Another Indian student has been detained in the US. Badar Khan Suri, an Indian academic, has been arrested for his alleged links to Hamas.
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00:00A very good evening. I'm Geeta Mohan, and you're watching World Today.
00:20U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown on pro-Hamas students and activists seems to
00:25be intensifying with every passing day. Another Indian student has been detained in the United
00:30States of America. Badar Khan Suri, an Indian academic at Georgetown University, has been
00:36detained for his alleged links to the Hamas. This has put Indian students in panic mode
00:41as they fear that even their slightest sympathy towards Palestine or the Palestinian cause
00:48can jeopardize their stay in the United States, whether they're a visa holder or, for that
00:53matter, a green card holder. This comes just days after another Indian student, Ranjani
00:58Srinivasan, was forced to leave the U.S. over supposed terrorist sympathies. The message
01:04is clear. Any association, even ideological, can send or end a student's American dream.
01:12But is this a necessary step for national security, or is it silencing voices in academic
01:17spaces? Here's a report.
01:48His visa was revoked on the orders of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Department of Homeland
01:57Security says that Suri had close connections to a known or suspected terrorist. He is also
02:04charged for spreading Hamas propaganda on campus. It must be noted that Hamas has been
02:11designated a terrorist organization in the U.S.
02:15Now, his wife, Mufiz Saleh, an American citizen of Palestinian heritage, has also been targeted
02:23online for her family's supposed ties to Hamas. According to reports, Suri's wife is originally
02:30from Gaza but an American citizen now. The two got married in January 2014. The report
02:38further states that Suri's father-in-law, Ahmad Yusuf, was a former deputy foreign minister
02:44in the Hamas government in Gaza. In fact, Ahmad Yusuf is known as Hamas's gate to the
02:51West.
02:52So, now the question remains. Is Suri's arrest about security concerns or political persecution?
03:02The action against students like Ranjani Srinivasan and Badr Khan Suri is part of the wider
03:08Trump administration to end anti-Semitic and pro-radical activities.
03:38The crackdown is already disrupting education funding. The U.S. government has paused financial
03:56aid programs, impacting thousands of students, many of whom depend on scholarships for tuition.
04:03This comes on the heels of Trump administration's decision to axe the Department of Education.
04:10Moreover, research funding cuts are making life harder for international PhD students.
04:18The message from the Trump administration is clear. Any association with Hamas, even
04:23verbal or ideological, can end an international student's American dream.
04:32The crackdown is now raising a major debate. Is this just about security? Or is it an attack
04:40on free speech? Elite institutions are under pressure to report students involved in activism
04:47linked to Hamas. This has left many in fear of being expelled from the country.
04:53With recent reports of visa holders and students facing scrutiny over their sympathy for Hamas,
05:00many Indian students are now in panic mode. They are now frantically deleting old tweets
05:06and posts that could be interpreted as sympathetic to the group. The fear that even indirect
05:14associations such as liking or sharing pro-Hamas content could put them at risk of visa cancellations,
05:21deportations or being flagged by federal agencies.
05:27On top of this, in a recent interview, Vice President J.D. Vance said that green card
05:32holders can't stay in US permanently.
05:36A green card holder, even if I might like that green card holder, doesn't have an indefinite
05:41right to be in the United States of America, right? American citizens have different rights
05:45from people who have green cards, from people who have student visas. And so my attitude
05:50on this is, this is not fundamentally about free speech. And to me, yes, it's about national
05:55security, but it's also more importantly about who do we, as an American public, decide
06:00gets to join our national community.
06:03The anxiety is particularly high in top-tier universities, where institutions are facing
06:09increasing pressure to monitor students' political activities. While officials argue this is
06:16a necessary national security measure, critics warn it could set a dangerous precedent, where
06:24free speech for international students is no longer protected, and political opinions
06:29alone become grounds for deportation. Bureau Report, India Today Global.
