*Evening News Round-up: Wednesday 29 January 2025* *Headlines* *USAID Suspends HIV, Malaria & TB Programmes In Zimbabwe* *UNISA Denies Awarding Magaya A PhD, Threatens Legal Action For Reputational Damage* *Plane Crashes In South Sudan, Killing 20, Official Says* *Congolese President Snubs Peace Talks Over Goma Crisis* *Namibia's Unemployment Rate Rises To 36.9pc* *Russia Tight-lipped On Syrian Demand Of al-Assad For Military Bases* *Alibaba Releases AI model It Says Surpasses DeepSeek* *Trump Offers Incentives To Federal Workers To Quit Jobs* *How Mbappe & Bellingham Sparked Real Madrid's Resurgence* Join our *Ad-free* News Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VacXkvFJJhzd2UoZYF1F *Stories in Detail:* *USAID Suspends HIV, Malaria & TB Programmes In Zimbabwe* THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has ordered all recipients of its funds to cease operations forthwith in Zimbabwe. The latest development follows newly-elected U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders of reevaluating and realigning his country’s foreign aid. USAID has long been a significant contributor to Zimbabwe’s development initiatives. In 2024 alone, USAID’s funding to Zimbabwe amounted to approximately US$360 million, supporting a wide array of programmes spanning health, agriculture, and governance sectors. In a January 27, 2025 notice to grant recipients, Andrea M. Plucknett, USAID Zimbabwe supervisory agreement officer, said recipients of funds must immediately suspend activities. “Dear implementing Partner: Effective January 24, 2025, the Agreement Officer hereby issues an order for the recipient to immediately suspend performance under the agreement your organisation was awarded by USAID/Zimbabwe. “The recipient shall take all reasonable steps to minimize the incurrence of costs allocable to the agreement during the period of award suspension,” wrote Plucknett. Main grant recipients and sub-grantees were also instructed not to resume work under agreements entered into with USAID until there is communication to lift the suspension. “The recipient shall not resume work under this agreement until notification has been received in writing from the Agreement Officer that this award suspension has been cancelled,” further wrote Plucknett. Also, all diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives being undertaken in Zimbabwe have been stopped. “All DEIA activities under all ongoing awards are to cease immediately. In light of the above, please have your authorised representative certify that any DEIA-related activities have completely ceased.” The Trump administration has moved to stop the supply of lifesaving drugs for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as medical supplies for newborn babies, in countries supported by USAID around the globe. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Trump administration’s three executive orders targeting DEIA initiatives take a “shock and awe” approach that upends longstanding, bipartisan federal policy meant to open doors that had been unfairly closed. In his first few days, Trump is undertaking a deliberate effort to obfuscate and weaponise civil rights laws that address discrimination and ensure everyone has a fair chance to compete, whether it’s for a job, a promotion, or an education. With these actions, the administration is not only undoing decades of federal anti-discrimination policy, spanning Democratic and Republican presidential administrations alike but also marshalling federal enforcement agencies to bully both private and government entities into abandoning legal efforts to promote equity and remedy systemic discrimination. Trump’s executive orders undermine obligations that firms doing business with the U.S. government and receiving billions in public dollars are held to the highest standards in remedying and preventing bias. ACLU says for decades, federal policies have supported efforts to promote equal opportunity, enforced by administrations from both parties. *NewZW* *UNISA Denies Awarding Magaya A PhD, Threatens Legal Action For Reputational Damage* THE University of South Africa (UNISA) has said Prophet Walter Magaya did not graduate from the institution and was never awarded any honorary doctorate as boasted by the cleric over the past eight years. With this being Magaya’s second run-in with the institution, it has since threatened to sue. Zimbabweans have, since 2017, been made to believe that UNISA awarded Magaya with an honorary doctorate at a glitzy event in South Africa on November 18. A letter published by UNISA trashed that, a day after the same institution dismissed as fake another one of Magaya’s diplomas. Investigations by Zimbabwean journalist Maynard Manyowa, of UK-based Dug Up, exposed the fraud. A copy of the diploma was shared online in the run-up to ZIFA elections as Magaya unsuccessfully sought to fight the football body’s decision to bar him from contesting on grounds he did not have an ordinary level qualification or anything equivalent. Magaya, who heads the Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries presented the fake diploma at the High Court earlier this month. “The university came across a video clip in the social media domain, wherein Mr Magaya claims to have received an honorary doctorate from UNISA,” reads the academic institution’s letter dated January 29, 2025. “The university has never conferred any honorary doctorate on Mr Magaya and strongly condemns this false claim. “We believe that conduct of this nature damages and brings our brand into disrepute and we reserve the right to take appropriate corrective action. Relevant authorities within the university have therefore been requested to take the