The Kremlin has appeared to reject Donald Trump’s claim that Vladimir Putin is open to European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, underscoring Moscow’s reluctance to align with Trump’s efforts to quickly end the war.

Pushing to deliver on a central campaign pledge, Trump asserted on Monday that the Ukraine war “could end within weeks” and claimed that he and Putin supported the presence of European troops on the ground.

“Yeah, he will accept that,” Trump said, speaking to reporters during a meeting at the White House with the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

“I specifically asked him that question. He has no problem with it,” Trump added.

But at a press conference on Tuesday, Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, referred to an earlier statement that such a move would be unacceptable to Moscow.

“There is a position on this matter that was expressed by Russian foreign minister [Sergei] Lavrov. I have nothing to add to this and nothing to comment on,” Peskov said.

After talks with the US in Riyadh last week, Lavrov said the presence of European peacekeepers in Ukraine would be “unacceptable”.

The latest divergence weakens Trump’s push for a swift peace deal, despite intensified diplomatic efforts, including last week’s talks and a noticeable thaw in rhetoric between Washington and Moscow.

The Kremlin’s rejection of western forces in Ukraine poses a major early test for Trump’s team in handling a public rebuke from Moscow, and also exposes Washington’s limited influence over Putin’s willingness to make concessions.

It also raises questions about whether European leaders will move forward with solidifying their plans for a peacekeeping force, as Putin makes it clear that he will not accept the presence of European troops in Ukraine as part of any settlement.

While Ukraine has signalled openness to territorial compromises, potentially ceding some of its land lost since 2014, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is unlikely to sign any agreement without tangible security guarantees from the west, most notably the presence of European troops on the ground.

Speaking in front of Russian officials on Monday, Putin tempered expectations about negotiations reaching a quick conclusion, saying he had only broadly discussed the issue of resolution of the conflict in Ukraine with Trump.

“But it was not discussed in detail,” Putin said, tempering expectations about negotiations reaching a quick conclusion.

“We only agreed that we would move toward this. And in this case, of course, we are not refusing the participation of European countries [in talks].”

The Kremlin has dismissed the idea of a simple ceasefire, arguing that Ukraine could use the pause to rearm.

Instead, Putin has insisted on addressing what he calls the “root causes” of the conflict, citing Ukraine’s Nato membership ambitions and what he describes as an anti-Russian government in Kyiv.

Putin remains committed to limiting the size and power of Kyiv’s military, prohibiting foreign weapons on Ukrainian soil, ensuring Ukraine’s permanent neutrality, and maintaining influence over its political future, according to two people familiar with Kremlin thinking.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter freely, said Putin viewed the peace talks as an opportunity to reshape Europe’s security order, with one key condition for normalising relations with the US being the withdrawal of Nato forces from eastern Europe.

Kremlin officials have also emphasised in public that they are unwilling to make territorial concessions, insisting on full control over the four Ukrainian regions Moscow claimed in 2022 – some of which it has yet to fully occupy.

Thomas Graham, a former White House adviser on Russia who recently travelled to Moscow, where he met Russian officials, said: “It’s quite clear from the Russian standpoint that president Putin wants to control Ukraine and all of Ukraine. That he wants control over Ukraine’s geopolitical orientation, to a limited extent its domestic politics.”

Graham added: “That his vision of a future Ukraine that’s beyond Russia’s physical control is along the lines of the relationship that Belarus has with Russia at this point … How you reconcile those two diverging visions, I think, is quite difficult. That will be the sticking point. And I think the Russians are in a position now where they realise that there will be a problem.”

For now, Putin is likely to keep the dialogue going.

By picking up the phone earlier this month, Trump handed Putin a symbolic victory, breaking the western unity that had sought to isolate Moscow since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

As talks continue, the US administration has also echoed some Russian narratives, suggesting that Ukraine bears responsibility for a war that actually began with Russia’s invasion.

“To address pressing issues, Russia and the US must trust each other,” Putin said on Monday, signalling his openness to future talks with Washington.

Meanwhile, Moscow remains committed to its military campaign, believing that battlefield gains will only strengthen its position at the negotiating table.

While earlier this year there were indications that Russia’s advance in eastern Ukraine was slowing, the past week has shown a renewed push by Moscow. According to Deep State, a Ukrainian open-source research group, Russian forces have captured nearly 90 sq km of territory – their largest weekly gain since December.

At the same time, Ukraine is confronting the grim but realistic question of how long it can sustain the fight if Trump decides to cut off US military support.

