AFP USA

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to begin talks Monday on a second phase of the ceasefire with Hamas as he meets with the new Trump administration in Washington.Just over two weeks after the Gaza truce began, two Hamas officials said the group was ready to begin talks on the details of a second phase, which could help secure a lasting cessation of violence.Before leaving Israel, Netanyahu told reporters he would discuss “victory over Hamas”, countering Iran and freeing all hostages when he meets President Donald Trump on Tuesday.It will be Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader since returning to the White House in January, a prioritisation Netanyahu said showed “the strength of the Israeli-American alliance”.With fragile ceasefires holding in both Gaza and Lebanon — where an Israeli campaign badly weakened Iran-backed Hezbollah — Israel has turned its focus to the occupied West Bank and an operation that it says is aimed at rooting out extremism that has killed dozens.Netanyahu said Israel’s wartime decisions had reshaped the Middle East and that with Trump’s support, this could go “even further”.Trump, who has claimed credit for sealing the ceasefire deal after 15 months of war, said Sunday negotiations with Israel and other countries in the Middle East were “progressing”.”Netanyahu’s coming on Tuesday, and I think we have some very big meetings scheduled,” Trump said.Netanyahu’s office said he would begin discussions with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday over terms for the second phase of the Gaza truce.The next stage is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and could lead to a more permanent end to the war.One Hamas official, speaking to AFP on condition on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the Palestinian group “has informed the mediators… that we are ready to start the negotiations for the second phase”.A second official said Hamas was “waiting for the mediators to initiate the next round”.The Washington discussions are also expected to cover normalisation efforts between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which Riyadh froze early in the Gaza war.- ‘Return to their land’ -Under the Gaza ceasefire’s first, 42-day 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.During Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, militants took 251 hostages, 91 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.The 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, a majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, figures which the UN considers reliable.While Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden sustained Washington’s military and diplomatic backing of Israel, it also criticised the mounting death toll and aid restrictions.Trump moved quickly to reset relations.In one of his first acts back in office, he lifted sanctions on Israeli settlers accused of violence against Palestinians in the West Bank and reportedly approved a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs that the Biden administration had blocked.Trump has also repeatedly touted a plan to “clean out” Gaza, calling for Palestinians to move to neighbouring countries such as Egypt or Jordan.Qatar, which jointly mediated the ceasefire along with the United States and Egypt, underscored the importance of allowing Palestinians to “return to their homes and land”.Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, meanwhile, warned Monday that relocating Gazans “would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.- Jenin operation -In the West Bank — which is separated from the Gaza Strip by Israeli territory — Israel said it had killed at least 50 militants and detained more than 100 “wanted individuals” in an operation that began on January 21.Israel’s military says the offensive is aimed to root out Palestinian armed groups from the Jenin area, where militants have long operated.On Sunday, Palestinian official news agency WAFA said Israeli forces “simultaneously detonated about 20 buildings” in the Jenin refugee camp.On Monday, the Palestinian presidency denounced the operation in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967 and where violence has surged since the Gaza war began.In a statement, spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the Palestinian presidency “condemned the occupation authorities’ expansion of their comprehensive war on our Palestinian people in the West Bank to implement their plans aimed at displacing citizens and ethnic cleansing”.The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces had killed 70 people in the West Bank since January 1.Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 883 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, according to the Palestinian health ministry.At least 30 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids in the territory over the same period, according to Israeli official figures.

