Why the US is buying icebreakers from Finland

Adrienne MurrayBusiness reporter, HelsinkiAker Arctic TechnologyFinland leads the world when it comes to the design and construction of icebreakersAs President Donald Trump continues to insist that the US needs to own Greenland, his wider focus on the Arctic region has seen Washington order new icebreakers.For these ships, which can sail through seas covered in solid ice, the US has gone to the world expert – Finland.Temperatures are sub-zero inside Aker Arctic Technology's ice laboratory, as the scale model…

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Trump tests boundaries of his power as Minnesota pushes back

Tom BatemanBBC News, Minnesota BBC accompanies ICE observer on the lookout for agents in MinneapolisWith 1,500 troops reportedly on standby to deploy to Minnesota, tensions are rising in the state as protests continue against Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. US officials say they are targeting the "worst of the worst" but critics warn migrants with no criminal record and US citizens are being detained, too."It could be anybody," says Sunshine, as she drives around her neighbourhood, St Paul -…

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Five dead after high-speed train collision in Spain

At least five people have been killed and dozens more injured after two high-speed trains derailed following a collision in southern Spain on Sunday evening.The accident happened near the town of Adamuz, close to the city of Cordoba, when a high-speed train travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed and crashed onto a neighbouring track, rail network operator Adif said.A second train travelling in the opposite direction, from Madrid to Huelva, also derailed. Andalusian emergency services said at least…

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EU weighs response to Trump after tariff threat

It's not yet a full year since European leaders buckled up for President Trump's second term, and now this rollercoaster ride feels it has reached its most dangerous turn yet.The occupant on the White House is dangling the threat of economic punishment over the heads of countries that are supporting the territorial integrity of an EU member, Denmark. Leaders will hold an emergency EU summit about this in the coming days. If the European Union fights back with…

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‘Europe won’t be blackmailed,’ Danish PM says in wake of Trump Greenland threats

ReutersMette Frederiksen and other European allies are standing in solidarity with Greenland, despite Trump's threat of tariffsDenmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says "Europe won't be blackmailed", as she and other European leaders continue to weigh their response to US President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland.Trump says he will impose new taxes on eight US allies - Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK - in February if they oppose his proposed takeover of…

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Syria, SDF agree ceasefire and integration deal

The Syrian government has announced an immediate nationwide ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), taking almost full control of the country, according to Syrian state media.The ceasefire ends nearly two weeks of fighting and forms part of a broader 14-point agreement that will see the SDF integrated into Syria's military and state institutions.Speaking in Damascus, President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the deal would allow Syrian state institutions to reassert control over three eastern and northern governorates -…

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Israel pushes back on Trump’s picks for executives on Gaza ‘Board of Peace’

ReutersIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened a meeting with his top advisers to discuss Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza, after it revealed the US did not include Israel in talks to do with its creation.Netanyahu's office said it was "not coordinated with Israel and runs contrary to its policy", following Saturday's announcement of the committee's Gaza Executive Board, which includes the Turkish foreign minister and a Qatari official, as well as former-UK PM Tony Blair…

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Deadly Chile fires trigger state of catastrophe in Ñuble and Biobío regions

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of catastrophe in two regions where deadly wildfires are raging.At least 16 people are confirmed dead in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, about 500km (300 miles) south of the capital Santiago. At least 20,000 have been evacuated. The most dangerous fire has swept through dry forests bordering the coastal city of Concepción. About 250 homes have been destroyed, disaster officials said.Local media show pictures of charred cars in the streets.…

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Pakistan shopping mall fire kills six people

A fire at a shopping centre in the Pakistan city of Karachi has killed six people as firefighters continue to battle the blaze.Parts of the Gul Plaza, containing 1,200 stores and spanning 8,000 sq m (86,111 sq ft), have collapsed which officers said was hampering rescue efforts.One firefighter is among the dead, more than 20 people have been injured and there are fears some are still trapped inside the multi-storey mall.Local emergency services said that when helpers arrived…

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Syrian army seizes country’s largest oil field from Kurdish forces

Syrian troops fighting Kurdish forces in north-eastern Syria have seized the country's largest oilfield.The Omar facility and nearby gas fields are under army control after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) pulled back, officials and monitors say. Earlier the army captured the strategic Tabqa dam on the Euphrates river.The push came after the SDF announced it would redeploy east of the Euphrates, following deadly clashes last week. That withdrawal followed talks with US officials.Ongoing fighting in the area…

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Will Iran’s internet shutdown become permanent?

Joe Tidy,BBC cybersecurity correspondentandFarshad Bayan,BBC PersianNurPhoto via Getty ImagesIran is 10 days into one of the most extreme internet shutdowns in history, with 92 million citizens cut off from all internet services and even disruption to phone and text messaging.The Iranian government cut off services on 8 January, apparently to stifle dissent and prevent international scrutiny of a government crack down on protesters.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the internet was cut off in response to what he…

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Around 1,500 soldiers on standby for deployment to Minneapolis, reports say

  • Post category:World News

Soldiers are on standby for possible deployment to Minneapolis, a US defence official has told CBS News, the BBC's US partner. The official said the 1,500 soldiers, currently in Alaska, are an option for the US president if he decided to use active duty military personnel, as anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstrations continued in the city on Saturday.No decision has yet been made on whether to deploy the soldiers from Alaska, the official said.Minnesota officials have urged…

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