Although South Africa has expressed regret over the US’s decision to fire Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, the country “mains committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship” with Washington.
In a statement released on Saturday morning, just hours after US State Secretary Marco Rubio called Rasool a “race-baiting politician” who despises the US and President Donald Trump, the presidency of South Africa urged “all relevant and impacted stakeholders to maintain the established diplomatic decorum in their engagement with the matter.”
Rubio claimed on X that Rasool was no longer a “welcome in our great country,” adding that “we have nothing to discuss with him and that he is therefore regarded as PERSONA NON GRATA.”
Rubio cited Rasool as saying that Trump “mottoed a “white victimhood” and “white victimhood” as a “dog whistle” during the 2024 elections in an article by the right-wing media outlet Breitbart.
However, Sandile Swana, a political analyst from South Africa, claimed that Pretoria’s decision to file a genocide case with the International Court of Justice against Israel, a close US ally, was at the heart of the conflict.
What South Africans underwent during the apartheid regime “is on steroids in Palestine,” according to Rasool, an anti-apartheid campaigner, who spoke to the Zeteo news site in February.
Swana further stated that the US “supported the apartheid regime” in the struggle against apartheid.
Rasool continued to criticize the behavior of the United States, which supports apartheid and genocide, he continued.
Land policy
The South African ambassador’s dismissal comes at a time when there are growing tensions between the two nations, with Trump cutting funding for the country after he criticizes its land-grabbing policy, which he claimed allows to seize land from white farmers.
Trump went further and said farmers in South Africa were welcome to settle in the US last week, reiterating the government’s claim that it was “confiscating” land from white people.
Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, who was born in South Africa, has also claimed that the nation has “openly racist ownership laws.”
Despite fears they may face persecution, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced sanctions against an unnamed number of Thai officials who detained at least 40 Uighurs last month.
Rubio said in a statement on Friday that he was putting a stop to current and former officials who were directly to blame for or were involved in the deportations. No names of Thai officials have been given.
Rights groups have been voicing concerns about China’s ongoing abuses, including the widespread detention of Uighurs, a largely Muslim ethnic minority of about 10 million people in the western region of Xinjiang. These assertions are refuted by Beijing.
Rubio said, “We are committed to battling China’s efforts to force governments to forcibly return Uyghurs and other groups to China, where they are subject to torture and arbitrary disappearances.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand stated on Saturday that it had repeatedly stated to foreign countries that China had assured them that they would be safe and that Thailand would take care of their well-being after clarifying several times with those who have expressed their concerns.
For more than 50 years, Thailand has upheld a long tradition of humanitarianism, particularly by aiding displaced people from various nations, and it will continue to do so, according to a statement from the ministry.
The men’s defense and justice ministers in Thailand have a trip to China next week, according to Thailand’s defense and justice ministers. A number of Thai journalists were arranged to attend.
In 2014, Thai authorities detained more than 300 Uighurs fleeing China. 48 Uighurs were still being held in Thai detention until February when authorities decided to return them to China despite being told by Thai lawmakers and international officials not to.
Rubio blasted the return, saying that “Uyghurs have endured persecution, forced labor, and torture” in China.
40 Chinese nationals who had been “smuggled” were repatriated to Xinjiang on a chartered flight, according to the Chinese embassy in Bangkok’s Facebook posts, and they had all “returned home and reunited with their families after more than ten years.”
Syria has experienced a violent outburst just months after President Bashar al-Assad’s assassination. With forces affiliated with the government accused of massacrening hundreds of civilians from religious minorities, coastal towns have turned into killing grounds.
In a nation that is still reeling from decades of civil war and decades of a brutal regime, misinformation is also prevalent online in Syria. This is part of an information war that is fostering sectarian fear and exacerbated divisions.
Lead contributors:
Zaina Erhaim, a journalist Verify Syria founder, Ahmad Primo Ola Suliman, The Syria Campaign’s lead, Director of the LSE Research Program Rim Turkmani-Syria
On our radar:
On campus at universities, the Trump White House is waging an unprecedented crackdown on pro-Palestine activism. Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate and theoretically a permanent US resident, is the subject of a Meenakshi Ravi report that has been deported.
