Every month our Money team interviews top chefs from across the UK, hearing about their cheap food hacks, thoughts on the industry and much more.
Today, we talk to TV regular Mitch Tonks, founder and chief executive of Rockfish Restaurants.
Canned seafood is like a time capsule… Perfectly preserved fish that is full of flavour. A great budget-friendly recipe is Canned Sardines with Tomatoes and Tagliatelle – you don’t need many ingredients, and it comes together very quickly (and is still incredibly delicious). Another favourite of mine is Tinned Mackerel Shawarma: You chop the cabbage, red onion and some green chillies into pieces and mix them together; first grate the garlic and stir in the yoghurt and pretty much mix it all together. Layer the bread with a flour tortilla and some hummus, top it with cabbage, then top it with mackerel, sprinkle with za’atar or cumin, squeeze a squeeze of lemon and wrap the whole thing up like shawarma.
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The best place in the world for seafood… Northern Spain. There’s always something somewhere that inspires me. I love the culture of eating in ciderias (cider bars), and they’ve really had a huge influence on the interior design of our two newest Rockfish restaurants in Salcombe and Lyme Regis. Porto in Portugal has also always stirred something in me – I love the outdoor grills where seafood gets the simple treatment, cooked over charcoal and served with seasonal vegetables and cold beer. Beautiful.
As a chef with a 25-year career in seafood,
Brexit has… There is nothing good about fishing in Britain. Our fishermen have lost access to the 12-mile head limits, while the French fleet continues to fish in our waters under extended rights. Exporting to Europe has become more expensive and entangled in red tape. And at the heart of it all is this inconvenient truth: We don’t eat our fish. As long as we depend on Europe to buy our land, we will always be on the back foot. The only real answer is simple: we need to start eating more of our own seafood, especially the primary species found right here in the UK.
An underrated and affordable fish that I love… Sardines! They’re great pickled, great grilled, wonderful on toast and delicious in oil. That’s why we canned them; it’s a real art. They are very versatile and incredibly economical with instant flavour.
One thing that I have always found fascinating about the seafood we eat is… What an underappreciated number of incredible local species there are. As an island, we should be celebrating British seafood more – yet many delicious fish like red mullet, gurnard and cuttlefish rarely get the attention they deserve. They’re incredibly versatile, and what’s the best way to cook and enjoy them? Keep it simple. Don’t overpower the fish – let it shine.
Here’s a tip for anyone buying seafood… Always ask where it comes from and make sure it is caught sustainably. Be curious about what’s on your plate – it makes a big difference to the taste and the future of our oceans.
Restaurateurs or cooks should stop… putting food on square plates, covering things with foam, and creating extremely long tasting menus.
If I were Prime Minister for a day, I would… Reduce VAT to give more oxygen to businesses. I would overturn Seasonal National Insurance. I will forget the introduction of the new employers bill, which adds additional burden and complexity to doing business. If the government gives a level playing field to businesses, there will be more investment, more profits and ultimately more tax revenue.
One store-bought item that home cooks can never beat is… Kewpie Mayonnaise. It can’t be beaten.
Whenever I fancy a cheap eatery for a meal at £15 or less, I go there… A fresh umami hit at Goto Japanese in Exeter. I can get four or five pieces of sushi or a bowl of their seafood ramen and a tea for under £15 and always feel like I’ve got something of very good quality.
Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue could be subject to investigation by the cricket regulator in relation to the Wellington incident, which occurred the night before a one-day international which England lost.
The incident, which occurred in November, did not come to light in the media until January and was criticised for excessive drinking by the players after the Ashes break in Noosa.
McCullum said of the Noosa trip, “Cricket is 12 months a year; you have to be able to enjoy it.” I don’t think the boys went overboard at all.”
“A lot of the pile for this was completely out of line. Noosa is where people go and retire, which is why we chose Noosa.
“It is being built [out]. As big as this deer is, it couldn’t be further than that. If we wanted buck action and we wanted to tear, we would have gone to the Gold Coast.”
McCullum’s leadership style has been criticised by outsiders, with some believing that players are given too much freedom on and off the field.
