World news | The Guardian

Outcome of aggression will determine whether rare earths and other resources drive energy transition - or strengthen US military power and oil interestsThe US's first overt attack on an Amazon nation last weekend is a new phase in its extractivist rivalry with China. The outcome will decide whether the vast mineral wealth of South America is directed towards a 21st-century energy transition or a buildup of military power to defend 20th-century fossil fuel interests.Although this onslaught was ostensibly aimed at one corrupt dictatorship in a miserably dysfunctional country, the ramifications are far wider. Continue reading...

Prime minister to look closely' at legal claims against FTSE 100 telecoms groupThe prime minister has promised to review laws governing franchising agreements, in response to the case of a former Vodafone store manager whose family alleges took his own life following pressure from the FTSE 100 telecoms group.Keir Starmer said in the Commons on Wednesday that he would look closely" at the outcome of a high-profile legal claim against Vodafone. Continue reading...

David Wolfson is part of the legal team attempting to recover some of Russian billionaire's frozen assets

Board unwilling to accept hostile takeover despite $40bn guarantee from billionaire Larry EllisonWarner Bros Discovery (WBD) has again told its shareholders to reject an inadequate" $108.4bn (80bn) hostile takeover bid by Paramount Skydance amid an extraordinary corporate battle to control the media conglomerate.Paramount, controlled by the billionaire Ellison family, had sought to combat WBD's criticism of its offer and claims it had consistently misled" investors by saying it had a full backstop" - a safety net to ensure it has sufficient funds - from the Ellisons. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader says accusations about his behaviour at Dulwich college were politically motivatedNigel Farage has called allegations of racist and antisemitic bullying during his time at Dulwich college completely made up fantasy", saying his accusers are people with very obvious political motivation".More than 30 people have spoken to the Guardian as part of an investigation based on multiple accounts of racism, including Peter Ettedgui, 61, an Emmy- and Bafta-winning director, who recalled Farage growling repeatedly Hitler was right" or Gas them" at him when they were at school. Continue reading...

Detainees under scheme to return people entering UK on small boats told their plane tickets had been cancelledThe first flight of 2026 to return asylum seekers who came to the UK on small boats to France has been cancelled, the Guardian understands.Detainees earmarked for the UK government's one in, one out" scheme who had tickets for a flight on Wednesday morning to Paris were told their tickets had been cancelled. Continue reading...

Saudi airstrikes hit Aidarous al-Zubaidi's military camps after he defies a demand to travel to Riyadh for talksThe leader of Yemen's routed southern separatist movement, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, has decided to make a defiant last stand in Aden, his supporters say, rejecting a Saudi ultimatum to travel to Riyadh for talks and - for now - a plan to flee the southern capital.Al-Zubaidi, the president of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), has been gathering his remaining troops in Aden as rival Saudi-backed forces seek to take control of Aden. His supporters say his mood is to fight it out although he knows it is likely there will be an attempt to kill him. Continue reading...

Output shrank for 12th month in a row in December, while housebuilding in deepest slump since 2020

Maga media used to hate US foreign intervention - now some are cheering it onI'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars," Donald Trump said after declaring victory on 6 November 2024. It wasn't his first pledge to disengage the US from foreign conflicts, and Trump's top allies in conservative media and the Make America Great Again" (Maga) movement have all rallied to his pledge to put America first".Now that the US president seems to have broken his pledge by launching an invasion of Venezuela, not to mention threatening future actions against Cuba and Colombia and potentially Greenland, some have reasonably wondered whether Trump's supporters in Maga media would hammer him for that inconsistency. Continue reading...

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UK health secretary declines to criticise Donald Trump directly but suggests he is disturbed by events of recent days

Shoppers hit by rising bills switch to discount chains, supermarket own-label products and buying fewer items

Study into intimate partner violence finds strangulation and head impacts increase risk of long-term memory loss and cognitive disabilities

Barry Pollack, a US trial lawyer, will take on the case as the captured Venezuelan president's private counselWhen Nicolas Maduro appeared in court in New York on Monday, his choice of lawyer quickly raised eyebrows.The captured Venezuelan president was accompanied by Barry Pollack, a top-tier US trial lawyer who spent years representing Julian Assange, eventually securing the WikiLeaks founder's release from prison in the UK in 2024. Continue reading...

