World news | The Guardian

New cache of files includes FBI documentation of meeting between prosecutors and Epstein's defense team

Less than two weeks before convicted abuser was found dead, lawyers met with Manhattan federal prosecutors

Survivors of sexual abuse welcome the monumental shift' in how courts approach sentencing, while others say it could limit defendants' rights

Residents and local authorities are worried about environmental hazards and land devaluation as minister says excess regulations may hinder modern farming practices

Federal immigration operation has resulted in government agents killing two people, sparking weeks of protestsA federal judge has denied a request by Minnesota's state government to end the federal immigration operation in Minneapolis that has resulted in government agents killing two people, sparking weeks of protests.The state, along with the cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, had lodged a lawsuit after the death of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent this month, demanding an end to the Trump administration's Operation Metro Surge in the city. Continue reading...

Bovino, recently demoted, used the term chosen people' in sarcastic way as attorney Daniel Rosen observed ShabbatRecently demoted border patrol official Gregory Bovino reportedly made mocking and sarcastic remarks about the Jewish faith of Minnesota's US attorney, Daniel Rosen, during a phone call with prosecutors in the state earlier in January.According to the New York Times, Bovino mocked Rosen for observing Shabbat, a weekly day of rest that begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday - and used the term chosen people" in a sarcastic way during a phone call with the lawyers on 12 January. Continue reading...

Party picks ward councillor Angeliki Stogia to defend seat as PM and colleagues argue only Labour can beat ReformKeir Starmer has said the byelection in Gorton and Denton will be a referendum on true patriotism" saying Labour is the only party that can defeat the poisonous division" of Reform.The prime minister, during his visit to Japan, said he saw the vote as a two-way contest between Labour and Reform UK, as he criticised Nigel Farage's party. Continue reading...

US president reportedly eyes plot near Memorial Bridge for a large-scale structure named the Independence ArchDonald Trump reportedly wants the arch he is planning to build in Washington DC to dwarf the Lincoln Memorial.The US president envision the planned arch to be a height of 250ft, or significantly taller than the 100ft-tall Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. It would also be significantly taller than Paris's 164ft-tall Arc de Triomphe - but less than half the height than the Gateway Arch in St Louis, Missouri, the world's tallest arch. Continue reading...

The veteran activist called his arrest at Palestine solidarity rally in London an attack on free speech'Peter Tatchell, the activist and campaigner, has been arrested for holding a placard which displayed the phrase globalise the intifada" at a pro-Palestine march in London.Tatchell, who attended a Palestine solidarity march in London on Saturday afternoon, held a sign that read: Globalise the intifada: Non-violent resistance. End Israel's occupation of Gaza & West Bank." Continue reading...

About 190,000 are still without power in the south-east as states scramble to prepare for more winter weatherDozens of people have died in the teeth of a severe winter storm across the US south, with further freezing temperatures, snow and blizzards set to assail the east coast on Saturday.At least 85 people have died across multiple states, according to an Associated Press tally, with frigid conditions and icy roads causing car crashes, hypothermia and other fatal incidents. Continue reading...

Fate of the Lily Jean, out of Gloucester with crew of seven, remains unknown after empty life boat and debris field discoveredThere wasn't a mayday call from the commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean on Friday morning as it navigated the frigid Atlantic Ocean on its way home to Gloucester, Massachusetts, the US's oldest fishing port. The coast guard was notified by the boat's beacon that alerts when it hits the water.When rescuers arrived they found one person dead, floating in the water, along with a debris field and an empty life boat. Six people remain missing. Continue reading...

Emails between former prince and financier revealed in latest tranche of released documents Epstein files - latest updatesAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor invited Jeffrey Epstein to meet him at Buckingham Palace after the child sex offender was released from house arrest, new documents show.The latest tranche of releases from the US Department of Justice include an email exchange in 2010 between the financier and the then prince. Continue reading...

Despite repair problems, its admirers say Thomas Telford's Menai Bridge is good for another two centuriesWhen Ian Evans's grandfather opened a hardware shop on Anglesey in the 1930s, the Menai Bridge was instrumental in ensuring its success.The wrought-iron chains from the early 19th century had just been replaced with tensile steel, making the suspension bridge stronger and wider. This allowed it to carry heavier freight and the Evans family was able to order bottled gas from the newly established Calor Gas company, bringing widespread energy access to rural Anglesey (Ynys Mon). Continue reading...

Deadly attacks launched day before border crossing due to open as part of ceasefire dealIsrael has carried out some of its deadliest airstrikes on Gaza in months, killing at least 30 Palestinians, some of whom were sheltering in tent cities for displaced people.Despite a nominal ceasefire, the Israeli military struck a police station in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood west of Gaza City on Saturday, killing 10 officers and detainees, the civil defence said. It indicated the death toll could rise as emergency responders searched for bodies. Continue reading...

