Bangladesh protesters raze buildings linked to ousted leader


By AFP
February 6, 2025


Flames engulf a museum honouring Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina - Copyright AFP Munir Uz Zaman

Hundreds of Bangladeshi protesters smashed down buildings connected to ousted former leader Sheikh Hasina on Thursday, hours after students with excavators began demolishing a museum to her father.

The museum and former of home of Hasina’s late father, Bangladesh’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had been set on fire last year during the student-led revolution that ended her 15 years of autocratic rule.

Late Wednesday, six months to the day since Hasina fled by helicopter to old ally India on August 5, crowds carrying hammers and metal rods began beating down the walls of the building in the capital Dhaka.

Protests were triggered in response to reports that 77-year-old Hasina — who has defied an arrest warrant to face trial in Dhaka for massacres — would appear in a Facebook broadcast from exile.

On Thursday morning, diggers were being used to knock down the remaining fire-blackened walls.

Protesters also vandalised and torched other houses across the country linked to Hasina, including an arson attack on the Dhaka house of Hasina’s late husband.

Prothom Alo, the largest Bengali daily, reported crowds used government-owned excavators to smash down a building owned by Hasina’s family in the city of Khulna.

– Vandalised homes –

In the western city of Kushtia, protesters vandalised the house of a leader of Hasina’s Awami League party, Mahbubul Alam Hanif.

In Chittagong, protesters held a torch procession and smashed a mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

There has been no formal comment on the wave of attacks from the interim government, and security forces stood by allowing protesters to storm the buildings.

A private security guard in the neighbourhood said he had called the fire service more than a dozen times fearing that the flames would spread to nearby buildings crowded with families.

“We cut off the electricity line ourselves,” Jamal Uddin said. “I don’t know when the situation will return to normal.”

A shopkeeper living near Rahman’s former home said he was worried at the chaos.

“This vandalism is not a good sign,” he said, asking not to be named as he was fearful of reprisal for speaking out.

AMERIKAN APARTHEID

US skipping G20 talks due to S. Africa’s ‘anti-American’ agenda: Rubio

By AFP
February 6, 202

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would skip Group of 20 talks this month in South Africa, accusing the host government of an 'anti-American' agenda 

- Copyright AFP JOHAN ORDONEZ

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday he would skip Group of 20 talks this month in South Africa, accusing the host government of an “anti-American” agenda.

Rubio’s announcement comes days after US President Donald Trump lashed out at South Africa over land reforms aimed at redressing inequalities perpetrated during the apartheid era.

In a post on X that took on the tone of Trump, Rubio said he would boycott the G20 talks of foreign ministers in Johannesburg on February 20-21.

“South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability,'” Rubio wrote in his post.

“In other words: DEI and climate change.”

DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, has been attacked relentlessly by Trump since he returned to the White House last month.

“My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism.”

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola on Thursday rejected Rubio’s claims, saying in a statement that “there is no arbitrary dispossession of land / private property” with the new land reform law.

“This law is similar to the Eminent domain laws,” he said, referring to longtime US laws allowing the federal government to acquire property for public use.

Lamola added that South Africa is “a sovereign and democratic country committed to human dignity, equality and rights.”

“Our G20 presidency, is not confined to just climate change but also equitable treatment for nations of the Global South, ensuring equal global system for all.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had dismissed Trump’s assertions earlier this week that South Africa was “confiscating” land and said he was ready to explain his government’s land reform policy to his US counterpart.

On Tuesday, Ramaphosa raised concerns about “disinformation” being spread by the US president with top Trump ally Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa and the world’s richest man.

Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid. The government is under pressure to implement reforms.

The absence of the United States, the world’s largest economy, would mark a major blow to the G20, which is meant to represent the world’s largest economies.

The meeting could have offered a first opportunity for Rubio to meet his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as Trump pushes for diplomacy on the Ukraine war.

DECRIMINALIZE DRUGS!

Colombian president says cocaine ‘no worse than whisky’


By AFP
February 6, 2025


Cocaine 'is no worse than whisky' and is only illegal because it comes from Latin America, said Colombian President Gustavo Petro

 - Copyright PRESIDENCIA COLOMBIA/AFP Handout

Cocaine “is no worse than whisky” and is only illegal because it comes from Latin America, said Colombian President Gustavo Petro during a live broadcast of a government meeting.

Colombia is the world’s biggest cocaine producer and exporter, mainly to the United States and Europe, and has spent decades fighting against drug trafficking.

During a six-hour ministerial meeting — broadcast live for the first time ever — the leftist president said “cocaine is illegal because it is made in Latin America, not because it is worse than whisky.”

“Scientists have analyzed this. Cocaine is no worse than whisky,” he added, suggesting that the global cocaine industry could be “easily dismantled” if the drug were legalized worldwide.

“If you want peace, you have to dismantle the business (of drug trafficking),” he said. “It could easily be dismantled if they legalize cocaine in the world. It would be sold like wine.”

Petro also pointed out that fentanyl “is killing Americans and it is not made in Colombia”, referring to the opioid responsible for around 75,000 deaths in the United States a year, according to official data.

“Fentanyl was created as a pharmacy drug by North American multinationals” and those who consumed it “became addicted,” he added.

Since coming to power in 2022, Petro has attempted to make peace with all of the armed groups that are fueled by drug trafficking in the hope of ending six decades of conflict.

