Islamic State Claims Deadly Attack on Chinese Restaurant in Afghanistan
A bombing that killed seven people and injured a dozen more at a noodle restaurant in a busy area of Kabul is likely to heighten China’s growing security concerns in Afghanistan.
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Darren Jones to make it easier to sack senior civil servants under plans to ‘rewire’ Whitehall
Chief secretary to prime minister will also bring in small, risk-taking task forces to target specific problemsKeir Starmer’s chief enforcer Darren Jones says he is going to bust “the sludge” in Whitehall by bringing in risk-taking task forces to deal with problems and the ability to sack senior civil servants who do not deliver.Jones, who is chief secretary to the prime minister, said civil servants should feel “jeopardy” if they are underperforming – highlighting that only seven out of 7,000 senior civil servants are on improvement plans. Continue reading...
Minister tells MPs that China mega-embassy will have ‘clear security advantages’ – UK politics live
Dan Jarvis answers questions in the Commons over the decision to approve a new ‘super-embassy’ UK government approves Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in LondonJack Straw, a former Labour foreign secretary, has praised Keir Starmer for the way he is handling Donald Trump. While some opposition parties want Starmer to be more confrontational, Straw told Times Radio that would be a mistake. He said:The best approach [to handling Trump] that I know of is the one that’s being adopted by our prime minister, Keir Starmer. It’s very hard. It’s very frustrating. I’m sure there have been occasions where Sir Keir has said things to himself in the shaving mirror about Mr Trump that he would not wish to be repeated. But he is an example of how to handle Donald Trump. It is infinitely better than challenging Trump’s ego, to which there is no limit, trying to work around him.And up to now, the Starmer approach to Trump has succeeded, not least in the fact that, until this latest outburst on Greenland, we did have a much better deal on tariffs than, say, the European Union has had.The treaty has been signed with the Mauritian government. So I can’t reverse the clock on that. The treaty has been signed. Parliament has a kind of enabling function on treaties. It’s not like a traditional piece of legislation. So it can’t unwind the treaty having been signed. Continue reading...
Macron warns against ‘new colonial approach’ after Trump says ‘no going back’ on Greenland – Europe live
French president says ‘we prefer respect over bullies’ after leak of his text exchange with Trump And Davos looks like the place to be this week, with Trump now declaring that after his call with Nato’s Rutte he will have “a meeting of the various parties” on Greenland – whatever that means and whoever is going to be involved.Separately, it’s not clear if Macron’s offer of setting up a G7 meeting on the sidelines was accepted (although looking at timings it would risk clashing with the emergency EU summit on Thursday night), but his separate invitation to a dinner at the Élysée Palace might be gone after Trump’s very pointed and personal criticism of the French president.Attacked the UK, mockingly calling it a “brilliant” ally, for “shocking” plan to hand over sovereignity of the Chagos islands to Mauritius (despite previous US support), saying it’s among a “long line” of reasons why Greenland “has to be acquired”Leaked private text messages from France’s Emmanuel Macron and Nato’s Mark Rutte discussing his latest policy movesThreatened France with 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne over Macron’s refusal to join the Gaza “board of peace”, said of Macron that “nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon”Reiterated his intention of taking over Greenland as “imperative for national and world security,” saying “there can be no going back”Posted an AI generated visual of himself planting the US flag on Greenland, saying it’s “US territory, est. 2026,” days after the US delegation agreed with Danish foreign minister for talks to be conducted behind closed doors, and not through threatening messages on social media. Continue reading...
Davos: Reeves urges leaders to keep cool heads over tariff threat in free trade call – business live
Rolling coverage of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where European Commission president says Europe must respond to geopolitical shocksFull report: Trump tariffs over Greenland are an error, says Ursula von der LeyenScott Bessent then denies that European Union countries, and the UK, could exercise the “nuclear option” over the Greenland crisis, and dump their holdings of US Treasuries.Asked how the Treasury Department, and the White House, would prepare for this, Bessent insists it is a “completely false narrative”, and claims the media are “hysterical” over the issue.I would say this is the same kind of hysteria that we heard on April 2nd. There was a panic.What I am urging everyone here to do is sit back, take a deep breath, and let things play out.What president Trump is threatening on Greenland is very different than the other trade deals. So I would urge all countries to stick with their trade deals. Continue reading...
The Northern Lights Have Inspired Humans for Thousands of Years
The aurora borealis has animated myths, art, poetry and music for thousands of years. Here are some examples.
US supreme court set to release more rulings as Trump tariffs decision looms – live
Unclear if court will publish much-anticipated ruling on the legality of Trump’s tariffs as US president doubles down on Greenland threatsTwo boxes have been brought out at the supreme court, which means there could be up to four decisions released today.As we wait on today’s opinions from the supreme court, it’s worth remembering that justices on the bench appeared skeptical of the administration’s arguments justifying the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to slap duties on dozens of countries, citing a national emergency. A reminder that the ability to institute taxes is a power normally only afforded to Congress. Continue reading...
Uganda’s Bobi Wine: ‘We have evidence’ of election fraud in Museveni win
In exclusive interview from hiding, main opposition presidential candidate blasts gov't's 'crackdown to silence' critics.
Spain Scrutinizes Break in Track After 2 Trains Collide, Killing 40
Crews were working to retrieve bodies after two high-speed trains derailed in southern Spain. The regional authorities said 41 people were hospitalized, with a dozen of them in intensive care.
Sanctions request against Netanyahu filed by UK lawyers, rights group
The Arab Organisation for Human Rights UK (AOHR UK) calls for targeted financial and travel sanctions.