AFP USA

An American climber took on Taiwan’s tallest building on Sunday, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net.Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-storey tower to watch Alex Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix.After an hour and a half, he successfully made it up 1,667 feet (508 metres) before triumphantly rappelling down to reunite with his wife, Sanni McCandless Honnold. Speaking at a press briefing afterwards, Honnold said “time is finite”, and people should “use it in the best way”.”If you work really hard… you can do hard things,” Honnold added.Honnold has conquered some of the world’s most intimidating rock faces and rose to global fame in 2017 after he climbed Yosemite’s “El Capitan”, lauded among his peers as the pinnacle of technical difficulty on the massive granite monolith.It had always been a dream of Honnold’s to add scaling Taipei 101 to his list of achievements he told reporters, adding that his first request had been rejected. He did not offer more details about why this was the case.”For the project to come together more than a decade later… It’s so great. What an opportunity, it is such a pleasure,” he added.Honnold is the first person to free solo climb Taipei 101, without a rope, harness, or safety net, but not the first to reach its peak.In 2004, Alain Robert, dubbed “the French Spiderman,” was the first to take on the challenge, but used safety ropes because of the rainy conditions.Sunday’s spectacle drew crowds of hundreds, with onlooker Richard Bode, 34, calling the event a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”Benson, 24, told AFP that Honnold was “incredibly brave”, while others, like Lin Chia-jou, 54, said it was “terrifying” to watch.Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te congratulated Honnold in a Facebook post on Sunday, branding the challenge “truly moving”.”The climb was tense, setting hearts racing,” he added in the post.- Daring feat -The event, titled “Skyscraper Live”, was scheduled to be broadcast on Netflix on Saturday (0100 GMT), but it was postponed due to bad weather.Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building swiftly on Sunday when better weather permitted the climb.At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos.People watching from inside the building could be seen gawking and tapping at the glass, as Honnold moved past the enclosed observation deck on the 89th floor.Taipei 101 chairwoman Janet Chia said on Saturday on Threads that it was touching to hear that fans had travelled from Singapore, Hong Kong and southern Taiwan to watch the climb and apologised for the delay in the event.

The killing of a US citizen by federal immigration agents on Saturday — the second in Minneapolis this month — sparked new protests and impassioned demands by local leaders for the Trump administration to end its operation in the city.Federal agents shot dead Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, while scuffling with him on an icy roadway, less than three weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, in her car.The Trump administration quickly claimed, as it did after Good’s death, that Pretti had intended to harm the federal agents, even as video of the incident appeared to contradict their account.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pointed to a pistol and ammunition it said was discovered on Pretti.”He was there to perpetuate violence,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told a briefing, while White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller referred to Pretti as an “assassin,” in a post amplified on X by Vice President JD Vance.However, as with Good’s death, cell phone footage of the incident raised serious questions about the federal government’s description of the incident.Video aired widely by US media, which AFP has not verified, shows Pretti filming agents in the snow-lined street and directing traffic.After an agent shoves a woman protester to the ground on the sidewalk, Pretti steps in between them and is sprayed in the face by a chemical irritant.The agent then pulls Pretti to the ground and several officers struggle to detain him on the icy roadway.Seconds later, as an officer apparently discovers and pulls a gun from Pretti’s pants, agents open fire, also shooting his motionless body several times from a distance.Pretti’s parents in a statement circulated by US media called him a “kindhearted soul” and accused the Trump administration of telling “sickening lies” about their son.Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and demanded state authorities lead the investigation.”The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state will handle it, period,” Walz told a news conference.Federal authorities controversially blocked local investigators from jointly probing Good’s death.One Senate Republican on Saturday called for a joint investigation into the shooting.”The events in Minneapolis are incredibly disturbing. The credibility of ICE and DHS are at stake,” Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, wrote on X.”There must be a full joint federal and state investigation. We can trust the American people with the truth.”