A seasoned cruise ship worker has shared the four things that crew members really hate about passengers
These habits irritate the crew(Image: Getty)
Cruising should be an enjoyable and tranquil getaway, but certain passenger behaviours can seriously spoil the atmosphere for everyone involved. Lucy Southerton, a veteran crew member with nine years under her belt working aboard cruise ships, has revealed some of the biggest gripes shared amongst her colleagues.
Boasting a loyal following of more than 65,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel Cruising as Crew, Southerton provides insider perspectives and practical guidance for cruise aficionados. In a recent upload, she explored the irritations encountered by crew members, from dishevelled cabins to inappropriate advances.
Here are four behaviours passengers ought to steer clear of to guarantee a more pleasant voyage for all, reports the Express.
1. Dishevelled Cabins
According to Southerton, crew members, especially those in housekeeping and stewarding roles, become exasperated by passengers leaving their cabins in complete chaos.
She stressed that their role involves cleaning and sanitising the accommodation, not picking up after guests.
“It’s crazy to think they’re only on board for five days because of the amount of stuff that’s everywhere,” Southerton remarked. She appealed to passengers to show consideration and respect for crew members’ duties whilst occupying their cabins.
2. Inappropriate Advances Towards Crew
Southerton warned passengers against making unwanted romantic or flirtatious overtures to crew members, describing it as a form of sexual harassment.
She shared accounts from male cabin crew who felt uneasy and irritated when travellers overstepped the mark. “It’s hard when they take it another way and they think that they have a chance with you just because you’re a sexy crew member,” Southerton explained.
3. Lack of Manners
Among the most frequent complaints from cabin crew is passengers’ failure to display basic courtesy. Southerton emphasised the significance of simple pleasantries like saying “please” and “thank you.”
She recalled occasions where travellers would bark orders without a shred of politeness, underlining the necessity for respectful conduct, particularly whilst on holiday.
4. Bragging
Finally, she voiced her frustration with passengers who show off, particularly those who parade their wealth in front of less privileged individuals.
She encouraged passengers to be conscious of their surroundings and avoid boasting, especially to crew members grafting hard to provide for their families.
“Brag to people who are on a similar level to you,” Southerton advised, emphasising the need for consideration and compassion.
By remaining mindful of these behaviours, passengers can help create a more enjoyable and considerate atmosphere aboard cruise ships, encouraging positive exchanges between travellers and crew members alike.
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran it has 10 to 15 days to reach a deal over its nuclear program, or “really bad things” will happen. Iran’s envoy to the United Nations said Tehran will respond “decisively” to any military aggression.
Feb. 17 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump said he would participate “indirectly” in U.S.-Iran nuclear talks due to resume in Geneva on Tuesday.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Monday night, Trump said the negotiations were very important and he believed Tehran wanted to reach a deal, saying the fallout of not doing so would be very bad news, referencing U.S. air and missile strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities in June, following failed negotiations.
“I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal. We could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2s [stealth bomber aircraft] in to knock out their nuclear potential. And we had to send the B-2s. I hope they’re going to be more reasonable,” said Trump, who acknowledged that they were tough to negotiate with.
Similar optimism for its own prospects emanated from the Iranian side on Monday with the foreign ministry in Tehran saying it believed the United States’ position had shifted to “a more realistic one,” regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
Following a meeting in Geneva on Monday with International Atomic Energy Agency director general Rafael Grossi on “technical matters,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was heading into the talks with “real ideas” to achieve a fair and just agreement, vowing Iran would not be coerced.
“What is not on the table: submission before threats,” he wrote in a post on X.
On Friday, Trump announced he was dispatching a second carrier strike group, the USS Gerald Ford, to the region to join an already substantial U.S. naval armada in the Arabian to ratchet up pressure on Tehran over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and a deadly crackdown on protesters that began in late December.
Trump said he was deploying the world’s largest carrier to join the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group sent last month because if Iran didn’t “make a deal, we’ll need it.”
The Gerald Ford and its battleships and associated vessels, currently deployed in the Caribbean, are expected to arrive in the Arabian Sea in three to four weeks.
Tuesday’s negotiations pick up from talks in Oman on Feb. 6 where a U.S. team led by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, met with the Iranian’s led by Araghchi, although proceedings were mediated by Omani officials and the two sides did not talk face-to-face.
As well as agreement on curtailing Iran’s enrichment of uranium, the Trump administration wants the talks to include its ballistic missile arsenal, a recent brutal crackdown on public protests and backing of regional proxies Hamas and Hezbollah.
Tehran has been pushing back, insisting it is only willing to discuss reining in its nuclear program — in exchange for sanctions relief.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Thursday. The Trump administration has announced the finalization of rules that revoke the EPA’s ability to regulate climate pollution by ending the endangerment finding that determined six greenhouse gases could be categorized as dangerous to human health. Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
GORDON Ramsay has hailed David and Victoria Beckham as fantastic parents — and said time will help Brooklyn heal their heartbreaking family feud.
The Michelin-starred restauranteur, 59, said he loves the aspiring chef, 26, and has been in contact offering support.
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Gordon Ramsay, a close friend of the Beckhams has offered his advice to BrooklynCredit: ShutterstockBrooklyn, who has cut off all contact with his parents, with wife Nicola PeltzCredit: GettyGordon Ramsay with wife Tana alongside close pals Victoria and David BeckhamCredit: Refer to Caption
“But it’s hard, isn’t it, when you’re infatuated? Love is blind. It’s easy to get up on that rollercoaster, and get carried away. But it will come back.
I know just how many times they have got Brooklyn out of the s***
Gordon on David and Victoria’s parenting
“I’ve seen first-hand just how good parents they are. David as a dad is just incredible.
“They’ve both put so much energy into their kids, and I know just how many times they’ve got Brooklyn out of the s***.
“I think it’s going to be a matter of time before Brooklyn takes a good look at himself and understands just what his parents mean to him.
“He’s desperate to forge his own way, and I respect that from him. It’s such a good thing to do.
“But remember where you came from. And honestly, one day you’re not going to have your mum and dad, and you need to understand that.
“That penny will drop.
“I just want Brooklyn to take a moment to himself. And remember: you’re half mum, half dad. And you’re an amazing young man.
“But, boy, they’ve done more for you than anyone did in your entire life.
‘Time the best healer’
”Time’s going to be the best healer, and David will absolutely get that relationship back on track.”
The chef, who has almost 20million followers, has backed Brooklyn’s cooking endeavours where others were quick to mock.
Meanwhile, Posh and Becks and Gordon and Tana have been pals for nearly 2½ decades.
Of course, Gordon knows about family feuds in the wake of his recent troubles with new son-in-law Adam Peaty’s clan.
He and Tana also went through hell when her dad, Chris Hutcheson, was jailed for six months in 2017 for hacking company computers.
Gordon says: “Tana and I sat them down, and we buried the hatchet with her parents. It’s family, it’s what you do.”
In his damning statement last month, Brooklyn accused his mum of “dancing inappropriately” on him at his wedding.
