Danish pension fund says it's selling all its U.S. Treasuries

The chief investment officer of AkademikerPension said the decision was not directly related to the rift between the U.S. and Greenland.

'You'll find out,' Trump says on Greenland takeover strategy

Trump will be meeting with world leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland later this week.

United Airlines could hit record earnings after strong start to 2026

United Airlines said 2026 is off to a strong start, both for premium seats and no-frills tickets, as it reported fourth-quarter earnings.

Tottenham v Borussia Dortmund: Champions League – live

⚽ Champions League updates | Clockwatch live
⚽ Live scores | Table | Follow us over on Bluesky

The only player on a yellow card is the Spurs substitute Randal Kolo Muani.

The players emerge from the tunnel. It’s hard to make out the atmosphere because the Champions League music is blaring out around the ground.

Inter v Arsenal, Real Madrid v Monaco, and more: Champions League – live

⚽ Champions League updates | Follow Spurs v Dortmund
⚽ Live scores | Table | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Will

In case you were wondering, Club Brugge won 4-1 away at Kairat earlier today.

Mikel Arteta does not look concerned.

DOJ subpoenas Walz, Frey, others in probe alleging immigration obstruction

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and others were subpoenaed in connection with a DOJ probe into an alleged conspiracy to impede federal immigration officers, three sources said.

Jerome Powell could stay at the Fed even after being removed as chair. Here's what that means

The saga over President Donald Trump's efforts to reshape the Federal Reserve has another twist.

Starmer’s ‘keep calm and carry on’ strategy on Trump seeks to protect UK-US ties but divides opinion at home

Prime minister hopes for ‘pragmatic’ solutions, while US president drops one diplomatic bomb after another

In his account of Tony Blair’s years in power, the New Machiavelli, Jonathan Powell sets out two opposing strategies for any British prime minister in dealing with their counterpart in the White House.

The first, he says, is “cutting a bella figura” by openly criticising the US president, for which he gives the example of the French. The other, and the approach preferred by Powell, is to do diplomacy in private and build a close relationship, in the hope of having greater influence.

Second lady Usha Vance announces she is pregnant with fourth child

Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance announced they are expecting their fourth child.

Judge bars Lindsey Halligan's continued use of U.S. attorney title

A federal judge said Lindsey Halligan's continued use of the U.S. attorney title "ignores a binding court order" that disqualified her from the position last year.

Trump touts first-year accomplishments in lengthy White House briefing

President Trump spoke in the White House briefing room for nearly two hours on Tuesday, marking the first year of his second term​ as he prepares for a high-pressure trip to Europe.

Trump speaks at White House press briefing

President Donald Trump spoke at a White House press briefing marking the first anniversary of his second term in office.

Trump's 10% credit card cap deadline is here. Will card companies comply?

President Trump called for a one-year 10% cap on credit card rates starting Jan. 20. Here's what credit card companies are doing.

A new buy now, pay later option from Affirm will help tenants cover rent

A new BNPL pilot from financial technology company Affirm will give renters the option to break up their rent into two equal payments.

Lawyers say 18-year-old will plead guilty to North Carolina shooting that left five dead

Authorities believe that in 2022 Austin Thompson, then 15, went on killing rampage, beginning with his older brother

An 18-year-old plans to plead guilty to a 2022 mass shooting in North Carolina that left five people dead – including his older brother – avoiding a trial in February, his attorneys have said.

A written notice filed in Wake county court by the lawyers for Austin Thompson said their client intends to plead guilty to all charges against him.

GOP senators demand end to program they say encourages Chinese "birth tourism"

A trio of Republican senators asked the Trump administration to end a visa waiver program in far-flung U.S. territories in the Pacific that they say encourages "birth tourism."

Amazon CEO Jassy says Trump's tariffs have started to 'creep' into prices

Sellers tried to absorb the tariff shock by buying stock ahead of time, but much of that inventory has run out, forcing some businesses to raise prices.

US justice department subpoenas Minnesota Democrats accused of impeding ICE efforts

Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey among officials who received subpoenas

The justice department subpoenaed several top officials in Minnesota on Tuesday as part of its investigation into whether Minneapolis officials have conspired to impede federal immigration efforts there.

A copy of a subpoena to the office of the Minneapolis mayor, Jacob Frey, obtained by the Guardian, requests guidance and policies related to immigration enforcement in Minnesota since last year. It also requests communication regarding those policies with other state agencies, as well as documents related to “hindering, doxxing, identifying, or surveilling immigration officers”.

The transatlantic order is crumbling. Greenland is a moment of great rupture | Christopher S Chivvis

Trump’s demand for Greenland is a throwback to the 1884 Berlin conference: a transaction of land and people driven by a might makes right worldview

The announcement on 17 January that Washington will impose punitive tariffs of 10% to 25% on eight European allies – unless they facilitate the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland – is likely to be the death knell of the post-1945 transatlantic order. By linking the territorial sovereignty of a Nato ally to trade access, the US has transitioned from Europe’s security guarantor to a 19th-century imperial rent-seeker.

