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Friedrich Merz says global order changing at breathtaking pace' and urges leaders in Davos not to accept new reality

Opening Night will appear on HELP(2), a charity compilation out in March which also features Olivia Rodrigo, Depeche Mode, Pulp and moreArctic Monkeys have released Opening Night, their first new song since 2022 album The Car, with proceeds benefiting the charity War Child.Opening Night is taken from HELP(2), a sequel to War Child's 1995 album Help, which brought together A-list music names to raise 1.2m for children affected by conflict, including Radiohead, Blur, Sinead O'Connor and the Smokin' Mojo Filters (a supergroup of Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller). Continue reading...

Danish politicians say alliance cannot negotiate on Denmark's behalf and that deal must not risk sovereignty

Judge has brought indictment after nearby residents launched legal action in 2024 saying the concerts made their lives a miseryReal Madrid could face trial for alleged environmental offences after a Spanish judge ruled there was sufficient evidence that loud concerts held at the club's Bernabeu stadium, which has been dubbed the torture-drome" by local residents, could have broken the law.The Residents' Association for those Affected by the Bernabeu (AVPB) began legal action against the football club and the city council in 2024, saying a series of punishingly loud concerts held that spring and summer had made their lives a misery. Performers included Taylor Swift, Luis Miguel and the Colombian star Karol G. Continue reading...

The actor is the latest to testify in court over a claim that the newspaper misused their private informationThe claim over the tapping of lines and bugging comes from a now disavowed" witness statement from the private investigator Gavin Burrows.Breaking down again, she says she feels bad that her son will learn about some of the things reported today because of the trial. Continue reading...

Private postmortem says unarmed US citizen was struck in arm, breast and head in shooting by immigration officerA private autopsy has determined that Renee Good, the unarmed US citizen and mother killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this month, was shot three times, in her forearm, breast and head.The independent postmortem was commissioned by lawyers in Chicago representing Good's family, and its findings released late on Wednesday, ABC7 News reported. Continue reading...

Climate concerns raised over redevelopment of 1960s Brutalist estate in south-east LondonA legal challenge has been launched in an effort to halt the demolition of a 1960s Brutalist estate in south-east London that featured in Stanley Kubrick's dystopian film A Clockwork Orange.The challenge against Bexley council and Peabody housing association, which will be carrying out the redevelopment, has been launched by the Lesnes estate resident Adam Turk. Continue reading...

Singing legend heralds new tools in service of expression', on compilation that also features an Art Garfunkel song using AI-generated piano backingLiza Minnelli has released her first new music in 13 years, adding vocals to an AI-created dance track.The track, Kids, Wait Til You Hear This - also the title of her upcoming memoir - is an unexpected foray into deep house for the 79-year-old Minnelli, who adds a handful of spoken declarations to the pumping backing. Continue reading...

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Youngest son of US president raised alarm after woman was allegedly attacked during video call last JanuaryBarron Trump, the youngest son of the US president, alerted police in London after witnessing a woman allegedly being attacked by a former boyfriend, possibly saving her life, a court has heard.Trump was on a video call a year ago with the woman, who cannot be named, when he saw Matvei Rumiantsev, a Russian citizen, repeatedly punch her, Snaresbrook crown court was told on Wednesday, according to reports. Continue reading...

A leadership challenge could be likely if Ley's conservative rivals, Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie, agree on who should be the candidate

Survey finds rising numbers of reception pupils struggling with basic life skills such as eating independentlyAbout one in four children who started reception in 2025 were not toilet trained, a survey of teachers has found, prompting warnings that growing numbers of pupils are struggling with basic life skills.In an annual survey of primary school staff in England by the early years charity Kindred Squared, teachers estimated that 26% of the children in their reception class were having frequent toilet mishaps, rising to more than one in three (36%) in the north-east. Continue reading...