His friends allege that she “grinded” on the groom. She has since become victim to hundreds of mocking memes.
However unnamed “friends” of the Beckhams hit back at the allegations. Over to Gordon, then, to set the record straight.
Gordon at Brooklyn and Nicola’s weddingCredit: RexThe Sun’s Clemmie Moodie with a beaming GordonCredit: SuppliedOlympic Swimmer Adam Peaty and bride Holly Ramsay on their wedding dayCredit: Splash
He says: “There was nothing salacious. There was nothing inappropriate. Everyone was having fun, having a dance.”
But, Gordon, DID SHE GRIND?
He says: “No! Nothing of the sort. It was fun. I haven’t seen any of the memes, I heard about them of course, but Victoria’s got a great sense of humour.
“She’s great. She’s right to be upset (about the wedding) but she can bat that other s*** away in a heartbeat.
“Victoria and Tana have spoken a lot, they are probably closer than ever – they’re like two peas in a pod, those two.”
When Gordon isn’t playing ace therapist/mediator, he’s been pretty busy on his own terms.
On Wednesday his new six-part Netflix documentary Being Gordon Ramsay airs, detailing his efforts to launch his latest ambitious project.
Britain’s highest eaterie, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High is on the 60th floor of skyscraper 22 Bishopsgate in the City of London.
I never ever watch myself on telly because it’s just incredibly nerve-wracking.
Gordon Ramsay
The intimate 12-seater chef’s table experience has already earned him another Michelin star.
I’ve seen the show, and it’s brilliant, giving a fly-on-the-wall look into Gordon’s frenetic and fabulous home life – he and Tana have six kids – as well as the hell of getting a new business off the ground.
He smiles: “I won’t watch it. I never ever watch myself on telly because it’s just incredibly nerve-wracking.
“When you’ve done it and lived it, the last thing you want to do is sit there with lots of popcorn. There’s a level of embarrassment.”
‘Getting softer with age’
Even without Gordon’s viewership, it is sure to be another Netflix smash. Contrary to his bravado, away from the kitchen, and whisper it, but Gordon is a bit of a pussycat, and definitely “getting softer with age”.
He regularly cries, he admits.
He turns 60 in November but in the doc we see super-fit Gordon running outdoors with his young son, Oscar, in the gym and pumping weights. He is ripped.
Wife Tana also recently smashed a Half Ironman in Greece, breezily qualifying for the World Championships in the process. They are a truly impressive power duo, and very clearly still massively in love.
HEARTACHE OVER BROTHER’S LECCY PLEA
WHILE Gordon’s father was an alcoholic who died from a heart attack aged 53, his younger brother Ronnie is, tragically, a heroin addict.
Having gone for long swathes of time not speaking, Gordon reveals the pair had a reconciliation of sorts on the phone last week.
Becoming visibly emotional, he recalls: “It was just sad because at the end of that call he said, ‘Did I hear you ask for my bank details? I’ve got no electricity’.
“And so I said, ‘Come on, Ronnie, you know damn well if I knew that was going on electricity, I would. But I know full well that’s going to go on drugs. And it pains me, it kills me, mate.’
“We’ve been down this road so many times.”
Having trained under Marco Pierre White at the age of 35 Gordon set up his first restaurant, winning three Michelin stars shortly after. He now has eateries across the globe, and is arguably the planet’s most famous chef.
His work ethic is relentless – possibly a result of his humble upbringing. In one episode, Gordon gets emotional recalling his own childhood struggles, growing up on a council estate near Glasgow, and relying on school vouchers to eat.
Today, he has teamed up with a fantastic charity, Feeding Britain, to provide 800,000 kids in poverty with affordable food. Gordon has quietly donated “very heavily” to it.
He recalls: “I was hungry all the time, there was no food in the house.
Gordon is now arguably the planet’s most famous chefHe insists time will heal Brooklyn – pictured with Nicola – and his parents’ relationshipCredit: GettyThe celebrity chef has been friends with Posh and Becks for nearly two-and-a-half decadesCredit: Getty
“I was sometimes too embarrassed to use my vouchers to get my free shepherd’s pie in case, you know, aged 15 or 16, a girl I fancied saw me. I was a skinny f***ng bean.
I remember eating toothpaste thinking that was delicious because there were multiple nights where we never ate. It is appalling that we’re in this situation now.”
Meanwhile, Gordon has been a rock for 26-year-old daughter Holly’s new husband, Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty.
Last weekend Gordon said he’d treated the Peaty family “like royalty”, prompting a furious robust from Adam’s estranged mum, Caroline, who was not invited to his and Holly’s December wedding.
She labelled the Ramsays “bullies”. ”I am certainly not a bully, and it is so appalling to even suggest there was any bullying,” he sighs.
“That’s absolute nonsense. It was sad to see that barrage of negativity that was self-propelled by them.
“But Adam is an incredible young lad and he and Holly are a wonderful, happy, young couple.”
So, would Gordon fancy being a grandad?
He says: “Jesus Christ. They’re still on their f***ing honeymoon!
“But I do laugh sometimes when I’m in the park with [two-year-old son] Jesse.
“I was taking him to a football match last Saturday, and then this lady said, ‘Oh, it must be so nice to have the grandkids at the weekend!’
“And I’m like, ‘Are you f***ing serious woman? Grandkids?! That’s my son!’”
Being Gordon Ramsay is available on Netflix from Wednesday.
60th WILL BE ADELE OF A PARTY
THE very sweary superstar — I counted 27 f***s in the new documentary’s first episode – hopes superstar singer Adele will bring birthday cheer on his 60th in November.
Obviously, for a man not feted for his thriftiness, there will be a huge party, also celebrating his 30th anniversary with Tana.
“We are hoping Adele will sing,” he grins. “Tana loves Adele and I saw her in Vegas when she was playing the Colosseum, and she was a customer of ours in Chelsea.
“She is an incredibly gracious, talented woman, and a real foodie. She loves that kind of fine dining style.”
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned Friday that future drone incursions by South Korea would trigger a “terrible response.” Kim is seen here in a 2019 photo at a wreath-laying ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam. File Pool Photo by Jorge Silva/EPA-EFE
SEOUL, Feb. 13 (UPI) — Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said Friday that Seoul’s expression of regret over alleged drone incursions was “sensible,” but cautioned that any future flights would trigger a “terrible response.”
The statement, carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, followed comments Tuesday by South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, who expressed “deep regrets” over alleged drone flights into the North as part of the Lee Jae Myung administration’s broader push to ease tensions with Pyongyang.
North Korea’s military last month said it shot down a South Korean surveillance drone near the border city of Kaesong. Seoul has denied involvement, saying it does not operate the drone model cited by the North.
Kim described Chung’s remarks as “fortunate” and “quite sensible behavior,” but said South Korean authorities must take preventive measures to ensure such violations “would never happen again.”
“We don’t care who the very manipulator of the drone infiltration into the airspace of the DPRK is and whether it is an individual or a civilian organization,” she said.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.
