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The ex-Apprentice host projected an image of success but the outcome of the case could be a death blow to his companiesTwo decades ago, when Donald Trump introduced himself to the American public from the back of a limousine going through New York City, he told a simple story of triumph disguised as a confession.About 13 years ago, I was seriously in trouble. I was billions of dollars in debt," he said in the opening scene of his reality TV show, The Apprentice, which premiered in January 2004. But I fought back, and I won - big league." Continue reading...

EmPower Solar suspended 40% of its workforce but says action is unrelated to recent successful election of workers to join UAWA New York-based solar panel business has been accused of being a poster child" of union busting after furloughing 40% of its workforce for more than a year, days after a victorious union election.Installers and technicians at EmPower Solar, in Bethpage - concerned about poor working conditions and issues they faced on the job - reached out to the United Auto Workers after the gains it won during the stand up" strikes at the big three automakers. Continue reading...

The US Capitol attack was a shameful event in US history, yet Americans remain confused and divided about what occurredThree years ago this week, the United States Capitol was attacked by thousands of armed loyalists of Donald Trump, some intent on killing members of Congress.Roughly 140 police officers were injured in the attack. Four people died. Capitol police officer Brian D Sicknick, who participated in the response, passed away the following day. Another Capitol police officer and a Washington DC police officer who also responded to the attack have since died by suicide.Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of Saving Capitalism: For the Many, Not the Few and The Common Good. His newest book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It, is out now. He is a Guardian US columnist. His newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com Continue reading...

The ex-president has said he would pardon those convicted of violence, obstructing Congress and seditious conspiracyIn the three years to the day since the insurrection at the US Capitol, great strides have been made in shoring up American democracy: hundreds of rioters have been prosecuted, legislation has been passed to bolster electoral safeguards and Donald Trump has been charged over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election.But as the country marks the third anniversary of one of its darkest days in modern times, a pall hangs in the air. It comes from Trump himself and his promise, growing steadily louder as the 2024 presidential election approaches, that if he wins he will pardon those convicted of acts of violence, obstructing Congress and seditious conspiracy on 6 January 2021. Continue reading...

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 had to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from Portland, Oregon, on Friday after a window and a chunk of fuselage blew out in mid-air shortly after takeoff. Footage circulating online shows a gaping hole in the side of the plane next to passenger seats. The airline said the plane, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, landed safely

The Atlas Network's dark-money junktanks are behind neoliberal policies around the world. And you may find its leaders on a resignation honours list near youThere are elements of fascism, elements borrowed from the Chinese state and elements that reflect Argentina's history of dictatorship. But most of the programme for government announced by Javier Milei, the demagogic new Argentinian president, feels eerily familiar, here in the northern hemisphere.A crash programme of massive cuts; demolishing public services; privatising public assets; centralising political power; sacking civil servants; sweeping away constraints on corporations and oligarchs; destroying regulations that protect workers, vulnerable people and the living world; supporting landlords against tenants; criminalising peaceful protest; restricting the right to strike. Anything ring a bell? Continue reading...

The morals we hold as a society are laid hideously bare in this latest trove of unsealed documentsAs newly unsealed documents linked to a case against the convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell reveal names of high-profile associates of Jeffrey Epstein, many are quick to reiterate that their place on the long-awaited list does not mean they have done anything illegal. This is absolutely true - and as a court correspondent, it is incredibly important to stress the legal implications, or more accurately lack thereof, of this new information.With the exception of allegations made under oath by Johanna Sjoberg against Prince Andrew that, if proven, would amount to criminal conduct, most of those named on the list are not accused of any legal wrongdoing. But that doesn't mean we should not ask questions about the moral, rather than strictly legal, implications of their conduct. I mean this in two senses - both the personal moral implications for those named and the morals we hold as a society, which are laid hideously bare in these documents.Lucia Osborne-Crowley is a journalist and author of The Lasting Harm, a work of investigative reporting about the Epstein caseDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Known for extreme rightwing rhetoric, LaPierre resigned Friday amid civil corruption chargesFor three decades, Wayne LaPierre has been the face of gun rights in the US. Lean and bespectacled, known for his expensive suits, he was an unlikely spokesperson for American machismo. But the National Rifle Association leader's willingness to defend Americans' access to guns, no matter the cost, made him a powerful rightwing figure, whose relentless, paranoid rhetoric made him an important precursor, and then ally, of Donald Trump.Today, LaPierre is facing a reckoning: he is expected to testify in a civil corruption case in Manhattan that will scrutinize allegations that he and other senior executives misused NRA donors' funds, squandering millions of dollars on lavish personal trips and expenses, and treating the NRA as his own personal piggy bank". Continue reading...

