Ban on Palestine Action ‘massively backfired’, says group’s co-founder

Munich Security Conference live: Zelenskyy criticises Orbán and joins Starmer in calling for European unity

Ukrainian president says ‘our unity is the best interceptor against Russia’s aggressive plans’Rubio insists that the US “do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship.”He says “we do not want allies to rationalise the broken status quo rather than reckon with what is necessary to fix it.”“We do not want our allies to be weak, because that makes us weaker. We want allies who can defend themselves, so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength. This is why we do not want our allies to be shackled by guilt and shame. Continue reading...

Live Updates: In Munich, Rubio Calls Europe a Friend but Says It Must Change

European leaders expressed relief at the tone of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s remarks, but they made it clear that the trans-Atlantic rift remained.

Venezuelan deportee welcomes chance of US return but fears repeat of ordeal

Luis Muñoz Pinto, 27, who was sent to notoriously brutal prison in El Salvador would like to clear his name after US judge’s rulingA US federal judge’s order that some of the Venezuelan men sent by the Trump administration to a notorious prison in El Salvador must be allowed to return to the United States to fight their cases has been greeted with hope and a sense of vindication – but also fear – by one of the deportees. US district judge James Boasberg ruled on Thursday in Washington DC that the Trump administration should facilitate the return of deportees who are currently in countries outside Venezuela, saying they must be given the opportunity to seek the due process they were denied after being illegally expelled from the US last March.Boasberg added that the US government should cover the travel costs of those who wish to come to the US to argue their immigration cases. Continue reading...

US fixation on the hard-hat economy and making manufacturing great again makes little sense

The dream of greasy overalls is driven by nostalgia and doesn’t justify policies that harm US consumersThe exhortations to protect America’s industrial muscle have resonated in the US at least since maverick presidential candidate Ross Perot brought up the supposed “giant sucking sound” of jobs pulled to Mexico by the Nafta trade agreement back in 1993.They flourished under Donald Trump’s first presidency and his promise to restore jobs lost to trade agreements. Joe Biden, too, put “rebuilding the backbone of America: manufacturing, unions and the middle class” at the center of his agenda. And in 2024, Trump reheated his old promise that “jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country”. Continue reading...

Danish state could face legal action over deal that gives US powers on its soil

Claims that agreement is unconstitutional could pose problems in talks with Washington over GreenlandDenmark could face legal action over an agreement that gives the US sweeping powers on Danish soil, over claims it is “unconstitutional” and could pose problems in talks with Washington over Greenland.The agreement, which was signed under the Biden administration in 2023 and was passed by the Danish parliament last year, gives the US “unhindered access” to its airbases and powers over its civilians. Continue reading...

Here’s the latest.

Winter Olympics hit by another suspected sabotage of rail services

Italy's Transport Minister Matteo Salvini says 'lives at risk' as services between Milano Cortina Games hit.

T20 World Cup: Pakistan ‘always ready’ for India despite late green light

Both teams say they are set for Sunday's showdown despite the late decision for India's match with Pakistan to proceed.

In Munich, Rubio Stresses Shared History to Europeans but Warns of ‘Civilizational Erasure’

In his speech at the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced some far-right ideas, but his diplomatic tone came as a relief to the audience.