Cocaine production in Colombia reached a record-high in 2023, jumping 53 percent to 2,600 tons, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

FEMICIDE 

Safety at work: Which occupations provide the greatest risk to female workers?

By Dr. Tim Sandle
February 5, 2025


Vietnam's government has said the country's current pool of around 5,000 semiconductor engineers must jump to 20,000 in the next five years - Copyright AFP Nhac NGUYEN

How safe are certain occupations? Do these occupations have differences in terms of gender when it comes to defining safety? These questions are pertinent for those professions that have a disproportionate bias towards a given gender.

DeMayo Law Offices has released an analysis identifying the industries that pose the greatest risks to women’s safety in the workplace. The findings reveal patterns of harassment, discrimination, and inadequate safety measures in male-dominated fields such as manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, and construction, among others.

Too often occupational health and safety treats men and women as if they were the same, or makes gender-stereotypes.

The key findings from the report ‘Women in High-Risk Industries: Addressing Safety and Gender-Based Challenges’ have been provided to Digital Journal.

“Many industries still fail to provide safety measures tailored to women, whether it’s properly fitting PPE or enforcing anti-harassment policies,” DeMayo Law Offices says in a statement. “Our analysis found that women often face both physical and emotional risks in these fields, making the need for workplace reforms more urgent than ever.”

Manufacturing (29.3% women)

Harassment:
o Only 21% of manufacturing workers are women, yet they file 32% of harassment claims (EEOC, 2021).
o Reporting Gap: Only 30% of harassment incidents in male-dominated fields are reported due to fear of retaliation (Harvard Business Review, 2022).

Agriculture (28.7% women)

Fatalities:
o While the overall fatality rate is 18.6 per 100k workers, women face unique risks: 40% of female farmworkers report sexual harassment, and pesticide exposure disproportionately impacts Latina farmworkers (National Agricultural Workers Survey, 2020).
o Childcare Risks: Women balancing fieldwork and childcare are 2x more likely to suffer injuries involving machinery (CDC/NIOSH).

Transportation/Trucking (21.4% women)

Isolation & Harassment:
o A 2023 Women In Trucking Association survey found 53% of female drivers experienced verbal harassment, and 12% faced physical assault (WIT).
Safety Solutions: Companies with gender-neutral restrooms and GPS panic buttons report 35% fewer harassment incidents (American Trucking Association, 2022).

Construction (5.1% women)

• PPE & Injuries:
o 80% of women report ill-fitting PPE (e.g., gloves, harnesses), increasing fall and laceration risks (CPWR, 2021).
o Fatalities: Women account for 2% of construction deaths but face higher rates of fatal falls (17% vs. 11% for men) (OSHA, 2023).

Teaching

• Threats & Violence:
o U.S. Context: 29% of K-12 teachers (disproportionately women) report threats or physical violence from students (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022).
o Mental Health: 67% of female educators report burnout linked to unsafe environments (RAND Corporation, 2023).

Healthcare

• Workplace Violence:
o Post-COVID Spike: Nonfatal violence injuries rose 63% in healthcare from 2019–2022; nurses are 5x more likely to be assaulted than other workers (BLS, 2023).
o Underreporting: 50% of assaults go unreported due to normalization of violence as “part of the job” (Journal of Emergency Nursing, 2021).

Social Work

• Assaults:
o Recent Data: 1 in 4 social workers experienced physical violence in 2022, with LGBTQ+ workers facing compounded risks (NASW, 2023).
o Policy Gaps: Only 15% of agencies provide trauma training for field workers (CSWE, 2022).

In addition, the above there are some interesting cross-sectional findings. In particular, women of colour and LGBTQ+ women face up to three times higher rates of harassment and violence across all industries.

It also stands that these incidences are costly to the economy and to specific companies. Workplace violence costs employers $20 billion annually in turnover and legal fees.

AI regulation around the world


By AFP
February 5, 2025


Home to top developers, the United States has no formal AI guidelines -- although some existing privacy protections do still apply

 - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Brandon Bell

Tom BARFIELD with AFP bureaus

Countries and economic blocs around the world are at different stages of regulating artificial intelligence, from a relative “Wild West” in the United States to highly complex rules in the European Union.

Here are some key points about regulation in major jurisdictions, ahead of the Paris AI summit on February 10-11:

– United States –

Returning President Donald Trump last month rescinded Joe Biden’s October 2023 executive order on AI oversight.

Largely voluntary, it required major AI developers like OpenAI to share safety assessments and vital information with the federal government.

Backed by major tech companies, it was aimed at protecting privacy and preventing civil rights violations, and called for safeguards on national security.

Home to top developers, the United States now has no formal AI guidelines — although some existing privacy protections do still apply.

Under Trump, the United States has “picked up their cowboy hat again, it’s a complete Wild West”, said Yael Cohen-Hadria, a digital lawyer at consultancy EY.

The administration has effectively said that “we’re not doing this law anymore… we’re setting all our algorithms running and going for it”, she added.

– China –

China’s government is still developing a formal law on generative AI.

A set of “Interim Measures” requires that AI respects personal and business interests, does not use personal information without consent, signposts AI-generated images and videos, and protects users’ physical and mental health.

AI must also “adhere to core socialist values” — effectively banning AI language models from criticising the ruling Communist Party or undermining China’s national security.