NSW police commissioner says decision not about stopping free speech' and points to risk of public safety incident'

Fire danger expected to reach extreme levels in South Australia, Victoria and inland NSW this week

Bank of England says individuals borrowed extra 2.1bn in consumer credit in NovemberCredit card borrowing rose at the fastest annual rate for almost two years in November, according to the Bank of England, as households took on debt to finance the rising cost of Christmas.In a snapshot covering the month of Rachel Reeves's highly anticipated autumn budget, the central bank said individuals borrowed an additional 2.1bn in consumer credit, up from a 1.7bn increase in October. Continue reading...

Husam Zomlot says inauguration of mission in London marks change of direction for Palestinian stateThe Palestinian ambassador to the UK has said the inauguration of the state's embassy in London is proof that our identity cannot be denied".Husam Zomlot hailed the upgrading of Palestine's mission in Hammersmith, west London, as historic" and monumental". Continue reading...

Chrystia Freeland takes on new role amid government shakeup in Kyiv as Ukrainian president replaces key figuresUkraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named Canada's former finance minister Chrystia Freeland as an adviser on economic development, a move he says will help strengthen the internal resilience" of the war-torn nation.Chrystia is highly skilled in these matters and has extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformations," he wrote on social media. Right now, Ukraine needs to strengthen its internal resilience - both for the sake of Ukraine's recovery if diplomacy delivers results as swiftly as possible, and to reinforce our defence if, because of delays by our partners, it takes longer to bring this war to an end." Continue reading...

Insolvency Service says 250 staff remaining at Lincolnshire site will be guaranteed jobs until the end of March

UK's fourth-largest supermarket's sales rose 3% with 5.5m bottles of fizz and 500,000 turkeys sold

US president says an operation in Colombia sounds good' and elections in Venezuela will happen at the right time'Keir Starmer also told the BBC that he thinks we are living in a more volatile" world than we have been for many, many years" and said global affairs have much more of a direct impact" on the UK than they have in a long time, citing the effects of military conflicts and the climate crisis.Asked if Donald Trump is worsening global turmoil, Starmer dodges the question and speaks about the so-called special relationship between the UK and the US.The relationship between the US and the UK is one of the closest relationships in the world. It is vitally important for our defence, for our security, for our intelligence.It is my responsibility to make sure that relationship works as the prime minister of this country, working with the president of the United States. Not only have I stepped up to that responsibility, I have made it my business and I do get on with President Trump. Continue reading...

The 73-year-old Oscar-nominated actor was issued with an eviction notice in DecemberMickey Rourke has turned to fundraising to pay the US$59,100 (44,000, A$89,000) he allegedly owes in rent, after being sued by his landlord and facing eviction from his Los Angeles home.The 73-year-old actor, who was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for his performance in the 2008 drama The Wrestler, has approved a GoFundMe page launched by Liya-Joelle Jones, a friend and member of Rourke's management team. At time of writing, the fundraiser had raised US$33,000 of its US$100,000 goal. Continue reading...

Watchdog will also monitor online ban for high fat and sugar products as part of wider effort to tackle childhood obesityA ban on junk food advertising on TV before 9pm and a total ban online has come into force as the government attempts to tackle the childhood obesity crisis.Under the rules, which will be enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) 13 categories of products can no longer be advertised on TV before the watershed or at any time online. The banned products are high in fat, sugar and salt. Continue reading...

Businesses being hit by rising cost of interest rates, energy costs and wages, says Resolution FoundationThe UK is poised for a rise in unemployment in 2026 fuelled by the collapse of zombie" companies that have struggled to adapt to a rise in business costs, according to a report.At the start of what could be a pivotal year for the economy, the Resolution Foundation said businesses were grappling with a triple whammy" of multiyear increases in interest rates, energy prices and the minimum wage that could finish off" some underperforming companies. Continue reading...

