عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Macron, Johnson Meet as Post-brexit Fishing Spat Intensifies

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) gestures as he speaks to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) during the G20 Summit at the convention center "La Nuvola" in the EUR district of Rome on October 30, 2021. © Ludovic Marin, AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) gestures as he speaks to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) during the G20 Summit at the convention center "La Nuvola" in the EUR district of Rome on October 30, 2021. © Ludovic Marin, AFP
TT
TT

Macron, Johnson Meet as Post-brexit Fishing Spat Intensifies

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) gestures as he speaks to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) during the G20 Summit at the convention center "La Nuvola" in the EUR district of Rome on October 30, 2021. © Ludovic Marin, AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) gestures as he speaks to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) during the G20 Summit at the convention center "La Nuvola" in the EUR district of Rome on October 30, 2021. © Ludovic Marin, AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are meeting on Sunday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome as the post-Brexit dispute over fishing rights in the English Channel intensified with the UK threatening to trigger an EU dispute tool for the first time.

Johnson on Saturday complained to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen that French threats over fishing were "completely unjustified" as a British minister said London was "actively considering" invoking a Brexit dispute tool for the first time.

For her part, Von Der Leyen tweeted that the European Commission was "intensively engaging for finding solutions" on both the fishing spat and another linked row with Brussels over their divorce pact's implementation in Northern Ireland.

The simmering feud over fish has already seen a British trawler detained in a French port and Paris' ambassador in London summoned to the Foreign Office for the type of dressing down usually reserved for hostile states not allies, AFP reported.

During talks on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome, Johnson "raised his concerns about the rhetoric from the French government in recent days over the issue of fishing licences," his office said.

Johnson stressed "the French threats are completely unjustified and do not appear to be compatible" with the agreement governing Britain's departure from the European Union.

Hours earlier, Johnson told Sky News he has not ruled out invoking an as-yet untested dispute settlement process allowed under the terms of the separation struck last year.

"No of course not, I don't rule that out," he said, the day after Britain warned it may also implement new checks on all EU fishing boats.

France is incensed that Britain and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey have not issued some French boats licences to fish in their waters post-Brexit.

Paris has vowed that unless licences are approved, it will ban UK boats from unloading their catches at French ports from next Tuesday and impose checks on all products brought to France from Britain.

On Friday, French Prime Minister Jean Castex said in a leaked letter to von der Leyen that Britain should be shown "it causes more damage to leave the EU than to stay in".

The letter, obtained by Politico, drew an angry response from Johnson's Brexit minister David Frost, who said Saturday he hoped "this opinion is not held more widely across the EU".

"To see it expressed in this way is clearly very troubling and very problematic," he added in a series of tweets.

Doubling down on Johnson's remarks, Frost said London was "actively considering launching dispute settlement proceedings" over the French threats.

Meanwhile, a British trawler diverted Wednesday to the northern port of Le Havre by France Wednesday on charges of operating without a licence will remain held there until a 150,000 euro ($173,000) bond is paid, local officials said Saturday.

"The boat will not leave until the guarantees and the deposit are paid," the sub-prefecture of Le Havre added.

Prosecutors have ordered a trial for the Irish captain of the Scottish-registered trawler accused of illegally scooping up more than two tons of scallops in French waters.

Johnson has emphasised his personal ties with French President Emmanuel Macron, hinting they could help diffuse the spat.

Their body language at the G20 suggested still friendly relations -- though they did not appear to speak to one another.

At a side meeting on Iran with the US and German leaders, they exchanged friendly pats on the back, while the UK leader gave his French counterpart a mock-combative fist bump as they arrived for the leaders' "family photo".

A brief tete-a-tete is intended at some point over the weekend.

Macron warned Friday that Britain's "credibility" was on the line in the dispute, accusing London of ignoring the Brexit deal agreed after years of tortuous negotiations.

"When you spend years negotiating a treaty and then a few months later you do the opposite of what was decided on the aspects that suit you the least, it is not a big sign of your credibility," he told the Financial Times.