necessary legal action in this regard.” According to state-controlled broadcaster ZBC, hundreds gathered to watch as Magaya was conferred with the PhD at UNISA’s Miriam Makeba Hall in Pretoria. At the time, Magaya said he hoped the “acknowledgement” would be a lesson to Zimbabwe’s citizens. “It gives a small lesson to the citizens that one must receive their flowers while they are still alive,” Magaya said. Magaya has not responded to the scandal. *NewZW* *Plane Crashes In South Sudan, Killing 20, Official Says* A small aircraft carrying oil workers in South Sudan's Unity State crashed on Wednesday, killing 20 people, an official said. The plane crashed at the Unity oilfield airport on Wednesday morning as it was heading to the capital Juba, Gatwech Bipal, Unity State's information minister, said. Bipal said the passengers were oil workers of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) a consortium that includes China National Petroleum Corporation and state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation. He said among the dead were two Chinese nationals and one Indian. Bipal gave no more details on the circumstances that led to the crash. Media reports had initially put the death toll at 18 but Bipal told Reuters two survivors had later died. One person survived. Several air crashes have occurred in war-torn South Sudan in recent years. In September 2018, at least 19 people died when a small aircraft carrying passengers from the capital Juba to the city of Yirol crashed. In 2015, dozens of people were killed when a Russian-built cargo plane with passengers on board crashed after taking off from the airport in the capital Juba. *Reuters* *Congolese President Snubs Peace Talks Over Goma Crisis* The Democratic Republic of Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi will not take part in regionally brokered talks aimed at ending the rebel assault on the key eastern city of Goma, state media has reported. Kenyan leader William Ruto had invited Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame to a virtual summit later on Wednesday, as corpses lay on the streets of Goma following heavy fighting. Neighbouring Rwanda is accused of backing the M23 rebel group, which has taken over much of the city, including its airport. About 280 Romanian mercenaries who were fighting on the side of DR Congo's army had surrendered to M23, the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) said on X. Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told the BBC that Rwanda would take part in the summit, but did not say whether Kagame would attend. The UN says there is extensive evidence that Rwanda is backing the M23 but Rwanda denies giving the rebels direct military support. Goma was mostly quiet on Wednesday, with reports of sporadic gunfire in some districts. Residents who had been hiding in safe areas ventured out to buy food that is becoming increasingly scarce following days of fighting. In an apparent attempt to extend their territorial control, M23 rebels are now advancing towards Bukavu, eastern DR Congo's second biggest city, Reuters news agency quotes five diplomatic and security sources as saying. The BBC has not been able to verify this information. DR Congo's official news agency said that Tshisekedi would not attend the heads of state summit called by Kenya's leader in his capacity as chairman of the East African Community (EAC). It did not give a reason for his decision. Since the beginning of the week, clashes between M23 rebels and the army and its allies left hospitals overwhelmed by casualties and bodies on the streets, according to the UN. Warehouses with food and medical supplies were also looted, aid agencies said. Essential services have been unavailable since the offensive began, with electricity, water and internet cut. Growing anger over the rebel offensive led to protesters targeting foreign embassies in the capital, Kinshasa. At least 10 embassies were damaged and looted by protesters who demanded that the international community intervene to end the rebel assault, as they tightened their grip on Goma. Rwanda's military said the Romanian mercenaries were being transported to Rwanda's capital, Kigali, after they had "surrendered to M23 following the capture of the strategic city". But a UN peacekeeper told the BBC that the Romanians had sought refuge at a UN base in Goma, and were then evacuated to Rwanda. The coordinator of the group, Constantin Timofti, told Romanian news channel TVR that four of his men were wounded in the clashes but were in a stable condition. Romania's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that the group numbered more than 250, and were private contractors working for the DR Congo government as part of a military training mission. Dozens of them were seen on Wednesday in Gisenyi, just across the Rwandan border from Goma, being searched by officers. "We weren't on a battlefield. We were here to train and help with artillery," one, who only gave the name Emile, told AFP news agency. "What I learned is that anything can happen. I came. I did my work and now I am happy to go back and be with my family," he added. In 2022, DR Congo's government signed contracts with two private military companies to bolster its forces against the rebels. The Romanian personnel had played a crucial role in securing key installations, including the airport, and had manned checkpoints on the outskirts of Goma, until the latest rebel assault. *BBC* *Namibia's Unemployment Rate Rises To 36.9pc* Namibia's unemployment rate rose to 36.9% in 2023 from 33.4% in 2018, the statistics office said on Wednesday. The country of about three million people has one of the highest official unemployment levels in