Hundreds of Latinos in Texas protested Sunday against US President Donald Trump’s push to deport migrants, urging him to “leave the people alone.”Since the Republican retook office on January 20, his administration has announced plans to ramp up deportations of undocumented migrants, and authorized entry of immigration agents at “sensitive” locations, such as churches, schools and workplaces.On Sunday, Latino protesters — many of Mexican, Honduran and Salvadoran descent — marched to Hermann Park in Houston chanting “we are not leaving” and “long live the migrants”. “I’m here to be a voice for the voiceless, for people that are scared right now,” protester Alexandria Pike, 34, told AFP. An American citizen, Pike said her grandmother came to the United States illegally when she was pregnant with her mother “to give all of our generations a better life.” “I want Donald Trump to stop mass deportations now, leave children alone, stay out of school, stay out of places of worship, and all these spaces, and just leave the people alone,” she said. Alfredo Castillo, a 63-year-old American retiree who was the son of Mexican immigrants, said “we are not criminals like Trump says.” “He is the criminal,” he said, referring to Trump’s conviction for making hush money payments to an adult star during his first presidential run.”People come here to work, to make an honest living,” Castillo said. “This country was made by immigrants and it will always be so.”Omar Martinez, a 51-year-old who became a US citizen, said he was fearful for his relatives. “I still have relatives who are not legal and they are people who have been here for many years, hardworking, good people, without crimes, and we are scared for them,” he said, calling for Trump to “stop separating families”. Trump has made deporting undocumented people in the United States a top priority. During his campaign, he described immigrants as “poisoning the blood” of the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to begin talks Monday on a second phase of the ceasefire with Hamas as he visits the new Trump administration in Washington.Before departing, Netanyahu told reporters he would discuss “victory over Hamas”, countering Iran and freeing all hostages when he meets President Donald Trump on Tuesday.It will be Trump’s first meeting with a foreign leader since returning to the White House in January, a prioritisation Netanyahu described as “telling”.”I think it’s a testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance,” he said before boarding his flight.With fragile ceasefires holding in both Gaza and Lebanon — where an Israeli campaign badly weakened Iran-backed Hezbollah — Israel has recently turned its focus to the occupied West Bank, where an operation it says is aimed at rooting out extremism has killed dozens.Netanyahu said Israel’s wartime decisions had reshaped the Middle East and that, with Trump’s support, this could go even further.”I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it (the Middle East’s map) even further and for the better.”Trump, who has claimed credit for sealing the ceasefire deal after 15 months of war, said Sunday that negotiations with Israel and other countries in the Middle East were “progressing”.”Bibi Netanyahu’s coming on Tuesday, and I think we have some very big meetings scheduled,” Trump said.Netanyahu’s office said he would begin discussions with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday over terms for the second phase of the Gaza truce.The next stage is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.Trump has repeatedly touted a plan to “clean out” Gaza, calling for Palestinians to move to neighbouring countries such as Egypt or Jordan.Qatar, which jointly mediated the ceasefire along with the United States and Egypt, underscored the importance of allowing Palestinians to “return to their homes and land”.Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei, meanwhile, warned Monday that relocating Gazans “would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing”.- Saudi angle -Under the Gaza ceasefire’s first, 42-day 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.During their October 7, 2023 attack, Hamas militants took 251 hostages, 91 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.The 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, a majority civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, figures which the UN considers reliable.While Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden sustained Washington’s military and diplomatic backing of Israel, it also criticised the mounting death toll and aid restrictions.Trump moved quickly to reset relations.In one of his first acts back in office, he lifted sanctions on Israeli settlers accused of violence against Palestinians and reportedly approved a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs that the Biden administration had blocked.The ceasefire discussions in Washington are expected to also cover concessions Netanyahu must accept to revive normalisation efforts with Saudi Arabia after Riyadh froze discussions early in the Gaza war.Trump believes “that he must stabilise the region first and create an anti-Iran coalition with his strategic partners”, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, said David Khalfa, a researcher at the Jean Jaures Foundation in Paris.- Jenin operation -On the ground, Israel said Sunday it has killed at least 50 militants and detained more than 100 “wanted individuals” during its ongoing operation in the West Bank.The offensive began on January 21, with the Israeli military saying it aimed to root out Palestinian armed groups from the Jenin area, which has long been a hotbed of militancy.On Sunday, Palestinian official news agency WAFA said Israeli forces “simultaneously detonated about 20 buildings” in the eastern part of Jenin refugee camp, adding that the “explosions were heard throughout Jenin city and parts of the neighbouring towns”.On Monday, the Palestinian presidency denounced the operation in the territory occupied by Israel since 1967.In a statement, spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the Palestinian presidency “condemned the occupation authorities’ expansion of their comprehensive war on our Palestinian people in the West Bank to implement their plans aimed at displacing citizens and ethnic cleansing”.The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces had killed 70 people in the West Bank since the start of the year.Violence has surged across the West Bank since the Gaza war broke out in October 2023.Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 883 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian health ministry.At least 30 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids in the territory over the same period, according to Israeli official figures.

