Trump and Vance are courting Europe’s far right to spread their political gospel

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US vice-president’s speech and meeting with Germany’s AfD chief signal administration’s wider plans for continent

The Trump administration is making a big bet on Europe’s hard right.

Speaking at a conference of Europe’s leaders in Munich on Friday, the US vice-president JD Vance stunned the room by delivering what amounted to a campaign speech against Germany’s sitting government just one week before an election in which the anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim AfD is set to take second place.

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Luxury London hotel Chiltern Firehouse evacuated after fire breaks out

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Firefighters from across the capital sent to popular venue

The popular celebrity venue Chiltern Firehouse in London will remain closed until further notice after a fire forced about 100 people to evacuate on Friday lunchtime.

The London fire brigade (LFB) said 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines attended the blaze at the restaurant and luxury hotel on Chiltern Street in Marylebone after a 999 call was made at 2.52pm.

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Education minister accused of ‘political interference’ over review of funding for prominent pro-Palestinian academic

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Jason Clare has asked Australian Research Council board to investigate $870,000 grant to Randa Abdel-Fattah, who has faced criticism for controversial comments

Academics have accused the education minister of “arbitrary political interference” in the Australian Research Council after requesting the body’s board investigate the fellowship of a prominent academic and Palestinian advocate.

Randa Abdel-Fattah, the recipient of an ARC Future Fellowship and an academic at Macquarie University, has faced sustained criticism from the Coalition, some Jewish bodies and media outlets for a series of controversial comments, including alleging Zionists had “no claim or right to cultural safety”, and posting “May 2025 be the end of Israel” in the new year and changing her profile picture to a picture of a Palestinian paratrooper after the 7 October attacks.

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Police raid home of Sydney nurse taken to hospital after allegedly threatening Israeli patients on video

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Israeli influencer Max Veifer posts video on Instagram stating: ‘The police are asking me for the unedited version. I have nothing to hide. Here it is’

A Sydney nurse at the centre of a video chat showing two hospital workers allegedly making anti-Israel threats to an Israeli influencer has had their home raided after being taken to hospital due to “welfare concerns”, police say.

New South Wales police confirmed officers from Strike Force Pearl executed a search warrant at a home on Friday night, as part of an ongoing investigation.

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OpenAI rejects $97.4bn Musk bid and says company is not for sale

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Maker of ChatGPT rebuffs consortium led by Tesla owner and rejects ‘latest attempt to disrupt his competition’

OpenAI on Friday rejected a $97.4bn bid from a consortium led by billionaire Elon Musk for the ChatGPT maker, saying the startup is not for sale.

The unsolicited approach is Musk’s latest attempt to block the startup he co-founded with CEO Sam Altman – but later left – from becoming a for-profit firm, as it looks to secure more capital and stay ahead in the AI race.

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High Above Chernobyl, Workers Grapple With Ice, Fire and Nuclear Fears – The New York Times

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  1. High Above Chernobyl, Workers Grapple With Ice, Fire and Nuclear Fears  The New York Times
  2. Drone strikes Chornobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine, Russia says not to blame  Al Jazeera English
  3. IAEA confirms drone attack damaged outer wall of Chernobyl dome  Voice of America
  4. Update 275 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine  International Atomic Energy Agency
  5. U.S.-Russia Talks 'Obsolete' After Chernobyl Drone Strike – Kallas  The Moscow Times
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A drone pierced the outer shell of Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear plant. Radiation levels are normal – The Associated Press

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  1. A drone pierced the outer shell of Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear plant. Radiation levels are normal  The Associated Press
  2. High Above Chernobyl, Workers Grapple With Ice, Fire and Nuclear Fears  The New York Times
  3. Ukraine says Russia drone attack hits Chernobyl nuclear plant, radiation levels normal  CNN
  4. Zelenskiy says Russian drone damages Chornobyl plant's radiation shield  Reuters
  5. Ukraine blames Russia for attack on Chernobyl's radiation shield  Yahoo
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Trump agrees to ‘friendly meeting’ with Keir Starmer after making surprise call

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President phoned while PM was with Mark Burnett, the Apprentice producer appointed as ‘special envoy’ to UK

Donald Trump has spoken to Keir Starmer again after what appears to have been a spur-of-the-moment phone call from the US president that was not expected by the British prime minister and his team.

News of the call, which took place on Thursday evening, emerged in a Downing Street statement about Starmer’s meeting with Mark Burnett, the British TV producer whom Trump has appointed as special envoy to the UK.

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Trump’s Ukraine ‘plan’: What each side wants from a peace deal – BBC.com

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  1. Trump’s Ukraine ‘plan’: What each side wants from a peace deal  BBC.com
  2. This is how Ukraine’s war ends. But Trump’s plan for what comes next is even more radical  The Telegraph
  3. The Only Viable Peace for Ukraine  Foreign Policy
  4. Ukraine’s negotiating conundrum: Ceasefire, concessions and more sacrifice  Euronews
  5. Thursday, February 13. Russia’s War On Ukraine: News And Information From Ukraine  Forbes
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Trump says he would take hard stance on Gaza on Saturday – The Jerusalem Post

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  1. Trump says he would take hard stance on Gaza on Saturday  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Hamas says it will adhere to Gaza ceasefire after threat to delay next release of Israeli hostages  CBS News
  3. Trump Bets He Can Threaten His Way to Ending the Israel-Hamas War  TIME
  4. Trump's proposal for U.S. to 'take over' has 'changed political dynamics' of negotiations  MSNBC
  5. In U-turn, Hamas says it will release hostages and recommits to Gaza ceasefire  NBC News
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Whale Nearly Swallows Kayaker In Viral Video — The Likely Reason Why – Forbes

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  1. Whale Nearly Swallows Kayaker In Viral Video — The Likely Reason Why  Forbes
  2. Man Is Briefly ‘Swallowed’ by Whale in Chile  The New York Times
  3. Video: Kayaker in viral video describes being inside whale’s mouth  CNN
  4. A humpback whale briefly swallows kayaker in Chilean Patagonia — and it's all captured on camera  The Associated Press
  5. Did a whale swallow a kayaker? The truth behind the viral video  NPR
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Germany: Munich car ramming suspect had ‘Islamist motive’ – DW (English)

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  1. Germany: Munich car ramming suspect had 'Islamist motive'  DW (English)
  2. Munich car ramming: What happened, who’s the suspect, what’s next?  Al Jazeera English
  3. Munich Car Attack Injured Dozens: What We Know  The New York Times
  4. German prosecutors investigate possible Islamic extremist motive for Munich car-ramming attack  The Associated Press
  5. Farhad Noori, Afghan migrant who drove car into Munich crowd, was a bodybuilding ‘Islamic extremist’ who said ‘Allahu Akbar’  New York Post
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