Global Pulse

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  • The small fee raising big questions for India’s payments revolution

    The small fee raising big questions for India’s payments revolution

    Since its 2016 launch, India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has cemented its reputation as the backbone of the country’s digital economy, transforming how individuals and businesses transfer money and complete purchases. Now, a planned new fee for certain merchant transactions through the ubiquitous platform has ignited broad debate across India’s business and tech sectors, with conflicting views on whether the charge will sustain the system’s growth or undermine its widespread adoption.

    The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which operates UPI, announced Tuesday that starting October 15, a 0.4% Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) will apply to eligible UPI payments over 2,000 rupees ($21) made by customers to merchants. Critically, the regulation requires merchants to absorb the full cost of the fee, and explicitly bars them from passing the expense on to consumers. A separate flat 5-rupee fee applies to specific high-value merchant transactions including rail tickets, fuel purchases, telecom bills, insurance premiums and agricultural input payments over the 2,000-rupee threshold. For all other eligible transactions over 2,000 rupees, the 0.4% fee is capped at 300 rupees per transaction, limiting costs for very large payments.

    The new structure carves out wide exemptions to limit disruption for most users. All person-to-person transfers remain free, no matter the transaction amount. All merchant payments under 2,000 rupees also stay free of charge, as do QR code-based merchant transactions in rural and semi-urban regions. According to the Indian government, roughly 96% of all person-to-merchant UPI transactions will remain entirely unaffected by the new fees, falling either below the threshold or into one of the exempt categories.

    For years after UPI’s launch, the cost of building, operating and expanding the payments infrastructure has been covered primarily by the national government, partner banks and payments service providers. Indian officials frame the new MDR as a necessary step to keep the system sustainable for the long term. In an official press release, the finance ministry clarified that the MDR is not a government-imposed tax; all revenue collected from the fee will be distributed to payments providers, including banks, to fund ongoing operations, infrastructure upgrades, cybersecurity improvements, innovation and future expansion of the UPI network. The government argues that shifting to this market-linked pricing model reduces the burden on public tax revenue that currently covers UPI subsidies, placing the cost on the large businesses that derive the most benefit from the platform.

    Despite these justifications, the policy has drawn sharp criticism from analysts and business leaders who warn it could raise operational costs for enterprises and discourage UPI adoption, particularly for larger transactions. Some social media users have pointed out that the zero-cost model has long been UPI’s biggest draw for both merchants and consumers, and introducing fees could erode its core advantage over cash and other payment methods. High-profile voices have echoed these concerns: former Indian government chief economic adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian has questioned the existing framework’s private cost-benefit analysis, while prominent Indian entrepreneur Ashneer Grover warned in an interview with CNN-News18 that some small shopkeepers may simply refuse large UPI payments and demand cash instead, reversing years of progress toward digitalization.

    Bipin Preet Singh, CEO of leading Indian fintech firm MobiKwik, has pushed back on that criticism, supporting the fee as a necessary investment in the system’s future. “When government funds the subsidies paid for UPI, that amount comes from tax payers’ pocket. Moving to market-linked pricing mechanism removes this tax burden and directly links the cost to large businesses which benefit from UPI,” Singh explained.

    UPI’s growth over the past decade has been nothing short of revolutionary, cementing its status as the world’s largest digital real-time payments system by transaction volume. NPCI data shows that in August 2025 alone, UPI processed a record 24.51 billion transactions worth a total of 29.82 trillion rupees, approximately $311 billion. It is now a universal tool in India, used by everyone from street-side vegetable vendors to large corporate enterprises, and is credited with accelerating financial inclusion across the country. As the October 15 implementation date approaches, industry observers are closely watching whether the new fee structure will alter usage patterns, especially for large-value transactions, and whether it will strike the right balance between long-term system sustainability and accessible digital payments for all.

  • All supporting acts quit Ed Sheeran tour in protest of Macklemore’s removal

    All supporting acts quit Ed Sheeran tour in protest of Macklemore’s removal

    A wave of artist withdrawals has rocked Ed Sheeran’s ongoing *Loop Tour*, after opening act Macklemore was removed from the lineup for his public pro-Palestine stance, leaving the British pop star facing widespread criticism over his neutral position on the escalating Gaza conflict.