US President Donald Trump said he will discuss the punishing tariffs he has levied on Canada and Mexico with both countries on Monday, as markets sank on fears over the impact on the global economy.The 25 percent duties — footed by American companies importing from Mexico and Canada — sent European and Asian stocks slumping at the open Monday.The Mexican peso and Canadian dollar also sank against the greenback, while oil jumped despite Trump placing the levy on Canada’s energy imports at 10 percent to limit a spike in fuel prices.Besides the US neighbors, Trump also hit China with a 10 percent tariff in addition to existing levies. Trump told reporters after flying back to Washington Sunday evening from a weekend in Florida that he was “speaking with Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau tomorrow morning, and I’m also speaking with Mexico tomorrow morning.”China, Mexico and Canada are the top three US trade partners and have all vowed to retaliate when the tariffs take effect Tuesday.Trump, a fervent supporter of tariffs, had always maintained that their impact would be borne by foreign exporters without being passed on to American consumers, contradicting the opinion of a broad range of experts.However, the Republican acknowledged Sunday that Americans might feel economic “pain”.”But we will Make America Great Again, and it will all be worth the price that must be paid,” Trump wrote in all-caps on his Truth Social media platform.Analysts expect the trade war to slow US growth and increase prices — at least in the short term — something the president had resisted acknowledging, with frustration over rising costs seen as a major factor in his 2024 election win.The tariffs “will immediately weigh on the US growth outlook… and prevent the US dollar from fully benefiting from Trump’s America First Policies,” said Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote Bank.”Instead, the US could end up in a less appetizing America Alone setting.”John Plassard, investment specialist at Swiss asset manager Mirabaud, said: “Investors fear that this trade war will result in a significant deterioration in the global economy.”Trump has cited illegal immigration and the trafficking of the deadly opioid fentanyl as reasons for the “emergency” measures.But he also expressed general outrage on Sunday at trade deficits, which he has long viewed as signs of unfair treatment against the United States.”We’re not going to be the ‘Stupid Country’ any longer,” he said.- ’51st state’ -Trump took particular aim at Canada in a separate social media post, repeating his call for America’s northern neighbor to become a US state.Claiming the United States pays “hundreds of billions of dollars to SUBSIDIZE Canada,” Trump said that “without this massive subsidy, Canada ceases to exist as a viable Country.””Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State,” he said, reiterating the expansionist threat against one of the United States’s closest allies.The US Census Bureau says the 2024 trade deficit in goods with Canada was $55 billion.Canadian backlash was swift, with video posted to social media showing fans booing when the US national anthem was sung during a basketball game between the Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Clippers.Trudeau vowed Saturday to hit back with 25 percent levies on select American goods worth Can$155 billion ($106.6 billion), with a first round Tuesday followed by a second in three weeks.The White House has not publicly announced what actions could end the tariffs.”We’re obviously open to any other suggestions that come our way,” Canada’s ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman told ABC News on Sunday.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she was also awaiting Trump’s response to her proposal for dialogue. She said she had directed her economy minister to “implement Plan B,” which includes unspecified “tariff and non-tariff measures.”- ‘No winners’ -Trump also indicated that while he would not immediately impose tariffs on Britain, it would “definitely happen with the European Union” — a threat to which the bloc said it would “respond firmly.”There are “no winners in trade wars,” Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat in Brussels, warned Monday. “We need America, and America needs us as well.”The tariff announcements capped an extraordinary second week of Trump’s new term. The United States is still reeling from its worst aviation disaster in years, the collision of an army helicopter and an airliner that killed 67 people in the US capital.His administration has also moved to drastically overhaul the government with the help of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which Trump has tasked billionaire Elon Musk with running to slash federal spending.