Australians urged to do a good deed - or mitzvah - as Anthony Albanese says day is opportunity for us as a nation to wrap our arms around the Jewish community'

At least five days of temperatures above 40C forecast for parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSW

Senior Coalition sources also believe David Littleproud's leadership of the Nationals could end after division over hate speech laws

Development charity's new co-chairs signal shift from controversial sponsor a child scheme launched in 1972 to long-term grassroots fundingChild sponsorship schemes that allow donors to handpick children to support in poor countries can carry racialised, paternalistic undertones and need to be transformed, the newly appointed co-chief executives of ActionAid UK said as they set out to decolonise" the organisation's work.ActionAid began in 1972 by finding sponsors for schoolchildren in India and Kenya, but Taahra Ghazi and Hannah Bond have launched their co-leadership this month with the goal of shifting narratives around aid from sympathy towards solidarity and partnership with global movements. Continue reading...

Sepehr Saryazdi, 24, charged with planning terrorist act after allegedly plotting to throw molotov cocktail at Gold Coast event

The de-escalation fuelled a rally in global share markets as buyers ride the Trump Always Chickens Out' trade strategy

Reporters Without Borders said the ruling against the 26-year-old journalist showed a blatant disregard for press freedom' in the Southeast Asian nationA young Filipino journalist who spent nearly six years in a crowded provincial prison was found guilty of terror financing on Thursday, in a case rights groups and a UN rapporteur labelled a travesty of justice".Community journalist and radio broadcaster Frenchie Cumpio, 26, and former roommate Marielle Domequil broke down in tears and hugged each other as the guilty verdict was read and they were sentenced to 12-18 years in prison by judge Georgina Uy Perez of the Tacloban regional court. Continue reading...

Treasurer joins former PM Malcom Turnbull in praising Mark Carney's comments at the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos

Statues commemorating Australia's colonial history have been targets for vandalism in Melbourne as 26 January approaches

Former Men at Work frontman, who was born in Scotland and emigrated to Australia, tells anti-immigration protestors, Go write your own song, leave mine alone'

IFG says proposed plans, which will slash the number of jury trials, will produce marginal gains' of less than 2% time savedDavid Lammy's plans to introduce judge-only criminal trials in England and Wales will save less than 2% of time in crown courts, the Institute for Government (IFG) has said.In a report that casts doubt on the ability of the changes, which will slash the number of jury trials to achieve their goal of wiping out the courts' backlog, the thinktank described the gains from judge-only trials as marginal". Continue reading...

RNIB research uncovers high anxiety around rail travel with some having fallen into gaps or been trapped in doors

Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, who led Tiananmen Square vigils, accused of inciting subversionThe national security trial of three pro-democracy activists who organised an annual memorial in Hong Kong to mark the Tiananmen Square massacre is to begin on Thursday.Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho are charged with inciting subversion under Hong Kong's national security law. Their trial is one of the most high-profile national security cases to be heard in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed the law in 2020. The defendants face a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment if convicted. The law has a near-100% conviction rate. Continue reading...

UK had highest relative increase of five countries in study, with 20-fold rise in proportion of women over 25 using itThe proportion of people in the UK on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication has tripled in the past decade, with a 20-fold increase among women aged 25 and over, a study shows.Researchers led by the University of Oxford examined electronic health records from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK to estimate the use of ADHD medication among adults and children aged three and above. Continue reading...

One offshore e-casino posted Instagram promotion featuring AO logo despite no affiliation with tournament

Researchers say event described as major tipping point' for clean energy in era of destabilised politicsWind and solar overtook fossil fuels in the European Union's power generation last year, a report has found, in a major tipping point" for clean energy.Turbines spinning in the wind and photovoltaic panels lit up by the sun generated 30% of the EU's electricity in 2025, according to an annual review. Power plants burning coal, oil and gas generated 29%. Continue reading...