the world, having overtaken neighbouring South Africa whose unemployment rate fell to 32.1% in the third quarter of 2024 after the formation of a coalition government. Statistician General Alex Shimuafeni said that 320,442 individuals were employed in Namibia in 2023, of the total 867,247 people in the labour force. Namibia's unemployment rate now excludes discouraged workers, making the actual number of people without jobs higher. The broader unemployment rate stands at 54.8%, as reported in the 2023 Labour Force report, said Tannan Groenewald, head of data and analytics at Cirrus Capital. Namibia's President-elect Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in December pledged "radical shifts" to fix the country's high levels of poverty and unemployment. *Reuters* *Russia Tight-lipped On Syrian Demand Of al-Assad For Military Bases* Russia has declined to comment on reports that Syria has demanded the return of Bashar al-Assad in return for allowing Moscow to maintain its military bases in the Middle Eastern country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered no response on Wednesday when asked by reporters about the claim. A high-level Russian delegation was in Syria the previous day for talks with the country’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa. Al-Assad, a key Russian ally in the Middle East, fled to Moscow in December after being ousted in a lightning rebel offensive led by al-Sharaa. His overthrow ended five decades of rule by the al-Assad family, which is accused of widespread human rights violations. His fall was a hit for Russia, which used its military bases in Syria not only to prop up al-Assad’s regime but also to project its power internationally. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow said on Wednesday that the delegation led by President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, held “frank” discussions as it hopes to retain the Tartous naval base and Khmeimim airbase. Unconfirmed news reports said that in return al-Sharaa demanded al-Assad be sent back to Syria and reparations be paid. Syria’s Sanaa news agency reported that he asked for Russia to rebuild trust through “concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction and recovery”. The Syrian administration said it had “stressed that restoring relations must address past mistakes, respect the will of the Syrian people and serve their interests”. The Russian foreign ministry did not address the specifics of the meeting but said Moscow reaffirms “its unwavering support for the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic”. Peskov described the trip as “important”, insisting: “It is necessary to build and maintain a permanent dialogue with the Syrian authorities.” The Russian military bases, located in the province of Latakia on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, have proven vital to Russia’s international ambitions, serving as a launchpad for operations in support of al-Assad’s regime as well as staging grounds for Moscow to project influence across the Mediterranean region and Africa. Tartous and Khmeimim are Moscow’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union. Russia’s foreign ministry said there had been a “frank discussion of the entire range of issues” and the two sides would pursue further contacts to seek “relevant agreements” without referring specifically to the two military bases. A Syrian source told the Reuters news agency that the Russians had not been willing to concede Moscow’s “mistakes” and the only deal reached was to continue discussions. *Aljazeera* *Alibaba Releases AI model It Says Surpasses DeepSeek* Chinese tech company Alibaba on Wednesday released a new version of its Qwen 2.5 artificial intelligence model that it claimed surpassed the highly-acclaimed DeepSeek-V3. The unusual timing of the Qwen 2.5-Max's release, on the first day of the Lunar New Year when most Chinese people are off work and with their families, points to the pressure Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's meteoric rise in the past three weeks has placed on not just overseas rivals, but also its domestic competition. "Qwen 2.5-Max outperforms ... almost across the board GPT-4o, DeepSeek-V3 and Llama-3.1-405B," Alibaba's cloud unit said in an announcement posted on its official WeChat account, referring to OpenAI and Meta's most advanced open-source AI models. The Jan. 10 release of DeepSeek's AI assistant, powered by the DeepSeek-V3 model, as well as the Jan. 20 release of its R1 model, has shocked Silicon Valley and caused tech shares to plunge, with the Chinese startup's purportedly low development and usage costs prompting investors to question huge spending plans by leading AI firms in the United States. But DeepSeek's success has also led to a scramble among its domestic competitors to upgrade their own AI models. Two days after the release of DeepSeek-R1, TikTok owner ByteDance released an update to its flagship AI model, which it claimed outperformed Microsoft-backed OpenAI's o1 in AIME, a benchmark test that measures how well AI models understand and respond to complex instructions. This echoed DeepSeek's claim that its R1 model rivalled OpenAI's o1 on several performance benchmarks. The predecessor of DeepSeek's V3 model, DeepSeek-V2, triggered an AI model price war in China after it was released last May. The fact that DeepSeek-V2 was open-source and unprecedentedly cheap, only 1 yuan ($0.14) per 1 million tokens - or units of data processed by the AI model - led to Alibaba's cloud unit announcing price cuts of up to 97% on a range of models. Other Chinese tech companies followed suit, including Baidu which released China's first equivalent to