However, McCullum is angry at such sentiments and believes that people outside the dressing room have misinterpreted his message.
“I think you guys [journalists] “Honestly, I have to do a little better job,” he said.
“If you remember the day I went on the job, the first thing I told these boys was, ‘Don’t do anything that will get you on the front page of the newspaper, and nothing good will happen after midnight,’ but we will have a good time.”
“[I said]We are going to grow; we are going to enjoy it. Cricket is a tough game; it has its challenges mentally, which we have seen with many people who have played cricket in the past, but we are going to try to play a style of cricket that allows us to be successful.”
“I’m not against making sure that these boys are controlled in a way. It’s [about] taking care of them to make sure they don’t make mistakes. “The curfew is a different interpretation of the words I mentioned three and a half years ago.”
McCullum said he felt it was a “misconception” that he ran a “loose ship” and wanted everyone to drink and did not care about cricket.
“This couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said.
“I’m absolutely determined, I’m extremely competitive, and I want the best for these guys, and I want the best for English cricket.”
England begin their World Cup campaign against Nepal on Sunday, February 8 (09:30 GMT).
Brook will lead the team in India and Sri Lanka, and McCullum says he has been impressed with Yorkshire’s captaincy so far.
“I think Harry Brook is an excellent leader on the field,” he said. “His tactical skills are as good as I have seen from a young man in a very short time.
“He has to work off the pitch without a doubt, as do some of the other young players we have in our squad – and that’s what happens when you turn 20 and you’re moving onto the world stage with the limelight, fame, fortune and the pressure that comes with it.
“He’s a strong leader; he’s a young guy, but he’s got a great head on his shoulders. People will say he’s not that smart; I couldn’t disagree more. He takes his intelligence for granted, and he’s a very strong leader.
“He is a player they play for in the dressing room, and our job is to look after him because he is young and his best days are ahead of him.”
After selecting Abdul Carter third overall in 2025.
NFL Draft, the New York Giants traded back in the first round to select their quarterback of the future, Jackson Dart.
Following the first season of The Rookies, ESPN re-drafted the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft
In the re-draft, after quarterbacks Cam Ward and Tyler Shoff came off the board with the first two picks, the Giants selected Jackson Dart third overall. That selection put Dart in the Giants in blue this exercise — a pick much earlier than the Giants were able to acquire him in the actual 2025 draft.
3. New York Giants
original selection: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State; new selection: Jackson Dart, QB, Ole Miss
No time to wait for the quarterback. Ward and Shoff were already off the board, which could be seen as a sudden turn for the Giants. Dart led all rookie quarterbacks with 24 touchdowns in just 12 starts. He also had the highest QBR of 57.6. Carter would be a good pick again, but New York needs a quarterback in this situation.
The Giants’ original pick, Abdul Carter, lives in New York, but this time to the New York Jets.
7. New York Jets
original selection: Armand Membu, OT, Missouri; new selection: Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
The Jets brass were happy with Membu, who started every game. But they’re forced to pivot here, so the obvious choice is Carter, who finished strong after an uneven start to his rookie season. The Jets’ pass rush disappeared in 2025, ranking next to last with 26 sacks. Carter would change that.
The Giants will eventually land a defensive end to bolster their pass rush when their second-round pick arrives.
34. New York Giants
original selection: Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State (HOU pick from NYG trade); new selection: Donovan Ezeiruaku, DE, Boston College
Abdul Carter is long gone at this point, but the Giants would still like to use a premium pick to bolster their pass rush. Ezeiruaku is the best edge-rushing option available at the moment. He had 23 pressures and 12 QB hits in Dallas.
Obviously, things worked out well for Big Blue: They landed one of the top prospects of the entire draft in Carter at No. 3 and still secured their quarterback to draft at No. 25.
Since both Carter and Dart are up for Rookie of the Year honours, the decision to select Tyler Shoff over Jaxon Dart is an interesting one.
With a new coaching staff in place, the Giants hope Dart and Carter can both make significant leaps in their second year. The two first-rounders from the 2025 draft will hopefully be foundational picks the Giants can build on for years to come.