DeepSeek, whose frugal yet powerful R1 model shocked the world last month, is an example, resisting questions about President Xi Jinping or the 1989 crushing of pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square.

While regulating businesses closely, especially foreign-owned ones, China’s government will grant itself “strong exceptions” to its own rules, Cohen-Hadria predicted.

– European Union –

In contrast to both the United States and China, “the ethical philosophy of respecting citizens is at the heart of European regulation”, Cohen-Hadria said.

“Everyone has their share of responsibility: the provider, whoever deploys (AI), even the final consumer.”

The “AI Act” passed in March 2024 — some of whose provisions apply from this week — is the most comprehensive regulation in the world.

Using AI for predictive policing based on profiling and systems that use biometric information to infer an individual’s race, religion or sexual orientation are banned.

The law takes a risk-based approach: if a system is high-risk, a company has a stricter set of obligations to fulfil.

EU leaders have argued that clear, comprehensive rules will make life easier for businesses.

Cohen-Hadria pointed to strong protections for intellectual property and efforts to allow data to circulate more freely while granting citizens control.

“If I can access a lot of data easily, I can create better things faster,” she said.

– India –

Like China, India — co-host of next week’s summit — has a law on personal data but no specific text governing AI.

Cases of harm originating from generative AI have been tackled with existing legislation on defamation, privacy, copyright infringement and cybercrime.

New Delhi knows the value of its high-tech sector and “if they make a law, it will be because it has some economic return”, Cohen-Hadria said.

Occasional media reports and government statements about AI regulation have yet to be followed up with concrete action.

Top AI firms including Perplexity blasted the government in March 2024 when the IT ministry issued an “advisory” saying firms would require government permission before deploying “unreliable” or “under-testing” AI models.

It came days after Google’s Gemini in some responses accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of implementing fascist policies.

Hastily-updated rules called only for disclaimers on AI-generated content.

– Britain –

Britain’s centre-left Labour government has included AI in its agenda to boost economic growth.

The island nation boasts the world’s third-largest AI sector after the United States and China.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer in January unveiled an “AI opportunities action plan” that called for London to chart its own path.

AI should be “tested” before it is regulated, Starmer said.

“Well-designed and implemented regulation… can fuel fast, wide and safe development and adoption of AI,” the action plan document read.

By contrast, “ineffective regulation could hold back adoption in crucial sectors”, it added.

A consultation is under way to clarify copyright law’s application to AI, aiming to protect the creative industry.

– International efforts –

The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) brings together more than 40 countries, aiming to encourage responsible use of the technology.

Members will meet on Sunday “in a broader format” to lay out an “action plan for 2025”, the French presidency has said.

The Council of Europe in May last year adopted the first-ever binding international treaty governing the use of AI, with the US, Britain and European Union joining the signatories.

Of 193 UN member countries, just seven belong to seven major AI governance initiatives, while 119 belong to none — mostly in the Global South.

burs-tgb/adp/bc

WHO worker aims to raise $1 bn to cover US pullout


By AFP
February 5, 2025


Tania Cernuschi is aiming to raise $1 billion to make up for US contributions

 - Copyright AFP Amani Alimasi

Agnès PEDRERO

When the World Health Organization’s top donor the United States announced its withdrawal, one employee launched an online fundraiser to plug the gap — and her efforts have already raised more than $100,000.

Tania Cernuschi, 46, told AFP she had the brainwave just after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order announcing Washington would leave the WHO, one of his first actions on returning to office on January 20.

The WHO’s financial shortfall is set to grow further after Argentina announced Wednesday it was also quitting the UN health agency.

Cernuschi is aiming to raise $1 billion to make up for US contributions, which amounted to $1.3 billion — or 16 percent of the WHO’s budget — for the years 2022-2023.

“I was disturbed by the news,” said Cernuschi, an Italian development economist who has been at the WHO for 10 years.

“I woke up in the morning and thought of the campaign, and asked whether I could go ahead. And nobody stopped me.”

She launched her “One Dollar, One World” fundraising page on the website of the WHO Foundation — the arm of the UN agency that matches private finance with high-impact health projects.

“I’m asking for one dollar from a billion people, for $1 billion in total. But people can give more,” she said, adding that all funds go directly to the foundation.

More than 3,000 donors from countries across the world have chipped in, she said, raising some $104,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.

“We have about 20 who have given more than $500 and we’re expecting a big donation in the coming days of $20,000 which would be great,” she said.

– Individuals ‘critical’ –

The WHO Foundation was launched in 2020 to mobilise private donations for the health agency in a similar way to other UN bodies.

“Individual giving is critical for many international organisations,” said WHO Foundation chief executive Anil Soni.

“UNICEF raises over a billion a year. UNHCR $500 million per year,” he said, referring to the UN children’s and refugee agencies.”

The WHO Foundation has so far “built up a community of 40,000 individuals” who have donated, Soni told AFP.

Overall, it has brought in $6 million from individuals and $26 million from companies since 2021 — including $5 million from US social media giant Meta.

– ‘Big frustration’ –

Cernuschi had thought her initiative might not even raise $200, and said it was “more an act of solidarity than a fundraising campaign”.

“I’ve worked all my life in the UN system and in non-governmental organisations, and I believe in what I do,” said Cernuschi, who used to work for UNICEF and the Gavi vaccine alliance.