Marvel, Lost and Hobbit actor says almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity' after she fainted and fell face-first into a boulderEvangeline Lilly has revealed she has brain damage, months after she suffered a concussion when she fainted and fell face-first into a boulder.The 46-year-old Canadian actor, known for her roles in Lost, The Hobbit films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, shared the bad news" video on her Instagram, one of many updates she has shared since she suffered the traumatic brain injury (TBI) in May, when she fainted on a beach and hit her head on a rock. Continue reading...

People who are sent to Manston processing centre will be eligible for searches for electronic devices from MondayHome Office plans to immediately begin seizing asylum seekers' mobile phones and sim cards without the need for an arrest have been condemned by a solicitor and anti-torture campaigners.People who arrive by small boat and are sent to Manston processing centre in Kent will from Monday be eligible for searches for electronic devices, a minister has said, with technology on site to download data. Continue reading...

Mette Frederiksen responds to president amid febrile atmosphere after US actions in Venezuela

Cricket veteran in good spirits and hopeful of moving out of intensive care as recovery continuesDamien Martyn is awake and talking, one week after being placed into an induced coma in a Gold Coast hospital with meningitis. The 54-year-old has been able to talk with friends and family, including ex-teammate Adam Gilchrist, and is said to be overwhelmed with the support offered.It's been an unbelievable turn of events in the last 48 hours," Gilchrist said in a statement. Continue reading...

King Charles leads tributes to Holocaust education campaigner, who he met in 2022, saying he and Camilla admired her deeply'King Charles has paid tribute to Anne Frank's stepsister, Eva Schloss, who has died at the age of 96.The king, who danced with Schloss while visiting a Jewish community centre in north London in 2022, said he and Queen Camilla had admired her deeply" and he was privileged and proud" to have known her. Continue reading...

Mark Ratcliffe, 67, had been trying to save Sarah Keeling, 45, and her daughter Grace, 15, who remains missing, police sayA man who died trying to save two people from the sea in East Yorkshire on Friday was attempting to rescue a mother and her teenage daughter, Humberside police have said.The body of Sarah Keeling, 45, was recovered from Withernsea on Friday, while Grace Keeling, 15, remains missing after being washed away. Continue reading...

UK waiting to determine if US breached international law by capturing Nicolas Maduro, PM's chief secretary says

Protest over climate crisis and AI has cut power to tens of thousands of homes which may take days to fully restoreGerman leftwing militants protesting over the climate crisis and AI have claimed responsibility for an arson attack that cut power to tens of thousands of households in Berlin.The fire that broke out on a bridge across the Teltow canal in the south-west of the capital early on Saturday could deprive up to 35,000 homes and 1,900 businesses of electricity - and in many cases heat - until 8 January, the grid company Stromnetz Berlin said. Continue reading...

Considered one of world's finest trade union buildings and famous for its pitmen's parliament', Redhills was built on a grand scaleOutside the impressively grand, Edwardian baroque building in Durham are two wooden benches, each dedicated to men who died too young.They were, the inscription reads, both sacked and victimised" during the 1984-85 miners' strike. Yet they're in grounds that look as if they might have been owned by rich, exploitative mine owners. Continue reading...

Reduction follows Bank of England's base cut in December, with further cuts expected this yearHSBC has become the first major lender to cut mortgage rates this year, a move that could spark a price war over the coming months.The banking group, which is one of the UK's largest mortgage lenders, has cut rates across a range of residential and landlord buy-to-let mortgage products. The new rates come into effect on Monday. Continue reading...

Donald Trump's capture of Nicolas Maduro follows months of military campaign and years of strained relationship

Lucy Morville, from Burnley, thought most students would be from the north and felt culture shock' surrounded by southernersLike many students from the north, Lucy Morville says she felt culture shock" at being surrounded by southerners when she arrived at university. But she said the shock was even greater because it wasn't what she expected when she enrolled at the University of York.I hadn't travelled much down south before university, and I was like, Oh my gosh, they're all from London and Cambridge.' It was such a shock to me," she said. Continue reading...