- ‘Insurrection’ -Republican President Donald Trump meanwhile ratcheted up his war of words with Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing the Democratic leaders of “inciting insurrection” with their rhetoric.Trump had previously threatened to send troops to Minnesota by invoking the Insurrection Act.As the president presses a sweeping campaign to deport undocumented migrants, thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to the Democratic-led city.Public outrage was also rekindled earlier this week by the detention of a five-year-old boy as federal agents sought to arrest his father.Frey at a news conference urged Trump to end the federal immigration operation, which has sparked sometimes violent demonstrations.”This is a moment to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America first in this moment — let’s achieve peace. Let’s end this operation.”Police Chief Brian O’Hara said an “incredibly volatile scene” erupted after the shooting as protesters arrived, with local officials unable to secure the scene for investigation.O’Hara told a later briefing that Minnesota National Guard troops would help secure a vehicle exclusion zone set up around the site.Local resident Maria, 56, told AFP the situation in the city was “escalating.””They’re attacking and terrorizing our communities right now.”Hundreds of protesters gathered in a park in Minneapolis Saturday evening, despite bitterly cold temperatures in the northern US city.The shooting comes a day after tens of thousands of people braved the cold to gather in downtown Minneapolis to voice opposition to the federal operation.- 2nd Amendment -O’Hara said police believed the victim did not have any serious criminal background and was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”Some gun rights advocates — often staunch supporters of the president — have raised concerns after the Trump administration quickly linked Pretti’s legal gun possession to an intent to do mass harm.The Gun Owners of America (GOA) condemned a statement by Bill Essayli, a federal prosecutor in California, who had said on X: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.””The Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting — a right the federal government must not infringe upon,” GOA said in a statement.

Actress and director Olivia Wilde used her red carpet appearance at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday to slam the “murder” of an American protester, who was shot dead on the streets of Minneapolis by federal agents.Wilde, who was in Park City, Utah, for the premiere “The Invite,” which she directed and starred in, said the death of a second protester in just three weeks at the hands of federal agents was “unfathomable.””I can’t believe that we’re watching people get murdered in the street,” she told AFP.”These brave Americans who have stepped out to protest the injustice of these ICE quote/unquote ‘officers,’ and watching them be murdered. It’s unfathomable. We cannot normalize it.”Wilde’s comments come after the killing of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who died after being pinned to the ground by federal agents who then shot him multiple times.Pretti’s death comes weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot and killed Renee Good, also 37, in her car.Wilde, who wore an “ICE OUT” badge, said the US government violence on people exercising their right to free expression was “un-American.””We may have a government that is somehow trying to make excuses for it and legitimize it, but we (Americans) don’t.”

The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged when it meets in the coming week, holding firm despite President Donald Trump’s pressure to slash levels as it guards against threats to its independence.The central bank has cut rates three consecutive times since September as the jobs market weakened, bringing them to a range between 3.50 percent and 3.75 percent.But Fed Chair Jerome Powell has signaled the bar would be higher for a further reduction in January. They meet on Tuesday and Wednesday.”The fact that growth is strong, unemployment is low, equity markets are close to all-time highs and inflation is above target all argue for a pause,” said analysts at ING bank.Powell’s robust defense of Fed independence in response to ongoing pressure from Trump to lower rates confirms this, ING added.On January 11, Powell released a rare, solemn statement revealing that the Department of Justice was investigating him over a $2.5 billion renovation of the bank’s headquarters.He slammed the threat of criminal charges as the result of policymakers setting rates in the public’s best interests — rather than bowing to the president’s wishes.Trump has made no secret of his disdain for Powell, claiming there is “no inflation” and repeatedly questioning the Fed chair’s competence and integrity.Yet, US inflation has been well above the bank’s two-percent target for over five years, said former Cleveland Fed president Loretta Mester.”I think the Fed needs to keep a pretty tight eye on where the inflation is going,” she told AFP.Price increases could cool after Trump’s trade tariffs filter through the world’s biggest economy, but Mester flagged the need for “more convincing evidence.”Meanwhile, existing cost hikes have brought about a “large wedge” between how affluent and lower-income households view the economy, said KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk.Even if the gap could temporarily narrow as fiscal stimulus hits in early 2026 — with a rise in tax refunds incoming due to tax cut expansions — this could “cause a more entrenched bout of inflation,” she warned.Another complication is stagnating employment, forcing policymakers to walk a tightrope between lowering rates to boost the economy and keeping them higher to curb inflation.