem.

health & environment

Pollution control boards across India are struggling with staffing, with only 167 of 2,228 vacancies filled, despite a National Green Tribunal order to address the issue.
Maharashtra recorded its first suspected death from Guillain-Barré Syndrome—an immunological nerve disorder—as cases in Pune surpass 100.

as for the rest

According to the latest update of the investigation into the crash of Jeju Airlines, there were bird remains on both engines (suggesting both may have failed). But the real mystery: The final four minutes of flight recordings on both black boxes are missing.
US Homeland Security officials have begun visiting gurdwaras in New York and New Jersey to check for illegal immigrants, sparking backlash from some Sikh organisations.
South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has been indicted on insurrection charges, with his trial expected to begin soon.
The Guardian has a good read on the challenges facing Pakistan’s Gwadar project, where local suspicion of Beijing’s funding is undermining its success.
New Zealand relaxes visa rules for digital nomads—allowing remote workers to stay and work for foreign employers for up to 90 days to boost tourism.
The Telegraph has a good read on China’s massive, secretive dam project in Tibet, which is raising concerns among neighboring countries and experts.
George R.R. Martin has co-authored a peer-reviewed physics paper on a fictional virus from his Wild Cards series.
Debunking the popular self-help rule, a new study reveals it takes more than 21 days, often up to two months or more, to form a habit.

Four things to see

One: President Droupadi Murmu hosted a banquet dinner to honour Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto—who was this year’s Republic Day parade chief guest. The Indonesian delegation thanked her with this rendition of ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. (Indian Express)

Two: Andhra Pradesh’s tableau on Republic Day showcased Etikoppaka Bommalu—a 400-year-old craft making eco-friendly toys. The toys are carved from the Ankudu tree and painted with natural dyes—and celebrate mythological figures and animals. See the tableau below. (Indian Express)

Three: To mark chabbis January, Chris Martin wowed the Ahmedabad audience—and everyone who livestreamed the concert on Disney+ Hotstar on Sunday—by singing vande mataram from AR Rahman’s ‘Maa Tujhe Salaam’. You can hear the crowd singing with him below. (NDTV)

Speaking of celebrations, the lead vocalist also waved the pride flag around (with great vigour) during the song ‘People of the Pride’.

Another viral moment from the show: This hilarious made-up song Chris sang for Jasprit Bumrah. The poor man couldn’t stop blushing! (Hindustan Times)

Four: Arundhati Roy’s highly-anticipated memoir ‘Mother Mary Comes to Me’ explores her complex relationship with her late mother, Mary Roy—a women’s rights activist. It will be released this fall—but the very cool cover is already out. This pic of young Arundhati was taken by Carlo Buldrini. (People)