This is a moment of profound rupture. For decades, the western world believed that raw imperialism had been relegated to the past among advanced industrial powers. Even China, for all its assertiveness, largely couches its ambitions in the language of revanchism – the “reclaiming” of lost territory. Washington’s current demand for Greenland, by contrast, is a throwback to the age of the 1884 Berlin conference: a transaction of land and people driven by a might makes right worldview.

Christopher S Chivvis is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former US national intelligence officer for Europe

Bodø/Glimt give Manchester City one hell of a Champions League beating

To channel Bjørge Lillelien and his famous commentary on Norway’s win against England in 1981: Pep Guardiola, your Manchester City boys took a heck of a beating here on the shores of the Norwegian Sea, below the skies of the aurora borealis, and on the Aspmyra Stadion’s artificial pitch graced by this immortal Bodø/Glimt victory which downed a continental superpower.

Jonas Gahr Støre was present to witness a win that came courtesy of Kasper Høgh’s two first-half goals plus Jens Petter Hauge’s curled peach after the interval, as Norway’s prime minister escaped Donald Trump’s curious obsession with the Nobel peace prize: another measure of how this result will never be forgotten.

Drug pricing, patent losses and deals: Here's what pharma execs see ahead in the industry

Big pharma is grappling with new drug pricing deals and roughly $300 billion in potential lost revenue from patent expirations of blockbuster drugs.

Measles cases surge in South Carolina as U.S. risks elimination status

An infectious disease physician and former CDC official said he does not "have faith" that the U.S. is "handling measles very well."

Ring a Republican: Payphones linking San Francisco and Texas aim to bridge US political divides

A Matter Neuroscience project lets callers in liberal San Francisco and conservative Abilene speak across party lines

Two experimental payphones – one placed in San Francisco and the other in Abilene, Texas – are connecting strangers across party lines, allowing callers to speak directly with Democrats and Republicans in two of the US’s most ideologically opposed cities.

The project is the work of Matter Neuroscience, a Boulder, Colorado-based biotech company and is fashioned out of old payphones bought off Facebook. One phone sits outside Black Serum Tattoo parlor in San Francisco’s Mission District – and the other is in downtown Abilene by the bookstore Seven and One Books. Each phone is marked with a sign explaining that callers will be connected to someone from the opposite end of the political spectrum.

UK to hand Chagos Islands to Mauritius despite Trump’s taunts, No 10 says

PM’s spokesperson insists government’s position is unchanged and that the US still supports the deal

The UK will press ahead with plans to hand the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius despite Donald Trump calling it an “act of great stupidity” and suggesting it was among the reasons he wants to take over Greenland.

The US president said ceding sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes the Diego Garcia military base, was a sign of “total weakness” by the UK.

Concerned European football chiefs discuss response to Trump over Greenland

• Annex attempt could bring about Uefa-led boycott

• Implications for World Cup alarming heads of FAs

European football leaders are increasingly concerned about Donald Trump’s wish to annex Greenland, and they have held initial discussions about how the sport could respond.

The Guardian understands the implications for the World Cup this summer were among the topics raised among about 20 football association heads in Budapest on Monday. Talks about the Greenland crisis were held informally on the sidelines of an event organised to celebrate the Hungarian football federation’s 150th anniversary, in the knowledge that a unified European response may be required should Trump seek to escalate the situation.

Wales coach Steve Tandy left trapped in middle of toxic Ospreys and Cardiff saga

• Doubt over regions is fast escalating into a civil war

• Six Nations squad announcement overshadowed

The prevailing mood in Welsh rugby has been frequently dark, but rarely this bible black. Once upon a time a Six Nations squad announcement would have topped the agenda across the country; on Tuesday it felt like a semicolon in a much bigger narrative. Even Wales have never selected seven players whose club is in imminent danger of being axed by their own union.

The bare facts of the situation are increasingly stark for all involved. The existing owners of Ospreys, Wales’s most successful region of the past two decades, have just been nominated controversially as the preferred bidders for Cardiff, potentially clearing the way to reduce the number of Welsh professional sides from four to three. The internecine politics have become so increasingly toxic that Steve Tandy, the national head coach, had to plead for rugby‑related questions at his lunchtime squad announcement.

ASEAN won't endorse election in military-ruled Myanmar, Malaysia says

Malaysia's foreign minister Mohamad Hasan cited concerns over the lack of inclusive and free participation.

Biodiversity collapse threatens UK security, intelligence chiefs warn

Ecosystem destruction will increase food shortages, disorder and mass migration, with effects already being felt

The global attack on nature is threatening the UK’s national security, government intelligence chiefs have warned, as the increasingly likely collapse of vitally important natural systems would bring mass migration, food shortages and price rises, and global disorder.

Food supplies are particularly at risk since “without significant increases” the UK would be unable to compete with other nations for scarce resources, a report to ministers says.

Palestinian refugees’ West Bank football pitch saved after Uefa president lobbies Israel

• Ceferin, as well as Fifa, intervened with the Israeli FA

• Aida facility was set to be removed by security forces

A football pitch used by refugees in the occupied West Bank has been saved from demolition after an intervention by the president of Uefa, Aleksander Ceferin.