ChatGPT in March 2023, and the country's most valuable internet company Tencent Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek's enigmatic founder, said in a rare interview with Chinese media outlet Waves in July that the startup "did not care" about price wars and that achieving AGI (artificial general intelligence) was its main goal. OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks. While large Chinese tech companies like Alibaba have hundreds of thousands of employees, DeepSeek operates like a research lab, staffed mainly by young graduates and doctorate students from top Chinese universities. Liang said in his July interview that he believed China's largest tech companies might not be well suited to the future of the AI industry, contrasting their high costs and top-down structures with DeepSeek's lean operation and loose management style. "Large foundational models require continued innovation, tech giants' capabilities have their limits," he said. *Reuters* *Trump Offers Incentives To Federal Workers To Quit Jobs* US President Donald Trump has offered incentives to federal workers has offered federal workers the option to resign and receive pay for eight months, in a major effort to shrink and reform the US government. In an email, his administration has asked almost all government employees to decide by 6 February whether they want to be part of a "deferred resignation" programme that will mean them leaving their jobs no later than the end of September. Those who received the email have voiced confusion about what the deal would mean in practice. The website of the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) gives an outline of the plans, stating on an FAQs page that those who accept the deal are "not expected to work", except in rare cases. It also says anyone who decides to quit will be exempt for the remainder of their contracts from Trump's requirement that they work in the office rather than at home. Senior Trump officials told US media that the plan could save the government up to $100bn (£80bn). Delivering the offer, a message from the OPM, the government's HR agency, highlighted planned reforms including a requirement that most employees work in their offices five days a week. Since returning to the White House last week, Trump has already declared the end of Covid-era home working practices. The OPM said the offer was available to "all full-time federal employees" - excluding certain staff such as postal workers, members of the military, immigration officials, and some national security teams. Workers wishing to take the deal were asked to reply to the email with the word "resign" in the subject line. The offer has been described as "very generous" by the White House. The returning US president repeatedly pledged to cut the size of the government and slash federal spending while on the campaign trail. He tasked Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy with leading an advisory body focused on cutting regulations, spending, and headcounts within the federal government. Ramaswamy has since left this new Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) to run for governor of Ohio. But the email on Tuesday bore resemblance to one sent to employees of Twitter, now X, in late 2022 after Musk bought the social media platform. He asked for an emailed response if they wanted to remain at the company. Are you a US federal employee who has been offered an incentive package? Get in touch. The mass offer came at the end of an at-times chaotic day in Washington, following a memo Trump issued which said he would pause federal grants, loans and other assistance. A district judge suspended the order - which was initially set to go into effect on Tuesday afternoon - until next Monday. In the hours before that decision, there was widespread confusion over which federal programmes and organisations would be impacted. The White House repeatedly sought to assuage concerns that Social Security payments and Medicaid access could be disrupted. In a letter to the White House, top Democrats expressed "extreme alarm" about the plan to pause funding. Also on Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order aimed at restricting young people's access to gender-related medical treatments. The order, titled Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation, says it would prevent those aged under 19 from making "life-altering" choices. "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," the order said. It is unclear how the order would be implemented and it is likely to be challenged in court. *BBC* *How Mbappe & Bellingham Sparked Real Madrid's Resurgence* The rest of Europe have been warned - Real Madrid are back. And back as the stadium-filling rock legends that we know them to be, as opposed to the enthusiastic, discordant high school band they have looked like for so much of the season. Carlo Ancelotti's men go into Wednesday's Champions League league-phase finale against Brest having already confirmed at least a place in the play-offs - and with an outside chance of sneaking into the top eight. Since being destroyed 5-2 by Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, Real have won their past four matches, scoring 17 goals, and are top of La Liga by four points. An indifferent start to the campaign, including some inconsistent form and questions around the dynamic of the side with new superstar signing Kylian Mbappe, saw plenty of criticism directed towards boss Ancelotti. "Ancelotti is leaving the club in the summer", "Mbappe can't settle", "Vinicius Jr is unsettled" - people were asking what was going on at Real. But the demise of the European giants has been exaggerated. Ancelotti has never been