AFP USA

Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump will discuss the future of the Gaza ceasefire Tuesday as the Israeli prime minister becomes the first foreign leader to visit the White House since the US president’s return to power.Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with the new Trump administration on a second, longer-term phase of Israel’s fragile truce with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has not yet been finalized.Trump has meanwhile repeatedly touted a plan to “clean out” Gaza, calling for Palestinians to move to neighboring countries such as Egypt or Jordan, despite all those parties strongly rejecting his proposal.Before leaving for Washington, Netanyahu said that Israel’s wars with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and its confrontations with Iran had “redrawn the map” in the Middle East.”But I believe that working closely with President Trump we can redraw it even further, and for the better,” Netanyahu said.The White House meeting promises to be a crucial one for a region shattered by war since Hamas’s deadly October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.Netanyahu hailed the fact that he would be the first foreign leader to meet Trump since his January 20 inauguration as “testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance.”The Israeli premier had tense relations with Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden over the growing death toll in Gaza, despite Biden’s steadfast maintenance of US military aid.But Trump, who has claimed credit for sealing the ceasefire after 15 months of war and prides himself on his dealmaking ability, will be pushing Netanyahu to stick to the agreement.He is also expected to lean on Netanyahu to accept a deal to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, something he tried to do in his first term.- ‘No guarantees’ -Trump said Sunday that talks with Israel and other Middle Eastern countries were “progressing” — but then warned less than 24 hours later that there that were “no guarantees that the peace is going to hold.”Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff — who met Netanyahu on Monday over terms for the second phase of the Gaza truce — said however that he was “certainly hopeful” that the truce would stick.Hamas officials have said they were ready to begin talks on the details of the second phase, which is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and could lead to a more permanent end to the war.But Trump’s sudden floating of a plan to move people out of Gaza — which he describes as a “demolition site” — has added further uncertainty to an already tense and difficult situation.Trump said the plan could be temporary or permanent, but the mass displacement of civilians from Gaza was strongly rejected by Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinians, and ceasefire mediator Qatar.Under the Gaza ceasefire’s 42-day first phase, Hamas is to free 33 hostages in staggered releases in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.Four hostage-prisoner exchanges have already taken place, and the truce has led to a surge of food, fuel, medical and other aid into rubble-strewn Gaza, as well as allowing displaced Gazans to return to the territory’s north.Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory response has killed at least 47,498 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.Israel has meanwhile turned its focus to the occupied West Bank and an operation it says is aimed at rooting out extremism that has killed dozens.

US President Donald Trump delayed the start of tariffs on neighbors Mexico and Canada for a month Monday — but China remained in the firing line for levies that are putting the global economy on edge.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau both struck last-minute deals with Trump to tighten border measures against the flow of migrants and the drug fentanyl into the United States.Global stock markets had slumped as Trump’s threat of sweeping 25 percent levies on exports from Canada and Mexico to the United States sparked fears of a global trade war.Trump said that after “very friendly” talks with Sheinbaum he would “immediately pause” the tariffs on Mexico, and that his counterpart had agreed to send 10,000 troops to the US-Mexico frontier.Tensions appeared higher between the United States and Canada — but after two calls with Trudeau, Trump said on Truth Social that Canada had “agreed to ensure we have a secure Northern Border, and to finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like Fentanyl.”Trudeau said Canada would deploy nearly 10,000 frontline officers to help secure the border, list drug cartels as terrorists, appoint a “Fentanyl Czar” and crack down on money laundering.It was not clear the real extent of the changes on the Canadian border, given that authorities said in December they already had 8,500 personnel deployed.- Stocks slump -But China is still due to face a further 10 percent duty on top of existing levies.The US president said last-minute talks between Washington and Beijing were due in a bid to reach an agreement.His spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News “there is a plan for him to talk to President Xi in the next 24 hours.”Canada, China and Mexico are the United States’s three biggest trading partners.Wall Street’s three main indices fell sharply in early deals, but clawed back ground after Trump’s announcement of the Mexico deal. The London, Paris and Frankfurt stock markets finished in the red.The White House said earlier there had been a “heck of a lot of talks” over the weekend.”This is not a trade war, this is a drug war,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC, complaining that “the Canadians appeared to have misunderstood the plain language.”However, US government figures show that only a minimal quantity of drugs enter via Canada.- 51st state? -Canada had vowed to respond strongly to the tariffs.Canadians have booed the US national anthem at sporting events, cancelled holidays in the United States and boycotted American products.Its most populous province Ontario on Monday had banned US firms from bidding on tens of billions of dollars in government contracts — and dumped a deal with Trump ally Elon Musk’s Starlink.Trump has upped the pressure recently by calling Canada’s existence into question — once again advocating on Monday for it to become the 51st US state.A political crisis in the Canadian government over Trump’s tariff threats led to Trudeau announcing earlier this month that he would resign too. Canadians now face elections as early as April.Mexico has meanwhile been under heavy pressure to secure its border with the United States as Trump vows a massive crackdown on undocumented migrants.The US president — who has said that the word “tariff” is the “most beautiful word in the dictionary” — is going even further in his second term on the levies than he did in his first.He has insisted that the impact would be borne by foreign exporters without being passed on to American consumers, despite most experts saying the contrary.But the billionaire 78-year-old did acknowledge as he returned from a weekend at his Florida resort Sunday that Americans might feel economic “pain.”

