• Major Indian unions condemn new labour codes as “deceptive fraud”.
• Unions demand withdrawal of labour laws ahead of protests.
• Modi govt rolls out four labour codes approved five years ago.

Ten large Indian trade unions condemned the government’s rollout on Friday of new labour codes, the biggest such overhaul in decades, as a “deceptive fraud” against workers.

The unions, aligned with parties opposing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanded in a statement late on Friday that the laws be withdrawn ahead of nationwide protests they plan to hold on Wednesday.

Modi’s government implemented the four labour codes, approved by parliament five years ago, as it seeks to simplify work rules, some dating to British colonial rule, and liberalise conditions for investment. It says the changes improve worker protections.

While the new rules offer social security and minimum-wage benefits, they also allow companies to hire and fire workers more easily.

Unions have strongly opposed the changes, organising multiple nationwide protests over the past five years.

The Labour Ministry did not immediately respond on Saturday to a Reuters request for comment on the union demands. The government has held over a dozen consultations with unions since June 2024, an internal ministry document on the labour codes shows.

The rules allow longer factory shifts and night work for women, while raising the threshold for firms that need prior approval for layoffs to 300 workers from 100, giving companies greater flexibility in workforce management.

Businesses have long criticised India’s work rules as a drag on manufacturing, which contributes less than a fifth to the country’s nearly $4 trillion economy.

But the Association of Indian Entrepreneurs expressed concern that the new rules would significantly increase operating costs for small and midsize enterprises and disrupt business continuity across key sectors. It asked the government for transitional support and flexible implementation mechanisms.

Not all unions oppose the overhaul. The right-wing Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh, aligned with Modi’s party, called on states to implement them after consultations on some of the codes.

Indian states are expected to craft rules aligning with the new federal codes covering wages, industrial relations, social security and occupational safety.

US President Donald Trump hosted New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday for a meeting that proceeded smoothly despite their sharply contrasting political views.

One of Trump’s notable wins was shifting the narrative about Mamdani, whom he had previously criticized as a “100% Communist Lunatic.” “We agree on a lot more than I would have thought,” Trump said, smiling as he addressed Mamdani respectfully as “Mr. Mayor” and predicted success for his tenure.

Their televised Oval Office meeting drew significant attention, presenting Trump in a more favorable light after weeks of negative coverage linked to files from the late Jeffrey Epstein. With his poll numbers declining, the meeting offered a timely distraction and a chance to reset the political conversation.

Focus on Affordability

Trump and Mamdani focused their discussion on the cost of living and affordability, central issues in Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. Trump spoke at length about reducing housing and grocery costs, while Mamdani emphasized that his campaign reached out to Trump supporters to address their concerns.

“Some of his ideas are the same ideas I have,” Trump noted, highlighting areas of common ground, particularly on housing expansion in New York. By emphasizing economic concerns, both leaders largely avoided contentious issues such as immigration policy and the war in Gaza.

The White House has indicated that cost-of-living concerns will be a top priority for Trump ahead of next year’s midterm elections, which will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress.

Mamdani Holds His Ground

Mamdani, a Democrat, appeared confident and composed while addressing questions in the Oval Office. He spoke respectfully of Trump but did not shy away from critical topics, including his stance on immigration policies and their impact on New York.

During a discussion about why Mamdani flew to Washington instead of taking a train, Trump intervened in support of the mayor-elect, saying, “I’ll stick up for you. Flying was the fastest way to get to DC from New York.”

Body language

Warmth, familiarity, even fraternity.

In what could have been a contentious meeting between political polar opposites, Trump and Mamdani exuded friendliness in their first get-together since the democratic socialist became New York City’s mayor-elect after beating establishment party figures in the Democratic primary, notably former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Unlike aggressive meetings Trump has had with some foreign leaders in the same space, the president appeared calm, supportive and even enthusiastic about Mamdani as the two men appeared before cameras.

They displayed amiable body language. Trump shook Mamdani’s hand more than once, patting it with his other in apparent affection, and touched or playfully punched his arm at other times, almost paternally, while they took questions together from the press.

Trump, appearing like an elder statesman, sat at his desk, while Mamdani, the younger upstart, stood next to him, his hands clasped. Trump wore a wide red power tie, Mamdani wore a narrower blue one, both colors corresponding to their respective political party affiliations.

Trump likes winners

Some expected fireworks between the volatile conservative president and the mayor-elect who reaffirmed his embrace of the “democratic socialist” label. Yet the aftermath of the meeting was surprisingly cordial.

