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SINGAPORE, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Germany is "not in equidistance" from the United States and China, and will always be closer to Washington despite recent tensions, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said in Singapore on Monday. At a lecture hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Wadephul said the United States remains the most important partner for Europe and Germany and that Europe remains dependent on it for its security, despite issues that are currently "alienating" Washington from the region. Trump administration officials have been critical of European countries for failing to meet NATO spending targets and for being too dependent on the United States for their own defence. "Running with open arms to President Xi and saying all our problems vanished in this very moment and we are only heading to become your big partner, this would be the wrong answer," he said, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Western nat...

Elon Musk just became the first person ever worth $800 billion or more after his rocket maker SpaceX acquired his artificial intelligence and social media company xAI.  Forbes  estimates that the deal, which values the combined company at $1.25 trillion, boosted Musk’s fortune by $84 billion, to a record $852 billion. Before the deal, Musk owned an estimated 42% stake in SpaceX worth $336 billion, based on a tender offer launched in December that valued the privately-held rocket maker at $800 billion. He also owned an estimated 49% stake in xAI worth $122 billion, based on a private fundraising round that valued that company at $250 billion earlier this month. After the merger, which valued SpaceX at $1 trillion and xAI at $250 billion,  Forbes  estimates that Musk now owns a 43% stake in the combined company worth $542 billion. That makes SpaceX Musk’s most valuable asset by far. He also owns a 12% stake in Tesla worth $178 billion and Tesla stock option...

Ukraine's sports minister has called Fifa president Gianni Infantino "irresponsible" and "infantile" for saying that world football's governing body will look at lifting a ban on Russia. Russian national teams and clubs were suspended from all competitions  by Fifa and Uefa in February 2022 after the country's invasion of Ukraine. With the war still going on, Infantino has said  "this ban has not achieved anything" and "has just created more frustration and hatred". He added: "Having girls and boys from Russia being able to play football games in other parts of Europe would help." In response, Ukraine sports minister Matvii Bidnyi  said in a social media post:, external  "Gianni Infantino's words sound irresponsible - not to say infantile. "They detach football from the reality in which children are being killed. "Let me remind you that since the start of Russia's full-scale aggression, mor...

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has spoken out against banning Russia and Israel from international football — and also defended awarding U.S. President Donald Trump the FIFA Peace Prize in December. Both FIFA, the world governing body, and its European counterpart UEFA banned the Russian national team from competing in 2022 after the country invaded Ukraine. There have been calls for FIFA and UEFA to impose a similar ban on Israel because of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the country’s support of settlements in Palestinian territories. Although Russia’s ban is yet to be lifted, Infantino claimed it “has not achieved anything” and revealed he will be looking at removing the ban, as well as potentially changing FIFA’s statutes to prevent similar sanctions in the future. Infantino was speaking in an hour-long, in-person interview with Yalda Hakim, host of The World on Sky News,  which was released online on Monday afternoon. “We have to,” Infantino responded when asked ...

GAZA/CAIRO/JERUSALEM, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Israel on Monday reopened the Rafah crossing to a trickle of Palestinians for the first time in months, a major step in a U.S.-backed plan to end the war, though strict Israeli security checks slowed the process. The  Rafah crossing,  standing amidst rubble and ruins, is the sole route in or out for nearly all of Gaza's more than 2 million residents. It was largely shut for most of the war, and reopening it to allow even limited access to the outside world is one of the last steps required under the initial phase of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire reached in October. The crossing reopened around 9 a.m. on Monday morning. Some 50 Palestinians had been expected to enter the enclave with a similar number exiting. Many of those seeking to depart are hospital patients awaiting specialised medical care outside Gaza. By nightfall, Israel had permitted 12 Palestinians to reenter the enclave, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said. A further...

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Iran and the United States will resume nuclear talks on Friday in Turkey, Iranian and U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday, and U.S. President Donald Trump warned that with big U.S. warships heading to Iran, bad things would probably happen if a deal could not be reached. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi will meet in Istanbul in an effort to revive diplomacy over a long-running dispute about Iran's nuclear programme and dispel fears of a new regional war, while a regional diplomat said representatives from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt would also participate. US NAVAL BUILDUP NEAR IRAN Tensions are running high amid a U.S. naval buildup near Iran, following a violent crackdown against anti-government demonstrations last month, the deadliest domestic unrest in Iran since its 1979 revolution. Trump, who stopped short of carrying out threats to intervene during the crackdown, has sin...

SINGAPORE, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Commodities markets slumped on Monday, led by deep losses in gold, silver, oil and industrial metals, as the choice of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair unleashed selling in risk assets that sent precious metals tumbling for a second session. Gold slid 5% to its lowest in more than two weeks, while silver fell more than 7%, following records hit by both metals last week. Oil , dropped nearly 5%, easing from multi-month highs, and London Metal Exchange copper fell 3%. "The decision by markets to sell precious metals alongside U.S. equities suggests investors view Warsh as more hawkish," said Vivek Dhar, a commodities strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA). A hawkish Fed signals interest rates will stay higher for longer, supporting the dollar and raising the opportunity cost of gold and silver, dimming their appeal. "A stronger U.S. dollar is also adding pressure on precious metals and other commodities, including oil a...

