unity

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has addressed European leaders at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in an address seen as more conciliatory than in previous years.

Rubio on Saturday said Washington and Europe “belong together”, adding: “We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive.”

He also said the US under Trump wants to lead global “renewal and restoration … and that while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe”.

Rubio’s speech on Saturday was seen as more conciliatory than remarks made by US Vice President JD Vance last year, who used his appearance at the event to attack European policies on immigration and free speech, shocking European allies.

Despite the softer tone, Rubio still criticised Europe on migration. He warned of “civilisational erasure” caused by mass migration and said it is “destabilising” the West – a line that has been frequently repeated by US officials, including the president.

Other divisions remain between the once-ironclad allies. European leaders remain bruised by Trump’s desire to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO-member Denmark.

European leaders have used the MSC as an opportunity to pledge to shoulder more of the burden of shared NATO defences. Leaders said this is essential for Europe to counter a hostile Russia, with NATO chief Mark Rutte saying “a strong Europe in a strong NATO means that the transatlantic bond will be stronger than ever.”

“This is the right time for a strong Europe,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, who stressed on Friday that the continent was “clear in the support of Ukraine” and “building its own architecture of security”.

“This Europe will be a good ally and partner for the United States of America,” the French leader said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the conference that Europe “must be ready to fight, to do whatever it takes to protect our people, our values and our way of life,” and added that the continent should focus on decreasing “some dependencies” and focus on creating a “more European NATO”.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged a “rift” had opened up between Europe and the US, prompted by culture wars, but issued an appeal to Washington: “Let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together.

“In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone,” said the conservative leader, who has ramped up defence spending in the top European Union economy.

Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine is set to enter its fifth gruelling year.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has been in Munich since Friday and meeting multiple allies, was expected to address the meeting on Saturday.

No Russian officials have been invited, but Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China has been invited and will deliver a key speech.

A US official said Rubio will meet with Zelenskyy at the conference. US officials have worked for months to try to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, with little success.

At the White House on Friday, Trump urged Zelenskyy to “get moving” to end the war. “Russia wants to make a deal… He has to move,” the US leader said.

Speaking at the MSC, however, Rubio said he did not know if Russia was serious about ending its war against Ukraine.

A German government source said Merz and Rubio met at the conference on Friday and discussed “Ukraine, the status of negotiations with Russia and further support for the country, particularly in terms of military aid”.

They also discussed Europe’s role in NATO, and “Rubio praised Germany’s steps to strengthen the alliance,” the source added.

Macron said a new framework was needed to deal with “an aggressive Russia” once the fighting in Ukraine ends.

At the conference, the US secretary of state also touched on issues outside Europe.

On China, he said the US owes it to the world to manage its relations with China, even when the national interests of the two superpowers do not align. Speaking about Iran, he said President Trump’s preference is to reach a deal with Tehran, but said that’s “very hard to do”.

Across East and Southeast Asia, and throughout diaspora communities in Los Angeles, Lunar New Year marks a season of renewal. It’s a time of deep reflection and collective gathering, as homes are refreshed, elders are honored and streets fill with lion and dragon dances.

Food is central to the celebrations, with dishes chosen as much for what they represent — abundance, unity and good fortune in the year ahead — as for how they taste.

This year ushers in the Year of the Horse — and not just any Horse, but the Fire Horse, a particularly dynamic pairing in the lunar calendar. The timing couldn’t be better. The horse is traditionally associated with energy, momentum and reinvention, and when paired with the fire element, which amplifies passion and action, this year speaks to our desire to move, create and reclaim a sense of possibility — even in the wake of devastating wildfires, immigration raids and widespread uncertainty.

While Lunar New Year officially kicks off on Feb. 17, celebrations in Los Angeles will take place all month and into the next, with banquet-style feasts, limited-time collaborations and cultural performances. Whether you’re seeking a symbolic meal or a lively street celebration, here are 25 festive ways to ring in Lunar New Year across L.A.

