*Round-up:February 2025* *Headlines* *United Nations Human Rights Council: Zimbabwe Hailed For Abolishing Death Penalty* *Zimbabwe Media Suffer More Persecution Since Mnangagwa Re-election: Global Report* *South African Leader Wants To Do A Deal With Trump To Resolve Dispute* *Poor, Indebted Countries Need Collective Relief, African Leaders Say* *Blasts, Gunfire Kill Several At M23 Rally In Eastern DR Congo* *US Supreme Court Allows Trump's Freeze Of Foreign Aid Funding Temporarily* *Palestinians Released By Israel Show Signs Of Torture, Starvation* *US, EU Move Apart As Trump Eyes Ukraine’s Minerals & A Deal With Russia* *Echeverri Spoke To 'Legend' Aguero About Joining Man City* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaDbHKp3GJOtlMM4PA39 https://wa.me/263718497005?text=advert____________ *Stories in Detail:* *United Nations Human Rights Council: Zimbabwe Hailed For Abolishing Death Penalty* COUNTRIES attending the ongoing 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council have saluted Zimbabwe for successfully abolishing the death penalty. Speaking at the high-level convention, Zimbabwe’s Attorney General Virginia Mabiza chronicled the country’s journey in ending the death penalty which was introduced by British colonial powers and remained in place even beyond the attainment of Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980. She said at independence, Zimbabwe inherited a wide array of offences that attracted the death penalty and since then, various legislative and policy interventions have been implemented to gradually reduce the number of crimes attracting the death penalty. In 2013, the number of offences attracting the death penalty had been reduced from nine to only murder committed in aggravating circumstances in sync with the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 52 on reducing the number of offences that attract the death penalty. “Ultimately, in 2024, the Government enacted the Death Penalty Abolition Act [Chapter 9:26], a significant milestone in the country’s human rights journey. The Death Penalty Abolition Act [Chapter 9:26] outlawed the imposition of the Death Penalty. “It further placed a positive legal obligation on the Minister responsible for Justice, the Prosecutor General and the Commissioner General of Prisons to do everything within their respective competencies to ensure every prisoner under the sentence of death is brought before the High Court for resentencing,” Mabiza told the gathering. Maxime Prevot, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Development Cooperation, speaking on behalf of the core group on the question of the death penalty (Belgium, Benin, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Mongolia, Republic of Moldova, and Switzerland), hailed the recent decision of Zimbabwe to abolish the death penalty and encouraged other states to follow suit, or, pending its abolition, to impose a moratorium on its use. Switzerland welcomed Mabiza’s presence at the Human Rights Council and congratulated Zimbabwe for the major step in the protection of human rights. The High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk observed that 113 countries have abolished the death penalty completely. He commended the Zimbabwean government for joining 26 other countries in Africa that have abolished the death penalty. *NewZW* *Zimbabwe Media Suffer More Persecution Since Mnangagwa Re-election: Global Report* Zimbabwean media have been subjected to more persecution since President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s re-election in 2023, according to Reporters Without Borders (RWB). Reporters Without Borders, an international non-profit organisation which focuses on safeguarding the right to freedom of information, ranked Zimbabwe 116 out of 180 countries surveyed and published on the Global Press Freedom Index. The best ranked country is on number 1. “Access to information has increased and self-censorship has declined. However, the media have been subjected to more persecution since President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s re-election in 2023,” says part of the report. The publication of the report coincides with the arrest and detention of Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) senior journalist Blessed Mhlanga who is accused of inciting violence through broadcasts of firebrand war veteran and nemesis to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Blessed Geza on the publication’s broadcast unit HStv. Since Mnangagwa came into power, a number of private media journalists, among them Hopewell Chinono, Garikai Mafirakureva, Wisdom Mudzungairi and many more have been arrested over politically motivated charges in Zimbabwe. The media landscape remains dominated by state-controlled media whose journalists are hardly subjected to the abuse experienced by their private media counterparts. There are many independent online news sites, including Zimlive and The Newshawks, and 14 community radio stations. According to the RWB, extremely harsh laws are still in effect and, when new laws have been adopted, their provisions are just as draconian as those they replaced. The amended penal code and Official Secrets Act and the new Cyber Security and Data Protection Act