Trump freezes aid to South Africa amid spat over land expropriation law
United States President Donald Trump has frozen aid to South Africa in an escalation of a rift between his administration and Pretoria over a controversial land expropriation law aimed at tackling inequality stemming from apartheid. In an executive order signed on Friday, Trump said the law showed a “shocking disregard” for citizens’ rights and would allow the government to seize land from ethnic minority Afrikaners without compensation. The passage of the Expropriation Act, signed last month by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, followed “countless” policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity, as well as “hateful rhetoric” and government actions that have driven violence against “racially disfavored” landowners, Trump said in his order. South Africa has also taken “aggressive positions” towards the US and its allies, including accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and boosting relations with Iran, Trump said in the order. “The United States cannot support the government of South Africa’s commission of rights violations in its country or its undermining United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our Nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests,” the US president said in the order. Advertisement Trump’s order also said his administration would promote the resettlement of Afrikaners “escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination”. Trump and Ramaphosa have been engaged in an escalating war of words over the law since Sunday, when the US president accused his counterpart’s administration of “confiscating land” and mistreating “certain classes of people”. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would skip the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) talks in Johannesburg in response to the legislation and other “very bad things” happening in the country. Ramaphosa has insisted the law is not a “confiscation instrument” but part of a “constitutionally mandated legal process”, and argued that it will ensure public access to land in an “equitable and just manner”. In an address to parliament on Thursday that appeared to take aim at Trump, Ramaphosa said that his country would stand united amid a rise in the “pursuit of narrow interests” and “the decline of common cause”. “We will not be deterred. We are a resilient people. We will not be bullied,” he said. Under the expropriation law, the government may seize land without compensation where it is deemed to be “just and equitable and in the public interest”, such as in cases where it is not being used, and after efforts to reach an agreement with the owner have failed. Ramaphosa and his African National Congress have said the legislation is necessary to alleviate huge disparities in land ownership stemming from colonial settlement and the subsequent institution of racial segregation and white-minority rule. Advertisement The government has yet to expropriate any land under the law. The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s largest opposition party and a member of the ANC-led national unity government, has strongly criticised the law, casting it as a threat to property rights and much-needed foreign investment. The DA, which draws most of its support from white, Indian and multiracial South Africans, has also expressed concern about Trump’s threats and denied suggestions that the law allows land to be seized “arbitrarily”. Land ownership is a heated issue in South Africa due to the legacy of apartheid, which lasted from 1948 until 1994. Although Black South Africans make up more than 80 percent of the population, they own just 4 percent of privately owned farmland, according to a government audit conducted in 2017. White South Africans, who make up about 7 percent of the population and are divided between Afrikaans-speaking descendants of Dutch settlers and English-speaking descendants of British colonialists, hold about three-quarters of the land. Trump’s campaign against South Africa comes as his administration is clamping down on foreign assistance more broadly, including by effectively dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Washington allocated about $440m in assistance to South Africa in 2023, according to the most recent US government data. Adblock test (Why?)
