A man with a Palestinian flag climbs London's Big Ben tower and refuses to come down

LONDON (AP) — Traffic around the Palace of Westminster in London came to a standstill for much of Saturday as emergency crews tried to reach a man who climbed the Big Ben tower holding a Palestinian flag.

Negotiators were lifted up on a fire brigade ladder platform several times before eventually talking him down. The barefoot man, who appeared to be staging a protest on a ledge several meters (yards) up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, stepped off the building and onto a cherry picker after a long conversation with negotiators. He got into a waiting ambulance.

Officials said tours of the Houses of Parliament were canceled because of the incident.

Westminster Bridge and a nearby street were closed for much of the day and several emergency services vehicles were at the scene as crowds looked on. Police also blocked off all pedestrian access to Parliament Square.

The Metropolitan Police said earlier that officers received reports about the man around 7 a.m. Saturday and were “working to bring the incident to a safe conclusion" alongside firefighters and ambulance services.

A small group of supporters shouted “Free Palestine” from behind a police cordon nearby.

A man holds a Palestinian flag after he climbed up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster in London, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Jeff Moore/PA via AP)

A man with a Palestinian flag after he climbed up Elizabeth Tower, at the Palace of Westminster in London, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Jeff Moore/PA via AP)

A man holds a Palestinian flag after he climbed up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster in London, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Jeff Moore/PA via AP)

A view of a man with a Palestine flag after he climbed up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, at the Palace of Westminster, in London, Saturday, March 8, 2025. (James Manning/PA via AP)

A man with a Palestine flag after he climbed up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster in London. Saturday, March 8, 2025. (James Manning/PA via AP)

A man with a Palestine flag after he climbed up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben at the Palace of Westminster in London. Saturday, March 8, 2025. (James Manning/PA via AP)

Emergency services at the Palace of Westminster in London after man with a Palestine flag climbed up Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben,Saturday, March 8, 2025. (James Manning/PA via AP)

BEIJING (AP) — Breaking with the United States, Canada has agreed to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday.

Carney made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese leaders. He said there would be an initial cap of 49,000 vehicles on Chinese EV exports to Canada, growing to 70,000 over five years. China will reduce its tariff on canola seeds, a major Canadian export, from about 84% to about 15%, he told reporters.

“It has been a historic and productive two days,” Carney said, speaking outside against the backdrop of a traditional pavilion and a frozen pond at a Beijing park. “We have to understand the differences between Canada and other countries, and focus our efforts to work together where we’re aligned.”

Earlier Friday, he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to improve relations between their two nations after years of acrimony.

Xi told Carney in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People that he is willing to continue working to improve ties, noting that talks have been underway on restoring and restarting cooperation since the two held an initial meeting in October on the sidelines of a regional economic conference in South Korea.

“It can be said that our meeting last year opened a new chapter in turning China–Canada relations toward improvement,” China's top leader said.

Carney, the first Canadian prime minister to visit China in eight years, said better relations would help improve a global governance system that he described as “under great strain.”

He called for a new relationship “adapted to new global realities” and cooperation in agriculture, energy and finance.

Those new realities reflect in large part the so-called America-first approach of U.S. President Donald Trump. The tariffs he has imposed have hit both the Canadian and Chinese economies. Carney, who has met with several leading Chinese companies in Beijing, said ahead of his trip that his government is focused on building an economy less reliant on the U.S. at what he called “a time of global trade disruption.”

A Canadian business owner in China called Carney's visit game-changing, saying it re-establishes dialogue, respect and a framework between the two nations.

“These three things we didn’t have,” said Jacob Cooke, the CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, which helps exporters navigate the Chinese market. “The parties were not talking for years.”

Canada had followed the U.S. in putting tariffs of 100% on EVs from China and 25% on steel and aluminum under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Carney’s predecessor.

China responded by imposing duties of 100% on Canadian canola oil and meal and 25% on pork and seafood. It added a 75.8% tariff on canola seeds last August. Collectively, the import taxes effectively closed the Chinese market to Canadian canola, an industry group has said. Overall, China's imports from Canada fell 10.4% last year to $41.7 billion, according to Chinese trade data.

China is hoping Trump’s pressure tactics on allies such as Canada will drive them to pursue a foreign policy that is less aligned with the United States. The U.S. president has suggested Canada could become America's 51st state.

Carney departs China on Saturday and visits Qatar on Sunday before attending the annual gathering of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland next week. He will meet business leaders and investors in Qatar to promote trade and investment, his office said.

Associated Press business writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaks to the media at Ritan Park in Beijing, China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, leaves after speaking to the media at Ritan Park in Beijing, China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Chinese President Xi Jinping, centre, reacts during a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney (not in the picture), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, Pool)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaks to the media at Ritan Park in Beijing, China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, center, arrives to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian, Pool)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, shakes hands with China's President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)