Apple on Monday called a pornography app available for iPhones in the European Union a danger to children, saying landmark digital rules there allowed it to get on to its handsets via an alternative to its App Store.Apple had long fiercely protected the App Store as the lone gateway for digital content to get onto its popular mobile devices. But the company loosened its grip in Europe last year, after the EU said the terms prevented app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative ways to pay, and began allowing users to use other stores to purchase apps. The App Store does not allow porn — but the Hot Tub app is offered on AltStore PAL, one such alternative marketplace.AltStore billed Hot Tub as “the first Apple-approved porn app” in a post Monday on social platform X. The app made it through an Apple review process for security and functionality. “We are deeply concerned about the safety risks that hardcore porn apps of this type create for EU users, especially kids,” Apple said when asked about the app by AFP. “Contrary to the false statements made by the marketplace developer, we certainly do not approve of this app and would never offer it in our App Store.”Apple last year became the first ever tech firm to face accusations of breaching a new EU law known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA).It promised changes to comply with the DMA — including allowing developers in the EU to use alternative app marketplaces. – ‘All’ apps welcome -AltStore PAL launched early last year as an App Store alternative in the EU, according to a blog post by its creator, Riley Testut.”All apps are welcome, but I believe AltStore makes the most sense for smaller, indie apps that otherwise couldn’t exist due to App Store rules,” Testut said in the blog post.”We think iOS as a whole could benefit greatly from giving developers a chance to fully explore their ideas without arbitrary restrictions.”AltStore PAL initially charged users subscriptions of $1.55 (1.50 euros) annually to cover fees charged by Apple, but access became free in August after it received a grant from Epic Games, it said in a post on X. Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite game, has battled Apple in the courts to break its hold on the App Store.Epic and the European Commission did not immediately respond to a queries from AFP. “The truth is that we are required by the European Commission to allow it to be distributed by marketplace operators like AltStore and Epic who may not share our concerns for user safety,” Apple said of Hot Tub.Apple said that it shared concerns about the app with the European Commission in December.Apple has long argued that allowing “sideloading” of apps onto iPhones or iPads from places other that the App Store brings with it the risk of deceptive, dangerous and dubious digital content.

Hundreds of people protested in New York Monday against President Donald Trump’s executive orders restricting treatment for transgender children, and reports that a local hospital group consequently cancelled appointments for two trans youths.A noisy crowd packed into Manhattan’s St. Vartan park, in sight of a campus of NYU Langone Health which The New York Times reports cancelled appointments of two trans children following Trump’s decree.”Protect trans futures,” “don’t capitulate to hate” and “break the silence” read the slogans on some of the banners brandished by the crowds of protesters, at least one of whom was detained by police, an AFP correspondent saw.Last month, Trump issued a sweeping executive order requiring institutions receiving federal research or education grants to end forms of gender affirming treatment for children under 19, and directed his incoming health secretary to do everything to end the practice.”It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” the policy reads.Two 12-year-old children due to receive puberty-blocker implants at NYU Langone had their appointments cancelled, with one parent recounting a doctor told them it was because of “the new administration”, the Times reported.NYU Langone Health declined to comment to AFP.”I don’t regularly come to rallies like this. Trans people have always existed, we are not going to go away just because they make lawmakers uncomfortable,” said one trans protester from Brooklyn who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation.- ‘Most vulnerable groups’ -“It starts with local organizing and getting a mayor who is not willing to do Trump’s bidding.” Referring to the claims NYU Langone suspended care for trans younth, the demonstrator said “it’s about not complying in advance.””We’re sick of putting up with this,” they said.One speaker at the rally, Julie, said they had received gender affirming care at NYU Langone Health for 15 years and was “very fortunate.””We’re now at the slightest pushback from Washington, an illegal executive order, the CEO of NYU Langone has already started canceling appointments for trans youth,” they said. Speaker rabbi Abby Stein, who is trans, accused Trump of singling out “one of the most vulnerable groups in this country.””We’re asking for the right to be alive. We’re asking for the right to basic health care,” they said.In a blizzard of executive action since returning to power, Trump has singled out trans people, with the State Department removing “T” and “Q” from “LGBTQ” country travel advisories, as well as decreeing departments only recognize two genders.While campaigning, Trump routinely demonized any recognition of gender diversity, attacking transgender people — notably transgender women in sports — and gender-affirming care for children.