“Dehumanisation of Palestinians is so normalised,” Poet Mohammed El Kurd
Marc Lamont Hill discusses the dehumanisation of Palestinians with author and poet Mohammed El-Kurd. “Death is so quotidian that journalists report it as though they’re reporting the weather” wrote Palestinian poet and author Mohammed El-Kurd amid Israel’s war on Gaza. And with a ceasefire in place, the fate of Palestinians remains uncertain. So what role does the Western gaze play in perpetuating a narrative that dehumanizes Palestinians and how does it shape our understanding of their struggle for justice and liberation? This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill discusses with author and poet Mohammed El-Kurd the resistance and dehumanisation of Palestinians. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli army demolishes homes in Jenin, continues raids across West Bank
Israeli forces demolish houses in Jenin refugee camp, local sources report, as assault continues for third week. The Israeli army has demolished several Palestinian homes in the Jenin refugee camp as it continues the deadly raids across the occupied West Bank that it launched on January 21. Explosions echoed throughout the camp overnight as Israeli forces demolished the civilian homes, Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency, reported on Friday. Witnesses said Israeli forces reinforced their presence around the camp and conducted intensive drone surveillance. The army also continues to besiege Jenin Governmental Hospital, having bulldozed the main entrance and the main road leading to it earlier in its raids. Earlier this week, it carried out the demolition of residential blocks in Jenin for the first time since 2002, as reported by Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub. The Israeli military offensive, which launched two days after a ceasefire was agreed in Gaza, has targeted Jenin city, its refugee camp and surrounding towns, killing 25 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Advertisement Nearly 90 percent of the camp’s population has been forcibly displaced with many seeking refuge in 39 villages and towns across Jenin governorate. Israeli forces also stormed several areas in the Ramallah governorate and assaulted and detained two Palestinians in the Old City of Hebron as they were distributing bread. In Beita, south of Nablus, Israeli forces assaulted ambulance crews during a raid, wounding a paramedic, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Israeli soldiers fired stun grenades directly at the ambulance, damaging the vehicle as it was responding to an emergency, it said. Military assault on Tulkarem For the 12th consecutive day, Israeli forces also continued their wide-scale military assault on Tulkarem city and its refugee camp in the western West Bank, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and civilian property. Over the past few days, the Israeli army has arrested dozens of Palestinians, forced hundreds of families to flee their homes and killed four Palestinians, including a child and a journalist. Israeli forces have also turned Palestinian homes in Tulkarem and its camp into military outposts after evicting their residents. Witnesses told Turkiye’s Anadolu news agency that the Israeli army carried out mass arrests in eastern Tulkarem city. Wafa reported that the Israeli army continues to besiege Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital. It is also occupying the adjacent al-Adawiya commercial complex, having converted it into a military base and surveillance post. Advertisement Tulkarem Governor Abdullah Kamil confirmed in a statement that 85 percent of the camp’s population had been displaced due to the Israeli military assault. Offensive in Tubas In the northern West Bank for the sixth consecutive day, the Israeli army continued its offensive in Tammun and the Far’a refugee camp in Tubas governorate. Israeli forces have been conducting house-to-house searches in Tammun under the cover of air strikes with drone attacks targeting various locations in the town. While no casualties have been reported, residents are suffering from a severe shortage of supplies and a near-total power outage. The Israeli army has also made many arrests and conducted interrogations of Palestinians in the area. In the Far’a camp, sources reported that Israeli forces targeted infrastructure, cutting off electricity and water supplies to most residents. Adblock test (Why?)
Man City name Ballon d’Or winner Rodri in squad for Champions League run in
Manchester City include Rodri in their Champions League squad as hopes rise of return from injury this season. Manchester City showed faith in Rodri’s potential return to action this season by registering the injured Ballon d’Or winner in its Champions League squad for the knockout phase. UEFA set a midnight Thursday deadline to submit updated squad lists for European competitions. With a limit of three new signings in the midseason transfer window allowed, City left teenage defender Vitor Reis – who joined from Palmeiras last month – out of their squad for the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition was revealed on Friday. It was initially feared that Rodri’s season was over, but the Spanish international has set a target of about April – “six to seven months” after tearing the ACL in his right knee against Arsenal on September 22 – to return to play. The Champions League quarterfinals start April 8. The English champions have a daunting task to stay in the competition until then without star midfielder Rodri, who scored the winning goal in the 2023 final against Inter Milan. Manchester City’s Rodri lays on the pitch after a collision during the English Premier League match at Arsenal [Dave Thompson/AP] City face Real Madrid in a two-leg knockout playoff, next Tuesday and on February 19. The winner will play either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16. Advertisement Speaking to reporters on Friday in advance of City’s FA Cup clash at Leyton Orient on Saturday, City manager Pep Guardiola said: “After the game [at Orient] we will come back early to Manchester and after we have time to start to talk [about Real Madrid]. “Of course I have an eye to Madrid but Leyton Orient deserve my attention; always it has been like that. Otherwise we would not get the amount of semi-finals and finals of the FA Cup that we had in the last five, six years.” New signings who are also included in coach Pep Guardiola’s squad for the Champions League are midfielder Nico Gonzalez — who can stand in for Rodri — forward Omar Marmoush, and defender Abdukodir Khusanov. Guardiola said that 23-year-old Gonzalez, who signed on transfer deadline day on Monday, is “really important”. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager added: “It’s a position where we were weak after the absence from Rodri. “I know him from the Barcelona academy and his father was working here. I’m really pleased from the effort of the club to bring him here for the next years.” Adblock test (Why?)