Elon Musk attacked the US Agency for International Development, calling it a “criminal organization” on Sunday, as President Donald Trump claimed the agency was “run by radical lunatics” and said he was considering its future.The assault on the agency tasked with humanitarian relief overseas marks a significant new front in Trump’s move to give unprecedented power to Musk to upend government departments and counter what the pair consider wasteful official spending and overreach.”USAID is a criminal organization,” Musk, the billionaire owner of Tesla and SpaceX who has become the president’s most powerful backer, wrote on his X platform, replying to a video alleging USAID involvement in “rogue CIA work.”In a subsequent post, Musk doubled down and, without giving evidence, asked his 215 million X followers, “Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including Covid-19, that killed millions of people?”He did not elaborate on the allegations, which officials in the previous administration linked to a Russian disinformation campaign.USAID has “been run by a bunch of radical lunatics, and we’re getting them out… and then we’ll make a decision (on its future),” Trump said Sunday without elaborating.He underscored his support for the billionaire, telling reporters Sunday night he felt Musk was “doing a good job.”Trump initially froze all aid spending for three months. Though he subsequently issued waivers for food and other humanitarian aid to continue, aid workers say uncertainty reigns with the future of the organization as an independent agency far from assured.USAID, an independent agency established by an act of Congress, manages a budget of $42.8 billion meant for humanitarian relief and development assistance around the world.A senior official from a US-based organization feared the prioritization of “emergency” assistance was part of a broader plan in which Washington would discontinue funds for anything else.There have been reports Trump wants to roll USAID into the State Department. His team did not respond to AFP’s calls for comment.During a talk hosted on his X platform at midnight Washington time (0500 GMT Monday), Musk said Trump “agreed that we should shut it (USAID) down.”- ‘Unelected billionaire’ -The X session — attended by businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and two Republican senators — was on Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with slashing federal spending.Without providing details, Musk said “tremendous progress” had been made.”If we can get that deficit in half, from two trillion (dollars) to half, and we can get the economic growth to match… that means there will be no inflation,” Musk said, adding he would be focusing on “fraud and waste.”DOGE was founded as part of the so-called “executive office of the president,” as a temporary 18-month organization under the repurposed United States Digital Service. It does not enjoy full status as a government department, which would require Congress’s approval, and Musk is neither federal employee nor a government official. It is unclear to whom DOGE is accountable.CNN reported that two senior security officials at USAID were put on forced leave after they barred staff from Musk’s DOGE from accessing classified documents.PBS also reported DOGE staff attempted to gain access to “secure spaces.”Trump’s senior aide Steven Cheung posted on X that the PBS report was “not even remotely true at all.”USAID’s account on X had been disabled, AFP confirmed, and its website was still offline.Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has criticized the “total destruction” of the agency.”The people elected Donald Trump to be President — not Elon Musk,” Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X.”Having an unelected billionaire, with his own foreign debts and motives, raiding US classified information is a grave threat to national security.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday threatened action against Panama without immediate changes to reduce Chinese influence on the canal, but the country’s leader insisted he was not afraid of a US invasion and offered talks.On his first trip overseas as the top US diplomat, Rubio took a guided tour of the canal accompanied by its Panamanian administrator as a South Korean-affiliated oil tanker and Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship passed through the vital link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.But Rubio was said to have had a firmer message in private, telling Panama that President Donald Trump had determined that the country had violated terms of the treaty that handed over the canal in 1999.He pointed to the “influence and control” of China over the canal, through which some 40 percent of US container traffic passes.Meeting President Jose Raul Mulino, Rubio “made clear that this status quo is unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights under the treaty,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.She did not spell out the consequences. But Trump has repeatedly refused to rule out military force. On Saturday, he imposed punishing tariffs on the top US trading partners — Canada, China and Mexico.Nearly 75 percent of cargo that went through the Panama Canal in the 2024 fiscal year came from the United States, with 21 percent from China, followed by Japan and South Korea, according to official statistics.Rubio and Trump say China has gained so much power through surrounding infrastructure that it could shut the canal down in a potential conflict and spell catastrophe for the United States.”China’s running the Panama Canal,” Trump insisted Sunday.”It was not given to China, it was given to Panama foolishly,” he told reporters as he returned to Washington from a weekend in Florida.”But they violated the agreement and we’re going to take it back, or something very powerful is going to happen.”He later added that he