A decision to stop plans to remove the pitch in the Aida refugee camp outside Bethlehem was taken by Israeli security forces on Tuesday after an international campaign for its preservation.

Kurdish forces withdraw from IS detention camp in north-east Syria

US says it no longer supports SDF, which left camp as it loses swathes of territory to government forces

Kurdish-led forces in Syria have announced a withdrawal from a detention camp in north-east Syria housing tens of thousands of Islamic State-linked detainees, as the US declared it was no longer supporting them.

The fate of al-Hawl, which houses among others the most radical foreign women suspected to have been members of IS and their families, is of great concern to neighbouring states and the international community.

Ella Baron on Keir Starmer, Donald Trump and social media bans – cartoon

Continue reading...

Nervous rex: the Davos elite brace for Trump and his dinosaur diplomacy

Leaders of EU, France and Canada stake out positions on Greenland ahead of US president’s speech to World Economic Forum

“There’s no diplomacy with Donald Trump: he’s a T rex. You mate with him or he devours you.” Debate at the World Economic Forum annual meetings high in the Swiss Alps is usually scrupulously polite, but as this year’s gathering got under way in Davos on Tuesday, California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, had this blunt advice for handling the week’s star speaker.

The US president was yet to arrive but throughout the blond wood congress centre the hottest topic among the global elite of business and politics – on and off conference stages – was Trump’s intemperate attack on European allies, threatening punitive tariffs if they fail to let him annex Greenland.

Six-year-old girl is only member of family to survive Spanish rail disaster

Child was on way home from a musical with parents, brother and cousin when trains collided, killing 42 people

A six-year-old girl who had travelled to Madrid to see a musical was the only member of her family to survive Sunday’s rail disaster in southern Spain, which killed 42 people, among them her parents, her brother and her cousin.

The girl, who has not been named, was found walking along the tracks after two trains collided near the town of Adamuz in the Córdoba province of Andalucía. She had emerged from the accident with only a minor head wound.

Julia Letlow launches Trump-backed Senate primary bid against Bill Cassidy

Louisiana congresswoman is challenging Cassidy, who voted to convict the US president after 2021 Capitol attack

Louisiana congresswoman Julia Letlow officially announced her bid for Senate on Tuesday after receiving a “complete and total” social media endorsement from Donald Trump over the weekend.

Letlow, a Republican, is issuing a primary challenge to two-term GOP incumbent Bill Cassidy, a former physician who once voted to convict the president of inciting an insurrection during his second impeachment trial after the 2021 Capitol riots.

'The miracle': A 6-year-old walked away from the train wreck that killed her family

Her parents, brother and cousin were killed in the collision, but the girl was found walking barefoot on the tracks. She's being cared for by grandparents after receiving three stitches in her head.

The Guardian view on the French far right: mainstream parties are running out of time | Editorial

A Paris appeals court will decide if Marine Le Pen can stand in next year’s presidential election. But legal troubles have not damaged the fortunes of her party

In a Paris courtroom, the first act of the 2027 French presidential election is already under way. On Tuesday Marine Le Pen began to answer judges’ questions in her appeal against a conviction relating to the embezzlement of European parliament funds. If she wins, the far-right leader will be free to run for the presidency for a fourth time. If the sentence is upheld, her 30-year-old protege, Jordan Bardella, is almost certain to take her place in the race.

Having presented the original verdict as an assault on democracy by judges bent on thwarting her political ambitions, Ms Le Pen has softened her stance. If the appeals court is swayed by arguments that offences committed by her National Rally party were inadvertent, a five-year ban on running for public office may be reduced or overturned. Even if she loses, however, her political opponents may not be inclined to celebrate too enthusiastically.

Do 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.

Supreme Court seems skeptical of Hawaii gun restriction

Hawaii enacted a rule that bars people from bringing guns onto private property that is open to the public, like shops or gas stations, unless the owner gives express authorization.

Trump says U.K. return of Chagos Islands to Mauritius is reason to acquire Greenland

The president previously supported Britain's agreement to hand back sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago, where the U.K. continues to lease the U.S.-U.K. Diego Garcia military base.

Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says

Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse, says expert

The world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy” that is harming billions of people, a UN report has declared.

The overuse and pollution of water must be tackled urgently, the report’s lead author said, because no one knew when the whole system could collapse, with implications for peace and social cohesion.

Amy Adams, Ashley Walters and Charli xcx among the stars lined up for Berlin film festival

Programme for February’s Berlinale includes Adams in ‘enthralling’ film At the Sea, the directing debut for the Adolescence actor and the pop star’s tour mockumentary

New movies starring Amy Adams, Channing Tatum, Pamela Anderson, Callum Turner and Charli xcx and the directorial debut of British rapper-actor Ashley Walters will headline next month’s Berlin film festival, the first major European cinema showcase of the year.

The Berlinale, as the event is known, will spotlight new work on screen from 80 countries in its 76th edition, bringing A-list stars and fresh faces to the German capital during its 12-22 February run.

