Hostages released and a protest over whales: photos of the day
Wreckage of the crashed jet in the Potomac River. Rescue boats search the waters after the plane, on approach to Reagan National airport, crashed into the river, outside Washington, DC. The regional jet from Kansas crashed after colliding mid-air with a military helicopter near the airport, prompting a major emergency response and grounding all flights Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Rescuers work at the site of a damaged residential building after shelling in northeastern Ukraine. At least four people were killed and nine others injured in the Russian drone attack Photograph: State Emergency Service Of Ukraine Handout/EPA
A large Palestinian flag hangs on a damaged building ahead of the handover of hostages to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The move is part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel Photograph: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters
Hamas militants escort Israeli hostage Agam Berger before handing her over to a Red Cross team as part of their third hostage-prisoner exchange Photograph: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images
Family members and supporters of Berger react as they watch a broadcast of her during her release. Berger, a soldier, was seized from her army base in southern Israel during the deadly 7 October attack by Hamas Photograph: Tomer Appelbaum/Reuters
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad and Hamas fighters escort Arbel Yehoud to hand her over to a Red Cross team as part of their third hostage-prisoner exchange. Photograph: Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images
The CN Tower is illuminated with green lights to mark the National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action Against Islamophobia Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
(left to right) Heidi Reichinnek, Gregor Gysi and Ines Schwerdtner, co-leader of leftwing Die Linke, dance at the political party's election campaign launch rally. Germany is scheduled to hold snap federal parliamentary elections on 23 February Photograph:Supporters hold photos of pro-choice activist Justyna Wydrzyńska before a hearing at the appeals court. Wydrzyńska was found guilty in 2023 of supplying a pregnant woman with abortion pills in Poland's first such case Photograph: Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images
Maria Martins de Souza, a nurse from the Brazilian state Sistema Unico de Saude or Unified Health System, checks patient Josenilda Vitoriosa, 57. The nurse visits vulnerable and elderly people, and patients with reduced mobility, in the working-class district of Caju in the north of Rio de Janeiro, attending to high rates of dehydration and high blood pressure caused by high temperatures. Photograph: Aline Massuca/Reuters
Environmentalists and protesters rallying against a gas project in the Gulf of California, which they say can endanger whales, gather at Mexico City's Zocalo main square Photograph: Henry Romero/Reuters
Rapper Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, leaves court during his felony assault trial at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, California. The 36-year-old faces two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm during confrontations with Terell Ephron Photograph: Frazer Harrison/AFP/Getty Images
Pilgrims bathe on the banks of the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers at the Kumbh Mela festival in Uttar Pradesh. The festival is expected to go down as the largest ever gathering of humanity, pulling in an estimated 400 million individuals over a 40-day period. The busiest day so far saw an estimated 17.5 million people attend Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian
A model prepares backstage for the presentation of Spanish designer Juana Martin's Spring/Summer 2025 Haute Couture collection during Paris Fashion Week Photograph: Teresa Suárez/EPA
Anthony Mackie attends the UK photocall of Marvel Studios' Captain America: Brave New World in Trafalgar Square Photograph: Timfor The Walt Disney Company Limited
Performers pose for a photo before going on stage at the Longtan Park Temple Fair on the second day of Lunar New Year celebrations
Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP
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Scottish Sun
32 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Putin could attack Nato by 2030, alliance boss warns as ‘Europe needs to build its own Golden Dome defence system'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) VLADIMIR Putin could launch an assault on NATO by 2030, an alliance chief has warned. Mark Rutte, NATO's secretary general, has urged Europe to build "its own Golden Dome defence system" to protect countries from Russia's looming threat. 6 The NATO chief warned the end of the war in Ukraine won't stop the Russian threat Credit: AP 6 The alliance boss warned of Russia's threat to the UK and other European countries Credit: Getty 6 Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke about Russia's looming threat at Chatham House Credit: PA The NATO head said that the alliance would need to take a "quantum leap" in building up its defence systems as Putin's war machine is "speeding up, not slowing down." Speaking at the world-leading policy institute, Chatham House, he urged European leaders to increase their air and missile defence capabilities by a staggering 400 per cent. Europe should also be prepared to protect its skies, as Russia's war on Ukraine has shown the despot leader "delivers terror from above". He said: "The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence. "The fact is, we must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full. "The fact is, danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends." In an urgent plea to leaders, he called for militaries to be armed with thousands more vehicles and tanks, and millions more artillery shells. He also insisted allies double their resources supporting military power including logistics, transport and medical aid. Terrifyingly, Rutte also hinted at a potential triple threat - with Mad Vlad teaming up with despot leaders in China, North Korea and Iran. Russia currently produces in three months what the whole of NATO produces in a year, he said. Russia's ambassador to the UK 'blames Britain' for Ukraine's daring drone attack & warns of 'WWIII risk' China is also modernising and expanding its military, with its battle force expected to increase to 435 ships by 2030. He warned: "Wishful thinking will not keep us safe. We cannot dream away the danger. "Hope is not a strategy. So NATO has to become a stronger, fairer and more lethal alliance." The alliance chief's comments came as he pushed for NATO members to commit to ramping up defence spending at a key summit of the western military alliance later this month. Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure. The proposal is a compromise deal designed to satisfy US President Donald Trump, who has demanded that allies each spend 5 percent of economic output on defence, up from a current commitment of two percent. Rutte said he "expects" leaders to agree to the proposal at the summit of the 32-country alliance on June 24-25 in The Hague. 6 The Israeli Iron Dome air defence system has protected the state from missile attacks Credit: AP 6 Donald Trump recently unveiled plans to build a Golden Dome over America "It will be a NATO-wide commitment and a defining moment for the alliance," he said in his speech. Russia condemned Rutte's comments before he took to the stage, denouncing NATO as "an instrument of aggression". NATO "is demonstrating itself as an instrument of aggression and confrontation", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow. This follows Rutte's meeting with the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer - their second Downing Street talk since the Labour leader came into power last year. Starmer's government this year pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, but has not yet set a firm timeline for further hikes. Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada would hit two percent this year. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said last week the allies were close to an agreement on the split five-percent target. "That combination constitutes a real commitment, and we think every country can step up," he said on Thursday. Space rockets & hypersonic interceptors…Trump unveils half-a-trillion dollar Golden Dome air defence to be ready by 2029 DONALD Trump has unveiled plans for a high-tech "Golden Dome" missile defence system, which the president claims should be operational by the end of his term in office. The futuristic concept announced by Trump would see American weapons put in space for the first time ever. Trump had already signalled his intent to set up a Golden Dome following his return to the White House, calling missile attacks the "most catastrophic threat facing the United States". The idea is modelled on Israel's Iron Dome defence system, which uses radar to detect incoming missiles and calculates which ones pose a threat to populated areas. But the Golden Dome would be an infinitely bigger project, not least because the United States is more than 400 times larger than Israel. During his announcement in the Oval Office yesterday, Trump said his new Golden Dome would be "capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from the other side of the world". NATO members have been scrambling to bolster their defence capabilities since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump's return to the White House in January, and question marks over his commitment to European security, has added urgency. Rutte warned: "Danger will not disappear even when the war in Ukraine ends. "We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defence plans in full." He added that if countries cannot commit to 5 percent for defence spending "you could still have the National Health Service, or in other countries, their health systems, the pension system, etc, but you better learn to speak Russian. I mean, that's the consequence". Britain announced plans last week to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines and six munitions factories to rearm the country in response to what it said were threats from Russia.
Telegraph
38 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Left-wing activists like Greta Thunberg care more about fame than facts
This image will forever be compared with the horror show of the actual kidnap of hostages by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups. There are girls younger than Greta, with bloodied pants, their Achilles tendons cut; a mother clutching her two red-haired children whom we now know are dead; a terrified old lady being abducted. It is said that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will force Thunberg and her crew to watch the brutal footage recorded on October 7. I doubt this will make much difference. In 2023, the IDF showed Hamas body cam footage collected after the Nova festival attack to the press in London. Most of the viewers were in tears but certain activist 'journalists' came out saying there was no proof of women being raped as they had not been shown that. Thunberg, like so many of her generation wrapped up in their made-in-China keffiyehs, are not interested in the specifics of this conflict. This is what happens when a young girl with a penchant for protest becomes too feted. She addressed national parliaments and Davos as a climate activist and was interviewed everywhere, so she must have grasped the fact that her youth and passion energised many. Unsurprisingly, then, her symbolic power was soon commodified as she appeared at protest after protest, morphing effortlessly from climate change activism to Palestinian solidarity. Political activism is now algorithmic. Hey, if you liked that cause, then try this one. The 'Left' these days often seems little more than a collection of disparate causes: eco stuff, trans rights and Free Palestine. The contradictions between these beliefs are underplayed as they become bundled together as an omnicause. I first heard that word used in 2023. The omnicause can incorporate everything from animal rights to emptying the jails. Forget the single issues that require specific, often boring campaigning: the omnicause is a moronic vacuum where analysis goes to die. It is a product partly of the horizontalisation of social media. By this, I mean that something such as Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police, which had relevance in America a few years ago, gets picked up here… even though we have a quite