Daily News

A producer turned protester has raised Palestinian and Sudanese flags, in front of thousands, during rapper Kendrick Lamar’s half-time show at Monday’s Super Bowl. Zul-Qarnain Nantambu says he was part of the show's production team. He says the gesture was meant to raise awareness about Israel’s war on Gaza, as well as the civil war in Sudan. Nantambu was detained and questioned by security, but has since been released.

Hamas’s decision is “tragic” but predictable, according to Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat. “Netanyahu indicated, before his trip to Washington, that he does not have any intentions of moving on to phase two [of the ceasefire deal],” Pinkas told Al Jazeera, speaking from Tel Aviv. “The moment he made it clear that he has no intention of moving to phase two, that put into question phase one … Then he went to Washington and stood by President Trump, who came up with this Gaza Riviera idea that includes expelling 2.3 million Palestinians. “Fast forward to today, in an interview on Fox News, [Trump] said that [Palestinians] will not be able to return to Gaza.” Pinkas said the reaction in Israel to Hamas’s decision is anger directed at Prime Minister Netanyahu. “I would not be surprised to see a very intense, very angry, very broad pushback against Netanyahu in the next 24 hours.” The former diplomat added far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir’s response – to start up the war again and “destroy” Gaza – should not be taken seriously now that he is out of the government. Ben-Gvir resigned last month as a result of the Hamas-Israel ceasefire agreement coming into effect.

President Trump meets Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House as he escalates pressure on the key US ally to take ethnically cleansed Palestinians from Gaza. Trump reiterated his plan to take over the strip. King Abdullah said Arab nations will come to the US in response to Trump’s Gaza plan.

The spokesperson of Hamas’s armed wing has issued a statement on Telegram saying the group will delay the release of more Israeli captives planned for Saturday “until further notice”. “Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership monitored the enemy’s violations and its non-compliance with the terms of the agreement,” Abu Obeida said. “These violations include delaying the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza, targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the Gaza Strip, and failing to allow the entry of relief materials in all forms as agreed upon. Meanwhile, the resistance has fulfilled all its obligations.” The Qassam Brigades spokesperson added the decision to delay the release of captives will “remain in place until the occupying entity complies with past obligations and compensates retroactively. We affirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement as long as the occupation adheres to them.”

US President Donald Trump is accusing South Africa of human rights violations against its white farmers. He's cut assistance that includes critical HIV medication. Trump cited a law that allows the South African government to seize farmland and its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, for his decision. South African-born adviser to Trump - Elon Musk - is also accusing the country of what he calls, 'openly racist' land ownership laws. So what role does the billionaire play? And is humanitarian aid being weaponised?

Bad Bunny’s new album, Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, became the number-one streamed album worldwide. It mixes different Puerto Rican music genres and touches on themes of gentrification and a loss of cultural identity. How is the album bringing the Puerto Rican fight for survival to the world?

Though cost cuts pursued by US President Donald Trump may be popular among many Americans, economists differ in their assessment of these measures' potential outcomes. Peterson Institute for International Economics senior fellow Joseph Gagnon tells host Steve Clemons that Trump’s idea that tariffs on imported goods can replace taxes is unrealistic. The United States government is bloated and needs modernisation, Gagnon argues. But while measures including firing thousands of federal employees and gutting USAID can save billions, what impact could they have on the national economy and on the country's trillions of dollars in debt?

As Cameroon’s 92-year-old president nears another birthday, his prolonged absences from office have prompted rumours. Rather than quashing them, Biya has simply banned Cameroon’s media from reporting on his health.

The bombing of a Tunisian town that escalated internationally, part of the history of colonialism in North Africa. For two months in 1958, a small Tunisian town became the centre of a major international incident that resounded from North Africa to France, the US and the United Nations. It started with the French bombing of Sakiet Sidi Youssef on February 8, 1958, during the Algerian War of Independence. Sakiet is close to the Tunisian border with Algeria. There were refugees from the war there and it was also a border crossing point for Algerian fighters. The attack killed at least 70 and injured about 100. France claimed it was targeting a base of Algerian resistance fighters but journalists visiting the scene found only flattened homes, a marketplace and a school. The attack strained Tunisia-France relations, amplified international condemnation of France's colonial policies and moved the Algerian War onto the global stage. It was a key moment in the history of French colonialism in North Africa.

Israel’s military operations in the occupied West Bank might not be at the same level of intensity as in Gaza during the war, but comments from top government ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich to apply the same methods should be taken seriously, says an analyst. “It might be just rhetorical, but we should take it very seriously,” Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, told Al Jazeera. “The far right [has] disproportionate influence within the government, they represent the settlers, and the idea of annexation and probably also the ethnic cleansing in Gaza and in the West Bank. We need to take it seriously.” Mekelberg noted that while the situation in the West Bank was already bad before October 7, 2023, it has worsened during Israel’s war on Gaza. “When there is talk about expelling most of the Palestinians from Gaza, it also enhances those among the far right, the settler movement that believes the same should happen in the West Bank,” Mekelberg said.