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Category: Global

  • Donald Trump thanks Pakistan govt for help in apprehending terrorism suspect

    Donald Trump thanks Pakistan govt for help in apprehending terrorism suspect

    In a historic joint speech to Congress on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States has captured the mastermind behind the deadly 2021 Kabul airport Abbey Gate attack and thanked the Pakistani government for assisting in the apprehension.

    The recently elected 47th president revealed that the suspect, Mohammad Sharifullah, had been apprehended and was being extradited to the U.S. to face justice.

    “Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity,” Trump declared, adding that “he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.”

    He thanked the Government of Pakistan for assisting in apprehending the “monster” and added that it was a huge day for the affected families.

    “This was a very momentous day for those 13 families, whom I actually got to know very well, whose children were murdered. What a horrible day,” he added, acknowledging the grief of the victims’ families.

    The attack during the tense withdrawal from Afghanistan claimed the lives of approximately 170 Afghan civilians and 13 American service members.

    Trump also criticised his predecessor, Joe Biden, calling the Afghanistan withdrawal “disastrous and incompetent” and “perhaps the most embarrassing moment in our country’s history.”  

    The Biden administration had previously defended its actions, arguing that decisions made under Trump limited its options. It has also cited delays caused by the Afghan government and US intelligence assessments.  

    Trump asserted that capturing Sharifullah was a major breakthrough in holding those responsible accountable and bringing justice to the fallen soldiers and their families.

    “As President Trump just announced, I can report that tonight the FBI, DOJ, and CIA have extradited one of the terrorists responsible for the murder of the 13 American soldiers at Abbey Gate during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after Trump’s announcement.


    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for acknowledging Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts.  

    In a post on X, his official account stated:

    We thank US President Donald Trump for acknowledging and appreciating Pakistan’s role and support in counter terrorism efforts across the region, in the context of Pakistan Security Forces’ recent apprehension of ISKP’s top tier operational commander Shareefullah, who is an Afghanistan National. The wanted terrorist was apprehended in a successful operation conducted in Pakistan-Afghan border region. 

    As is well-known, Pakistan has always played a critical role in counter terrorism efforts aimed at denying safe havens to terrorists and militant groups the space to operate against any other country. We remain steadfast in our resolve and unwavering commitment to combating terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations. 

    In this effort, Pakistan has rendered great sacrifices, including the lives of over 80,000 of our brave soldiers and citizens. 

    The resolve of our leadership and our people remains unflinching, to eradicate the menace of terrorism from our country. We will continue to partner closely with the United States in securing regional peace and stability.

  • Trump pauses aid to Ukraine after Zelensky clash

    Trump pauses aid to Ukraine after Zelensky clash

    US President Donald Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine on Monday, a White House official said, sharply escalating pressure on Kyiv to agree to peace negotiations with Russia.

    The move comes just days after a stunning public clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, who is seeking a rapid end to the war.

    Trump earlier on Monday had declined to rule out a pause when quizzed by reporters, but any disruption in the flow of US arms to the front line would rapidly weaken Ukraine’s chance of beating back Russia’s invasion.

    “The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well,” a White House official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

    “We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” the official added.

    Congressional Democrats immediately condemned the pause as dangerous and illegal.

    “My Republican colleagues who have called Putin a war criminal and promised their continued support to Ukraine must join me in demanding President Trump immediately lift this disastrous and unlawful freeze,” said Gregory Meeks, top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

    Trump also warned he would “not put up” much longer with Zelensky’s defiance, and said Ukraine’s leader should be “more appreciative” of US support.

    Speaking at the White House, Trump said Zelensky “won’t be around very long” without a ceasefire deal with Moscow.

    The pause has gone into effect immediately and impacts hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.

    Zelensky for his part said Monday he was seeking for the war to end “as soon as possible.”

    The comment came after Zelensky accused Russia — which invaded Ukraine in 2014 and greatly expanded the conflict in 2022 — of not being serious about peace.

    He insisted tough security guarantees were the only way to end the war.

    But Trump’s stance has upended US support for Ukraine, and Washington’s allies more broadly, and stoked concern about Washington pivoting to Russia.

    European support

    After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month Ukraine-Russia truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” — potentially backstopped by troops on the ground.

