Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says his attitude to Black Pete – a Christmas character traditionally played by a white person in black face paint – has undergone “major changes”. He said he used to be among those who argued that “Black Pete is just black”, accepting the Dutch tradition.

But now he expects the tradition to die out, he told the Dutch parliament. He was speaking after Dutch protests triggered by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis. Thousands rallied in Amsterdam and Rotterdam earlier this week in solidarity with US demonstrations over the unarmed black man’s death. For years anti-racism campaigners in the Netherlands have been protesting over Black Pete (“Zwarte Piet” in Dutch), seeing the tradition as an offensive relic of colonial times. Supporters, meanwhile, argue that it is a harmless part of Christmas celebrations enjoyed by children.(BBC)..[+]

Another senior former military officer has denounced President Donald Trump’s threat to use troops to suppress ongoing protests in the US. The ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Gen Martin Dempsey, told National Public Radio that Mr Trump’s remarks were “very troubling” and “dangerous”.

Mr Trump’s current and former defence secretaries have also spoken out. On Monday, the president threatened to deploy the military to “quickly solve” the unrest if states failed to act. Mainly peaceful protests have spread across the US since the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody last month.

While demonstrations over Mr Floyd’s death appear to be simmering down in the nation’s capital, the White House’s security perimeter has expanded in recent days. Police used batons and tear gas to clear protesters from nearby Lafayette Park on Monday, and have since erected high fences around the White House.(NU)…[+]

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier has accused the UK of “backtracking” on its commitments in the latest round of post-Brexit trade talks. He said no “significant progress” had been made this week, and insisted the UK “respect” negotiation rules.

But the UK said the talks had been “positive” and it remained “committed to a successful outcome”. The two sides are opposed over issues including fishing rights, competition rules and police cooperation. This week’s discussions – held online – were seen as the last chance to make progress on these ahead of a summit that is expected take place later this month, involving Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.The UK has until the end of June to ask for the “transition period” – during which the country stays in the single market and customs union – to be extended into next year. But Mr Johnson has ruled this out.(BBC)…[+]