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...
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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...
Party had no ‘system’ to misuse EU funds, Marine Le Pen tells appeal trial
French far-right leader says ‘never in my life’ would she ask an MEP to hire assistants to work for Front NationalThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has told a Paris appeals court there was no “system” set up by her party to misuse European parliament funds, as she gave evidence in a fresh embezzlement trial that will determine whether she can run in the 2027 presidential election.“The word ‘system’ bothers me because [it gives] the impression of a manipulation,” Le Pen said on Tuesday, denying she had told members of the European parliament to hire assistants who instead worked for the party headquarters in Paris. Continue reading...
Kurdish forces withdraw from IS detention camp in north-east Syria
Neighbouring states warned of chaos if IS prisoners were freed from camp they regard as hotbed of extremismKurdish-led forces in Syria have announced a withdrawal from a detention camp in north-east Syria housing tens of thousands of Islamic State-linked detainees, as government forces continued to advance in the region.The fate of al-Hawl, which houses among others the most radical of foreign women suspected to have been members of IS, and their families, is of great concern to neighbouring states and the international community. These states have for years warned that the camp is a hotbed of extremism and chaos could result if a jailbreak were to occur. 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...
US supreme court releases more decisions but does not rule on Trump tariffs – live
Court did not publish much-anticipated ruling on the legality of Trump’s tariffs as US president doubles down on Greenland threatsThe supreme court did not issue a decision today on the legality of Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs.It’s not immediately clear the next date the court will issue opinions. Continue reading...
Beckham feud: Marina Hyde on why Brooklyn has gone nuclear – The Latest
Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, the eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham, has appeared to permanently cut ties with his family. In an explosive statement posted on Instagram, he claimed his parents had been controlling narratives in the press about his family, and had tried to ‘ruin’ his relationship with his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham.Lucy Hough speaks to Guardian columnist Marina Hyde – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
US diplomats urged to remind African leaders of US ‘generosity’ despite USAID closing
Email sent by chief of state department’s African affairs bureau to his staff dismissing Africa as a priority described as ‘racist’US diplomats have been encouraged to “unabashedly and aggressively” remind African governments about the “generosity” of the American people, according to a leaked email sent to the US state department’s Bureau of African Affairs this January and obtained by the Guardian.“It’s not gauche to remind these countries of the American people’s generosity in containing HIV/Aids or alleviating famine,” says the email. Continue reading...
Israel Seizes U.N. Agency’s Jerusalem Headquarters
Bulldozers leveled some structures in a compound that belonged to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, escalating Israel’s crackdown on the organization.
Prince Harry’s Court Case Against Daily Mail Publisher: What to Know
Harry is set to give evidence on Wednesday in his case accusing Associated Newspapers of phone hacking and other unlawful activities.