This article originally appeared on Giant Wire: New York Giants take Abdul Carter in ESPN’s 2025 NFL Re-Draft
Fears of war between the US and Iran have increased after Tehran’s drone fire in the Arabian Sea, which threatens to escalate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and attempt a major drone attack on the US fleet.
Armed with: USS Abraham Lincoln(Image: AP)
Tensions are rising in the Middle East amid fears rogue elements of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could launch follow-up attacks on the US carrier fleet. This is the story of the Shaheed-139 attack drone being shot down as it approached the USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Force stationed 500 miles away from Iran in the Arabian Sea.
Sources say US President Donald Trump has called for military strike plans ranging from quick and decisive strikes below the war threshold to devastating waves of missiles.
They are believed to have been advised to carry out attacks that would not risk long-term conflict, while Iran’s regime fears US attacks could further embolden protesters. And any conflict between the US and Iran risks spilling over into a wider region.
Israeli attack on Lebanon’s Hezbollah on February 2 (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
read more: : Britain punishes brutal Iran security chiefs amid regime’s deadly crackdown on protesters. Read more:Russia issues terrifying WWII threat to British troops – ‘You are legitimate targets.’
The USS Abraham Lincoln is on high alert for strike orders against nuclear, IRGC, regime or other targets as buffers are being strained by behind-the-scenes de-escalation talks. America’s massive carrier strike force, equipped with fighters including F-35C and Super Hornet attack aircraft, is escorted by six destroyers.
Squadrons of F15 fighters have been deployed to the Middle East as well as stealth bombers have been moved into position. According to intelligence analysts, Tehran will not accept handing over its enriched uranium or back down from shutting down its ballistic missile programme. US demands have ranged from insisting on reducing risks to protesters and not executing anyone to telling the regime it should give up its nuclear and weapons programmes.
US President Donald Trump has demanded Iran give up its nuclear program. (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The three-point position rests on no enrichment on Iranian soil, removal of all enriched uranium and restrictions on Iran’s ballistic missile programme. One assessment warned that Iran has responded to growing external pressure by “drawing clear red lines and clarifying limits on retaliation. ” Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, publicly stated that any US attack on Iran, regardless of scale, would inevitably escalate into a major crisis, warning that Tehran would respond by attacking Israel and targeting US assets in the Persian Gulf and Azerbaijan.
“Such language is designed to deter U.S. action by emphasising inevitability, comprehensiveness, and unpredictability, while signalling that Iran will not tolerate military coercion without a response. This deterrent posture underscores Tehran’s strategic belief that it must show readiness to impose costs on adversaries to protect its interests, even as it simultaneously engages in diplomatic outreach.”
After the Israeli attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
It warned that failure to reach an agreement between the US and Iran would likely result in the conflict spreading to a wider region. It added: “If the outcome of the negotiations is largely consistent with US objectives, nuclear risks and potential reductions in proxy-enabled instability could reshape the strategic balance, although with persistent challenges in verification, enforcement, and residual regional tensions.” Conversely, failure to bridge fundamental differences could fuel hostilities, encourage proxy escalation, and perpetuate a cycle of managed instability that extends well beyond immediate theaters of pressure. Is spread.”
Sporadic demonstrations continue inside Iran, and the regime looks increasingly vulnerable as security officials look for an off-ramp, according to sources. Sources told Mirror that even if the US does not fire at Iran, it now looks likely that Israel will opt for an attack against Iran instead of reducing tensions.
Pentagon chief making war plans (Image: AP)
Sources told the Mirror that Trump would not budge on nuclear demands because an Iranian centrifuge could rapidly transform uranium to levels at which it could become a threat.
Israel has stressed the example of limiting Iran’s ballistic missile programme, which it will not abandon. A security source told the Daily Mirror: “There is so little scope for this that I am pessimistic about the prospects for success, unless one side makes concessions. I don’t see Iran doing that. And there are some in the Iranian leadership who think a measured conflict, not a big, extended war, is necessary and the willingness to compromise with the US is generally low.”
