Saudi Arabia says it will soon host a dialogue between Yemen’s main players.
For almost a decade, the Southern Transitional Council has been the main player in southern Yemen while the country reeled from division and civil strife.
But in a matter of hours, the separatists lost control of all the territory they had previously held.
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The developments followed a military intervention by Saudi Arabia to stop what it called a threat to its national security.
Earlier this week, in a statement issued in Riyadh, the STC announced the movement’s dissolution.
Saudi Arabia is now planning a conference of the main political factions to shape the future of the south.
Will the outcome serve its long-term goals in Yemen?
Presenter: James Bays
Guests:
Khaled Batarfi – Political analyst
Farea Al Muslimi – Research fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa programme
Protests against US President Donald Trump’s militarised anti-immigration push are sweeping the United States, after the killing of a Minneapolis woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent sparked outrage this week.
Indivisible, a social movement group, said hundreds of demonstrations were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other US states on Saturday.
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“ICE’s violence is not a statistic, it has names, families, and futures attached to it, and we refuse to look away or stay silent,” Leah Greenberg, Indivisible’s co-executive director, said in a statement.
Steven Eubanks, 51, said he felt compelled to attend a protest in Durham, North Carolina, because of what he called the “horrifying” killing of Renee Nicole Good by the ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
“We can’t allow it,” Eubanks told The Associated Press news agency. “We have to stand up.”
Senior Trump administration officials have justified Good’s killing, saying she “weaponised” her vehicle and threatened the life of the ICE officer who shot and killed her.
But video footage from the scene showed Good attempting to drive away before being shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross.
The incident has renewed scrutiny of Trump’s push to deploy heavily armed law enforcement officers to carry out an anti-immigrant crackdown across the US, with local authorities demanding that ICE agents leave their cities.
The killing of Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, came as the US Department of Homeland Security pushes ahead with what it has called its largest-ever immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
‘ICE Out For Good’
Many of Saturday’s protests were dubbed “ICE Out for Good”, with organiser Indivisible saying the rallies aimed to “mourn the lives taken and shattered by ICE and to demand justice and accountability”.
In Minneapolis, a coalition of migrant rights groups called for a demonstration at Powderhorn Park, a large green space near the residential neighbourhood where the deadly shooting occurred on Wednesday.
They said the rally would call for an “end to deadly terror on our streets”.
Reporting from a rally in Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon, Al Jazeera’s Manuel Rapalo said the protesters have been expressing outrage “but overwhelmingly, we hear people say they’re here to demonstrate peacefully.”
“We’re also hearing a lot of calls for justice. What I’m not hearing is too much optimism that there will be justice in this case,” Rapalo said, referring to Good’s killing.
Federal agents tackle a protester to the ground before detaining him outside of the Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, January 8, 2026 [Tim Evans/Reuters]
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who demanded that ICE leave the city after the deadly incident, said on Saturday that 29 people had been arrested overnight as police responded to continued protests.
Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who damage property or endanger others will be arrested.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said one police officer was injured during the protest response.
Meanwhile, three US lawmakers representing Minnesota attempted to tour an ICE facility in the Minneapolis federal building on Saturday morning but were told to leave after initially being allowed to enter.
US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig accused ICE agents of obstructing members of Congress from fulfilling their duty to oversee operations there.
Nigeria powered to a deserved 2-0 victory over Algeria in their Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal with second-half strikes from Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams to set up a semifinal with hosts Morocco.
Osimhen steered home a long cross from the left by Bruno Onyemaechi two minutes into the second half on Saturday as Algeria goalkeeper Luca Zidane made a bizarre jump to try and stop the effort, but ended up getting his angles wrong and conceding an easy goal.
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Adams increased Nigeria’s lead 10 minutes later as Osimhen unselfishly fed him the ball, and he took it around Zidane before placing it into an empty net.