Here's who's canceled their Kennedy Center performances since Trump took over

The Martha Graham Dance Company is just the latest to say they will no longer perform at the Kennedy Center since Trump took over last year.

Europe condemns Trump’s ‘new colonialism’ as Greenland crisis grows

US president says there is ‘no going back’ on goal of controlling Arctic territory as Emmanuel Macron leads European resistance

• Europe live – latest updates

European leaders have lined up to condemn Donald Trump’s “new colonialism” and warn that the continent was facing a crossroads as the US president said there was no going back on his goal of controlling Greenland.

After weeks of aggressive threats by Trump to seize the vast Arctic island, which is a largely autonomous part of Denmark, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said on Tuesday he preferred “respect to bullies” and the “rule of law to brutality”.

More than 10 countries have signed on to Trump's "Board of Peace," sources say

More than 10 countries have signed on to join President Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza, sources familiar with the discussions told CBS News.

Naomi Osaka’s jellyfish-inspired outfit steals the show at Australian Open

Over the years, tennis has had its share of noteworthy fashion moments. And Osaka added another in Melbourne

Naomi Osaka’s renowned 125mph serve is positively slow compared with a jellyfish’s sting, which can cover 10 to 20 micrometres in less than one-millionth of a second. But it wasn’t just the invertebrate’s speed that the tennis player was calling on when she wore a jellyfish-inspired outfit to face Antonia Ruzic of Croatia in their first-round match at the Australian Open.

Entering Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, the 28-year-old tennis player’s look consisted of a pleated miniskirt over wide-legged trousers, a wide-brimmed hat with a white veil and a parasol. Jellyfish-esque elements were also incorporated into her on-court outfit, which featured a watery turquoise and green palette and soft frills on the warm-up jacket and dress, alluding to tentacles.

Beckham feud: why has Brooklyn gone nuclear? | The Latest

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, son of David and Victoria Beckham, has appeared to permanently cut ties with his family. In an explosive statement posted on Instagram, he claimed his parents had been controlling narratives in the press about his family and tried to 'ruin' his relationship with his wife, Nicola. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

Greenlanders 'bewildered' by Trump’s 'devastating' takeover threats, business minister tells CNBC

Greenland has been thrust into the geopolitical spotlight by President Donald Trump's takeover threats, and European nations' response.

My party had no ‘system’ to misuse EU funds, Marine Le Pen tells appeal trial

French far-right leader denies existence of fake jobs ‘system’ in effort to overturn ban on running for president

The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has told a Paris appeals court there was no “system” set up by her party to misuse European parliament funds, as she gave evidence in a fresh embezzlement trial that will determine whether she can run in the 2027 presidential election.

“The word ‘system’ bothers me because [it gives] the impression of a manipulation,” Le Pen said on Tuesday, denying she had told members of the European parliament to hire assistants who instead worked for the party headquarters in Paris.

Head of US Africa bureau urges staff to highlight US ‘generosity’ despite aid cuts

Email sent to diplomats by state department office’s new boss is labelled ‘racist’ after dismissing Africa as a priority

US diplomats have been encouraged to “unabashedly and aggressively” remind African governments about the “generosity” of the American people, according to a leaked email sent to staff in the US state department’s Bureau of African Affairs this January and obtained by the Guardian.

“It’s not gauche to remind these countries of the American people’s generosity in containing HIV/Aids or alleviating famine,” says the email.

Bessent says Trump's pick for the next Fed chair could happen next week

The president has whittled down the field to four candidates, Bessent told CNBC during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Prince Harry feels targeted for ‘standing up’ to Daily Mail publisher, court hears

Lawyer says duke, who is due to give evidence this week, feels he has endured ‘campaign of attacks’ by Associated

The Duke of Sussex believes he has faced a “sustained campaign” of attacks for having “the temerity to stand up” to the publisher of the Daily Mail, the high court has heard.

Lawyers for Prince Harry made the claim as they set out 14 articles about him they allege were secured using unlawful information-gathering by Associated Newspapers Ltd, which publishes the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday.

Rob Key likely to survive but T20 World Cup crucial to Brendon McCullum’s fate

• Key told ECB review of willingness to change after Ashes

• McCullum has had poor record in white-ball cricket

Rob Key’s position as England’s ­managing director of men’s cricket is looking increasingly secure after the initial stages of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s review of the Ashes defeat, but the future of Brendon McCullum as coach remains uncertain and will be heavily ­influenced by his side’s performances at next month’s T20 World Cup.

Key is understood to have spoken to the ECB chief executive, Richard Gould, and chair, Richard ­Thompson, and taken responsibility for England’s poor preparation for the Ashes and some bungled selections while on tour. He is believed to have indicated a willingness to do things differently if allowed to stay on, a crucial concession that could end up saving him.

‘I’d come back to the UK – but I’m not playing a cop’: Oscar-tipped Wunmi Mosaku on sensational vampire smash Sinners

She grew up on a Manchester council estate. Now she’s gone stratospheric for her pivotal role in Sinners. The star talks about leaving Britain for LA – and the £30 bus trip that changed her life

‘I do love a Greggs,” says Wunmi Mosaku, as she settles into a sofa in a hotel in London’s Holborn. She’s extolling the virtues of the high-street baker after I jokingly suggested that’s what she could have for lunch, now she’s back in the UK from her base in Los Angeles. Despite being Stateside for the best part of a decade, she has lost none of her Manchester twang or sense of humour.