unduly bothered by the opinions of people outside of the club, although this time he sensed there were elements emanating from within. When one Spanish radio announced Ancelotti had told the club this season would be his last, they jumped the gun and he wasted no time in issuing a swift denial. But Ancelotti will be the one to decide when he leaves the club, despite the year and a half left in his contract. After four years and 11 trophies - including two Champions League successes - he has earned the right to. It also explains his slight smugness when informing the media that, after stating they were no good at all, their current league performances suggest the critics were wrong. What is certain is that no-one is better placed than him to know when the time is right to walk away - and that will be when he believes he can no longer find the necessary solutions to ensure the continual arrival of trophies at the club. At that point he will allow Florentino Perez to prepare the way for a new arrival - more likely than not Xabi Alonso, who always thought that Real or Liverpool would be his next steps if things went well with Bayer Leverkusen. But not just yet. Ancelotti has always believed Real would win titles this season, especially if they managed to overcome the inherent laziness that can often follow on from a Champions League and La Liga winning campaign. It's worth noting that they still haven't beaten any of the top sides this season, including defeats by AC Milan and Liverpool in the Champions League and having nine thumped past them in their two encounters against Barcelona. Ancelotti, though, remains unwavering in his belief. Injuries, particularly in defence to the likes of Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal, did not help matters at the start. But Ancelotti's main problems lay in the lack of a midfield to control games and the unwillingness of any of the stellar front three to put in a shift tracking back. And Jude Bellingham did not know where to run to cover so much ground. The renewed vigour being displayed by Dani Ceballos in midfield has helped, but it is their displays in attack that have really made the difference to Real's fortunes. Where to begin with Vinicius Jr, who seems to be the focus of everyone's attention whether playing or not. The Brazil attacker has been in and out of the line-up recently, either through injury or suspension, and is currently the subject of a colossal offer from Saudi Arabia. The story has been allowed to 'gain legs' by the Real decision makers who control the agenda, thanks to a compliant Madrid media who will focus on it for as long as it suits the club for them to do so. The money injected by the sale of the 24-year-old would go a long way to paying for the stadium debt, along with a number of other financial benefits. Real would certainly not be scared of selling the player, but the timing has to be right. Much has been made about what is seen as Vinicius' confrontational approach to taunts from opposition fans. In the latest incident, he responded to chants of "tonto" (stupid) from Valencia supporters earlier this month by making a hand gesture suggesting the La Liga strugglers are going to be relegated. In his defence, no single player I have seen has received the level of abuse that is dished out to him, including numerous examples of racism from fans. Anyone expecting a bowed head and closed mouth reaction from Vinicius is going to have a lengthy wait. He believes the abuse he receives is as unjust as it is fundamentally racist and not something he is prepared to endure. On the field, Vinicius' developing understanding with Mbappe is another of the reasons for Real's improved performances. The Frenchman had a tricky start to his Madrid career, but it is becoming clearer by the day that Real's success will revolve around making Mbappe the main goalscoring focus - and leader. Mbappe was always too intelligent, too talented and too precocious to fail, or buckle under the pressure, at Real Madrid. He originally saw playing as a number nine as a more static role than he does now, and was conscious of not being seen to invade Vinicius' space - on and off the pitch - even going as far as accepting that penalties would be rotated. These days wherever he appears on the pitch the team adapt to him accordingly. He has also accepted that as a number nine he can be lethal, not so much with his back to goal but by running in behind and finishing clinically. Since missing a penalty against Athletic Club on 4 December, he has scored 12 goals in as many matches, including his first hat-trick. He is now the club's official penalty taker. And even Vinicius admitted the team will do all they can so Mbappe becomes the top scorer in both La Liga and the Champions League. Also in a rich vein of form is Brazil forward Rodrygo, with eight goals in his past nine games, having gone two and a half months without a goal previously. The self-doubts and feelings that he was not valued or appreciated at the club have been replaced with a new-found confidence Any wishes he might have had to leave have since vanished, not least because Ancelotti has confirmed to him that he sees him as a big match player and an automatic starter. Then, we have Bellingham, whose stock continues to rise. Despite playing with niggling injuries, the England man is without doubt the oil that is currently greasing the Real machine. Whether driving forward with the ball or creating from the edge of the box with his back to goal - linking up, assisting or scoring - he is clearly enjoying himself. Everyone's best friend at the team, Bellingham has, alongside Mbappe, already established himself as one of the two leaders at Real Madrid. *BBC*