“I give advance warning that reoccurrence of such provocation as violating the inalienable sovereignty of the DPRK will surely provoke a terrible response,” Kim said. “Various counterattack plans are on the table and one of them will be chosen without doubt and it will go beyond proportionality.”
A South Korean investigation initially centered on three civilians who were placed under travel bans last month. But a joint military-police task force on Tuesday raided the country’s spy agency and a military intelligence command as the probe widened to include three military officers as suspects.
On Wednesday, the Unification Ministry said Seoul would take immediate action to prevent future incidents.
“The government is conducting a thorough investigation and will immediately implement measures to prevent similar incidents,” ministry spokesman Yoon Min-ho said at a regular press briefing.
Kim’s statement was “signaling the need for joint efforts between the two Koreas to ease tensions and prevent accidents on the Korean Peninsula,” Yoon added.
North Korea is preparing to convene its Ninth Party Congress later this month, where Kim Jong Un is expected to outline a new five-year economic plan and recalibrate military and foreign policy priorities. Analysts will be watching for signs the North will formalize a hardened posture toward Seoul. In 2024, Pyongyang designated the South a “hostile state” and publicly rejected the long-held goal of reunification.
The Chancay megaport opens a door to China on the shores of Lima, Peru, and is a key stop on the new silk route in South America, as well as a hope for Peru’s development. File Photo by Paolo Aguilar
Feb. 12 (UPI) — The U.S. government issued a warning to Peru after a judicial ruling limited that nation’s oversight over the Chancay megaport, one of the country’s main port infrastructures operated by China’s Cosco Shipping.
“We are concerned by recent reports indicating Peru may be unable to oversee Chancay, one of its most important ports, under the jurisdiction of predatory Chinese owners,” the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said in a statement posted on X.
The publication underscored “Peru’s sovereign right to supervise critical infrastructure in its own territory” and questioned the origin of investment in the megaport located north of Lima.
“Let this serve as a warning to the region and the world: cheap Chinese money costs sovereignty,” the U.S. authority said.
In recent years, Beijing has expanded its presence in strategic sectors, such as infrastructure, energy and technology, across Latin America — a trend that has drawn concern among U.S. policymakers.
Chancay, opened in 2024, aims to become a key logistics hub linking South America with Asia. The project has been presented as a milestone for Peruvian trade and part of China’s growing footprint in regional port infrastructure.
The State Department’s statement followed a ruling by a Peruvian court that limited the authority of the Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión en Infraestructura de Transporte de Uso Público, known as Ositran, the national transport infrastructure regulator, over the Chancay terminal, according to local outlet RPP Noticias.
The decision upheld an injunction awarded to Cosco Shipping Ports, the Chinese state-owned majority shareholder in the port. The company argued that Chancay was fully financed with private capital, operates without a state concession contract and functions under an administrative authorization granted by Peru’s National Port Authority.
The ruling ordered Ositran to refrain from regulating, supervising, auditing or sanctioning activities at the port. It said subjecting the terminal to that regulatory framework would violate the claimant company’s constitutional rights to property, free enterprise and legal certainty, according to newspaper La República.
The court also said that public use is a functional characteristic of port services, but does not automatically trigger the legal framework applied to state-concession ports.
In practice, the decision means the regulator cannot intervene directly in terminal operations or impose administrative controls. However, the ruling does not eliminate all state oversight.
Instead, supervisory responsibilities would be redistributed among various Peruvian regulatory bodies, with Ositran excluded from comprehensive regulation except in limited circumstances.
Ositran President Verónica Zambrano said the agency will appeal the ruling, arguing the company may seek to avoid Peruvian regulations.
“They are a public-use company providing services to the public. That condition creates legal consequences, including oversight by Ositran, because we supervise public transport service providers,” Zambrano told news channel Canal N.
She added Peru’s National Port Law defines a port administrator as an operator of public-use transport infrastructure and said this applies to Cosco Shipping.
Separately, Peru’s Cabinet Office issued a statement on X regarding the judicial process involving Cosco Shipping Ports Chancay Peru S.A. Authorities said they will defend private investment while respecting Peru’s regulatory framework.
Ministers added that if conditions outlined in the ruling affect Ositran’s supervisory role, the government will use legal remedies available under existing law.
As part of the National Security Strategy promoted by President Donald Trump’s administration, the U.S. president has called a summit for March 7 in Miami with several Latin American leaders considered strategic allies.
The meeting aims to consolidate a regional bloc aligned with Washington amid growing Chinese investment, trade and diplomatic influence in Latin America, Infobae reported.
Among the invited leaders are Argentine President Javier Milei, El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, Paraguay’s Santiago Peña, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, Bolivia’s Rodrigo Paz and Honduras’ Tito Asfura.
In addition to economic issues, the agenda includes coordination on security matters, particularly the fight against drug trafficking and the management of migration flows.
An AI-generated image used in a graphic by the National Fire Agency warns of food-related choking risk over the Lunar New Year holiday. Graphic by Asia Today and translated by UPI
Feb. 11 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s National Fire Agency warned that choking incidents involving rice cakes and other foods tend to spike around major holidays, with older adults accounting for most victims.
A Seoul resident in his 60s recalled nearly choking while eating tteokguk, a traditional Lunar New Year soup, after a piece of rice cake lodged in his throat. He said he now cuts rice cakes into smaller pieces and eats more slowly.
The fire agency said an analysis of rescue statistics from 2021 through 2025 found an annual average of 239 people were transported to hospitals for airway obstruction caused by rice cakes or other foods.
During the same period, authorities recorded 1,487 related emergency responses and 1,196 hospital transports. Of those taken to hospitals, 455 people, or 38.1%, were in cardiac arrest, the agency said. Another 741 people, or 61.9%, were reported as injured, underscoring that choking can become life-threatening.
During the Lunar New Year holiday period over the past five years, 31 people were transported for choking incidents involving rice cakes or food, averaging 1.3 people per day.
Older adults made up nearly all of those cases. Among the 31 patients transported during the holiday period, 29 were ages 60 or older, or 96.7%, the agency said, citing factors such as increased meal frequency and faster eating during holiday gatherings.
Officials also pointed to age-related declines in chewing strength and swallowing function, warning that tough or sticky foods such as rice cakes can more easily block the airway when eaten quickly.
The agency urged families to watch elderly relatives during meals, particularly when they are eating alone, and encouraged the public to learn the Heimlich maneuver and use it immediately if someone shows signs of choking or breathing difficulty.
A fire official in Gyeonggi Province said most holiday choking transports involve seniors and can quickly lead to cardiac arrest if breathing is blocked.
Acting Fire Service Commissioner Kim Seung-ryong urged people not to eat too quickly or overeat during the holiday period and asked family members to closely monitor elderly relatives while they eat.
North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Wednesday condemned Japan’s recent defense equipment agreement with Canada, accusing Tokyo of accelerating a drive toward militarization. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, seen here Monday after her Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide election victory, has pledged to bolster the country’s military capabilities. Pool Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA
SEOUL, Feb. 11 (UPI) — North Korea on Wednesday denounced Japan’s new defense equipment agreement with Canada, accusing Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government of accelerating what it called a drive toward militarization and overseas aggression.