- External pressure -The Fed meets eight times a year to consider interest rate levels, and Michael Pearce of Oxford Economics said the dilemma it faces has eased.Figures suggest that risks to the labor market appear less pressing than a few months ago, while the likelihood of rising inflation also seems to have moderated, he said in a note.Nonetheless, events outside of the rate-setting committee “have the potential to shake up the path of monetary policy,” Pearce added.Besides the probe into Powell, Trump has sought to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, sparking a legal battle crucial to shaping how much discretion the president has in changing the Fed’s leadership.A president can only fire Fed board members “for cause,” traditionally understood to mean malfeasance or dereliction of duty.But the Trump administration appears to be pushing a broader interpretation, as Trump moved to fire Cook over mortgage fraud allegations she denies.The Supreme Court heard arguments on the issue on Wednesday, and Cook stressed in a statement afterwards the importance of insulating the Fed from political threats.She said her case is about whether the Fed will set rates “guided by evidence and independent judgment or will succumb to political pressure.”Pearce flagged a “small risk” that the government succeeds in ousting Cook, saying this could “pave the way for a substantial dovish transformation on the committee over time.”Policymakers seen as “hawkish” favor higher rates to fight inflation, while a “dovish” Fed tends towards lower levels.Analysts expect Powell to avoid discussing political issues at his press briefing after the two-day Fed meeting on Wednesday, while divisions remain over the path of future policy.

US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party has taken a step closer to staging a highly unusual party convention to prop him up and sell his message to voters ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.At a meeting in Santa Barbara, California, the Republican National Committee (RNC) voted Friday to amend party bylaws to clear the way for a planned midterm convention, as polling shows support for the 79-year-old president waning.The midterm elections, historically unfavorable to the party in power, is the key political issue of 2026 for Trump and Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress.RNC chair Joe Gruters however is upbeat that his party will retain majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives.”We’re going to defy history, because we have the best president that ever lived,” he said. “What he’s done in a single year, most presidents can’t do in eight years.”Conventions organized by the main two US parties normally happen every four years, to officially anoint their presidential nominees before a general election.But this unconventional convention will be “a Trump-palooza,” Gruters said.”There’s no better way than to sell the message that the president has given us to the American people.”Jake Hoffman, a Republican state senator in Arizona, said the midterm convention “is a great opportunity to tell the story of Republican success.””Under President Donald Trump, the economy’s back on track, deportations are happening,” he said.However, a year after Trump returned to power, the warning signs have piled up showing that many American people are unhappy with his policies and performance — particularly on bread-and-butter economic issues.Beyond his devoted base of MAGA voters, a majority of Americans complain in polls about a president who cares too much about international ventures, such as Venezuela and Greenland, and who doesn’t do enough to bring down the cost of living.- Headwinds -Trump’s crackdown against undocumented immigrants — a key domestic initiative — is also being increasingly criticized by independent voters, as vivid images of masked agents roaming calm neighborhoods spread online.A controversial operation in Minnesota has also made daily headlines and resulted in the deaths of two American citizens by federal agents.Even Joe Rogan, the popular podcaster who supported Trump during his 2024 campaign, has likened the Trump administration’s tactics to those of Nazi Germany.Faced with such headwinds, Trump will campaign for the midterms as if these polls were a presidential race, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said this week. – ‘This president cares’ -Republicans, especially in electoral swing states, are trying to sell the message that Trump’s policies, which include steep tariffs on imports from many countries, are putting the economy on the right track.”This president cares about the American worker,” Gruters said a week after the commander-in-chief, while visiting a Ford factory near Detroit, flashed a middle finger to an auto worker who challenged him about his past friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” a fiscal and spending law enacted last year, is starting to trickle into wages for Americans, said Michael McDonald, head of the Republican Party in Nevada.  “As the law starts to take effect, it’s starting to bring it into the paycheck,” he told AFP.But for political scientist Wendy Schiller, turning the 2026 midterms into a referendum for or against the president is a double-edged sword as tariffs and cuts to health care coverage start to bite. “If he tries to tell everybody that things aren’t really that expensive and that the economy is great, he’s not going to be helpful to them, because voters do not believe that,” said the professor at Brown University.”The danger to the GOP (Republican Party) is that this midterm convention turns into a Trump loyalty show and then all their candidates get saddled with a president who is under water in the polls on every major issue.”