US judge delays Trump buyout offer meant to thin out public servants
A United States judge has temporarily blocked a buyout package offered to federal workers as an incentive to resign from their jobs, part of a larger push under President Donald Trump to whittle down the scale of government. On Thursday, US District Judge George O’Toole suspended the administration’s deadline to accept the buyout, which was set for 11:59pm Eastern Time (03:59 GMT, Friday). O’Toole explained the additional time was needed for his court to consider arguments against the measure, brought by unions representing nearly 800,000 government employees. The federal court in Massachusetts will hear full arguments in the case starting on Monday. “It’s a glimmer of hope that the courts might help us and block the whole resignation programme,” one employee at the General Services Administration, which manages federal properties, told the Reuters news agency under condition of anonymity. During his campaign, Trump and allies, such as Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, pledged to purge the federal government of workers and public employees that could pose an obstacle to their agenda. Advertisement On January 20, shortly after being sworn in for a second term, Trump told an arena of supporters he planned to rid the government of “Biden bureaucrats”, a reference to his predecessor, Joe Biden. “Most of those bureaucrats are being fired. They’re gone. Should be all of them, but some sneak through,” he said. But critics point out that career civil servants are nonpartisan employees – and they are essential to the smooth running of the government, even during transitions of power. The buyout offer, which promises to pay workers their salaries through October if they agree to quit, has been challenged in court by labour unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). The Trump administration has warned that people who do not accept the offer could later lose their jobs anyway. US news outlets have reported that the Department of Education, which Trump has indicated he wants to abolish, told staffers the government could terminate their paycheques at any time. “We encourage federal workers in this city to accept the very generous offer,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt said on Thursday. She offered some pointed remarks to remote workers who were reticent about Trump’s mandate that they return to the office, too. “They don’t want to come into the office,” Leavitt said. “If they want to rip the American people off, then they’re welcome to take this buyout, and we’ll find highly qualified people.” Leavitt said about 40,000 federal workers had accepted the offer, accounting for about 2 percent of the government’s civilian workforce. Advertisement Not only has Trump questioned the political allegiance of federal workers, but he has also denounced the large workforce as evidence of government bloat. The federal government is the largest employer in the US, with more than two million workers spanning the military, education and more. Many federal workers say that the blitz campaign meant to thin out their ranks has left them feeling uncertain about the future. “In the halls, most people are stopping to ask one another what their decision will be, with many people saying they are scared because we are caught between two bad choices and very little time to make the decision,” a Department of the Treasury executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. Adblock test (Why?)
Torres hat-trick leads Barcelona Copa del Rey rout at Valencia
Ferran Torres scores three of Barcelona’s first four goals in a 5-0 Copa del Rey quarterfinal win at Valencia. Ferran Torres fired a 30-minute hat-trick as Barcelona booked their place in the Copa del Rey semifinals with a 5-0 win at Valencia. The Barca forward opened the scoring in the third minute at Estadio de Mestalla on Thursday, as he burst through the home side’s offside trap to slot home a first-time finish. His second was a tap-in after Lamine Yamal struck the post. By the time the hat-trick was sealed, with a flick from Raphinha on the edge of the box and a drilled effort into the bottom corner, Barca had already put themselves out of sight with another breach of the Valencia backline by Fermin Lopez. Yamal, who had a quiet first half, was far livelier in the second and sealed the win in the 59th minute with a deflected effort, which wrong-footed the keeper. The Spanish international had already struck the post with a trademark curling effort after cutting inside onto his left foot. Ferran Torres of Barcelona scores his team’s fourth goal to complete his hat-trick [David Ramos/Getty Images] Barca, who opened their league season with a 2-1 win on the same ground, thumped Valencia 7-1 at home in the reverse fixture on January 26. Hansi Flick’s side, who are third in LaLiga, also hit seven at Valladolid in August. Advertisement Another mauling was on the cards for Carlos Corberan’s beleaguered side, who sit second bottom of the Spanish league – four points from safety with only four wins in 22 matches. Torres’s second strike had initially been disallowed for offside, only for VAR to intervene and overrule the referee’s assistant. The pause for the decision was about as much respite as the home side were to enjoy in a half of ruthless and relentless