06:36Well, let's then just focus on the Department of Education. President Donald Trump plans
06:43to sign an executive order calling for the shutdown of the US Education Department, acting
06:50on a key campaign pledge, according to reports. Trump derided the Department of Education
06:56as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. However, finalizing its dismantling is likely
07:03impossible without an act of the Congress, which was created, or which created the Department
07:10in the year 1979. In 2023, the Department sent nearly $60 billion for that year to schools
07:17in the United States of America, and according to reports, $1.6 trillion in federal student
07:24loans is sent overseas. In fact, the already implemented freeze in fund has already left
07:31thousands of foreign scholars in financial distress, impacting their education and cultural
07:37exchange initiatives. Popular scholarships such as Fulbright, Gilman, and critical languages
07:42have been affected, with students losing their anticipated stipends. This could largely
07:49impact Indian students studying in the US. The freeze seems to be one aspect of a broader
07:55federal cost-cutting effort, with agencies such as the State Department being instructed
08:00to redefine their expenditures. Meanwhile, the first step towards shutting down the Education
08:07Department has begun, with Trump administration freezing $175 million in taxpayer funding
08:14to the University of Pennsylvania. This is in response to defying the President's executive
08:19action in allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports. So it's not just
08:25about those who've gone ahead and supported Palestine, but also other areas that Trump
08:32focuses on, particularly transgender. The funding makes up nearly one-fifth of the Ivy
08:37League University's overall federal money received last year. UPenn, or the University
08:43of Pennsylvania, took roughly $1 billion in federal funds in 2024, but more taxpayer money
08:51could be at risk amid a separate probe by Trump's Department of Education into possible
08:57Title IX violations. The elite school became the center of the controversy over transgender
09:02athlete participation after one of its male swimmers changed genders and joined the women's
09:08team before going on to win the NCAA division title. White House, in a post on social media
09:16Platform X said, promises made, promises kept. Well, with that shifting focus to another
09:24big story that we've been tracking through and through. Tesla is at the center of a political
09:31firestorm. We've been reporting it for a while now. Protests, vandalism, even arson. Dealerships
09:36across the U.S. and Europe are under attack. The reason? Elon Musk's increasingly public
09:41embrace of right-wing politics and former President, or President, sorry, Donald Trump,
09:47and his policies and his pledges when it comes to cutting down government spending and the
09:59loss of jobs that it has caused because of DOGE and the Department of Government Efficiency
10:05putting in place the kind of policies that Elon Musk is now implementing. Some Tesla
10:12owners are ditching their cars in protest while conservatives are rallying behind Musk.
10:17So as Tesla sales slump and stocks drop, investors are asking, has Musk's political shift permanently
10:24damaged the complete brand or can Tesla separate itself from the man who built it?
10:43Tesla has long been an industry disruptor in the field of electric vehicles. But now,
10:50it's facing protests, vandalism, and declining sales. The reason is CEO Elon Musk's growing
10:57ties to right-wing politics and to President Donald Trump. The backlash has been widespread.
11:03Across the United States and Europe, Tesla dealerships have been hit by protests, some
11:08peaceful and others destructive. In cities like Portland and Seattle, showrooms have
11:13been vandalized, windows smashed, and vehicles defaced. In extreme cases, arsonists have
11:19set fire to Tesla vehicles and charging stations. Federal officials are investigating whether
11:24these acts are coordinated. Law enforcement has also been busy. A man in Oregon allegedly
11:30threw a bottle of cocktails at a Tesla store, later returning to shoot out its windows.
11:35In Seattle, four Cybertrucks were set on fire in a Tesla lot. And in Las Vegas, multiple
11:40Teslas were torched outside a service center, with Resist spray-painted across the doors.
11:46Authorities believe some of these attacks may be politically motivated. Critics say
11:51that Musk's politics have changed Tesla's image. Many buyers once saw Tesla as an innovation-driven,
11:57eco-friendly brand. But after Musk bought Twitter, now X, and publicly backed Trump,
12:03some owners started selling their Teslas in protest. They say they no longer want
12:07to be associated with Musk's ideology. Tesla's controversial position has become
12:12deeply partisan. Among liberals, Tesla has gone from being an environmentalist's dream
12:18to a symbol of Musk's right-wing views. Progressive groups at Tesla takedown are pushing
12:23for boycotts. Democratic politicians and activists are distancing themselves from Musk.
12:28Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona even sold his Tesla, saying he no longer wanted to support the company.
12:58And Donald Trump is doing to our country. Talking about slashing social security, cutting
13:04health care benefits for poor people, for seniors. It's one bad thing after the next.