MILAN — Spread across more than 265 miles in four different cities from the snowy Dolomites to the sunny — for now — streets of Milan, the Milan-Cortina Olympics delivered one message.

Unity.

The most widespread Olympic Games in history showcased Italy’s idyllic snow-capped mountains, cutting-edge city life and celebrated winter legacy in the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Games on Friday. The unique setup that required four ceremonies in Milan, Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina d’Ampezzo used movie magic on video screens, a golden ring and Italian icon Andrea Bocelli to bridge the distance between host cities Milan and Cortina and unite the Olympics behind the athletes who will compete across seven sports zones in the next 16 days.

“Let these Games be a celebration of what unites us, of everything that makes us human,” International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry said in her speech, her first at an Olympic Games under her leadership. “This is the magic of the Olympic Games: inspiring us all to be the best that we can be — together.”

Lucas Pinheiro waves Brazil’s flag while leading his teammates during the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium in Milan on Friday.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The theme for Milan-Cortina’s opening ceremony was armonia, or harmony. The Games needed it.

These Olympics appear to be the most disconnected ever. The sprawling footprint covers seven different competition zones. The 2026 Games are the first to be officially hosted by two cities.

But the geographical distance is small compared to the geopolitical canyon the Games hope to bridge.

The ongoing war in Ukraine is keeping most Russian athletes out of the competition. Only 32 athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports were allowed and will have to compete as individual neutral athletes. They will not hear their national anthems or wear their national flags. Ukrainian athletes marched into San Siro Stadium — where athletes competing in ice sports participated in the opening ceremony — to loud cheers.

When talk of protest or political conflict arose this week, Coventry tried to downplay it to keep the focus on the Games. She called controversy about LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman and ICE agents in Milan “sad” distractions. The United States was at the center of much of the contention after reports concerning the presence of U.S. immigration agents in Milan prompted anti-ICE protests. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee tried to cool tensions by clarifying that the organization does work with the federal government to help secure the Games, but the USOPC works with the Diplomatic Security Service, which falls under the jurisdiction of the State Department and not Homeland Security, which oversees ICE.

President Trump’s recent comments about the United States taking control of Greenland from Denmark also angered European allies.

On Friday, an American fan walked around the concourse at San Siro Stadium in a sweatshirt that read in multiple languages: “Sorry for our president.”

When Vice President JD Vance, sitting in the presidential suite, was shown on the video screen at San Siro, the cheers that showered U.S. athletes when they entered the stadium turned into jeers. Vance attended multiple events this week, including the U.S. women’s hockey’s group stage opener Thursday and the team figure skating competition Friday.

Flag bearer Erin Jackson of Team USA walks with her teammates during Friday’s opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The 323-athlete U.S. delegation led by flag bearers speedskater Erin Jackson in Milan and bobsled athlete Frank Del Duca in Cortina was the largest in the nation’s Winter Olympics history and the largest of any country at the Milan-Cortina Games.

Athletes marched into Milan’s San Siro Stadium, the home of AC Milan and Inter Milan, across a spiral-shaped stage. The four ramps converging into a circle represented the connection between Milan, Livigno, Predazzo and Cortina.

Even if athletes of a country were not competing in Milan and were unable to attend the opening ceremony, a sign-holding volunteer dressed in a silver floor-length puffer dress strutted across the stage while screens showed athletes marching in during ceremonies at other Olympic locations around Italy.

In Cortina, a Brazilian athlete did a backflip after talking through a golden ring portal, a shared symbol at each ceremony. While Olympians in Milan walked into a packed stadium with flashing lights and thumping techno music played by a DJ at a turntable that looked like ice, the mountain ceremonies took place through the streets. Fans assembled on either side of the walkway for the parade of athletes.