Latest documents bring renewed attention to Prince Andrew and claims the royal spent weeks' at Epstein's Palm Beach homeNew batches of documents related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse were released on Friday afternoon, bringing renewed attention to his longtime friendship with Prince Andrew and prior claims that the royal spent weeks" at the late financier's Palm Beach home.Juan Alessi, Epstein's former house manager, said he routinely saw famous faces around the south Florida house - including the Duke of York. Alessi also said he saw Andrew's wife, Sarah Ferguson. Continue reading...

In address near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, US president tore into Donald Trump like never before, including calling him a loser'This time it's personal. On Friday Joe Biden tore into his predecessor Donald Trump as never before. He brimmed with anger, disdain and contempt. He apparently had to stop himself from swearing. So much for when they go low, we go high" - and plenty of Democrats will be just fine with that.If Biden was seeking to jolt his half-conscious 2024 re-election campaign into life, this may have done the trick. The palpable loathing of Trump took a good 10 or 20 years off him. Keep hating like this and he might do a Benjamin Button all the way to election day. Continue reading...

Biden administration had argued hospitals receiving Medicare funds are required to provide emergency care, including abortionThe US supreme court on Friday allowed Idaho to enforce its strict abortion ban, even in medical emergencies, while a legal fight continues.The justices said they would hear arguments in April and put on hold a lower court ruling that had blocked the Idaho law in hospital emergencies, based on a lawsuit filed by the Biden administration. Continue reading...

Colorado ruling said Trump should be removed under 14th amendment to US constitution for inciting an insurrectionThe US supreme court will hear Donald Trump's appeal of the Colorado ruling that he should be removed from the state ballot under the 14th amendment to the US constitution, for inciting an insurrection.The court issued a brief order on Friday, setting up a dramatic moment in American history. Continue reading...

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On eve of January 6 anniversary, US president condemns likely rival and warns voters democracy is on the ballot' in NovemberA day before the third anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, Joe Biden delivered a pointed speech to warn voters against re-electing Donald Trump, criticizing the likely Republican presidential nominee as a fundamental threat to democracy in an attempt to shape the dynamics of the 2024 election.Today we're here to answer the most important of questions: is democracy still America's sacred cause?" Biden said. Today, I make this sacred pledge to you: the defense, protection and preservation of American democracy will remain, as it has been, the central cause of my presidency. Continue reading...

Trump lawyer has faith' in US supreme court justice appointed by the former president, though the court hasn't said if it will weigh inBrett Kavanaugh, the US supreme court justice, will step up" for Donald Trump and help defeat attempts to remove the former president from the ballots in Colorado and Maine for inciting an insurrection, a Trump lawyer said.I think it should be a slam dunk in the supreme court," Alina Habba told Fox News on Thursday night. I have faith in them. Continue reading...

New England could see snow while heavy rainfall along the Gulf coast and snowfall and rain in the Rockies are predictedForecasters warn that a storm system could prompt intense rainfall and possible tornadoes next week in the southern US, as cities across the country are bracing for intense weather leading into the weekend.The powerful storm system is expected to bring heavy rainfall and high winds to the Gulf coast and south-eastern regions as early as Monday and continue into Tuesday, the Weather Channel reported. Continue reading...

LaPierre, 74, has cited health concerns but resignation comes days before he faces civil trial over alleged misuse of NRA fundsThe longtime chief executive of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, is stepping down at the end of the month, the gun rights organization has announced, days before a civil trial in New York is set to explore allegations he used the group as his personal piggy bank".The NRA issued a short statement from LaPierre via X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he said: I've been a card-carrying member of this organization for most of my adult life, and I will never stop supporting the NRA and its fight to defend second amendment freedom. My passion for our cause burns as deeply as ever." Continue reading...

