Mark Carney Heads to Beijing to Discuss Canada-China Relations as U.S. Outlook Darkens
The prime minister is seeking new markets for Canadian goods and to mend relations with China after years of deep acrimony between the two nations.
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LA opens ticket draw for 2028 Olympics - with seats starting at $28
If chosen via the draw, fans will be notified via email and will be given a time slot to purchase tickets in April.
Woman pulled out of UK ultramarathon after death threats over Afghanistan fundraising
Sarah Porter was running 108-mile Montane Winter Spine Challenger South race when security team had to disable tracking deviceA woman was pulled out of Britain’s most gruelling ultramarathon after receiving death threats over her fundraising for Afghan women and girls.Sarah Porter was nearly a third of the way through the 108-mile Montane Winter Spine Challenger South endurance race when organisers made the “difficult decision” to withdraw her due to threats to her life in relation to the charity she runs helping women and girls in war zones. Continue reading...
Iran crisis live: some personnel at US military base in Qatar told to leave ‘in response to regional tensions’
Qatar says it ‘continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety of its citizens and residents as a top priority’For the first time in days, Iranians were able to make calls abroad from their mobiles on Tuesday, according to reporting by Associated Press. Texting services have not been restored, however, and nor has the internet.Although Iranians were able to call abroad, they could not receive calls from outside the country, several people in the capital told Associated Press. The internet remained blocked, they said, though it is possible to access some government-approved websites. Cloudfare - an internet infrastructure provider, and one of several companies and monitors tracking the status of internet traffic in Iran – said traffic volumes have remained “at a fraction of a percent of previous levels”. Its latest update as of 01:00 UTC (which is about three hours and 30 minutes ago), shows a continued widespread blackout. Iran has been under an internet shutdown since Thursday night. Brief windows of connectivity were observed on Friday, but these did not last, according to Cloudfare.Netblocks, an independent global internet monitor, also notes that while some phone calls from Iran are connecting, there is “no secure way to communicate” and the general public remain cut off from the outside world. Continue reading...
Trump in fresh Greenland outbursts as ministers arrive for talks with Vance – Europe live
US president claims only US can protect territory and says ‘two dogsleds won’t do it’ as Danish and Greenlandic ministers hold talks with vice-presidentPeople in Greenland: share your views on Trump’s recent commentsUS president Donald Trump has doubled down on his rhetoric on getting control of Greenland, insisting that the US “needs Greenland for the purpose of national security.”In a social media post, Trump claimed that “Nato should be leading the way for us to get it,” and “if we don’t, Russia or China will, and that is not going to happen!”“Militarily, without the vast power of the United States, much of which I built during my first term, and am now bringing to a new and even higher level, Nato would not be an effective force or deterrent - not even close! They know that, and so do I.” Continue reading...
Home secretary says she has lost confidence in police chief behind Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ban
Shabana Mahmood’s statement on Craig Guildford comes after inquiry finds intelligence on Israeli fans ‘exaggerated or simply untrue’ UK politics live – latest updatesThe home secretary says she had lost confidence in the West Midlands chief constable after a “damning” report found intelligence to justify a ban on Israeli fans from a football game was “exaggerated or simply untrue”.The inquiry, which was ordered by Shabana Mahmood and carried out by the policing inspectorate, found the force made a series of errors in how it gathered and handled intelligence. Continue reading...
Home secretary says she will legislate to regain power to sack chief constables – UK politics live
Shabana Mahmood tells MPs she has lost confidence in West Midlands police chief Craig Guildford over the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans Here are extracts from three interesting comment articles about the digital ID U-turn.Ailbhe Rea in the New Statesman in the New Statesmans says there were high hopes for the policy when it was first announced.I remember a leisurely lunch over the summer when a supporter of digital IDs told me how they thought Keir Starmer would reset his premiership. Alongside a reorganisation of his team in Number 10, and maybe a junior ministerial reshuffle, they predicted he would announce in his speech at party conference that his government would be embracing digital IDs. “It will allow him to show he’s willing to do whatever it takes to tackle illegal immigration,” was their rationale.Sure enough, Starmer announced “phase two” of his government, reshuffled his top team and, on the Friday before Labour party conference, he duly announced his government would make digital IDs mandatory for workers. “We need to know who is in our country,” he said, arguing that the IDs would prevent migrants who “come here, slip into the shadow economy and remain here illegally”.In policy terms, I don’t think you particularly gain anything by making the government’s planned new digital ID compulsory.One example of that: Kemi Badenoch has both criticised the government’s plans to introduce compulsory ID, while at the same time committing to creating a “British ICE” that would go around deporting large numbers of people living in the UK. In a country with that kind of target and approach, people would be forced to carry their IDs around with them in any case! The Online Safety Act, passed into law by the last Conservative government with cross-party support and implemented by Labour, presupposes some form of ID to work properly.Here is the political challenge for Downing Street: the climbdowns, dilutions, U- turns, about turns, call them what you will, are mounting up.In just the last couple of weeks, there has been the issue of business rates on pubs in England and inheritance tax on farmers.We welcome Starmer’s reported U-turn on making intrusive, expensive and unnecessary digital IDs mandatory. This is a huge success for Big Brother Watch and the millions of Brits who signed petitions to make this happen.The case for the government now dropping digital IDs entirely is overwhelming. Taxpayers should not be footing a £1.8bn bill for a digital ID scheme that is frankly pointless. Continue reading...
Suspended Michigan autoworker who heckled Trump gets outpouring of donations
TJ Sabula raises tens of thousands after he reportedly called Trump a ‘pedophile protector’ during Ford plant tourTens of thousands of dollars have been raised for an autoworker at a Ford plant in Michigan who was suspended without pay after heckling Donald Trump.TJ Sabula is said to have called the president a ‘pedophile protector’ as he toured the automotive giant’s River Rouge complex on Tuesday. Continue reading...
China Announces Record Trade Surplus as Its Exports Flood World Markets
China’s surplus reached $1.19 trillion last year, a 20 percent increase from 2024, as Beijing kept the currency weak and pursued self-reliance to replace imports.
France announces ban on 10 British anti-migrant activists
French interior ministry issues ‘territorial bans’ after reports of anti-migrant activities by members of Raise the Colours movementFrance’s interior ministry has announced ban on 10 British anti-migrant activists who travelled to the country.Officials said they took action after reports that members of the Raise the Colours movement had conducted anti-migrant activities in France. Continue reading...