In a further retreat from its pledge to ban artificial dyes from food, Donald Trump's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would loosen labeling requirements to allow companies to state “no artificial colors”, even though products may contain some dangerous substances such as titanium dioxide. The FDA in early February announced it would allow food makers to claim “no artificial colors” as long as the dyes are not petroleum-based, but health experts say even some naturally based additives present health risks, and the labeling would deceive consumers. Removing toxins from food is a cornerstone of the Robert F Kennedy-led Maha movement. Some candy makers still are refusing to fully stop using artificial dyes. “It's frustrating, especially when the rhetoric suggests they are solving the problem, but in practice they're just letting industry do whatever they want,” Galligan continued, adding that the rules were already so loophole-ridden that there were other ways that companies could deceive consumers. The most effective measure to protect consumers is a ban, he said. Kennedy defended the move in a statement: “This is real progress. We are making it easier for companies to move away from petroleum-based synthetic colors and adopt safer, naturally derived alternatives. This momentum advances our broader effort to help Americans eat real food and Make America Healthy Again.” Synthetic dyes are linked to ADHD and hyperactivity in children, among other health harms. West Virginia has since banned some synthetic dyes, and Texas passed a law to require warning labels. While most naturally derived dyes are generally safer than petroleum-based, some can be dangerous. “As a foundational concept, natural doesn't mean safe,” Galligan said, which contradicts the average consumers' assumptions. Among natural dyes used in foods that advocates find most concerning is titanium dioxide nanoparticles added to brighten whites, or effectively serve as a primer for other colors. The toxic substance is banned in the European Union for use in food because regulators could not conclude that it is safe, and raised concern that it damages genes. The largest subgroups included candy, cakes, cookies and desserts or dessert toppings. The FDA so far has ignored a petition filed in 2023 by five major US public health advocacy groups that asks it to withdraw its approval of titanium dioxide for use in food. Meanwhile, naturally derived caramel color can contain 4-MEI, an impurity linked to cancer that is produced during processing. “They pledged outright bans on dangerous food chemical additives to their Make America Healthy Again base,” Cook said. “Instead, states are doing the hard work to protect families, while Kennedy settles for handshake deals with big food and chemical companies – agreements with no real accountability and no guarantee they'll be honored.”

If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size. U.S. officials have provided no evidence for an imminent threat — the only legal justification for the use of military force under international law — from Iran. Trump told reporters on Friday that he is considering a supposedly limited strike to coerce Iranian officials into agreeing to a nuclear deal. However, Trump had given Iran a two-week deadline to strike a deal last June, just days before the administration struck nuclear facilities in Iran and killed over 1,000 people, including hundreds of civilians. The rationale for striking Iran this time is even less clear. This contradiction was clearest on Wednesday, when Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “There's many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran. The White House still hosts a live webpage published following the strike last year that reads, “Iran's Nuclear Facilities Have Been Obliterated — and Suggestions Otherwise are Fake News.” A quote from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on that page says: “Based on everything we have seen — and I've seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran's ability to create nuclear weapons.” Numerous experts have said that the nuclear program was likely set back by a few years, if not just a few months. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday in an interview with MS NOW that the U.S.'s negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have actually not demanded zero uranium enrichment at all. “What we are now talking about is how to make sure that Iran's nuclear program, including enrichment, is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever.” And yet, the White House has repeatedly said that Trump seeks to end all of Iran's uranium enrichment activities, with Trump saying that “bad things will happen” if the country doesn't. ”The president has been clear that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to build them, and that they cannot enrich uranium,” the White House said in response to Araqchi's comments. Reuters reported Friday that the U.S. has planned for options including an operation for regime change, with the military “preparing for a sustained, weeks-long operation against Iran that could include striking Iranian security facilities as well as nuclear infrastructure.” “The Iraqi regime has plotted to develop anthrax and nerve gas, and nuclear weapons, for over a decade,” President George W. Bush said in his 2002 State of the Union address. According to Pew, following that address, 77 percent of Americans said that the U.S. should use military force if Iraq was shown to be developing such a weapon. Last month, Quinnipiac found that only 18 percent of registered U.S. voters say the U.S. should take military action against Iran for its brutal repression of protesters, while 70 percent were opposed. The need for truthful, grassroots reporting is urgent at this cataclysmic historical moment. We refuse to let Trump's blatant propaganda machine go unchecked. Untethered to corporate ownership or advertisers, Truthout remains fearless in our reporting and our determination to use journalism as a tool for justice. But we need your help just to fund our basic expenses. Truthout has launched a fundraiser to add 379 new monthly donors in the next 6 days. This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms: Sharon Zhang is a news writer at Truthout covering politics, climate and labor. Before coming to Truthout, Sharon had written stories for Pacific Standard, The New Republic, and more. Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day. As we rise to confront Trump's fascism, Truthout appeals for your support. Any contribution you can make is a tangible act of resistance.