While individuals and businesses cannot be expected to carry the burden of funding the WHO, she said the agency must better explain its work — particularly in developed countries.

“There’s a lot of thinking that we work for poor countries — which we do — but there is a benefit also to citizens in richer nations,” she said, citing how the bulk of the vaccines and medicines are produced in wealthy states.

She also admitted to feeling a “big, big frustration” with UN bureaucracy.

“We all need to become more agile, more flexible, more impactful, more efficient,” the economist said.

But she stressed that the WHO saves thousands of lives every day across 194 countries with a budget of “less than a major city hospital”.

“I call that efficient,” she added.

FASCIST PETITE MINI ME 

Argentina to exit WHO in latest break with international bodies
The Milei administration is also considering withdrawal from other international agreements, including the Paris climate accord. / bne IntelliNews


By bne IntelliNews February 5, 2025


Argentina will pull out of the World Health Organisation, marking President Javier Milei's latest move to distance the country from international institutions that his administration views as ideologically opposed to its agenda.

The widely-anticipated decision was announced on February 5 by presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni at the Casa Rosada, who cited "deep differences" over pandemic management. Adorni particularly criticised the WHO's role during what he called "the longest lockdown in the history of humanity" under former president Alberto Fernández.

The withdrawal mirrors a similar move by Donald Trump in the US, where the returning president announced his country's exit from the UN agency last month. Milei's right-wing administration has indicated this may be part of a broader withdrawal from international organisations that it considers "strongholds of socialist ideas".

Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein, along with Economy Minister Luis Caputo and Deregulation Minister Federico Sturzenegger, has been tasked with examining the implications of Argentina's planned departure from various international bodies. The government maintains that WHO membership costs Argentina approximately $10mn annually, with additional expenses for representatives' salaries and travel.

The WHO is already grappling with budget pressures following the US withdrawal. At the Executive Board meeting on February 3, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus proposed reducing the organisation's 2026-2027 budget from $7.47bn to approximately $7.05bn. The US had previously contributed more than 10 per cent of the WHO's total budget.

Sources close to the president cited by La Nacion revealed that Tedros had attempted to arrange meetings with both Milei and his sister Karina, who serves as general secretary of the presidency, but was turned down on both occasions. The first attempt came during a corridor encounter at the G20 summit last November.

Adorni insisted the withdrawal would not result in financial losses for Argentina, instead arguing it would provide "greater flexibility to implement policies" aligned with national interests. The spokesman added that Argentina would not "allow an international organisation to interfere in our sovereignty".

Buenos Aires is also mulling withdrawal from other international agreements, including the Paris climate accord. The president's stance on international organisations appears to align with views expressed in his 2020 book "Pandemonics", where he described Covid-19 lockdowns as a "crime against humanity".

The self-styled “anarcho-libertarian” leader recently shared social media posts by controversial right-wing pundits who claimed global warming is a “dishonest scam” and that scientific records show no evidence of a climate crisis.

The WHO departure follows Argentina's earlier refusal to sign the organisation's pandemic protocol in July 2023. The UN agency, which coordinates global responses to health threats including monkeypox, Ebola and polio, also provides technical assistance to developing nations and helps distribute vaccines and treatments.

Trump's USAID shutdown halts life-saving programmes, threatens global security
Analysis

US President Donald Trump's 90-day freeze on US foreign aid and overhaul of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has halted critical humanitarian efforts, leaving global health workers stranded and life-saving programmes in limbo. The fallout could impact malaria treatment in Africa, ceasefire efforts in Gaza and war recovery in Ukraine.


Issued on: 06/02/2025 
By: Lara BULLENS

FRANCE24/AFP

USAID workers were locked out of their Washington DC headquarters on February 3, prompting protests. © Mandel Ngan, AFP

When the Trump administration took over on January 20, Anne Linn was working as a senior community health adviser at the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) – a government initiative to combat malaria implemented by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). She spent two decades building a career that she felt was “incredibly important” and “fulfilling”, working closely with local health workers in 30 different sub-Saharan African countries.

Then in the span of a week, her career unravelled.

The first smoke signal came when Trump signed an executive order on day one of his presidency that paused new obligations for US foreign aid, meaning no new partners could be funded. Four days later, things quickly escalated for Linn and her colleagues.

The order came with a 90-day freeze on existing foreign development assistance to review whether or not the allocation of US aid is in line with Trump's foreign policy.


In a heartbeat, all the work that Linn was doing came to a halt. Community healthcare workers she collaborated with in countries like Nigeria, Kenya and Cameroon stopped their activities. Pipelines moving life-saving malaria medication from manufacturers to hard-to-reach populations shut down.

The USAID website went dark, as did the PMI website. And then on January 28, along with another 390 colleagues, Linn lost her job.

“I have never been more stunned by anything in my life,” Linn recalled. “I don't know how anyone could possibly justify that. The cruelty and the waste of it all,” she said, her voice trembling.

“My entire sector, everyone I’ve known professionally, just evaporated with the thoughtless stroke of a pen.”
‘Children will die’

The PMI website now reads, “In order to be consistent with the President’s Executive Orders, this website is currently undergoing maintenance as we expeditiously and thoroughly review all of the content.” It then redirects to the USAID website.

While Linn and many other USAID workers were locked in a whirlwind of confusion when the cable was first sent out, any sliver of doubt has now vanished. The USAID website now comprises a single page.