Federal immigration agents shot dead a man in Minneapolis on Saturday, in the second fatal shooting of a civilian during the Trump administration’s unprecedented operation in the city, sparking fresh protests and outrage from state officials.The death came less than three weeks after US citizen Renee Good was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE) officer.On Saturday, as after Good’s death, federal and local officials offered differing assessments of the man’s killing, while video of the altercation quickly spread online.Minnesota Governor Tim Walz called the shooting “horrific” and demanded state authorities lead the investigation.”The federal government cannot be trusted to lead this investigation. The state will handle it, period,” Walz told a press conference.Federal authorities controversially blocked local investigators from jointly probing Good’s death.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) insisted the man killed Saturday, identified by local media as 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, “approached” agents with a pistol and then “violently resisted” being disarmed.However video of the incident, which AFP has not verified, shows Pretti on a snow-covered sidewalk apparently trying to shield a woman protester from being doused with chemical spray, when an agent pulls Pretti to the icy road.Several agents then struggle to detain him, and seconds later an officer opens fire on Pretti, whose body is then shot multiple times from a distance.Crowds quickly gathered in the wake of the shooting, despite the sub-freezing temperatures and making state law enforcement unable to secure the scene, Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bob Jacobson told a briefing.US President Donald Trump meanwhile ratcheted up his war of words with Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, accusing the Democratic leaders of “inciting insurrection” with their rhetoric. Trump has previously threatened to send troops to Minnesota by invoking the Insurrection Act.- ‘End this operation’ -Frey urged Trump to end the federal immigration operation, which has sparked sometimes violent demonstrations.”This is a moment to act like a leader. Put Minneapolis, put America first in this moment — let’s achieve peace. Let’s end this operation.”Police chief Brian O’Hara said an “incredibly volatile scene” had erupted after the shooting and urged residents to avoid the area. Officers who declared the protest an unlawful assembly deployed clouds of tear gas as the crowd grew and used dumpsters to make blockades on the road in the busy south Minneapolis neighborhood known for its restaurants.Local resident Maria, 56, told AFP the situation in the city was “escalating.””They’re attacking and terrorizing our communities right now,” she said describing the situation as “white terror.” DHS wrote on X that “an individual approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun” and that its officers tried to disarm the man who they say “violently resisted.””Fearing for his life and the lives and safety of fellow officers, an agent fired defensive shots. Medics on scene immediately delivered medical aid to the subject but was pronounced dead at the scene,” DHS said.O’Hara said police believed the victim was a “lawful gun owner with a permit to carry.”Minnesota allows the open carrying of firearms with a permit.- ‘Horrific shooting’ -Earlier, Walz said he had discussed “another horrific shooting by federal agents” with the White House.”Minnesota has had it. This is sickening,” he said on X. “The President must end this operation. Pull the thousands of violent, untrained officers out of Minnesota. Now.”Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar called the shooting “an execution” and accused Trump of transforming Minneapolis into a “war zone.”Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed to the Democratic-led city, as Trump presses a sweeping campaign to deport undocumented migrants.Minneapolis has been rocked by increasingly tense protests since federal agents shot and killed Good, a US citizen, on January 7.An autopsy concluded that the killing was a homicide, a classification that does not automatically mean a crime was committed.Public outrage was rekindled this week by the detention of a five-year-old boy as agents sought to arrest his father.The Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday canceled their NBA fixture in the city following the incident, and an afternoon carnival parade was also scrapped.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday appeared to be partially walking back remarks on the role of non-US NATO troops in Afghanistan amid growing outrage from European allies.But Trump’s claim in a Fox News interview that NATO sent “some troops” but “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines” brought fresh condemnation Saturday.He offered an olive branch to Britain after an angry response to his comments earlier in the week, praising British soldiers.On Saturday, a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned his remarks as “appalling”, he appeared to have changed position — at least as far as British troops were concerned.”The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.”In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken.”As Trump released his latest statement, in London a Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer had discussed the issue during a call with Trump on Saturday.”The Prime Minister raised the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home,” said a Downing Street spokesperson. “We must never forget their sacrifice.”