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Russia has accused the US of being behind what it claims was a drone attack on the Kremlin – less than a day after it alleged Ukraine was responsible.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia knows the US is selecting targets and Ukraine is just carrying out Washington’s plans.

“Attempts to disown this, both in Kyiv and in Washington, are of course, absolutely ridiculous,” he said.

“We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kyiv but in Washington.”

He did not provide any evidence of this.

The attack on the home of Russian President Vladimir Putin happened in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting Putin to blame Ukraine for what he said was a “terrorist act”.

Ukraine war latest: US ‘definitely’ behind Kremlin attack

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had responded: “We don’t attack Putin or Moscow – we fight on our own territory”.

The Kremlin said the drones were disabled before they could strike and there were no reports of victims or damage.

Ukraine’s military said the three Russian-launched drones that hit a university in Odesa in the early hours of Thursday had been inscribed “for Moscow” and “for the Kremlin”.

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Zelenskyy leads silence at The Hague

The Kremlin had said it reserved the right to retaliate for the attack, but it had not said what form this retaliation might take.

Mr Peskov said on Thursday that Russia has several options and that the response – when it comes – will be carefully considered and balanced.

His words came just hours after Ukraine said it had shot down more than a dozen Russian-launched drones in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The 18 drones were among 24 launched in pre-dawn attacks across Ukraine, with a number aimed at Kyiv – all of which were destroyed alongside an unspecified number of missiles, city officials said.

Administration officials in the capital said: “The Russians have attacked Kyiv using Shahed loitering munitions and missiles, likely the ballistic type.”

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Some 15 Shahed drones were fired at the Black Sea port city of Odesa, with air defences destroying 12 of these, according to Ukraine’s southern military command.

Three of the drones struck a university compound. There were no casualties.

Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspline also reported explosions in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, with the head of the city’s regional military administration Yuri Malashko confirming anti-aircraft defences were at work.

Russia has regularly bombarded Ukraine since October and the latest attacks come less than 24 hours after Kyiv said 21 people were killed in a Russian strike on the city of Kherson.

Mr Zelenskyy said a supermarket, railway station and residential buildings were among the places hit.

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Is there a stalemate in Ukraine war – or is this the lull before the storm?

The Ukrainian president visited the International Criminal Court at The Hague on Thursday morning and reiterated his denials of involvement in the attack on the Kremlin.

He said: “We didn’t attack Putin. We leave it to (the) tribunal.”

Speaking at a news conference in the Netherlands, Mr Zelenskyy said he hoped the Russian leader would face an international war crimes court in the future.

“We all want to see… Vladimir here in The Hague,” he said, adding he “deserves to be sentenced” and brought to justice.

The Hague is home to the International Criminal Court which has issued an arrest warrant accusing President Putin of war crimes – the unlawful deportation of children from occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia.

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Mexico and Canada agree to bolster US border security in return for tariff pause

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Mexico and Canada agree to bolster US border security in return for tariff pause

Both Canada and Mexico have agreed to strengthen border security with the United States in return for a 30-day pause in tariffs.

President Trump announced on Sunday he was imposing 25% taxes on goods from his country’s northern and southern neighbours.

Mexico was first to reach a deal with the White House. Its president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said she was sending 10,000 National Guard troops to the US border immediately in return for a tariff delay.

Mr Trump said the Mexican soldiers would be “specifically designated” to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the US, as well as illegal migrants. Further negotiations will now be carried out, he added.

Ms Sheinbaum said she had a “good conversation” with him lasting at least 30 minutes just hours before the tariffs were due to begin.

She also extracted a concession from Mr Trump – after explaining the “seriousness” of high-powered weapons coming over the border from the US and getting into the hands of criminal groups.

“It gives them firepower,” she said. “We asked that the US also help our country by helping stop this arms trafficking… he agreed.”

Donald Trump as he hosted the 2024 Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, at the White House. Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump hosting the 2024 Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, at the White House. Pic: Reuters

Canada made similar moves. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said almost 10,000 frontline personnel “are and will be working on protecting the border”.

He added on X that his country was appointing a “fentanyl czar”, drugs cartels would be listed as terrorists, and there would be “24/7 eyes on the border”.