MOSCOW, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Kremlin security official, said in remarks released for publication on Monday that the world was getting very dangerous, but that Russia did not want a global conflict. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest confrontation between the West and Moscow since the depths of the Cold War, though U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys are trying to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and Ukraine. Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, a kind of modern-day politburo of Russia's most powerful officials, praised Trump  and said it was encouraging that contacts had resumed with Washington. But Medvedev, who has repeatedly hurled invective at Kyiv and Western powers while warning of the risks of an escalation of the war towards a nuclear "apocalypse", said the West had repeatedly ignored Russian interests. "The situation is very dangerous," Medvedev ...

South African singer Tyla has won the ‘Best African Music Performance’ award at the 2026 Grammy Awards, defeating Nigerian superstars Burna Boy, Davido and Ayra Starr, in the competitive category. Tyla clinched the prize with her hit single “Push 2 Start,” edging out Burna Boy’s Love, Davido’s With You featuring Omah Lay, Ayra Starr and Wizkid’s Gimme Dat, as well as Hope & Love by Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin. The category, which was introduced to spotlight African music on the global stage, once again saw strong Nigerian representation, with three Nigerian artistes, Burna Boy, Davido and Ayra Starr, making the final shortlist. With the win, Tyla becomes a two-time Grammy winner in the category. She first made history in 2024 when she won the inaugural ‘Best African Music Performance’ award with her global breakout hit “Water.” Her latest victory further cements her growing influence and dominance in the global Afrobeats and African pop scene.

As President Donald Trump  weighs his options on a possible military strike on Iran, a senior Gulf official told Fox News Saudi Arabia will not allow the U.S. to use its airspace or bases for such an attack. A high-ranking government figure from a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) state told Fox News that the "U.S. hasn’t shared objectives or plans" regarding Iran  with Gulf allies despite recent high-level Saudi meetings in Washington aimed at gaining clarity. "We said this as friends, [we] want to make sure they understand our position and our assessment in general. And we want to understand the U.S. assessment with as much clarity as possible," the senior official said. "I’d like to get full clarity, and we did not get there." Regarding U.S. military movements  for a strike on Iran, the official said, "The plan is something other than using Saudi airspace." The official said the U.S. is welcome in Saudi Arabia , especially...

The  International Monetary Fund  (IMF) projects that Nigeria will account for 1.5 percent of total global real GDP growth in 2026, placing it among the world’s top ten contributors and making it the only African country on the list. In previous  IMF outlooks , South Africa had ranked ahead of Nigeria in Africa’s share of global growth, supported by its larger nominal economy. Nigeria’s weaker performance over the past two to three years, affected by currency instability, inflation, and policy uncertainty, had limited its contribution. The 2026 projections mark a shift in Africa’s economic landscape, with Nigeria regaining momentum following recent reforms, while South Africa continues to face headwinds from low growth, power shortages, and trade pressures. Nigeria’s Growth Outlook The IMF forecasts  Nigeria’s real GDP will expand by 4.4 percent in 2026, easing slightly to 4.1 percent in 2027. The Fund attributes this outlook to exchange-rate adjustm...

COPENHAGEN, Denmark --  Hundreds of Danish  veterans — many of whom fought alongside U.S. troops — and thousands of supporters staged a silent protest Saturday outside the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen in response to the Trump administration's threats to take over Greenland  and Trump's belittling of their combat contributions. Veterans first gathered at Copenhagen’s Kastellet historic fortress, which includes a public park and places still used by the Danish military, and then marched to the nearby U.S. Embassy, carrying several large Danish flags. “Denmark has always stood side by side with the USA — and we have showed up in the world’s crisis zones when the USA has asked us to. We feel let down and ridiculed by the Trump Administration, which is deliberately disregarding Denmark’s combat side by side with the USA,” Danish Veterans & Veteran Support, the organizers of the protest said in a statement. “Words cannot describe how much it hurts us tha...

Feb 1 (Reuters) - Elon Musk said on Sunday that moves by his SpaceX company to stop the 'unauthorized' use by ​Russia of its internet system Starlink seemed to have worked, ‌while Kyiv's defence chief said officials were working on ways to prevent any ‌future use by Moscow. Kyiv's military relies on tens of thousands of satellite-based Starlink internet connections for battlefield communication and for piloting some drone missions, but said this week it had found Starlink terminals on ⁠long-range drones used in ‌Russian attacks. Ukraine said it was working with SpaceX to stop Russia from guiding drones with Starlink. "Looks like the ‍steps we took to stop the unauthorized use of Starlink by Russia have worked. Let us know if more needs to be done," SpaceX ​CEO Musk said on X. In a separate statement on Sunday, ‌Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said Kyiv was developing a system that would allow only authorised Starlink terminals to work o...