different population and methods of policing. Those protesting what is happening in Gaza are not all uninformed, but many are. Younger people recruited from Just Stop Oil (and now presenting as Youth Demand) have stopped soup-throwing in favour of this new pressing cause. But they have not talked about famine in Yemen or the atrocities of Sudan. Interconnectedness has its limits, after all. There may well be links between climate change and war. Many argue that drought was a factor in the unrest that led to the Syrian civil war. The omnicause, though, does not do specifics. It favours symbolic demonstrations that can go viral. These simplistic spectacles of righteousness often backfire. What did Fossil Free Books achieve, for instance? It decided to campaign against companies that had any connection to Israel. The result was that investment firms such as Baillie Gifford stopped funding book festivals. How this helped either the environment or indeed the Palestinian cause is something of a mystery. Thunberg's stunt has been similarly self-aggrandising and vacuous. Watching footage of this climate activist and her mates all chucking their expensive phones into the sea as they were about to be taken by the Israelis showed that, of course, when the chips were down, environmental concerns went out of the window. The omnicause does not require logic, consistency or even coherence. It is closer to acting than activism. It depends on melodrama and a narrative of provocative images. Thunberg may be brave and have been prepared to sacrifice herself – though for what, exactly, I am not sure. But now we have seen the pictures, I am afraid that what she has sacrificed has been her integrity. The omnicause burns itself out in the end because it has no actual strategy. It simply signifies tribal loyalty. It gobbles everything up and spits out its participants, who simply move on to the next 'wrong' thing. You might think that, for Thunberg, her ship has sailed. But that does not mean she won't clamber aboard the next one that hoves into view.
South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Nato chief says UK's defence spending plans not at odds with 5% goal
The Nato chief would not reveal the deadline for when he hopes Nato allies will reach the target as he spoke at London's Chatham House. He said he had a 'clear view' on when he thinks countries should get there but said he would keep it to himself. Countries that do not ramp up defence spending should 'learn to speak Russian', he said. Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte giving a speech at Chatham House during his visit to the UK (Yui Mok/PA) He had earlier commended the UK for plans unveiled in the strategic defence review last week as he met Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Monday. Mr Rutte said the UK's goals to spend 2.5% on defence from April 2027 and then aim to get to 3% over the next parliament were not at odds with his own proposed target for the bloc. He has proposed members of the bloc spend 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence as part of a strengthened investment plan for the alliance. The target would require nations to raise core defence spending to 3.5% of GDP, while the remaining 1.5% is to be made up of 'defence-related expenditure'. He said every country is 'working in cycles' and that he was 'really impressed' with the UK's plans under the strategic defence review unveiled last week. 'I've seen sometimes in the British press that there is the defence review and now there is this proposal I made about the 5%, the 3.5% core and 1.5% defence and security-related spending. 'So then people are saying 'hey there is discrepancy', I don't think there is. Why not? Because every country is working in cycles to constantly update its own defence strategy.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (left) welcomed Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte to Downing Street (Jordan Pettitt/PA) He said it was not up to him to decide how countries get there, when asked if he believed Chancellor Rachel Reeves should raise taxes to meet defence spending commitments. 'I mean, what I know is that if we want to keep our societies safe… look, if you do not do this, if you would not go to the 5%, including the 3.5% core defence spending, you could still have the National Health Service, or in other countries their health systems, the pension system, etcetera, but you had better learn to speak Russian.' The upcoming Nato summit would focus on a 'credible path' to get to the 'longer-term goal' of reaching 5%, he said. The 5% goal is not 'some figure plucked from the air', he said. 'The fact is we need a quantum leap in our defence. The fact is we must have more forces and capability to implement our defence plans in full.' While he said the 'exact details are classified', Mr Rutte said there needed to be a 400% increase in air and missile defence. He said Russia could be ready to use force against Nato within five years. 'The new generation of Russian missiles travel at many times the speed of sound. The distance between European capitals is only a matter of minutes. There is no longer east or west. There is just Nato.' As he met with Sir Keir in the White Room of No 10, he commended the Prime Minister on the 'very good stuff' in the defence review. 'It is not only about the traditional things, of course we need them, like ammunition… there is also drones, innovation, building the defence industrial base. It is really broad, it is really making a big impression in Brussels I can tell you,' he said. Sir Keir described Nato as 'the most effective military alliance the world has ever seen' (Jordan Pettitt/PA) Sir Keir called Nato the 'cornerstone of our defence' and the 'most effective military alliance the world has ever seen', adding that the task of the upcoming summit was to make sure it serves that purpose for decades to come. Sir Keir also spoke to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday and the two leaders welcomed efforts by Nato allies to step up defence spending as well as Mr Rutte's suggestions to further boost it, a Downing Street spokeswoman said. The boost to the defence budget announced last week will be confirmed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her spending review on Wednesday, when she will set out the Government's priorities for the next three years.
