A Different Kind of Power review: Jacinda Ardern's political memoir is merely a warm embrace

She is indeed a hugger. Her most famous moment was when she hugged victims of the anti-Muslim Christchurch attack, and she started hugging as a young teenager when she visited two girls whose brother had killed himself. It's absolutely fine to be expressive in your sympathies, so long as you don't think this is the sole marker of authenticity, but you get the impression there's not an awful lot more to Ardern's politics.

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NBC News

9 minutes ago

• NBC News

Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

Pakistan said on Saturday it would recommend U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, an accolade that he has said he craves, for his work in helping to resolve the recent conflict between India and Pakistan. Some analysts in Pakistan said the move might persuade Trump to think again about potentially joining Israel in striking Iran's nuclear facilities. Pakistan has condemned Israel's action as a violation of international law and a threat to regional stability. In May, a surprise announcement by Trump of a ceasefire brought an abrupt end to a four-day conflict between nuclear-armed foes India and Pakistan. Trump has since repeatedly said that he averted a nuclear war, saved millions of lives, and grumbled that he got no credit for it. Pakistan agrees that U.S. diplomatic intervention ended the fighting, but India says it was a bilateral agreement between the two militaries. 'President Trump demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi, which de-escalated a rapidly deteriorating situation,' Pakistan said. 'This intervention stands as a testament to his role as a genuine peacemaker.' Governments can nominate people for the Nobel Peace Prize. There was no immediate response from Washington. A spokesperson for the Indian government did not respond to a request for comment. Trump has repeatedly said that he's willing to mediate between India and Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region, their main source of enmity. Islamabad, which has long called for international attention to Kashmir, is delighted. But his stance has upended U.S. policy in South Asia, which had favored India as a counterweight to China, and put in question previously close relations between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a social media post, opens new tab on Friday, Trump gave a long list of conflicts he said he had resolved, including India and Pakistan and the Abraham accords in his first term between Israel and some Muslim-majority countries. He added: 'I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do.' Pakistan's move to nominate Trump came in the same week its army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, met the U.S. leader for lunch. It was the first time that a Pakistani military leader had been invited to the White House when a civilian government was in place in Islamabad. Trump's planned meeting with Modi at the G7 summit in Canada last week did not take place after the U.S. president left early, but the two later spoke by phone, in which Modi said 'India does not and will never accept mediation' in its dispute with Pakistan, according to the Indian government. Mushahid Hussain, a former chair of the Senate Defence Committee in Pakistan's parliament, suggested nominating Trump for the peace prize was justified.' Trump is good for Pakistan,' he said. 'If this panders to Trump's ego, so be it. All the European leaders have been sucking up to him big time.' But the move was not universally applauded in Pakistan, where Trump's support for Israel's war in Gaza has inflamed passions. 'Israel's sugar daddy in Gaza and cheerleader of its attacks on Iran isn't a candidate for any prize,' said Talat Hussain, a prominent Pakistani television political talk show host, in a post on X. 'And what if he starts to kiss Modi on both cheeks again after a few months?'

Times

4 hours ago

• Times

Eight arrests as protesters ‘attacked' outside Iranian embassy in London

Eight men have been arrested after anti-regime activists were allegedly assaulted outside the Iranian embassy on Friday morning. Scores of police officers were deployed to the scene after being alerted to reports of an altercation outside the building in Knightsbridge, west London, just before 10am. Two men were treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital. Officials said their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. • Iran's 'propagandist-in-chief' billed to speak at Scottish mosque Police imposed conditions stopping protesters from gathering in the area until 1pm on Sunday to 'prevent serious disorder', but one man was arrested for allegedly breaching the civil order. Scotland Yard said seven men were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. All suspects remained in police custody on Friday afternoon. Amir, 30, a member of a pro-Iranian monarchy group, claimed one of the two injured men suffered a 'broken leg'. The construction worker, who withheld his surname, said the activists had staged a 'peaceful protest' outside the embassy since the Israeli attacks on Iran began last week. Amir claimed the members have had 'problems' with supporters of the Islamic regime during that time. The protest was said to have been an anti-regime demonstration, amid the continuing Israel-Iran conflict. The police said the rally involved both pro and anti-regime protesters. Pro-Shah protesters were seen flying different flags supporting Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, including the national flag used before the 1979 Islamist revolution. Officers were seen on patrol in the area to monitor the situation after cordons were lifted later in the afternoon. Pro-Iranian monarchy protesters told The Times they were told to disperse and dismantle flags and banners festooned on railings opposite the embassy. The Metropolitan Police said: 'Officers are on scene in Princes Gate, SW7, following an altercation during a protest. 'They were called at 9.53am on Friday. Conditions have since been put in place to prevent serious disorder.' The police said that eight men remained in police custody and that the two men treated at the scene were in hospital. London Ambulance Service added: 'We were called at 9.56am on [Friday] to reports of an assault in Princes Gate. 'We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, paramedics in fast response cars and our tactical response unit. We treated two patients at the scene and took one to hospital and one to a major trauma centre.' The attack unfolded as the war between Israel and Iran continued to escalate and both nations engaged in missile strikes. President Trump said that he would decide in the next fortnight whether or not the US would intervene in the conflict.