“With every town and city captured, Russia’s position will only harden,” said the source familiar with Moscow’s thinking.

“Moscow has time on its side,” the source added.

Keir Starmer has announced drastic cuts to Britain’s international aid budget to help pay for a major increase in defence spending, amid fears over Donald Trump’s commitment to European security.

The prime minister said the UK government would increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned – as he prepared for what is likely to be a diplomatically fraught visit to Washington DC this week.

Starmer also announced an ambition to increase defence spending to 3% during the next parliament, saying that “tyrants” such as Vladimir Putin would respond only to strength and that the UK must respond to the changing picture on Ukraine since Trump came to power.

However, the prime minister confirmed that the rise – about £13.4bn more every year from 2027 – would be paid for by a “painful choice” to cut the aid budget, from 0.5% to 0.3% of GDP. The move has been met with fury from some Labour MPs and the development sector.

“That is not an announcement I am happy to make,” Starmer told MPs. “We will do everything we can to return to a world where that is not the case, and rebuild a capability on development, but at times like this the defence and security of the British people must always come first.

“That is the number one priority of this government.”

The Guardian first reported the prime minister’s plan just before he took to his feet in the Commons on Tuesday. He immediately announced a leak inquiry.

The total budget for defence spending, including the intelligence services, will amount to a 2.6% share of the economy from 2027, which remains some way short of the 3.4% the US spends on defence, making it the third-largest contributor to Nato last year after Poland and Estonia.

“We must change our national security posture, because a generational challenge requires a generational response,” Starmer told MPs. “That will demand some extremely difficult and painful choices.”

The prime minister discussed the move with his cabinet before announcing it, officials said, and secured “agreement” before going ahead – though Downing Street would not say what the tone of the conversation had been.

His visit to the White House, the second time he has met Trump, will take place days after the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, amid tensions after a UN vote and during a turbulent period in transatlantic relations.

It will be the biggest test yet of his diplomatic and negotiating skills, as he tries to balance the UK’s security and economic interests with retaining good relations with the unpredictable president, who has repeatedly pushed for Europe to increase defence spending.

Starmer has come under sustained pressure to rapidly lift defence spending even further than Labour’s manifesto pledge of a rise to 2.5%, after he said the UK would “play its full part” in deploying troops to Ukraine for a peacekeeping force in the event of a durable deal after Russia’s invasion.

Defence sources have said that an increase of at least £13.4bn a year to 2.5%, from 2.3%, would still be far short of what is required to rebuild and transform the armed forces.

They have stressed that an ultimate rise to at least 3% of GDP would be necessary in order to help boost military capability after Trump’s administration said it was scaling back US support from Ukraine.

Labour had promised to raise the aid budget from 0.5% to 0.7% when “fiscal conditions allow”, and aides said that commitment remained in place. But, in recent weeks, officials have begun to look at cutting it instead as a way to help pay for defence.

David Lammy, the foreign secretary, told the Guardian earlier this month that Trump’s plans to make dramatic cuts to the US’s international aid budget could be a “big strategic mistake” that would allow China to step in and extend its global influence.

The government will prioritise remaining aid funds on Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza, as well as on the climate crisis and through multilateral organisations, though officials said other programmes would also be allowed to continue.

Simon McDonald, a former head of the Foreign Office, has said such a move would damage Britain’s global reputation. However, domestic polling suggests cutting the aid budget could be popular with the type of voters inclined to back Reform UK who Labour needs to retain.

Sarah Champion, the Labour chair of the international development committee, said: “Aid and defence are linked, but they build upon each other to keep everyone safe. Cutting one to fund the other will have dire consequences for us all as it will make the world less stable.

“Conflict is an outcome of desperation, much better to support people around the world to feel safe, secure and prosperous than deal with the consequences. The deep irony is that development money can prevent wars and is used to patch up the consequences of them; cutting this support is counterproductive and I urge the government to rethink.”

Romilly Greenhill, the chief executive of Bond, which represents British aid organisations, said: “This is a shortsighted and appalling move by both the PM and Treasury. Slashing the already diminished UK aid budget to fund an uplift in defence is a reckless decision that will have devastating consequences for millions of marginalised people worldwide.

“Following in the US’s footsteps will not only undermine the UK’s global commitments and credibility, but also weaken our own national security interests. Instead of stepping up, the UK is turning its back on communities facing poverty, conflict and insecurity, further damaging its credibility on the global stage.”