Nato chief has glibly dismissed prospect of coping without US support, but in the age of Trump the case for autonomy is growingThe Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, was typically blunt when he met members of the European parliament this week. From the dais of the blond-wood committee room in Brussels, he was clear: If anyone thinks that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming. You can't. We can't."And if Europe wanted to supplant the US nuclear deterrent, existing spending commitments would have to double, he added - so hey, good luck!" Continue reading...

Flowers and candles laid by VA building in Washington as killing reverberates through nursing communityFor Nolan Lee, it felt like Minnesota in Washington DC on Wednesday night. Despite the most extreme cold in 150 years, about a thousand people gathered in front of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) headquarters, a block from the White House, to remember Alex Pretti and demand an end to funding for US immigration and border agencies.The killings by federal agents of Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a veterans hospital, and Renee Good, a poet and mother of three, rocked Minneapolis and reverberated throughout the nation, with the future of US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) - up for debate as a key funding bill that would increase the agency's spending failed to pass the US Senate on Thursday. Continue reading...

Jacob Leland, who taught Russian, jailed for more than three years for sexually assaulting boy on school tripThe headteacher of Eton college has apologised and said he was appalled" after a former teacher was jailed for sexually assaulting a pupil.Jacob Leland, 37, who taught Russian, was jailed on Friday for three years and three months for sexually assaulting one of his pupils at his flat and during a school trip in 2012. Continue reading...

Alfredo Mancillas was reportedly slumped in vehicle and covered in vomit' when state troopers found him in St PaulA US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employee was recently arrested amid the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minnesota after state troopers reportedly found him covered in vomit" and unconscious in a car.Alfredo Mancillas Jr, 31, faces charges of drunken driving after his arrest early Tuesday morning, jail records show. Continue reading...

$75m Amazon-produced paean to the first lady saw empty seats and faint praise as it opened in New York CityAt the beginning of her new documentary, Melania Trump tells the viewer that everybody wants to know" how she spends her time.So here it is," she says. Twenty days in my life." Continue reading...

Putin critic says plants in China, India and Turkey are funnelling up to $1bn a day to KremlinBill Browder's fight against Vladimir Putin has seen him face threats, lawsuits, false accusations of murder and Interpol arrest warrants. A disinformation-laden film was even made about him.But 16 years after the death of his friend and lawyer Sergei Magnitsky at the hands of Putin's regime, Browder is unrelenting in his fight for justice. It is an endeavour that, by his estimation, has cost Putin and his cronies billions of dollars already, via asset freezes and sanctions. Hence the considerable risk to his safety. Continue reading...

Effort to manipulate killing of Alex Pretti collapsed after footage torpedoed domestic terrorist' claim - could this be a turning point?Our press secretary, Sean Spicer, gave alternative facts." These were the words of the senior White House aide Kellyanne Conway on NBC television's Meet the Press in January 2017. Alternative facts" instantly set a template for the era of Donald Trump.So when Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse, was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis last Saturday, White House officials immediately moved to brand him a would-be assassin" and domestic terrorist" who had been brandishing a gun. This time, however, the tried and trusted playbook did not work. Continue reading...

The brutal handling of immigration raids and the killing of Alex Pretti have tested the reticence of the corporate classDuring Donald Trump's first term, the US's corporate titans were prepared to literally turn their backs on the president when they disagreed with them. Weeks of growing national anger over deadly immigration crackdowns in the US have highlighted how much has changed.Publicly, the US's top CEOs have stayed - mostly - quiet during Trump's second term, even as his administration has undermined free trade policies, cracked down on the immigration that many businesses relied on, and attacked the Federal Reserve - a pillar of the US's financial hegemony. Continue reading...

Hundreds of claims still arriving each month, raising fears eligible operators will lose out on redressThe Post Office is to close the largest compensation scheme for post office operators affected by the Horizon scandal this weekend, leaving potentially thousands of claimants out of pocket for losses produced by the faulty IT system.The Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), which will close for new applicants at 11.59pm on Saturday, has received more than 9,500 submissions, according to the latest public data to 19 December. Continue reading...

Ditching the traditional suit and tie for understated all black is as calculated as any Westminster suit, just aimed at a different audience'With Labour blocking Andy Burnham from returning as an MP, the so-called king of the north" came out wearing a simple black V-neck jumper with dark denim jeans. The Greater Manchester mayor, appearing at the launch of a Class Ceiling report at the city's Whitworth gallery on Monday, looked quietly, subtly, the outsider.It might not sound like much. But that is the point of Burnham's largely unnoteworthy look, which tends to involve Left Bank intellectual-adjacent black-on-black. In direct contrast to his tie-wearing colleagues in parliament, Burnham's style feels particularly symbolic. Continue reading...

