World Briefing: February 8, 2025
Hamas has freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza, while Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners in the latest exchange as part of an internationally brokered ceasefire deal. The three hostages - Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy - were handed over to the Red Cross on Saturday morning before reuniting with family in Israel. Concerns have been raised about their wellbeing, with Mr Sharabi's family - who live in the UK - describing their shock at his "gaunt" appearance. Returning Palestinian prisoners were greeted with scenes of celebration at Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Representatives claimed they all needed "medical care", without giving specifics. So far, 21 hostages and 566 prisoners have been freed since the ceasefire began on 19 January. By the end of the first stage of the ceasefire in three weeks time, 33 hostages and 1,900 prisoners are expected to have been freed. Israel says eight of the 33 are dead - BBC
A federal judge on Friday dealt President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk their first big setback in their dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development,ordering a temporary halt to plans to pull thousands of agency staffers off the job. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, also agreed to block an order that would have given the thousands of overseas USAID workers the administration wanted to place on abrupt administrative leave just 30 days to move families and households back to the U.S. on government expense. Both moves would have exposed the U.S. workers and their spouses and children to unwarranted risk and expense, the judge said. Nichols pointed to accounts from workers abroad that the Trump administration, in its rush to shut down the agency and its programs abroad, had cut some workers off from government emails and other communication systems they needed to reach the U.S. government in case of a health or safety emergency. - AP
The U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) was ordered by Washington to stop work on dozens of U.S.-funded grants, according to an email seen by Reuters, that was sent five days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a waiver for emergency food assistance. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) grants, at various stages of progression, are worth tens of millions of dollars and provide food assistance in impoverished countries including Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Haiti and Mali.Several of the suspended grants are under the Food for Peace Title II program, which spends about $2 billion annually on the donation of U.S. commodities. The program, which makes up the bulk of U.S. international food assistance, is co-administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and USAID - Reuters
China’s top military command has rolled out a major education campaign to instil political loyalty to President Xi Jinping – an initiative aimed primarily at the top ranks of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). In a notice on Tuesday to all personnel in the world’s second largest military force, the political work department of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) said the campaign should focus on the “key few” – a term the ruling Communist Party uses to describe senior officials with decision-making power on critical matters. The CMC, the top decision-making and command body for the Chinese armed forces, is chaired by Xi. The notice said the PLA must continue to use Xi’s political thought to “unite hearts and forge souls”, and study his thoughts on strengthening the military “deeply and persistently” by reading his original works repeatedly - SCMP
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told executives that he believes US President Donald Trump’s desire to annex the northern nation “is a real thing” due to its abundance of critical minerals. “They’re very aware of our resources, of what we have and they very much want to be able to benefit from those,” Trudeau said. “But Mr. Trump has it in mind that one of the easiest ways of doing that is absorbing our country. And it is a real thing.” Canada is rich in nearly three dozen critical minerals that are essential to modern technology, including mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries and defense applications - Bloomberg
President Trump announced his intention on Friday to bring the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington more firmly under his control, saying he would dismiss several board members and install himself as chairman. “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. Mr. Trump said he would “immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.” He added: “We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP.” Mr. Trump’s plan to purge the board and appoint himself was first reported Friday by The Atlantic. He posted his announcement shortly thereafter. - NYT
The family of an American man who was killed when a Malaysian Airlines plane was shot down over Ukraine in 2014 can sue Russia’s largest bank for allegedly providing money transfers to a group blamed for downing the plane, a US appeals court ruled on Feb 4. In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said state-controlled Sberbank was not entitled to sovereign immunity, after being accused of using the US banking system to funnel donor money to the Russia-backed separatist group Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). A US-based lawyer for Sberbank had no immediate comment. Sberbank was not immediately available for comment after business hours in Moscow. The case was brought by the family of Mr Quinn Schansman, who was 18 when he boarded Flight MH17 to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam on July 17, 2014, for a planned family vacation. The flight was shot down over DPR-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine by a surface-to-air missile, killing all 298 people on board. Russia has denied involvement. Ukraine had previously declared the DPR a terrorist organisation, while the United States had imposed sanctions on the group - Straits Times
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the arrest of Shamshad Agha, chief editor of the independent news site Arqument.az, and called on Azerbaijani authorities to release him and at least 19 journalists and media workers from some of Azerbaijan’s largest remaining independent media. “Shamshad Agha’s arrest underscores a grim intent by Azerbaijani authorities to silence and further restrict the country’s small and embattled independent media community,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Azerbaijan’s government should immediately reverse its unprecedented media crackdown and release Agha along with all other unjustly jailed journalists.” Police in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, detained Agha on the night of February 4 and searched his home, confiscating his computer, an old cell phone, his brother’s phone, and other data storage and computer equipment, according to news reports. Agha’s lawyer Shahla Humbatova told media that Agha was arrested as a suspect in a criminal case against Germany-based outlet Meydan TV, with which Agha also collaborates. Six Meydan TV journalists were detained on currency smuggling charges in December. CPJ’s annual prison census found that Azerbaijan was among the world’s top 10 jailers of journalists in 2024.