Letitia James said in court filing Friday that increase from original ask of $250m due to evidence presented at civil trialFormer US president Donald Trump and his business associates should pay $370m for decades of financial fraud, the New York attorney general has argued.In a court filing, state lawyers also asked the judge overseeing Trump's civil fraud trial to permanently ban Trump from participating in New York's real estate industry, or from serving as a director or officer at a corporation or legal entity in the state. Continue reading...

Crash occurred Friday on highway in southern Adirondacks, New York state police sayMultiple people were injured when a tour bus carrying passengers rolled over on Friday on a highway in the southern Adirondacks, New York state police said.The crash occurred just before 1pm on the Adirondack Northway, north of Lake George Village, according to state police. A video posted from a car traveling in the other direction shows a bus resting on its side by the roadway. Continue reading...

Kristina Karamo, an election-denying activist, won the position last year and is facing a likely vote to fire her at a special meetingMichigan Republicans are on the verge of ousting their party's conspiracy theory-touting chair after a tenure marred by financial collapse and internal feuds that have at times turned into physical altercations.Kristina Karamo, the Michigan Republican party chair, an election-denying activist who won a hard-fought race for the position last year, is facing a likely vote to fire her at a special meeting convened by concerned party leaders on Saturday. Continue reading...

Democrat Vanessa Joy struck off candidacy list because state law says candidates must provide name changes within past five yearsDespite receiving enough signatures to appear on the ballot, a transgender woman has been disqualified from an Ohio state house race because she omitted her previous name, raising concern that other transgender candidates nationwide may face similar barriers.Vanessa Joy of was one of four transgender candidates running for state office in Ohio, largely in response to proposed restrictions of the rights of LGBTQ+ people. She was running as a Democrat in house district 50 - a heavily Republican district in Stark county, Ohio - against Republican candidate Matthew Kishman. Joy legally changed her name and birth certificate in 2022, which she says she provided to the Stark county board of elections for the 19 March primary race. Continue reading...

Midwinter is for hibernation and the chance to make different kinds of connectionsDisconnect from the internet for at least two hours a day and treat your own thoughts like a garden through which you are strolling," was the advice offered by the novelist Ian McEwan to younger writers after being made a Companion of Honour in December. The capacity to be curious about mental processes - while simultaneously experiencing them - is an important one for an author seeking to describe the human condition. But anyone who values self-awareness will be used to noticing how their mind works and wondering why.Only connect" was the maxim of another famous novelist, EM Forster. Forster used the characters in his novels to put flesh on his arguments against the emotionally repressive code of the time. But McEwan's recommendation to disconnect should not be understood as a repudiation of Forster's humanism. He was not warning writers off paying attention to other people's minds and ideas - but drawing attention to the need to spend time with our own. In a world of permanent connection, in which attention has been commodified, switching off and away from the outside world is arguably harder than ever before. Continue reading...

Municipalities and non-profits are establishing secure lots to address the rising number of people who live in cars or RVsStarting in October 2021, about 40 motorhomes or recreational vehicles (RVs) parked in a lot on Grayson Street in Berkeley, California, as part of the city's first attempt at a safe parking lot".According to Google Maps photos, the space had been mostly unused since 2008. But a local non-profit, the Dorothy Day House, created the Safe Parking and Respite Kickstart (Spark) program to help alleviate the crisis of unsheltered and encampment homeless" in one of the nation's most expensive housing markets. Continue reading...

Measure to enshrine abortion rights in constitution seems to have enough signatures to head to vote in state that has a 15-week banA Florida ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution seems to have enough signatures to head to voters come November - if advocates can defeat Republican efforts to stop it.As of Friday, totals from the Florida division of elections show that the campaign behind the measure, Floridians Protecting Freedom, had collected more than 910,00 verified signatures in support of the measure - roughly 20,000 more than the threshold needed to get it on the ballot in Florida. Those totals are unofficial and not finalized. Continue reading...

Polls suggest the former president has a serious chance of regaining the White House. The damage would affect us allIt is not a prediction, but it is a possibility - and a growing one. Barring a major upset, Donald Trump is on course to be the Republican nominee for US president. If he wins that contest, which begins in earnest in Iowa on 15 January, then polling in the handful of must-win, battleground states suggests he has a better than even chance of beating Joe Biden in November. Of course, much can change between now and then: once voters' minds are concentrated on the looming prospect of a Trump return, many might recoil. All the same, Americans need to prepare themselves now for a second Trump presidency - and so does the rest of the world.A good first step will be shedding any illusions that the sequel would simply be a repeat of the original. Trump 2.0 will be more focused and more capable than the initial iteration. In January 2017, he was a novice, new to Washington, new to political office and clueless as to the machinery of government. He relied on appointees who could, and often did, thwart his crazier, darker impulses - even if that meant swiping key documents from his desk before he had a chance to see or sign them. Continue reading...