It was an impressive performance by Nigeria, who two months ago missed out on World Cup qualification, as they overwhelmed their opponents from the start at the Grand Stade de Marrakesh, looking more determined, quicker around the field and stronger in the challenges, and denying their opponents a single scoring chance.
Algeria were already hanging on grimly in the first half, with Nigeria having good chances to be ahead at the break.
Algeria centre back Ramy Bensebaini cleared off the line in the 29th minute from Calvin Bassey after the depth of Ademola Lookman’s free kick was misjudged by Zidane and the Nigeria fullback was able to steer an effort goalward from a tight angle.
Bensebaini hooked it clear, although television replays looked to show the whole circumference of the ball had crossed the line. A VAR check in the absence of goal line technology, however, did not award a goal.
In the 37th minute, a poor clearance from Zidane to full-back Aissa Mandi was intercepted by Alex Iwobi, who quickly fed the ball to Adams, but the Sevilla striker‘s left-footed effort missed the target with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Adams also headed against the upright in the 82nd minute as Osimhen’s enterprise and persistence again set him up with a clear chance.
Algeria had been forced to play extra-time before winning their last-16 clash against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday and the exertion could have been the reason many of their key players turned in listless performances. In contrast, Nigeria had a comfortable 4-0 win over Mozambique on Monday.
Nigeria, who have reached the last four 17 times in the last 20 tournaments they have qualified for, will take on Morocco in Rabat in the semifinals on Wednesday.
The Super Eagles, who had a far from ideal preparation with reports of bonuses not being paid, will face host Morocco in the second semifinal in Rabat on Wednesday.
Thousands of Yemenis have taken to the streets in Aden to show support for the Southern Transitional Council (STC) amid conflicting reports about the separatist group’s purported plans to disband following deadly confrontations with Saudi Arabia-backed forces.
STC supporters chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally backed government in demonstrations on Saturday in Aden’s Khor Maksar district, one of the group’s strongholds.
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The crowd waved the flag of the former South Yemen, which was an independent state between 1967 and 1990.
“Today, the people of the south gathered from all provinces in the capital, Aden, to reiterate what they have been saying consistently for years and throughout the last month: we want an independent state,” protester Yacoub al-Safyani told the AFP news agency.
The public show of solidarity came after a successful Saudi-backed offensive to drive the STC out of parts of southern and eastern Yemen that it had seized towards the end of last year.
The confrontations exposed heightened tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a top ally that the Saudi authorities have accused of backing the STC.
The group had taken over the provinces of Hadramout, on the border with Saudi Arabia, and al-Mahra, a land mass representing about half the country.
After weeks of Saudi-led efforts to de-escalate, Yemeni government forces, backed by the Gulf country, launched an attack on the STC, forcing the separatists out of Hadramout, the presidential palace in Aden and military camps in al-Mahra.
On Friday, an STC delegation that travelled to Riyadh for talks had announced the dissolution of the group in an apparent admission of defeat.
Secretary-General Abdulrahman Jalal al-Sebaihi said the group would shut down all of its bodies and offices inside and outside of Yemen, citing internal disagreements and mounting regional pressure.
However, Anwar al-Tamimi, an STC spokesman, contested the decision, writing on X that only the full council could take such steps under its president – highlighting internal divisions within the separatist movement.
During Saturday’s protest in Aden, STC supporters held up posters of the group’s leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who was smuggled from Aden to the UAE this week after failing to turn up to the talks in the Saudi capital.
Saudi-backed forces have accused the UAE of helping him escape on a flight that was tracked to a military airport in Abu Dhabi.
Thousands of Irish farmers have taken to the streets to protest against a trade agreement between the European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur, a day after a majority of EU member states gave provisional approval to the long-negotiated accord.
In the central town of Athlone, tractors streamed onto roads on Saturday as farmers from across Ireland gathered to demonstrate against the deal, holding placards reading “Stop EU-Mercosur” and shouting slogans accusing European leaders of sacrificing their interests.