“You know what I love about Greggs?” she asks, leaning in. “In each city, they have something specific to that place. So in London, they’ve got the Tottenham cake. Manchester’s got the Eccles cake. In Liverpool, they’ve got the scouse pie. In Newcastle, they’ve got … a ton of breads. You can’t get them anywhere else!”

Israel bulldozes Unrwa headquarters in East Jerusalem

Palestinian refugee agency compound is demolished, while teargas is fired at UN vocational school in West Bank

Israeli crews have started bulldozing the Jerusalem headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Jerusalem and fired teargas at a UN vocational school in Qalandia, in the West Bank.

Israel accuses the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unwra) of collaborating with Hamas – a charge the agency denies – and last year banned it from operating on its territory. The demolition marks Israel’s latest step against Unrwa, which provides aid to millions of Palestinian refugees.

Rep. Julia Letlow jumps into Louisiana Senate race with Trump's backing

GOP Rep. Julia Letlow is jumping into the Louisiana Senate race after President Trump encouraged her to challenge Sen. Bill Cassidy in the state's primary.

Dangerously cold temperatures and whiteout conditions slam northern U.S.

A major winter storm slammed the northern U.S. In Michigan, blizzard-like conditions led to a massive pileup involving more than 100 cars and trucks. Meanwhile, an intense snow squall also battered parts of western New York. Tom Hanson reports.

Foul play? Seve Ballesteros statue vanishes from hometown in Spain

• Life-size statue disappears in golf legend’s hometown

• ‘Everything indicates that it was a theft,’ says council

Spanish authorities have launched an investigation into the disappearance of a statue commemorating Seve Ballesteros from his hometown of Pedrena, near Santander in northern Spain’s Cantabria region.

The Marina de Cudeyo Town Council confirmed the incident on Sunday through their social media accounts, describing the disappearance as “an unfortunate event” and suggesting foul play. “Everything indicates that it was a theft,” the council stated.

Why the Trump administration’s demand for a list of Jews at Penn is so dangerous | Sigal Ben-Porath, Serena Mayeri and Amanda Shanor

If history teaches us anything, it is that making lists of Jews, no matter the ostensible purpose, is often a prelude to their and others’ persecution

This month, a judge ordered the University of Pennsylvania to justify its refusal to collect and disclose the names and personal contact information of Jewish faculty, staff and students to the federal government. Late last year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sued Penn to force compliance with this chilling demand, made in the name of fighting antisemitism. Jewish and non-Jewish community members at Penn and beyond have united to support the university’s resistance to compiling and releasing data about members of campus Jewish organizations, the Jewish studies department, and individuals who participated in confidential listening sessions and surveys about antisemitism.

That such a diverse array of organizations, including Penn’s Hillel and Meor chapters, AAUP-Penn, the Association for Jewish Studies, the American Council on Education and Pen America, as well as local chapters of the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Federation and the American Jewish Committee, have all spoken against the EEOC’s lawsuit reflects how deeply disturbing it is to think of the government demanding such a list. The Trump administration claims to act in the name of Jewish safety and against antisemitism, but this common reaction from groups with often divergent views may reflect a growing concern that its actions belie those laudable aims.

In the face of Trump’s threats, Britain’s best path is clearer than ever: hurry back to Europe | Stella Creasy

Labour must urgently seek new roles and alliances, while also enhancing the UK’s own military capabilities

• Stella Creasy is chair of the Labour Movement for Europe

If the threats of Donald Trump prove anything, it is that the mantra of “shared values” with his administration is as much use as a chocolate teapot. Countries across the world are scrambling to adjust. Canada has announced a trade realignment towards China – and talk grows of counter-sanctions in Europe. If the UK wants to avoid being caught in the crossfire, there really is only one alternative: to finally take the brakes off rebuilding our common future in Europe.

In the past few weeks, Nato has suffered life-changing injuries. This should not be surprising, given the repeated signals from Washington, from the anti-European screed in Trump’s National Security Strategy to the harassment of President Zelenskyy at the White House. When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time and act accordingly.

Stella Creasy is chair of the Labour Movement for Europe and the Labour and Cooperative MP for Walthamstow

UK approves Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London after reassurances from spy chiefs

Critics expected to mount legal challenge to plans for vast complex at Royal Mint Court amid security concerns

• UK politics live – latest updates

The communities secretary, Steve Reed, has given permission for China to build a vast new embassy near the Tower of London after spy chiefs told him that the risks to UK national security could be controlled and dealt with.

The decision paves the way for Keir Starmer to visit Beijing in the coming weeks – though local residents plan to legally challenge the decision, potentially delaying the development by months or years.