Trump suggested that Mamdani might “change his mind” about some policies. “I think he’s going to surprise some conservative people,” the president said.

Trump, who praised Mamdani’s performance during the mayoral primaries and general election, has always liked winners.

Bringing Mamdani to the White House was not considerably different than inviting a championship sports team — a presidential tradition that Trump relishes.

And as a fellow New Yorker, Trump may have a level of respect for someone who successfully navigated the city’s stormy politics. “Being the mayor of New York City is a big deal,” Trump said.

At times Trump acted as if he were meeting with a fellow head of state. He remarked about the media attention the two had drawn, saying it exceeded the scrutiny attracted by some leaders of other countries.

Trump grew up in Queens, where Mamdani resides now, making him the city’s first mayor from that borough. It is possible both men saw themselves as somewhat kindred spirits.

“I love New York City,” the president said.

• Departure will narrow Republican majority in House to 218-213.
• Trump, Greene have had a public falling out in recent weeks.
• Greene posts lengthy resignation statement on social media.

Saying she refused to be a “battered wife,” US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene announced on Friday she was resigning from the House of Representatives in the wake of a dramatic falling out with President Donald Trump.

Her exit marks a stunning turn of events that few would have imagined months ago. Greene, a Republican from Georgia, was once one of Trump’s closest allies and an outspoken advocate of his “America First” agenda, but the rift between the two widened in recent months over the release of government files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and other matters.

In a 10-minute video posted on social media, Greene said she was spurred to resign by the prospect of having to face a Trump-backed Republican primary challenger and the potential takeover of the House by Democrats in next year’s midterm elections. She also complained that Congress has largely been “sidelined” since Trump returned to the presidency in January.

Rupture prompts concerns over Maga base before midterms

“I have too much self-respect and dignity, love my family way too much, and do not want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me by the president we all fought for, only to fight and win my election while Republicans will likely lose the midterms,” Greene said.

“I refuse to be a battered wife hoping it all goes away and gets better,” she added.

Interviewed by ABC News, Trump said Greene’s resignation, to take effect on January 5, was “great news for the country. It’s great.”

Greene lamented the state of American politics, contending that neither Republicans nor Democratic lawmakers were working to solve the nation’s problems, including the rising cost of living.

She said voters were tuning out Washington because “they know how much credit card debt they have, they know how much their own bills have gone up over the past five years, they actually do their own grocery shopping and know food costs too much, their rent has increasingly gone up, they have been outbid by corporate asset managers too many times when they put in an offer to buy a house.”

The public dispute between Trump and Greene had fueled concerns among some Republicans that Trump’s “Make America Great Again” base could fracture a year before the midterms, when Democrats hope to regain control of Congress.

Greene’s resignation will narrow the Republican majority in the House to 218 members over the Democrats’ 213. Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

Greene had been increasingly exhibiting her independence from Trump, joining a House effort to force the release of the Epstein files over his objections, blasting House leadership for not doing more to address healthcare costs during the recent government shutdown and calling Israel’s assault on Gaza a genocide.

Trump, in turn, became more critical of her.

Before the House voted overwhelmingly to release the Epstein files, he called her a “traitor” and “disgrace” to the Republican Party. He withdrew his support for her and called her a “ranting lunatic.”

Greene says ordinary Americans being ‘cast aside’

In her video, Greene defended her Epstein vote.

“Standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and used by rich powerful men, should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the president of the United States, whom I fought for,” she said.

Greene said she was proud of her conservative voting record, adding, in a swipe at Trump, that “loyalty should be a two-way street.”

Her ally in the House, Representative Thomas Massie, posted on X that Greene “embodies what a true representative should be.”

Barbara Comstock, a former Republican House member and a Trump critic, lauded Greene’s decision on social media.

“She doesn’t want to be a Republican ‘battered wife’ taking Trump’s abuse and getting death threats and pretending it’s all ok only to end up in the minority. Good for her,” Comstock posted.

Greene won her northwest Georgia district with 64% of the vote in 2024. Residents there said this week they hoped her rift with Trump would soon heal and expressed a willingness to support both of them. But Greene made clear on Friday that she had no interest in sparring with a Trump-backed opponent.

Even if she prevailed, she said, she likely would be in the House minority after the midterms and would have to defend Trump in impeachment proceedings, a situation she called “absurd” and “completely unserious.”

“If I am cast aside by MAGA and replaced by Neocons, Big Pharma, Big Tech, Military Industrial War Complex, foreign leaders, and the elite donor class that can’t even relate to real Americans, then many common Americans have been cast aside and replaced as well,” she said.