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The protests came after Ireland, France, Poland, Hungary and Austria voted against the agreement on Friday but failed to block it.
The deal, more than 25 years in the making, would create one of the world’s largest free-trade areas, boosting commerce between the 27-nation EU and Mercosur countries Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Under the agreement, Mercosur would export agricultural products and minerals to Europe, while the EU would export machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals under reduced tariffs.
While the deal has been welcomed by business groups, it has been met with strong pushback from European farmers, who fear their livelihoods will be undercut by cheaper imports from South America, particularly agricultural powerhouse Brazil.
Irish farmers have been especially vocal in their opposition, warning that the deal could allow an additional 99,000 tonnes of low-cost beef to enter the EU market, disrupting Ireland’s farming sector.
Beef and dairy are major employers in Ireland, and many farmers say they already struggle to make a sustainable income.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), the country’s main farming lobby group, described the EU states’ decision this week as “very disappointing”.
The group said it would renew its efforts to stop the deal in the European Parliament, which must still approve the accord before it can take effect.
“We expect Irish MEPs to stand behind the farming community and reject the Mercosur deal,” IFA President Francie Gorman said in a statement.
‘Severe implications’
At Saturday’s protest in Athlone, farmers voiced anger and anxiety about the future of rural Ireland.
Joe Keogh, a farmer from the nearby village of Multyfarnham, told the Reuters news agency that the agreement would devastate farming communities.
“It’s an absolute disgrace on behalf of the farmers and people that have put Europe where it is today,” he said. “It’s going to close down the whole countryside.”
Others raised concerns about food quality and production standards.
Earlier in the week, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said he was worried that beef imported under the Mercosur deal might not be produced to the EU’s strict environmental standards.
“We have to be confident” that rules and obligations imposed on Irish farmers would not be undermined by imports produced under less stringent regulations, he said.
Irish farmers take part in a protest against the EU-Mercosur trade deal, in the town of Athlone [AFP]
Protesters echoed those concerns. Placards on Saturday read, “Our cows follow the rules, why don’t theirs?” and “Don’t sacrifice family farms for German cars,” reflecting fears that agriculture is being traded off to benefit other European industries.
The demonstration followed similar protests in Poland, France and Belgium on Friday, underscoring widespread unease among farmers across Europe.
Although opponents have secured some concessions and compensation measures for EU farmers, Ireland and France have pledged to continue fighting the deal as it moves to a potentially tight and unpredictable vote in the European Parliament.
For many farmers on the streets of Athlone, the issue goes beyond trade.
United States internet company Cloudflare has threatened to pull its services in Italy, including for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, after being fined 14 million euros ($16m) for failing to tackle online piracy.
Italy’s independent communications watchdog, Agcom, announced the fine on Thursday for “ongoing violation of the anti-piracy law”, notably failing to disable content flagged under its “Piracy Shield” system.
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The system allows rightsholders of livestreamed events to report pirated content through an automated platform, with providers required to block the content within 30 minutes.
In a lengthy post on X late Friday, Cloudflare chief executive Matthew Prince condemned what he said was a “scheme to censor the internet”.
He said the system had “no judicial oversight”, no appeal process and no transparency, and required services to block content not just in Italy, but globally.
Cloudflare had already launched legal challenges against the scheme and would now fight the fine, which he called “unjust”.
He also said his company was considering “discontinuing the millions of dollars in pro bono cyber-security services we are providing the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics”.
Prince said he would be discussing the issue with US officials in Washington, DC, next week and would then head to Lausanne for talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is organising the February 6-22 Winter Games in northern Italy.
He also warned his company could discontinue its free cybersecurity services for Italy-based users, remove all servers from Italian cities and scrap plans to invest in the country.
Cloudflare is a platform that provides services including security, traffic management and optimisation for websites and applications.
It claims to manage about 20 percent of global internet traffic.