    Zelensky said discussions were still focusing on the “first steps,” adding: “An agreement on ending the war is very, very far away” — a comment that angered Trump.

    Zelensky added in a video statement that “real, honest peace” would only come with security guarantees for Ukraine, which agreed to denuclearize in 1994 only in exchange for protection provided by the United States and Britain.

    “It was the lack of security guarantees for Ukraine 11 years ago that allowed Russia to start with the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, then the lack of security guarantees allowed Russia to launch a full-scale invasion,” Zelensky said.

    Russia dismissed the comments, accusing him of not wanting peace — echoing US criticism after he was shouted down Friday in the Oval Office.

    On the ground, Ukrainian officials reported fatalities from a Russian missile strike on a military training facility some 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the front line.

    A respected military blogger said between 30 and 40 soldiers were killed and 90 more wounded in the attack near Dnipro on Saturday.

    ‘Deliberate’ escalation?

    Trump has previously called Zelensky, president since 2019, a “dictator” for not holding elections, even though martial law precludes any vote because of the war.

    Zelensky dismissed calls for him to resign, repeating his pledge to do so only if Ukraine were given NATO membership, which Russia — and now the United States under Trump — opposes.

    In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Zelensky for Friday’s blow-up with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, saying he “demonstrated a complete lack of diplomatic abilities.”

    “He doesn’t want peace,” Peskov told reporters.

    On Monday Vance told broadcaster Fox News he was confident Zelensky would “eventually” agree to peace talks with Moscow.

    “I think Zelensky wasn’t yet there, and I think, frankly, now still isn’t there,” Vance said. “But I think he’ll get there eventually. He has to.”

    But Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said the astonishing White House clash was a “deliberate escalation” by Trump.

    US and Russian officials have held talks on ending the war, enraging Kyiv and Europe for being sidelined, and prompting fears that any deal could threaten Ukraine’s future.

  • Israel blocks aid to devastated Gaza as truce’s first phase ends

    Israel blocks aid to devastated Gaza as truce’s first phase ends

    Israel on Sunday blocked aid flowing into Gaza, where a six-week truce enabled the entry of vital food, shelter and medical assistance, prompting the UN to call for an immediate restoration of humanitarian assistance.

    The Israeli decision came as talks on a truce extension appeared to hit an impasse, after the ceasefire’s 42-day first phase drew to a close.

    Truce mediators Egypt and Qatar accused Israel of blatantly violating the ceasefire deal by halting the aid, a move which according to AFP images left trucks loaded with goods lined up on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing to Gaza.

    Early on Sunday Israel had announced a truce extension until mid-April that it said United States Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had proposed.

    But Hamas has rejected an extension, instead favouring a transition to the truce deal’s second phase that could bring a permanent end to the genocide in Gaza.

    On Sunday, Netanyahu admitted to rejecting a ceasefire proposal from Hamas, warning that hostilities would resume if the Palestinian group did not agree to the US-backed alternative.

    With uncertainty looming over the truce, both Israel and Palestinian sources reported Israeli military strikes in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, whose health ministry reported at least four people killed.

    Hamas said the “decision to suspend humanitarian aid is cheap blackmail, a war crime and a blatant coup against the (ceasefire) agreement”.

    The Egyptian foreign ministry accused Israel of using starvation as “a weapon against the Palestinian people”, comments echoed by Qatar which said it “strongly condemns” Israel’s decision.

    Saudi Arabia, which has rejected any talk of normalising its ties with Israel without a Palestinian state, condemned the aid block as “a tool of blackmail and collective punishment”.

    Jordan said Israel’s action “threatens to reignite” fighting in Gaza.

    UN chief Antonio Guterres called for “humanitarian aid to flow back into Gaza immediately”.

    The European Union condemned what it called Hamas’s refusal to accept the extension of the first phase, and added that Israel’s subsequent aid block “risked humanitarian consequences”.

    Brussels called for “a rapid resumption of negotiations on the second phase of the ceasefire”.


    Panic

    Gazans expressed concern over prices they said immediately surged.

    “Prices are rising and people are panicking about food supplies,” Belal al-Helou, 56, said in Gaza City.

    More than 15 months of Israeli-led genocide in Gaza destroyed or damaged most buildings, displaced almost the entire population and triggered widespread hunger, according to the UN.

    Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, asked by reporters about the risk of starvation, dismissed such warnings as “a lie”.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he had “decided that, from this morning, all entry of goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip will be suspended”.

    It said there would be “consequences” for Hamas if it did not accept the temporary truce extension.

    But on a sandy street in Gaza City, Mays Abu Amer, 21, expressed hope the ceasefire can continue “forever”.

    According to Israel, the truce extension would see half of the hostages still in Gaza freed on the day the deal came into effect, with the rest to be released at the end if an agreement was reached on a permanent ceasefire.

    Of the 251 captives taken during Hamas’s October 2023 attack, 58 remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.

  • Zelensky says Trump relationship can be repaired after White House row

    Zelensky says Trump relationship can be repaired after White House row

    Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that his relations with the United States can still be repaired, after President Donald Trump shouted at him in an angry White House meltdown accusing the Ukrainian leader of refusing to make peace with Russia.

    “Of course,” Zelensky said when asked in a Fox News interview if the relationship with Trump could be salvaged.

    US-Ukrainian ties are about “more than two presidents,” he said, adding that Ukraine badly needs Washington’s help in the fight against Russia’s far bigger and better-armed military.

    “It will be difficult without your support,” Zelensky said on Fox — Trump’s favorite news channel.

    Zelensky’s olive branch came hours after the extraordinary Oval Office scene where the years-long US policy of massive support for Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion collapsed in a shouting match.

    A number of netizens, including prominent personalities, took to social media criticizing Trump’s behavior.

    United States Senator Bernie Sanders wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Trump berates Zelensky, the leader of a democratic country courageously fighting Russian imperialism, while he allies himself with Putin, a dictator who started the bloodiest European war in 80 years. Sorry, President Trump. We believe in democracy, not authoritarianism.”

    Political strategist and commentator Sawyer Hackett said, “Wow. This is such an embarrassment for the United States. Trump and JV Vance literally switched sides in a war and sided with a murderous dictator. Now they want Zelensky to apologize and kiss their feet.”

    Owen Jones stated, “It was genuinely hideous watching the treatment of Zelensky in the Oval Office. The thing is, the US has systematically bullied entire nations for generations. It’s just done it with a smile. Trump is doing what the US has long done, without the pretences”

    Brian Krassenstein added, “This is utterly repulsive! Trump and Vance just tried to humiliate Zelensky live on American TV, smugly demanding gratitude while openly mocking him like playground bullies counting favors. My respect for Zelensky—and my embarrassment as an American—just surged off the charts. I’m beyond disgusted!”

    The row saw European leaders scramble to voice support for Ukraine after Zelensky was made to leave the White House early and without signing a minerals-sharing deal seen as vital to an eventual US-brokered truce.

    During the clash, played out in front of US and international media, Trump and Vice President JD Vance shouted at Zelensky, accusing him of not being “thankful” and refusing to accept their proposed truce terms.

    “You don’t have the cards right now,” Trump said. “You’re either going to make a deal or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out and I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”

    Zelensky departed shortly after, with Trump posting on social media that “he can come back when he is ready for peace.”

    “They were asked to leave the room. Then they had to be asked to leave the building,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who had been in the Oval Office for the row, told Fox News of the Ukrainians.

    The president told journalists later Friday that Zelensky was “overplaying his hand” and should agree to end fighting “immediately.”

    Zelensky, however, refused to apologize, telling Fox News, “I’m not sure that we did something bad.” He did, however, say he wished the exchange had not taken place in front of reporters.

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later on CNN called for Zelensky to “apologize for wasting our time.”

    ‘Not alone’

    US allies in Europe — already worried that Trump will force Ukraine to effectively hand victory to Russian President Vladimir Putin — rushed to back Zelensky.

    “You are not alone,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

    British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, fresh off his own visit to the White House, said he had spoken to both Trump and Zelensky by phone following the clash and vowed “unwavering support” for Kyiv.

    Far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for a summit “without delay” between the United States, Europe and allies on Ukraine.

    Trump and Vance are “doing Putin’s dirty work,” top US Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted.

    But Russia was delighted.

    Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev called Zelensky an “insolent pig” who had received “a proper slap down in the Oval Office.”

    Trump’s Republican Party echoed the Russians in blaming Zelensky.

    Ukraine appeared united behind Zelensky, with its army chief vowing to stand with him while the foreign minister praised his “bravery.”