The man accused of trying to kill the author Salman Rushdie, leaving him blind in one eye, goes on trial Tuesday for attempted murder, according to state court filings.Hadi Matar, an American of Lebanese descent, has also been charged separately by a federal court on suspicion of terrorism for allegedly conducting the 2022 stabbing attack on behalf of militant group Hezbollah.In August 2022 Rushdie, now 77, lost vision in his right eye after the attack by a knife-wielding assailant, who jumped on stage at an arts gathering in New York state and stabbed the author about 10 times.The Indian-born writer, a naturalized American based in New York, has faced death threats since his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” was declared blasphemous by Iran’s supreme leader.Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict, in 1989 calling on Muslims anywhere in the world to kill Rushdie.Hezbollah endorsed the fatwa, the FBI has said.Matar had told the New York Post newspaper that he had only read two pages of Rushdie’s novel but believed he had “attacked Islam.”Rushdie suffered stab wounds in the neck and abdomen before attendees and guards subdued the attacker, later identified as Matar.Matar was due to appear before judge David Foley in Chautauqua County Court on Tuesday, according to a New York state case listing index.The charges against him in the case are attempted murder and assault.- ‘I just stood there’ -Rushdie had lived in seclusion in London for the first decade after the fatwa was issued, but for the past 20 years he has lived a relatively normal life in New York.Last year, he published a memoir called “Knife” in which he recounted the near-death experience.”Why didn’t I fight? Why didn’t I run? I just stood there like a pinata and let him smash me,” Rushdie wrote.”It didn’t feel dramatic, or particularly awful. It just felt probable… matter-of-fact.”Tehran denied any link with the attacker — but said only Rushdie was to blame for the incident. The suspect, now 27, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder.Rushdie explained in “Knife” that the attack has not changed his view on his most famous work. “I am proud of the work I’ve done, and that very much includes The Satanic Verses. If anyone’s looking for remorse, you can stop reading right here,” he said.Rushdie has said that he did not want to attend the talk, and two days before the incident, he had a dream of being attacked by a gladiator with a spear in a Roman amphitheater.”And then I thought, ‘Don’t be silly. It’s a dream,'” he told CBS.