Israel is seeking to extend the first stage of the ceasefire agreement in the war with Hamas in Gaza and is prepared to resume fighting if there is no progress in crucial talks this week, according to reports.

Israel’s Kan Radio, along with Ma’ariv, a daily newspaper, reported on Tuesday that informal talks were under way aimed at extending the first 42-day stage of the ceasefire, which expires on Saturday. Official internationally mediated negotiations on how to implement the second stage – which would involve a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territory – were supposed to begin weeks ago, but have been repeatedly postponed as the fragile truce has lurched from crisis to crisis.

An extension of stage one would involve further hostage releases in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees, but Israeli officials are sceptical of the idea’s workability.

The ceasefire is at an impasse before the scheduled release of four Israeli bodies on Thursday, after Israel decided to postpone freeing 600 Palestinians last weekend. That decision appears to have been prompted by a film released by Hamas on Saturday in which two hostages were forced to watch the release of other captives. The video, together with handover ceremonies in which the hostages have been paraded around by the militant group, have infuriated public opinion in Israel.

Hamas has said it will not engage with any negotiations until the 600 Palestinians whose release was delayed are freed, putting mediators under pressure to resolve the latest dispute before the next release of hostage bodies on Thursday and the expiration of stage one two days later. The group had previously said it was open to a short extension of phase one in order to keep aid flowing to the territory and talks on stage two alive.

Egypt, a key mediator between the sides, has also refused to discuss an extension of the first phase unless phase two talks begin at the same time, AP reported on Tuesday, citing two officials.

Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, is returning to the region on Wednesday. In an interview with CNN over the weekend, he said he was aiming for an extension of stage one to ensure there would be time to negotiate stage two.

In stage two of the deal, of uncertain duration, Israel is supposed to completely withdraw its forces from Gaza, in effect ending the war, and talks on future governance of the strip should begin. Reconstruction is due to begin in stage three, but the sides remain far apart on Gaza’s future.

Hamas has said it is willing to give up control of the Gaza Strip to other Palestinians, but its leadership refuses to go into exile. Israel maintains that it will not allow Hamas or the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority to administer the territory when the war ends.

On Sunday, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel was prepared to return to hostilities in Gaza “at any moment” and vowed to complete the war’s objectives “whether through negotiation or by other means”.

At least 160 healthcare workers from Gaza, including more than 20 doctors, are believed to still be inside Israeli detention facilities as the World Health Organisation expressed deep concern about their wellbeing and safety.

Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW), a Palestinian medical NGO, said it had confirmed that 162 medical staff remained in Israeli detention, including some of Gaza’s most senior physicians, and a further 24 were missing after being taken from hospitals during the conflict.

Muath Alser, director of HWW, said the detention of large numbers of doctors, nurses, paramedics and other healthcare workers from Gaza was illegal under international law and was furthering the suffering of civilians by denying them medical expertise and care.

“Israel’s targeting of the healthcare workforce in this manner is having a devastating impact on the provision of healthcare to Palestinians, with extensive suffering, countless preventable deaths, and the effective eradication of whole medical specialities,” said Alser.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has verified that 297 healthcare workers from Gaza have been detained by the Israeli military since the war began, but the organisation had no updated data on how many have been released or remain in detention.

HWW says its data shows the number is slightly higher and that it has verified that 339 healthcare workers from Gaza have been detained by the Israeli military.

The WHO said it was “deeply concerned about the wellbeing and safety of Palestinian health workers in Israeli detention”, after reports that detainees in Israeli prison facilities were routinely subjected to violence and mistreatment.

A lawyer representing Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan hospital, whose detention by Israeli forces in December sparked international condemnation, recently said he had been allowed to visit Abu Safiya in detention in Ofer Prison in Ramallah for the first time and that he said he had been tortured, beaten and denied medical treatment.

The Guardian and the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) have also heard detailed testimony from seven senior doctors who claimed they were taken from hospitals, ambulances and checkpoints in Gaza, illegally transferred across the border into Israeli-run prison facilities and subjected to months of torture, beatings, starvation and inhumane treatment before being released without charge.

“Frankly, no matter how much I talk about what I experienced in detention, it is only a fraction of what truly happened,” said Dr Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of al-Shifa hospital, who was detained for seven months in Israeli prisons before being released without charge.

“I am talking about clubbing, being beaten with rifle butts and being attacked by dogs. There was little to no food, no personal hygiene, no soap inside the cells, no water, no toilet, no toilet paper … I saw people who were dying there … I was beaten so badly I couldn’t use my legs or walk. No day passes without torture.”