‘Children make mistakes,’ David Beckham says after Brooklyn post

Comments come day after son publicly aired grievances and said he had no interest in reconciling with family

David Beckham has said parents must let their children “make mistakes” just a day after his son Brooklyn publicly aired his grievances with his family in an Instagram post that drew global media attention.

Brooklyn, 26, made a host of claims regarding the former England footballer and his wife, the singer and fashion designer Victoria Beckham.

Russell Brand appears in UK court charged with further sexual offences

Comedian, 50, appeared via video link from US over charges of rape and sexual assault in relation to two women

Russell Brand has appeared in a UK court via video link from the US charged with two further sexual offences, including rape.

The 50-year-old comedian was charged in December with one count of rape and one count of sexual assault in relation to two women. The two alleged offences took place in 2009.

Tell us your favourite confusing TV show

We would like to hear about the shows that leave you confused, yet entertained all the same

What is a TV show that leaves you confused, yet entertained all the same? The Guardian’s writers are compiling their favourites – and now we would like to hear yours.

If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

Elon Musk floats idea of buying Ryanair after calling CEO ‘an idiot’

Tesla boss clashed with Michael O’Leary when airline boss rejected installing Starlink technology on aircraft

• Business live – latest updates

Elon Musk has floated the idea of buying the budget airline Ryanair, escalating his public spat with the Irish carrier’s boss, Michael O’Leary.

The two outspoken businessmen have locked horns since last week, when O’Leary was asked whether he would follow Lufthansa and British Airways in installing Musk’s Starlink satellite internet technology on his fleet of 650 aircraft.

Netflix revises its offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, making it all cash

The streaming service is sweetening its offer amid Paramount Skydance's hostile takeover bid for the Hollywood studio.

Stocks slide after Trump threatens European allies with tariffs

U.S. stocks sank on Tuesday following President Trump's weekend threats to impose tariffs on some NATO trading partners.

‘What did I just watch?’ The TV shows that utterly baffle us – but we can’t switch off

From David Bowie being reincarnated as a kettle to Reese Witherspoon in space, our writers list the TV head-scratchers they can’t get enough of

With a gun to my head, I couldn’t tell you with any degree of accuracy what Tim Robinson’s The Chair Company is actually about. In terms of straight plot, it’s the story of a man who is drawn into a conspiracy after a chair breaks when he sits on it. But beyond that, it’s honestly anyone’s guess.

Divorce rings: why women are celebrating their breakups

From repurposed engagement rings to parties, tattoos and the wild home renovations of #DivorcedMomCore, relationship splits have entered a surprising new era

Name: Divorce rings.

Age: Relatively new. British Vogue is reporting that they are a thing. And if it’s in Vogue the chances are it’s in vogue.

Tell us: has a chatbot helped you out of a difficult time in your life?

We would like to hear from people who have used chatbots for companionship or mental health support

AI Chatbots are now a part of everyday life. ChatGPT surpassed 800 million weekly active users in late 2025.

Some people are forming relationships with these chatbots, using them for companionship, mental health support, and even as therapists.

Has a chatbot helped you get through a difficult period in life? If so, we’d like to hear about it.

If you’re having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.

Tell us: what are you wearing and why does it matter?

Our clothes can be one of the most powerful non-verbal communicators – tell us yours reflect who you are and what you do?

From uniforms to suits to tracksuits to costumes, clothes keep us warm and covered – but they are also one of the most powerful non-verbal communicators, a second skin which reflects who you are and what you do.

We want to hear from people about why they wear what they wear. Do your clothes help you in the workplace? Are they making a statement? Maybe you’re a waiter and have worn the same work uniform for years, or maybe your job involves wearing very little. Please tell us about yourselves.

‘Why was it me?’ Mon Rovîa​ on going from war-torn Liberia to US folk-pop stardom

Having just released his debut album, Bloodlines, the singer discusses his fractured identity, survivor’s guilt and how he took solace in Mumford & Sons

Long before he started packing out theatres and earning millions of listeners with his poetic folk-pop, Mon Rovîa began life in Liberia at a time when many of his country’s youngest were armed with assault rifles and forced to fight as child soldiers in a brutal civil war. After his mother died, his grandmother needed help raising his sister, brother and him, and placed him with a white missionary family from Florida. He was the only member of his family to escape the war. “That is something that weighed heavy on me as I grew,” he says. “Why was it me? Why couldn’t my siblings come, or why wasn’t it one of them?” It would be years until he knew what became of them.

Today, his stage name – he was born Janjay Lowe – is a stylised version of the Liberian capital Monrovia; his songwriting addresses his fractured identity, and the spectre of colonialism that surrounded him in Liberia and the US, applying emotional intimacy to global realities. His approach, he theorises, “starts with people trusting that you’re not afraid to be vulnerable in your own way. Then you start talking about the bigger picture.”

Lawmakers release final measures to fund government ahead of shutdown deadline

Congress has until Jan. 30 to fund the remaining government agencies and programs following the longest government shutdown in history in November.