Elon Musk has begun swinging his wrecking ball at the US government, with concerns growing over the unprecedented power that President Donald Trump has handed to the world’s richest man.The South African born billionaire has taken control over the US Treasury’s payments system that manages trillions of dollars. He single-handedly announced the demise of the USAID humanitarian agency. He has helped drive out top officials.For a man who likes to rail against unelected bureaucrats, the unelected Space X and Tesla tycoon has been subject to little accountability as he pushes Trump’s drive to shrink the US government.Trump sought to play down the issue Monday when asked about it in the Oval Office, saying “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval.””We’ll give him the approval where appropriate, where not appropriate we won’t. But he reports in,” insisted Trump. “It’s something that he feels very strongly about and I’m impressed.”Musk’s powers have seemed almost unbounded, leading to accusations by Democrats of an unconstitutional power grab by both him and his fellow business mogul Trump.So far Musk has been registered as neither a federal employee nor a government official — although US media reported Monday that he had now been registered as a “special government employee.”Critics point to the fact that Musk was the biggest donor to Trump’s victorious election campaign, to the tune of a quarter of a billion dollars. Then there is the fact that his companies also have huge US government contracts.- ‘DOGE kids’ -And while a cute cartoon dog initially adorned the website of Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), its later replacement by a dollar sign in a gold circle underscored what the focus would be.His young team of so-called “Doge Kids,” drawn from his own companies, dramatically seized control of the US Treasury Department’s payments system and took key government positions.They have helped push a drive to get federal employees to take severance payments and quit, with an email that closely resembles a message sent to Twitter employees when Musk took over and later renamed the social network X.Musk personally announced that the massive USAID humanitarian agency would be “shutting down” — during a live chat on X — and branded it a “criminal organization.” Their no-holds barred style has raised eyebrows.A dramatic stand-off reportedly ensued when Musk’s aides demanded access to a secure room at USAID where classified information was held.There was a similar situation when a career Treasury official was reportedly put on administrative leave after refusing such access to aides.And the head of the Federal Aviation Administration stepped down on Inauguration Day after Musk had criticized the agency’s oversight of rocket launches. Days later Trump had to rush to appoint a new head after a deadly passenger jet crash in Washington.A controversy over a raised-arm salute by Musk on the day of Trump’s inauguration only added to the controversy.- ‘Tiger in the petting zoo’ -Trump insisted Monday that “if there’s a conflict we won’t let him get near it” — but that did not calm critics.Democrats, who have been largely silent during Trump’s first shock-and-awe two weeks in power, began to mobilize against the latest Musk moves.”No one elected Elon Musk,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said.Democrats on the US House Ways and Means Committee were holding an emergency call partly devoted to the issue.They have bitterly criticized DOGE as an unconstitutional attempt to exert presidential power over funds approved by Congress.”It’s like letting a tiger into the petting zoo and hoping for the best,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday.Speaking at a protest by USAID workers, Senator Chris Van Hollen said “this Elon Musk attempted takeover… will not stand.”Washington is however closely watching to see if the egos of two consummate showmen like Trump and Musk can survive in the same White House for long.Indeed Musk is reportedly not in the same building, after being denied a West Wing office for his staff, and getting premises instead in the Eisenhower Building, a separate part of the White House complex.

After the loss of more than 10,000 homes in last month’s Los Angeles fires, the region faces a daunting challenge to rebuild with a tight labor market, constrained construction supplies and strict regulations.”It’s going to be a very difficult rebuild process … and it’s going to take a long time,” said Jim Tobin, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders. “Fire is very unique: we’re talking about total loss.” Even when there is still a foundation or a chimney, “fire wreaks havoc with those materials and they all have to be knocked down,” said Tobin, describing what is often a more complete annihilation compared with a flood or hurricane.Before new work can begin, the old properties must be cleared of debris because of the risk of toxic waste, said Mary Comerio, professor of architecture at the University of California at Berkeley and a specialist in disaster recovery.In Paradise, California — where 18,000 structures were obliterated in fires in 2018, including 11,000 homes — this initial step of clearing out the old property took nine months, according to Colette Curtis, who directed the rebuilding for the city.Only 10 percent of Paradise’s homes and some 500 buildings overall survived the conflagration. The initial rebuilding permits were granted in 2019. There are about 400 buildings currently under construction in the city.”We expect our recovery will be another 10 years probably before we’re completely rebuilt,” Curtis said. Things could move faster in wealthy areas such as Malibu and Pacific Palisades, devastated in last month’s fires, if the homeowners don’t need to wait for funds from an insurer, or if they receive federal aid.- Burst of activity -Experts say construction permits for new homes could require nine to 12 months, with a finished home ready in three to five years.Public entities will also need to mobilize to clean and rebuild roadways, and build waist disposal and energy facilities, schools, hospitals and libraries.The federal government normally shoulders three-quarters of the costs, but then-president Joe Biden said it would cover 100 percent of the cost of the most recent Los Angeles fires.It is unclear whether President Donald Trump — who succeeded Biden on January 20 — will adhere to that promise, however.Republican Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold funding from Democrat-led California — though after seeing the fire damage for himself last month, he vowed solidarity.California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced steps meant to accelerate the rebuilding, loosening some environmental standards and cracking down on price gouging.Supplies have remained tight for some construction materials. Procuring more could be further challenged if the Trump administration moves ahead with planned tariffs on China and Canada, which are major suppliers of key building materials.The construction industry is also expected to need to add some 439,000 workers in 2025 and 500,000 the year after.”For any major urban disaster, there will be a lot of internal migration of workers,” said Comerio. The surge of activity is “quite good for the economy,” she said. “All the construction is a very good short-term boom.”But the burst of demand can put stress on US home improvement stores such as Home Depot and Lowe’s.”It will be difficult for most retailers and suppliers to cope with the very elevated demand that is generated in a short period of time,” said Neil Saunders of GlobalData. “Tariffs, if applied, will add another layer of complication.”The new construction will also need to mitigate against future fire risk. At Paradise, where 85 people perished in the fires, local officials are strict about ensuring that walls, roofs and windows are fire resistant, that there is a five-foot zone of non-combustible vegetation near a home and that electric lines are buried, Curtis said.”Don’t give up hope,” she said. “It feels impossible right now but just keep going, it will get better.”