There will also be a Canada-US joint strike force to “combat organised crime, fentanyl and money laundering”, Mr Trudeau announced.

Both Trudeau and Trump will view the deal as a win – Trump for seemingly forcing the US’s northern neighbour to act, and Trudeau for heading off sanctions with measures that for the most part (with the exception of the fentanyl czar) had already been announced in December.

Donald Trump said he was “very pleased with this initial outcome” and work will begin see how a “Final Economic Deal” with Canada can be structured.

Analysis: Has it all just been theatre?

First Mexico, now Canada. In another whirlwind day, both of America’s closest neighbours appear to have capitulated to President Trump.
The 25% tariffs on all goods from both countries were due to come into effect at midnight US Eastern time. But after calls between all three leaders, suddenly the tariffs were paused.

So what’s going on? Is this a clear signal of the power Trump wields? His blunt tool of using the threat of tariffs as a negotiating tool has paid off? Bullying tactics work? Well, maybe. At least that’s how Mr Trump wants everyone to think. Dance to my tune, or else.

And it’s absolutely the case that Mexico and Canada were in panic mode this weekend. But surely Donald Trump was panicking a little too when he saw the stock markets on Monday. He claimed this afternoon not to be taking any notice of their sharp falls. But we know he cares deeply about market reactions.

Here’s what’s interesting: the statement from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sounded at first glance like it was announcing something new.
“Canada is implementing our $1.3bn border plan… nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border…”

But it’s not a new announcement. Look at the language – “are and will be”. In other words, “we’re doing this already Mr President, but if you want me to reiterate it to placate you, then I will…” All that Justin Trudeau has done today is reiterate a border plan he announced last December.

Mexico too has been doing an increasing amount in the fight against fentanyl though it could and probably now will do more.

So has it all been theatre this past 24 hours?

A show of brinkmanship from Donald Trump, which could have had a cliff-edge ending, but instead ended with him looking strong (and freaking out much of the developed world in the process) and his closest neighbours forced to reiterate their existing plans.

Regarding China, a 10% tariff – in addition to those already in place – is still set to go ahead, though the White House said Mr Trump is due to talk to President Xi Jinping.

The US president has, however, said 10% could be just the start.

“China hopefully is going to stop sending us fentanyl, and if they’re not, the tariffs are going to go substantially higher,” he said.

China has described fentanyl as America’s problem, and said it would challenge the tariffs at the World Trade Organisation, as well as taking other countermeasures.

But it also left the door open for talks.

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‘PM walking tightrope between Trump and EU’

What is the UK situation on tariffs?

President Trump hates trade deficits, and does not want to import more goods from another country than are sent there in return, says Sky’s economics and data editor, Ed Conway.

But Britain has bigger trade deficits than the US, Conway adds, and is one of the few countries in the world to import more goods from America than America imports from it.

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In addition, because the UK is no longer part of the European Union, any tariffs imposed on Brussels will not affect London.

When asked about the UK, Mr Trump said: “I think that one can be worked out.”

Sir Keir Starmer said it was “early days”.

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Donald Trump’s tariffs: What’s going on and what does it all mean?

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Donald Trump's tariffs: What's going on and what does it all mean?

Donald Trump has announced sweeping tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, kicking off a trade war that will affect the globe.

Here we look at the tariffs and what they all mean for the world:

What did Trump announce?

The US president said on Sunday that goods from Mexico and Canada will face 25% tariffs, while 10% taxes will be implemented on imports from China.

Canadian energy, including oil, natural gas and electricity, will be taxed at a 10% rate.

Trade war latest: Follow live updates

The levies were expected to all take effect on Tuesday, with Mexico and Canada both announcing counter-tariffs of their own in response.

However, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a news conference on Monday that implementation of the tariffs would be paused for a month, after she and Mr Trump had a conversation and came to an agreement.

But Mr Trump has also threatened to go further, saying tariffs on the European Union would be implemented “pretty soon”.

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Trump’s proposed tariffs

When questioned about the UK, the president said Britain was “out of line” when it came to trade but he thought the situation could be “worked out” without the use of tariffs.

What are tariffs, and how do they work?

Put simply, tariffs are taxes on goods that are brought in from other countries.