running from Barca. The ease with which they either sliced through the Valencia defence, as for the second and fourth goals, or broke clean through, as with the first and third, will be as great a concern for Corberan as it is a delight for Flick. Lamine Yamal of Barcelona scores his team’s fifth goal in a far quieter second half [David Ramos/Getty Images] To the relief of the home support, who were making their way to the exits as early as Barca’s third goal, the second half was a more sedate affair as the away side took their foot off the gas. Lopez’s hat-trick is the fastest for Barcelona since Samuel Eto’o registered three goals in the opening 28 minutes of a LaLiga match against Almeria in 2008. The record 31-time winners of the competition have not reached the semifinals since being eliminated by Real Madrid in 2022-2023, while they last won the competition in 2020-21, having been defeated by Valencia in the final two seasons before. Real Sociedad earlier booked their place in the last four with a 2-0 home win against Osasuna thanks to first-half strikes from Barrenetxea and Brais Mendez. Advertisement Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, who meet in a first versus second league derby at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, booked their places in the semifinals with victories over Lagunes and Getafe, respectively, earlier in the week. Adblock test (Why?)
Trans women, girls barred from female sport under NCAA rule change
Transgender girls and women will no longer compete in female events at most college sporting events in the United States after a governing body’s decision to bar athletes who were born male. The National Collegiate Athletic Association, the main governing body for college sport in the US, said on Thursday that it would limit competition in girls’ and women’s sport to female-born athletes only. The NCAA’s announcement comes after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order the previous day to deny funding to educational institutes that allow trans girls and women to compete in female sport. “The NCAA is an organization made up of 1,100 colleges and universities in all 50 states that collectively enroll more than 530,000 student-athletes. We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions,” NCAA president, Charlie Baker, said in a statement. “To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.” Advertisement Baker said the change reflected the body’s commitment to “protect, support and enhance the mental and physical health of student-athletes”. “This national standard brings much-needed clarity as we modernise college sports for today’s student-athletes,” he said. The NCAA is by far the largest governing body for college sport in the US, with more than 500,000 student-athletes competing in its events each year. Other major umbrella organisations, such as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), oversee competitions with fewer than 100,000 annual competitors. US President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order banning transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, the United States, on February 5, 2025 [Leah Millis/Reuters] Trans women’s participation in sport has become a political lightning rod in the US, with advocates of LGBTQ rights calling for greater inclusion of trans athletes and critics arguing that their participation is unfair to girls and women. Opinion polls have pointed to growing public opposition to trans women competing against female-born athletes amid high-profile controversies involving the participation of athletes, such as college swimmer Lia Thomas. Thomas, who was born male and began hormone-replacement therapy in her late teens, won the NCAA Division I national championship in 2022 before being barred from women’s events by World Aquatics. Advertisement In a New York Times/Ipsos poll published last month, 79 percent of Americans said that trans women should not be allowed to participate in female sports, up from 62 percent in 2021. Riley Gaines, a former college swimmer who has joined a lawsuit against the NCAA over its decision to allow Thomas to compete in female events, welcomed the sporting body’s announcement. “I can’t even begin to tell you how vindicating it feels knowing no girl will ever have to experience what my teammates and I did,” Gaines said on X. Trump, who has signed four executive orders directed at trans people, repeatedly criticised efforts to further LGBTQ inclusion in sport and other areas of life during his election campaign. During a signing ceremony for his executive order on women’s sport on Wednesday, Trump said his administration would not “stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes”. LGBTQ advocacy organisations widely condemned Trump’s order as discriminatory and not based on facts. “We’ve known this day was likely to occur for a long time, as this administration continues to pursue simple solutions to complex issues, often resulting in animus towards the most marginalized communities in our country,” Athlete Ally, which champions the inclusion of LGBTQ people in sport, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Despite this executive order, we will continue to choose love, acceptance and curiosity with anyone interested in creating a future of sports where everyone belongs.” Adblock test (Why?)