In a statement to the Guardian, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director general, condemned the ongoing detention of medical personnel by Israel and said he was deeply concerned for their welfare.

The UN’s human rights office (UN OHCHR) said Israel also must immediately release medical staff held arbitrarily and “end all practices that amount to enforced disappearances, torture and other ill-treatment”.

UN OHCHR has previously said “it is clear” that the detention of large numbers of healthcare workers by the Israeli military contributed to the collapse of the healthcare system in Gaza. Ajith Sunghay, head of office for the occupied Palestinian territory at UN OHCHR, said: “Those responsible for crimes under international law must be held to account.”

Under the Geneva conventions, the set of international laws that police the conduct of warring parties, doctors should be protected, not targeted or attacked during conflict and must be allowed to carry on providing medical care to those who need it.

Tedros said: “Health workers, facilities they work in, and patients they care for … must never be targets. In fact, under international humanitarian law, they should be actively protected.”

Two of Gaza’s most senior doctors – Dr Iyad al-Rantisi, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Kamal Adwan hospital, and Dr Adnan al-Bursh, head of the orthopaedic department at al-Shifa hospital – are known to have died in detention.

In the past, Israel has defended its military operations on Gaza’s healthcare system by claiming that hospitals were being used by Hamas as military command centres and that the healthcare workers who were detained were suspected.

Under international law, healthcare facilities can lose their protected status and become military targets if they are used for acts that are “harmful to the enemy”.

The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, has said that to date Israel has failed to substantiate these allegations.

The Guardian put all the doctors’ allegations relating to their detention to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), which did not respond to the individual cases but provided a general statement in which it said it was “operating to restore security to the citizens of Israel, to bring home the hostages, and to achieve the objectives of the war while operating by international law.

“During the fighting in the Gaza Strip, suspects of terrorist activities were arrested. The relevant suspects have been taken for further detention and questioning in Israel. Those who are not involved in terrorist activity are released back to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.”

The IDF said it provides each detainee with suitable clothing, a mattress, regular food and drink and that they have access to medical care. It also said that handcuffing of detainees occurs in accordance with IDF policies. It said it was aware of incidents where detainees had died in detention and that investigations are conducted for each of these deaths.

“The IDF acts in accordance with Israeli and international law in order to protect the rights of the detainees held in the detention and questioning facilities,” it said.

The doctors’ accounts are similar to those by other former Palestinian detainees of their time in Israeli detention, who describe systemic abuse and torture.

Earlier this month, an Israeli soldier was sentenced to seven months in prison for the abuse of detainees, the first conviction of its kind in Israel.

• This article was amended on 25 February 2025 to correct a mistake in referring to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR), also known as the UN Human Rights Office. We originally used the incorrect acronym UNOCH.

Elon Musk’s cost-cutting bonanza appears to be having less impact than the world’s richest man is claiming, with a review finding that almost 40% of the federal contracts scrapped so far will save the American taxpayer not a penny.

The Associated Press put under the microscope a list of 1,125 federal government contracts that Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) boasted it had torn up in the first month of the new Trump administration. The news agency found that of those, 417 were likely to produce no savings to the federal budget.

The shredded contracts had been flaunted by Doge on its “wall of receipts”. Yet in many cases the money had already been spent, or had been legally committed to the extent that it was too late to recoup the funds.

“It’s like confiscating used ammunition after it’s been shot when there’s nothing left in it,” Charles Tiefer, an expert on government contracting law, told the AP.

The review is just the latest investigation suggesting that Musk’s stampede through federal departments in an attempt supposedly to uncover fraud and reduce waste is not having the benefits claimed for it. One of the cancelled contracts was listed on the “wall of receipts” as being worth $8bn, when in fact the New York Times discovered it was valued at $8m.

Musk’s latest ruse, demanding that more than 2 million federal employees all email Doge a list of their five weekly accomplishments or face dismissal, has caused mayhem across the US government. Several Trump-picked heads of department have openly resisted the move.

Kash Patel, Trump’s choice to be director of the FBI, instructed all employees at the bureau to “pause any responses” to the Musk edict. But late on Monday the Doge supremo was keeping at it, telling federal employees that if they failed to respond to his request a second time it would “result in termination”.