By raising the price of imports, tariffs aim to protect domestic manufacturers by making locally made goods cheaper.

Contrary to what Mr Trump has said, it is not foreign countries that pay tariffs, but the importing companies that buy the goods.

For example, American businesses like Walmart or Target pay tariffs directly to the US treasury.

In the US, these tariffs are collected by customs and border protection agents, who are stationed at 328 ports of entry across the country.

Tariffs graphic
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Mr Trump’s proposed tariffs

To compensate for tariffs, companies then put up their prices, so customers end up paying more for goods.

Tariffs can also damage foreign countries as it makes their products pricier and harder to sell.

This can lead to them cutting prices (and sacrificing profits) to offset levies and maintain their market share in the US.

Why is Trump doing this?

Mr Trump has argued that imposing higher levies will help reduce illegal migration and the smuggling of the synthetic opioid fentanyl to the US.

On Mexico, the US leader claimed drug traffickers and the country’s government “have an intolerable alliance” that in turn impacts national security.

He further claimed that Mexican drug cartels are operating in Canada.

Tariffs graphic

On China, he said the country’s government provides a “safe haven” for criminal organisations.

He has also pledged to use tariffs to boost domestic manufacturing.

“We may have short term some little pain, and people understand that. But long term, the United States has been ripped off by virtually every country in the world,” he said.

His aim appears to be to force governments in those countries to work much harder to prevent what he calls illegal migration and the smuggling of the deadly drug fentanyl – as appears to have been agreed by Mexico. But, even if the countries do not do what America wants, it will still potentially benefit firms that produce goods in the US.

What could the consequences be?

Mexico and Canada are two of America’s largest trading partners, with the tariffs upending decades-old trade relationships.

Goods that could be affected most by the incoming tariffs include fruit and veg, petrol and oil, cars and vehicle parts and electronic goods.

New analysis by the Budget Lab at Yale University found that the average US household would lose the equivalent of $1,170 US dollars (£944) in income from the tariffs.

Read more: This is how US consumers will be affected

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Why Trump’s tariffs could cost you

The research also found that economic growth would slow and inflation would worsen, as the tariffs forced up prices.

Immediate consequences were felt on Monday morning, as shares on Asian markets took a tumble.

Japan’s Nikkei opened down 2.9% while Australia’s benchmark – often a proxy trade for Chinese markets – fell 1.8%. Stocks in Hong Kong, which include listings of Chinese companies, fell 1.1%.

UK stocks were also significantly down, with the benchmark FTSE 100 index – containing the most valuable companies on the London Stock Exchange – dropped more than 1.3% on the open.

In Europe, stock markets opened sharply lower while the euro slid 1.3%. The Europe-wide index of companies, the Stoxx 600 dropped as much as 1.5%.

While Mexico’s peso hit its lowest in nearly three years.

‘Very scary path’

Sky News’ data and economics editor Ed Conway said the long term consequences of a trade war is that “everyone gets poorer”, which is what happened to the world before World War Two.

“As countries get poorer, they get frustrated and you get more nationalism,” Conway said, speaking on Friday’s Sky News Daily podcast.

“This is exactly what happened in the 1930s, and the world ended up at war with each other. It is a very, very scary path, and yes, we are basically on a potential of that path.”

However, Conway added that one positive of Mr Trump’s tariffs could be highlighting “massive imbalances” within the global economy.

He said Mr Trump may be able to shift the conversation to problems that “economists don’t want to talk about”.

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“At the moment, we have a dysfunctional global economy,” he explained.

“You have got massive imbalances like trade deficits [when a country’s imports exceeds the value of its exports] and trade surpluses [when a country’s exports exceeds the cost of its imports].

“There might well be a better way of everyone getting together and having a conversation and working out how to align their affairs, so we don’t have these imbalances in the future.

“And tariffs help to get you to this point.”

How has the world reacted?

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted strongly against Mr Trump’s tariffs, saying his country would impose 25% tariffs on $155bn Canadian dollars (£85.9bn) of US goods in response.

He added that the move would split the two countries apart, and urged Canadians to choose domestic products rather than American ones.