An article in Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Workers’ Party newspaper, described Japan as a “war criminal nation” and warned that Tokyo’s expanding military partnerships amount to the formation of a “de facto military alliance” with NATO members and regional countries.
The criticism comes days after Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party secured a landslide election victory, strengthening her hand as she pushes to revise Japan’s pacifist constitution and formally recognize the Self-Defense Forces as a military.
Signed in late January, the agreement allows Japan and Canada to jointly develop military systems and share technology, and permits Tokyo to export defense hardware to Ottawa.
Rodong Sinmun argued that such arrangements violate the spirit of Japan’s post-World War II constitution, which renounces war and states that “land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained.”
“As a war criminal nation, Japan is prohibited from possessing a military,” the newspaper wrote. “Therefore, even the very formation of a military alliance is a red line that must not be crossed.”
By strengthening its military agreements with other countries, Japan “aims to create an environment favorable to the realization of its ambitions for overseas aggression,” the paper added.
Japan maintains well-equipped Self-Defense Forces despite Article 9 of its constitution, drafted under U.S. supervision after World War II. In recent years, Tokyo has gradually expanded its security role and eased restrictions on defense exports.
Takaichi, a conservative defense hawk, has pledged to further bolster Japan’s military capabilities. During a Feb. 2 stump speech, she called for amending the constitution to formally recognize the Self-Defense Forces and “position them as a combat-capable organization.”
Her agenda unfolds against a backdrop of heightened tensions with China, including concerns over Taiwan, and pressure from Washington for allies to shoulder a greater share of defense burdens.
North Korea has routinely portrayed Japan’s security initiatives and its trilateral defense cooperation with the United States and South Korea as steps toward remilitarization and a threat to regional stability.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a briefing with Korean correspondents at the South Korean Embassy in Washington on Feb. 5. Photo by Asia Today
Feb. 6 (Asia Today) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has conveyed growing unease in Washington over South Korea’s implementation of bilateral trade commitments, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Thursday, as Seoul moves to contain fallout through intensive diplomatic outreach.
Cho told Korean correspondents in Washington that Rubio raised the issue directly during their meeting at the State Department on Monday, noting that while bilateral ties are not in crisis, the internal U.S. mood regarding delayed trade-related commitments is “not favorable.”
According to Cho, Rubio stressed that trade and investment issues fall outside his direct portfolio but said he felt obliged to flag the concern in his broader role overseeing U.S. foreign policy and national security. Rubio also urged closer diplomatic coordination to prevent trade friction from spilling over into security cooperation.
Cho said he responded by firmly rejecting any suggestion that Seoul is deliberately delaying implementation. He emphasized that South Korea remains committed to fulfilling trade agreements and that legislative and procedural timelines reflect domestic processes rather than political intent.
Cho underscored Seoul’s position that trade and security should be handled separately, pointing to the structure of the bilateral summit’s Joint Fact Sheet, which divides cooperation into economic and security pillars. He warned that differences in implementation speed should not impede cooperation in strategic areas such as nuclear energy, nuclear-powered submarines and shipbuilding.
Cho said Rubio agreed that neither side wants delays in implementing agreements across either domain and pledged personal oversight, noting that the matters fall under the purview of the State Department and the White House National Security Council.
During his Washington visit, Cho pursued what officials described as a broad diplomatic push, engaging not only on security but also on trade and investment. On Tuesday, he met sequentially with Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of a critical minerals ministerial meeting.
Cho said Greer acknowledged the potential economic impact of renewed tariffs but stressed the importance of South Korea demonstrating tangible progress not only in strategic investment but also in addressing non-tariff barriers. Talks with Wright focused on nuclear cooperation, including enrichment, reprocessing rights and collaboration on nuclear-powered submarines.
A senior South Korean official said Washington had long harbored frustrations over the pace of Korea’s domestic procedures but noted that President Donald Trump’s decision to air concerns publicly on social media last month marked a departure from past communication practices. Trump had warned that tariffs on South Korean goods could be restored to 25% if legal steps tied to the trade agreement were not completed.
The official said Cho cautioned Rubio that such public announcements could complicate bilateral relations and burden domestic efforts needed to advance U.S.-bound investment.
On a separate controversy involving e-commerce firm Coupang, the official said Seoul views the issue as corporate lobbying rather than a diplomatic dispute, adding that congressional interest reflects pressure from private-sector advocacy. Given the potential for legal escalation, the government is exercising caution, the official said.
Cho also met with U.S. lawmakers from both parties, including Sens. Tom Cotton, Tim Kaine, Andy Kim and Jeff Merkley, to discuss the U.S.-South Korea alliance, regional security and economic cooperation.
Cho urged congressional support for accelerating cooperation in nuclear energy, submarine technology and shipbuilding, calling them central to elevating the alliance amid a shifting global landscape. Lawmakers expressed bipartisan backing for the alliance and signaled openness to deeper cooperation, while emphasizing adherence to nonproliferation norms.
South Korea, Cho said, will pursue implementation of the Joint Fact Sheet with strict separation between military and civilian nuclear use, transparency and close coordination with the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
In November 2025, Ryanair also made a major change to its ticketing system by discontinuing the use of physical tickets
Ryanair passengers should check in before heading to the airport (stock image)(Image: rparys via Getty Images)
It’s no secret that Ryanair is among the UK’s most popular airlines. Between 2024 and 2025, it celebrated reaching 200 million passengers, a first for any European airline in a one-year period.
Yet future passengers should know that a single oversight could incur a hefty charge. Dealing with this at the airport generally costs £55 in the UK, £30 (€30) for departures from Spain, and even £40 (€40) for departures from Austria. The fee is charged per passenger, per ‘sector’, which includes connections.
You may be surprised to learn that the mistake is simply forgetting or choosing not to check in with Ryanair before arriving at the airport. Customers are urged to check in for flights ahead of their journeys and use a Digital Boarding Pass (DBP).
Official online advice from Ryanair explains: “All Ryanair passengers will still receive email reminders to check-in online 48 and 24hrs predeparture. If any passenger arrives at airport but hasn’t checked in online (having ignored these reminders), they will still be required to pay the airport check-in fee.”
In November 2025, Ryanair made a major change to its ticketing system by discontinuing the use of physical tickets at most airports and instead operating as ‘100%’ DBPs. This scheme, originally planned for May 2025, aims to lower costs, save approximately 300 tonnes of paper annually, and enable travellers to receive direct flight updates.
To get one, travellers should check in online via the website or the Ryanair App, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. After check-in, a DBP will automatically show up in the Ryanair App. This should be presented at airport security and the boarding gate before flights.
Overall, the budget airline insists that this method is ‘quicker, easier’ and results in ‘less stress’ compared to using paper tickets. Plus, travellers should still be able to board the flight even if their phones are lost or run out of battery.
