NEW YORK (AP) — More than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies including Target, Best Buy and UnitedHealth signed an open letter posted on the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce website on Sunday calling for state, local and federal officials to work together, as businesses grapple with how to address tensions in the state and across the country following two fatal shootings by federal agents amid a massive immigration enforcement operation that has spurred protests.

“With yesterday’s tragic news, we are calling for an immediate deescalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions,” the open letter reads.

CEOs that signed the letter included 3M CEO William Brown, Best Buy CEO Corie Barry, General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening, Target incoming CEO Michael Fiddelke, UnitedHealth Group CEO Stephen Helmsley, and others.

Before the letter, most of the biggest Minnesota-based companies had not issued any public statements about the enforcement surge and unrest.

But the issue has become more difficult to avoid. Over the past two weeks protesters have targeted some businesses they see not taking a strong enough stand against federal law enforcement activity, including Minneapolis-based Target. Earlier in January a Minnesota hotel that wouldn’t allow federal immigration agents to stay there apologized and said the refusal violated its own policies after a furor online.

Meanwhile, the state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities cited devastating economic impacts in a lawsuit filed this month imploring a federal judge to halt the immigration operations. The lawsuit asserted that some businesses have reported sales drops up to 80%.

“In this difficult moment for our community, we call for peace and focused cooperation among local, state and federal leaders to achieve a swift and durable solution that enables families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work to build a bright and prosperous future,” the letter reads.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday called President Donald Trump’s comments about NATO allies’ role in Afghanistan “unacceptable,” pushing back against suggestions they “stayed a little back” from the front lines.

“Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO activated Article 5 for the first and only time in its history: an extraordinary act of solidarity toward the United States,” Meloni wrote on X.

“In that massive operation against those who fueled terrorism, Italy responded immediately alongside its allies, deploying thousands of troops and taking full responsibility for Regional Command West, one of the most significant operational areas of the entire international mission,” she said.

Meloni explained that Italy’s nearly two decades of involvement in Afghanistan came at a significant cost, with 53 Italian soldiers killed and more than 700 wounded during combat operations, security missions and training programs for Afghan forces.

TRUMP SAYS US SHOULD HAVE TESTED NATO BY INVOKING ARTICLE 5 OVER BORDER SECURITY

“For this reason, statements that minimize the contribution of NATO countries in Afghanistan are unacceptable, especially if they come from an allied Nation,” she added. 

“Italy and the United States are bound by a solid friendship, founded on a shared community of values and historical collaboration, which is even more necessary in the face of the many current challenges. But friendship requires respect, a fundamental condition for continuing to ensure the solidarity at the heart of the Atlantic Alliance.”

Trump has repeatedly questioned NATO allies’ reliability, including whether they would come to the United States’ aid if ever called upon.

NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP AT DAVOS, SAYS HE FORCED EUROPE TO ‘STEP UP’ ON DEFENSE

He unsettled U.S. allies across Europe, including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, after downplaying their contributions in Afghanistan during an interview with FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo at the World Economic Forum.

“We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them,” Trump said of NATO. “You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this and that. And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”

Trump later appeared to soften his remarks in a Saturday post on Truth Social, praising the sacrifices of British troops in Afghanistan.

“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will!” he wrote.

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Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., also highlighted the broader international toll of the war, citing the sacrifices of 31 allied nations that fought alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

He thanked those countries for answering the call after Sept. 11, noting that 159 troops from Canada, 90 from France, 62 from Germany, 44 from Poland and 43 from Denmark were among those killed in the conflict.

Published on 24/01/2026 – 18:00 GMT+1
•Updated
25/01/2026 – 12:16 GMT+1

Austria tops the EU for renewable electricity use, with the highest share of power coming from green sources.

According to Eurostat, the country placed first with nearly a 90% green electricity use rate, boosted by its 16 hydroelectric power plants.

Sweden comes a close second at 88%, powered mainly by wind and water, while another Nordic country, Denmark, follows third with 80%, thanks to its extensive onshore and offshore wind farm network.

Rates significantly over 50% were also registered in Portugal (66%), Spain (60%) and Croatia (58%), while Italy and France placed in the bottom half, 18th and 21st respectively in the EU.

The lowest proportions of green electricity use were found in Malta (11%), the Czech Republic (18%), Luxembourg (20.5%), Hungary and Cyprus (24%).

These figures cover all electricity coming from renewable sources, including that imported from abroad.

Green electricity use across the European Union has surged over the past two decades.

In 2004, it accounted for just 16% of total electricity consumption. Some 10 years later, that figure climbed to nearly 29%, and today it stands at 47.5%.

Will solar overtake hydro as the main green electricity source?

Wind energy currently accounts for the largest share of renewable sources used to produce electricity, with 38% of the total, followed by hydro at 26%.

The fastest growing one, however, is solar, which went from just 1% in 2008 to over 23% in 2024, with 304 TWh.

Bruegel’s energy expert Ben McWilliams told Europe in Motion that “it is almost certain that solar will overtake hydro in the next few years”.

“Developers continue to build solar plants at a record pace, whilst hydro deployment does not increase,” he said, adding that the more solar Europe can install, the better for energy security.

“Every new solar panel reduces oil, gas and coal dependency, and these dependencies are the true threats to European energy security,” McWilliams said.

EU’s solar reliance on China not a long-term issue, say experts

Although the vast majority of solar panels installed in the EU are made in China, McWilliams ruled out the idea that it makes Europe more fragile amid geopolitical tensions.

“Solar panels are a stock not flow; once the EU has installed a panel from China, it is there forever,” he said. ” If — for whatever reasons — solar panel imports from China stopped, it would just slow the build-out of new solar and supply would grow elsewhere (including domestically) over a two-three year period.”

According to Solar Power Europe, there are currently 166 companies in the EU active in the photovoltaic, or light energy, chain.

The vast majority of them are in Germany, although the most solar energy capacity per capita is produced in the Netherlands, with around 1,044 W yearly.