13:11He's firing veterans. I'm a veteran. So I have a really hard time driving around in
13:16this thing. So I think it's time for an upgrade today. So this is going to be my last, last
13:21trip in this car. There are some things I really liked about it. There are things I
13:26didn't like about it. But that doesn't matter. What matters is, you know, doing the
13:31right thing. I think it's time to get rid of it. You know, Elon Musk kind of turned
13:35out to be an asshole. And I don't want to be driving a car built and designed by an
13:42asshole. So looking forward to my new ride. Polling also shows a shift. Tesla's favorability
13:50among Democrats has plummeted. Many are switching to other brands. Conservatives, however,
13:55are rallying behind Musk. Donald Trump has defended Musk, calling him a patriot and
14:01labeling the Tesla attacks as domestic terrorism. Strategists for the Republican Party argue
14:07that Musk could even help make electric vehicles more acceptable to the right wing. Right
14:11wing media figures have also praised Musk for fighting against woke culture. Yet Tesla
14:17is still struggling. Despite Musk's popularity, many Republicans remain skeptical of electric
14:22vehicles. Even though Republican interest in Tesla has risen, people still prefer other
14:26cars. Musk's political shift has also had real financial consequences. Tesla's stock
14:32has dropped 47 percent since Trump's second term began. Investors also worry that Musk
14:37is alienating Tesla's core customers. Meanwhile, U.S. sales fell by 5.6 percent last year,
14:44the first annual decline in Tesla's history. Many investors are concerned that Musk is
14:49spending too much time on politics. His involvement in Washington and his push for deregulation
14:54have made him a favorite among conservatives. But some shareholders worry this could backfire,
14:58further distancing Tesla from the environmentally conscious buyers who helped build the brand.
15:03This also comes at a time when China's electric vehicles giant BYD has been dominating
15:08Tesla in a number of key global markets. Musk is still pushing forward with big plans, from
15:14self-driving technology to the Cybertruck. But his political stance has reshaped Tesla's
15:18image. The big question is this, can Tesla separate itself from Musk's controversies
15:24or is it now permanently tied to political division? For now, the battle over Tesla continues.
15:29Protests show no sign of stopping and politicians on both sides are weighing in.
15:34Tesla remains caught in the middle of one of the most heated political and cultural
15:39divides in modern business history.
15:48And with peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine moving forward, Europe is looking to engage
15:53key stakeholders as well. In the latest, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed
15:58the situation not just in Gaza but also the Russia-Ukraine war, welcoming the kingdom's
16:03efforts in hosting negotiations aimed at reaching a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine
16:09through the Jeddah Initiative. Meanwhile, Russia and the US will be discussing ways to ensure
16:14safe shipping in the Black Sea at talks on a possible Ukrainian peace settlement
16:19in Jeddah in the coming days. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine
16:25had accepted a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States following critical peace
16:30talks between US and Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia. The ceasefire proposal
16:35accepted by Ukraine covers the entire front line of the fighting with Russia,
16:41not just the air and sea. White House said US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian
16:46counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call on Wednesday agreed to a partial
16:51ceasefire against energy between Russia and Ukraine. The phone call came one day
16:56after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in talks over the phone
17:02that peace in Ukraine will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire in Ukraine.
17:08In a statement signed by the US Secretary of State, Secretary Marco Rubio and National
17:13Security Advisor Mike Walsh and Ukraine's technical teams will meet in Saudi Arabia
17:20in the coming days to discuss broadening the ceasefire to Black Sea on the way to a full
17:27ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump and Zelensky discussed the situation in Kursk and agreed to share
17:34information closely between their defense staff as the battlefield situation evolved.
17:39That's what the statement said. But during the phone conversation, Zelensky also asked
17:44for additional air defense systems, particularly Patriot missile systems, and President Trump
17:50agreed to work with him to find what was available, particularly in Europe.
17:57And now joining me to discuss this from the India Today Global Studio is Srinya Kondratieva.
18:03She's a senior journalist with Russia Today. Srinya, many thanks for joining us here on India Today.
18:11Now, there has been a discussion between Macron and the Saudi Crown Prince.
18:16He did appreciate Saudi Arabia's role, but how do you think Europe is really viewing
18:21these mediation efforts where Europe is in fact left out?
18:25See, I think it's very complex. Europe definitely felt itself left out whenever Trump's administration
18:39has shifted its policy on Ukraine, and that has been a complete shift of the policy.
18:45Now, Europe's rhetoric is very militarized, I would say, and they're trying to push for the war effort to continue.
18:59They have promised to supply weapons to Ukraine and keep funding it because probably, you know,
19:07there is lack of understanding what comes if the peace efforts between the U.S. and Russia achieve some success.
19:20Again, we are in the very, very initial stage. We can't even say the actual peace talks are taking place at the moment.
19:29Of course, there is change. The dialogue has started, which is already a great thing, but we are very far from peace.
19:39And there is no clarity on the conditions. Most probably, the conditions that are being discussed,
19:46the terms and conditions are not in the public, and that's the way Russia would like to have it.
19:55But there is a lack of clarity for the European leaders as well. What role is there for them?
20:06Right. Zinnia, then looking at the larger picture over here, the mediation is happening between U.S. and Russia,
20:12and then again with Russia and Ukraine. So, U.S. is playing a critical role.