Culture secretary says national institutions will receive 600m but they must extend influence outside LondonLondon-based museums need to ensure they reach every part of the country, according to Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, who on Wednesday announced a landmark 1.5bn funding package for the arts meant to restore national pride.National museums including the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery will be handed a 600m package but the culture secretary has urged them to look outside the capital to extend their sphere of influence. Continue reading...

Analysts warn that Trump will probably demand more action from Mexico to counter drug-trafficking groupsMexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum has defended the latest transfer of 37 Mexican cartel operatives to the US as a sovereign decision", as her government strives to alleviate pressure from the Trump administration to do more against drug-trafficking groups.It was the third such flight in the year since Donald Trump returned to the White House, but analysts warn that while it remains an effective pressure valve, the returns may be diminishing. Continue reading...

Brief encounter set off chain of events ending with a public rebuff to the US president from Keir StarmerWhen Kemi Badenoch met Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, on Monday evening, she pressed him on two issues: the Chagos Islands deal and North Sea oil drilling.Neither participant was part of their respective executive branch, and neither issue was at the centre of the crisis that has engulfed transatlantic politics. But before long, the meeting had some very real political consequences. Continue reading...

US president singles out Mark Carney day after prime minister warned world is undergoing geopolitical rupture'Donald Trump has said Canada should be grateful" for the freebies" it gets from the US, a day after its prime minister, Mark Carney, warned the world was undergoing a geopolitical rupture".Speaking those attending the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland, the US president singled out Carney's speech that was sharply critical of US foreign policy. Continue reading...

Author discusses changes made to Lindsay Gordon novels from 80s and 90s to prepare for their rereleaseThe crime writer Val McDermid has revealed she was assigned a sensitivity reader" to remove language that could cause offence from her earlier works.The Scottish author has sold more than 19m novels worldwide and is known for the authenticity of the dialogue in her work. Continue reading...

Trump-appointed federal attorney with no prosecutorial experience led failed cases against president's political foesLindsey Halligan, a Trump-appointed federal attorney who led the failed prosecutions of two of the president's political opponents, has left her position at the justice department, the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, said on Tuesday.The departure of Halligan, who previously served as Trump's personal attorney, comes after multiple judges have sharply criticized her and cast doubts on her ability to lawfully remain in her position. Continue reading...

Unnamed woman held against her will since mid-1990s by Amanda Wixon, who beat her and shaved her headA woman was forced to work as a slave in a Dickensian" imprisonment for a mother and her 10 children for more than a quarter of a century in a British market town.The woman, who is now in her 40s and cannot be named, lived off scraps, could not leave the house and was forced to wash secretly at night. Continue reading...

Conservative and liberal judges questioned administration over president's authority to fire without due process

House of Lords debate amendments to bill that would ban children under the age of 16 from having social mediaWe're not far off PMQs. Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.There will be two statements in the Commons after PMQs. At 12.30pm Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, will give one about the warm homes plan, and about an hour later Emma Reynolds, the environment secretary, will give one on the water white paper. Continue reading...

Given the software company's size and funding options, British Business Bank's investment looks like mission creepThe state-owned multi-tentacled British Business Bank has never been a simple organisation to understand, but at least one could vaguely grasp its intended role in life. Our mission is to drive economic growth by helping smaller businesses get the finance they need to start, scale and stay in the UK," declares its website.Jolly good. For decades, complaints have been heard about gaps in the financing ecosystem for startups and for promising young UK companies, particularly those in tech-related and life science fields, or those spinning out of universities. So one can applaud the existence of a large and distinctly British source of capital to crowd in", as politicians like to say, private venture funds. Continue reading...