    On Tuesday, Grammy-winning artist Finneas became the highest-profile of four supporting acts to confirm their exit from the tour, joined by Irish singer Aaron Rowe, Irish folk band Beoga, and Danish pop group Lukas Graham. All four acts issued public statements framing their departure as an act of solidarity with both Macklemore and the Palestinian people, arguing that artists must never be silenced for speaking out against human rights abuses.

    “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed,” Finneas wrote in a social media post confirming his exit. Aaron Rowe, who described Sheeran as a personal friend who had transformed his career, emphasized that his Irish background gave him unique perspective on systemic violence and occupation. “But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation. I cannot stand by and allow billionaires to use their position of power to silence the rightful voices of those who speak up against Israeli genocide and who highlight the savage murder of children,” Rowe said.

    Beoga echoed this position in their own announcement, blaming pressure from Zionist lobbies for Macklemore’s removal from the tour. Lukas Graham frontman added that freedom of speech must extend to conversations about civilian suffering in conflict, saying, “Nobody’s bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we’re allowed to acknowledge.”

    The chain of exits traces back to a September 4 performance, when Macklemore took the stage as an opening act and delivered a two-minute speech calling for a free Palestine before performing his track *Hind’s Hall*—a song named for 5-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza earlier this year. The speech quickly drew both widespread praise from pro-Palestine activists and fierce backlash from pro-Israel groups, including the Israeli American Council, which launched a public petition demanding Sheeran drop the rapper from the tour.

    On Monday, Macklemore released a statement explaining his ouster: after billionaire Robert Kraft organized a coalition of stadium owners to threaten to block Sheeran from accessing their venues if he kept Macklemore on the lineup, Sheeran and his management team removed the rapper from all remaining tour dates. Sheeran has pushed back against this narrative, arguing that the decision to cut Macklemore rested solely with tour promoters, not with him.

    The *Shape of You* singer has also rejected accusations that he is complicit in silencing pro-Palestine voices by refusing to take a public stance on the conflict. Sheeran says he holds personal views on what he calls a devastating ongoing conflict, but chooses not to inject political discourse into his professional tour platform. “Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have [views] and it doesn’t mean I don’t care,” he said in a statement. Still, many fans have taken to social media to criticize Sheeran’s position, pointing to past instances where the singer has used his platform to raise awareness for other political and social causes.

  • Meet the Scottish teenagers poised to represent Uganda

    Meet the Scottish teenagers poised to represent Uganda

    For two teenage Scottish brothers from Partick Thistle, the dream of international football recognition is taking an unexpected and historic turn. Eighteen-year-old goalkeeper Olly Fisher and 16-year-old striker Seb Fisher are on track to represent Uganda, a path they never could have anticipated just a year ago. What makes this opportunity even more remarkable is their eligibility through birthright: their mother Kate was born in Uganda, after their grandfather moved there to teach and spent four or five years raising a family in the East African nation. If they earn their spots in the national youth teams, the siblings will become the first white players to ever wear an Uganda national football shirt, a milestone that has already captured attention across both countries.

    The chain of events that led to this unique opportunity started with a casual conversation years ago. The Fished’ father struck up a chance chat with a football consultant at a match in Nigeria, and six months ago, the family learned that Uganda’s national youth program was interested in bringing the brothers in for trials. By early August, the pair received official invitations to join the under-20 and under-17 national training camps respectively. They traveled to Jinja, in eastern Uganda, last week and are set to stay for another week to complete their camp assessments.

    Both brothers have described their shock and deep honor at receiving the call-ups. “I couldn’t believe it when I got the invitation,” Seb recalled in an interview with BBC Sport Scotland. “It’s the kind of opportunity that you never imagine coming your way, even in your wildest dreams. Most people I’ve told can barely believe it either.” Olly echoed his brother’s reaction, noting that the news brought a flood of conflicting emotions: “I was really shocked because I never thought this was a possibility. But at the same time, I felt so honored to be asked to represent Uganda. It’s a huge opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.” Their mother Kate, who was born in the country her sons are now set to represent, is ecstatic about the experience, telling the boys it will be life-changing no matter what happens.

