The European Union and India agreed a free trade deal Tuesday, the largest such deal ever clinched by either side, as they contend with an erratic trade policy from key trading partner the United States.
“We did it, we delivered the mother of all deals,” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the EU’s executive, told reporters in New Delhi.
The agreement will strengthen economic and political ties between the 27-nation bloc and the world’s fourth-largest economy, the commission said in a statement, “at a time of rising geopolitical tensions and global economic challenges, highlighting their joint commitment to economic openness and rules-based trade.”
“We have sent a signal to the world that rules-based cooperation still delivers great outcomes,” von der Leyen said in the statement.
Just recently, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose higher tariffs on the European nations opposing his push to annex Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, though he later backed down from the threats. For the EU as a whole, the United States is its biggest export market.
And in August, Trump announced an additional 25% tariff on India as punishment for importing Russian oil and natural gas, building on a previously announced 25% tariff rate.
The EU and India already trade more than €180 billion ($215 billion) worth of goods and services per year. Trade in goods between the two sides has almost doubled in the last decade.
Talks on the trade deal, which started in 2007, were relaunched in 2022 after a long suspension, and last week von der Leyen highlighted the work on the agreement as she spoke of the need to build “a new form of European independence.” Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, she said such independence was needed as a result of current geopolitical shocks and that Europe preferred “fair trade over tariffs.”
Tuesday’s announcement follows a recent trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, a South American trading bloc.
India also signed trade deals with various countries in 2025, a year marked by Trump’s return to the White House and his chaotic trade policy.
The EU-India agreement is expected to double EU goods exports to India by 2032 by eliminating or reducing tariffs, the European Commission said.
As part of a number of provisions in the deal, Indian tariffs on European cars will gradually fall from 110% to 10% and tariffs on machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals from Europe will mostly disappear.
Indian tariffs on EU wines will also initially halve from 150% to 75% and will eventually fall to 20%, while tariffs on European olive oil will go from 45% to zero over five years.
The EU will also reduce its tariffs on Indian goods, benefiting labor-intensive sectors such as textiles, tea, spices, gems and jewelry among others, India’s commerce department said in a statement.
Daniel Kral, a senior economist at advisory firm Oxford Economics, said the deal “has large symbolic importance in a world of rising protectionism,” noting that it was unlikely to significantly boost either the EU or Indian economy.
The agreement still needs to go through various legal steps before coming into force.
Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar was attacked with an unknown substance at a town hall she was hosting on Tuesday, when an audience member used a syringe to spray liquid at her, Minneapolis police said.
Omar was uninjured and continued to speak. "I'm ok. I'm a survivor so this small agitator isn't going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don't let bullies win," she later wrote on X.
The liquid sprayed on Omar had a sour smell that was similar to a chemical product, according to a BBC journalist in the room.
Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, has been charged with third degree assault and is being held in custody, according to the local sheriff's office.
After the incident, Omar, a Democrat, told the room that "we will continue... we are Minnesota strong".
Another attendee, Alfred Flowers Jr, told the BBC that he "respected her courage and strength to still stay and finish the town hall for the people".
Video from the scene shows the team shouting "make a hole" as they wrestled the man out of the room.
As he was pushed out of the room, he said that Omar was "pitting us against each other". It was not immediately clear who the man was referring to.
Kazmierczak was immediately arrested and forensics were being conducted at the scene, according to police.
In a post on social media, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said: "Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis. We can disagree without putting people at risk... This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city."
In 2019, Omar became the first Somali-American, first African-born American, and one of the first two Muslim American women to serve in the US Congress.
The event was one of the regular town halls hosted by Omar, and about 100 people were in attendance in the north Minneapolis basement, expecting to hear about the presence of federal immigration officials in their town and ask questions after the second fatal shooting of an American citizen by immigration officials this month
In January, an immigration officer fatally shot US citizen Renee Good. Last week, US citizen Alex Pretti was fatally shot after being stopped by border agents, reigniting local protests and public outcry.
At the town hall, Omar called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be "abolished" and said Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem should "resign or face impeachment". It was after these comments that the man attacked.
Officials pleaded with the Congresswoman to end the town hall but she insisted on continuing.
Speaking again at the podium Omar said: "We're gonna keep talking. Just give me ten minutes. Please don't let them have the show. Please don't let them have the show."