    “He did what he must,” 26-year-old Valentyn Burianov told AFP in Kyiv, echoing others in the streets of the Ukrainian capital.

    Compromise with ‘killer’?

    The meltdown came after Trump said Ukraine will have to make “compromises” in a truce with Russia.

    Zelensky said there should be “no compromises with a killer on our territory.”

    After he pointed out that previous Western-backed peace efforts had failed to deter Russian aggression, Vance interrupted and called him “disrespectful.”

    The session then boiled over, with the Ukrainian leader sitting in evident discomfort as Trump and Vance berated him.

    Trump has alarmed Kyiv and European allies with his abrupt U-turn in US policy, casting himself as a mediator between Putin and Zelensky and refusing to condemn the Russian invasion.

    He said in the Oval Office that he had “spoken on numerous occasions” to Putin — more than has been publicly reported.

    Trump called Zelensky a “dictator” last week and has said he trusts Putin to “keep his word” over a ceasefire.

    He told Zelensky that as a mediator he could not criticize one of the main sides.

    However, speaking to Fox News, Zelensky said he wished Trump was “really more on our side.”

    Meanwhile, Russia’s assault on Ukraine continued.

    Russian infantry were on Friday storming the Ukrainian border from the Russian region of Kursk, Kyiv said.

  • Avowed misogynist Andrew Tate in US despite rape charges in Romania

    Avowed misogynist Andrew Tate in US despite rape charges in Romania

    Andrew Tate, a right-wing influencer charged with rape and human trafficking in Romania, arrived in the United States on Thursday — the first time he has been out of the eastern European country since his 2022 arrest.

    Romanian prosecutors allege that self-declared misogynist Tate, 38, his brother Tristan, 36, and two women set up a criminal organization in Romania and Britain in early 2021 and sexually exploited several victims.

    The brothers traveled to Florida together on a private jet, their lawyer Ioan Gilga told CNN — but received a frosty reception just before landing as state authorities said they were not welcome. The Tates have not stated publicly the purpose of this trip.

    “We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty, and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood,” said Andrew Tate after arriving in Fort Lauderdale.

    “There’s a lot of opinions about us, a lot of things that go around about us on the internet. We’ve yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever.”

    The government in Bucharest said the Tates, who have British and US nationality and have been under judicial supervision in Romania, need to return to court on March 24 and a no-show could lead to “preventive arrest.”

    Four British women, who have accused Tate of rape and coercive control in a separate case, voiced concern last week that the US government might push Romania to ease the Tates’ travel restrictions and let them escape.

    Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu has said Richard Grenell, special envoy for President Donald Trump, raised the case at the Munich Security Conference earlier in February.

    But Trump denied all knowledge of any advocacy for the Tates from his administration — or help in bringing them to Florida.

    “I know nothing about that. I don’t know — you’re saying he’s on a plane right now? Yeah, I just know nothing about it. We’ll check it out. We’ll let you know,” he told reporters when asked about the visit.

    Justice Minister Radu Marinescu told AFP on Thursday he was “not aware of any pressure from anyone” and had “not received any kind of request from the US authorities.”

    A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who was visiting Trump in Washington — declined to comment on the situation or whether the UK wanted to see Tate extradited to Britain.

    “There’s an English element here so obviously it’s important justice is done and human trafficking is obviously to my mind a security risk,” said Starmer, in a brief response to a journalist’s question at the White House.

    A Romanian court has already granted a British request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.

    Not welcome

    In a joint statement on Thursday, the four British women said they “feel retraumatized by the news that the Romanian authorities have given in to pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel.”

    The women are bringing a civil case in the UK against Tate, accusing him of rape and coercive control between 2013 and 2016.

    Matthew Jury, their lawyer, said Starmer should raise the issue “on behalf of the many British women who Tate is alleged to have raped and sexually assaulted who may now be denied justice.”

    On Thursday, a Romanian court granted the Tate brothers’ appeal to lift the seizure of their assets — properties, vehicles, bank accounts and company shares, their PR team said.

    Andrew Tate moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in the UK.

    He leapt to fame in 2016 when he appeared on the UK’s “Big Brother” reality television show, but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.

    He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful.

    Banned from Instagram and TikTok for his views, Tate is followed by more than 10 million people on X, where his posts are often homophobic and racist.