.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Iran Warns Will Not Give Up Enrichment Despite US War Threat

Traffic moves through a street in Tehran on February 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Traffic moves through a street in Tehran on February 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
TT
TT

Iran Warns Will Not Give Up Enrichment Despite US War Threat

Traffic moves through a street in Tehran on February 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Traffic moves through a street in Tehran on February 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iran will never surrender the right to enrich uranium, even if war "is imposed on us,” its foreign minister said Sunday, defying pressure from Washington.

"Iran has paid a very heavy price for its peaceful nuclear program and for uranium enrichment," Abbas Araghchi told a forum in Tehran.

"Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up even if a war is imposed on us? Because no one has the right to dictate our behavior," he said, two days after he met US envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman.

The foreign minister also declared that his country was not intimidated by the US naval deployment in the Gulf.

"Their military deployment in the region does not scare us," Araghchi said.

World

Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Stepping Down Days after Big Layoffs

A person walks outside The Washington Post headquarters in Washington, DC, USA, 04 February 2026. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO
A person walks outside The Washington Post headquarters in Washington, DC, USA, 04 February 2026. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO
TT
TT

Washington Post Publisher Will Lewis Stepping Down Days after Big Layoffs

A person walks outside The Washington Post headquarters in Washington, DC, USA, 04 February 2026. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO
A person walks outside The Washington Post headquarters in Washington, DC, USA, 04 February 2026. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

Washington Post publisher Will Lewis said Saturday that he’s stepping down, ending a troubled tenure three days after the newspaper said that it was laying off one-third of its staff.

Lewis announced his departure in a two-paragraph email to the newspaper's staff, saying that after two years of transformation, “now is the right time for me to step aside.” The Post's chief financial officer, Jeff D'Onofrio, was appointed temporary publisher, The Associated Press reported.

Neither Lewis nor the newspaper's billionaire owner Jeff Bezos participated in the meeting with staff members announcing the layoffs on Wednesday. While anticipated, the cutbacks were deeper than expected, resulting in the shutdown of the Post's renowned sports section, the elimination of its photography staff and sharp reductions in personnel responsible for coverage of metropolitan Washington and overseas.

They came on top of widespread talent defections in recent years at the newspaper, which lost tens of thousands of subscribers following Bezos' order late in the 2024 presidential campaign pulling back from a planned endorsement of Kamala Harris, and a subsequent reorienting of its opinion section in a more conservative direction.

Martin Baron, the Post’s first editor under Bezos, condemned his former boss this week for attempting to curry favor with President Donald Trump and called what has happened at the newspaper “a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.”

The British-born Lewis was a former top executive at The Wall Street Journal before taking over at The Post in January 2024. His tenure has been rocky from the start, marked by layoffs and a failed reorganization plan that led to the departure of former top editor Sally Buzbee.

His initial choice to take over for Buzbee, Robert Winnett, withdrew from the job after ethical questions were raised about both he and Lewis' actions while working in England. They include paying for information that produced major stories, actions that would be considered unethical in American journalism. The current executive editor, Matt Murray, took over shortly thereafter.

Lewis didn't endear himself to Washington Post journalists with blunt talk about their work, at one point saying in a staff meeting that they needed to make changes because not enough people were reading their work.

This week's layoffs have led to some calls for Bezos to either increase his investment in The Post or sell it to someone who will take a more active role. Lewis, in his note, praised Bezos: “The institution could not have had a better owner,” he said.

“During my tenure, difficult decisions have been taken in order to ensure the sustainable future of The Post so it can for many years ahead publish high-quality nonpartisan news to millions of customers each day,” Lewis said.

The Washington Post Guild, the union representing staff members, called Lewis' exit long overdue.

“His legacy will be the attempted destruction of a great American journalism institution,” the Guild said in a statement. “But it’s not too late to save The Post. Jeff Bezos must immediately rescind these layoffs or sell the paper to someone willing to invest in its future.”