The final piece of the central tower of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia has been laid in place, bringing the church to its maximum final height 144 years after work began. After several days when it has been too windy to work, the upper section of the 17 metre-high four-sided steel and glass cross was winched into position at 11am on Friday, completing the tower dedicated to Jesus Christ. It was nevertheless a day full of emotion for a city that has lived with Gaudí's unfinished work for generations and, although there remains much work to do, the temple now defines the Barcelona skyline as much as the Eiffel tower in Paris or the Empire State building in New York. For decades it was a building site open to the skies, where generations of stone masons and carpenters worked around the tourists who have ultimately funded the construction. It's only in the past 15 years, since work began on the breathtakingly beautiful interior, that it has felt more like a church than a building site. The basilica is loved and loathed equally by those who live in Barcelona. To those who claim the basilica is nothing like what was originally envisaged, Burry's retort was that Gaudí's geometry is so precise that should there be any deviation from his plan, the building would collapse. It is, however, now the work of many hands. There are elements that jar, in particular the Passion façade, popularly known as Darth Vader façade, the work of the sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs, and yet overall it is unmistakably Gaudí's work. Aside from finishing the details of the main tower, three artists – Miquel Barceló , Cristina Iglesias and Javier Marín – have been commissioned to present designs for the Glory façade, which is expected to take a further 10 years to complete. The Sagrada Familia is the city's top tourist attraction, with about 5 million visitors a year and an annual income of roughly €150m (£131m), about half of which has so far been spent on construction.

If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size. An immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University graduate and green card holder who was detained last April at what he thought was a citizenship interview. Mahdawi grew up in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank and was an outspoken critic of Israel's genocide in Gaza while attending Columbia. He spent two weeks in ICE custody before a federal judge ordered his release. Mahdawi's case is part of a broader pattern of the Trump administration targeting international students for expressing solidarity with Palestinians and demanding divestment from the Israeli government. “The harder they come on me, the more energy and power I will have, and I will continue to work for the freedom of the Palestinian people and the right of return and equal rights and human rights for Palestinians.” Copy may not be in its final form. AMY GOODMAN: “People Have the Power” by Patti Smith joined by Michael Stipe performing at Democracy Now! On Monday night we will be streaming our 30th anniversary celebration with Michael Stipe and Angela Davis, with Wynton Marsalis and Maria Ressa, also with the Palestinian Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mosab Abu Toha and many others. An immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a graduate student at Columbia University who was detained last April for his outspoken support for Palestinian rights. Mohsen is a green card holder who grew up in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. At Columbia, he served as co-president of the Palestinian Students Union and served as president of the Buddhist Association. Last April, masked and hooded ICE agents detained him when he appeared for what he believed would be a naturalization interview in Vermont. He spent two weeks in ICE custody before federal Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered his release. Mohsen is just one of many international students targeted by the Trump administration solely for expressing solidarity with Palestinians and opposing the Israeli war on Gaza. It was right before graduation at Columbia, at the reception in front of SIPA, the School of International Affairs where you are now a graduate student. Can you talk about the significance of this immigration judge's ruling? MOHSEN MAHDAWI: Thank you for having me, Amy. This is very significant and actually it's unprecedented considering all of the cases that were brought forward against students for deportation, student activists. What Judge Nina Froes has done, she has actually taken a very brave and courageous step towards justice by holding the rule of the law. And the hope that this same finding will apply on other students and based on this determination of the case was done without prejudice. Now, I have to share with you, Amy, that we also have to consider the many different circumstances. So that gives you hope that there are judges who still hold integrity and refuse to sell their souls to Trump's administration. AMY GOODMAN: For people who don't understand how the system works, explain the difference between an immigration judge and a federal judge. And I hope my lawyers would not be angry at me, because I am not a lawyer, but my understanding that technically—and actually it's part of the vision of this country to have checks and balances, and federal courts are part of the checks and balances. This actually has been designed and envisioned by Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers. AMY GOODMAN: It's interesting that this is an immigration judge who is under the executive branch. And that's why the case was terminated. AMY GOODMAN: This was your message to Trump after you were released from an ICE jail in Vermont last year following more than two weeks in custody. AMY GOODMAN: Talk about that moment as you say you are “not afraid of you” and what it meant to be released and what it meant after you had gone for your naturalization hearing, for these federal immigration agents to move in on you when you had been told to come for the hearing. MOHSEN MAHDAWI: By this time, I would imagine that it's becoming very clear to the American people and to the rest of the world that this administration's mentality, the Trump administration, is to intimidate people, to scare people, and to make an example of people like me so others would not actually dare to raise their voice and to share their truth. AMY GOODMAN: Mohsen, we just have a minute. You enrolled in Colombia University to study philosophy where you are also president of the Columbia University Buddhist Association. MOHSEN MAHDAWI: Amy, I have to share—because of one minute—I have to share with you that I was attacked and other students were attacked not merely for protesting. That is why the Trump Administration gets so scared of people like me who organize, and are still organizing, because I will not be deterred and I will not actually give up to their exhaustion tactics. The harder they come on me, the more energy and power I will have, and I will continue to work for the freedom of the Palestinian people and the right of return and equal rights and human rights for Palestinians. AMY GOODMAN: Mohsen Mahdawi, graduate student at Columbia University, thank you so much for being with us. In the last weeks, we have witnessed an authoritarian assault on communities in Minnesota and across the nation. The need for truthful, grassroots reporting is urgent at this cataclysmic historical moment. We refuse to let Trump's blatant propaganda machine go unchecked. Untethered to corporate ownership or advertisers, Truthout remains fearless in our reporting and our determination to use journalism as a tool for justice. But we need your help just to fund our basic expenses. Over 80 percent of Truthout's funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors. Truthout has launched a fundraiser to add 379 new monthly donors in the next 6 days. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger one-time gift, Truthout only works with your support. Amy Goodman is the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on more than 1,100 public television and radio stations worldwide. Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day. As we rise to confront Trump's fascism, Truthout appeals for your support. Any contribution you can make is a tangible act of resistance.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has denied a request for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. to lie in honor at the United States Capitol, citing past precedent over how the deaths of other high-profile figures were handled, according to sources familiar with the matter. Jackson was praised by both Republicans and Democrats alike for his decades of activism and work in politics and international affairs. President Donald Trump repeatedly described Jackson this week as a “good man.” One of the sources told CNN that the decision to reject the request to lie in honor – which had been made on behalf of Jackson's family – was in keeping with precedent and was not political. The source said that requests for conservative political activist Charlie Kirk and former Vice President Dick Cheney were also denied, and that the general practice is for presidents, select military officials and select government officials to lie in honor. It was last done for former President Jimmy Carter. Jackson's family has announced that next week, he will lie in repose at Rainbow PUSH headquarters in Chicago. That will be followed by formal services in his home state of South Carolina and in Washington, DC. Jackson, a fiery orator whose worked shaped the Democratic Party and America, twice made a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, inspiring Black America and stunning some with his ability to attract White voters. He rose to national prominence in the 1960s as a close aide to the Rev. His Rainbow Coalition, an alliance of Blacks, Whites, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans and LGBTQ people, helped pave the way for a more progressive Democratic Party.

