Category: Global

A five-year-old boy returning home from preschool in Minnesota was taken into custody by federal immigration agents along with his father and transferred to a detention centre in Texas, according to school officials and the family’s lawyer. 

The incident marks the fourth case in recent weeks involving a student from the Minneapolis suburb being detained by immigration authorities.

The child, identified as Liam Conejo Ramos, was removed from a running vehicle in the driveway of his family’s home on Tuesday afternoon, Columbia Heights Public Schools Superintendent Zena Stenvik told reporters on Wednesday. She said officers instructed the child to knock on the front door of the house to check if anyone else was inside, describing the act as “essentially using a five-year-old as bait.”

Stenvik said the boy’s father told the child’s mother who was inside the home and has not been publicly identified, not to open the door. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Stenvik added that immigration agents refused to leave Liam with another adult residing at the home or with a representative from the school district.

However, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an online post on Thursday that the father requested that the child remain with him. She stated that both are currently being held together at an immigration detention facility in Dilley, Texas.

According to school officials, the family arrived in the United States in 2024 and has an active asylum case. Stenvik said the family had not been ordered to leave the country.

“Why detain a five-year-old?” Stenvik asked. “You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal.”

McLaughlin said in a statement issued Wednesday that “ICE did NOT target a child.” She said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were attempting to arrest the boy’s father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, whom she identified as an Ecuadorian national living in the United States illegally. She claimed Conejo Arias fled on foot during the operation, “abandoning his child.”

“For the child’s safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended Conejo Arias,” McLaughlin said, adding that parents are given the option to be removed from the country with their children or to have them placed with someone of their choosing.

Minnesota has emerged as a key focus of recent federal immigration enforcement actions. Greg Bovino, a senior US Customs and Border Protection official who has been publicly associated with the crackdown, said immigration authorities have carried out approximately 3,000 arrests in the state over the past six weeks.

School officials and local leaders disputed claims that there were no alternatives available for Liam’s care at the time of his detention.

Stenvik said another adult who lives at the home was present outside when the father and child were taken, but agents declined to leave Liam with that individual.

Mary Granlund, chair of the Columbia Heights Public Schools board, told reporters on Thursday that she personally offered to take custody of the child before agents departed with him.

Rachel James, a Columbia Heights city council member who lives near the family, said she witnessed a neighbor from across the street present documents authorising them to care for Liam on behalf of his parents. According to James, agents ignored the offer.

The family’s lawyer, Marc Prokosch, said on Thursday that he believes Liam and his father are being held together in a family detention cell but noted that legal representatives have not been able to establish “direct contact” with them.

“We’re looking at our legal options to see if we can free them either through some legal mechanisms or through moral pressure,” Prokosch said during a news conference.

US Vice President JD Vance met with Minneapolis leaders on Thursday and said he had heard what he described as a “terrible story,” though he later said he was informed that the child had been detained rather than formally arrested.

“Well, what are they supposed to do? Are they supposed to let a five-year-old child freeze to death? Are they not supposed to arrest an illegal alien in the United States of America?” Vance said, noting that he is the parent of a five-year-old child.

Vance was not asked why immigration officers allegedly refused to leave the child with another adult who lives at the home and had offered to take responsibility for him.

United States (US) President Donald Trump has withdrawn an invitation for Canada to join his Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts.

According to Reuters, this comes after Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he openly decried powerful nations using economic integration as weapons and tariffs as leverage.

“Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

Neither Carney’s office nor the White House responded to Reuters requests for a comment; however, last week, the Canadian premier’s office said he had been invited to serve on the board and planned to accept.

Carney also received a rare standing ovation in Davos after the speech, wherein he urged nations to accept the end of a rules-based global order. He also said “middle powers” might act together to avoid being victimised by American hegemony.

Trump retorted that Canada “lives because of the US”, and told a gathering in Davos that Carney should be grateful for the US’ previous largesse. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” he added, addressing Carney directly.

The withdrawal of Canada’s invitation came hours after Trump officially launched the board, which was initially meant to cement a Gaza ceasefire.

Permanent members must help fund the board with a payment of $1 billion each, according to Trump.

“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do,” Trump said in Switzerland on Thursday. “And we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations.”

Meanwhile, the board’s establishment was endorsed by a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution as part of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, and UN spokesperson Rolando Gomez said on Thursday that UN engagement with the board would only be in that context.

Pakistan, Argentina, Bahrain, Morocco and Turkiye, among other countries, have joined the charter. US allies, including Britain, France and Italy, have indicated they will not join for now.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander issued a warning to Washington on Thursday, declaring his forces have their “finger on the trigger,” even as US President Donald Trump claimed the Islamic Republic wants to negotiate.

General Mohammad Pakpour urged Israel and the United States to avoid any miscalculations by learning from historical experiences and what they learned in the “12-day imposed war.”

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran have their finger on the trigger, more prepared than ever, ready to carry out the orders and measures of the supreme commander-in-chief [Khamenei], a leader dearer than their own lives,” Pakpour said in a statement that Iranian television quoted.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Trump said the US struck Iranian uranium enrichment sites last year to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

“Can’t let that happen,” Trump said. “And Iran does want to talk, and we’ll talk.”

Though the likelihood of immediate American military action against Tehran appeared to diminish this week, tensions continue to escalate.

General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, who leads the Iranian joint command headquarters, warned that if the US launches attacks, all US interests, bases and centers of influence would become “legitimate targets.”