Now awkward questions are beginning to be asked by federal judges about whether Doge, and Musk’s role within it, are even lawful. At a hearing in Washington DC on Monday, during a lawsuit over whether Musk’s team of disrupters should be given access to sensitive treasury department data, a federal judge raised concerns about the constitutionality of Doge’s “structure and operation”.

Colleen Kollar-Kotelly pointed out that under the appointments clause of the US constitution, federal agencies are generally run by officials appointed by the president but subject to confirmation by the Senate – which Musk has not been.

The judge grilled government lawyers about Musk’s role and the authority that underpinned it. A government attorney, Bradley Humphreys, replied that he had no information about the billionaire’s standing other than that he was a “close adviser to the president”, Politico reported.

A young American woman on a European trip was taken into custody after she allegedly threw a newborn out of a hotel window in Paris, killing the baby, authorities said on Tuesday.

Child protection police authorities are investigating the case as a homicide of a minor younger than 15 years old. And authorities are considering the possibility of what is known as pregnancy denial, a condition in which a woman remains unaware of or in denial about her pregnancy until labor.

The baby was reportedly thrown from a second-floor window of a hotel on Monday morning, according to the Paris prosecutor. Emergency responders rushed the newborn to the hospital, but the child was pronounced dead.

The mother was traveling through Europe from the US with a group of young adults. She was taken to a hospital for medical treatment following childbirth and has been placed in custody there, officials said.

Pope Francis has carried out work duties, including approving individuals for canonisation, despite being in a critical condition in hospital with pneumonia and mild kidney failure.

During a meeting in his hospital room on Monday with Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and the Venezuelan archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, he approved the canonisation of two Venezuelan and Italian laymen who died in the early 20th century. He also authorised the first steps towards sainthood for three 19th-century priests, from Spain, Italy and Poland.

The Vatican confirmed the approvals on Tuesday, a few hours after it issued a one-line statement saying the pontiff, 88, had “slept well, all night”.

Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital in Rome on 14 February after struggling to breathe and was diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection, pneumonia in both lungs and mild kidney failure.

Thousands of people gathered in the rain in St Peter’s Square on Monday night to pray for the pope. Similar events were held across Italy and abroad, setting off a nightly marathon of prayers.

Doctors said on Monday night that Francis remained in a critical condition, although some laboratory tests had shown “a slight improvement”. He was reported to be in good humour, had done some work from his hospital room and made a call to the Holy Family church in Gaza, a daily routine maintained since 9 October 2023. However, his prognosis remained guarded.

The prayers at St Peter’s were led by Parolin. “Starting this evening, we want to unite ourselves publicly to this prayer here, in his house,” Parolin said, praying that Francis “in this moment of illness and trial” would recover quickly.

Vigils have also been held outside the Gemelli, which has long been the preferred hospital for pontiffs.

Before his hospital admission, the pope had maintained a punishing work schedule, despite increasing health issues, and especially because it is the Catholic jubilee year. Last September, he carried out a 12-day tour to the Asia Pacific region, one of the few places in the world where the Catholic church is growing in terms of baptised faithful and religious vocations.

Pope Francis has carried out work duties, including approving individuals for canonisation, despite being in a critical condition in hospital with pneumonia and mild kidney failure.

During a meeting in his hospital room on Monday with Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, and the Venezuelan archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, he approved the canonisation of two Venezuelan and Italian laymen who died in the early 20th century. He also authorised the first steps towards sainthood for three 19th-century priests, from Spain, Italy and Poland.

The Vatican confirmed the approvals on Tuesday, a few hours after it issued a one-line statement saying the pontiff, 88, had “slept well, all night”.

Francis was admitted to Gemelli hospital in Rome on 14 February after struggling to breathe and was diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection, pneumonia in both lungs and mild kidney failure.

Thousands of people gathered in the rain in St Peter’s Square on Monday night to pray for the pope. Similar events were held across Italy and abroad, setting off a nightly marathon of prayers.

Doctors said on Monday night that Francis remained in a critical condition, although some laboratory tests had shown “a slight improvement”. He was reported to be in good humour, had done some work from his hospital room and made a call to the Holy Family church in Gaza, a daily routine maintained since 9 October 2023. However, his prognosis remained guarded.

The prayers at St Peter’s were led by Parolin. “Starting this evening, we want to unite ourselves publicly to this prayer here, in his house,” Parolin said, praying that Francis “in this moment of illness and trial” would recover quickly.

Vigils have also been held outside the Gemelli, which has long been the preferred hospital for pontiffs.