England's Hull Kingston Rovers on Thursday overcame a ferocious second-half fightback by Australian NRL champions Brisbane Broncos to win rugby league's World Club Challenge 30-24. Reigning Super League title-holders Hull KR, once on the brink of going out of business before winning a domestic treble last season, led by 26 points early in the second half. Mikey Lewis' kicking game led to a succession of Broncos' errors, with tries from Tom Amone, Elliot Minchella and Joe Burgess leaving Hull KR 18-4 ahead at halftime in front of their own fans. Gehamat Shibasaki scored the Broncos' lone try before the break against a Hull KR side transformed after starting their Super League title defense with a shock loss to promoted York City Knights last week. Any thoughts of a fightback by Brisbane, playing their first match since beating Melbourne Storm in the NRL Grand Final in October last year, appeared fanciful as Hull KR's Oliver Gildart and Peta Hiku added further tries in the second half to extend the hosts' lead to 30-4. Australia completed a 3-0 Ashes series clean sweep of England in November last year, reinforcing concerns about a gap in standards between two of the 13-a-side code's leading nations, but Hull KR coach Willie Peters told the BBC: “I'm proud of everyone involved in our club. I'm happy for our owner Neil Hudgell and the people of Hull. Brisbane Broncos coach Michael Maguire had no complaints about the outcome. “We conceded some soft tries, but you've got to respect everything in the game. After an Eric Garcia own-goal sent Diego Simeone's side ahead early on, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez struck to give Atletico a landslide lead by halftime. Both sides missed good chances in the second half, with Barca's Pau Cubarsi having a goal disallowed before Garcia was sent off Los Blancos beat Real Sociedad on Saturday to overtake the Catalans and Hansi Flick's side could not defeat Girona in an gripping derby clash to reclaim the lead. However, goals from Thomas Lemar and Fran Beltran helped Girona, 12th, mount an impressive comeback. Stade Rennais, four days after firing coach Habib Beye, stunned Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 on Friday, snapping the defending champions' seven-match winning run in French Ligue 1. PSG started brightly, with Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue carving openings to no avail. The American second seed enters the round-of-16 against Janice Tjen without swinging a racket as two-time Grand Slam winner Krejcikova pulled out due to an issue with her left thigh.

US Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas is denying that he had an affair with a staffer who died by suicide last year, allegations that have gained new traction in the final days before a March 3 primary election. Attorney Bobby Barrera, who represents Adrian Aviles, said his client's spouse, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, had confessed that she had been having an affair with Gonzales in June 2024. Gonzales denies having had the affair and says he's being blackmailed. While Barrera described the messages as “substantial,” “graphic” and “detailed about the sexual relationship” that allegedly occurred between Santos-Aviles and Gonzales, he said it was up to Aviles to release the messages because of their sensitive nature. Gonzales is in the midst of a tough GOP primary fight against Brandon Herrera, a YouTube personality who ran against him in 2024. Gonzales, who beat Herrera in a runoff two years ago by 354 votes, insists that Herrera is behind the reports of an affair. In November, the lawmaker dismissed rumors of an affair in an interview with Punchbowl News and said the “rumors are completely untruthful.” Her efforts led to improvements in school safety, healthcare, and rural water like never before. It's shameful that Brandon Herrera is using a disgruntled former staffer to smear her memory and score political points, conveniently pushing this out the very day early voting started. I am not going to engage in these personal smears and instead will remain focused on helping President Trump secure the border and improve the lives of all Texans.” In a post on X this week, Herrera wrote: “You blame me? “Tony Gonzales is an irredeemable coward, who dodges accountability and lies to the people,” Herrera added. “This started with my problems with your votes in Congress, but now I understand you are a horrifically wicked man who must be removed.” The San Antonio Express-News spoke with the unnamed former employee and cited a text message from Santos-Aviles in which she said she was having an “affair with our boss.” Barrera told CNN that Adrian Aviles did not originally want to go public with his allegations but did so following the report, because he did not like that Gonzales had denied the alleged affair. “Tony is out there in the public domain telling people that never happened, that it's a false, politically hacked campaign against him, which Adrian knew was not true. Gonzales, in a Thursday post on X, also accused Barrera of blackmailing him. Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death,” he wrote. The congressman included a screenshot of an email from Barrera offering to engage in settlement talks with a non-disclosure agreement – saying it is not his intention to damage the congressman's career by filing a claim.