Trump returns to power after unprecedented comeback

US President Donald Trump takes oath as Barron Trump and Melania Trump look on the day of his Presidential Inauguration at the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington. (Reuters)
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US President Donald Trump takes oath as Barron Trump and Melania Trump look on the day of his Presidential Inauguration at the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington. (Reuters)
US President-elect Donald Trump meets with US President Joe Biden at the White House ahead of the inauguration ceremony. (Reuters)
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Trump returns to power after unprecedented comeback
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US President-elect Donald Trump reacts during a MAGA victory rally at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, Jan. 19 (AFP)
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Updated 20 January 2025
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Trump returns to power after unprecedented comeback

Trump returns to power after unprecedented comeback
  • A cadre of billionaires and tech titans were given prominent positions in the Capitol Rotunda, mingling with Trump’s incoming team before the ceremony began

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president Monday, returning to power with a promise to end America’s decline and to “completely and totally reverse” the actions of the man who drove him from office four years ago.
Trump overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, and he planned to act swiftly after the ceremony. Dozens of executive orders were prepared for his signature to clamp down on border crossings, increase fossil fuel development and end diversity and inclusion programs across the federal government.
The orders from the incoming Republican president will begin the process of unraveling the Democratic agenda of Joe Biden, whose term ended at noon, moments before Trump took the oath of office.

Declaring that government faces a “crisis of trust,” Trump said in his inaugural address that under his administration, “our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced.”
Trump claimed “a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal,” promising to “give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom.”
“From this moment on,” he added as Biden watched from the front row, “America’s decline is over.”
The executive orders are the first step in what Trump calls “the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense.”
Other goals will prove more difficult, perhaps testing the patience of supporters who were promised quick success. Trump has talked about lowering prices after years of inflation, but his plans for tariffs on imports from foreign countries could have the opposite effect.

Frigid weather rewrote the pageantry of the day. Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda — the first time that has happened in 40 years — and the inaugural parade was replaced by an event at a downtown arena. Trump supporters who descended on the city to watch the ceremony outside the Capitol from the National Mall were left to find other places to view the festivities.
At the Capitol, Vice President JD Vance was sworn in first, taking the oath read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a Bible given to him by his great-grandmother. Trump followed moments after noon, using both a family Bible and the one used by President Abraham Lincoln at his 1861 inauguration as Chief Justice John Roberts administered his oath.
A cadre of billionaires and tech titans — including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai — were given prominent positions in the Capitol Rotunda, mingling with Trump’s incoming team before the ceremony began. Also there was Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who is expected to lead an effort to slash spending and federal employees.
Stopping at the White House on their way to the Capitol, Trump and his wife, Melania, were greeted by Biden and first lady Jill Biden for the customary tea and coffee reception. It was a stark departure from four years ago, when Trump refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory or attend his inauguration.
“Welcome home,” Biden said to Trump after the president-elect stepped out of the car. The two presidents, who have spent years bitterly criticizing each other, shared a limo to the Capitol. After the ceremony, Trump walked with Biden to the building’s east side, where Biden departed via helicopter to begin his post-presidential life.
Trump followed Biden’s departure with freewheeling remarks to supporters, revisiting a litany of conspiracy theories about voter fraud and grievances against perceived enemies such as former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, whom he called “a crying lunatic.”
He spoke for even longer than in his inaugural address, saying, “I think this is a better speech than the one I gave upstairs.”
Trump’s inauguration realized a political comeback without precedent in American history. Four years ago, he was voted out of the White House during an economic collapse caused by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Trump denied his defeat and tried to cling to power. He directed his supporters to march on the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying the election results, sparking a riot that interrupted the country’s tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.
But Trump never lost his grip on the Republican Party and was undeterred by criminal cases and two assassination attempts as he steamrolled rivals and harnessed voters’ exasperation with inflation and illegal immigration.
Trump used his inaugural address to repeat his claims that he was targeted by political prosecutions, and he promised to begin “fair, equal and impartial justice.” He also acknowledged that he was taking office on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which honors the slain civil rights hero. “We will strive together to make his dream a reality,” he said.
Now Trump is the first person convicted of a felony — for falsifying business records related to hush money payments — to serve as president. He pledged to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution from the same spot that was overrun by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. He’s said that one of his first acts in office will be to pardon many of those who participated in the riot, and he referred to them as “hostages” on Monday.
“It’s action, not words, that count, and you’re going to see a lot of action,” Trump said.
Eight years after he first entered the White House as a political newcomer, Trump is far more familiar with the operations of federal government and emboldened to bend it to his vision. Trump wants to bring quick change by curtailing immigration, enacting tariffs on imports and rolling back Democrats’ climate and social initiatives.
He has also promised retribution against his political opponents and critics, and placed personal loyalty as a prime qualification for appointments to his administration.
With minutes to go before leaving office, Biden issued preemptive pardons to his siblings and their spouses to shield them from the possibility of prosecution. Earlier in the day, he also pardoned current and former government officials who have been the target of Trump’s anger. Biden said “these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”
Trump has pledged to go further and move faster in enacting his agenda than during his first term, and already the country’s political, business and technology leaders have realigned themselves to accommodate him.
Democrats who once formed a “resistance” are now divided over whether to work with Trump or defy him. Billionaires have lined up to meet with Trump as they acknowledge his unrivaled power in Washington and his ability to wield the levers of government to help or hurt their interests.
Long skeptical of American alliances, Trump’s “America First” foreign policy is being watched warily at home and abroad as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will soon enter its third year, and a fragile ceasefire appears to be holding in Gaza after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas. Trump, who had promised to end the Ukraine war even before he was sworn-in, did not mention the conflict in his inaugural address.
Trump said he would lead a government that “expands our territory,” a reference to his goals of acquiring Greenland from Denmark and restoring US control of the Panama Canal.
He also said he would “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars” by launching American astronauts to Mars. Musk, the owner of a space rocket company with billions of dollars in federal contracts, cheered and pumped his arms above his head as Trump spoke.
Trump plans to crack down on the US southern border with a playbook that’s similar to his first term — declaring a national emergency, limiting the number of refugees entering the US and deploying the military.
He’s also expected to try to end birthright citizenship automatically bestowed on people born in the US and to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government.