This is primarily because personnel will have each traveller’s ‘sequence number’ at the departure gate. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary explained on The Independent’s daily travel podcast last year: “The big concern that people have is: ‘What happens if I lose my battery or what if I lose my phone?’
“…If you lose your phone, no issue. As long as you’ve checked in before you got to the airport, we’ll reissue a paper boarding pass at the airport free of charge.”
Advice on Ryanair’s website mirrors this, adding: “If you have already checked in online and you lose your smartphone or tablet (or it dies), your details are already on our system and you will be assisted at the gate.”
Despite this, it’s important to note that Ryanair isn’t the only airline to issue check-in fees at airports. Wizz Air similarly charges between €40 and €50 for airport check-ins, which also apply per flight, per passenger.
Visit Ryanair.com or access the Ryanair app on your device.
Log in to your existing account or create a new one if needed.
Click on the ‘Check-in’ option.
Follow the on-screen instructions and enter the required details from your travel documents.
Once check-in is complete, either print out your boarding pass or save it to your mobile device for easy access.
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Friedrich Merz said concerns about a further escalation with Iran have dominated his trip to the Gulf region.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned of the threat of a military escalation in the Middle East before talks between Iran and the United States in Oman on Friday.
Speaking in Doha on Thursday, Merz said that fears of a new conflict had characterised his talks during his trip to the Gulf region.
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“In all my conversations yesterday and today, great concern has been expressed about a further escalation in the conflict with Iran,” he said during a news conference.
Merz also urged Iran to end what he called aggression and enter into talks, saying Germany would do everything it could to de-escalate the situation and work towards regional stability.
The warning came in the run-up to a crucial scheduled meeting between officials from Tehran and Washington in Muscat.
Mediators from Qatar, Turkiye and Egypt have presented Iran and the US with a framework of key principles to be discussed in the talks, including a commitment by Iran to significantly limit its uranium enrichment, two sources familiar with the negotiations have told Al Jazeera.
Before the talks, both sides appear to be struggling to find common ground on a number of issues, including what topics will be up for discussion.
Iran says the talks must be confined to its long-running nuclear dispute with Western powers, rejecting a US demand to also discuss Tehran’s ballistic missiles, and warning that pushing issues beyond the nuclear programme could jeopardise the talks.
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett said the US is eager for the talks to follow what they see as an agreed-upon format.
“That agreed-upon format includes issues broader than what the US understands Iran is willing to discuss in this initial set of talks,” she explained.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that talks would have to include the range of Iran’s ballistic missiles, its support for armed groups around the Middle East and its treatment of its own people, in addition to its nuclear programme.
A White House official has told Al Jazeera that Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a key figure in his Middle East policy negotiations, and Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, have arrived in the Qatari capital, Doha, in advance of the talks.
Halkett said that Qatar is playing an instrumental role in trying to facilitate these talks, along with other regional US partners, including Egypt.
“We understand, according to a White House official, that this is perhaps part of the reason for the visit – to try and work with Qatar in an effort to try and get Iran to expand and build upon the format of these talks.”
Pressure on Iran
The talks come as the region braces for a potential US attack on Iran after US President Donald Trump ordered forces to amass in the Arabian Sea following a violent crackdown by Iran on protesters last month.
Washington has sent thousands of troops to the Middle East, as well as an aircraft carrier, other warships, fighter jets, spy planes and air refuelling tankers.
Trump has warned that “bad things” would probably happen if a deal could not be reached, ratcheting up pressure on Iran.
This is not the first time Iranian and US officials have met in a bid to revive diplomacy between the two nations, which have not had official diplomatic relations since 1980.
In June, US and Iranian officials gathered in the Omani capital to discuss a nuclear agreement, but the process stalled as Israel launched attacks on Iran, killing several military leaders and top nuclear scientists, and targeting nuclear facilities. The US later briefly joined the war, bombing several Iranian nuclear sites.
Volker Turk appeals for $400m after cuts to operations in 17 countries.
Published On 5 Feb 20265 Feb 2026
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The human rights chief of the United Nations says his office has been pushed into “survival mode” as he appealed for $400m to cover its funding needs this year.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Thursday that budget cuts last year reduced operations in 17 countries, including Colombia, Myanmar and Chad.
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Turk warned the cuts are undermining global human rights monitoring as he outlined his agency’s funding needs after the United States and other major Western donors last year reduced their humanitarian spending and support for UN-linked agencies.
“These cuts and reductions untie perpetrators’ hands everywhere, leaving them to do whatever they please,” he told diplomats at his office’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. “With crises mounting, we cannot afford a human rights system in crisis.”
While the US government under former President Joe Biden was the top single donor to Turk’s agency in voluntary contributions at $36m in 2024, the current administration under President Donald Trump halted its contributions in 2025.
“I am thankful to our 113 funding partners, including governments, private and multilateral donors, for their vital contributions,” Turk said. “But we are currently in survival mode, delivering under strain.”
Trump has repeatedly said the UN has potential but has failed to live up to it. During his time in office, the US has withdrawn from UN bodies such as the World Health Organization and UNESCO and cut funding to dozens of other agencies.
Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in a letter sent to all UN member nations that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues.
Last year, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had appealed for $500m in voluntary contributions but received $257m. It received $191m through the regular budget, about $55m less than initially approved, The Associated Press news agency reported.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a United Nations agency, has issued a new report warning of an uptick in measles cases throughout the region.
On Wednesday, the organisation issued an epidemiological alert that called for member states to strengthen “routine surveillance and vaccination activities” in order to combat the spread of the disease.
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“The sharp increase in measles cases in the Americas Region during 2025 and early 2026 is a warning sign that requires immediate and coordinated action by Member States,” PAHO said in a statement.
Overall, in the first three weeks of 2026 alone, PAHO documented 1,031 cases of measles in the Americas. Throughout 2025, a total of 14,891 cases were confirmed.
Some of the biggest outbreaks the PAHO highlighted were unfolding in North America, with countries like the United States, Mexico and Canada facing high numbers of cases.
What is measles?
Measles is a highly contagious airborne virus capable of infecting nine out of every 10 people exposed to it, if they are unvaccinated.
In most cases, symptoms of the disease clear up within several weeks. However, measles can be deadly or cause life-altering health complications, particularly among young children.
Some sufferers find themselves with ear infections and lung inflammation. Others experience pneumonia or encephalitis, a swelling of the brain that can cause lasting damage, including seizures and memory loss.
The only way to prevent measles and halt its spread is by taking a vaccine. That care is often administered through a combination vaccine known by the acronym MMR, for measles, mumps and rubella.
Doctors typically advise patients to get vaccinated early. For healthy children, the general guidance is to receive the first MMR dose before 15 months of age. The second and final dose is recommended before age six.
The MMR vaccine is widely considered safe. But in countries like the US, vaccination rates have fallen in recent years, in part due to conspiracy theories and misleading statements.
The country’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, for instance, has previously asserted that the vaccine “wanes very quickly”, despite the fact that it offers lifelong protection.