did not think US troops would be “necessary” in Panama. – Panama offers cooperation -Mulino painted a rosier portrait of his meeting with Rubio, whom he welcomed Rubio at his official residence in the tropical capital’s old quarter.He also announced that Panama would not be renewing an agreement to participate in China’s Belt and Road project — a massive infrastructure initiative spearheaded by Beijing — which the country had signed onto under a previous administration.”I don’t feel that there is any real threat at this time against the treaty, its validity, or much less of the use of military force to seize the canal,” Mulino told reporters.”Sovereignty over the canal is not in question,” he said, proposing technical-level talks with Washington to clear up concerns.Mulino previously ordered an audit of a Hong Kong-based company that controls ports on both sides of the canal but Trump said the step was not enough.Mulino, who until Trump’s criticism was widely regarded as a staunch US ally, also promised to step up cooperation on the new administration’s top priority — repatriating undocumented migrants.Mulino offered Rubio the use of an airstrip in the town of Meteti in Darien, the dense, prohibitive jungle that has nonetheless become a major crossing point for migrants seeking to exit South America en route to the United States.The deportation plan “suits us very well, to be honest,” Mulino said.Former president Joe Biden already sealed a deal after Mulino’s election last year to provide $6 million to assist in expelling migrants. They include Venezuelans and Ecuadorans but also Haitians desperate even for a roundabout way out of their violence-ravaged country. Few are from Panama, one of Latin America’s wealthiest countries.Rubio is expected to focus on migration on the four other stops of his trip — El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.- Protests against Rubio -Small but intense protests broke out in Panama ahead of Rubio’s visit, with protesters burning him in effigy and police firing tear gas.The Panama Canal — which Trump has dubbed a modern “wonder of the world” — was built by the United States and opened in 1914 at the cost of thousands of lives of laborers, mostly people of African descent from Barbados, Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean.Jimmy Carter negotiated the agreement that gave the canal to Panama, with the late president seeing a moral imperative for a superpower to respect a smaller country.Trump takes a vastly different view and has returned to the “big stick” approach of the early 20th century, in which the United States threatened force to have its way.

Beyonce on Sunday finally won the Grammy for the year’s best album for her culture-shaking “Cowboy Carter,” as rapper Kendrick Lamar posted a clean sweep on a night that served as a love letter to fire-ravaged Los Angeles.Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Doechii and Sabrina Carpenter emerged as big winners at the performance-heavy gala, while heavyweights Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish went home empty-handed.Beyonce’s win for “Cowboy Carter” now makes her the most nominated, most decorated artist at the awards show ever — as well as the first Black woman to claim the top prize in this century.The triumph was all the more relevant as the 43-year-old’s ambitious, historically rooted album elevated and showcased the work of Black artists in country music, whose rich contributions the industry has repeatedly sidelined.”I just feel very full and very honored,” she said, her husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy cheering from the crowd of A-listers at Crypto.com Arena.She dedicated the prize to Linda Martell, a pioneering Black country musician featured on the album.”I hope we just keep pushing forward, opening doors,” Beyonce said.The win brought Beyonce’s total Grammys on the night to three: she also won for her collaboration with Miley Cyrus, and snagged the best country album trophy.”I really was not expecting this,” she said as she accepted that prize, her voice audibly shaking. “Sometimes genre is a code word to keep us in our place as artists.””I just want to encourage people to do what they’re passionate about and to stay persistent,” she added.- Lamar, Chappell Roan own the stage -Hip-hop laureate Lamar cleaned up thanks to his smash diss track “Not Like Us,” one of a series of songs from the Los Angeles-area native that skewer rap rival Drake.He won in all five categories in which he was nominated, including Record and Song of the Year. He lost only to himself — he was twice up for two of the rap genre prizes.”Nothing more powerful than rap music,” the 37-year-old Lamar said in accepting the top song trophy. “We are the culture.””Not Like Us” shattered streaming records, catapulted to the top of the charts and quickly became a West Coast rap anthem, beloved for its pounding bass line, rhythmic strings and exaggerated enunciation.Lamar dedicated his best record win to his hometown, which is still reeling from the fires that razed whole neighborhoods and left thousands of people displaced.The coveted prize for Best New Artist went to Chappell Roan, capping a meteoric year for the Midwestern artist who went from struggling singer to music’s It girl seemingly overnight.But in a powerful acceptance speech, she recounted how it wasn’t always easy — she was dropped from her label during the pandemic and struggled to find work.Roan demanded that labels provide artists with a “livable wage and health care.””Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees,” she said. “Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”- ‘Anything is possible’ – Doechii emerged as another big winner, becoming just the third woman to ever win the prize for best rap album. The second-ever winner, Cardi B, presented her with the prize.”Anything is possible,” Doechii said as she accepted the trophy through tears, speaking directly to Black girls and women like herself. “Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you that tell you that you can’t be here, that you’re too dark or that you’re not smart enough, or that you’re too dramatic or you’re too loud,” she said.”You are exactly who you need to be.”Sabrina Carpenter won for best pop vocal album, her second award of the night that followed a slapstick, Old Hollywood-inspired performance of her nominated hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.”Shakira scooped Best Latin Pop Album, before delivering a jaw-dropping performance of her classics and new work, gyrating around the room.And Charli XCX won three prizes including best dance/electronic album for her summer-defining “Brat” before a banging performance at the end of the night.- ‘Love you, LA’ -Sunday’s gala was an homage to the city of Los Angeles.Yet it was not a somber evening but rather one of warmth, celebrating first responders while urging donations. Host Trevor Noah said at least $7 million was raised from viewers for wildfire relief.Top LA County firefighters presented Beyonce with her big award, while students who lost their schools sang with Stevie Wonder on “We Are The World” as part of the tribute to the late music powerhouse Quincy Jones. The show opened with a supergroup including Sheryl Crow and John Legend performing Randy Newman’s track “I Love LA,” while Eilish sang her hit “Birds of a Feather” in an LA Dodgers baseball cap.”I love you LA,” she said to cheers.

Camp queen, queer icon, a searing yet irreverent songwriter with cascading vocals: Chappell Roan has soared to pop’s upper echelons on a singular blend of vulnerability and high-production performance that has earned her legions of fans.And now the Missouri musician with a waterfall of red curls is a top Grammy winner, having snapped up the prestigious prize for Best New Artist.Her over-the-top theater kid persona, complete with wildly lavish costumes and high-drama makeup that nods to drag culture, made her an unstoppable force on the festival circuit.And since then, the 26-year-old has since been truly inescapable — on TikTok, the radio, streaming, late-night shows and, eventually, a viral media cycle over her lukewarm support of presidential candidate Kamala Harris that proved, in case anyone doubted it, just how big she’d gotten.In an industry thirsty for “moments,” it seemed like Roan was a rare bird who appeared out of nowhere.But she’d actually been hustling for a decade — making music while working odd jobs, handling mental health struggles and coming into her own.- Midwest Princess -Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz on February 19, 1998 in Willard, Missouri, Roan threw herself into the arts while never quite finding her social footing, and grappling with weighty emotions she would eventually learn were symptoms of bipolar disorder.Her YouTube performances earned attention, and she moved to Los Angeles — but then home again after Atlantic Records dropped her amid the early days of the pandemic that left the music industry reeling.But before she was cut loose, Roan dropped “Pink Pony Club,” a track that years later would blossom as one of her smash hits.Dan Nigro, the heavyweight, Grammy-winning producer who worked with Roan at Atlantic, reconnected with her in 2021, and the years-long build-up to her soaring takeoff began in earnest.For several scrappy years, she worked odd jobs, amassed followers on TikTok, underwent therapy to treat her unpredictable condition and finished her debut album.But in accepting her Best New Artist Grammy, she took the industry to task, saying that her experience of feeling “betrayed” and “dehumanized” by the label that dropped her was “devastating.””Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees,” she said, demanding that they pay a living wage and provide health care to emerging artists. Roan — whose stage name pays homage to her late grandfather Dennis Chappell and his favorite song, “The Strawberry Roan,” which she also noted onstage Sunday — released her bold, vulnerable album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” in 2023 to critical praise.On it, she delves into themes of sexuality and yearning with a pop-forward, dance-heavy beat and impressive vocals that one critic characterized as “singing in cursive.”Her standalone single “Good Luck, Babe!” and the cheerleader-inspired dance number “Hot to Go!” found enormous audiences.She thrived on TikTok but Roan wasn’t only magnetic online: it was her extravagant presence onstage — she did New York’s Governors Ball dressed as the Statue of Liberty after arriving in a huge apple bong — that cemented her superstar status.She had that on full-display yet again at Sunday’s gala, delivering a circus-themed rodeo of a performance of “Pink Pony Club” — wearing a leather fringed corset get-up as she straddled a giant pink pony — that had the crowd on its feet.- Growing pains -Roan’s phenomenal rise has come with a price: she has spoken out about fame’s growing pains that have left her exhausted and at times afraid of aggressive fans.During a set over the summer, she broke down in tears, telling fans she felt “a little off today.”She says many of her fellow artists have reached out with sympathetic support, including Elton John — who comically called her from an unidentified number 11 times before she answered and realized it was him, she told Rolling Stone.Roan, who grew up in a conservative, Christian household, came out as a lesbian recently, and regularly sings of queer love in her songs, but refuses to be pigeonholed for her sexuality.She also isn’t shy about speaking out on topics from trans rights to supporting the Palestinian cause.Making her demand Sunday night that working artists earn health insurance and a livable wage was totally on brand.”Labels, we got you, but do you got us?” she asked.