Iran’s football players have been targeted by the brutal regime
Iranian football players have been targeted with guns in Tehran. Amir Ghadarzadeh, a 19-year-old player from top-flight club Sepahan Isfahan, and Mohammad Hossein Hosseini of Sepahan Isfahan’s youth team have become symbols of a generation of footballers and sports athletes who are falling victim to Iran’s brutal regime.
“He is in danger of being executed,” Zohreh Abdullahkhani, a sports and social stability researcher, told the Mirror.
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse have condemned the US justice system.
Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse have condemned the US Justice Department’s release of files about the disgraced financier, with one saying, “A five-year-old could have done a better job.”
Jess Michaels claims she was raped by Epstein after meeting him as a 22-year-old professional dancer in 1991 in his penthouse.
Speaking to Sky News, Jonathan Samuels said, ‘But the world He said he hoped “eventually there will be justice” but added that there was “extreme condemnation and then extreme disregard for (not) amends”.
Follow the latest: Police launch investigation into Mandelson’s claims
image: “There’s extreme condemnation and then extreme disregard,” Jess Michaels said.
Lawyers for survivors have criticised the deletion of personal information from the Epstein files released Friday by the U.S. Justice Department, revealing the identity of at least one woman who did not previously come forward with allegations.
Ms Michaels said, “A five-year-old child could have done a better job revising these files with colour-coded crayons. It’s a shame that our Justice Department has cited this as its best work.”
“The damage this Department of Justice has done is shocking by the way it released survivors’ personal information when their virtually sole job was to redact the names of survivors.”
Ms Michaels added, “I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt that this was simply negligent incompetence.
“But now it seems its purpose is to intimidate survivors, punish survivors, stigmatise survivors, and then not actually convict the perpetrators.”
Survivor says files redacted by ‘powerful people’
Another survivor, Lisa Phillips, agreed that the US Justice Department’s latest release of the Epstein files cut a lot of “people, powerful people… who were there” with the disgraced financier.
The US Justice Department said in a court filing on Monday that it was “in the process of removing documents that were inadvertently exposed and contain victim-identifying information”.
The survivors called Mendelson and Andrew to testify.
The latest release of the files contains further revelations about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein.
Could Mandelson have to go to court over Epstein emails?
Both men have always denied wrongdoing.
“Anyone who spent any significant time with Jeffrey Epstein should be called to testify before Congress,” Ms Michaels said.
Ms Phillips, who said she once met Andrew in the pool at Epstein’s Island, said, “Everybody wants to hear his testimony.”
She added, “I would be the first person to want to hear about that testimony.”
Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Jamie Redknapp has backed Arsenal to go on and win “two or three” trophies after they beat Chelsea to reach the Carabao Cup final on a night manager Mikel Arteta described as “magical”.
Substitute Kai Havertz’s 97th-minute breakaway goal on the night sealed a hard-fought 1-0 win at the Emirates Stadium, and the Gunners ended a run of four consecutive semi-final defeats with a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Six points clear at the top of the Premier League, in the last 16 of the Champions League and the fourth round of the FA Cup, the victory kept their season alive on four fronts as they aim to win their first silverware since the 2020 FA Cup.
The Gunners will face either Manchester City or Newcastle in the final on March 22. Sky Sports pundit Redknapp believes securing their place at Wembley could act as a springboard.
Highlights of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg match between Arsenal and Chelsea
“Arsenal are ready to win,” he told Sky Sports.
“They’ve suffered over the last couple of years coming so close, but I’ve seen the squad and the depth and the way they’re playing; they’re the best team ever.
“They haven’t been at their best of late, but I think this result will actually relax them. They might be able to enjoy it a bit more and play with a bit more clarity.
“They are playing a bit tight, a bit safe, but now I think they can start to relax and play, and we will see a better Arsenal, the Arsenal we saw at the start of the season.
“To get to a cup final, to be six points clear at the top of the Premier League and to be the top team in the Champions League, it’s an incredible effort.
“There’s no reason why they can’t win two or even three trophies.”
He added, “Arsenal have been set to win for the last few years.
“The job the manager has done is unbelievable.
“He criticizes a lot and people are too quick to judge and jump on teams, talk about how many set-pieces they score and say, ‘Are they good enough offensively?’