continue to hamstring journalism. “In June 2023, the government adopted a dangerous ‘patriotic bill’, criminalising any ‘attack on sovereignty and national interest’, threatening the work of journalists,” says RWB. The economic situation in Zimbabwe is holding back development of the media, says RWB. The cost of creating a new media outlet is prohibitive and discourages investors, while the annual licensing fees for a TV channel can reach tens of thousands of dollars. This situation allows the state to maintain its grip on the sector, with nearly 70% of print and broadcast media outlets under its control. Poorly paid journalists are exposed to the temptation of bribes, which weakens their independence. *ZimLive* *South African Leader Wants To Do A Deal With Trump To Resolve Dispute* South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday that he wanted to "do a deal" with U.S. President Donald Trump to resolve a dispute over his country's land policy and genocide case against Israel at the World Court. Trump cut U.S. financial assistance to South Africa in an executive order this month, citing disapproval of its approach to land reform and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Washington's close ally. Ramaphosa told a conference organised by U.S. bank Goldman Sachs in Johannesburg that he wanted the "dust to settle" after the executive order but that the longer-term goal was to go to Washington to mend relations. "We don't want to go and explain ourselves. We want to go and do a meaningful deal with the United States on a whole range of issues," Ramaphosa said. "I'm very positively inclined to promoting a good relationship with President Trump." Ramaphosa did not say what the deal could involve, only that it could touch on trade, diplomatic and political matters. South Africa is not hugely dependent on U.S. aid, but some fear its preferential trade status under the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) could be under threat with Trump in the White House. The country tries to project itself as non-aligned in geopolitical conflicts, not tying its interests too closely to those of rival powers the United States, China and Russia. But Trump has cited the ICJ case as an example of South Africa taking positions against Washington and its allies. *Reuters* *Poor, Indebted Countries Need Collective Relief, African Leaders Say* Growing external debt burdens are crippling the world's poorest countries, a group of former African leaders warned on Thursday as they pushed for a new programme of collective relief from private, bilateral and multilateral creditors. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is hoping to use his country's current presidency of the Group of 20 nations to champion the cause of the developing world, including action on debt relief and a more equitable global finance architecture. But the effort faces formidable challenges given the "America First" agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which is carrying out massive cuts in foreign aid contracts and overall U.S. assistance around the world. Speaking at a news conference on the margins of a G20 finance ministers meeting in Cape Town, ex-Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, who is chairing the African Leaders Debt Relief Initiative, said debt was strangling development. "The money that should have gone into essential areas of human welfare and human development, education, health, nutrition, is given to pay debt that seems to be interminable," he said. The initiative, backed by seven former African heads of state, is calling for a plan modelled after the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) programme of the 1990s, to allow debtors to deal with their creditors collectively. The plan would include restructuring private debt and bonds as well as loans from official creditors, they said, and cover heavily indebted nations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America. It would also seek to lower borrowing costs for developing countries. The United Nations Development Programme called on Tuesday for a similar deal, warning that a worsening debt crisis among developing nations was draining their economies of much-needed liquidity. The UNDP calculated that a HIPC-style plan that reduced debt stock by 60% could save the world's 31 poorest countries nearly $80 billion. A previous G20 debt relief initiative - known as the Common Framework - that aimed to enable debt restructuring on a case-by-case basis has not worked well, the African leaders said. Only a handful of countries have utilised that initiative. "What the leaders are calling for is a framework where all countries can be brought in at the same time," said Patrick Njoroge, an adviser to the initiative. "The case-by-case issue is problematic. It's also taking a long time." Global multilateralism is facing growing headwinds. The G20 finance ministers meeting has been undermined by high-level absences and concerns over the impact of aid cuts by major economies including the United States and Britain. "That is the more reason why this initiative should move aggressively," said Joyce Banda, a former president of Malawi. "We have to turn around our economies ourselves and for that to happen, we must