Kennedy has also claimed there were health risks associated with the vaccine. But experts, including at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have repeatedly maintained that most people encounter no serious problems – and that the vaccine is far safer than exposure to measles itself.
“There have been no deaths shown to be related to the MMR vaccine in healthy people,” the Infectious Diseases Society of America says on its website.
High numbers in North America
According to PAHO’s report on Wednesday, the US has seen 171 new cases of measles in the first three weeks of 2026. The country experienced a total of 2,242 cases in 2025.
One of the ongoing outbreaks has been in South Carolina, where 876 incidents of measles have been reported in recent months. Of that total, 800 sufferers were unvaccinated, 16 had only received a partial vaccination, and 38 had an unknown vaccination status.
Meanwhile, in Texas, an outbreak resulted in 762 cases of measles between January and August. Two unvaccinated children died in that outbreak, and there were 99 hospitalisations.
In 2000, measles had been declared eliminated from the US, a sign that cases were no longer spreading domestically, though some cases did occur after exposure to the virus abroad.
Mexico, too, had achieved its measles elimination status in 1996, after an extensive vaccination campaign. The entire Americas region was declared measles-free in 2016.
But both the US and Mexico risk seeing their measles elimination status revoked, as outbreaks continue.
In Mexico, for instance, there were 6,428 cases of measles in 2025, the highest of any country in the Americas. For the first three weeks of 2026, there have been 740 more cases.
PAHO typically determines which countries have elimination status, and the organisation has indicated that it will review the situation in the US and Mexico during a virtual meeting on April 13.
Canada, meanwhile, already saw its measles elimination status rescinded in November. It has seen several measles outbreaks since October 2024.
PAHO found that there were 5,436 cases of measles last year, and 67 in the first three weeks of 2026.
The country can win back its elimination status only if it stops measles transmissions resulting from its outbreaks for more than one year.
The Foreign Office has issued a travel warning to British tourists as Spain and Portugal face a red weather alert for extreme conditions this half term
14:11, 04 Feb 2026Updated 14:13, 04 Feb 2026
Chairs are pictured floating in a flooded street of Alcacer do Sal, south of Portugal, during Leonardo storm on February 4(Image: Getty Images)
The Foreign Office has issued an urgent warning to British holidaymakers heading to two of the nation’s most beloved destinations. A red alert has been declared by state meteorological agencies for Spain and Portugal, with hazardous weather conditions forecast for the coming weeks as thousands of Brits prepare to travel during half term.
Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has issued a red warning for severe rainstorms across Malaga Province on Wednesday, 4 February, with predictions suggesting rainfall accumulations could exceed 150 litres per square metre within 12 hours and surpass 200 litres per square metre over 24 hours in inland regions.
Schools throughout Andalucia will remain shut on Wednesday as a precautionary measure against the extreme weather. The red alert, indicating “extraordinary danger”, will remain active in the Ronda region from midnight onwards for the entire day.
AEMET has warned that storm conditions are anticipated to persist until mid-February. The Foreign Office stated: “Heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong coastal winds are expected across the country until Sunday 8 February, with an increased risk of flash flooding, landslides and travel disruption. Follow advice of local authorities and monitor weather updates on the European Meteorological Services website. “
In its guidance to travellers, the Foreign Office stated: “Once the event has happened, you should be aware of possible risks relating to damaged buildings or other infrastructure. Be aware that events in places away from where you are can still cause disruption, such as through loss of power, communications or transport services.”
“It may take time for airports to re-open and there may be serious shortages of accommodation, food, water and health facilities. It may be harder for you to receive help from humanitarian workers if it is difficult to access the area due to transport infrastructure damage or flooding.
“The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) ability to help British nationals may be limited (perhaps severely) in these circumstances. We cannot ensure your safety and security in another country. The relevant authorities in the country or territory you are in are responsible for your safety and security.”
Storm Leonardo, the sixth significant low-pressure system to strike in 2026, is set to batter Andalusia once more, with Malaga squarely in its sights. In its most recent bulletin, AEMET has escalated the rainfall alert to red for the province.
According to weather experts at Meteored, “By the end of the coming early morning, very intense rain will begin in the west and far south of Andalucia. It will continue throughout the morning, spreading to the rest of the southern community. In the afternoon, the most intense precipitation will occur in the eastern area, from the Strait to Almeria, with a strong westerly maritime storm.”
In Malaga, the Costa del Sol, the Guadalhorce region, and Axarquia, Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET has issued an orange warning for rainfall accumulations of between 90 and 100 litres in 12 hours. The agency warned: “Accumulations exceeding 150 litres in 24 hours may be reached in the western half of the zone. In the rest, accumulations of 40 litres in 12 hours are expected,”.
AEMET has also issued its highest level of alert, a Red Advisory, for heavy rain in Cádiz and parts of Málaga province for Wednesday, February 4. The advisory warns of 150mm of rain in 12 hours and 200mm in 24 hours in some inland areas.
Due to the severe weather threat, all schools in Andalusia will be closed on Wednesday. Additionally, a series of yellow alerts and amber warnings have been activated, as the regions brace for a battering.
The alerts arrive as Portugal and Spain prepare themselves for additional downpours with Storm Leonardo set to hit this week, meteorologists have confirmed. Following several weeks of damp and occasionally blustery conditions, Storm Leonardo is forecast to deliver further precipitation to the Iberian Peninsula, with particularly severe rainfall anticipated throughout Andalusia, weather experts have warned.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has ordered Ukraine’s military leaders to respond after a spate of Russian attacks targeting railway infrastructure and logistics routes.
His comments on Monday come after Russian forces stepped up attacks, including on a train last week that killed five people in a railway car in the eastern region of Kharkiv.
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Ukraine has managed to keep its nationwide rail network running despite almost four years of war. Russian forces have prioritised the capture of train hubs, such as Kupiansk and Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine.
“The Russian army remains focused on terror against our logistics – primarily railway infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said in a post on social media. “In particular there were strikes in the Dnipro region and in Zaporizhzhia, specifically targeting railway facilities.”
State railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia warned that several of its routes in eastern Ukraine are becoming increasingly “high risk” and urged passengers to instead take buses.
In the eastern region of Sumy, Ukrzaliznytsia said it will monitor Russian drone threats and stop trains near bomb shelters if they emerge.
‘Very complex’ negotiations
Russian drones and missiles have continued to bombard civilian areas, killing 12 miners in a bus on Sunday in the most recent mass aerial attack. The barrages are also wrecking the Ukrainian power grid, leaving people without heating, light and running water in bitter winter cold.
The attacks come as a new round of US-brokered talks on ending the war are set to go ahead this week after a brief postponement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said discussions will take place on Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where a meeting was held last month.
On Sunday, Zelenskyy said he will send a delegation.
United States President Donald Trump’s administration over the past year has pushed the two sides to find compromises to end the war. But breaking the deadlock on key issues appears no closer as the fourth anniversary of Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbour approaches this month.
Peskov described the negotiations as “very complex”.