Before his hospital admission, the pope had maintained a punishing work schedule, despite increasing health issues, and especially because it is the Catholic jubilee year. Last September, he carried out a 12-day tour to the Asia Pacific region, one of the few places in the world where the Catholic church is growing in terms of baptised faithful and religious vocations.

Galatasaray have accused José Mourinho of making “racist statements” and said they would initiate criminal proceedings against the Fenerbahce manager over his comments after their 0-0 Super Lig draw on Monday.

Although it was not clear which statements Galatasaray were referring to, Mourinho said the home side’s bench had been “jumping like monkeys” and that the match would have been a disaster if a Turkish referee had been in charge. Monday’s game was refereed by the Slovenian Slavko Vincic after both clubs requested a foreign official take charge.

Galatasaray said on X that Mourinho had “persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people” since taking up his role in the league. “Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric,” the club said.

“We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by José Mourinho, and shall accordingly submit official complaints to Uefa and Fifa.”

Mourinho and Fenerbahce did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters sent outside normal business hours in Turkey.

Mourinho has previously been fined and suspended for his comments about Turkish match officials. The Portuguese was again critical of Turkish referees in a press conference after Monday’s match.

“I went to the referees’ dressing room after the game,” he said. “Of course, the fourth official was there, a Turkish referee. I told him [Vincic]: ‘Thank you to come here because you come for a big match and you are responsible for a big match.’

“And I turned myself to the fourth official and I [said]: ‘This match, if you are the referee, this match would be a disaster.’ And when I say him, I say the general tendency.”

Mourinho also praised Vincic for not giving a yellow card to the defender Yusuf Akcicek early in the match despite the animated reaction of the Galatasaray bench to a challenge.

“I have also to thank the referee because with a Turkish referee after the big dive in the first minute, their bench jumping like monkeys on the top of the kid, with a Turkish referee you would have a yellow card after one minute and after five minutes I would have to change him,” he said.

Fenerbahce said in a statement that Mourinho’s comments had been “deliberately distorted by being completely taken out of context”. The club also said: “Attempting to portray this statement as a racist remark is an entirely malicious approach. We present to the public that we will exercise our legal rights regarding this feeble slander, which has been thrown to take the competition off the field, shift the agenda, and manipulate it.”

Earlier the club’s vice-president, Acun Ilicali, had defended Mourinho in an interview with Sky Sports News. “José Mourinho is just describing the emotion of the bench by using the word monkey – that’s all,” he said. “When I say you are running like a rabbit, I don’t say that you are a rabbit. So when I say you are jumping like a monkey, it doesn’t mean you are a monkey.

“You can clearly understand that José Mourinho had no intention to be racist, in the words or behind the words or around the words. That’s a very clear situation that is trying to be manipulated by Galatasaray’s board, and we are used to it in Turkey.

“José is very important for us, we are very happy to be with him, and as a club I can clearly say that we are behind our coach, we are supporting him 100%.”

Sales of new Tesla cars almost halved in Europe last month, indicating waning demand for the US carmaker’s vehicles as its chief executive Elon Musk intervened repeatedly in the politics on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Texas-based carmaker sold 9,945 vehicles in Europe in January, down 45% from last year’s 18,161, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). Tesla’s share of the market dropped to 1% from 1.8%.

This could suggest that Musk’s interventions in European political affairs and senior role in Donald Trump’s administration defunding and depopulating the US government – including shutting down its aid programme – are leading to a consumer backlash.

The tech billionaire, a close adviser to the US president, has become a vocal supporter of Germany’s far-right AfD party in recent months, and described it in January as the “best hope for the future” in Germany. On Monday, he called the party’s co-leader Alice Weidel to congratulate her on the party’s performance in Germany’s national election after it doubled its support from the previous election.

Musk also waded into the UK’s political row about grooming gangs, publicly accusing Keir Starmer and other senior politicians of covering up the scandal, despite there being no evidence of any organised cover-up.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, joined the Norwegian, British and German leaders in early January in responding to a barrage of hostile social media posts by Musk backing far-right political parties and criticising leftwing politicians in Europe.

Tesla sold 1,277 new cars last month in Germany, its lowest monthly total since July 2021, according to Bloomberg calculations. Sales in France plummeted 63% in its worst performance in the country since August 2022.

The company also registered fewer vehicles in the UK than its Chinese electric car rival BYD for the first time. Tesla’s sales fell by nearly 8% in an EV market that grew by 42% last month.