Immigration raids as entertainment – ICE’s PR blitz
Immigration enforcement is a spectacle in Trump’s America, not just a policy. Is it law and order or a made-for-TV performance as ICE raids are getting more and more staged for the cameras and journalists getting front-row access to dramatic arrests?
Tariq Nafi from The Listening Post examines the influence of media on the immigration debate.
Aspirin has been used as a standard painkiller for countless years. It may also aid in the fight against cancer, according to recent research.
A study published in Nature last week explains why, in contrast to earlier research that suggested a link between aspirin use and improved cancer survival. However, experts caution that aspirin has risks, such as increased risk of internal bleeding, and is not a cure.
How might aspirin prevent the spread of cancer? What does this mean for upcoming treatments?
What have studies on the relationship between aspirin use and cancer found?
Although it’s not clear whether aspirin, a widely used painkiller, will work the same way for all different types of cancer, as recent studies have shown.
This connection has been the subject of decades of research. The first clinical study, which was published in 1988, discovered that regular aspirin use significantly reduced the risk of colorectal cancer, despite the underlying cause lagging.
A new study from the University of Cambridge provides additional data now. It discovered the aspirin-mediated mechanism that may aid in the spread of cancer, known as metastasis.
The majority of cancer-related deaths are caused by metastasis, where cancer cells attempt to spread their cellular phenotype throughout the body.
As these drifting cancer cells become more aggressive, aspirin may strengthen the body’s natural defenses, preventing the cancer cells from destroying more organs.
How does aspirin prevent cancer from spreading?
The body’s immune system, a complex network of cells and proteins that protects against diseases, infections, and harmful germs, is what determines how well aspirin works on cancer.
The immune system, specifically T-cells, typically hunts down and destroys cancer cells when they vanish from tumors and enter the bloodstream. However, platelets, tiny blood cell fragments that aid in clotting, can interfere with this process.
By triggering a reaction akin to an injury, cancer makes use of platelets. Platelets swarm to cover cancer cells when they discover them as a means of covering them in a similar way to stop bleeding in a wound.
The immune system is made more difficult to recognize and attack cancer cells by creating a protective shield. Additionally, platelets secrete T-cell signals, which prevent them from carrying out their function.
By lowering the production of a molecule that platelets use to suppress immune activity, aspirin blocks cancer’s attempts at trickery. T-cells regain their capacity to recognize and destroy cancer cells before they can develop new tumors as a result of the platelets’ deterioration.
What potential does aspirin have for cancer treatment?
According to the study, aspirin might be used following procedures like tumor removal surgery.
This is because some cancer cells may have already escaped the tumor and begun to settle elsewhere, through the practice of seeding, where tiny cancer cells can establish themselves in fresh regions and develop into tumors.
However, experts advise caution when using aspirin without conducting further research. Because the platelets’ ability to help blood clot can be weakened by the painkiller, which has the potential for serious side effects like internal bleeding.
A molecule that causes platelets to clump together is blocked by aspirin. This makes blood thinner, leading to more frequent bleeding. This is particularly dangerous in the stomach, where aspirin can irritate the lining and lead to ulcers, and in the brain, where a burst of a tiny blood vessel increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
Additionally, the study was conducted on mice and not humans, so it must be independently evaluated for its impact on cancer spread.
According to Rahul Roychoudhuri, a professor in Cambridge’s Department of Pathology and a member of the Nature study, “our research provides a molecular explanation for observations from clinical studies, but proper clinical validation is still required.”
In the UK, Ireland, and India, there are currently several clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of aspirin for various cancer types, including the ADD-ASPIRIN trial.
Roychoudhuri added that he does not anticipate an “immediate, quick-tracked translation” of aspirin into cancer treatment.
Has aspirin previously been used to treat illnesses?
Aspirin is already recommended as a preventative measure in countries like Australia and the UK for some patients who have a high genetic risk for cancer, such as those who have Lynch syndrome, a condition that raises the risk of developing some cancers.
Aspirin has been prescribed to people at high risk of heart disease and strokes since the 1980s because it lessens the ability of platelets to form harmful clots that can obstruct blood flow to the heart or brain. In those with a history of cardiovascular disease, this clot-preventing effect helps lower the risk of heart attacks.