“On some issues, we have certainly come closer because there have been discussions, conversations and on some issues it is easier to find common ground,” he told reporters. “There are issues where it’s more difficult to find common ground.”
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev was in Miami, Florida, at the weekend for talks with American officials, but Peskov refused to provide any details of the meeting.
A key sticking point is whether Russia gets to keep Ukrainian territory its army has occupied, especially in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland. Moscow is also demanding possession of other Ukrainian land there that it hasn’t been able to capture on the battlefield.
Ukraine has ruled out ceding ground, saying such a move would only embolden Moscow, and it has refused to sign any deal that might fail to deter Russia from invading again.
After failing in its aim of a lightning offensive to capture Kyiv and topple Ukraine’s leadership in a matter of days in 2022, Russia has been bogged down in the face of Ukrainian defences and is now mounting a grinding advance that has come at a huge human cost.
New York venue Madison Square Gardens issues warning before Teofimo Lopez vs Shakur Stevenson and Knicks vs Lakers bill.
Published On 31 Jan 202631 Jan 2026
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Madison Square Garden says anyone fighting at the arena threatens to be “banned for life” after there were multiple altercations at one of its events.
Video on TMZ.com showed two fights breaking out on Friday, when fighters weighed in for the boxing card Saturday night headlined by Teofimo Lopez and Shakur Stevenson. One of the videos showed a brawl starting as Bill Haney, father of boxer Devin Haney, was conducting an interview near the stage.
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“Violence will not be condoned at MSG across any type of event including, hockey, basketball, boxing, concerts, or special events,” Madison Square Garden said in a statement. “If any individual is found to participate in violent activity, whether you are part of the event, or a patron, you will be banned for life and unable to attend or participate in any event across all our venues.”
The news conference Thursday for the title fight between Lopez and Stevenson became heated as the fighters on stage traded insults about family members, with people in the audience also shouting.
There was also an altercation near the cage on November 15, when MSG hosted UFC 322.
The warning comes before a busy weekend at the arena. Organisers said the boxing event is sold out, and on Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Knicks for a nationally televised game that could be LeBron James’s final one at the arena.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday the US is prepared to use “all options” to prevent Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, while emphasizing that Washington is still leaving room for a diplomatic deal, Anadolu reports.
“With Iran right now, ensuring that they have all the options to make a deal. They should not pursue nuclear capabilities,” Hegseth said at a Cabinet meeting along with US President Donald Trump.
Trump reiterated Wednesday that a “massive armada” is headed to Iran, expressing hope that Tehran will “come to the table” and negotiate with Washington.
Hegseth stressed that the Pentagon stands ready to carry out any directives issued by Trump, signaling that military options remain firmly on the table if diplomacy fails.
“We will be prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department, just like we did this month,” he said, referring to the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3.
Iranian officials, meanwhile, have reacted strongly to the latest threat issued by Trump, as a US military fleet moves toward Iranian waters amid escalating tensions between the longtime adversaries.
Oil prices rose on Thursday after US President Donald Trump warned Iran that “time is running out” and said a “massive armada” was heading towards the region if Tehran failed to agree to a nuclear non-proliferation deal.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said a fleet larger than the one sent to Venezuela was ready to “rapidly fulfil its mission, with speed and violence, if necessary” if Iran refused to negotiate a deal guaranteeing “no nuclear weapons”.
Global benchmark Brent rose by about 2.02%, trading at around $68.73 per barrel, while US crude (WTI) hovered around 2.15% higher, at $64.57 per barrel.
Trump previously threatened to attack Iran if it killed protesters during the ongoing protest movement across the country. Estimates of those killed range from around 6,000 to as many as 30,000, according to various reports.
Oil delivery disruptions
If the US were to escalate militarily, it could disrupt oil flows to countries that still trade with Iran.
Iran’s economy is already under heavy pressure from US secondary financial sanctions on its banking and energy sectors, compounded by the reimposition of JCPOA snapback sanctions.
These measures have severely limited Iran’s access to the Western financial system and constrained its ability to trade openly.
As a result, Iranian exports rely heavily on so-called “dark fleets,” ship-to-ship transfers and intermediary routes designed to obscure cargo origins along major maritime corridors.
Yet despite years of sanctions, Iran has retained access to oil markets, underlining the difficulty of fully enforcing restrictions on a high-value global commodity.
“Iran has a number of markets for its oil, despite the Western sanctions regime,” said Dmitry Grozubinski, a senior advisor on international trade policy at Aurora Macro Strategies.
China at centre of enforcement risk
China remains the largest buyer, with reports suggesting Iranian crude is often rebranded as Malaysian or Gulf-origin oil before entering the country.
“Independent refineries are purchasing it using dark fleet vessels, with transactions conducted through small private banks and in renminbi,” Grozubinski said.
Other destinations for Iranian oil and derivatives include Iraq, the UAE and Turkey, further complicating enforcement.
“It’s extremely difficult to maintain comprehensive sanctions on oil,” Grozubinski said, “especially when it requires policing transactions between Iran and states that don’t fully share Western priorities.”
China currently imports an estimated 1.2 to 1.4 million barrels of Iranian oil per day — around 80 to 90% of Iran’s crude exports.
US escalation could provoke Beijing
That dependence makes Beijing the central variable in any escalation. Analysts say China would be the most likely major economy to resist compliance and retaliate.
“Beijing has already signalled it would respond if Trump follows through,” said Dan Alamariu, chief geopolitical strategist at Alpine Macro, warning of renewed US–China trade friction.
One risk raised by analysts is the potential for China to again restrict exports of rare earths — a tool it has previously used during periods of trade tension — although such a move is considered unlikely in the short term.
“It’s not the base case,” Alamariu said, “but it’s not impossible.”
China has told the UN Security Council that US ‘military adventurism’ in the Middle East will push the region into chaos, as President Donald Trump continues to threaten strikes on Iran if it does not submit to his demands.
South African trade unions and leftist organizations have expressed solidarity with Venezuela. (NUMSA)
Demanding the release of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, South Africa’s largest trade union marched to the US consulate in Johannesburg on Saturday, January 24.
“In defending Venezuela, we defend the sovereignty of all nations,” concluded the memorandum read aloud outside the consulate by Irvin Jim, general secretary of the over 460,000 members-strong National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).
“It is Venezuela today … It will be South Africa tomorrow,” Jim warned in his address to the demonstration. US President Donald Trump, who has bombed parts of Nigeria after concocting a false story about a “Christian Genocide” in the country, has also been spinning tales about a “White Genocide” underway in South Africa.
“This is not a joke,” NUMSA warned in a statement. “Donald Trump can easily use the lie of a White genocide in South Africa to invade South Africa, capture South Africa’s president and transport him to a jail in the US, and declare that he is now in charge of our country and all its natural wealth, whilst controlling all trade and natural wealth … After the US criminal military invasion of Venezuela, it is foolish to ignore” this threat to South Africa.