The slump came as the European market for new battery-electric cars grew by 34% to 124,341 units, capturing a 15% share of the total car market, the figures from the ACEA showed.

Three of the four largest markets in Europe, which together account for nearly two-thirds of all battery-electric car sales, recorded double-digit gains: Germany (+53.5%), Belgium (+37.2%) and the Netherlands (+28.2%), while France posted a slight dip of 0.5%.

The overall car market shrank by 2.1% in January. Many of the EU’s big markets recorded declines, with France down by 6.2%, Italy 5.8% lower and Germany losing 2.8%. Spain, however, recorded a 5.3% increase.

A motorway bridge collapse has killed at least three people and injured seven as spans of the partly built structure collapsed one after the other.

The accident took place on Tuesday in Anseong, about 70km (43.5 miles) from Seoul, when five 50-metre steel support structures collapsed in turn after being hoisted into place by a crane, the Yonhap news agency reported. The collapse was captured by the rear-facing dashcam of a car on a road beneath.

The national fire agency said three people died and six were injured, including five who were in a critical condition. Other reports said there were seven injured.

Authorities were searching for another person who was thought to be buried under rubble at the site, the fire agency said.

Hunting for survivors, rescue workers at the site were seen examining twisted metal struts and fractured concrete slabs below the columns of the highway bridge.

South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, called for mobilisation of all available personnel and resources to rescue any missing people and to ensure public safety.

The transport ministry said it had dispatched officials to the scene.

With Reuters

An Australian citizen detained 32 times at Sydney airport – without allegation or charge – has told the federal circuit court he is stopped and searched almost every time he enters the country because he is black.

Okungbowa Hubert Igbinoba also told a directions hearing on Tuesday that an $80,000 settlement offer from the government was an attempt to silence him.

“‘Take $80,000 and shut up’, that is what the commonwealth is saying,” Igbinoba told the court, accusing the Australian Border Force of engaging in “systemic racism”.

“They try to silence me by offering me money,” he said from the bar table, representing himself. “I am treated like a criminal. This is how border force treats people who look like me.

“They have been acting illegally and it has to stop.”

Igbinoba is suing the Australian government in the federal circuit court alleging border officials have breached the Racial Discrimination Act by consistently singling him out for interrogation, simply because he was black. The Australian government disputes Igbinoba’s allegation.

Igbinoba is a Nigerian-born Australian citizen, with relatives living in Africa, and a freight shipping business that requires regular international travel.

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Between February 1998 and January 2020, he was detained at Sydney international airport 32 times – almost every time he entered Australia.

According to his statement of claim, Igbinoba was isolated by border officials, interrogated, searched and patted down. Each time he had his luggage emptied and inspected, and his laptop and mobile phone were confiscated and searched.

On some occasions he was detained for up to four hours.

None of the detentions, he has told the court, discovered any evidence of a potential crime.

Igbinoba, an Australian citizen since 2004, has told the court that on many of the flight entries into Sydney airport he was “one of the only individuals with dark skin and obvious African ethnicity” and the only one segregated for what he alleges was discriminatory treatment.

His statement of claim states he “has no criminal history, convictions or associations, and has never been charged with or engaged in any customs or immigration offences”.

“During each of the entries, [Igbinoba] did not observe or see any of the Australian Border Force officers detain, question or search any of his fellow travellers who were of apparent Anglo-Saxon, Caucasian or Asian ethnicity,” his statement of claim states.

“[Igbinoba’s] dark skin and obvious African race and ethnicity is the only feature or characteristic that distinguished him from his fellow travellers, which often comprised a few hundred other travellers, on each of the entries.”

Igbinoba’s statement said his behaviour at the airport was indistinguishable from that of any other passenger and he was not “engaging in any conduct that would ordinarily attract or justify any intervention by or attention from ABF officers”.

Igbinoba said in his statement of claim he repeatedly asked border force officers why he was being “systemically and repeatedly” targeted but officers never explained why he was being treated differently to other passengers on the same flight.

The case has been before the courts since 2020. An attempt at mediation in 2022 failed to reach a resolution.

In court documents, the federal government has argued there is no evidence that Igbinoba was ever discriminated against or targeted.

“There is not a skerrick of a basis to make such an allegation under the Racial Discrimination Act.”

Several border force officers have told the court they stopped Igbinoba because there was an “alert” in its border management systems.

In its submissions, the federal government said “many of the officers … say they acted because there was an ‘alert’ attached to [Igbinoba] as a person of interest which required them to carry out the instructions on the alert”.