Trump had warned Iran’s leaders on Tuesday that the US would “wipe them off the face of this earth” if anyone attacked him in response to a strike targeting Khamenei.

The warnings follow widespread protests that began in late December across Iran. Authorities violently suppressed the movement and imposed what the monitoring organisation NetBlocks called a “national kill-switch” internet blackout now entering its second week.

Iranian officials on Wednesday released their first official death toll from the recent protests, stating that 3,117 people lost their lives.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the ICC for war crimes, has accepted an invitation from United States President Donald Trump to join a proposed “Board of Peace” linked to the Gaza ceasefire process.

Netanyahu’s office said in a post on social media on Wednesday that the Israeli leader will join the initiative, which was unveiled as part of phase two of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas aimed at ending the genocide in Gaza.

The Board is intended to oversee post-genocide arrangements in the Palestinian enclave. According to Trump, the body would focus on “governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction, large-scale funding, and capital mobilisation” in Gaza.

Several world leaders have been invited to participate in the initiative, which will be chaired by Trump and structured by the US administration. However, the composition of the Board has drawn criticism from journalists, activists and political figures.

Journalist Jonathan Cook wrote on X that The Guardian found it “perverse” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been invited to join the board, adding that it is the same body to which “fugitive war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu” has also been invited and that it will be chaired by “Israel’s main arms supplier, Donald J Trump”.

Another post circulating on X described the board’s membership as a pattern, stating: “So war criminal Donald Trump has invited war criminal Tony Blair, war criminal Vladimir Putin and war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu to his ‘Board of Peace’. I’m beginning to spot a pattern.”

Palestinian activist Nour Odeh said on X that Netanyahu, “wanted by ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” had accepted Trump’s invitation to join the board, adding that Israeli media commentators said Israel’s participation was not tied to Trump’s reported $1 billion request. She also reminded her followers that Israel was “still standing trial for genocide”.

British politician Jeremy Corbyn criticised the initiative in a post on X, saying Trump had not assembled a “Board of Peace” for Gaza but a “Board of Occupation”. He added that “the future of Gaza is not up to Trump, Blair or Netanyahu” and said it should be determined by the Palestinian people.

Other commentators also questioned the legitimacy of the initiative. Syrian activist Ryan Rozbiani wrote that Netanyahu joining a body meant to rebuild Gaza amounted to a “pseudo-UN forming”.

Journalist Muhammad Shehada said on X that Trump was inviting Netanyahu to the board alongside figures including Tony Blair, adding that an “internationally wanted war criminal” would be part of a body deciding Gaza’s future.

The initiative’s scope marks a shift from earlier expectations that it would function as a limited ceasefire oversight mechanism, with Trump publicly framing it as a broader platform for post-conflict planning and international engagement.

Legendary Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, founder of the luxury fashion house Valentino, has passed away at the age of 93.

The news was confirmed by his foundation in a statement shared on social media, which said Garavani died peacefully at his residence in Rome, surrounded by family and loved ones.

Known as Valentino, Garavani launched his fashion label in Rome in 1960 and went on to redefine luxury couture with his signature romantic silhouettes and refined elegance. 

He became globally recognised for “Valentino red,” a distinctive shade that became one of the most iconic colors in high fashion.

His designs attracted some of the most influential figures of the 20th century. Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor wore a Valentino gown to the premiere of Spartacus in 1960, while former US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was among his most notable clients. She famously commissioned several couture pieces from him, including her wedding dress for her marriage.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Valentino’s creations became synonymous with Hollywood glamour, dressing leading actresses such as Joan Collins, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Courteney Cox, Anne Hathaway, and Nicola Peltz Beckham. 

His designs have continued to dominate red carpets in recent years, worn by stars including Julia Roberts, Cate Blanchett, Zendaya, Dakota Johnson, and Florence Pugh.

Beyond the runway, Garavani made a cameo appearance as himself in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada and was the focus of the 2008 documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. 

Although he officially retired in January 2008, he remained a revered figure in the fashion industry, widely celebrated for his lasting influence on couture and timeless approach to design.

As part of broader measures to reduce mobile phone use among young people, the United Kingdom (UK) government has launched a consultation to examine whether children under 16 should be banned from using social media.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced the consultation on Monday, saying the Online Safety Act had already introduced steps to create a safer online environment.

“These laws were never meant to be the end point, and we know parents still have serious concerns. That is why I am prepared to take further action,” she said.

The consultation will consider introducing an age limit, methods to enforce it, restricting social media firms’ access to young users’ data, and limiting features such as “infinite scrolling” that can drive compulsive use.

Responses to the consultation will be sought from parents, young people and civil society. Officials will also explore stronger age verification methods and limiting features that encourage compulsive social media use. The government plans to respond to the consultation in the summer.

While the government also expects schools to be “phone-free by default”, the announcement comes ahead of a House of Lords vote on Wednesday on an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which would set the social media age limit at 16 within a year of the bill passing.

The move also follows calls from Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, who highlighted how her daughter’s eating disorder and self-harm tendencies were worsened by social media. 

In a letter to the Prime Minister (PM) Keir Starmer, she wrote, “Brianna had a social media addiction and struggled with her mental health from the age of 14. She developed an eating disorder and was self-harming, and all of this was significantly exacerbated by the harmful content she was consuming online.”

The premier said he is open to the idea of a ban but wants to examine evidence from Australia, where a similar ban came into effect in December 2025. “We’re obviously looking at what’s happened in Australia, something I have discussed with the Australian prime minister.”