start from a clean slate. These debts have to be forgiven." *BBC* *Blasts, Gunfire Kill Several At M23 Rally In Eastern DR Congo* Explosions have rocked the city of Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during a rally for the M23 rebel group and their supporters, killing 11 people and wounding 65 others. Corneille Nangaa, leader of the rebel alliance that includes M23, who had himself been present at the rally, confirmed the death toll at a press conference shortly after the attack on Thursday. The first explosion had caused panic, sending attendees fleeing from the area before a second explosion rang out, according to the AFP news agency. Residents said the explosions were accompanied by gunfire. People ran through the streets, some bleeding and carrying limp bodies, video showed. Residents said they saw dead people, but there was no immediate information on the number of casualties. The meeting was the first to be attended by Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance, since his forces seized control of Bukavu, the region’s second largest city nearly two weeks ago. Nangaa told the Reuters news agency by phone that neither he nor other senior rebel commanders were wounded in the attack. Later on, at the press conference, he said the grenades used were the same type used by Burundi’s army in Congo. His claims could not be verified. Bukavu is one of two key cities in the turbulent region seized in recent weeks by antigovernment M23 fighters, who United Nations experts said are backed by Rwanda. The armed group has been trying to demonstrate that it can restore order in the territory it has captured from the DRC’s army and has reopened ports and schools. M23 fighters have swept through the eastern DRC, seizing key cities and killing about 7,000 people. There have also been reports of sexual abuse of children and recruitment of minors as soldiers. The rebel advance has stirred fears of a regional war that could draw in the DRC’s neighbours, including Rwanda. The advance has been described as the gravest escalation in more than a decade of the long-running conflict in the eastern DRC, which is rooted in the spillover of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide into the DRC and the struggle for control of the DRC’s vast mineral resources. Rwanda has said it is defending itself against the threat from a Hutu militia, which it said is fighting with the Congolese military. *Aljazeera* *US Supreme Court Allows Trump's Freeze Of Foreign Aid Funding Temporarily* U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday paused a federal judge's order requiring President Donald Trump's administration to pay foreign aid funds to contractors and grant recipients. Roberts issued an interim order placing on hold Washington-based U.S. District Judge Amir Ali's action that had imposed a deadline of 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday night. Roberts provided no rationale for the order, known as an administrative stay, which will give the court additional time to consider the administration's more formal request to block Ali's ruling. Roberts asked for a response from the plaintiffs - organizations that contract with or receive grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department - by noon on Friday. The order came after Trump's administration said in a court filing on Wednesday it had made final decisions terminating most U.S. foreign aid contracts and grants, while maintaining that it cannot meet Ali's court-ordered deadline. The administration is cutting more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development's foreign aid contracts and over $58 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, a State Department spokesperson said separately, calling the cuts part of Trump's "America First agenda." The foreign aid funding dispute arose from a pair of lawsuits brought by the aid organizations, alleging that the agencies have illegally frozen all foreign aid payments. The Trump administration has kept those payments largely frozen despite a February 13 temporary restraining order from Ali that they be released, and multiple subsequent orders that the administration comply, culminating in the Wednesday night deadline. Lawyers for the U.S. Justice Department have maintained that the administration has a right to suspend its agreements while it reviews them to determine whether they comply with administration policy. That review is now complete, the administration said in its new filing. It said USAID has made final decisions to cancel nearly 5,800 awards, while keeping more than 500, and that the State Department has canceled about 4,100 awards, while keeping about 2,700. An administration official said in an earlier court filing that grounds for terminating contracts include that they were related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts, or were deemed wasteful. Trump has taken a hard line on programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion, signing an executive order in his second day in office last month directing federal agency chiefs to dismantle DEI policies. The administration said on Wednesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had ordered that past-due invoices from the plaintiffs for