Bezos did not mention Lewis in a statement saying D'Onofrio and his team are positioned to lead The Post into “an exciting and thriving next chapter.”

“The Post has an essential journalistic mission and an extraordinary opportunity,” Bezos said. “Each and every day our readers give us a roadmap to success. The data tells us what is valuable and where to focus.”

D'Onofrio, who joined the paper last June after jobs at the digital ad management company Raptive, Google, Zagat and Major League Baseball, said in a note to staff that "we are ending a hard week of change with more change.

“This is a challenging time across all media organizations, and The Post is unfortunately no exception,” he wrote. “I've had the privilege of helping chart the course of disrupters and cultural stalwarts alike. All faced economic headwinds in changing industry landscapes, and we rose to meet those moments. I have no doubt we will do just that, together.”

World

US Concerned About Expansion of Terrorism in Sahel, West Africa

Members of the Nigeria Armed Forces interact with residents following an attack in Woro, Kwara State, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Light Oriye Tamunotonye / AFP)
Members of the Nigeria Armed Forces interact with residents following an attack in Woro, Kwara State, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Light Oriye Tamunotonye / AFP)
TT
TT

US Concerned About Expansion of Terrorism in Sahel, West Africa

Members of the Nigeria Armed Forces interact with residents following an attack in Woro, Kwara State, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Light Oriye Tamunotonye / AFP)
Members of the Nigeria Armed Forces interact with residents following an attack in Woro, Kwara State, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Light Oriye Tamunotonye / AFP)

The United States is concerned by the “expansion” of al-Qaeda affiliates in the Sahel and West Africa, including Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and ISIS-Sahel’s territorial gains.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz shared the concern in his remarks at this week’s UN Security Council Briefing on Terrorist Threats to International Peace and Security caused by terrorist acts.

Highlighting JNIM and ISIS-Sahel’s territorial gains and use in particular of kidnapping for ransom, Waltz said the threats are increasingly diffuse and complex as they involve foreign fighters converging in multiple conflict zones.

The diplomat cited the latest Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team report, which showed that terror cells continue to adapt and exploit instability across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.

Waltz said ISIS’ growing focus on Africa, and the resilience of its cells in Syria and Iraq, and the persistent threat from ISIS-K in Afghanistan, truly reinforces the need for sustained, coordinated counterterrorism efforts.

Washington is particularly concerned by terrorist groups’ exploitation of new technologies, such as commercial satellite communications, artificial intelligence, drones and cryptocurrencies, he said.

“All of these further complicates the threat landscape and it requires our vigilance, vigilance from Member States and particularly where I think there is room for all of us to improve – is our coordination with the private sector as we face this threat,” Waltz added.

The ambassador called for further disruption of terrorist financing networks, saying the recent successes in Somalia and in West Africa demonstrate that following the money and stopping the money to these various groups can have bold decisive effects.

He said the US commends UN Member States whose counterterrorism operations have constrained ISIS and al-Qaeda, especially in Iraq, Syria, and Somalia.

He also urged all states to strengthen cooperation, including intelligence sharing and joint operations, and to support the effective implementation and evolution of the 1267 sanctions regime.

“Member States should collaborate on screening and information sharing to prevent terrorist movement across borders, in support of UN Security Council Resolution 2396,” Waltz noted.

Last November, the United Kingdom, which currently chairs the UN Security Council, expressed similar concern about the proliferation of terrorist groups in the Sahel and West Africa.

The US has sent a small team of troops to Nigeria, the general in charge of the US command for Africa said on Tuesday, the first acknowledgment of US forces on the ground since Washington struck by air on Christmas Day.

General Dagvin RM Anderson, head of the US military's Africa Command AFRICOM, said the US team was sent after both countries agreed that more needed to be done to combat the terrorist threat in West Africa.

“That has led to increased collaboration between our nations to include a small US team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States,” he told journalists during a press briefing in Dakar on Tuesday.