Many in the area see the increased immigration enforcement action as a response to President Donald Trump's dislike of Omar, who he has called a "radical left lunatic", and "disgusting".
On 18 January, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Omar "should be in jail, or even a worse punishment, sent back to Somalia, considered one of the absolutely worst countries in the World. She could help to MAKE SOMALIA GREAT AGAIN!"
The state of Minnesota is home to the largest population of Somali immigrants in the US.
On Tuesday, responding to the second fatal shooting, Trump said his administration was "going to de-escalate a little bit" in Minnesota.
Spain has announced it will grant legal status to 500,000 undocumented migrants, in a move that goes against a trend of anti-immigration rhetoric and policies in the United States and much of Europe.
The move, announced Tuesday, is aimed at reducing labor exploitation in Spain’s underground economy. The country’s central bank and the United Nations have previously said that Spain needs around 300,000 migrant workers a year to sustain its welfare state.
“Today is a historic day for our country,” Spain’s immigration minister Elma Saiz told a press conference. “We are strengthening a migration model based on human rights, integration, coexistence, and compatibility with economic growth and social cohesion.”
Saiz said the new measure was “necessary to respond to a reality that exists on our streets” and would benefit the country’s economy.
The presidency has said the measure will allow a “dignified” life for migrants.
Foreigners who arrived in the country before Dec. 31, 2025 and can prove they have been living in the country for at least five months will be granted legal residency of up to one year and work permits valid for any sector and throughout the country. They will need to prove they have no criminal record.
People will be able to apply from the beginning of April until June 30, 2026.
How many undocumented migrants are in Spain?
There are far more undocumented migrants in Spain than this new policy serves. Funcas, an analysis center linked to the banking association CECA, estimates there were 840,000 undocumented migrants in the country at the beginning of 2025.
Most – about 760,000 – are from Latin America, according to Funcas. Some 290,000 come from Colombia, nearly 110,000 from Peru and 90,000 from Honduras.
The number of undocumented migrants in Spain has grown eight-fold since 2017, according to Funcas.
Tuesday’s announcement builds upon a measure that took effect in May of last year, which aimed to simplify and expedite the legalization process. The Spanish government said that policy could allow 900,000 undocumented migrants to obtain legal status over the following three years.
A history of pathways to legal status Spain has approved large-scale pathways to legal status for undocumented migrants on at least six other occasions since the 1980s.
Under the socialist government of Felipe González, in 1986, more than 38,000 people obtained legal status. Between 1991 and 1992, also under González’s presidency, legal residence was offered to more than 114,000 people.
Under José María Aznar, in the years 1996, 2000, and 2001, papers were granted to more than 524,000 people. The last large-scale granting of legal status took place almost 21 years ago, under the government of José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero, which processed more than 576,000 applications.
The move from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government comes after US President Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of Europe’s “politically correct” immigration policies. At the UN General Assembly in September, Trump said Europe was in “serious trouble,” and “invaded by a force of illegal aliens.”
And just days ago at Davos, Trump said certain places in Europe had become “unrecognizable” and “not heading in the right direction.”
A number of European nations have taken hardline policies on immigration, like Italy’s controversial practice of sending asylum seekers rescued at sea to deportation centers. Spain has largely remained an outlier in Europe, seeing immigration as a way to boost the country’s economy.
EFF leader Julius Malema has launched a scathing attack on US President Donald Trump, criticising his leadership and his impact on global stability.
Addressing party members after the postponement of his pre-sentencing proceedings for firearm-related convictions, Malema took the opportunity to lash out at his local detractors and the American head of state.
“Whether he likes it or not, Trump’s term is coming to an end and he is going to jail, unless he does the quickest thing and drinks poison,” Malema said.
The friction between the two leaders stems from Trump’s calls for Malema’s arrest over the Kill the Boer, kill the Farmer chant. Trump frequently uses his platform to make claims about a “white genocide” in South Africa, claims that have been repeatedly debunked by South African officials and Malema.
Tension between the two nations escalated after the US president boycotted the G20 summit in South Africa last year and announced South Africa would be excluded from the next summit hosted in the US.
Malema also referenced the recent US military action in Caracas, where Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were captured, a move critics have described as a collapse of international law.
“The world will never forgive Donald Trump for destabilising the entire globe and undermining international law,” Malema said. “His day is coming. We must not be worried about a man who speaks about politics yet knows nothing about politics.”