    There is already a strong Scottish connection guiding the brothers through this process, as Laryea Kingston, the current head coach of Uganda’s under-20 national team, is a former Hearts and Ghana midfielder with deep ties to Scottish football. Coach Kingston is the one who first highlighted the historic nature of the Fisher brothers’ potential call-ups, a point that is not lost on the teenagers. “Coach Kingston told us we’d be the first white players to represent Uganda, which means this would be history in the making,” Seb said. “That makes it really, really special.” Olly agreed, adding that breaking new ground for the nation’s football program makes the entire experience feel one-of-a-kind.

    Growing up, the brothers heard countless stories about Uganda from their grandparents, so the country already feels like a connected part of their family history, even before they set foot on its soil. Though they have had to adapt to oppressively warm training conditions that they never experienced back in Scotland, the brothers say they have been embraced wholeheartedly by their new teammates. “Everyone has been so brilliant and welcoming,” Seb explained. “Some of the boys actually come from the same area where my mum was born, so we’ve had a lot to talk about already, and it’s helped us build those connections fast.”

    After the training camp concludes, the brothers will return to Scotland to resume their everyday lives: Olly will split his time between playing for Partick Thistle and starting university, while Seb will go back to playing for the club and finishing secondary school. But both are already planning ahead for their return to Uganda to join their international teammates. Olly has his sights set on securing a spot on the under-20 squad if Uganda qualifies for next year’s Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, while Seb is hoping to earn a place on the under-17 roster for the Under-17 World Cup scheduled for November in Qatar. For the young footballers, this opportunity is exactly what every aspiring player dreams of. “That’s what you want as a footballer, being in an international environment,” Seb said. “Pushing yourself against top talent and competing at this level will only make you a better player. I’m sure this experience will benefit us a lot when we go back to Scotland and continue playing for Partick Thistle.”

  • US limits visas for South African officials over alleged anti-white discrimination

    US limits visas for South African officials over alleged anti-white discrimination

    Diplomatic relations between the United States and South Africa have plunged to a new low after the Trump administration announced sweeping visa restrictions against South African individuals it accuses of perpetrating racial discrimination against the country’s white Afrikaner minority, marking the latest escalation in a months-long downward spiral in ties between the two nations.

    Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement official in a formal statement released Tuesday, confirming that the entry ban will target individuals linked to what Washington describes as race-based discrimination, violent incitement, and uncompensated land expropriation under South Africa’s post-apartheid land reform policy. Rubio did not publicly name any specific individuals covered by the restrictions, but emphasized that the South African government has failed to meaningfully address longstanding concerns raised by the US over its domestic racial and land policies.

    “The South African government has not adequately addressed the previously laid out concerns,” Rubio said in the statement. In a separate social media commentary released the same day, he doubled down on the US’s position, accusing Pretoria of pursuing deliberate “racial grievance against the Afrikaner minority” and arguing that individuals responsible for these alleged injustices “have no place in the United States.” He added that the actions targeted by the new restrictions undermine “peace, economic stability and the rule of law” in South Africa, and that “the United States will not allow such behaviour to go unchecked.”

    The dispute between the two countries centers on South Africa’s landmark 2025 land reform legislation, which codifies the government’s authority to expropriate property for public interest purposes, including redressing apartheid-era land dispossession. Under the law, compensation can be set at zero in limited, specific cases, though it mandates that authorities negotiate with landowners in nearly all scenarios and allows affected parties to challenge expropriation decisions in court. White South Africans, who make up just over 7% of the country’s population, still hold the majority of private farmland, a legacy of apartheid policies that systematically displaced Black South Africans from their land over decades of minority rule. The Ramaphosa administration has repeatedly stated that the reform is a necessary step to correct historical injustice, and that the law does not permit arbitrary land seizures.

    Long running tensions between Washington and Pretoria intensified shortly after Donald Trump returned to the US presidency early last year, when Trump announced he would offer refugee status to Afrikaners claiming to face persecution, repeating unsubstantiated claims of a so-called “white genocide” in South Africa that independent researchers and South African crime statistics have thoroughly discredited. South African government data shows no evidence that white South Africans are disproportionately targeted by violent crime compared to other racial groups.