Thousands set to gather in Budapest after Janos Lazar's remarks captured on videoThousands of people are set to gather in Budapest to demand the resignation of a senior Hungarian politician, for making a racist remark against Roma people earlier this month.Janos Lazar told attendees at a political forum that migration was not the solution to the country's labour shortage. Since there are no migrants, and someone has to clean the bathrooms on the InterCity trains," Lazar said Roma people would do the job, using an offensive slur in his speech. Continue reading...

Trump nominated Kevin Warsh, an ex-Fed governor, for the role as the White House continues to attack Jerome PowellThe US Federal Reserve requires strong, sound and steady leadership", according to Donald Trump. The president found a man to lead the central bank who would provide exactly that type of leadership", he declared.He's strong, he's committed and he's smart."This is not how Trump described Kevin Warsh, the former Fed governor whom he unveiled as his new nominee to chair the central bank on Friday - but how he hailed Jerome Powell, the current Fed chair, when nominating him for the job about eight years ago. Continue reading...

Campaigners criticise use of vulnerable' devices at Salisbury Cathedral and Parthenon despite their removal from sensitive UK government sitesSecurity cameras guarding Magna Carta are provided by a Chinese CCTV company whose technology has allegedly aided the Uyghur genocide" and been exploited by Russia during the invasion of Ukraine, it has emerged.In letters seen by the Guardian, campaigners called on Salisbury Cathedral, which houses one of four surviving copies of the powerful symbol of social justice", to rip out cameras made by Dahua Technology, based in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says he wants to go further' in relations with Brussels as ministers look to restart stalled negotiationsThe UK and the EU are exploring the prospect of new talks on closer defence cooperation, as Keir Starmer stressed on Friday that he wanted to go further" in the UK's relationship with Brussels.

PM flies out after courting world's second biggest economy aware of difficult balance of risks and potential rewardsThe last British prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018. Before the visit, she and her team were advised to get dressed under the covers because of the risk of hidden cameras having been placed in their hotel rooms to record compromising material.Keir Starmer, in Beijing this week, was more sanguine about his privacy, even though the security risks have, if anything, increased since the former Tory prime minister was in town. Continue reading...

Academics say 4bn investment fund is designed to prevent any troublesome democratic interference'Cambridge academics have accused the university of maximal obfuscation" in a row over its 4bn investment fund and how it profits from investing in arms manufacturers.The university's governing body is expected to meet on Monday to consider a report on its financial ties to the defence sector, but some senior staff have said investments cannot be properly scrutinised because the institution has not been transparent about the companies involved. Continue reading...

As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictionsWhen flooding hit the low-lying Somerset Levels in 2014, it took two months for the waters to rise. This week it took two days, said Rebecca Horsington, chair of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group and a born-and-bred resident. A fierce barrage of storms from the Atlantic has drenched south-west England in January, saturating soils and supercharging rivers. Continue reading...

Half a million migrants will be regularised' under plans to boost economic growth that have angered rightwing partiesNot everyone has been enthused by the Spanish government's decision this week to buck European political trends by announcing plans to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers to boost economic growth and social cohesion".Alberto Nunez Feijoo, the leader of the conservative People's party (PP), described the move as a reward for illegality" that would bring more people into the country and overwhelm our public services". Continue reading...

Men - both aged 28 - found at a home in Glenorie on Saturday, New South Wales police say

The BoM forecasts parts of inland NSW will exceed 45C on Saturday, with Thargomindah in Queensland to reach 46C, Mildura 45C and Canberra 41C

Partial shutdown of government still expected to begin after midnight Friday, lasting at least through weekendThe US Senate approved a major government funding package on Friday, after the killings of two US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis upended spending talks and gave the out-of-power party rare leverage over Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign.In a 71-29 tally, the Senate overcame opposition from a handful of Republicans to rally behind a deal the president struck with Democrats, an unusual display of bipartisanship as tensions rise nationally over the presence of Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents in US cities. Continue reading...

University researchers say growth of the hidden fast food industry may pose risks to public healthOne in seven food businesses on major delivery platforms, including Deliveroo and Just Eat, is now a dark kitchen", a university study shows.The findings, which shine a light on the scale of the hidden takeaway industry, found that 15% of all online food retailers in England were dark kitchens. Continue reading...