Indian deportees recall traumatic conditions on military flight from US
[unable to retrieve full-text content] At least 104 Indian citizens were deported from the US and sent to India in shackles aboard a US Air Force plane.
Thousands in Gaza struggle in tents amid cold, stormy weather
Strong winds, rain and winter are adding to the suffering of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, with thousands of families living in worn-out tents after their homes were destroyed in Israel’s bombardment of the coastal enclave. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza since a ceasefire came into effect last month, pausing Israel’s 15-month assault on the territory. But most people found their homes destroyed or heavily damaged. Families have since struggled to find shelter amid mounds of debris and destruction across the besieged enclave. A spokesperson for the Gaza City municipality told Al Jazeera that the city did not have enough resources to help the displaced amid the storm, adding that sewage and rainwater entered hundreds of tents and shelters. Speaking to Al Jazeera from a makeshift encampment in the courtyard of a school in Gaza City, Mahmoud Riyad Khalil al-Fayoumi said he has been living in a tent alongside three other families. “The blankets are very wet,” said al-Fayoumi, explaining that he sent his two-month-old baby and his brother, who has a spinal cord injury, to stay with other people due to the harsh weather conditions. Advertisement “We don’t know what to do. We don’t know where to go. This is our situation here.” Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said heavy rain and wind had forced many Palestinians to leave a makeshift encampment in the western part of the city. Basic supplies such as warm clothing also are not widely available, worsening the situation. “People right now here are not only lacking shelter, but also the very essential supplies that provide them some warmth and protection from these terrible weather conditions,” Mahmoud said. In its latest update on Wednesday, the United Nations humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) said with more than 500,000 people returning to the Gaza and North Gaza governorates, “the need for food, water, tents and shelter materials in that area remains critical”. Despite increased deliveries of humanitarian aid since the ceasefire took hold on January 19, shelter assistance has been limited. Earlier this week, the Gaza Government Media Office accused Israel of restricting the flow of aid and shelters into the territory. “Securing shelters has become an urgent humanitarian need that cannot be delayed. It is the most pressing need at this moment,” it said in a statement earlier this week. Tess Ingram, a communications manager at UNICEF, the UN’s child rights agency, said Palestinians in Gaza are ill-equipped to withstand the cold weather because they have lost so much during the war. The situation is particularly dangerous for children, Ingram told Al Jazeera from Gaza City. Advertisement “For kids in these conditions, it’s not only frightening to be outside, exposed and in the cold, but it’s also very dangerous for their wellbeing,” she said. “We’ve had a number of children in Gaza die of hypothermia and it’s clear here when you meet with families that they don’t have what they need to protect them from that cold. Families are lacking warm clothes for their children. There’s many children without shoes.” Displaced Palestinians also continue to face harsh conditions in other parts of Gaza, as well. “The tent flew away and the people were in disarray,” Saqer Abdelal told Al Jazeera from Deir el-Balah in the central part of the enclave. “We’re now transporting our belongings to a man who agreed to host us until the winter ends.” “This is more difficult to us than displacement,” said Anwar Hellis, another Palestinian in Deir el-Balah. “We woke up at night and found our tents destroyed due to the wind. Our clothes and food were filled with sand.” In southern Gaza, the Rafah municipality has called for 40,000 additional tents and emergency shelter units for residents. The city is still hosting thousands of displaced people whose homes have been destroyed in other areas. The municipality also said it does not have enough heavy machinery, which is hindering the reopening of roads and the clearing of rubble. Adblock test (Why?)
Could Trump’s tariffs upend the world’s economic order?
US President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Mexico and Canada are on hold for now, but the trade dispute with China rumbles on. United States President Donald Trump has delayed imposing tariffs on his closest trading allies for a month after Canada and Mexico gave him guarantees on border security and fentanyl trafficking. Trump’s supporters say his strategy to leverage the US economy to force concessions from other nations has notched a win. China has hit back against Trump’s additional tariffs with its own measures due to take effect on Monday. That could give the world’s two largest economies some time to step back from an escalating trade dispute. India bets on its middle class to revive the economy. Plus, is China winning the AI race? Adblock test (Why?)