Spectator

5 hours ago

• Spectator

Spain's Pedro Sanchez won't limp on for long

Ahead of next week's Nato summit in The Hague, Spain's socialist prime minister has refused to increase his country's defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP. Pedro Sánchez says that the increase, championed by President Trump and backed by Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, is 'unreasonable'. His refusal has disrupted preparations for the summit at which all the allies were to be asked to commit to the 5 per cent target. Spain, currently the lowest spender on defence in Nato, recently pledged to increase from 1.3 to 2 per cent of GDP. To increase to 5 per cent would cost a further €80 billion (£68 billion) a year, Sánchez said in a forthright letter sent to Rutte on Thursday. That would require tax increases and cuts to healthcare, education, pensions, green investment and the much-needed housing budget. Instead Sánchez proposed that Spain be exempted from any spending target agreed next week or at least be allowed to adopt a flexible, voluntary approach. The events of recent days have left Sanchez's credibility in shreds Sánchez's anti-Trump stance will be well-received by the radical left-wing and separatist parliamentary allies that prop up his fragile minority coalition government. Engulfed in corruption scandals, Sánchez desperately needs their continued support to remain in office. Allegations of kickbacks on public sector contracts and sleaze in his left-wing party emerge almost daily. Even El País, Spain's centre-left newspaper of record whose support Sánchez can usually count on, has suggested that he should resign. The most damaging allegations centre on long-standing, systemic corruption in Sánchez's inner circle. Sánchez has tried, so far unsuccessfully, to distance himself from what he calls the 'toxic triangle' of two former right-hand men and a close adviser. This week audio recordings in which the men, who all deny wrongdoing, discuss how to divide the kickbacks as well as the different merits and attributes of various prostitutes whose company they are preparing to enjoy have surfaced. Those recordings have caused revulsion across Spain and the damage has been compounded by a series of unforced errors by Sánchez. In a parliamentary debate on Wednesday he provoked outrage by describing the corruption allegations as merely 'an anecdote'. Previously he attempted to dismiss the importance of another recording which appears to show evidence of vote-rigging by two of the toxic trio during his election as party leader in 2014. Unimpressive too are Sánchez's suggestions that others have done worse things and that his main problem is that he is such a trusting person that it never occurs to him that such things might be going on under his nose. It is not only Sánchez, though, who is showing signs of strain. Three of his ministers recently claimed that a member of the Guardia Civil police force was plotting to assassinate the prime minister. Even when the accusation, based on fake news, was shown to be false, the ministers refused to withdraw the accusation. A few weeks previously, one of the three, the Deputy Prime Minister, alarmed the public by declaring that the principle of presumption of innocence is a disgrace. When reminded that it's actually a cornerstone of democratic freedom, she tried to pretend that she'd never suggested otherwise. Meanwhile, Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has confirmed that the President wants to see all Nato countries pay their fair share towards defence by meeting the 5 per cent target. She said that she had not yet seen 'Spain's comments' but 'would make sure the President sees them'. But Sánchez's resistance to the increase in defence spending may not pose a long-term obstacle for Trump. Sánchez came to power promising 'democratic regeneration', so the events of recent days have left his credibility in shreds. With revulsion growing and further revelations expected, it seems increasingly unlikely that his government will survive until August 2027 when the next general election is due. Whenever that election is held, it's likely to usher in a right-wing coalition government of the Partido Popular and Vox. Vox in particular is strongly supportive of Trump. So, despite Spain's pacifist tradition – a 2024 Gallup survey showed that only 29 per cent of citizens were willing to take up arms in case of war, compared to a global average of 52 per cent – Spain's next government may well be more willing to align with Trump's defence priorities.