    Since that announcement, relations have steadily deteriorated: Trump has cut US development aid to South Africa, expelled the country’s top ambassador to Washington, and most recently imposed 30% tariffs on South African exports to the US in August, the highest tariff rate applied to any sub-Saharan African nation. South African leaders have made multiple attempts to de-escalate tensions, including a high-profile May visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the White House, where he brought a cross-racial delegation that included white members of his ruling coalition and prominent white South African public figures. But the meeting collapsed into open confrontation when Trump unexpectedly raised the discredited claims of mass violence against white farmers, leaving bilateral ties no closer to repair.

    In comments Tuesday, the US Embassy in Pretoria said that Washington had exhausted diplomatic channels to resolve the dispute, and accused the South African government of failing to uphold commitments to constructive bilateral engagement. Officials confirmed the new visa restrictions are only the first in a series of escalating punitive measures, warning that additional actions will follow if Pretoria does not change its policies. As of Wednesday, the South African government has not issued a formal response to the latest US restrictions. The entry ban is being implemented under a longstanding provision of US immigration law that grants the Secretary of State authority to bar foreign nationals whose entry is deemed harmful to US foreign policy interests.

  • Runaway horse captured by police on motorbikes

    Runaway horse captured by police on motorbikes

    A loose horse that broke free from its owner shortly before a scheduled community parade in New Mexico has been successfully apprehended by a team of police officers on motorbikes, authorities confirmed. The incident, which unfolded ahead of the planned public procession, sparked brief concern among event organizers and local onlookers, who worried the spooked animal might wander into high-traffic areas or disrupt the planned festivities.

    Law enforcement quickly deployed motorbike patrols to track and contain the escaped equine, leveraging the maneuverability of their vehicles to navigate local streets and open areas near the parade starting point. After a short pursuit, the officers successfully cornered and secured the animal without incident. Crucially, the horse emerged from the entire episode completely unharmed, with no reported injuries to the animal, responding officers, or any members of the public in the area. It has since been returned safely to its owner, and organizers confirmed the parade was able to proceed on schedule with no major delays stemming from the escape.

  • NZ apologises to children forced to live in bush for years with fugitive dad

    NZ apologises to children forced to live in bush for years with fugitive dad

    Four years after fugitive father Tom Phillips vanished into the New Zealand wilderness with his three young children, and months after he died in a fatal police confrontation, an independent public inquiry has exposed widespread failures across state agencies that left the children trapped in harmful isolation for nearly half a decade. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon issued a formal public apology to the children and their mother, acknowledging repeated missed opportunities to locate the group and intervene to protect the minors.

    In December 2021, Phillips, who had a prior history of disappearing with his children, took the then 5-, 7-, and 8-year-old siblings into remote bushland. What should have triggered an urgent search never materialized immediately, the inquiry found. Authored by former High Court Justice Simon Moore, the inquiry’s report, released Tuesday, revealed that police initially declined to launch a search and rescue operation based on what it called a “misconceived view” that the children were not at risk. The report also slammed multiple agencies for repeatedly downplaying warnings raised by the children’s mother, including her concerns about Phillips’ access to firearms, dismissing her alarms as typical conflict in a messy parenting dispute.

    Over the 44 months the group remained missing, inquiry investigators uncovered a string of unaddressed sightings that could have led to an earlier rescue. Contrary to initial assumptions that Phillips had cut himself and the children off from all outside contact, the inquiry found he made multiple trips into populated areas to resupply. In February 2022, he visited his mother without the children, who gave him NZ$1,000 in cash and emergency food supplies. Two years later, in August 2023, Phillips spent a full day shopping in Waikato region businesses, spending almost NZ$6,000 on a wide range of goods including groceries, children’s clothes, fishing equipment, gardening supplies, knives and lighters. He passed through the community unnoticed by authorities the entire time.

    The standoff ended on September 7, 2025, when police located Phillips in the small North Island town of Piopio, and he died during a subsequent shootout. The three children were taken into state protective custody, where they remain today. After the confrontation, police released photos of one of the squalid, overgrown campsites where the family had hidden, showing a stockpile of firearms, ammunition, and discarded beer cans scattered in the dense bush.