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart detailing tariffs, at the White House in Washington, April 2, 2025.Carlos Barria/Reuters The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a key pillar of Donald Trump's protectionist trade agenda, ruling that the President acted illegally in using one of his emergency economic powers to impose sweeping tariffs on trade partners last year. However, it's only a partial – and likely temporary – setback for the administration. Trade experts expect Mr. Trump to rapidly rebuild his tariff wall using other legal tools. By mid-December, the U.S. had collected around US$130-billion in tariff revenue using IEEPA. “Had Congress intended to convey the distinct and extraordinary power to impose tariffs, it would have done so expressly, as it consistently has in other tariff statutes,” chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the court decision. “While taxes may accomplish regulatory ends, it does not follow that the power to regulate includes the power to tax as a means of regulation. Indeed, when Congress addresses both the power to regulate and the power to tax, it does so separately and expressly. In his attempt to overhaul the global trading system and remake parts of the U.S. government, Mr. Trump has wielded executive actions in an unprecedented – almost imperial – manner. “Against that backdrop of clear and limited delegations, the Government reads IEEPA to give the President power to unilaterally impose unbounded tariffs and change them at will. “It is also telling that in IEEPA's half century of existence, no President has invoked the statute to impose any tariffs, let alone tariffs of this magnitude and scope. A key question now is what happens to tariff revenue collected using IEEPA. Hundreds of companies reportedly filed lawsuits in U.S. courts ahead of the Supreme Court ruling to try to protect their right to a refund or position themselves at the front of the line for one. Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's federal minister responsible for North American trade, welcomed the decision. He added that “critical work lies ahead to support Canadian businesses and workers who remain affected by Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum and automotive sectors.” Canada has less at stake in the Supreme Court decision than some other countries. That carve-out has allowed more than 90 per cent of Canadian exports to continue crossing the border tariff-free, even as some sectors are being hammered by the separate industry-specific tariffs. As of mid-December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection had collected around US$2.4-billion in IEEPA tariff revenue on imports from Canada – less than 2 per cent of the total. “For Canada, this ruling doesn't eliminate the most significant tariffs currently in place, which are on autos, steel, aluminum, lumber and some copper products,” Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce wrote in a note to clients. “But it does remove the threat of that 35 per cent tariff being applied if the US opts to withdraw from the USMCA … So while this isn't a cure for tariffs facing Canada in targeted sectors (and actually provides more immediate relief to Canada's competitors in the US that face reciprocal tariffs on all of their exports) it is nevertheless an improvement in Canada's negotiating position in the upcoming USMCA talks.” However, they may wait to see what the Trump administration does next before considering reneging on the deals they cut with Washington last year. “Call it Liberation Day 2.0 – arguably the first one with tangible upside for U.S. consumers and corporate profitability,” Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economics at Fitch Ratings said in a statement. “This is a material rollback: more than 60 per cent of the 2025 tariffs effectively vanish. Mechanically, the U.S. effective tariff rate drops from about 13 per cent to around 6 per cent, removing more than US$200 billion in expected annual tariff collections … However, the bigger macro takeaway is not just ‘lower tariffs,' but ‘higher tariff-regime uncertainty.' The odds that tariffs reappear in a revised form remain meaningful. Top Trump administration officials have said they have other options to recreate the President's tariff regime if the Supreme Court decision did not go their way. Manufacturing meltdown: How Trump's tariffs are squeezing Canadian factories The U.S. Department of Commerce has already launched a number of additional Section 232 investigations into various industries, including aircraft, critical minerals and pharmaceuticals. Conservative justices Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh wrote lengthy dissents to the majority opinion. “The Supreme Court's decision is welcome news for businesses and consumers,” Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. Candance Laing, president and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, warned that this “is a legal ruling, not a reset of U.S. trade policy. - with files by Nathan VanderKlippe, Steven Chase and Adrian Morrow Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

"But the decision is for Ukraine only, whether and when to repair it." The remarks show the EU's balancing act between supporting Ukraine amid Russia's war and addressing energy concerns among member states still reliant on Russian supplies. Itkonen said the Commission has held frequent talks this week with Hungarian, Slovak, and Croatian counterparts. Hungary and Slovakia accused Kyiv of withholding transit for political reasons and escalated the dispute by announcing on Feb. 18 a halt to diesel exports to Ukraine. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, whose government is up for re-election in April, accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of deliberately undermining Hungary's energy security. "President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided not to restart oil transit for political reasons," he said. Budapest and Bratislava have sought alternative routes, asking Croatia to facilitate deliveries via the Adria pipeline. Croatian Economy Minister Ante Susnjar said Zagreb refused to transport Russian oil. Ukraine has argued that continued reliance on Russian energy undermines efforts to cut off funding for Moscow's war, while Russian strikes — and Kyiv's own attacks on energy infrastructure inside Russia — have further complicated the pipeline's future. The vehicle was attacked by a Russian Lancet loitering munition while evacuating civilians. The Kyiv Independent's separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine's politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations. In December 2023, Hlib Benia, a Ukrainian soldier with the 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade, was delivering supplies to his comrades when Russian FPV (first-person view) drones struck. "I consider this a very important result, which our team brought back," President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Russian Major General Roman Demurchiyev shared photographs depicting severed human ears and discussed the abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in private chats, according to a Feb. 19 investigation by "Schemes," the investigative unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). France will renew its Ukraine Fund after a successful first round, allocating 71 million euros ($84 million) to foster investment from French companies in Ukraine next year. "The decision is for Ukraine only, whether and when to repair it," European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said. Ukraine struck multiple Russian military command posts and logistics hubs in occupied territories, the General Staff reported on Feb. 20. President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with Ukraine's negotiating team on Feb. 20. "They told us: 'We are ready not to occupy your other regions.' But that is terrorism… 'I am ready not to kill you, just give us everything,'" Zelensky said. Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 1,000 supports us financially. One membership might not seem like much, but to us, it makes a real difference. If you value our reporting, consider becoming a member — your support makes us stronger.

GENEVA, February 20. /TASS/. Even as Geneva served as the most recent venue for negotiations on Ukraine, Russia does not view Switzerland as the best country to hold talks in, Russian ambassador in Bern Sergey Garmonin said. The diplomat admitted that Bern "is more restrained in comparison with a number of other Western nations" in the conflict in Ukraine, so Switzerland "can be looked at as a possible negotiating platform equal to other countries." "But at the same time, it cannot be perceived as an 'honest broker' or a preferred location for negotiations," he said.

You can go halfway around the world to escape Donald Trump and still not succeed. But I can say with confidence that, after spending a few weeks here and in New Zealand and meeting people hailing from all over the place – from Indonesia and Mexico to India and Kenya – that the U.S. President has put Brand America in deep, deep trouble. Mr. Trump has succeeded in making people around the world not only loathe him but his country as well. Those I talked to want nothing to do with the U.S. and are astonished that a country that not so long ago was seen as that bright, shining city upon a hill that former president Ronald Reagan loved to talk about has allowed itself to fall into such disrepute – and at the hands of a corrupt, mendacious grifter, no less. In our travels, my wife and I encountered people from the U.S. who, upon learning we were from Canada, fell over themselves to apologize for the actions of their President. Opinion: Can the U.S. finally just shut up about Canada's defence spending? One Vermont businessman told us over dinner one night that he wasn't sure about what would be left of his country by the next presidential election. We were also shocked, but heartened, by how many people we encountered who were aware of how Mr. Trump has menaced Canada. Even more so, we couldn't believe how many had high praise for Prime Minister Mark Carney, from tour guides to servers in restaurants. A Melbourne taxi driver who had recently immigrated from Laos told us that he was impressed by Mr. Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum – and he wasn't the only one who cited that pivotal and widely heralded moment in Davos. We also discovered that wearing the Canadian flag grants you much sympathy. Though this shouldn't be a great surprise: Most people are good, decent folk who recognize evil and malevolence when they see it. For instance, even a few years ago, it was impossible to imagine a U.S. President officially disassociating his country from the scientific finding that climate change endangers human health – a conclusion the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency used to justify regulations to limit carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. With one signature from DJT, American companies can now pollute like they used to. It's no wonder the world shakes its head in disbelief. No wonder people from countries around the world are distancing themselves from anything to do with America, including its most high-profile companies. Tesla car sales in Europe, for instance, effectively collapsed last year. Mr. Trump is building a wall around the U.S., and many people are happy to stay out, to do business and form new alliances with others. The world appears to be slowly turning its back on America. She mistook my accent for American, and asked me which part of the States I was from. And in this worrying new world, she's right. Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following. © Copyright 2026 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.