Music’s brightest stars on Sunday rocked the red carpet at the Grammy Awards, bringing some high drama, serious style — and, as ever, lots of skin.While the Oscars tend to embrace a classic brand of Hollywood glamour, the Grammys are daring: some of the most iconic fashion looks have emerged at the storied gala, such as Jennifer Lopez’s plunging green Versace gown in 2000.Here’s a look at what the A-listers wore to the Grammys in Los Angeles:- Music royalty -Beyonce finally won the Album of the Year award for the first time in her career, and she chose a glittering Schiaparelli gown for her golden moment.A “Cowboy Carter” coded bandana motif was worked into the low-cut gown with a keyhole opening. Elbow length gloves completed the look, and the singer wore her hair long and icy blonde.Taylor Swift, who presented Beyonce with her best country album award but went home empty-handed, was dressed to impress in a sexy, sparkly red Vivienne Westwood one-shoulder mini-dress.Red is the title of one of her albums, but it is also the signature color of boyfriend Travis Kelce’s Super Bowl-bound Kansas City Chiefs. Speculation ran rampant on social media about the message she was trying to convey. Her naughty thigh chain with a “T” charm also begged the question — did it stand for Taylor, Travis or both?- High drama -Breakout star Chappell Roan, who took home the award for Best New Artist, is known for her theatrical style, and she did not disappoint.She hit the red carpet in a vintage look from Jean-Paul Gaultier inspired by Edgar Degas’s depiction of ballet dancers.The pop singer wore a fascinator to match the bright yellow and baby blue printed gown with dramatic black bows on the shoulders. Her makeup was heavy, and her signature red curls flowed loosely down her back. Her nails were long and golden — like the statuette she took home.Lady Gaga, who is also known for being sartorially dramatic (meat dress, anyone?), went for goth chic in a long-sleeved black corseted Vivienne Westwood gown with a full skirt and matching jet-black hair. – Not demure, not mindful – Besides Roan, other members of music’s new generation of pop stars didn’t let their red carpet moments go to waste, rocking decidedly sexy looks.Sabrina Carpenter, who won two Grammys in the pop categories, wore a backless baby blue JW Anderson floor-length halter gown with a feather peplum and hem. Her blonde locks were swept into a come-hither curly up-do that conjured up images of Marilyn Monroe.Charli XCX, who scooped up three Grammys, wore a gray Gaultier gown with a corset bodice and oodles of frothy chiffon — definitely very brat.And Olivia Rodrigo slayed in a daring Versace black halter gown with a plunging neckline and a nearly bare back, with just a few straps holding it together.- Head scratchers -Rapper Kanye West, who was nominated for best rap song, arrived with his wife Bianca Censori, who shed a fur coat to reveal that she was practically naked in a sheer body stocking that left everything in view.They left the event shortly after the bold arrival. Some reports suggested they were thrown out, but celebrity news website TMZ, citing a source close to the Recording Academy, said they left on their own. Singer Willow Smith, the daughter of Hollywood couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith rolled up in a bejeweled bikini and a tuxedo-style jacket. Her actor brother Jaden had a giant black castle hat encasing his head.And singer Joy Villa, who has made no secret of her support for President Donald Trump with her looks over the years, wore a red baseball cap that bore a resemblance to the ubiquitous MAGA hats at his rallies.Villa’s chapeau, paired with a slinky golden gown, simply said: “The Hat Stays On.”