The government said it opposed disclosing the details of any alerts placed on Igbinoba to the court, arguing these were “not relevant” to a case alleging racial discrimination.

Government agencies have sought to keep significant tranches of information in the case secret: protected not only from disclosure in a public court hearing, but also from Igbinoba himself.

The Australian federal police has made a public interest immunity claim, arguing that its submissions before the court should be kept confidential, lest it disclose “sensitive methodology used by the AFP to prevent, detect and investigate potential offences”.

The AFP also argued its intelligence information, if disclosed publicly, “could readily be exploited by persons involved in the alleged criminal activities to undermine the AFP’s future investigations”.

NSW police also argued it should not be compelled to share information with Igbinoba or the court, arguing it could reveal confidential sources and cause “serious and irreparable damage to the integrity” of police information gathering.

The home affairs department said in an affidavit it held information that is “unable to be publicly described in this proceeding, and address matters which themselves would potentially cause harm to Australia’s interest if they were to be disclosed to [Igbinoba] or the public”.

It also told the court that if it were compelled to reveal details about the alert management system it operates at the border, it would “allow a person to take steps to … evade intervention”.

At a discursive directions hearing before Judge Benjamin Zipser in the federal circuit court on Tuesday, Igbinoba applied for an adjournment while he sought new counsel, having parted with his previous lawyer earlier this month.

He told the court he wanted to introduce new evidence from “co-travellers” who had flown into the country with him and witnessed his treatment. He said without an adjournment he lacked the wherewithal to bring an effective case against a well-resourced government.

“I am seeking an adjournment to help shine a light on their behaviour: racism and discrimination must stop.

“The truth must come out. It’s in the interests of justice.”

Anthony Wall, representing the commonwealth, opposed the application for an adjournment, saying there was “considerable public interest” in the matter being heard without delay. Wall said Igbinoba had provided “no explanation whatsoever” as to why he had not yet engaged new counsel.

Judge Zipser agreed with the commonwealth that an adjournment – in a five-year-old case – was unjustified. He dismissed Igbinoba’s adjournment application and said the hearing would proceed next month.

Tickets to the second Fyre festival have gone on sale this week, promising a more successful experience than the first, which was the subject of a lawsuit.

The infamous first edition was a headline-making disaster in 2017 after guests discovered that their luxury experience was a sham with inadequate accommodation, a lack of organisation and music acts pulling out. It was later referred to as “closer to The Hunger Games … than Coachella”.

Its founder, Billy McFarland, described by Vanity Fair as “the poster boy for millennial scamming”, was convicted of fraud and sentenced to six years in prison. He was later released after less than four years. A New York court also awarded $7,220 each to 277 attendees.

“I’m sure many people think I’m crazy for doing this again,” McFarland said in a statement. “But I feel I’d be crazy not to do it again. After years of reflection and now thoughtful planning, the new team and I have amazing plans for Fyre 2. The adventure seekers who trust the vision and take the leap will help make history.”

The sequel is set to take place on Isla Mujeres in Quintana Roo, Mexico, with tickets going for $1,400 and up to $1.1m. When speaking about the highest-priced package, McFarland has said: “You will be on a boat, have the luxury yachts that we partner with who will be docked and parked outside the island.”

A minimum of $500,000 will go towards the money still owed by McFarland, estimated to be close to $26m.

The official site promises “an electrifying celebration of music, arts, cuisine, comedy, fashion, gaming, sports and treasure hunting” with “unforgettable performances, immersive experiences, and an atmosphere that redefines creativity and culture”.

No lineup has yet been confirmed but McFarland has said it will include “artists across electronic, hip-hop, pop and rock” in an interview with the Today show.

He will not handle the details this time, with partners taking over the festival’s management. He said the festival “really isn’t about the past, and it’s not really about me. It’s about taking the vision, which is strong”.

The first Fyre created a social media storm and a number of documentaries. “We were a little naive in thinking for the first time we could do this ourselves,” McFarland said to Rolling Stone at the time. He added: “We were overwhelmed and just didn’t have the foresight to solve all these problems.”

This week, McFarland also said: “Since 2016 Fyre has been the most talked about music festival in the world. Obviously, a lot of that has been negative, but I think that most people, once they kind of get under the hood and study the plans and see the team behind Fyre 2, they see the upside … And if it’s done well, I think Fyre has a chance to be this annual festival that really takes over the festival industry.”