President Aliyev hails ‘new era’ in U.S.–Azerbaijan economic ties
Azerbaijan and the United States signalled closer economic ties on Monday (9 February) as President Ilham Aliyev hosted a delegation from the U.S. Cha...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Canada is opposing the possible construction of his proposed ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence system over Greenland, despite what he claimed would be security benefits for Canada.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Canada was “against the Golden Dome being built over Greenland, even though the Golden Dome would protect Canada.”
He added that Ottawa had instead chosen to deepen economic ties with China, warning that Beijing would “eat them up within the first year.”
Trump appeared to be referring to Canada’s recent announcement that it had reached a trade agreement in principle with China.
The deal would ease tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for Beijing relaxing restrictions on Canadian agricultural exports.
Canada imposed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in 2024 in coordination with the U.S., citing concerns over market dumping, the sale of heavily subsidised products at artificially low prices to dominate foreign markets.
Relations between Washington and Ottawa have deteriorated since Trump returned to office in January.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has pushed back against U.S. tariffs imposed during Trump’s first year and rejected repeated remarks by Trump suggesting Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.
Amid the strained ties, Trump said on Thursday that he was withdrawing Canada’s invitation to join his proposed “Board of Peace,” a move widely seen as retaliation for comments made by Carney at the World Economic Forum.
At the forum, Carney warned that economic integration was increasingly being used as a geopolitical tool. “Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited,” he said.
What is the ‘Golden Dome’?
Trump’s comments refer to the ‘Golden Dome’, a proposed U.S. missile defence initiative aimed at creating a comprehensive, multi-layered shield to protect the United States from a wide range of missile threats, including ballistic, cruise and hypersonic weapons.
The concept is often compared to Israel’s Iron Dome, but on a far larger and more complex scale, covering an entire continent rather than a limited geographic area.
It would combine land-based interceptor systems, advanced radar networks, early-warning infrastructure and space-based sensors to detect, track and destroy incoming missiles at different stages of flight.
Supporters say the project would significantly strengthen U.S. homeland defence at a time of rising global tensions and rapid advances in missile technology by rival powers.
Critics, however, argue that the system would be extremely costly, technologically challenging and could fuel a new arms race by prompting adversaries to develop more advanced offensive capabilities to bypass it.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
JD Vance arrived in Armenia on Monday (9 February), becoming the first sitting U.S. Vice President to visit the country, as Yerevan and Washington agreed to cooperate in the civil nuclear sector in a bid to deepen engagement in the South Caucasus.
The death toll from the collapse of two residential buildings in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has risen to 15, state media said on Monday, as rescue teams wrapped up search operations and officials warned that more people could still be missing.
António José Seguro’s decisive victory over far-right challenger André Ventura marks an historic moment in Portuguese politics, but analysts caution that the result does not amount to a rejection of populism.
Cuban aviation authorities have warned airlines of jet fuel shortages at nine airports, including Havana’s José Martí International Airport, from 10 February to 11 March, as a worsening energy crisis, intensified by U.S. sanctions, hits the country.
The European Union has proposed extending its sanctions against Russia to include ports in Georgia and Indonesia that handle Russian oil, the first time the bloc would target ports in third countries, a proposal document showed on Monday.
China will offer firm support for "patriotic pro-reunification forces" in Taiwan and strike hard against "separatists", the top Chinese official in charge of policy towards the democratically-governed island said on Tuesday (10 February).
Buckingham Palace said it is ready to support any police investigation into allegations that Prince Andrew shared confidential British trade documents with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as King Charles expressed “profound concern” over the latest revelations.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 10th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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