Adviser to Zelenskyy says he in Kyiv, not Davos, and meeting will not be today as Trump suggested earlierFormer Nato secretary general and former Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned that the time of flattery has ended" as Europe needs to step up its response to Trump's threats over Greenland - but still look for off-ramps to avoid escalation whereever possible.Speaking to BBC News this morning, he warned that a US attack on Greenland would be the end of Nato," and push Europeans to urgently step up its defence in its own right, regardless of the US.I think those three areas would accommodate the concerns of President Trump."Time has come to stand up against Trump."So I think that we should solve this problem in a diplomatic way. Of course, I appreciate Denmark's voice, ... it's our partner, but I'm looking at the Greenland as a strategic point in a [broader] geopolitical issue between the free world of democracies ... and Russia." Continue reading...

Move follows withdrawal of Kurdish forces from al-Hawl, where 24,000 people are being held over alleged IS linksSyrian government forces have taken control of al-Hawl detention camp, which houses tens of thousands of suspected Islamic State members, after Kurdish forces withdrew.Soldiers entered the heavily fortified camp on Wednesday, part of a handover from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which oversaw the camp for the last seven years, as the Syrian government vowed to secure the facility. Continue reading...

Opponents say proposal, designed to tackle employee skiving, would fill up doctors' waiting rooms unnecessarilyA German proposal to eliminate the possibility to get short-term sick leave from a doctor over the telephone as a means of cracking down on skiving has met with an outcry from labour groups and the medical profession.Germans enjoy some of the most generous employee illness policies in Europe, a fact which the conservative chancellor, Friedrich Merz, says is undermining efforts to kickstart the EU's biggest economy whose growth has largely stalled since 2022. Continue reading...

In an emergency filing, party asked for an injunction for new maps aimed at countering Texas's gerrymanderThe California Republican party has asked the US supreme court to block a redistricting measure voters approved in November that would flip up to five House seats in Democrats' favor.In an emergency filing, the party asked Justice Elena Kagan, who is assigned to the ninth circuit in a supervisory capacity to oversee emergency filings, to issue an injunction before 9 February, the beginning of California's candidate filing period for the June 2026 primaries.This article and headline were amended on 21 January 2026. California Republicans filed the appeal to the US supreme court, not to the state supreme court as an earlier version stated.Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

Carl Crowther says his feline has heart problem and needs medication, after delivery driver seen making off with itA concerned pet owner has pleaded for the safe return of his family's ill cat after an Amazon delivery driver was caught on video picking the animal up and walking away.Carl Crowther, 53, said that he had been expecting a package on Monday 19 January, but had been forced to leave to go to his job as a maintenance man about an hour before it arrived at approximately 2.30pm. Continue reading...

Prime minister surprisingly forceful at PMQs over US president's volte face on Chagos and refusal to drop tariffs threat on Greenland

PM also accuses Kemi Badenoch of supporting efforts by Trump to undermine the government's position'

Trainee driver killed in accident near Barcelona just days after 43 died in collision between two high-speed trainsSpain's rail network is under scrutiny after a commuter train crashed near Barcelona just days after at least 43 people died and 152 were injured in a collision between two high-speed trains.The second crash in as many days occurred at approximately 9pm on Tuesday when a retaining wall collapsed on to the track near Gelida in the region of Catalonia in north-east Spain, derailing a local train. Continue reading...

Retailer buys chain from administration for 3.8m adding to brand portfolio ranging from FatFace to Made.comNext has rescued the Russell & Bromley footwear retailer out of administration for 3.8m but about 400 jobs are likely to go at 33 shops not included in the deal.The British brand, founded in 1879 in Eastbourne, East Sussex, trades from 36 stores and nine concessions across the UK and Ireland. But Next will only take on three stores - in Chelsea, Mayfair and the Bluewater Shopping Centre - and about 48 store staff, it is understood. Continue reading...

Departure of all eight remaining frontbenchers was not sparked by principled policy differences, but by ego, ideology and arrogance

Han Duck-soo verdict marks first judicial ruling stemming from ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol's 2024 martial law decreeSouth Korea's former prime minister Han Duck-soo has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for his role in an insurrection stemming from the former president Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law declaration.The judge, Lee Jin-kwan, ordered Han's immediate detention. Continue reading...