“On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs,” it reads.

Employees were barred by the Trump administration from entering the agency’s Washington, DC, headquarters on Monday and now the future of USAID lies in the hands of billionaire Elon Musk, who is tasked with overseeing its efficiency. Musk has called the agency a “criminal organisation” and claimed it is “time for it to die”.

Read moreTrump and Musk move to dismantle top aid agency USAID

Part of Linn's job was to report to Congress on the impact PMI was having in the fight against malaria, which sought to ensure the money was being well spent. Access to the latest PMI report is possible through an archived version via the Wayback Machine website. It states that the initiative helped save 11.7 million lives and prevent 2.1 billion malaria cases since 2000.

“Malaria is very seasonal, as mosquitoes flourish during the rainy season. Planning things like distributions of bed nets and preventive medicine for children has a precise timeline that will fall apart, making this work less effective, if it even happens at all,” Linn wrote in a Facebook post that was shared over 2,000 times. “Children … will die unnecessarily.”

USAID quite literally saved lives. The agency oversaw foreign aid, disaster relief and international development programmes.

And even though foreign aid makes up less than 1 percent of the total US federal budget, the country is by far the world’s largest donor – contributing $4 out of every $10 that goes to humanitarian aid. According to the United Nations, the US provided about 42 percent of all humanitarian aid the organisation tracked in 2024.

Front-line aid workers and civilians who rely on US-funded programmes are among those bearing the brunt of the pause. The global systems put in place by USAID to deliver life-saving assistance to those affected by deadly diseases – or to access clean water and sanitation, or support economic livelihood initiatives, or offer agricultural aid – have all been hindered by the pause. And as some countries scramble to fill the funding gap, many do not have the money to do so. Finding new donors could take years, and those prolonged delays will surely impact non-profit organisations who rely on grants to carry out their work.

The work Linn did to help fight malaria was just one part of the vast efforts being carried out in sub-Saharan Africa, which was the largest regional recipient of US aid.
A threat to the Gaza ceasefire

Now the acting leader of USAID, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued an additional waiver to the worldwide stop-work orders on January 29 for “life-saving humanitarian assistance” during the three-month review period. It stated that the provision of life-saving medicine, medical services, food, shelter and subsistence help would continue to be funded. But neither Linn nor her colleagues on the ground have resumed their activities.

Health and humanitarian groups worldwide are still uncertain if and how they can continue working, and whether their programmes are covered by the exception.

“It’s an absolute mess,” said Jesse Marks, a senior advocate for the Middle East at Refugees International. “All of these organisations who received stop-work orders need to communicate with USAID about what it all means … But there is no one on the other line to answer.”

“If there is a massive surge of waivers coming from Ukraine, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, who decides which are life-saving and which are not? Who is going to be approving the waivers?” Marks sighed.

“It is as if [the Trump administration] thought all USAID did was support abortions and give out condoms.”

While Refugees International does not rely on government funding and is thus not directly affected by the freeze, Marks works closely with aid workers on the ground in Gaza and has advocated for the ceasefire that went into effect on January 19. Refugees International has also been calling for the unconditional release of hostages held by Hamas, the protection of civilians and aid workers in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, a robust famine relief plan, and the restoration of support to UNRWA – banned by Israel from operating on its territory on January 31.

“By attacking [USAID] funding, [the Trump administration] has ended Palestinian access to medical care, critical treatments, medicine, inoculations … Everything. It is really inconceivable to think about,” he said. “The real risk here is that organisations like the International Medical Corps (IMC) are going to have to close their doors at a time where we finally secured stability in Gaza.”

The non-profit set up two large field hospitals in Gaza thanks to USAID funding, one in central Deir Al Balah and one in southern Al Zawaida. The facilities provide lifesaving care around the clock and have the capacity to treat more than 33,000 civilians per month in the decimated enclave, whose health system is on the brink of collapse.

“Other organisations operating inside the Gaza Strip have already had to report closing their doors and [laying] off staff. That means physical, front-line communities who [were] actually delivering aid are not going to be delivering aid. There is an impact on the supply chain,” Marks said.

USAID has supported humanitarian efforts in Gaza and the West Bank since at least 2021, with a surge in aid since the war broke out in October 2023. In November last year, the agency approved $230 million in new funding to “support economic recovery and development programs in the West Bank and Gaza”.

USAID also helped in renewing international pressure on Israel to increase the flow of aid into Gaza and welcomed the ceasefire deal, which may now be in jeopardy.

“Cutting [aid] off … undermines the entire foundation of the deal. And it is fascinating because the action seems very much at odds with what the Trump administration has been trying to achieve,” Marks said.

A cornerstone of the much-awaited ceasefire deal involved increasing the flow of aid into Gaza. Under the agreement, Israeli officials must allow at least 600 truckloads of aid to enter the enclave daily.

“The aid freeze is dangerous because it threatens the ceasefire by removing humanitarian aid and threatening its ability to reach the people it needs to reach, and therefore the second and third phase of the deal,” Marks said.
A blow to Ukraine

Ukraine is also reeling from the shock decision by the Trump administration to pause USAID programs. The US was a key partner in a variety of projects on the ground, including regional humanitarian programs to rehabilitate veterans, anti-corruption efforts, development assistance and media sponsorship. Many local communities rely on aid or donor support to fund health, education, energy, agriculture or infrastructure initiatives.