US President Donald Trump has slapped new tariffs on Chinese goods, partly in response to Beijing’s alleged role in a deadly opioid epidemic in the United States.Washington has long accused Beijing of turning a blind eye to the deadly fentanyl trade, which US authorities estimate caused tens of thousands of deaths a year. China denies responsibility.Here AFP looks at where the issue currently stands:- What is fentanyl and where does it come from? -The United States is facing an epidemic of deaths caused by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin and much easier and cheaper to produce.US officials have said it is now the leading cause of death among people aged 18 to 45.The US Drug Enforcement Agency has accused China of being “the main source for all fentanyl-related substances trafficked into the United States”.While the Congressional Research Service acknowledged last year that direct supplies of the drug from China had been stemmed by stricter controls from Beijing in 2019, it said the move had simply shifted the supply lines.Rather than the drugs being supplied directly via international courier services, it said, chemical components are instead shipped from China to Mexico, where they are then made into fentanyl and smuggled across the border.Many of those components are legal in China and have legitimate medical use as painkillers — making prosecution tricky.Beijing, which insisted there is “no such thing as illegal trafficking of fentanyl between China and Mexico”, has promised to crack down.It has pointed to its tough drug laws — some of the world’s harshest — and warned that new tariffs would “inevitably affect and damage future bilateral cooperation on drug control”.- What has the US done to crack down? -Former president Joe Biden’s administration made the fight against fentanyl a priority.In October 2023, it slapped sanctions on over two dozen China-based entities and individuals alleged to be the “source of supply” for many US-based narcotics traffickers, dark web vendors, virtual currency money launderers and Mexican cartels.The group, which included a Wuhan-based company and a number of other firms based in Hong Kong and the mainland, was alleged to be responsible for the shipment of approximately 900 kilograms of “seized fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors” shipped to the United States and Mexico.”The global fentanyl supply chain, which ends with the deaths of Americans, often starts with chemical companies in China,” the then US attorney general Merrick Garland said last year.China condemned the investigation at the time as part of a US campaign of “pressure and sanctions” against it.- What have the US and China agreed to? -China-US talks on drug control stalled in the face of some of their worst relations in years.But following a summit between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November 2023, Washington and Beijing agreed to restart talks.Last summer, a counternarcotics working group convened in Washington and China announced it would step up its regulation of three key fentanyl precursors.But it remains to be seen whether the latest curbs will fully stop the cross-border traffickers — who the Justice Department said “adapt to tightening restrictions”.Analysts say that manufacturers are able to develop new variants of the synthetic precursors faster than they can be identified and added to scheduled lists of substances controlled by Chinese authorities.Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert on organised crime at the Brookings Institution, had said Beijing needs to take a tougher line against domestic firms involved in the trade.”We are nowhere close to robust indictments, robust prosecutions in either the money laundering sector or smuggling of precursors to the Mexican cartels,” she said in a podcast.- Will the tariffs work? -Whether tariffs will spur greater action from Beijing is unclear.Felbab-Brown argued that Beijing’s cooperation is tied to China-US relations.”With countries with whom China has good relations or with whom it wants to build good relations… it extends law enforcement and counter-narcotics cooperation,” she explained.”And with countries with whom it has bad relations or with whom relations deteriorate, it denies the cooperation.”China’s foreign ministry has warned that Washington should “not take China’s goodwill for granted”.Compounding the problem are expansive money laundering networks that underpin the trade, which experts say requires closer coordination between Washington and Beijing to curb.”International drug cartels are increasingly turning to specialized Chinese criminal gangs for swift, cheap and secure money laundering services,” wrote Zongyuan Zoe Liu in a September report for the Council on Foreign Relations.”Obtaining support from Beijing to stop the flow of illicit fentanyl and its precursor chemicals is an important first step in addressing the supply problem,” Liu wrote.