    The inquiry concluded that all involved agencies – including New Zealand Police, national child welfare service Oranga Tamariki, the New Zealand Defence Force, and the Ministry of Education – failed to coordinate effectively and share critical information that could have speeded up the rescue. Investigators confirmed that agencies consistently “underplayed, minimised or overlooked” the severe harm caused by the children’s prolonged isolation, a finding that has sparked widespread public outrage across New Zealand over the systemic failures.

    Alongside Luxon’s apology, top government and law enforcement leaders have publicly accepted the inquiry’s findings and taken responsibility for the missed chances. Social Development Minister Louise Upton directly addressed the children in a statement Tuesday, saying “this report has found that our agencies did not take all practical steps to protect you. For that we are deeply sorry.” She added that the children had been forced to endure four years in squalid conditions that robbed them of a “happy and healthy childhood.”

    Deputy Police Commissioner Jill Rogers acknowledged the force’s mistakes in an interview with 1News’ *Breakfast*, saying “Did it take too long? Did we miss opportunities? Yes, we did. You can’t unsee the images of where those children were living in those campsites… It’s heart-breaking.” While she noted that the investigators assigned to the case had worked tirelessly on the case, Rogers admitted that the force needed to implement sweeping improvements to prevent similar failures in the future, while pointing out that the core mission of recovering the children alive had ultimately been completed.

  • US prepares $2.8bn weapons sale, funded by taxpayers, to Israel: Report

    US prepares $2.8bn weapons sale, funded by taxpayers, to Israel: Report

    A new, highly contentious $2.8 billion arms deal prepared by the Trump administration would send tens of thousands of powerful 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, with U.S. taxpayers on the hook for the full cost, The Washington Post has reported, citing an anonymous senior U.S. official familiar with the military planning. If finalized, the transfer would mark the largest single shipment of this destructive munition from the United States to Israel in modern history.

    Details of the package outline that it includes 40,000 general-purpose 2,000-pound bombs — specifically the MK-84 and BLU-117 variants — alongside an additional 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads. Classified as one of the most devastating conventional armaments in Western military stockpiles, the MK-84 is engineered to penetrate thick concrete and reinforced metal, create massive impact craters, and spray lethal shrapnel across hundreds of meters from its detonation site. This wide destructive radius puts civilian populations at extreme risk when deployed in populated areas.

    The proposed sale has already been shared informally with key congressional committees, creating a awkward political bind for Democratic lawmakers. Tensions between the U.S. Democratic caucus and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reached a fever pitch in recent months, as growing frustration over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has strained the long-standing U.S.-Israel bilateral relationship.

    When pressed by reporters about widespread concerns over the humanitarian risks posed by the transfer, a senior Trump administration official declined to comment on the pending deal, noting only that all international arms sales follow standard procedural protocols. The Israeli Embassy in Washington also did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Washington Post.

    Criticism of the proposed transfer spread rapidly across social media, with high-profile journalists and political commentators quickly condemning the deal. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson used his platform on X to argue that the sale is unprecedented and unjustified. “There is no precedent for what the Trump administration is doing. Nor is there any justification,” Carlson wrote. He added that Israel is not fighting a large-scale conventional war that requires such heavy armaments: it is engaged in limited skirmishes with guerrilla forces in Lebanon and a brutal offensive against the largely unarmed civilian population of Gaza, neither of which necessitates the deployment of 2,000-pound bombs.

    Investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald went further, framing the deal as a continuation of former President Trump’s political obligations to Miriam Adelson, an Israeli-born American billionaire and one of the most prominent pro-Israel donors in U.S. politics. “In case you’re wondering when Trump’s debt to Miriam Adelson and her Israeli cabal will finally be paid off, the answer is: never. The debt is eternal and limitless,” Greenwald posted on X. He added that political obligations are just one factor behind Trump’s unwavering alignment with Israeli policy, separate from the former president’s own personal and political motivations for his staunch support.