    Last year, the Tates were sentenced in a tax fraud case in Britain.

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said before the brothers landed that the state was not involved in organizing their trip, did not welcome them and had been exploring legal options to prevent the visit.

    “Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” he told a news conference.

  • Next phase of Israel-Hamas ceasefire: Talks to resume in Cairo

    Next phase of Israel-Hamas ceasefire: Talks to resume in Cairo

    Talks resume in Cairo Friday on a second phase of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire that mediators hope will bring a lasting end to the genocide in Gaza, a day after Israel’s military acknowledged its “complete failure” to prevent the 2023 Hamas attack that resulted in intensified attacks by Israel.

    Mediator Egypt said Thursday that Israeli, Qatari and US delegations were already in Cairo for “intensive” talks on the next stage of the ceasefire, after a first phase only reached following months of gruelling negotiations.

    “The relevant parties have begun intensive talks to discuss the next phases of the truce agreement, amid ongoing efforts to ensure the implementation of the previously agreed understandings,” said Egypt’s State Information Service.

    The ceasefire, whose first phase is set to expire on Saturday, has largely halted the fighting that began when Hamas militants broke through Gaza’s security barrier on October 7, 2023, in an attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

    Israel’s retaliation has killed more than 48,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the UN has deemed reliable.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent negotiators to Cairo on Thursday, after Hamas handed over the remains of four hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners under the truce.

    ‘Too many civilians died’

    An internal Israeli army probe into the October 7 attack, released on Thursday, acknowledged the military’s “complete failure” to prevent it, according to a military official who briefed reporters about the report’s contents on condition of anonymity.

    “Too many civilians died that day asking themselves in their hearts or out loud, where was the IDF?” the official said, referring to the military.

    A senior military official said at the same briefing that the military acknowledges it was “overconfident” and had misconceptions about Hamas’s military capabilities before the attack.

    Following the scathing probe’s release, Israel’s military chief General Herzi Halevi said: “The responsibility is mine.”

    Halevi had already resigned last month citing the October 7 “failure”.

    During their attack, militants seized dozens of hostages, whose return was a key objective of the war.

    Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas and to bring home all the hostages, but has faced criticism and protests at home over his handling of the war and the hostage crisis.

    ‘Murdered’

    A hostage-prisoner swap early Thursday was the final one under the initial stage of the truce that took effect on January 19.

    Over the past several weeks, Hamas freed in stages 25 living Israeli and dual-national hostages and returned the bodies of eight others.

    It also released five Thai hostages outside the deal’s terms.

    Israel, in return, was expected to free around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.

    Israel’s Prison Service said that “643 terrorists were transferred from several prisons across the country” and released on Thursday under the terms of the truce after Hamas returned the bodies of four hostages.

    Hours after the handover on Thursday, an Israeli campaign group confirmed “with profound sorrow” the identities of the four bodies.

    Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat and Shlomo Mansour “have been laid to eternal rest in Israel”, said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

    Israel Berman, a businessman and former member of the Nahal Oz kibbutz community where Idan was abducted, said that “until the very last moment, we were hoping that Tsachi would return to us alive”.

    ‘We were in hell’

    Among those freed in exchange was the longest-serving Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail, Nael Barghouti, who spent more than four decades behind bars.

    He was first arrested in 1978 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of an Israeli officer and attacks on Israeli sites.

    “We were in hell and we came out of hell. Today is my real day of birth,” said one prisoner, Yahya Shraideh.

    AFP images showed some freed prisoners awaiting treatment or being assessed at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, after their release.

    Several freed Palestinian prisoners were hospitalised following earlier swaps, and the emaciated state of some released Israeli hostages sparked outrage in Israel and beyond.

    After the swap, Hamas called on Israel to return to delayed talks on the truce’s next phase.

    “We have cut off the path before the enemy’s false justifications, and it has no choice but to start negotiations for the second phase,” Hamas said.

  • Internet reacts to Trump’s AI video imagining Gaza as luxury resort

    Internet reacts to Trump’s AI video imagining Gaza as luxury resort

    US President Donald Trump’s official social media accounts posted an apparently AI-generated video depicting war-ravaged Gaza rebuilt into a seaside resort, replete with a towering golden statue of himself.