“Arsenal are now a winning machine.
“It’s not always pretty. When Arsenal won the league in 1989, it wasn’t pretty, but there’s no picture on the scorecard.
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Clinton Morrison praised Arsenal’s defensive display against Chelsea
“At the end of the year nobody cares. It’s just a matter of getting that trophy in your hand.”
Arteta thanks crowd after Man Utd boos
Arteta enjoyed a special night for his side and thanked the crowd for their support after being booed in the wake of their recent 3-2 loss to Manchester United.
“We are very happy,” Arteta said afterwards. “I think overall, in the two games we got through.
“It was a long match. We expected it. We ended it in a nice way, the way Kai scored the goal and got the reaction from the crowd.
Image: Declan Rice celebrates victory against Chelsea
“The starters, the finishers, and the staff are all there. It was magical. Really happy because it was a really tough match against a great opponent, and we’re at Wembley.
“I think the crowd was brilliant today. They brought so much energy and belief to the team at different moments. I think we all deserve to be together at Wembley.”
He added, “It’s the best vitamin we can put in our body because we eat it every three days.
Image: Kai Havertz celebrates his late goal that sealed Arsenal’s place in the Carabao Cup final
“The fact that you work so hard to achieve those moments and put these moments together is magical because you see the joy, the laughter, the energy and everything.”
Arteta also saluted the match-winner for Havertz, who made his sixth appearance in the promotion after an injury-hit season.
“I think everyone who knows Kai will be happy for him in a special way because he deserves the best for the way he works, the way he treats people, and the way he behaves every day.
“Today was a special moment for him, and I hope he enjoyed it because he fully deserved it. I think his teammates enjoyed it too.”
Analysis: Arsenal’s success is built on defence
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright at the Emirates Stadium:
Havertz sealed the win. His superb goal against his former club made him Arsenal’s hero of the night.
But this success, like so many others this season, was achieved through their collective excellence defensively. Chelsea finished the game with Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Enzo Fernandez, Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao on the pitch but never looked like finding the goal they needed to send the tie into extra time.
Arsenal were very organised, very combative, and very strong. Remarkably, the clean sheet was their 20th in 38 games in all competitions. They are the first team in Europe’s top five leagues to reach the milestone this season.
There were plenty of players who contributed significantly to the latest shutout. Declan Rice was a force of nature in front of the defence. Piero Hincapie is excellent at left-back. Centre-backs Gabriel and William Saliba weren’t bad either.
But the performance was another reminder in a season for many that Arsenal’s true strength lies in their collectives.
Cairo– Seif al-Islam Gaddafi, son and one-time successor of Libyan officials, said Tuesday that late dictator Moammar Gaddafi has been killed in the North African country.
53-year-old He was killed in the city of Zintan, 136 kilometres (85 miles) southwest of the capital Tripoli, according to Libya’s chief prosecutor’s office.
Seif al-Islam’s lawyer, Khalid al-Zaidi, confirmed his death on Facebook without providing details.
Abdullah Othman Abdurrahim, who represented Gaddafi in U.N.-brokered political talks aimed at resolving Libya’s long-running conflict, also announced the death on Facebook.
Seif al-Islam’s political team later issued a statement saying that “four masked men” attacked his home and murdered him in a “cowardly and treacherous murder”. The statement said he confronted the attackers, who switched off the house’s CCTV cameras “in a desperate attempt to hide traces of their heinous crimes”.
, he was seen as the reformist face of the Gaddafi regime.
Born in Tripoli in June 1972, Seif al-Islam was the second-born son of the long-time dictator. He has a Ph.D. in studies. At the London School of Economics, he was seen as the reformist face of the Gaddafi regime.
Moammar Gaddafi was ousted in a NATO-backed popular revolt in 2011 after being in power for more than 40 years. He was killed in amid fighting that turned into civil war in October 2011. The country has since plunged into chaos and is divided between rival armed groups and militias.
Seif al-Islam was captured by fighters in Zintan in late 2011 while trying to flee to neighbouring Niger. The fighters released him in June 2017 after one of Libya’s rival governments granted him amnesty. He has lived in Zintan since then.