“There is a madman in the White House”
“There is a madman in the White House. There is a fascist in the White House,” NUMSA’s president, Andrew Chirwa, said in his opening address to the demonstration. “Today, it is Venezuela that was attacked by this international criminal. Tomorrow it is” Cuba, Iran, Nigeria, South Africa. “All over the world this man” is baying “for blood.”
In parallel, the Trump administration is also attempting to strangle South Africa’s economy, threatening to exclude it from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides tariff-free access to the US market, on which the country’s automotive sector is heavily dependent.
“Our members and workers across various sectors are losing jobs” because “he has imposed 30% tariffs against South Africa,” Jim added in his speech.
Stressing the need for “an anti-imperialist front to mobilize the workers” across party and union affiliations, Jim said that NUMSA “will soon be convening a political colloquium”, inviting all progressive political parties. “It is about time to unite the working class … behind a revolutionary agenda,” as South Africa faces increasing US aggression.
South Africa punished for taking the genocidal state of Israel to the ICJ
South Africa, the union maintains, “is being punished by Trump for taking the genocidal state of Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).” Reaffirming that “this was the correct position … in defense of the people of Palestine,” NUMSA called on the South African government not to cave in to the pressure by Leo Brent Bozell III, Trump’s new ambassador to South Africa.
At his Senate confirmation hearing, he had stated that if appointed, “I would press South Africa to end proceedings against Israel,” and the ICJ itself to stop what he deemed a “lawfare” against Israel.
“If he continues to insult our national sovereignty … by demanding that South Africa must withdraw its case in the ICJ against Israel,” NUMSA insists, “the South African government must act swiftly, and ensure that he packs his bags and leaves the country.”
Demanding that the football governing body “cancel all World Cup matches in the US this year,” a copy of the memorandum was also sent to the FIFA President.
It further called on the African Union (AU) and the BRICS to urgently convene and formulate a coordinated and collective response to the US imperialist aggression.
“No country is safe from America’s greedy appetite”
Recalling the European leaders defending unipolarity under the cover of “rules-based order” at last year’s G20 summit in South Africa, the US had boycotted Alex Mashilo, spokesperson of the South African Communist Party (SACP) said in his address to the protest: “Little did they know that just after a few weeks, that unipolar power will turn against them and demand Greenland.”
Under “the mad Trump administration”, NUMSA emphasized in its statement, “no country is safe from America’s greedy appetite”.
The US has now even “become extremely dangerous to itself” and “its citizens”, with Trump “brutalizing the American people daily” using “his personal ‘Gestapo’ police commonly known as ICE.”
Expressing “solidarity with American citizens who are being brutalized by ICE,” NUMSA insisted, “This is a moment when all people of the world, including well-meaning US citizens and all South Africans, must unite” against imperialism.
Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities continue to warn of serious ramifications in case of military strikes by the United States, as more people are being arrested in connection with deadly protests amid a lingering internet blackout.
Tehran’s municipality on Sunday unveiled a giant billboard at the Enghelab (Revolution) Square in the capital’s central area, in an apparent warning to the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln supercarrier and supporting warplanes near Iranian waters.
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The image showed a bird’s-eye view of an aircraft carrier with destroyed fighter jets on the deck and blood running in the water to form the US flag.
“If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind,” read an accompanying message in Farsi and English.
Top military figures on Monday reiterated Iran’s readiness to engage in another war with Israel and the US in the case of an attack similar to last year’s 12-day conflict, while the Foreign Ministry promised a “comprehensive and regret-inducing response”.
Speaking to reporters during a news conference, ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei also warned “the resulting insecurity will undoubtedly affect everyone” amid reports regional actors have been directly appealing to US President Donald Trump, who on Thursday said a US “armada” is heading towards the Gulf.
As the European Union ponders listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist” organisation following a vote in the European Parliament, Baghaei said Tehran believes “more prudent European countries should be careful not to fall into the trap of the devilish temptations of non-European parties toward such an action”.
The Iranian establishment’s remaining allies in the so-called “axis of resistance”, who took no action during June’s war, have also signalled that they may this time attack US and Israeli interests if conflict breaks out.
Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, the chief of the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, issued a fiery statement on Monday warning of “total war” in case of US aggression. Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem has repeatedly heaped praise on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, including during a speech on Monday.
The Houthis in Yemen also released a video on Monday that showed US warships and previously attacked commercial vessels, indicating that they could once again become targets despite a Gaza ceasefire deal that stopped the attacks.
More protest-linked arrests reported
Meanwhile, judicial and intelligence authorities continue to report action against “rioters” as the Iranian establishment blames “terrorists” working in line with the interests of the US and Israel during the nationwide protests that started in late December.
Mohammadreza Rahmani, the head of the police authority in the northern province of Gilan, announced 99 new arrests in a statement on Sunday.
He alleged that those arrested were engaged in destroying public property or acted as “leaders” of unrest both on the streets and on social media.
State media said a person “who incited people, especially the youth”, in online posts to participate in protests was arrested in Bandar Anzali, also in the north.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), which says it has confirmed 5,848 deaths during the protests, reported on Monday that at least 41,283 people have also been arrested across the country.
Iranian authorities have not announced any official arrest numbers, but said last week that at least 3,117 people were killed during the protests, including 2,427 described as “innocent” protesters or security forces.
Al Jazeera cannot independently verify these figures.
An ‘internet error’ message is displayed on an Iranian woman’s laptop as she tries to connect to the internet to check on her visa status, after a nationwide internet shutdown since January 8, 2026, following Iran’s protests, in Tehran, Iran, January 25, 2026 [Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters]
Speaking during a meeting with top judiciary officials on Monday, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei reiterated his promise that “no mercy” will be shown when prosecuting protest-related cases.
He also expressed dismay at any calls for negotiations with the US amid what he called “an all-out war and economic blockade” against Iran.
“Some people portray all avenues for confronting the enemy’s aggression and coercion as blocked and repeatedly prescribe negotiation with a treacherous enemy,” he said.
Monitored internet access for businesspeople
Iranians across the country remain afflicted by an unprecedented total internet shutdown that has now lasted nearly three weeks.
A limited number of users have been able to tunnel out using proxies and virtual private networks (VPNs), but the authorities continue to block any proxies offering access to the outside world.
As with previous protests, internet access can only be restored through permission by the Supreme National Security Council, but the council has provided no timeline for reconnecting Iran’s 90-million-strong population.
In the meantime, the state appears to be gearing up to implement its longtime plans to enforce a so-called “tiered internet” that would only allow access to a limited number of permitted individuals and entities.
This week in Tehran, the authorities set up a small office to allow businesspeople who have identification from the Iran Chamber of Commerce to gain limited access to the internet.
Before being allowed to use the internet for a few minutes, they had to sign a form that committed them to use the connection for “business purposes” only, and emphasised they would be legally prosecuted if they “misuse” the opportunity.
A similar small office has also been opened for journalists by the Culture Ministry.
The rest of the population only has access to a local intranet designed to offer some basic services during state-imposed internet blackouts, but even that connection is slow and patchy.