‘This centre saved my life’: US aid cut hits charities for Ukraine war veterans

01:53





But since Russia carried out its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s budget deficit keeps growing and the number of projects the government can support with its own funds is likely to be limited.

That is the case for independent media outlet Bihus Info, based in Kyiv. “Sixty-five percent of our funding comes from USAID,” according to its director, Denys Bihus.

“At the end of January we got several letters from the organisation that manages our projects with USAID saying they will all be stopped. It wasn't a day that was going to upend my life, but it was hard,” he admitted. Shortly after the news came in, Bihus put out a call for new subscribers to show their support and the response was “very pleasant”.

“Still, all that money will only get us through a few weeks,” Bihus admitted.

In a media landscape constantly under threat due to the ongoing war and largely in the grip of oligarchs, where Ukrainian newsrooms in territories occupied by Russia are being silenced, many outlets that were already hanging by a thread are now unsure they will survive.

“The freeze completely eradicated regional media. Small teams all over Ukraine who were monitoring local budgets or things like that … already had a hard life,” Bihus explained. “Now I think many teams will have to find something else to do because people need to eat. Ukraine is losing specialists it will probably never get back.”

Though military aid for Ukraine has not been stopped, Bihus insists that the US funding used to cushion the impact of war in areas like the energy sector, which has been repeatedly targeted by Russia, is what is most essential.

“I am grateful that people are talking about the impact this will have on Ukrainian media,” Bihus said. “But most of this money is delivered to the state for … very important things.”

Because of the war, Bihus never planned more than two months in advance. He now hopes he will be able to pay his team of around 35 employees for the next three months to pull through the review period using savings.

“We will try to survive,” he said. “Ask me again how we are doing at the end of March,” he joked.

‘People are going to die’: USAID cuts create panic in Africa


By AFP
February 5, 2025


President Donald Trump's order to suspend US foreign assistance could have devastating impacts in Africa, critics warn - Copyright AFP YASUYOSHI CHIBA

Dan LAWLER and Eric RANDOLPH, with Dylan GAMBA in Addis Ababa

President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze foreign assistance has sent aid staff in Africa into “panic mode”, with even HIV experimental treatment programmes stopped dead in their tracks.

Trump last week ordered a suspension of foreign assistance, while his billionaire ally Elon Musk has boasted he is putting the vast US humanitarian agency USAID “through the woodchipper”.

That has included a 90-day suspension of all work by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which alone supports more than 20 million HIV patients and 270,000 health workers, according to an analysis from the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).

Among its programmes, PEPFAR currently provides anti-retroviral treatments to 679,936 pregnant women living with HIV both for their own health and to prevent transmission to their children, the analysis said.

“During a 90-day stoppage, we estimate that this would mean 135,987 babies acquiring HIV,” it said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has been named acting head of USAID, has said “life-saving treatments” would be exempt from the freeze.

But frontline workers in Africa say facilities have already shut down.

“As we speak nothing is going on,” said Daniel Aghan, head of a USAID-funded team of Kenyan science journalists providing information on health issues.

He told AFP research projects had abruptly stopped, even for patients midway through experimental treatment programmes.

He highlighted the MOSAIC (Maximizing Options to Advance Informed Choice for HIV Prevention) project, funded under PEPFAR, which tests new drugs and vaccines.

“The people who were the study candidates are going to have adverse health results because the study has just stopped all of a sudden,” Aghan told AFP.

His own team of six science journalists have all lost their jobs, too.

“A lot of people are going to die because of lack of knowledge,” he said. “One of the key approaches to bringing down HIV numbers in Africa is through provision of information. This includes raising awareness about sex, as well as treatments like lenacapavir (an antiretroviral), pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis and other drugs.”



– ‘Life and death’ –



Founded in 1961, USAID has an annual budget of more than $40 billion, used to support development, health and humanitarian programmes around the world, especially in poor countries.

It is not just HIV programmes that have shuttered.

A staff member of a USAID-funded programme in Kenya said Trump’s decision had landed “like a bombshell”, throwing people “into panic mode”.

“We will have more people succumbing to these diseases like tuberculosis, cholera,” the source said.

The charity itself is now unable to pay rent or salaries, with employees put on compulsory unpaid leave.

At a USAID office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, AFP saw people clearing out their desks on Wednesday.

Despite Rubio’s waiver, “a lot of uncertainty remains,” said a staff member at an NGO working on food security in conflict zones, who asked to remain anonymous.

“What constitutes life-saving work? Are vaccines life-saving, or nutrition programmes for the severely malnourished?” he said.

“Stopping some of these programmes even for a few days could make the difference between life and death for some of the people we serve,” he said.

Like others, Aghan said the impact could have been tempered with adequate notice.

“We have too many emergencies in the world -– we didn’t need to add another one,” he said.

RIGHT WING ATTACKS ON OVERSEAS AID

France's proposed budget cuts set to slash overseas development aid

France is planning to reduce public development aid by up to 40 percent as part of its €32 billion budget cuts for 2025. French NGOs engaged in international solidarity are deeply concerned about the impact this will have on the world’s most vulnerable populations, especially as the United States – the largest provider of overseas aid – prepares to withdraw its support entirely.