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Tariffs against Canada ‘will put US jobs at risk’

Mexican President Ms Sheinbaum posted on X on Sunday to say she had ordered her economy minister to implement tariff and non-tariff measures to defend Mexico’s interests.

She said her government “categorically rejects” the claim that it has “alliances with criminal organisations” and called on the White House to “fight the sale of drugs on the streets of their major cities”.

A day later, she posted saying she and Mr Trump had a “good conversation” and “reached a series of agreements”.

These agreements include Mexico sending 10,000 troops to the border to “prevent drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States, particularly fentanyl”.

Mr Trump responded to the agreement with Ms Sheinbaum, saying negotiations between the two will be ongoing to try and achieve a “deal”.

Meanwhile, China has claimed the US action violates World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, and vowed to bring a case before the body that governs global commerce.

It also threatened to take “necessary counter-measures to defend its legitimate rights and interests”.

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Mexico responds to Trump’s tariffs

A spokesperson for the UK government reiterated that the US is an “indispensable ally” and one of the country’s “closest trading partners”.

They added that the trading relationship was “fair and balanced”, after Mr Trump criticised the UK, saying it was “out of line”.

European Union (EU) leaders have also taken a strong stance against looming US tariffs.

Kaja Kallas, the chief of foreign policy for the bloc, said there were no winners in a trade war, and if the US and Europe started one “then the one laughing on the side is China”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz added that the EU is strong enough to “respond to tariffs with our own tariffs”, while French President Emmanuel Macron said declarations by the US were pushing Europe to be “stronger and more united”.

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EU can react with its own tariffs

What’s the history of trade wars?

Imposing tariffs is not new to Mr Trump, or the US for that matter.

During his first term in the White House, he imposed higher levies on China and Vietnam.

In 2018, he imposed 25% tariffs on imported steel and 10% on imported aluminium from most countries, a response to what he said was the unfair impact of Chinese steel driving down prices and negatively affecting the US steel industry.

China then hit back with retaliatory tariffs on US imports, including 15% on 120 American products such as fruits, nuts, wine and steel pipes and a 25% tariff on US pork and recycled aluminium.

Before that, democrat Jimmy Carter went so far as to completely ban the sale of wheat to Russia, which remained in effect until Ronald Reagan ended it in 1981.

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In 2019, Mr Trump also used the threat of tariffs as leverage to persuade Mexico to crack down on migrants crossing Mexican territory on their way to the US.

A study by economists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Zurich, Harvard and the World Bank concluded that Mr Trump’s tariffs the first time around failed to restore jobs to the American heartland.

The tariffs “neither raised nor lowered US employment” when they were supposed to protect jobs, according to Sky News’ US partner network NBC News.

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Swedish anti-Islam campaigner sentenced over Koran burnings days after co-defendant shot dead

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Swedish anti-Islam campaigner sentenced over Koran burnings days after co-defendant shot dead

A man who staged public burnings of the Koran in Sweden has been found guilty of hate crimes, five days after his co-defendant was shot dead.

Salwan Najem, a 50-year-old Swedish citizen, was given a suspended sentence and fined 4,000 crowns (£289) over the Koran burnings and derogatory comments he made about Muslims in the 2023 incidents.

His actions sparked unrest and anger towards Sweden in Muslim countries.

His fellow campaigner, Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, 38, was shot dead last week on the day he had been due to receive his verdict in a parallel case.

Five people were detained over the killing but later released.

Swedish police said on the day after the shooting on 29 January that Momika was shot dead in a house in Sodertalje, a town near Stockholm. The case against Momika was subsequently dismissed.

Sweden’s prime minister expressed concern the shooting may be linked to a foreign power.

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Burning the Koran is seen by Muslims as a blasphemous act because they consider it the literal word of God.

The Stockholm district court said Sweden had extensive free speech rights and that followers of a religion must accept that they would sometimes feel offended, but that Najem and Momika had “by a wide margin” overstepped the mark for reasonable and factual religious criticism.

The court said the Koran did not have any special protection just because it was a holy scripture for Muslims and that there could be cases where burning was not considered a hate crime.

Najem was found guilty of hate crimes for “having expressed contempt for the Muslim ethnic group because of their religious beliefs on four occasions”, the court said.

Najem’s lawyer has said he would be appealing against the verdict.

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