We are for peace, unity and the freedom of all people. We don’t fight white people; we fight white supremacy
The EFF leader specifically targeted a recent New York Times interview in which Trump reportedly stated, “I don’t need international law”, claiming his power is limited only by his “own morality”.
“How do you say, ‘I don’t follow international law, I follow my emotions, how I feel’? What kind of politics are those?” Malema asked. “The only thing that makes people respect him is because he is white. Otherwise, he knows nothing. He is stupid.”
Malema urged his supporters to brand the US president “Satan” whenever they see him on television.
“Every time he appears on TV, you must say, ‘There is Satan’, so all our children know Donald Trump is a devil who wants to destabilise world peace,” he said. “We are for peace, unity and the freedom of all people. We don’t fight white people; we fight white supremacy.”
Malema clarified the EFF’s stance on race, distinguishing between ordinary white citizens and right-wing lobby groups.
“There is no white genocide in South Africa. There is black and white love in South Africa. Every white person who loves a fellow black brother is our brother, and we will do everything in our power to defend them. But if you come with the tendencies of AfriForum, we will make sure you don’t enjoy the peace we enjoy.”
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter is urging football fans to boycott the 2026 World Cup in the United States citing concerns over security and immigration enforcement.
His remark follows the recent death of two Americans in Minnesota during a crackdown on immigration leading to widespread protests across the state.
Blatter now joins a list of international soccer figures calling into question the suitability of the United States as a host country just months before kickoff.
Ghanaian authorities have arrested 53 Nigerian nationals in an intelligence-led operation targeting suspected cybercrime hubs in the Greater Accra Region.
Nine of those arrested are suspected organizers of the network, while 44 others were rescued and identified as possible victims of human trafficking and cybercrime exploitation.
A joint security task force carried out simultaneous raids, recovering 62 laptops, 52 mobile phones, and two pump-action guns. The government said the operation was aimed at protecting Ghana’s cyberspace and international digital reputation while warning foreign nationals against falling for false job offers and quick-money schemes.
The main opposition candidate in the just concluded election in Uganda Mr Bobi wine has posted a Video on his Facebook page showing Electoral Commission officials ticking all ballot papers in favor of Museveni at a polling station in western Uganda.
This is what Museveni and his criminal system call an election! We campaigned. We voted. We tried to protect our vote but the criminals arrested or abducted many of our agents and officials. The only recourse is for the PEOPLE OF UGANDA to reclaim their voice. That is why we called this a PROTEST VOTE.
Please keep those videos coming in, and all other evidence of the theft that took place on the 15th.
A mass grave containing the remains of 21 African migrants has reportedly been discovered in eastern Libya.
Local media, citing the Ajdabiya branch of the Internal Security Agency, reported that security forces raided a farm owned by a Libyan human smuggler, uncovering migrants held for ransom in inhumane conditions, some with gunshot wounds.
Authorities said the smuggler killed the migrants after their families failed to pay the ransom, according to the reports. The suspect is now understood to be in police custody awaiting trial, while local residents and activists have called for the death penalty.
The Nigerian Army says it has begun an investigation into the death of a 13-year-old boy, Timothy Daniel, allegedly shot by a soldier attached to a petrochemical company in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state,
According to reports, Timothy was shot dead, after allegedly confronting the soldier for making sexual advances toward his 15-year-old sister, Miracle Daniel.
Residents of the area say late Daniel and his sister were returning home from church at about 12.05am on January 1 when they accosted the military personnel who made passes at the minor and even touched her inappropriately. The residents say the minor and the deceased began cursing the officer for his inappropriate actions, This reportedly infuriated the officer who immediately corked his gun and allegedly shot the deceased on his head, leaving him dead in the pool of his blood.
Confirming the incident to newsmen, Army Public Relations Officer, 2 Brigade, Mbiokporo, said
“The incident has been handled by the military police and is already under investigation.”
Moment a pastor instructed all church members to pull down the church fence as a symbolic act of breaking every “Wall of Jericho” in their lives and removing spiritual barriers hindering their blessings.
We will never again be a colony of any empire,” Venezuela’s VIce President Delcy Rodríguez said, rejecting US intervention and demanding the return of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were reportedly ‘captured’ in a US military operation.
Foreign Affairs › India And EU Finalize Mother Of All Deals With Landmark Trade Pact by God1000(op): 12:42pm On Jan 28