State will be first to import drugs under federal program that Florida governor says could save consumers $150m in first yearA public health policy that won rare backing from both the Biden and Trump administrations looks ready to open a flow of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada to Florida, ending a decades-long block on the importation of certain pharmaceuticals to the US.The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the state approval under a drugs importation program that seeks to lower the cost of medicines for US consumers without imposing additional risks to their health or safety. Continue reading...

Zoo says heartbreaking' decision to euthanize 53-year-old Shaunzi was made after she was unable to stand upA 53-year-old Asian elephant has been euthanized at the Los Angeles zoo after she was unable to stand up, the zoo announced on Thursday.Shaunzi, one of two female elephants at the zoo, was discovered unable to stand on Tuesday night after she went down in the yard of her exhibit space. Continue reading...

We have a country to save - and that means no more drama,' top Republican rival for 2024 nomination tells Iowa audienceThe re-election of Donald Trump would bring four more years of chaos" the US won't survive", the former president's closest challenger for the Republican nomination, Nikki Haley, told an Iowa audience, turning her fire on the frontrunner as the first vote of the 2024 primary looms.The former South Carolina governor has caught up with Ron DeSantis, the hard-right governor of Florida, in the battle for second place in Republican presidential polling. The gap between Haley and Trump is also closing, particularly in New Hampshire, the second state to vote when it holds its primary on 23 January. Continue reading...

Buffalo fly south to Miami in an eagerly anticipated regular-season finale with the AFC East championship and No 2 seed on the lineAs the regular season draws to a close, we'll take a look each Friday at a game likely to affect the playoff race, along with the teams whose fortunes are rising and falling. And, so we don't neglect the also-rans, we'll see which teams are in the hunt for next year's No 1 pick. Continue reading...

Michael Jackson and David Copperfield also among well-known people mentioned in released court recordsA torrent of court records relating to the sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein were released this week after the US district court for the southern district of New York ordered the unsealing of defendant and plaintiff files.It began on Wednesday with nearly 1,000 pages filed as part of a 2015 lawsuit against Epstein's close friend Ghislaine Maxwell by one of his victims, Virginia Giuffre. The disclosures will continue on a rolling basis until completed. Highly anticipated were the names of Epstein's associates who had previously been anonymised using variations of J Doe. These included the former US president Bill Clinton, the late pop star Michael Jackson, the magician David Copperfield, and Prince Andrew. Continue reading...

A look back at the career of the actor and musician, famous for Starsky & Hutch, who has died at the age of 80 Starsky & Hutch actor David Soul dies aged 80 Continue reading...

With the assassination of Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon, Israel has risked an alarming escalationIn an alarming turn of events, just as Israel revealed its plan to withdraw thousands of troops from northern Gaza for the next phase of its ongoing war, the senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a targeted assassination in Beirut. While Israel did not claim responsibility, Hezbollah held it directly accountable for the killing. The incident marks a significant escalation, as it represents Israel's deepest incursion into Lebanese territory since 8 October and its most significant attack since July 2006. Moreover, it breaches established red lines and rules of engagement by expanding the war theatre to Beirut, disregarding a warning issued by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in August, when he cautioned Israel against engaging in assassinations on Lebanese soil.Historically, Hezbollah has preferred to gradually build up its military capabilities over the long term rather than immediately responding to attacks in kind. But the current war, and this recent act of escalation, will compel the movement to act swiftly to deter further Israeli aggression. In its eyes, a clear response will be the only way to restore equilibrium.Amal Saad is a lecturer in politics and international relations at Cardiff University Continue reading...

Former Capitol officer announces candidacy for Maryland seat, saying he's running to stop Trump's Maga extremists'Harry Dunn, a former police officer who defended the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, will run for US Congress in Maryland.On Friday, a day ahead of the third anniversary of the deadly riot, Dunn said via X, formerly known as Twitter: On January 6, I defended our democracy from insurrectionists as a Capitol police officer. After, President Biden honoured me with the Presidential Citizens Medal. Continue reading...