Misinformation from the Trump administration is cited as fuelling Canadians' concerns over childhood vaccinationsCanadian officials and public health experts are warning that US health and science institutions can no longer be depended upon for accurate information, particularly when it comes to vaccinations, amid fears that misinformation from the Trump administration could further erode Canadians' confidence in healthcare.I can't imagine a world in which this misinformation doesn't creep into Canadians' consciousness and leads to doubt," said Dawn Bowdish, an immunologist and professor at McMaster University in Ontario. Continue reading...

Narinder Kapur proposes Amin's rule' named after Amin Abdullah who killed himself after losing his jobNHS England is being urged to introduce an independent second opinion whenever it decides to dismiss a healthcare professional, in memory of a nurse who set himself on fire after being unfairly dismissed from his job.Dr Narinder Kapur, an NHS whistleblower, is proposing Amin's rule", named after Amin Abdullah, who killed himself in 2016, to plug a gap he says exists when it comes to staff wellbeing. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Patriotic Alternative's Mark Collett addressed forum along with ideologue described as Putin's brain'The head of a leading British far-right group spoke at a summit of European extreme nationalist groups convened in Russia by an influential oligarch linked to Vladimir Putin, it can be revealed.The revelation has led to renewed concern among MPs over the Kremlin's links to extremist groups and its attempts to disrupt democracy and sow societal divisions in the UK. Continue reading...

The community spirit of the close-knit Swiss resort where at least 40 people died in a fire is strong even as inhabitants say they feel crushed by the tragedyMourners have continued to bring flowers and light candles to a makeshift memorial in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana to commemorate those who lost their lives when a blaze ripped through a packed bar popular with young people celebrating the new year, killing at least 40.We came to light a candle," said Sisi Boisard, a regular visitor to Crans-Montana from France for the last 20 years. We have five children and can't begin to imagine what these families are going through. This is a tragedy that has cut profoundly, but not just here - it's being felt across the world." Continue reading...

Hope appeal supports causes battling backdrop of extremist violence, anti-migrant rhetoric and racism

Nobel prize for Laszlo Krasznahorkai provides a rare glimpse of unity in a nation divided on party linesGyula, a tranquil and picturesque town in the east of Hungary, is best known for its sausages. It has no direct rail connection to Budapest, but it does have a library and a castle. Soon, it will also have an official copy of a Nobel medal.Congratulations to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, the first Nobel winner from Gyula," proclaim billboards in the town, paying tribute to the 71-year-old writer who won this year's Nobel prize in literature for his compelling and visionary oeuvre.". Continue reading...

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Nemiroff says products still reaching UK chains such as Sainsbury's and Tesco despite production difficultiesBusinesses in Ukraine are not sitting and waiting for the war to end" and are working to expand despite bombs hitting shipments out of the country, according to a leading vodka exporter to the UK.Yuriy Sorochynskyi, the chief executive of Ukraine's largest spirits export brand, Nemiroff vodka, has said its products have continued to flow to big chains including Tesco and Sainsbury's as it copes with the harsh realities of almost four years of war. Continue reading...

South Korea's military reports projectile launch, which follows Kim Jong-un calling for doubling of output of tactical guided weaponsNorth Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles towards the sea on Sunday, its neighbours said, just hours before South Korea's president was due to leave for China for talks expected to cover North Korea's nuclear program.South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said in a statement that it detected several ballistic missile launches from North Korea's capital region about 7.50am. It said the missiles flew about 900km (560 miles) and that South Korea and US authorities were analysing details of the launches. Continue reading...

Cricketers and fans pay tribute to victims and first responders ahead of play at the SCG

Audacious US military operation plucks leader Nicolas Maduro from power and removed him from the country

Tennis figure Lleyton Hewitt, Olympic gold medallists Jessica Fox and Ian Thorpe, and ex-Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke among open letter's signatories

Guided bombs used to target tunnels at site near to city of Palmyra in raid intended to eliminate dangerous terrorists'British and French aircraft have carried out a joint strike on an underground facility in Syria that had been occupied by Islamic State, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.Guided bombs were used to target access tunnels to the site, in the mountainous region near the ancient city of Palmyra in the centre of the country, on Saturday evening. Continue reading...