Ten people were detained in Moldova and Ukraine for allegedly plotting contract killings of prominent Ukrainians on Russia's orders, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on Feb. 20. The Moldovan Police and Ukrainian law enforcement agencies announced a day earlier that they had launched a criminal investigation into an alleged plot to assassinate several public figures in Ukraine. The suspects considered various assassination methods, including shootings and car bombings. He was tasked with forming and coordinating the group under Moscow's supervision. The network was divided into surveillance and assassination teams. Some members entered Ukraine as tourists and stayed in rented apartments across different regions. The suspects allegedly used cryptocurrency wallets and foreign bank cards to finance preparations. To monitor potential targets, agents posed as delivery couriers, conducted photo and video surveillance, marked geolocations on digital maps, and reported to their coordinator. The detainees have been charged with preparation for premeditated murder and illegal weapons. They face potential life imprisonment with confiscation of property. Ukraine's National Police described the case as an example of effective international cooperation against hybrid threats. Accountability for these crimes is inevitable," the Prosecutor General's Office said on Telegram. in publishing and editing from Borys Hrinchenko Kyiv University. The vehicle was attacked by a Russian Lancet loitering munition while evacuating civilians. The Kyiv Independent's separate analytical unit, KI Insights, is excited to announce the launch of its podcast, Ukraine Insights — a show dedicated to unpacking Ukraine's politics, security, economy, and international relations through in-depth, expert-driven conversations. In December 2023, Hlib Benia, a Ukrainian soldier with the 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade, was delivering supplies to his comrades when Russian FPV (first-person view) drones struck. He survived but lost an arm and a leg. "I consider this a very important result, which our team brought back," President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Russian Major General Roman Demurchiyev shared photographs depicting severed human ears and discussed the abuse of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in private chats, according to a Feb. 19 investigation by "Schemes," the investigative unit of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). France will renew its Ukraine Fund after a successful first round, allocating 71 million euros ($84 million) to foster investment from French companies in Ukraine next year. "The decision is for Ukraine only, whether and when to repair it," European Commission spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said. Ukraine struck multiple Russian military command posts and logistics hubs in occupied territories, the General Staff reported on Feb. 20. President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with Ukraine's negotiating team on Feb. 20. "They told us: 'We are ready not to occupy your other regions.' But that is terrorism… 'I am ready not to kill you, just give us everything,'" Zelensky said. Millions read the Kyiv Independent, but only one in 1,000 supports us financially. One membership might not seem like much, but to us, it makes a real difference. If you value our reporting, consider becoming a member — your support makes us stronger.

India has resolved to continue purchasing Russian oil despite US pressure; gas reserves in the EU have fallen to a four-year low, heightening concerns about potential supply shortages and price increases; and the United States is assembling its largest regional naval and air presence since the Iraq invasion near Iran. India has made a definitive decision regarding Russian energy resources. New Delhi will continue purchasing oil despite pressure from the United States, India's Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar told Izvestia. Earlier, Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Indian imports in response to India's purchases of Russian oil. India is not considering an embargo on Russian oil, Ambassador Vinay Kumar said. Therefore, we will continue to purchase your oil depending on economic benefit. Our government has made it clear that India will take all measures to protect its national interests. Given the strong ties between Russia and India, which are also bound by close cooperation within BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the United States is unlikely to compel New Delhi to prohibit incoming supplies. In his view, such a development would slow the growth of India's oil refining sector and drive up domestic gasoline prices. Moreover, it would create a supply shortage in the oil market and push global prices higher, Indian political scientist Rakesh Bhadauria noted. "If India stops purchasing Russian oil, it will signal that it has yielded to US pressure and will undermine the country's policy of strategic autonomy," the expert said. Across Europe, with at least another month of the heating season remaining, only about 35.04 bln cubic meters of natural gas remain in storage. According to data from Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE), this is the lowest level recorded on this date in the past four years. Experts interviewed by Rossiyskaya Gazeta believe there is a moderate risk of a summer gas crisis in the EU, driven by low storage levels, restrictions on short-term Russian LNG imports, and pricing dynamics in the United States that could incentivize suppliers to keep elevated European gas prices. Although export restrictions have not been introduced, discussions about such measures are underway. First, pipeline deliveries of Russian gas to