Hundreds protest in London against Beijing ‘mega embassy’

Hundreds protest in London against Beijing ‘mega embassy’
Updated 09 February 2025
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Hundreds protest in London against Beijing ‘mega embassy’

Hundreds protest in London against Beijing ‘mega embassy’
  • China has for several years been trying to relocate its embassy, currently in the British capital’s upmarket Marylebone district, to the sprawling historic site in the shadow of the Tower of London

LONDON: Hundreds of demonstrators on Saturday protested at a site earmarked for Beijing’s controversial new embassy in London over human rights and security concerns.
The new embassy — if approved by the UK government — would be the “biggest Chinese embassy in Europe,” one lawmaker said earlier.
Protester Iona Boswell, a 40-year-old social worker, told AFP said there was “no need for a mega embassy here” and that she believed it would be used to facilitate the “harassment of dissidents.”
China has for several years been trying to relocate its embassy, currently in the British capital’s upmarket Marylebone district, to the sprawling historic site in the shadow of the Tower of London.
The move has sparked fierce opposition from nearby residents, rights groups, critics of China’s ruling Communist Party and others.
“This is about the future of our freedom, not just the site of a Chinese embassy in London,” Conservative Party lawmaker Tom Tugendhat told AFP at the protest, adding that people living in the UK “sadly have been too often been threatened by Chinese state agents.”
“I think it would be a threat to all of us because we would see an increase in economic espionage... and an increase in the silencing of opponents of the Chinese Communist Party (in the UK),” the former security minister added.
Housing the Royal Mint — the official maker of British coins — for nearly two centuries, the site was earlier home to a 1348-built Cistercian abbey but is currently derelict.
Beijing bought it for a reported $327 million in 2018.
“It will be like a headquarter (for China) to catch the (Hong Kong) people in the UK to (send them) back to China,” said another protester dressed all in black and wearing a full face mask, giving his name only as “Zero,” a member of “Hongkongers in Leeds,” the northern English city.
“After the super embassy (is built) maybe they will have more people to do the dirty jobs,” he added.
The protest comes as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, elected last July, wants more engagement with Beijing, following years of deteriorating relations over various issues, in particular China’s rights crackdown in Hong Kong.
In November Starmer became the first UK prime minister since 2018 to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, when the pair held talks at the G20 in Brazil.
A national planning inspector will now hold a public inquiry into the scheme, but Communities Secretary Angela Rayner will make the final decision.
That has alarmed opponents who fear the Labour government’s emphasis on economic growth, and improved China ties, could trump other considerations.
Multiple Western nations accuse Beijing of using espionage to gather technological information.
They have also accused hacking groups backed by China of a global campaign of online surveillance targeting critics.
The United States, Britain and New Zealand in March 2024 accused Beijing-backed hackers of being behind a series of attacks against lawmakers and key democratic institutions — allegations that prompted angry Chinese denials.