Does this indicate that cancer treatment is on the verge of a breakthrough?
Not necessarily. Aspirin does not completely eliminate tumors, despite its potential to slow or stop the spread of cancer.
To help identify people at risk for cancer early, scientists are currently working to identify biomarkers, which are measurable blood-related markers.
Paola Patrignani, a professor of pharmacology at Gabriele d’Annunzio University in Italy, said, “This would allow for timely treatment with aspirin while reducing unnecessary exposure for those who do not require it.”
According to experts, the findings may also aid in the development of drugs to stop the spread of cancer.
“Our findings open the door to the development of more precisely targeted therapies that could potentially deliver the benefits without the side effects of aspirin,” Roychoudhuri said.
According to Patrignani, who is a participant in cancer research funded by Cancer Research UK to look into whether other anti-platelet medications, such as clopidogrel, may offer comparable benefits, these studies will need to be completed for another three to five years.
She is confident in the direction the research will take, though. “We are about to make a significant breakthrough in cancer research. This fresh information may lead to novel treatments and the potential to save countless lives.
Why is it still so difficult to find a cancer cure?
One of medicine’s biggest challenges is still finding a cure for cancer.
It is challenging to find a cure for everyone because there are so many different types of cancer, each with its own characteristics and methods of spreading.
Additionally, a combination of environmental and genetic predispositions influences tumor development. According to research, treatment must be individualized to be truly effective.
Photographs of fallen fighters adorn a wall of a rebel headquarters in Falam township, Chin State, a tribute to some 80 young men, starting with Salai Cung Naw Piang, 28, who was killed in May 2021.
The true toll on the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) extends beyond this hall and grows as war against Myanmar’s military grinds on in Chin State – a Christian region of the country bordering India where ethnic Chin fighters have expelled the military from most of their territory.
In a recent interview with CNDF Vice President Peter Thang, “We will go until the end, inch by inch,” he declared.
The Chin offensive, which was launched in mid-November and is known as “Mission Jerusalem,” has had a significant impact. About 50 CNDF and allied fighters were killed in the first six weeks, some buried alive after direct air strikes by jet fighters of Myanmar’s military regime on earthen bunkers, Thang said.
In the ongoing operation, Thang estimated that there were comparable casualties incurred by Myanmar’s military and more than 100 government soldiers.
The CNDF has encircled the regime’s final garrison in a hilltop base in Falam following the military coup in Myanmar in 2021.
“We are facing a difficult time”, Thang admitted.
He referred to Mission Jerusalem’s ultimate goal as “if God is willing to hand over the enemy, we will take it.”
According to Thang, who ran a travel agency in Yangon prior to the coup, taking and holding Falam, the former capital of Chin State, would also mark the first district center to be taken over by the country’s new rebel forces without the support of established ethnic armies.
“We have more challenges than others”, he said.
“The military has a lot of technology,” he said. We only have a small number of weapons, he continued, and some of them are inoperable.
Peter Thang, Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) vice president, sits in front of the CNDF flag during an interview in a village at the front line in Falam, Chin State, Myanmar, in January 2025]Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera]
Hilltop base besieged
About 600 rebels have besieged Falam and the roughly 120 government soldiers who are confined to their hilltop bases on a helicopter to survive, with the CNDF supporting fighters from 15 newly formed armed groups, including those from Myanmar’s ethnic Bamar majority.
Unlike established ethnic armies who are fighting to gain more territory for themselves, the rebel forces massed in Chin State said they aim to overthrow Myanmar’s military regime entirely.
Seizing Falam independently would mark a new chapter of Myanmar’s revolution, despite the CNDF and its allies’ successes in the Chin Brotherhood (CB) coalition’s previous victories against the military with support from the powerful Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine State.
The military’s aerial assaults continue to be the biggest challenge in the conflict, though.
Operations against the hilltop base in Falam trigger bombardments from the military’s Russian and Chinese fighter jets, along with rocket-propelled grenades, artillery, sniper and machinegun fire from troops defending the outpost.
[Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera] A Chin National Defense Force fighter points at the Myanmar military’s hilltop base in Falam, Chin State, Myanmar.