Dancers perform during the Milan-Cortina Olympics opening ceremony Friday.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

The ceremony hit on the quintessential northern Italian experience. A plate of risotto was among the first images shown on the video board in the countdown video as the ceremony approached, followed by the picturesque snowy peaks of the Dolomites. As a fashion capital of the world, Milan used runway models dressed in green, white and red outfits designed by Giorgia Armani to represent the Italian flag. There was even a two-minute video on Italian hand gestures.

Italy, as the host nation, marched in last to deafening applause and cheers from the crowd in Milan. In about two years, the United States will have the honor of closing the parade of athletes when L.A. hosts the 2028 Summer Games. The opening ceremony is also planned to take place in multiple locations, with the Coliseum and SoFi Stadium co-hosting the event.

To unite the Italian host cities, the Olympic flame was passed out of the stadium as Bocelli belted and the torch simultaneously reached two cauldrons in each city. In Milan, the pulsating cauldron inspired by the sun will burn at Arco della Pace. In Cortina, it will light up Piazza Angelo Dibona.

Call them twin flames.

Mayor Karen Bass, delivering the first of two State of the City addresses planned this year, urged Angelenos on Monday to come together ahead of the 2028 Olympics while announcing a push to clean up Los Angeles’ busiest streets in the run-up to the Games.

The mayor spoke at the Expo Center in Exposition Park in front of hundreds of city workers and politicos. A second address is planned for April.

After both the UCLA and USC marching bands played to welcome the mayor, she fittingly homed in on a theme of unity as the region prepares to host the World Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Super Bowl, among other events. But she also said that Angelenos needed to unite in the face of immigration raids, the homelessness crisis and the fires that burned in the city last year.

“Even in this difficult chapter, in our history, great events — moments of unity — are possible. And they are coming,” Bass said.

“As we prepare for … the greatest Olympic and Paralympic Games in history — we will continue to focus on the fundamentals, the things that shape how a city feels to the people who live here and the millions who will visit,” Bass said.

The preparation will include a continued focus on cleaning up encampments through Bass’ signature program, Inside Safe, she said.

Bass also announced a new clean streets initiative dubbed Clean Corridors, which she said would “accelerate beautification” of major thoroughfares throughout the city in advance of the Olympics.

“We will crack down on any illegal dumping, those who cut corners, avoid disposal fees, and leave a mess for workers and neighbors to deal with,” she said.

The announcement comes just months after the head of the city’s Bureau of Sanitation left her post.

The mayor also focused on the Trump administration’s continued immigration raids that have led to protests in downtown Los Angeles and across the country. She spoke about the shooting in Los Angeles of Keith Porter by federal agents.

“Staying silent or minimizing what is happening is not an option. This administration does not care about safety. They don’t care about order. And they most certainly do not care about the law,” she said.

The mayor also spoke about the Palisades fire, saying she and Councilmember Traci Park would head to Sacramento next week to call for more investment in the rebuild of the Palisades. Already, 400 homes are under construction in the Palisades and hundreds more are approved and ready to be built, she said.

“We are not just rebuilding — we are rebuilding smarter, faster, and safer,” she said. “Families are returning home.”

The announcement came after a week in which President Trump criticized the city’s rebuild for going too slowly, and said he would preempt the city’s ability to issue permits for people rebuilding after the Palisades fire.

The president announced in an executive order that victims of the fire using federal aid money could self-certify to federal authorities that they have complied with local health and safety standards.

The mayor decided to deliver two States of the City this year. Traditionally, she and other mayors have made a single speech in April before releasing the proposed annual budget for the new fiscal year.

The mayor said the first of the two speeches would serve as a countdown to the 2026 World Cup, which will feature eight matches at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.

Her second State of the City is likely to focus more on the city’s budget issues.

Last year, the mayor and City Council had to close a $1-billion budget shortfall. During her State of the City in 2025, the mayor announced likely layoffs to city workers in order to produce a balanced budget.

The city ultimately avoided making any layoffs through other cuts and agreements with city unions. But the city is likely to face another tough budget year in the upcoming fiscal year.