‘My mum went so far as to call me evil’: nine things you need to know about the Beckham family feud

Brooklyn has finally broken his silence about his rift with his parents. He’s not mincing his words – from his ‘overwhelming anxiety’ about being raised in the spotlight to his mum’s ‘inappropriate dancing’ at his wedding

Rich, powerful and beautiful they may be, but the Beckhams are almost certainly having a worse day than you. After quite literally years of tabloid speculation and swipes between siblings on social media, the long-rumoured rift between Lord and Lady Becks and their eldest son, Brooklyn, has finally come to a head, with Brooklyn “breaking his silence” in a wordy, six-slide statement to Instagram late on Monday.

If your response to his opus was “I ain’t reading all that”, here’s the lowdown on 26-year-old Brooklyn’s beef, and David and Victoria’s alleged transgressions, so that you can at least pretend you did.

"Mastermind" of Minnesota's biggest fraud scheme speaks out

In an exclusive interview from her jail cell, Aimee Bock defended her conduct in Minnesota's Feeding Our Future fraud case, but admitted regrets.

Why you might get a "peanut butter"-style pay raise in 2026

What's a "peanut butter" raise? Here's what it means, and why this is the type of pay hike you should expect this year.

This fun thriller does the impossible: it makes you feel sorry for influencers (yes, really)

Influencer stars Cassandra Naud as CW, a Tom Ripley for the Instagram generation, who takes out influencers, posts as them and enjoys their lifestyles

“Film is a machine for empathy,” Roger Ebert famously once said – and given how empathetic this scrappy thriller made me feel towards influencers, of all people, Influencer is a very well-oiled machine indeed. Director Kurtis David Harder takes a good elevator pitch – hot girl kills influencers and takes over their social media accounts – and turns it into something far smarter and entertaining than you might expect, with a small budget and a lead actor who, mark my words, will be in everything before long.

The film opens on Madison (Emily Tennant), an influencer who is in Thailand on a sort of working holiday – taking smiley selfies, posing with skincare products and barely leaving her hotel while espousing the values of travel to her thousands of followers. “I love soaking it all in and really experiencing Asia as it is meant to be experienced – away from my comfort zone,” her voiceover coos, while we watch her eat a burger alone at her hotel and mope over her manager-boyfriend, Ryan (Rory J Saper), who didn’t come with her. After posting a bubbly video on an idyllic beach, she stares blankly out at the beautiful horizon as her phone pings incessantly; this is a lonely, empty life she has chosen, and she seems to know it.

Four shark attacks in 48 hours leave Australian surfer Matt more afraid of local beaches than world’s biggest waves

Spate of incidents involving sharks across Sydney and New South Wales have rattled even the most seasoned surfers and beachgoers

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

In a city of more than 100 beaches, swimming and surfing are part of Sydney’s lifeblood. But four shark bites in New South Wales in 48 hours – three of which were in Sydney – have rattled even some of the city’s most seasoned ocean users.

On Sunday afternoon, a 12-year-old boy was left fighting for his life after being bitten on a harbour beach in Vaucluse in Sydney’s east. On Monday morning, an 11-year-old’s surfboard was bitten multiple times at Dee Why in the city’s north, while that afternoon, a 27-year-old man was bitten while surfing in Manly, less than 5km away.

Netflix sweetens Warner Bros bid with all-cash offer to block Paramount

Streaming company says proposal speeds up completion and allows WBD investors to vote as soon as April

Netflix has sweetened its $82.7bn (£61.5bn) offer for the studios and streaming businesses of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) by making it an all-cash deal, streamlining its potential completion in the face of a hostile bid from Paramount Skydance.

The streaming company had originally secured the unanimous backing of the WBD board last month with a cash-and-shares proposal that valued the business at $27.75 a share.

Breaking down Trump's first year of second term, from foreign policy to immigration

President Trump on Tuesday marks one year since he was sworn into office for a second time. A new CBS News poll finds just 41% of Americans approve of the job he's doing so far. Chief Washington analyst Robert Costa joins "CBS Mornings" to break down his second-term agenda.

A hovering helicopter and a winter whiteout: photos of the day – Tuesday

The Guardian’s picture editors select some of the most powerful photos from around the world

Trump says EU won't 'push back too much' as Denmark sends extra troops to Greenland

U.S. President Donald Trump dimissed the idea of the European Union firmly opposing his plans to annex Greenland.

Valentino obituary

Italian fashion designer who dressed some of the world’s most photographed women in glamorous, show-stopping gowns

After Valentino Garavani retired in 2008 from a fashion world in which the meaning of luxury had changed, his half-century of couture creation was marked with exhibitions.

The one at Somerset House in London in 2012, Valentino: Master of Couture, displayed more than a hundred of his outfits within close peering range, each with a card bearing the name of the woman – royal, diva, star, social leader – for whom it had been created.

He never warms the jars, so why doesn’t my son’s marmalade go mouldy?