Issued on: 05/02/2025 
RFI

Members of the Coordination Sud collective of French NGOs petition MPs and Senators over drastic cuts to international development aid. Dana Tentea

By: Alison Hird
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France’s international solidarity mechanism helps finance development projects around the world on everything from health, food, education, water, to human rights and the fight against inequality. Many programmes are angled in favour of women and girls.

While global warming and conflict mean needs are greater than ever, France's austerity budget for 2025, if passed, would reduce public development assistance (PDA) by more than €2 billion – close to 40 percent of its annual funding.

Rolling back development aid

Coordination Sud – a collective representing some 180 French non-profits working on international solidarity programmes – gathered outside the National Assembly last week to protest the cuts.

“We understand everyone has to make an effort" says Elodie Barralon, the group’s advocacy officer, but the cuts are "huge compared to compared to any other public service budget."

The cuts follow a growing trend worldwide to roll back development aid.

American president Donald Trump has announced that the US – the world’s largest international aid donor – is freezing almost all foreign aid.

"We're in a very difficult context because all countries are stepping back on their commitments, especially at the UN level," Barralon says. "And now we have very strong opposition, especially over the Atlantic.

"So France stepping back on the budget will create more crises and send the wrong message internationally. In terms of political commitments, we're tapping into the wrong budget."

Global aid in chaos as Trump proposes to slash funds and dismantle USAID

Spotlight on France, episode 123 © RFI

Listen to a conversation with Elodie Barralon in the Spotlight on France podcast episode #123

Reneging on France's commitments

Critics say the cuts fly in the face of France's commitments to international solidarity.

In 2021, France signed into law a pledge to reach the UN’s target of spending 0.7 percent of gross national income (GNI) on aid by 2025.

Only Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg and Sweden achieved that goal in 2023, but France was heading in the right direction devoting 0.55 percent of its GNI in that year.

By 2023, France had become the fifth largest international donor behind the US, Germany, Japan, and the UK, according to the OECD.

If the proposed cuts go through, France's contribution will slump to 0.45 percent of GNI. "We'll go back seven years," Barralon says.

It would be a blow to France's image internationally, Coordination Sud's president Olivier Bruyeron adds.

"The proposed policy shows France withdrawing into itself, [it's] an irresponsible abandonment of international solidarity."

It's all the more surprising, he notes, given that during the 2023 global climate finance summit in Paris, "France brought together a whole host of heads of state and high-level leaders to do exactly the opposite, saying public and private funding for international solidarity needed to be stepped up".

The cuts will also have a major impact on France’s Development Agency (AFD) – a public funded body that grants loans to low income countries. As well as being forced to drop some existing projects, loans will be diverted away from the neediest countries.

"We won't be able to lend at preferential rates, only to countries capable of taking on debt at certain rates, and therefore probably those that need it least," says Gilles Maduit, AFD's Asia coordinator.

"So we'll certainly have to redirect loans towards emerging countries rather than the least developed countries – those with the least infrastructure and who need the most help to achieve sustainable development objectives."

He cites the examples of Haiti, countries in the Sahel and small island nations in the Pacific.

France halts development aid to Mali

Development aid to curb migration?

France's Senate voted the cuts on 16 January, and the 2025 budget was approved in a joint parliamentary committee last Friday.

While the foreign ministry argues that hefty increases to the development aid budget between 2017 and 2022 will allow the cuts to be offset, Max Brisson, a senator with the conservative right Republicans (LR) says savings can be made by choosing beneficiaries more carefully.

"In friendly countries, development aid is essential," he told RFI, citing Cote d'Ivoire and Benin. "But we should question whether development aid should continue to be directed toward countries that have become adversaries of France, such as China and Algeria."

Socialist Senator Rachid Temal regrets the impact on all beneficiaries, but also points to "fewer opportunities for French companies operating in these regions".

Others argue that France's solidarity policy has to be maintained to help curb migration.

"On the one hand, we want to prevent people from coming, to restrict asylum and migration. On the other, we don't want to help them stay in their countries and develop their own economies,” noted Green Party Senator Akli Mellouli. “It's contradictory."

He cited the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, which is struggling to cope with a large number of undocumented migrant families from neighbouring Comoros.

"Some political figures talk a lot about reducing illegal immigration to Mayotte. But the Comoros must be developed," Mellouli argued. "When people want to leave their country, they will."

Unicef sounds alarm over child poverty in French overseas departments

Shrinking civic space

Coordination Sud is wary of the political debate linking development aid to migration, preferring to find a way out of the financing conundrum.

“We have the solution,” says Barralon, referring to solidarity taxes on airline tickets and financial transactions introduced under rightwing presidents Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy in 2006 and 2012 respectively.

“"They were put in place to support and fund development assistance but [their use] was not specified. According to our estimations, the taxes could raise up to €1.6 billion this year – that's nearly want they want to cut in the development aid yearly budget."

NGOs are also concerned over what the budget cuts mean for France's non-profit sector, which employs around 50,000 staff and many thousands more as volunteers.

“Some of the member organisations of Coordination Sud are already considering redundancy plans in 2025 and perhaps closing down if it goes that far," Barralon says.

For her, the cuts are "very political", with the government under pressure from the far-right, anti-immigration National Rally – the largest single party in parliament.

“These cuts are also in a wider context of shrinking civic space and far-right populist movements having more of a say", notably pushing for more France-centered politics. Civil society, she says, is no longer seen as "a counter-power and a partner in implementing development aid, but more of a burden and something we have to keep quiet.