A Libyan court convicted him of inciting violence and killing protesters and sentenced him to death in absentia in 2015. He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity. 2011 rebellion.
In November 2021, Seif al-Islam announced his candidacy in the country’s presidential election in a controversial move that was met with outrage from anti-Gaddafi political forces in western and eastern Libya.
Higher National Election Committee of the country disqualified him But the election was not held due to disputes between rival administrations and armed groups that have ruled Libya since the bloody ouster of Moammar Gaddafi.
For months, United States President Donald Trump has called him a “sick man” and an “illegal drug leader”.
But on Tuesday, Trump welcomed his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, to the White House for their first face-to-face meeting in Washington DC.
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Both leaders described the meeting as meaningful while also acknowledging the tensions dividing them.
At a news conference after their meeting, Petrou shrugged off questions about his difficult history with Trump, whom he has publicly accused of human rights violations.
Instead, he called this interaction “a meeting between two similar people who have different ways of thinking”.
Petro said, “He didn’t change his way of thinking. Neither did I. But how do you make a compromise, a compromise? This is not between twin brothers. This is between adversaries.”
Separately, Trump told reporters from the Oval Office that he felt good about the meeting. “I thought it was awesome,” he said.
The agenda of the two leaders included issues such as the fight against international drug trafficking and security in Latin America.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s meeting.
white house charm offensive
In the past year, Trump has invited the media to attend his meetings with foreign leaders, often holding news conferences with visiting dignitaries in the Oval Office.
However, not this time. The meeting between Trump and Petro lasted about two hours, all of which took place behind closed doors.
But both leaders emerged with largely positive things to say about each other.
In a post on social media, Petro revealed that Trump gifted him several things, including memorial photo Accomplished their meeting with a signed note.
It read, “Gustavo – a big honour. I love Colombia,” followed by Trump’s signature.
In the other, PostPetro showed a signed copy of Trump’s book, The Art of the Deal. On its title page, Trump wrote another note for Petro: “You’re great.”
“Can anyone tell me what Trump said in this dedication?” Petro wrote jokingly in Spanish on social media. “I don’t understand much English.”
A turning point in a strained relationship?
Petro’s joke appeared to be a cheeky nod to his notoriously rocky relationship with Trump.
On January 26, 2025, only six days into Trump’s second term, he and Petro began feuding and making threats on social media over the fate of two US deportation flights.
Petro objected to alleged human rights violations faced by the deported peoples. Meanwhile, Trump considered Petro’s initial refusal to accept flights a threat to America’s “national security”. Petro eventually backed down after Trump threatened tough sanctions on imported Colombian goods.
He continued to trade barbs in the months that followed. For example, Petro has condemned deadly US attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean and compared these attacks to assassination.
He has also criticised Trump for carrying out the US military strike in Venezuela for kidnapping then-President Nicolas Maduro. The attack was tantamount to “kidnapping”, Petro said.
Meanwhile, Trump stripped Petro of his US visa after the Colombian leader attended the UN General Assembly, where he criticised the US and briefly joined pro-Palestine protests.
The Trump administration also sanctioned Petro in October, accusing the leftist leader of allowing “drug cartels to flourish”.
After Maduro was ousted from power on January 3, Trump warned Petro: he had better “watch his guard”. This statement was widely interpreted as a threat of military action against Colombia.
But Trump and Petro appeared to have reached a turning point last month. On January 7, the two leaders spoke together for the first time. Tuesday’s personal meeting marked another first in their relationship.
agree to disagree
Despite the easing of tensions, both leaders used their public statements after the meeting to reaffirm their differences.
Trump was the first to hold a news conference in the Oval Office while signing legislation to end the government shutdown.
The US President, a member of the right-wing Republican Party, used the appearance to reflect the political tension that had arisen between the two leaders ahead of the meeting.
“He and I weren’t exactly good friends, but I wasn’t insulted, because I never met him,” Trump told reporters.
He said that Tuesday’s meeting was still pleasant. “I didn’t know him at all, and we got along great.”