    The video, which racked up more than 29 million views on Instagram and was shared thousands of times on Trump’s Truth Social network by Wednesday afternoon, prompted some commenters to question whether the president’s accounts had been hacked.


    The 33-second clip remained on Trump’s accounts without denial or retraction hours after the initial posting on Tuesday night.


    The video “Gaza 2025 What’s Next?” opens with people on a rubble-strewn street emerging from a tunnel onto a beach with palm trees and yachts.


    Trump has floated the idea of a US takeover of Gaza under which its Palestinian population would be relocated — a proposal met with global condemnation.


    He later appeared to soften his plan, saying he was only recommending the idea, and conceding that the leaders of Jordan and Egypt — the proposed destinations for relocated Gazans — had rejected any effort to move Palestinians against their will.


    In the social media clip, the soundtrack includes lyrics such as “Donald’s coming to set you free, bringing the light for all to see”, and “Feast and dance, the deal is done, Trump Gaza number one”.


    Seemingly AI-generated renditions of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sip cocktails in swimsuits by a pool, while other shots show what appears to be Elon Musk dancing under a shower of cash on the beach.


    A larger-than-life golden statue of Trump is also featured.


    Social media users reacted with both support and criticism, but many questioned whether Trump himself had posted the montage.


    AFP did not find any evidence the video had been shared online before it was posted to Trump’s Truth Social and Instagram accounts.

    Netizens reacted to the insensitive video circulating online, condemning the move made by the U.S. President.

    Matthew Stadlen, an English presenter, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “The Trump Gaza video is quite possibly the most disgusting, the most shameful, the most hideous public communication by a US President in living memory.”

    Lawyer and activist, Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, wrote, “President of the United States posts video of him taking over Gaza with his statue for worship, dollars raining, Trump Gaza as centrepiece as he & Netanyahu chill at the beach. Ethnic cleansing rebranded as a real estate deal. Colonialist White Supremacist Zionism. Pure Evil.”

    Another user added, “I feel physically sick at Trump’s Gaza clip. I just can’t comprehend how a human being could be so vile. Can I ask EVERYONE TO PLEASE REPOST THIS CLIP as a counter narrative. It’s essential we tell the truth about this horror show. Let your repost finger do the talking.”

    One user, sharing the screenshots of the comments noted, “Trump biggest supporters are not happy with him for posting that AI video of Gaza.”

    Dancers and beards

    One scene closely resembles an AI-generated image of Trump and Netanyahu drinking cocktails that began circulating in early February.


    Another scene shows belly dancers shimmying on the beach, sporting thick, long beards more typically worn by Islamists.


    More than 15 months of war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, have left much of the Gaza Strip in ruins and most of its population displaced from their homes.


    Senir Hamas official Bassem Naim said in reaction to the video: “Unfortunately, President Trump is once again proposing ideas and solutions that do not take into account the cultures and interests of the indigenous population.”


    In Gaza, people who watched the video were in disbelief.


    “This video of Trump is full of fallacies and shows a lack of cultural awareness… Gaza won’t become a tourist spot like Italy or Spain,” said Nasser Abu Hadaid, a 60-year-old resident of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.


    “What I know about Trump is that he is a strange but bold president who does what he says he will do. What matters to him is money and investments — there is no humanity,” said Manal Abu Seif, a 23-year-old lawyer in Gaza City.


    “Gaza needs freedom, open border crossings and jobs for young people, and is not a playground for tourism and investment,” she added.


    UN estimates have put the cost of reconstruction at more than $53 billion.


    A fragile ceasefire, in effect since January 19, has allowed an increase in humanitarian aid into Gaza, though Hamas has accused Israel of blocking the entry of some essential supplies.

  • Mysterious disease in Congo killing patients within 48 hours

    Mysterious disease in Congo killing patients within 48 hours

    A mysterious disease spreading in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo since January 21 has infected 419 people, with 53 deaths, doctors working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) have confirmed. 

    The as yet unidentified pathogen first showed up in the town of Boloko where three children died of bleeding from the nose and vomiting blood after they ate a dead bat. 

    In the majority of the cases, death has occurred within 48 hours of the appearance of the first symptom. 

    As WHO rushes against time to get a handle on the situation, doctors have determined that the disease has a 12.3 percent fatality rate, posing a significant threat to the beleaguered country. While its symptoms are mostly hemorrhagic, lab tests have shown that the disease has no link with more worrying diseases like Ebola or Marburg. 