- ‘Unacceptable’: Meloni -But Britain was not the only NATO ally to express anger at Trump’s earlier remarks, as other European leaders reacted sharply Saturday, recalling the sacrifices their soldiers had made.Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her government’s astonishment at Trump’s comments.During the nearly 20 years of NATO operations in Afghanistan, “our nation paid a cost that is beyond dispute: 53 Italian soldiers killed and more than 700 wounded”, she said in a statement.”For this reason, statements that downplay the contribution of NATO countries in Afghanistan are unacceptable, especially when they come from an allied Nation,” she added.Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk recalled attending a farewell ceremony for five fallen Polish soldiers in Afghanistan in 2011.”The American officers who accompanied me then, told me that America would never forget the Polish heroes,” he wrote in a post on X.”Perhaps they will remind President Trump of that fact.” The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday: “These unacceptable comments are not worthy of response. “It is to the families of fallen soldiers that the Head of State wishes to offer comfort and reiterate the nation’s gratitude.”Some 90 French soldiers died in Afghanistan, according to the French government.- ‘Unacceptable’ -Danish Prime Minister Mette said Saturday on Facebook: “I fully understand that Danish veterans have said no words can describe how much this hurts. “It is unacceptable that the American president questions the commitment of allied soldiers in Afghanistan,” she added.”Denmark is one of the NATO countries that has suffered the highest losses per capita,” the Danish prime minister pointed out.The country’s population was about 5.4 million in 2003 and, according to the Danish news agency Ritzau, around 12,000 Danish soldiers and civilians were sent to Afghanistan over the years. Danish veterans have called for a silent march in Copenhagen on January 31 to protest Trump’s remarks.On Friday, Starmer had said: “I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and frankly, appalling, and I’m not surprised they’ve caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured.” The White House had initially rejected Starmer’s comments.”President Trump is absolutely right — the United States of America has done more for NATO than any other country in the alliance has done combined,” Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement sent to AFP.- A ‘heavy price’ -Following the 9/11 attacks, Britain and a number of other allies joined the United States from 2001 in Afghanistan after Washington — for the first time — invoked NATO’s collective security clause.As well as Britain, France, Denmark, Italy and Poland, troops from other NATO ally countries including Canada, the Netherlands and Germany were also killed.German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius recalled the “heavy price” his country paid, stressing that “our army was ready when our American allies asked for support” in 2001. “Many wounded are still suffering today from the physical and psychological consequences of that period,” he added. Trump’s comments follow a bruising transatlantic crisis over his threats to seize Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory — now seemingly defused. The US president on Wednesday backed away from threatened tariffs on Europe for opposing his claims on the Arctic island.burs-jj/gv

What’s a megastar to do when she has defined an entire summer, produced a multi-million-selling album and even persuaded the dictionary eggheads to declare “brat” a word of the year?That’s the conundrum at the heart of “The Moment,” a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary starring Charli XCX as she grapples with her meteoric rise to fame and tries to prepare for a sell-out arena tour.”I’m obviously quite related to my character,” the 33-year-old British singer quipped at the Sundance Film Festival, where “The Moment” premiered on Friday.”I would like to think I’m not as much of a nightmare as Charli in the film,” she said to laughter.The celluloid Charli is indeed a bit of a nightmare: a pastiche of a controlling diva who is on top of every detail, and yet is just a young singer thrust suddenly into the global spotlight and surrounded by an oppressive and needy entourage.She and her tour’s creative director, Celeste (played by Hailey Gates), want to move on from “brat,” the skinny tank tops and IDGAF self-indulgence that dominated 2024, when her album of the same name ruled streaming platforms.But the suits — the record label executive (Rosanna Arquette) and Johannes, the solipsistic film director hired to shepherd the tour movie (Alexander Skarsgard) — want to keep the “brat” money machine rolling.The clash of artistic vision sees Celeste and Johannes battle it out over tour design, in which her on-brand strobe and in-your-face messaging gives way to his light-up wrist bands and a stage set that “looks like a lava lamp,” she tells Charli.A bizarre credit card endorsement aimed at young, queer customers (“How will they know?” asks a bewildered Charli) adds to the pressure and Charli jets off to a spa on Ibiza.A chance encounter there with Kylie Jenner (in a cameo appearance) sends Charli further down the celebrity spiral, and she caves in to Johannes’ sanitized vision of her tour.