Protesters denounce Trump immigration policies outside his Florida golf club

Protesters denounce Trump immigration policies outside his Florida golf club
Updated 09 February 2025
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Protesters denounce Trump immigration policies outside his Florida golf club

Protesters denounce Trump immigration policies outside his Florida golf club
  • Protesters and supporters frequently gather outside venues where Trump is staying to show their disdain or their enthusiasm for his policies

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: A handful of demonstrators gathered outside Trump International Golf Club on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration policies while the commander-in-chief spent leisure time at the club.
Carrying signs and Mexican, Guatemalan and US flags and chanting “Immigrants Make America Great,” the small group of people shouted loudly and was visible as Trump, who spent several hours at the club, exited in his motorcade and drove by on Saturday afternoon.
Their chant was a reference to the president’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
One sign in Spanish said “the American Dream is also ours.”
Trump, a Republican who has been in office just shy of three weeks, won the presidency in large part on the back of a promise to crack down on illegal immigration.
He has implemented that promise with speed, starting on the day he was inaugurated, by tasking the US military to help with border security, issuing a broad ban on asylum and seeking to restrict citizenship for children born on US soil.
Protesters and supporters frequently gather outside venues where Trump is staying to show their disdain or their enthusiasm for his policies.


Russia says Baltic Sea cable damaged by ‘external impact’

Russia says Baltic Sea cable damaged by ‘external impact’
Updated 08 February 2025
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Russia says Baltic Sea cable damaged by ‘external impact’

Russia says Baltic Sea cable damaged by ‘external impact’
  • Several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months
  • Rostelecom’s operator told RIA Novosti news agency: “Repair work is being carried out”

MOSCOW: Russia’s state-controlled telecoms giant said Saturday that its underwater cable in the Baltic Sea had been damaged by an “external impact.”
Several undersea telecom and power cables have been severed in the Baltic Sea in recent months, with experts and politicians accusing Russia of orchestrating a hybrid war against Western countries supporting Ukraine.
“Some time ago in the Baltic Sea a Rostelecom underwater cable was damaged as the result of external impact,” Rostelecom’s operator told RIA Novosti news agency.
“Repair work is being carried out,” it added. The company said consumers were not affected.


Earlier Saturday, the Finnish coast guard said they were monitoring repairs of a Russian underwater cable carried out by a Russian vessel in the Gulf of Finland.
According to local authorities the undated incident took place inside Finland’s exclusive economic zone.
The spate of incidents led NATO countries to launch a patrol mission to protect critical underwater infrastructure in January.
Aircraft, frigates, submarines and drones have been deployed as part of the new operation, titled “Baltic Sentry.”
Finnish authorities said in November 2023 that a Rostelecom cable in the Baltic Sea was discovered damaged in October, roughly coinciding with damage to subsea infrastructure in Sweden and Finland.


South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid
Updated 08 February 2025
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South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid
  • “We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation,” the government said
  • South Africa said it “has taken note” of Trump’s executive order

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa condemned on Saturday US President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze aid to the country over a law he alleged allows land to be seized from white farmers.
“We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation,” the government said.
“It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favor among decision-makers in the United States of America.”
The law would “enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation,” Trump alleged in an executive order, which also noted foreign policy clashes between the two countries over the war in Gaza.
South Africa said it “has taken note” of Trump’s executive order, but added: “It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.”
Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid and the government under pressure to implement reforms.


War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say
Updated 08 February 2025
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War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say
  • The sanctions include freezing of US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States
  • The order directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days naming people who should be sanctioned

THE HAGUE: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan is the first person to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorized by US President Donald Trump that target the war crimes tribunal over investigations of US citizens or US allies, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday.
Khan, who is British, was named on Friday in an annex — not yet made public — to an executive order signed by Trump a day earlier, a senior ICC official and another source, both briefed by US government officials, told Reuters. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential matter.
The sanctions include freezing of US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.
The order directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days naming people who should be sanctioned.
The ICC on Friday condemned the sanctions, pledging to stand by its staff and “continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all situations before it.” Court officials met in The Hague on Friday to discuss the implications of the sanctions.
The International Criminal Court, which opened in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council.
Dozens of countries warned on Friday that the US sanctions could “increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to erode the international rule of law.”
“Sanctions would severely undermine all situations currently under investigation as the Court may have to close its field offices,” the 79 countries — who make up about two-thirds of the court’s members — said in a statement.

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Under an agreement between the United Nations and Washington, Khan should be able to regularly travel to New York to brief the UN Security Council on cases it had referred to the court in The Hague. The Security Council has referred the situations in Libya and Sudan’s Darfur region to the ICC.
“We trust that any restrictions taken against individuals would be implemented consistently with the host country’s obligations under the UN Headquarters agreement,” deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Friday.
Khan was most recently in New York last week to brief the Security Council on Sudan.
“International criminal law is an essential element to fighting impunity, which is unfortunately widespread,” Haq said. “The International Criminal Court is its essential element, and it must be allowed to work in full independence.”
Trump’s move on Thursday — repeating action he took during his first term — coincided with a visit to Washington by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who — along with his former defense minister and a leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas — is wanted by the ICC over the war in the Gaza.
During a visit to the US Congress on Friday, Netanyahu praised Trump’s move, describing the court as a “scandalous” organization “that threatens the right of all democracies to defend themselves.”