    In December, another mysterious outbreak of a disease was eventually identified as a particularly virulent strain of malaria.

  • Couple in shock after sitting next to dead body on Qatar Airways flight

    Couple in shock after sitting next to dead body on Qatar Airways flight

    An Australian couple have criticised Qatar Airways after a blanket-draped corpse was seated next to them during a long-haul flight on their way to Venice for a vacation.


    Mitchell Ring said a passenger died part-way through the 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Doha last week.


    “They tried to wheel her up towards business class, but she was quite a large lady and they couldn’t get her through the aisle,” he told Australian network Nine News this week.


    “They looked a bit frustrated, then they just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me.”


    Ring said he was made to wait next to the corpse even after the plane landed.


    “The ambulance officers and the police came in, and the ambulance officers started pulling the blankets off the lady,” he said.


    “It wasn’t nice.”


    Ring and wife Jennifer Colin were seated next to the corpse while travelling en-route to Venice.


    “I’m not a great flier at the best of times,” said Colin.


    “There has to be a protocol that looks after the customers on board.”


    Ring said he was seated with the body for around four hours despite other empty seats.


    “They said,’Can you move over please’ and I just said, ‘Yes no problem’.


    “Then they placed the lady in the chair I was in.


    “There were a few spare seats around that I could see.”

    CNN reports that a passenger offered Colin an empty seat across the aisle from Ring, where she sat for the rest of the flight.

    “I was really shocked,” Colin told Nine Network, calling the experience “traumatic.”


    “We totally understand that we can’t hold the airline responsible for the poor lady’s death, but there has to be a protocol then to look after the customers that are on board,” she said.


    In a statement to Australian media, Qatar Airways apologised “for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused”.


    “First and foremost our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight.”

  • US govt computers hacked, show deepfake of Trump licking Musk’s feet

    US govt computers hacked, show deepfake of Trump licking Musk’s feet

    Deepfake made its way into the US Department of Housing and Urban Development headquarters on Monday after an AI-generated footage of President Donald Trump licking Elon Musk’s feet circulated across screens in the building, with a caption reading, “LONG LIVE THE REAL KING.”

    The caption refers to Trump’s post on the White House’s official social media that read: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

    As reported by independent American media platform Zeteo, the video played on “almost every floor,” with staffers gathering to record it before it was removed.

    Netizens have also reacted to the video that has now been circulating on the internet.

    Many appreciated the move made by the unknown hackers.

    “God I love hackers who use their power for good ”

    “This is true art. May it live long in the annals of history.”

    “protest art at its finest. Bravo!”

    “Cringy but accurate.”

    “This was hands down the best thing I saw today”

    “Are you Sure it’s AI? ”

    Some, however, were disturbed by the graphic nature of the footage.

    “That video is graphic ”

    “I’m not sure whether to laugh or vomit ”

    “Rated R ”

    The incident reportedly occurred on Monday, the first-day union staff (non-supervisors) had to return to the office full-time under Trump’s order to end remote work for federal agencies.

    Last week, Trump’s infamous post came after his transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul scrapping the transportation department’s agreement on Manhattan’s congestion pricing plan.

    This was followed by a backlash, including from Hochul, who issued a statement, “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king.” She added: “Public transit is the lifeblood of New York City and critical to our economic future – as a New Yorker, like president Trump, knows very well.”


    Musk, with Trump at White House, says US will go ‘bankrupt’ without cuts

    Earlier in February, tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has been tapped by President Donald Trump to lead federal cost-cutting efforts, said that the United States would go “bankrupt” without budget cuts.


    Musk leads the efforts under the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and was speaking at the White House with Trump, who has in recent weeks unleashed a flurry of orders aimed at slashing federal spending.

    In particular, Musk took aim at the country’s budget deficit, which topped $1.8 trillion in the last fiscal year.

    He said that reducing federal expenses was not optional.

    The remarks, however, came as the Trump administration finds itself on a collision course with the US courts, as federal judges questioned the legality of White House cost-cutting measures.

    Trump’s sweeping plans, which have effectively shuttered some federal agencies and sent staff home, have sparked legal battles across the country.
    Multiple lawsuits seek to halt what opponents characterize as an illegal power grab.