No one beyond Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell is directly implicated in the sex-trafficking conspiracy - and that seems unlikely to changeFrom beyond the grave, the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein still has a sinister power to make headlines.But despite scores of names of Hollywood stars, politicians and celebrities scattered across once-sealed documents released in New York this week, little new information has been added to the broad sex-trafficking conspiracy at the center of the Epstein story. Continue reading...

President to make first campaign speech of 2024 at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, as he emphasises work to preserve US democracyJoe Biden will on Friday mark the third anniversary of the deadly January 6 attack on Congress, delivering his first presidential election campaign speech of 2024 at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania - a site replete with historical meaning.A day before the anniversary, due to forecast bad weather, Biden will speak where George Washington's army endured another dark moment: the bitter winter of 1777-78, an ordeal key to winning American independence from Britain. Continue reading...

Incidence of serious sexually transmitted disease at 27-year high and demand for preferred antibiotic is straining manufactureRecord-high rates of syphilis and an accompanying shortage of the preferred antibiotic to treat the disease will make it one of the most pressing public health concerns in 2024, an association of public health leaders said.Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that was once rare, but has made a tragic" return in an era of reduced funding for public health. The 27-year high in cases has also strained manufacturing of the preferred antibiotic to treat syphilis, a penicillin formulation called Bicillin L-A. Continue reading...

Spotlight now falls on Crown Prince Frederik and his wife as tabloids focus on alleged past dallianceHappy new year and let's go in hard on 2024 with some seasonal thoughts from Chip Wilson, the founder of the fitness-wear empire Lululemon, who has been talking to Forbes magazine this week about his favourite subject: who should and shouldn't be wearing his yoga leggings. Continue reading...

More than 300 additional pages deepen the picture of Epstein's elite orbit while resurfacing old claims. Plus, tips to cut down plastic use in your kitchen

British police are investigating the case of a minor who was allegedly subjected to a virtual gang rape. Expect more casesThe cheerful language with which tech companies describe their platforms is often in stark contrast to the dark possibilities lurking within them. Meta, for example, describes its virtual world, the metaverse, as the next evolution in social connection and the successor to the mobile internet", a place where virtual reality lets you explore new worlds and shared experiences". But for a young girl in the UK recently, that shared experience" was an alleged gang rape perpetrated by several adult men.British police are investigating the sexual assault of the girl, identified only as being under the age of 16, in what is said to be the first investigation of its kind in the UK. The girl was reportedly wearing a virtual reality headset and playing an immersive game in the metaverse when her avatar was attacked. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Report says former president's loyalists in the House, including Mike Johnson and Jim Jordan, continue to push 2020 election liesThe attempted US coup of 6 January 2021, never ended, according to a watchdog report, since the same Donald Trump allies behind that insurrection are now leading a sham impeachment effort against Joe Biden.The report, marking three years since a mob of Trump supporters ransacked the US Capitol in a bid to overturn his election defeat, was produced by the Congressional Integrity Project and obtained by the Guardian. Continue reading...

From Covid to colds, winter viruses are rife. But even in this post-masking era, we can still be considerate of othersWhen I was starting out in my career, back in the last century, an advertising campaign for Lemsip was running on public transport. What sort of person goes to work with the flu?" asked the posters, with the take-no-prisoners answer, The person after your job. Stop snivelling and get back to work."That time now feels like ancient history - an era when even those of us with comfortable, keyboard-bound jobs couldn't work remotely even if we didn't have hard-as-nails jobseekers biting at our heels. Back then, I was one of those people who would go to work with a cold. I thought it showed grit and determination. Soon afterwards I sat next to a colleague who had cystic fibrosis, and it belatedly dawned on me that I wasn't so indispensable as to have to risk other people's health. Two decades later, the Covid-19 pandemic made sure everyone knew that. There's nothing like watching deaths from an airborne respiratory illness climb to more than a thousand a day to ram home the message about keeping your germs to yourself.Katy Guest is a Guardian Opinion deputy editor Continue reading...