work before January 24, when the payment freeze began, to be "expedited for payment without the ordinary vetting procedures, in a good-faith effort to comply" with Ali's order. It said that while some money would be paid on Wednesday, full payments could take weeks. Trump, a Republican, ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid on his first day in office last month. That order, and ensuing stop-work orders halting USAID operations around the world, have jeopardized the delivery of life-saving food and medical aid, throwing global humanitarian relief efforts into chaos. USAID administers some 60% of U.S. foreign assistance and disbursed $43.79 billion in fiscal 2023. According to a Congressional Research Service report this month, its workforce of 10,000, of which about two-thirds serves overseas, assisted about 130 countries. Trump's administration on Sunday said it was placing all but leaders and critical staff at USAID on paid administrative leave and eliminating 1,600 positions. Employee unions have sued to challenge the cuts, though a judge last week allowed them to go ahead. Ali, who was appointed by Trump's Democratic predecessor, former President Joe Biden, issued his temporary restraining order to prevent irreparable harm to the plaintiffs while he considers their claims. The plaintiffs allege Trump has exceeded his authority under federal law and the U.S. Constitution by effectively dismantling an independent agency and canceling spending authorized by Congress. The plaintiffs have said the administration has not done anything to comply with the restraining order, and some have said they will shut down within days if they are not paid. "The lengths that the government is willing to go to flout a court order, all for the goal of ending life-saving humanitarian assistance, is staggering," said Allison Zieve, a lawyer representing two plaintiffs, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition and Journalism Development Network, on Wednesday. Other plaintiffs include international development company DAI Global and refugee assistance organization HIAS. Both Ali and a Rhode Island federal judge in a separate case over a broader federal payment freeze have castigated the Trump administration for failing to follow their orders. The administration in both cases has maintained it is trying in good faith to interpret and comply with the orders. *Reuters* *Palestinians Released By Israel Show Signs Of Torture, Starvation* Hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails released in Gaza as part of the ceasefire agreement once again showed signs of emaciation and abuse. More than 600 Palestinians were released on Thursday, shortly after Israel said Hamas handed over coffins containing the bodies of four captives. Israel has delayed the release of two Palestinian women and 44 children. It was the final scheduled swap as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel. Several Palestinians were transported in ambulances to the European Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza due to the severity of their injuries. Many Palestinians were also sent to Egypt and the occupied West Bank. Alaa al-Bayari, a Palestinian released to Gaza City, told Al Jazeera that he witnessed “torture, beating, humiliation and everything you can imagine” while in Israeli prison. He met his one-year-old daughter for the first time. “We were kept naked, water was thrown on us and then they used electricity” to torture, he said. Yahya Shrida, a Palestinian prisoner who was released to Ramallah, described Israeli prisons as graveyards. “We have been taken out of suffering. It was as if we have been dug out of our own graves. No prisoner has had the experience of having their own release delayed twice,” he told Reuters news agency. “What we have been through is a situation that the mountains can’t carry. It is very hard to explain; it is very hard to talk about what we have been through.” Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Gaza, said some Palestinians returned had their limbs cut off and others were suffering from severe injuries due to Israeli torture in detention. “Many family members have broken down in tears after seeing their loved ones,” Abu Azzoum said, adding that those released “confirmed they have witnessed some of the worst methods of torture at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces”. Footage shared online by Quds News Network showed family members and released Palestinians weeping after their arrival in Gaza. Earlier, Hamas handed over the bodies of four captives to Israel via the Red Cross. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog said the bodies were identified as Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat, and Shlomo Mantzur. In a statement, the Palestinian group renewed its “full commitment” to the ceasefire agreement and its readiness to enter negotiations on the second phase. It also said attempts by the Israeli authorities to obstruct the release of prisoners have “failed”, adding that this means they have “no choice” but to begin negotiations for the second phase of the ceasefire deal. The group also called on other countries to “stop their double standards” in their discourse regarding Israeli captives while not mentioning the abuse that Palestinian prisoners are subjected to. *Aljazeera* *US, EU Move Apart As Trump Eyes Ukraine’s Minerals & A Deal With Russia* Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he plans to meet US President Donald Trump “as early as this Friday” to sign a bilateral commercial agreement to jointly develop and manage Ukraine’s mineral wealth. Trump insisted on the deal three weeks after assuming office in return for the assistance the US has provided in the three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, telling an interviewer, “I told [Ukraine] that I want the equivalent of, like, $500bn worth of rare earth, and they’ve essentially agreed to do that.” Zelenskyy publicly rejected that figure, and he twice rejected any deal that did not contain security guarantees for Ukraine. A text of the agreement published by Western media on Wednesday did not reveal any guarantees, and placed no upper limit on the value the United States would receive – though Trump told reporters “it could be a trillion-dollar deal.” The leaked agreement says Ukraine and the US would establish a joint fund, and Ukraine would “contribute to the Fund 50 percent of all revenues earned from the future monetisation of all relevant Ukrainian Government-owned natural resource assets … defined as deposits of minerals, hydrocarbons, oil, natural gas, and other extractable materials.” It also included the revenues generated by infrastructure such as fossil gas terminals and ports. The revenues of this fund would be reinvested “to promote the safety, security and prosperity of Ukraine”, it said. A joint report this week from the European Commission, World Bank, United Nations and Ukrainian government put the country’s reconstruction cost at well over half a trillion dollars. The minerals agreement also did not address where that left European Union members, who have provided more than half the military and financial aid Ukraine has received, other than to say Ukraine and the US “will strive to avoid conflicts with Ukraine’s obligations under its accession to the European Union”. French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu revealed that he has been in talks with Ukraine since October to secure access to rare minerals vital to the defence and electronics industries. On Sunday Zelenskyy even offered Trump his resignation after Trump called him a dictator. “If it’s about peace in Ukraine and you really want me to leave my position, I am ready to do that,” he told reporters. “Secondly, I can exchange it for NATO [membership] if there is such an opportunity.” Earlier in the day, Russia had unleashed its largest air attack of the war against Ukrainian cities, involving 267 Shahed kamikaze drones and three ballistic missiles. Ukraine shot down or used electronic jamming to disorient all but seven of the drones. *Echeverri Spoke To 'Legend' Aguero About Joining Man City* Argentina U20s midfielder Claudio Echeverri said he spoke with former Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero before agreeing to join the Premier League club. City signed Echeverri for £12.5m from River Plate in January 2024 on a four-and-a-half-year deal, but loaned him back to the Argentine club to continue his development. He spent the start of 2025 at the South American Under-20s Championship, captaining Argentina to a runners-up finish. Echeverri, 19, is the 12th Argentine to sign for Manchester City and is now available to play for the club having joined up with Pep Guardiola's squad. "I've spoken to [Sergio] Aguero, I knew about it [the relationship between Argentina and Manchester City]. Aguero, in particular, stands out," Echeverri said. "He's a legend here at Manchester City because of everything he achieved and the incredible player he was." Former Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis gave Echeverri his senior debut at River Plate in June 2023. Echeverri scored four goals across 48 appearances for the Buenos Aires club. "Football has been my life, and my dream was to play for one of the best teams in Europe. Today I am closer to that dream," Echeverri added. "Manchester City are one of the best teams in the world. Not only do they win trophies, they play the game so beautifully. They are an example to everyone – they show people how to play football the best way. "My family and I are so proud to be here. My focus now is on working as hard as I can in training to show the manager and his staff I am good enough to be part of this team." City also signed Argentina forward Julian Alvarez, who has since departed for Atletico Madrid in an £81m deal, in a similar deal from River Plate in January 2022. "Claudio is one of the finest talents to emerge from South America in recent years. We knew as soon as we watched him play we wanted him to become a Manchester City player," said Txiki Begiristain, City's director of football. "All the natural elements are there - his touch, technique, eye for goal and dribbling ability. Our job now is to take those attributes and shape Claudio into a world-class player. "We will provide him with everything he needs to become the best he can be. If he works hard, listens to Pep and gives absolutely everything, I see no reason why he cannot become a top player."*BBC*