Ayoola Atitebi

President Donald Trump has suspended U.S. aid to South Africa following the passage of a land expropriation law, deepening tensions between Washington and Pretoria. The executive order, signed Friday, condemned the legislation as showing "shocking disregard" for citizens' rights by enabling land seizures from ethnic minority Afrikaners without compensation. Trump's order criticized what he called "countless" policies undermining equal opportunity and "hateful rhetoric" encouraging violence against "racially disfavored" landowners. He also cited South Africa's recent foreign policy positions, including its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and strengthened ties with Iran, as reasons for the aid freeze. The order outlined plans to support the resettlement of Afrikaners "escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination." This follows escalating tensions between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, with Trump accusing the administration of "confiscating land" and discriminating against "certain classes […]

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has emphasized that the UK is "not choosing between the US and the EU" following President Donald Trump's threat of trade tariffs against the European Union. The statement came after Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico - both since paused - while suggesting a potential deal could be arranged with the UK. During a Brussels press conference, where Starmer met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU leaders, he maintained that both relationships were crucial to the UK. Starmer noted it was "early days" regarding US tariff discussions and expressed support for "open and strong trading relations." The visit marked the first time a UK Prime Minister has attended EU leader talks since Brexit. On defense matters, Rutte acknowledged occasional "issues between allies" but emphasized their shared commitment to maintaining deterrence. Regarding […]

South Korea faces an unprecedented political crisis as suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol attended Constitutional Court hearings Tuesday to determine his permanent removal from office following his attempted declaration of martial law. The crisis began December 3 when Yoon, a former prosecutor, declared martial law and dispatched troops to parliament, effectively suspending civilian rule. The opposition-controlled parliament managed to vote down the decree within six hours and subsequently impeached him over the action. The situation escalated in mid-January when Yoon was arrested in a pre-dawn operation on insurrection charges, marking the first arrest of a sitting South Korean president. He remains in detention while attending the impeachment proceedings at the Constitutional Court. If the court upholds parliament's impeachment decision, South Korea must hold a presidential election within 60 days. Yoon arrived at Tuesday's hearing in a convoy of black SUVs […]

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has made an unprecedented proposal to imprison convicted American criminals in his country's facilities, an offer that received praise from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The proposal came during Rubio's visit to Bukele's Lake Coatepeque residence near San Salvador. Bukele offered to house American convicts for a fee in Latin America's largest prison, which opened last year. "We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system," Bukele stated on X. "The fee would be relatively low for the US but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable." After a three-hour meeting, Rubio expressed strong support for the arrangement, describing it as "the most unprecedented, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world." He highlighted that the offer extends to "dangerous American criminals in custody in […]

Six American detainees have been released by Venezuela following direct talks between President Nicolás Maduro and Richard Grenell, a senior Trump administration official, in Caracas. The development was announced simultaneously by President Donald Trump and Grenell on social media. Grenell shared a photograph of the freed individuals aboard his aircraft, showing them wearing the light blue uniforms characteristic of Venezuela's prison system. While their identities weren't disclosed, Grenell reported that they had expressed gratitude to Trump in a phone conversation during their journey home. Prior to the release, the White House had issued a warning to Venezuela, demanding the liberation of what they termed "US hostages" and cooperation on accepting deported Venezuelan criminals, or face unspecified consequences. The discussions took place against a backdrop of complex diplomatic relations. Venezuelan state media characterized the talks as respectful, with Maduro stating they […]