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Rwanda-backed rebels who seized a major city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have declared a unilateral ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.

The M23 rebel group announced on Monday that the ceasefire would come into effect on Tuesday.

It came just under a week after the rebels completed their three-day capture of Goma – the regional capital of eastern DRC – after fierce battles with Congolese forces.

The UN health agency has said at least 900 people died during fighting in the days that followed, while Congo’s communications minister Patrick Muyaya on Monday more than 2,000 bodies are waiting to be buried in Goma.

The ceasefire announcement came after foreign ministers from G7 nations, including the UK, urged both sides in the conflict to return to negotiations.

In a statement on Monday, they called for a “rapid, safe and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians”.

The fighting in Goma forced hundreds of thousands of people who had been displaced by years of conflict to carry what remained of their belongings and flee again – with many pouring into nearby Rwanda.

Goma, home to two million people, is at the heart of a region home to trillions of dollars in mineral wealth and remains in rebel control despite the ceasefire announcement.

M23 rebels on the streets of Goma.
Pic: AP/Brian Inganga
Image:
M23 rebels on the streets of Goma.
Pic: AP/Brian Inganga

Following the capture of the city, the Rwanda-backed rebels were said to be moving towards Bukavu in South Kivu, also in the east of the country.

However, they appeared to be held up by Congolese troops that were supported by the army from neighbouring country Burundi.

M23 had also expressed a desire to march to DRC’s capital Kinshasa before the rebel group’s spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, said on Monday: “It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas.

“However, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions.”

The M23 group cited “humanitarian reasons” for the ceasefire.

Map of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) showing Goma, Bukavu and Kinshasa.
M23 rebels patrol the streets of Goma this week.
Pic: AP/Brian Inganga
Image:
M23 rebels patrol the streets of Goma this week.
Pic: AP/Brian Inganga

There was no immediate comment from Congo’s government after it was declared.

The rebels’ announcement came ahead of a joint summit this week by regional blocs for southern and eastern Africa, which had called for a ceasefire.

Kenya’s President William Ruto said the presidents of DRC and Rwanda would attend.

Congolese authorities have said they are open to talks to resolve the conflict, but that such a dialogue must be done within the context of previous peace agreements.

Rwanda and the rebels have accused the DR Congo government of defaulting on previous deals.

Read more:
EU facing pressure to drop Rwanda mineral deal
What is the fighting in Democratic Republic of Congo about?
Eyewitness account after rebels take key city

People rush to shop in downtown Goma after the M23 rebels advanced into the city. Pic: AP
Image:
People rush to shop in downtown Goma after the M23 rebels advanced into the city. Pic: AP

The M23 rebels are backed by some 4,000 troops from Rwanda, according to UN experts, far more than in 2012 when they first briefly captured Goma then withdrew after international pressure.

They are the most potent of the more than 100 armed groups vying for control in DRC’s volatile eastern borderlands, which hold vast deposits of minerals critical to much of the world’s technology.

M23 is also the latest in a long line of Rwandan-supported rebel movements to emerge in eastern DR Congo following two successive wars stemming from Rwanda’s genocide more than 30 years ago.

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Dozens of mercenaries in DRC sent to Rwanda by M23 rebels

During the atrocity in 1994, members of Rwanda’s majority Hutu population went on the rampage, murdering Tutsis and those who tried to protect them in a massacre that lasted more than 100 days.

M23 now says it is defending ethnic Tutsis in DRC, whom Rwanda claims are being persecuted by Hutus and former militias responsible for the genocide.

Many Hutus fled to DRC after the massacre and founded the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda militia group.

Rwanda said the group is “fully integrated” into the Congolese military, which it denies.

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Five people shot at adult education centre in Sweden

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Five people shot at adult education centre in Sweden

Five people have been shot at an adult education centre in Sweden, according to police.

A major police operation is currently under way at the school, called Campus Risbergska, in the town of Orebro, around 200km (125 miles) west of the capital Stockholm.

Police urged the public to stay away from the school.

“This is currently seen as attempted murder, arson and aggravated weapons offence,” the force said.

Sweden shooting latest: Danger ‘not over’, police warn

A police officer at Risbergska School in Orebro, Sweden.
Pic: TT News Agency/Kicki Nilsson/Reuters
Image:
A police officer at the school. Pic: Reuters

Five people were taken to hospital. Four underwent surgery and two are critically injured, two are stable and one is lightly injured, police said at a press conference.

The male suspect is among the wounded, the force said.

A spokesperson said they could not rule out further perpetrators.

Officers were searching the school premises and could not say if anyone had been killed.

Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter said police officers had been shot at, but police said no officers had been shot.

The school is for students over the age of 20, according to its website. It offers primary and upper secondary school courses, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programmes for people with intellectual disabilities.

Read more: What we know about Sweden shooting so far

A helicopter at the scene of the shooting  at Risbergska School, in Orebro. 
Pic: Kicki Nilsson/TT News Agency/AP
Image:
A police helicopter above the scene. Pic: AP

Students were taking shelter in nearby buildings and other parts of the adult education centre have been evacuated.