Anthony Davis paid tribute to Los Angeles in a farewell message to his adopted city on Monday following his shock trade to the Dallas Mavericks.In his first comments since news broke that the Los Angeles Lakers were trading him to Dallas in exchange for Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic, Davis described the deal as “business.”The Doncic-Davis trade is widely regarded as the most jaw-dropping deal in NBA history, a stunning coup conducted in utmost secrecy that no one saw coming.In a post on Instagram, Davis said he was pleased to have been able to deliver an NBA championship for the Lakers during the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season.”Six years ago, I came here with the vision to win a Championship, and I will never forget the moment we did!” the 31-year-old wrote.”The business of basketball is a business just like all other businesses… I am grateful to the city where my first ring came from, grew my family and friendships and I will always have a home here,” said Davis, who reportedly paid $31 million for a mansion in the exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel Air in 2021.”My family and I thank everyone who made this place home and we are still thinking of those that lost their homes in the fires,” he said, refering to deadly blazes that ravaged parts of the city last month.Los Angeles “will always have a special place in my heart,” he added. “Every great story has an exciting next chapter… Dallas — Here we come!”

A US district judge delivered a scorching opinion on Monday extending a temporary block on President Donald Trump’s freeze on federal funding for aid programs.Judge Loren AliKhan said the National Council of Nonprofits and others who brought the case had shown they would suffer “irreparable harm” if the federal aid freeze was allowed to take effect.Trump triggered nationwide confusion last week with an order from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ordering a freeze of trillions of dollars in federal loans, grants and other assistance.The move created an uproar and OMB issued a terse notification saying the freezing of aid order had been “rescinded.”White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced soon afterwards, however, that the spending freeze remained in place — and only the memo from the budget office was rescinded, a move the judge described as “disingenuous.”AliKhan blocked the spending freeze last week until the conclusion of a court hearing in Washington on Monday and she issued a ruling shortly afterwards extending the pause.”The declarations and evidence presented by Plaintiffs paint a stark picture of nationwide panic in the wake of the funding freeze,” she wrote in a 30-page opinion.”Organizations with every conceivable mission — healthcare, scientific research, emergency shelters, and more — were shut out of funding portals or denied critical resources beginning on January 28.”The judge, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, said as much as $3 trillion in financial assistance was implicated by the freeze, “a breathtakingly large sum of money to suspend practically overnight.”OMB, she added, had “offered no rational explanation for why they needed to freeze all federal financial assistance — with less than twenty-four-hours’ notice.””If Defendants intend to conduct an exhaustive review of what programs should or should not be funded, such a review could be conducted without depriving millions of Americans access to vital resources,” she said.”Rather than taking a measured approach to identify purportedly wasteful spending, Defendants cut the fuel supply to a vast, complicated, nationwide machine — seemingly without any consideration for the consequences.”She also said the White House had overreached and “the appropriation of the government’s resources is reserved for Congress, not the Executive Branch.”Many organizations are still waiting for funds to be disbursed, she said.A district judge in Rhode Island last week also temporarily blocked the freeze on federal aid spending in a case brought by 22 states.

A truck crash left eggs all over a California freeway on Monday, sparking internet jokes about the high cost of the accident at a time of soaring egg prices.Highway patrol officers in Los Angeles scrambled to control traffic as it backed up following the pre-dawn accident.Aerial pictures showed the top of the big rig appeared to have been sheared off by an underpass, with sodden boxes of eggs spilling onto the road.The crash, which happened on the I-5, a major route that runs the length of the US West Coast, came with the price of eggs in supermarkets soaring.Internet users were quick to pounce.”Million dollar load” quipped rosiebsosodef on Instagram.”I can volunteer I’ll pick up all the ones that’s not broken and we can go from there” said momma_got_it.The cost of eggs has risen steeply in the United States in recent weeks, with supply crimped by bird flu outbreaks across the country.The wholesale price of a dozen eggs in California stood at over $8 at the end of January, with isolated reports of consumers paying as much as $15.Rising prices could be bad news for President Donald Trump, who came to office last month on a promise to tamp down grocery bills.