- Tribute to Reiner -The script, written by Bertie Brandes and Aidan Zamiri, who also directs, draws heavily on archetypes in a plot that sticks closely to the familiar artist-against-the-machine formula.But, Charli said, those characters accurately describe the music industry.”I’ve met different versions of all of the characters in this film,” she told filmgoers.”I’ve met the people who are truly rooting for you… I’ve met the people who are in it to be close to the artist. I’ve met the sort of people who are so ‘we totally get you’, and they really don’t.”Debut feature director Zamiri, whose background is in music videos, said the mockumentary style he was aiming for owed a debt of gratitude to “This is Spinal Tap” — the 1984 comedy about a fictional British band.”I think this film wouldn’t exist without Rob Reiner and ‘Spinal Tap’,” he said, paying tribute to the director who was murdered alongside his wife in their Los Angeles home in December.- Pivot -“The Moment” is one of three films starring Charli XCX that are screening at Sundance; she has smaller roles in ensemble pieces “I Want Your Sex” with Olivia Wilde and “The Gallerist,” which features Natalie Portman.The move into film is a deliberate effort to find something new, she told the audience.”Right now, like the ‘me’ in the film, I am really wanting ‘brat’ to stop and actually really pivot as far away from it as possible,” she said.”And that’s not because I don’t love it. It’s just because I think for all of us as artists, you want to challenge yourself, and you want to switch the creative soup that you’re in and go and live in a different bowl for a while and just feel enriched by that.”Asked how she finds time for so many projects, she reached for a lyric from her smash track “365.””I don’t know, I just do. When you love it, you do it, right? ‘Don’t sleep, don’t eat, just do it on repeat,’ to quote myself,” she said with a mock curtsy.The Sundance Film Festival runs until February 1.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he will impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming over the border.Relations between the United States and its northern neighbor have been rocky since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, with spats over trade and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney decrying a “rupture” in the US-led global order.During a visit to Beijing last week, Carney hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China that resulted in a “preliminary but landmark trade agreement” to reduce tariffs — but Trump warned of serious consequences should that deal be realized.If Carney “thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.”China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” he said.”If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the USA.”Trump insulted Carney by calling him “Governor” — a swipe referring to the US president’s repeated insistence that Canada should be the 51st US state.Trump this week posted an image on social media of a map with Canada — as well as Greenland and Venezuela — covered by the American flag.Canada’s minister responsible for trade with the United States, Dominic LeBlanc, pushed back against Trump’s latest threat.”There is no pursuit of a free trade deal with China. What was achieved was resolution on several important tariff issues,” he wrote on X.- ‘Canada thrives because we are Canadian’ -The two leaders have sharpened their rhetorical knives in recent days, beginning with Carney’s speech on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he earned a standing ovation for his frank assessment of a “rupture” in the US-led global order.His comment was widely viewed as a reference to Trump’s disruptive influence on international affairs, although Carney did not mention the US leader by name. Trump fired back at Carney a day later in his own speech, and then withdrew an invitation for the Canadian prime minister to join his “Board of Peace” — his self-styled body for resolving global conflict.Initially designed to oversee the situation in postwar Gaza, the body appears now to have a far wider scope, sparking concerns that Trump wants to create a rival to the United Nations.”Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” Trump said.Carney shot back on Thursday: “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian.” He nevertheless acknowledged the “remarkable partnership” between the two nations.- Trade spats -Canada heavily relies on trade with the United States, the destination for more than three quarters of Canadian exports.Key Canadian sectors like auto, aluminum and steel have been hit hard by Trump’s global sectoral tariffs, but the levies’ impacts have been muted by the president’s broad adherence to an existing North American free trade agreement.Negotiations on revising that deal are set for early this year, and Trump has repeatedly insisted the United States doesn’t need access to any Canadian products — which would have sweeping consequences for its northern neighbor.Matthew Holmes, executive vice president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that he hoped the two governments would “come to a better understanding quickly that can alleviate further concerns for businesses.”The two nations, along with Mexico, are set to host the World Cup later this year.

