World

Milano-Cortina’s breathtaking vistas come with brutal distances. Thomas Maloney Westgard’s ears must have been burning. As the Irish cross-country veteran settled into the athlete village in Predazzo—lunch finished, a small Italian coffee warming his hands—an Irish broadcast crew meant to interview him was learning, the hard way, why these Winter Olympics have been billed among the most geographically challenging in history. What looks like 540 kilometers on a map between Milan and Cortina can feel much longer when it climbs…

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned anti-Olympics protesters as “enemies of Italy” after clashes in Milan and sabotage on the national rail network disrupted travel on the first full day of competition at the Winter Games co-hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Police used water cannon to disperse crowds after parts of a demonstration in Italy’s financial capital turned violent last night. An estimated 10,000 people took to the streets over housing costs and environmental concerns linked to the Games,…

Ukraine’s foreign minister said only U.S. President Donald Trump can close a deal to end the war with Russia and urged an in-person summit between Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin to settle the most sensitive points still blocking a cease-fire. “Only Trump can stop the war,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Reuters in an interview in Kyiv, arguing that what remains of a 20-point peace framework must be decided at the leaders’ level. He said Kyiv wants to accelerate U.S.-brokered negotiations while momentum…

Portugal votes in presidential run-off as storms batter country; far right’s Ventura trails Socialist Seguro Portugal began voting Sunday in the second round of a presidential election overshadowed by powerful Atlantic storms, with far-right leader Andre Ventura facing Socialist candidate Antonio Jose Seguro in a run-off closely watched for the far right’s share of the vote. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m., with about 11 million voters at home and abroad eligible to cast ballots. First exit polls are expected around 8 p.m.…

President Donald Trump on Friday condemned but declined to apologize for a video posted from his social media account that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes — a dehumanizing trope that drew swift, bipartisan backlash and forced the White House into an unusual retreat. The minute-long clip, shared late Thursday on Trump’s Truth Social account, amplified false claims that his 2020 defeat stemmed from election fraud. Near its end, the video spliced in what appeared to be an…

Trump condemns but won’t apologize after White House deletes racist video depicting Obamas as apes President Donald Trump on Friday condemned but declined to apologize for a video posted to his Truth Social account that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes — an AI-style clip that drew swift, bipartisan outrage before the White House deleted it roughly 12 hours after it appeared. The minute-long video, shared late Thursday, amplified false claims that Trump’s 2020 defeat was the result of election fraud. Near its end, a…

Savannah Guthrie pleads for mother’s return as Arizona kidnapping probe widens U.S. television news host Savannah Guthrie said in a social media video that her family is willing to pay to secure the return of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, after authorities concluded the 84-year-old was kidnapped in Arizona. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said investigators have determined that Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will but have not identified any suspects or persons of interest. The FBI and the Sheriff’s Department said…

Europe’s scramble to police teen social media use is accelerating, and Ireland is under pressure to decide how far it will go. As Spain, France, Denmark, Greece and Portugal push national age limits — and Australia touts the impact of its world-first under-16s ban — Dublin is drafting a PPS-based age verification system that has already triggered sharp privacy and legal pushback. Spain became the latest EU country to propose restrictions this month. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez vowed to “ban access to social media for minors…

Analysis: The UN’s budget math has turned existential The United Nations is navigating its most acute cash crunch in decades. In a letter to the 193 member states, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the organisation faces “the very real prospect of financial collapse,” with cash potentially running out as early as July. Senior UN officials now acknowledge that shuttering the Secretariat’s Manhattan headquarters this summer is a “distinct possibility.” This is not rhetorical brinkmanship. It is the cumulative…

Gordon Brown said the crisis engulfing Keir Starmer over Peter Mandelson was “serious” and that the Labour leader had been “too slow to do the right things,” even as he backed Starmer as “a man of integrity” who had been “betrayed” by his former Cabinet ally. The intervention from the former prime minister came as the Metropolitan Police confirmed its misconduct-in-public-office investigation into Mandelson will “take some time,” after officers searched properties in London and Wiltshire. Mandelson has not been arrested. “I…