According to CNDF commanders, besieged soldiers once had a chance to exchange ideas with locals and had even become married to local Chin women. But that all changed when Myanmar’s security forces shot peaceful protesters demonstrating against the military’s ousting of Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021.
Demonstrators fought back, leading to the birth of a bloody uprising.
The first victim, a 19-year-old protester, was Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, who was fatally shot in the head by police in Naypyidaw, the nation’s capital on February 9, 2021.
In April 2021, armed with hunting rifles, the Chin launched the first significant battle of Myanmar’s uprising in Mindat town, which has since been liberated.
The rebels now have grenade launchers and assault rifles. They have the upper hand over the majority of the countryside and a few towns, but they continue to be underhanded as a result of the military’s isolation in the urban centers. Unable to launch ground offensives from their depleted ranks, the regime’s generals have turned to forced conscription and indiscriminate air strikes nationwide.
Since the coup, the military has killed at least 6, 353 civilians, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. Observers predict even fiercer fighting this year given that there are at least 3.5 million internally displaced people in the nation, per the UN.
A CNDF fighter stands near the ruins of a Christian church bombed by a Myanmar military jet in Falam township, Chin State, Myanmar]Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera]
Some people passed away, while others scurried out of control.
According to CNDF defense secretary Olivia Thawng Luai, spouses share a home with some of the soldiers in the nearby hilltop holdout.
“Most soldiers want to leave their base but they are under the commander’s control”, said Olivia Thawng Luai, a former national karate champion. They are not permitted to leave the base or use their phones, she said.
The commander of the besieged base still has his own phone, according to another senior CNDF official, Timmy Htut, and the rebels call him frequently.
“One day he will pick up”, he said. When is he ready?
The military’s unsuccessful attempts to dispatch reinforcements to Falam. Helicopters, facing sheets of gunfire, have dropped conscripted airborne recruits on Falam’s outskirts, ordering them to fight their way into the town. There is no success here.
Olivia Thawng Luai, the defense secretary of the CNDF, is on the front line in Falam town [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera]
A captured soldier said his unit was dropped in without a plan, and, under heavy fire and pursued by resistance fighters, they scattered in chaos.
The soldier told Al Jazeera, “Some people died, and others fled in all directions.”
The headquarters reportedly stated that they could not waste their jet-strikes on a select few of us. The military, he continued, has lost “many skilful, valuable” soldiers since the coup.
He claimed that they “did their lives for nothing.”
The military leaders will ultimately hold peace talks, with the possibility of democracy in the end.
Among the people displaced by fighting in Falam, and who are forced to shelter under bridges and tarpaulins, a new generation prepares to fight.
Junior, 15, spoke from an air raid shelter close to the bomb-dropping jets while helping a Chin hospital camp.
Junior remarked, “I’ll do whatever I can.” “There’s no way to study in Myanmar. She said, “I don’t want this to happen to upcoming generations.”
A Myanmar military jet is flying over Falam town [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera] while Junior, 15, seated left, assists at a hospital camp.
‘ None of you would be alive ‘
The Chin resistance struggles with internal division, too. It has split into two groups: the Chin Brotherhood, which consists of six post-coup resistance groups, including the CNDF, and is led by the Chin National Front (CNNF), which was founded in 1988 with its allies.
Their dispute centres on who shapes Chin’s future – the CNF favouring a dialect-based governance structure, the CB preferring the governing of townships. The distribution of power is determined by the language and the land, which has occasionally resulted in violent clashes between Chin groups due to tribal rivalries and traditional mistrust.
Although mediation efforts by northeast India’s Mizoram authorities are progressing, analyst R Lakher for Myanmar described the division as “serious.”
On February 26, the two rival factions announced they would merge to form the Chin National Council, with a goal of uniting different armed groups under one military leadership and administration.
Lakher praised the development, but added that the process must be “very systematic” and include not just advocacy groups but also key political figures on both sides.
He claimed that “Chin civilians have suffered the most.” “Despite liberation, some cannot return home because of this internal conflict”.
He claimed that taking Falam would be “significant” because Tedim town’s proximity would make it easier for the CB to target and would help them advance in their negotiations with the CNF coalition.