Europe will continue through September 30, 2027. Currently, prices for these supplies are generally linked to average quarterly exchange quotations. Deliveries via the TurkStream pipeline to Europe are ongoing, providing an opportunity for additional revenue. Maria Belova, Research Director at Implementa, told the newspaper that low gas reserves in European underground storage facilities, combined with the forthcoming ban on short-term imports of Russian LNG, create a risk of supply shortages and rising gas prices in the coming summer months. According to Alexey Grivach, Deputy Head of the National Energy Security Fund, much will depend on gas prices in the United States. A second US strike group, led by the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, is expected to reach the eastern Mediterranean by the coming weekend, which would enable its air wing to take part in a potential attack on Iran, experts told Izvestia. However, Iran possesses the means to respond to possible aggression — it has a sufficient number of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as long-range drones, to simultaneously strike US military bases in the Middle East and targets in Israel. "It is believed that until this group arrives in the area near Iran, the United States is unlikely to initiate any active operations," military expert Dmitry Kornev told Izvestia. "However, nothing actually prevents them from breaking that rule, since their decision-making will apparently be guided by short-term political motives known only to them," he added. Iran's retaliatory actions could include strikes using ballistic missiles and long-range kamikaze drones of the Shahed type. According to assessments by US and Israeli intelligence services and analytical centers, in 2025 Iran possessed the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East — up to 3,000 missiles. "Iran will use all of this against targets in Israel and against American bases in the Persian Gulf region and across the broader Middle East. It plans to repel the majority of US and Israeli air strikes. However, in June 2025, its air defense actions proved ineffective: the Americans and Israelis conducted several hundred sorties, yet not a single aircraft was downed," Dmitry Kornev said. It is entirely possible that even the US military command does not know whether an operation will be launched, military expert Yuri Lyamin believes. "Perhaps President Trump has already made a political decision, and they are simply concealing it. Commenting on the recent trilateral negotiations in Geneva on a peaceful settlement of the military conflict with Russia, Vladimir Zelensky once again called on Western allies to prioritize a ceasefire, while also presenting this demand as backed by Washington. Zelensky also proposed arranging a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss territorial and security issues. Experts interviewed by Nezavisimaya Gazeta believe Zelensky's ceasefire and election proposals are largely rhetorical responses to Western political signals, while a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky is viewed as highly unlikely. Oleg Barabanov, a professor at MGIMO University and Program Director of the Valdai International Discussion Club, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that Zelensky's references to the need for a temporary truce may also have been voiced in response to US President Donald Trump's proposal to hold new elections in Ukraine as soon as possible. Previously, officials in Kiev had pointed to the necessity of lifting martial law and allowing for a six-month preparation period for an electoral campaign. Now, however, Zelensky has stated that Kiev is ready to hold elections, but that doing so would require a ceasefire, even if only for two months. Russian representatives have mentioned only the possibility of halting hostilities for one day. Nor is it central to Kiev's consultations with Western partners, which are primarily focused on security guarantees for the Ukrainian side. So, it seems that this was more of a rhetorical response by Zelensky in his interview," Barabanov suggested. "In my opinion, such a meeting is psychologically impossible for the Russian side. Brent crude oil prices have returned to levels above $71 per barrel for the first time in six months. Over the past two days, quotations have risen by more than 6% amid reports that the United States is building up its military presence in the Middle East and that military action against Iran is expected. Should a negative scenario materialize, prices could reach $80 per barrel, as occurred in June 2025 during the exchange of missile strikes between Israel and Iran. On Russian markets, the situation has had a limited impact - however, experts do not rule out a reduced discount on Russian oil in the event of a reduction in global supplies from Iran, Kommersant writes. The latest surge to a multi-month high was triggered by active US preparations for potential military operations against Iran, despite ongoing negotiations between the two countries. Iran remains a significant supplier of oil to the global market, with its exports estimated at 1.5-2 mln barrels per day. "Any threats of tightening sanctions or physically restricting supplies directly affect the balance. According to Ruslan Klyshko, even a limited military operation could rapidly propel prices into the $80-85 per barrel range. The recent rise in oil prices has had a limited impact on Russia's equity and currency markets. "Given that the volume of Russia's external energy exports is declining both in physical terms and in value, the ruble's position is likely to deteriorate," Head of the Analytical Service Division at Zenit Bank Vladimir Evstifeev believes. TASS is not responsible for the material quoted in these press reviews