Social media runs the world, celebrity culture runs social media, and NBA players are more famous than ever. All of it has given rise to privacy concerns unthinkable even a decade agoIt started with a punch. When Draymond Green laid his hands on former teammate Jordan Poole during a Golden State Warriors practice ahead of the 2022-23 season, it didn't just lead to the downfall of the Warriors dynasty. The notorious also event kicked off an era of unprecedented publicity in the NBA.After all, TMZ took advantage of the social media frenzy that followed reports of the punch by obtaining and leaking the video. Later, rapper Cam'ron and journalist Pablo Torre took turns reporting what Poole said to inspire the punch. It all served to satisfy a rabid, increasingly online fanbase hungry for ever more information. Continue reading...

The Glazers blazed a trail for US money in European soccer. Now they're innovating again with a non-sale sale' that gives them all the spoils of ownership with none of the accountabilitySo, a new era for Manchester United? Not quite: amid all the hullabaloo about a restructuring" at the club following Jim Ratcliffe's purchase of a 25% stake - all that talk of job cuts and belt tightening, squad turnover, comings and goings in the executive suite, meetings between Ratcliffe and Erik Ten Hag, a fresh energy both on and off the pitch - it's been easy to forget that commercial control of the club remains firmly in the hands of the Glazer family. Manchester United's corporate structure splits ownership into Class A and Class B shares. Real control of the club lies with the owners of the Class B shares, which are worth 10 times the voting rights of Class A shares. Ratcliffe has spent around $1.6bn for a quarter of the club's Class A and B shares. But critically, Class B shares convert to Class A once they are sold. Once the deal is approved, the entirety of the Class B holding, along with voting power and control of the board, will remain with the Glazer family. If this is the start of the Glazers' exit from their investment in Manchester United, it is a curiously sedentary departure.There's a kind of brilliance to this move, a form of dirty financial sorcery akin to the creation of the credit default swap. The Glazers' 18-year ownership of Manchester United has been a calamity for Manchester United, which has degenerated over the past decade from the powerhouse of English football into a mid-table club hanging its hopes of Europa League qualification on a late-career revival from Jonny Evans. But it's been extremely good business for the Glazers, who've repeatedly exploited their ownership to enrich themselves while running operations at a consistent loss and lumping the club with crippling levels of debt. Dividend payments since the Glazers' 2005 takeover have totaled 166 million; the bulk of them have gone to the Glazers themselves. Nothing about Ratcliffe's investment in the club will disrupt this cash flow or the corporate structure underpinning it: as the club's 2023 annual report notes, our board of directors has complete discretion regarding the declaration and payment of dividends, and the holders of our Class B ordinary shares [ie the Glazers] will be able to influence our dividend policy." Continue reading...

We're proud of our health-led drugs policy, but the rise of the global illegal drugs trade means we need international solutionsIn the Netherlands, we used to look on the international war on drugs" with a certain amount of disdain. Its solutions were prohibition, criminalisation, stiff penalties and sentences; our national drug policy, on the other hand, focused for decades on reducing the health risks for users - and was relatively successful. We are lenient on soft drugs such as cannabis, allowing for personal use under specific conditions. Hard drugs are technically illegal, but possession of small amounts (like half a gram of hard drugs or one ecstasy pill) is often not prosecuted. Police cracked down on the largest drug traffickers, who mainly operated locally. There was drug crime and even killings, but these remained traceable and largely manageable. Drug trafficking hardly affected our economy or daily life.That is no longer the case. Spurred on by globalisation and the international criminalisation of drugs, the illegal drugs trade has become more lucrative, professional and ruthlessly violent. The effects have been disastrous. In the past decade, the port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, has become a global transit hub for cocaine. The Dutch authorities have increased their efforts to combat drug trafficking, but they have not turned the tide. Recent figures show a record increase in the amount of cocaine being seized, from just over 22,000kg in the first half of 2022 to 29,702kg in the first half of 2023. While this may seem encouraging at first glance, it actually illustrates the immense scale of what is happening. Our current approach in the fight against drugs is like mopping with the tap running.Femke Halsema is the mayor of Amsterdam. An international conference on further regulation of the drug market will be held in Amsterdam on 26 January 2024Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Photographer and visual storyteller Annie Grossinger has used her own pictures and archival photos to reconstruct the career of her grandfather and CIA station chief John Dougherty, who was linked to the 1954 CIA-sponsored coup in Guatemala. Her book, Serpent Tongue, offers a personal narrative about this dark period in the history of the two nations