20:18But in all this, a major stakeholder is Europe. What does Europe really have to lose or gain,
20:24but particularly lose in this case?
20:29Well, you know, Europe has been Russia's large trading partner, and despite the ongoing war,
20:38it continues to be, it continues to import resources from Russia.
20:43I've just been to a Rossino Dialogue here in New Delhi and have heard European leaders speaking so much against Russia,
20:53calling Russia a main threat, you know, and at the same time, they continue their trade.
21:00So, I have a feeling that European leaders sort of underestimate and underestimated Russia back in 2022 for sure.
21:12They would want to see Russia as, you know, as a gas station, if I may say so.
21:19But Russia that is not growing, that is not developing, because I've even heard a speaker saying that
21:26what is Russia without its nukes and energy? It will be, you know, its economy will be less than Italian.
21:33But we see Russian IT giants coming up, financial giants coming up.
21:39There are so many technologies, it's just that the Europe and the West in whole is not aware because they don't want to be aware.
21:47So, why I'm saying all this? Because you asked me whether Europe has something to gain or to lose.
21:54I think if Putin's statements back in 2007, 2008 were heard and understood,
22:06then we would not be here and we wouldn't have the three-year-old conflict, which has, you know, claimed so many lives on both sides.
22:15Right. Senior Kondratieva, thank you so much for joining us. A very important message over here for Europe.
22:20They have lost out on engaging Russia, which is expanding, not just in one sector.
22:28Don't treat it like a gas station, but look beyond. That's the message coming from a Russian journalist.
22:34A shifting focus to the world of AI. Has GROK gone rogue? That's the big question.
22:39Elon Musk's AI chatbot, GROK, is now under scanner of the Indian government.
22:45The Information and Technology Ministry has expressed concerns with X over the use of provocative language by GROK
22:52and will look into factors leading to it. GROK, which is embedded on X as a feature,
22:59has grabbed the attention of Indian social media users over its responses in unfiltered language and slang when provoked.
23:07The issue came to light after an X user's post on his interaction with GROK recently went viral.
23:14Meanwhile, sources say that the government of India is engaging with X on GROK's replies.
23:21Take a look at this report.
23:23AI with an attitude and a sharp and filthy tongue. That is what the social media is saying to GROK, the immensely popular AI chatbot of X.
23:36The Indian government is now in talks with Elon Musk-owned X, formally Twitter, over GROK,
23:45the AI chatbot using Hindi slangs and giving unfiltered and abusive responses.
23:52To queries which are expletives laid in themselves.
23:58It all started when a user casually asked GROK for recommendations.
24:02About 10 best mutuals, but the AI did not respond fast.
24:06Then the impatient user hurled some expletives.
24:13Replying to him, GROK just roasted the user in pure desi style with unexpected swear words.
24:21This conversation went viral, giving rise to an outburst of memes.
24:29Now, the Information and Technology Ministry is stepping in to understand why GROK is using such abusive language.
24:40GROK is a feature on X and an alternative to AI models like ChatGPT and Google's Gemini.
24:47It was developed in 2023 by XAI, an AI company of tech titan Elon Musk.
24:56As AI is becoming a part of our daily digital conversation, the unfiltered words raises concerns on our control over chatbots.
25:16Now, let's take a look at some other news from across the world in World at a Glance.
25:46Showed a major blast spreading out from the airfield, wrecking nearby cottages.
25:51Russia's defence ministry said that air defences had shot down 132 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions.
26:00The base in Angola, which dates back to early Soviet times, hosts Russia's Tupolev Tu-160 nuclear-capable heavy strategic bombers, known unofficially as White Swans.
26:16Israel's recent wave of attacks and the ongoing aid blockade have compounded the already dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
26:27The Israeli army conducted intense airstrikes on the early mornings of Tuesday and Wednesday across multiple locations in Gaza.
26:36The strikes broke nearly two months of ceasefire and raised fears of fully reigniting the 17-month long war.
26:44As per the Gaza-based health authorities, the airstrikes on Tuesday killed at least 413 people.
26:56The UK Prime Minister has visited the crew of a HM submarine as it returned to the British waters after months of undersea service.
27:05Keir Starmer sat in on the crew's debrief to hear details about the ship's operational tour.
27:12Starmer's visit to the boat's day zero at Barrow-in-Furness makes him the first Prime Minister to do so in more than a decade.
27:20It comes ahead of a visit of the Port of Barrow on Thursday, where Starmer is expected to lay the keel to the first boat of the next generation of nuclear-armed submarines known as the HMS.
27:34Starmer is also expected to serve as the dreadnought class.