Paul W Brown reportedly voiced concerns about the FBI's unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in Fulton countyThe special agent in charge of the FBI's Atlanta field office was reportedly removed from his post after questioning the Trump administration's renewed interest in investigating the role of Fulton county, Georgia, in the 2020 election.The agent, Paul W Brown, had expressed concerns around the unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in Fulton county, which have been perpetuated by Donald Trump since he was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 election, according to an MS NOW report on Friday. Citing sources, MS NOW also reported that Brown refused to carry out searches and seizures of records connected to the election that Trump lost four years before winning a second presidency in 2024. Continue reading...

Newly released documents reveal Lutnick sent email to Jeff' and floated plan for Sunday evening for dinner'Howard Lutnick, currently serving as Trump's US secretary of commerce, arranged to visit Jeffrey Epstein's island in 2012, according to Epstein-related files released by the Department of Justice on Friday.According to the newly released documents, on 20 November 2012, Epstein's longtime assistant emailed Lutnick saying that Jeffrey Epstein understands you will be down in St Thomas some over the holidays" and that Jeffrey requested I please pass along some phone numbers to you so the two of you can possibly get together." Continue reading...

The brothers' mother was taken by ICE and Minnesota educators were forced to bring the children to herUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken custody of two children who attend the same Minnesota elementary school as Liam Ramos, the detained five-year-old, according to school officials.The superintendent of the school district in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb, told the Guardian that two brothers, in second and fifth grades, were detained with their mother on Thursday. The mother has a pending asylum case and the family has since been transported to a Texas detention facility, the school official said. Continue reading...

Rubaya mine produces about 15% of the world's coltan, which is processed into tantalum, used in mobile phonesMore than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, a spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters on Friday.Rubaya produces about 15% of the world's coltan, which is processed into tantalum - a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. The site, where local people dig manually for a few dollars a day, has been under the control of the M23 rebel group since 2024. Continue reading...

George Zinn, 71, further admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material and pleaded no contest to allegationsA man accused of trying to thwart authorities investigating Charlie Kirk's killing by falsely confessing to the deadly shooting faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to the allegation - and separately admitting to possessing child sexual abuse material.The case centering on George Zinn, 71, all but concluded at a court hearing on Thursday in Provo, Utah, about 5 miles away from the college campus where the Turning Point USA executive director was fatally shot on 10 September 2025. Continue reading...

Batch includes more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images related to disgraced financier, Todd Blanche says

Deputy attorney general makes announcement over fatal shooting in Minneapolis as fierce protests there continueThe US deputy attorney general announced on Friday that the justice department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of the Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti last Saturday by immigration officers, as fierce protests continued on the streets there.We're looking at everything that would shed light on that day," Todd Blanche, deputy to the attorney general, Pam Bondi, said at a press conference on Friday morning in Washington DC. Continue reading...

US president declines to say whether he plans Venezuela-like operation, after Tehran signalled it was ready for talks

Actor, also known for Beetlejuice and her work with Christopher Guest, died after a brief illness

Madonna labelled it heaven' on a recent visit, but the cost of living is hitting the seaside town hardNot many chefs working in small, family-run restaurants expect global megastars to turn up for dinner and to design them a menu from scratch.But that's what happened to Simona Di Dio last weekend, when she cooked dishes inspired by her Italian grandmother's recipes for Madonna, who sat on the single wooden dining table in their cosy, candlelit Italian restaurant in Margate's old town. Continue reading...

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Island country only has oil enough to last 15-20 days, and 12-hour blackouts have become commonplaceMexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has warned that Donald Trump's move to slap new tariffs on countries sending oil to Cuba could trigger a humanitarian crisis on the island, which is already suffering from chronic fuel shortages and regular blackouts.The US president signed an executive order on Thursday declaring a national emergency and laying the groundwork for such tariffs, ratcheting up the pressure to topple the communist government in Havana. Continue reading...

Far-right activist tells X followers to vote for Reform's Gorton and Denton candidate, Matthew GoodwinLabour have accused the Reform UK candidate for the Gorton and Denton byelection, Matthew Goodwin, of representing toxic politics" after he was endorsed by the far-right agitator Tommy Robinson.The move will be uncomfortable for Nigel Farage, who has consistently kept the parties he leads separate from Robinson, an anti-Islam campaigner and one of the UK's leading far-right figures. Continue reading...

Services running normally again after trains into Euston on UK's main intercity line held up as far back as WarringtonTrain services on Britain's main intercity rail line are running normally again after being disrupted for much of Friday because of a fire close to the tracks in north London.Trains to and from London Euston serving Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow were among those suspended due to the blaze in Primrose Hill, Camden. Continue reading...