Ukraine and Russia agreed on Saturday to hold a second round of US-brokered direct peace talks next weekend after a two-day meeting in Abu Dhabi, despite Ukrainian complaints negotiations were undermined by a barrage of deadly strikes.The trilateral talks in the UAE will resume on February 1, a US official said, adding: “I think getting everyone together was a big step.”I think it’s a confirmation of the fact that, number one, a lot of progress has been made to date in really defining the details needed to get to a conclusion.” Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are last known to have met face-to-face in Istanbul last summer, in talks that ended only in deals to exchange captured soldiers.This week was the first time they have faced each other to talk about a plan being pushed by US President Donald Trump to end the nearly four-year war.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “a lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive”. On the eve of day two, Russian drones and missiles cut off millions from electricity in sub-zero temperatures. Kyiv accused Moscow of undermining the negotiations by launching yet another “night of Russian terror”.  AFP journalists saw people running through the streets to find shelter as explosions lit up the night sky over the capital Kyiv.After another sleepless night, weary Kyiv residents had little hope for a breakthrough in the nearly four-year war.”They’ll just say that everything is fine, that again, nothing has been agreed, and again there will be rockets,” said Anastasia Tolkachov, who had to spend a night in a car park. – ‘Again and again’ -A United Arab Emirates government spokesperson said the meetings, which involved top military officers from both sides, were held in a “constructive and positive atmosphere”.The talks focused on “outstanding elements of the US-proposed peace framework as well as confidence-building measures”, the spokesperson said.According to Zelensky, “the central focus of the discussions was the possible parameters for ending the war”.  Both warring sides say the fate of territory in the eastern Donbas region is the main unresolved issue in the search for a settlement. Over a million people in Kyiv and Chernigiv were left without electricity in sub-zero temperatures due to Russian strikes. About half of Kyiv’s apartment blocks were cut off from heating, Ukrainian authorities said.”This night in Kyiv, it’s really all happening again and again,” Iryna Berehova, 48, told AFP, adding: “These explosions, these sleepless nights, these worries for our children, for our safety, they are very exhausting.” “These negotiations that are taking place don’t even give us any hope for the better.” The European Union, which has sent hundreds of power generators to Ukraine, has accused Moscow of “deliberately depriving civilians of heat”.Zelensky last week declared a state of emergency in the energy sector, which has been battered by relentless Russian strikes on heat and electricity supplies. The Moscow-installed governor in the occupied Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said a Ukrainian drone strike killed three people in an ambulance van heading to a sick man. While diplomacy to end Europe’s worst conflict since World War II has gained pace again, Moscow and Kyiv appear deadlocked over the issue of territory.- Donbas territory dispute -Trump met Zelensky at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday and US Steve Witkoff later held talks with President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.Hours after Putin met Witkoff — and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — in Moscow, the Kremlin said its demand that Kyiv withdraw from the eastern Donbas region still stood, calling it “a very important condition”.Kyiv rejects it. “The Donbas is a key issue,” Zelensky told reporters on Friday, ahead of the talks in the UAE.Zelensky said he and Trump had agreed on post-war security guarantees in Davos.An initial US draft drew heavy criticism in Kyiv and western Europe for hewing too closely to Moscow’s demands, while Russia rejected later versions because they proposed European peacekeepers in Ukraine.Putin has repeatedly said Moscow intends to get full control of eastern Ukraine by force if talks fail.Trump has in the past pressured Ukraine to agree to terms that Kyiv sees as capitulation.