Meanwhile, Petro held a lengthy press conference at the Colombian Embassy in Washington DC, where he raised some points of difference with Trump.
Among the topics he mentioned were Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which the US has supported, and sustainable energy initiatives designed to be carbon neutral. Trump, in the past, has called so-called green energy programmes a “scam”.
Petro, Colombia’s first leftist leader, also reflected on his region’s history with colonialism and foreign intervention. He told reporters it was important that Latin America decide for itself, free from any outside “pressure”.
“We do not operate under blackmail,” he said at one point, in an apparent reference to Trump’s pressure campaigns.
Different approaches to combating drug trafficking
One of the primary points of contention, however, was Petro’s approach to combating drug trafficking.
Colombia is the largest producer of cocaine in the world, accounting for 68 per cent of the global supply.
The Trump administration has used the fight against global drug trafficking as justification for carrying out deadly military strikes in international waters and in Venezuela, despite experts saying the attacks are illegal under international law.
It has also stripped Colombia of its certification as a partner in its global anti-narcotics operations.
Trump’s White House said he would consider reversing that decision if Petro “takes more aggressive action to eradicate coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking.”
But Petro has rejected any attempts to portray him as soft on drug trafficking, instead citing historic drug busts conducted by his government.
He made this argument again after Tuesday’s meeting, claiming that no other Colombian administration has done as much as his to fight cocaine trafficking.
Rather than taking a militarised approach to destroying crops of coca, the raw ingredient of cocaine, Petro argued that he had more success with voluntary eradication programmes.
The effort was successful in “motivating thousands of farmers to uproot the saplings themselves,” he said.
“These are two different approaches, two different ways of understanding how to fight drug trafficking,” Petro said. “One that is cruel and selfish and what ultimately does is promote mafia powers and drug traffickers, and the other approach, which is intelligent, which is effective.”
Petro said it was more strategic to go after top drug ringleaders than to punish poor rural farmers by forcibly destroying their crops.
“I told President Trump, if you want an ally in fighting drug trafficking, it has to be to go after the top gangsters,” he said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a press conference at the Colombian Embassy in Washington, DC, on February 3 [Jose Luis Magana/AP]
a trumpian note
Tuesday’s meeting ultimately proved to be another high-profile reversal for Trump, who has a history of veering into his relations with world leaders.
Last year, for example, he lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a public clash in the Oval Office, months after warming up to the wartime leader.
But Colombia is fast approaching a crucial presidential election in May, in which Petro’s leftist coalition, the Historic Pact, will try to defend the presidency against a rising right wing.
Petro himself cannot hold office continuously under Colombian law. But there is speculation that Tuesday’s showdown with Trump could help Petro’s alliance avoid US condemnation ahead of the vote.
After all, Colombia was until recently the largest recipient of US aid in South America, and it has long maintained close ties with the North American superpower. Therefore, straining those relations can be seen as an electoral liability.
While Petro acknowledged his differences with Trump during his remarks, at times he expressed some views that matched those of the US president.
Like Trump, Petro used part of his speech on Tuesday to question the role of the United Nations in maintaining global security.
“Doesn’t this show incompetence? Isn’t there a need for improvement?” Petro wondered aloud if there was “something better than the United Nations that would better bring humanity together”.
But when it came to wearing Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, Petrou drew a line — or rather, a crooked line.
On social media he shared the adjustments he made to the cap’s slogan. A jagged, Sharpie-inked “S” amended the phrase to include the entire Western Hemisphere: “Make America Great Again.”
An announcement from US-based AI startup Anthropic triggered a selloff in IT stocks. (AI image)
IT shares fall! Shares of Indian IT companies Infosys, Wipro, HCL Tech, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Persistent Systems fell in early trade on Wednesday, sending the Sensex down by more than 100 points.
The decline was due to concerns about the growing influence of artificial intelligence, which intensified following the launch of new workplace productivity tools by Anthropic.
The negative sentiment reflected weakness on Wall Street, where the technology-heavy benchmark Nasdaq fell 1.4 per cent, wiping out about $300 billion in market capitalisation across the sector.