Lakher estimated that Chin State had been liberated for more than 70% of that time.
“We’ve seen the junta being defeated across Myanmar”, he said. However, unity is required for pro-democracy forces.
He claimed that “bring all democratic forces together” was a top priority for the National Unity Government, which is referred to as Myanmar’s shadow government.
“With so many armed groups, there’s concern they’ll fight each other without strong leadership”, he said. While Bamar lands are still under military control, ethnic areas are being liberated. The Bamar people now determine the pace of the revolution.
Fighters stand near the fresh graves of fallen Chin comrades in Falam]Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera]
Two trucks carrying captured regime soldiers passed Chin’s bombed churches, mustard leaf gardens, and mothers cradling babies in heavy shawls along the road leaving Falam town. The agitated prisoners of war claimed they had been made into military service as the trucks crossed paths with resistance fighters heading toward the front.
“You were conscripted five months ago”, a rebel fighter remonstrated with prisoners in the truck. What did you do at the time? he inquired. He then added:” We’ve been fighting the revolution. “
Another rebel participated in the rebuke.
He said, “Count yourself lucky to be captured here,” and not in the country’s harsh central drylands, where rebel units roam freely.
Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, has expressed concern about “a disturbing rise in anti-Muslim bigotry,” calling on governments to protect religious freedom and use of hate speech on social media.
On Saturday, Guterres made the remarks in response to the annual March 15 International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
Since Israel’s 17-month war on Gaza began, there have been more rises in Islamophobia, anti-Arab bias, and anti-Semitism according to rights organizations all over the world and the UN.
Anti-Muslim bigotry is rising alarmingly. In a video post on X, the UN chief described racism and discriminatory policies that violate human rights and dignity as well as direct violence against people and places of worship. This is a “part of a wider pandemic of intolerance, extremist ideologies, and attacks against religious groups and vulnerable populations.”
He urged governments to “promote social cohesion and defend religious freedom,” without naming any particular country.
Hate speech and harassment must be prohibited on online platforms. And against bigotry, xenophobia, and discrimination, he continued.
Anti-Muslim bigotry is a growing trend in a wider pandemie of hatred and violence against religious groups and also, vulnerable populations.
Let’s work together to uphold equality, human rights, and dignity this International Day to Combat Islamophobia. pic. twitter.com/QIO1TeWME5
According to UN Under-Secretary-General Miguel Angel Moratinos, Muslims are also subject to “institutional discrimination and socioeconomic restrictions.”
In a speech to the UN General Assembly, he said, “These biases are manifested in the stigmatization and unwarranted racial profiling of Muslims and are reinforced by biased media representations, as well as by some political leaders’ anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies.”
Because some people associate those communities with armed groups, rights advocates have for years raised concerns about the stigma faced by Muslims and Arabs.
Many pro-Palestinian activists have complained and claim that their support for Palestinian rights is incorrectly portrayed by their critics as supporting Hamas in Gaza at the moment, including in Western nations like the United States.
Rights-focused organizations have released data in recent weeks that shows record levels of hate speeches and incidents against Muslims in nations like the UK, the US, and India, among others.
![A Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) fighter points to the Myanmar military's base in Falam, Chin State, Myanmar, December 31, 2024. Peter Thang, Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) vice president, sits in front of the CNDF flag during an interview in a village at the frontline in Falam, Chin State, Myanmar, January 2, 2025. [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera]](https://i0.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/0H1A3676-1742020649.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
![Olivia Thawng Luai, Chin National Defence Force (CNDF)'s defence secretary, is portrayed in a village at the frontline in Falam, Chin State, Myanmar, January 1, 2025. [Olivia Thawng Luai, Chin National Defence Force (CNDF)'s defence secretary, sits in front of the CNDF flag during an interview in a village at the frontline in Falam, Chin State, Myanmar, January 1, 2025 A Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) fighter stands on the ruins of a church bombed by a Myanmar military jet in Falam township, Chin State, Myanmar, December 31, 2024. [Valeria Mongelli/Al Jazeera]](https://i0.wp.com/www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AB5A6023-1742020999.jpg?w=696&ssl=1)