"One way of keeping us quiet is to cut the funding."

EMOTIONAL PLAGUE

Suspect among 11 killed at education centre in Sweden’s deadliest mass shooting

A gunman opened fire on Tuesday at a school west of Stockholm that offers adult education classes and Swedish-language classes for immigrants. Sweden's Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer called the shooting “an event that shakes our entire society to its core”. At least 11 people were killed, including the suspected gunman.

Issued on: 05/02/2025 
By: NEWS WIRES

Forensic police officers work at the scene of the mass shooting at the Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden, on February 4, 2025. © Pontus Lundahl, AFP

Sweden’s worst mass shooting left at least 11 people dead, including the gunman, at an adult education center west of Stockholm as officials warned the death toll could rise.

The gunman’s motive, as well as the number of wounded, had not been determined by early Wednesday as Sweden – where gun violence at schools is very rare – reeled from an attack with such bloodshed that police early on said it was difficult to count the number of dead among the carnage.

The school, called Campus Risbergska, offers primary and secondary educational classes for adults age 20 and older, Swedish-language classes for immigrants, vocational training and programs for people with intellectual disabilities. It is on the outskirts of Orebro, which is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Stockholm.

Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer called the shooting “an event that shakes our entire society to its core.”


The shooting started Tuesday afternoon after many students had gone home following a national exam. Students sheltered in nearby buildings, and other parts of the school were evacuated following the shooting.

Authorities were working to identify the deceased, and police said the toll could rise. Roberto Eid Forest, head of the local police, told reporters the suspected gunman was among the dead.

There were no warnings beforehand, and police believe the perpetrator acted alone. Police have not said if the man was a student at the school. They haven’t released a possible motive, but authorities said there were no suspected connections to terrorism at this point.

Police raided the suspect’s home after Tuesday’s shooting, but it wasn’t immediately clear what they found.

“Today, we have witnessed brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told reporters in Stockholm late Tuesday. “This is the worst mass shooting in Swedish history. Many questions remain unanswered, and I cannot provide those answers either.

“But the time will come when we will know what happened, how it could occur, and what motives may have been behind it. Let us not speculate,” he said.

While gun violence at schools is very rare in Sweden, people were wounded or killed with other weapons such as knives or axes in several incidents in recent years.

(AP)

The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims and a philanthropist, dies at 88

SCION OF THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN HASAN ibn SABAH

Issued on: 05/02/2025 -

The Aga Khan, who became the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims at age 20 as a Harvard undergraduate and poured a material empire built on billions of dollars in tithes into building homes, hospitals and schools in developing countries, died Tuesday. He was 88.

ISMALI MUSLIMS ARE CONSIDERED  HERETICS!

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: My Favorite Muslim

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment

 

New Aga Khan takes helm of Ismaili Shi'ite Muslims

A new Aga Khan has taken the helm as the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims following the death of his father aged 88.

Prince Rahim al-Hussaini has been named the new Aga Khan, becoming the spiritual leader of around 15mn Ismaili Muslims worldwide following the death of his father in Lisbon aged 88.

The 53-year-old was appointed in his father's will, unsealed on February 5, as the fifth Aga Khan and 50th imam of the Nizari Ismaili branch of Shia Islam, continuing a 1,300-year dynasty that claims direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad. Ismailism shares its beginnings with other early Shi’ite Muslim sects that emerged during the succession crisis that spread throughout the early years of Islam. Prior to the collapse of the Pahlavi monarchy in Iran in 1979, the Ismailis held a royal title second only to the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. 

Through the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), Prince Rahim has focused on climate issues and will now oversee a vast portfolio of humanitarian institutions and business interests estimated to be worth between $1bn-$13bn, spanning airlines, real estate and media.

"My expectation would be that there is a continuation of that legacy, because it is ingrained in Islam and it is substantiated in these institutions," said Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith America, who studied Ismaili institutions at Oxford University.

The late Aga Khan, who was given the title "His Highness" by Queen Elizabeth II in 1957, built the AKDN into a global force for development. it was particularly active in Asia and Africa through hospitals, schools and universities.

"We have no notion of the accumulation of wealth being evil," he told Vanity Fair in 2012. "The Islamic ethic is that if God has given you the capacity or good fortune to be a privileged individual in society, you have a moral responsibility to society."

Prince Rahim, educated at Phillips Academy and Brown University, inherits the leadership of a community known for pluralism and humanitarian work.

The AKDN has invested more than $1bn in Tajikistan alone since 1995, though recent tensions have seen Tajik authorities nationalise some properties amid separatism accusations.

In November, Central Asia specialist Bruce Pannier reported for bne IntelliNews on how the former imam of the Ismaili community served as the chief beneficiary to the Pamiri—but in a grievous blow to the minority, was being cut off from further cooperation by Tajikistan’s Rahmon regime.

"They have really been at the forefront of relief efforts and humanitarianism on behalf not only of Ismailis, but of all the people affected in the communities where they work," said Jonah Steinberg, associate professor at the University of South Carolina.

The succession marks a return to tradition after the late Aga Khan's own unexpected appointment.

In 1957, his grandfather bypassed other heirs to name the then 20-year-old Harvard student as successor, citing the need for youthful leadership in a rapidly changing world.

The late Aga Khan is survived by three sons and a daughter.