Shares of major IT companies, including Infosys, Wipro, HCL Tech and Persistent Systems, fell up to 6 per cent in early trade.
Why are IT sector shares falling?
Selling in IT stocks was triggered by a US-based announcement from AI startup Anthropic, which introduced a product aimed at corporate legal teams.
The company, known for developing cloud chatbots, said the tool can automate a number of legal tasks, such as reviewing contracts, sorting out non-disclosure agreements, managing compliance processes, preparing legal briefs and generating standardised responses.
The launch has deepened the cautious outlook on software stocks, as rapid AI adoption grows uneasier among investors about increased competition and potential pressure on margins.
Market participants are concerned that as artificial intelligence solutions become more advanced, it may become harder for technology companies to maintain pricing power and protect profitability.
International broking firm Jefferies said in a report on February 2 that it has cut its allocation to the information technology sector as part of a reshuffle in its India model portfolio.
Following the revision, the IT sector is now given a weighting of 5.6 in Jefferies’ India portfolio, much lower than the 9.7 weighting given to the sector in the MSCI India index.
US equities also reflected technology-based weakness. The S&P 500 fell 0.84 per cent to 6,917.81, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.43 per cent to 23,255.19.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average proved more stable, closing 0.34 per cent lower at 49,240.99.
Among major stocks, Nvidia and Microsoft fell about 3 per cent each.
Alphabet slipped 1.2 per cent ahead of its earnings announcement on Wednesday, and Amazon slid 1.8 per cent ahead of releasing its quarterly results on Thursday.
what anthropic said
Addressing market concerns, Anthropic clarified that its newly launched plugin is not intended to provide legal advice.
“AI-generated analyses should be reviewed by licensed attorneys before being relied upon in legal decisions,” the company said. In addition to legal-orientated tools,
Anthropic unveiled a series of open-source offerings designed to automate a broad spectrum of business activities ranging from sales tasks to customer service operations.
Founded in 2021, Anthropic was founded by chief executive Dario Amodei along with several former employees of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT.
Officers tasked with carrying out a controversial immigration crackdown in Minneapolis will be equipped with body-worn cameras following the fatal shooting of two protesters.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said every agent in her department in the city, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will be given one.
image: Kristi Noem. Photo: Reuters killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.
It’s the latest effort by the White House to ease tensions after two people were shot and killed by federal agents Minneapolis. Across the country, there was widespread reaction last month.
Alex Pretty, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed by immigration officials. Just weeks later, Renee Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in his car.
After Mr Preeti’s death, Ms Noem claimed he “arrived with a machete and dozens of rounds of ammunition and attacked the officers”, who took action to “save his life”.
However, several videos of the shooting emerged that showed Mr Preeti with only a mobile phone in his hand while officers pinned him to the ground, and one removed a handgun from his trousers.
image: Homeland Security officers were on patrol in Minneapolis. Photo: Reuters
The Department of Homeland Security had previously said that at least four Customs and Border Protection officers were wearing body cameras at the scene when Mr Preeti was shot. However, the public has not seen that footage.
It is also not yet known whether any ICE officers were wearing body cameras at the scene of Ms Good’s murder.
How can we be sure that the Pretty ICE controversy is not related to AI?
Trump: Cameras mean ‘people can’t lie’
In response to Ms. Noem’s announcement, Donald Trump emphasised that the decision was not his, but he expressed strong support for the initiative.
“They [body-worn cameras] are generally beneficial for law enforcement, because people can’t lie about what’s going on,” the US President said.
“So, generally speaking, I think it’s 80% good for law enforcement. But if she wants to do the camera work, I have no objection to that.”
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Since Mr Pretti’s death, Mr Trump has sent his so-called “border czar”, Tom Homan, to Minneapolis to replace US Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino. Gregory Bovino was the one overseeing ICE in the city.
The two agents involved in the fatal shooting of Mr Preeti have been placed on administrative leave while the Justice Department opens a federal civil rights investigation into the incident.
The situation in Minneapolis has led all immigration enforcement officers to wear body cameras.
In 2022, former President Joe Biden ordered that federal law enforcement officers wear body cameras as part of an executive order that included other police reform measures.