    The $2.8 billion package outpaces all previous U.S. arms sales to Israel in recent years, including a $2.04 billion sale approved in 2025 that skipped the standard congressional review process. Data compiled from open-source reporting confirms that Israeli forces have already deployed 2,000-pound bombs hundreds of times during their ongoing military campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip and cross-border strikes in Lebanon, resulting in catastrophic civilian casualties.

    Multiple United Nations bodies, including the UN Commission of Inquiry, alongside leading international and Israeli human rights organizations, have officially concluded that Israeli authorities have committed acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip. Since the launch of Israel’s military offensive on the enclave in October 2023, more than 73,000 people have been killed in Gaza, the vast majority of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

  • Three dead in Los Angeles helicopter crash

    Three dead in Los Angeles helicopter crash

    A tragic helicopter crash in the Chatsworth neighborhood of suburban Los Angeles has claimed three lives and left one person hospitalized with an unknown condition, Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) officials confirmed Wednesday. The incident unfolded shortly before 19:00 local time Tuesday, between two commercial structures near the intersection of Lurline Avenue and Nordhoff Street, as multiple news helicopters were already in the area covering an earlier deadly road collision.

    Scene footage captured thick plumes of smoke and large flames rising from the crash site, where multiple vehicles and two shipping containers caught fire after the aircraft went down. LAFD crews quickly responded to the emergency and fully extinguished the blaze, preventing the fire from spreading to adjacent commercial buildings. According to LAFD Captain Branden Silverman, one victim was found outside the downed helicopter and was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. Three fatalities have been confirmed in total, while the injured survivor was transported to a local medical facility for treatment, with no update on their condition as of Wednesday morning.

    Early local media reports have indicated the crashed helicopter was a news-gathering aircraft deployed to cover a separate fatal collision that occurred earlier the same day in Chatsworth. In that earlier incident, an SUV collided with a city bus, killing two people and injuring six others, according to CBS, the BBC’s US partner. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) noted in a post on X Tuesday night that investigators have not yet finalized the number of people on board the helicopter or confirmed its owner, as first responders continued to clear and secure the crash site overnight.

    Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement of mourning on X Tuesday evening, saying, “I am absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash.” The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been assigned to lead the official investigation into the cause of the helicopter crash, with a preliminary report expected to be released in the coming weeks as investigators piece together details of the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.

  • How rising bond yields impact American consumers

    How rising bond yields impact American consumers

    Across global financial markets, a quiet but transformative shift is unfolding: bond yields are on a steady upward trajectory, a trend that carries far more direct implications for ordinary American households than many realize. As explained by BBC financial correspondent Samira Hussain, the connection between surging bond yields and everyday consumer borrowing is far more intimate than most people understand, working its way through the financial system to push up the interest rates on two of the most common forms of borrowing in the U.S. – home mortgages and small business loans.

    Bond yields typically move in line with broader market expectations for economic growth, inflation, and shifts in central bank monetary policy. When investors grow more optimistic about future expansion or anticipate higher inflation ahead, they demand higher returns on fixed-income government and corporate bonds, pushing yields upward. This dynamic does not stay confined to Wall Street’s trading floors; it spills over into the consumer credit market rapidly. Mortgage lenders, for example, often price long-term home loan rates based on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields. As those benchmark yields climb, lenders pass the higher borrowing costs they face directly to home buyers and homeowners looking to refinance.

    For small business owners seeking capital to expand operations, hire new staff, or cover day-to-day operational costs, the impact is equally tangible. Business loan interest rates are commonly tied to various benchmark bond yields, so a rise in these underlying metrics translates immediately to higher monthly payments for new and adjustable-rate loans. This can squeeze profit margins for small businesses, potentially slowing hiring plans and delaying expansion projects.

    While the impact is most acutely felt by consumers and business owners seeking new loans, even those with existing variable-rate borrowing products can see their interest costs climb in tandem with rising bond yields. The ongoing trend serves as a clear reminder that the complex movements of financial markets have direct, tangible impacts on the financial health of ordinary households across the United States.

  • Badar Khan Suri blasts ‘shallow’ Trump administration at immigration hearing

    Badar Khan Suri blasts ‘shallow’ Trump administration at immigration hearing

    On a Tuesday hearing in a Virginia immigration court, Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri delivered a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration’s legal arguments to justify his deportation, calling the government’s claims baseless, shallow, and rooted in political opportunism rather than factual evidence.