One person who was among those forced to barricade themselves inside the school said they “heard three bangs and loud screams”.

“Now we’re sitting here waiting to be evacuated from the school. The information we have received is that we should sit and wait,” they told Expressen newspaper.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported one person trapped in the school saying “we have heard several shots outside”.

The newspaper also quoted a person who had received a text from a teacher at the school saying “there was a shooting with automatic weapons”.

It said local emergency and intensive care departments are being made ready for casualties.

“The reports of violence in Orebro are very serious. The police are on site and the operation is in full swing,” Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told news agency TT. “The government is in close contact with the police, and is closely following developments.”

Fatal attacks at schools in Sweden are rare, with 10 killed in seven incidents between 2010 and 2022, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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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?

On Sunday the US president said 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, on Monday both Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the implementation of tariffs would be paused for a month after they had calls with Mr Trump.

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 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
Image:
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 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 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 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 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 “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 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 “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 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 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 retaliated by imposing 10% tariffs on American crude oil, agricultural machinery, large-displacement cars and pickup trucks.

There will also be 15% tariffs on coal and liquefied natural gas, as well as an investigation into Google.

China also said it is imposing export controls on rare earth metals such as tungsten, tellurium, ruthenium, molybdenum and ruthenium-related items – the country controls much of the world’s supply of such metals, which are critical for the transition to clean energy.

They will not come into effect until Monday 10 February, however.

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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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Trump’s changed tack to focus on Mexico and Canada – why?
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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 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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Thousands flee Santorini after spike in earthquakes but few brave tourists remain

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Thousands flee Santorini after spike in earthquakes but few brave tourists remain

Thousands have fled the Greek island of Santorini after hundreds of earthquakes shook the Aegean Sea in recent days.

Schools across a number of Greek islands have been shut as a result of the tectonic activity, but a handful of tourists have enjoyed having the views to themselves.

Images captured an exodus of residents and seasonal workers leaving the Cycladic Islands amid the earthquakes.

People wait to board a ferry to Piraeus, following an increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
Image:
People wait to board a ferry to Piraeus following the increase in seismic activity.
Pic: Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis


People arrive in the port of Piraeus near Athens after taking a ferry from Santorini.
Pic: DPA/AP
Image:
People arrive in the port of Piraeus after taking a ferry from Santorini.
Pic: DPA/AP

A man walks between closed tourist shops in Santorini.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
A man walks between closed tourist shops in Santorini.
Pic: Reuters

Families carrying young children, tourists dragging their suitcases, and car parks full of vehicles belonging to those who had left on a ferry were all common sights.

In Santorini’s main town of Fira, the narrow, whitewashed streets were deserted – a rare sight even in the off-season – apart from small pockets of tour groups.

Hundreds of tremors have shaken the islands, some as strong as magnitude 5, since Friday.

Pic

Ferry and commercial flight operators have added additional services to accommodate the surge of people leaving.

The quakes have caused cracks in some older buildings but no injuries have so far been reported.

Schools on 13 islands were shut on Tuesday – up four from the previous day.

Santorini previously cancelled public events, restricted travel and banned construction work in certain areas.

Authorities have deployed emergency rescue workers to the island and shuttered schools until Friday.
Image:
Large crowds heading to catch a ferry off the island.
Pic: AP

A man stands near cars as people wait to board a ferry to Piraeus, following an increase in seismic activity on the island of Santorini.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
A man stands near cars as crowds wait to board a ferry to Piraeus, following an increase in seismic activity on Santorini.
Pic: Reuters

Efthimios Lekkas, head of the state-run Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, said the epicentre of the earthquakes was in the Aegean Sea and moving north away from Santorini.

He added there was no connection to the area’s dormant volcanoes.

“This may last several days or several weeks. We are not able to predict the evolution of the sequence in time,” Mr Lekkas told state-run television.

Retired police officer and ship worker Panagiotis Hatzigeorgiou, who has lived in Santorini for more than 30 years, said he turned down offers to stay with relatives in Athens.

A member of an emergency response crew enters a tent, during increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
A member of an emergency response crew enters a tent on Santorini.
Pic: Reuters

People arrive  from a ferry in the port of Piraeus near Athens after leaving  Santorini. 
Pic: AP
Image:
People arrive in Piraeus near Athens after leaving Santorini.
Pic: AP

“Older residents are used to the earthquakes … but it’s different this time. It’s not the same to have earthquakes every two to three minutes. The main thing is not to worry,” he said.

He added: “Now we can listen to music alone and have coffee by ourselves.”

In Athens, government officials were holding daily planning and assessment meetings with briefings from island officials.

Despite the quakes, not everyone was put off visiting the island.

Joseph Liu, from Guangzhou in southern China, said he had spent years wanting to visit Santorini after seeing it in a documentary.

Read more from Sky News:
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He added he had been warned about the earthquakes so was not surprised by them, saying: “This place is amazing, really beautiful,”.

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