    Suri, a legal permanent U.S. resident and Indian citizen married to a U.S.-born woman from Gaza, first became a high-profile target of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) 18 months ago, shortly after he publicly expressed support for Palestinian rights. What began as a routine immigration matter has since erupted into a global flashpoint over the weaponization of U.S. deportation policy to silence dissenting political speech.

    Speaking to reporters outside the Annandale courthouse following Tuesday’s proceedings, Suri pushed back against the administration’s unsubstantiated claims labeling him antisemitic. ‘The government’s argument is very specious. It’s very shallow. They want to talk about something, but it has no roots,’ he said. ‘They are saying that I’m antisemite, I’m anti this or that, but they’re just saying it for the sake of some political agenda.’ Suri also highlighted that dozens of his Jewish supporters attended the hearing to stand with him, noting they reject the government’s effort to weaponize their religious identity for political gain.

    Nader Hashemi, director of Georgetown’s Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding where Suri conducts post-doctoral research, framed the case as a clear example of the Trump White House’s deeply entrenched anti-Palestinian policy orientation. Hashemi, who was present in the courtroom for Tuesday’s arguments, told Middle East Eye that Suri would never have been targeted for deportation without pressure from extreme right-wing backers of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He added that Suri himself is not the ultimate target of the administration’s action: because Suri’s wife, a Gaza native, is a U.S. citizen and cannot be legally targeted for political retaliation, officials have opted to harass her by going after her husband instead.

    Records of the case lay out how outside pro-Israel groups laid the groundwork for Suri’s arrest. In late February 2025, the conservative pro-Israel organization Middle East Forum (MEF) announced it had uncovered that Suri’s wife, Saleh, is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, a former senior political advisor to the late former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh – who has publicly criticized Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. Saleh was later added to the pro-Israel blacklist site Canary Mission, which cited her past work for Al Jazeera and Gaza City birthplace as evidence of purported Hamas ties. Just hours after news of Suri’s pending detention broke, MEF publicly took credit for pushing for his arrest.

    On March 17, 2025, masked federal agents took Suri into custody outside his Washington, D.C. suburban home. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally ordered the revocation of Suri’s visa, officially citing claims that the scholar had ‘spread Hamas propaganda and promoted antisemitism on social media.’ For two months following his arrest, Suri was held in an overcrowded, unsanitary ICE detention facility in Alvaredo, Texas, before a federal judge ordered his release on May 14, 2025, allowing him to return to his family in Virginia while his legal challenge proceeded.

    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is representing Suri in his legal fight, has previously outlined that the administration’s legal argument relies on a rarely invoked provision of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. The provision allows deportation when the government claims an individual’s presence ‘compromises a compelling foreign policy interest’ – a standard that legal advocates say is being abused to target political dissent. In July, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s bid to re-detain Suri, upholding the lower court’s ruling that granted him bail while his case moves forward.

    Today, Suri is pursuing two parallel legal battles: a federal habeas corpus case defending his due process rights, and a separate immigration hearing overseen by an immigration court under the Department of Justice, which answers directly to the U.S. Attorney General. Habeas corpus, a legal principle dating back to 13th-century England, was created to prevent arbitrary detention by state authorities and today applies to all people on U.S. territory, regardless of citizenship status.

    Suri, who has spent 20 years working to advance Middle East peace initiatives, says he remains prepared for the fight ahead and confident that justice will ultimately win out. ‘I know this is a tough thing. So I am ready for these challenges, and I am very hopeful that justice will prevail,’ he said.

    Hashemi also expressed cautious optimism following Tuesday’s hearing, pointing to widespread public outrage over the Trump administration’s abuse of executive power in the case. ‘I’m feeling confident that there’s a lot of public outrage over the abuse of power that the Trump administration has engaged in, and this has drawn the ire of a lot of concerned American citizens,’ he said. ‘It’s not just about the rights of one post-doctoral fellow in Georgetown. His case now is about the future of democracy in the United States.’

    As of Tuesday, the presiding immigration judge was expected to issue a ruling in the case as early as Tuesday evening local time.