Our preserving pundits dive into the bittersweet dilemmas surrounding baking paper circles, wax seals and the judicious application of heat

When my son makes marmalade, he never warms the jars or uses circles of baking paper and cellophane – he just puts the lids on. It never goes mouldy, so am I wasting my time doing it the “proper” way?
Dagna, Berkhamsted, Herts
You can’t get much sweeter than marmalade, and this is most likely the reason for both Dagna and her son’s success, despite their differing strategies. “The chance of mould developing is low because there’s so much sugar to balance the bitterness of the orange peel,” says Camilla Wynne, preserver and author of All That Crumbs Allow. “Mould needs water to do its thing, and sugar binds to water.” She recalls a former student who, like Dagna’s son, simply ladled her marmalade into jars and closed the lids. All was fine until one day the student’s latest batch of marmalade was covered in mould: “She’d been reducing the sugar in her recipe over the years, so her method no longer worked because there was available water for mould to grow.”

But back to the particulars of the family dispute. “He’s more right than she is,” says Pam Corbin, author of Pam the Jam: The Book of Preserves. “Nowadays, we have fantastic food-grade lids, which have a wax seal inside and keep preserves safer than a wax disc and cellophane would.” Some people put a wax disc under the twist-on lid, too, but for Corbin that’s a hard no: “As the marmalade cools, condensation forms on top of the paper, so you’re more likely to get mould.”

Got a culinary dilemma? Email [email protected]

The divorce between the U.S. and WHO is final this week. Or is it?

The U.S. is the only country allowed to withdraw from the World Health Organization. And Jan. 22 is the day when Trump's pullout announcement should go into effect. But ... it's complicated.

Trump leaks world leaders' messages. And, Indiana wins its first national title

President Trump explains why he wants to acquire Greenland in private messages with world leaders. And, Indiana caps off a perfect football season with a national championship win over Miami.

I am in Iran watching the protests and desperate for change. But I don’t believe the regime will fall | Anonymous

I wish I were wrong, but all I see is a paranoid state digging in

Iran is caught in yet another round of widespread civil unrest. These lines are written amid an internet blackout and I didn’t know if I’d be able to send them out. Ever since the 2009 post-election uprising, sporadic outbursts of public anger have become somewhat the order of the day, mostly silenced – brutally for a while – only to fester and uncork again on another occasion.

The street protest is not the sole medium through which opposition has tried to convey its dissent. Iranians have tried everything – be it the very narrow and funnelled channel of elections between the limited choices offered by the state, or on social media, in universities and at public events. The demand for meaningful change is repeated through different means, again and again, yet to no avail. Ever since the 2000s, the Iranian state heeds little in the way of democratic demands. And when there has been a narrow crack in the state bulwark, the likes of Donald Trump – by the reimposition of sanctions and violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – sabotaged and derailed civil attempts at reforming the Islamic republic.

The writer lives in Iran

Do 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.

Does it even need to be said? No, you don’t need to do a ‘parasite cleanse’

Pricey deworming remedies are being touted as cure-alls. Supermodel Heidi Klum gave it a go – experts roll their eyes

Last August, supermodel Heidi Klum revealed that she and her husband, Tom Kaulitz, were planning a worm and parasite cleanse.

“Everything on my Instagram feed at the moment is about worms and parasites,” she told the Wall Street Journal, ominously adding: “I don’t know what the heck is going to come out.”

Jannik Sinner powers into Australian Open second round while Monfils says goodbye

• Reigning champion through after Hugo Gaston retires

• Retiring Monfils, 39, thanks crowd for ‘amazing ride’

Jannik Sinner advanced to the second round of the Australian Open on Tuesday, with the defending champion taking just over an hour after his French opponent Hugo Gaston retired upon losing the first two sets 6-2, 6-1.

In his first official match since beating Carlos Alcaraz for the ATP Finals crown in November, the Italian world No 2 was in ominous form on Rod Laver Arena.

Kim Jong-un fires vice-premier and likens him to ‘a goat yoked to an ox cart’

North Korean leader reportedly blames Yang Sung-ho for ‘confusion’ at factory project as major congress looms

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has dismissed a vice-premier over troubles in a factory modernisation project, in an apparent move to tighten discipline among officials and push them to deliver greater results before a major political conference.

The upcoming ruling Workers’ party congress, the first of its kind in five years, is one of North Korea’s biggest propaganda spectacles and is intended to review past projects, establish new political and economic priorities and reshuffle officials.

Looking for Miracle: why have so many dugongs gone missing from Thailand’s shores?

The Andaman coast was one of very few places in the world with a viable population but then dead dugongs began washing up. Now half have gone

A solitary figure stands on the shore of Thailand’s Tang Khen Bay. The tide is slowly rising over the expanse of sandy beach, but the man does not seem to notice. His eyes are not fixed on the sea, but on the small screen clutched between his hands.

About 600 metres offshore, past the shadowy fringe of coral reef, his drone hovers over the murky sea, focused on a whirling grey shape: Miracle, the local dugong, is back.

Trump's Board of Peace has several invited leaders trying to figure out how it'll work

It's unclear how many leaders have been asked to join the board, and the large number of invitations being sent out, including to countries that don't get along, has raised questions about the board's mandate and decision-making processes.

Pardoned Jan. 6 rioter to face criminal trial for child molestation

Andrew Johnson is the latest in a series of pardoned Jan. 6 riot defendants to face new criminal charges.

The pub that changed me: ‘I saw an Isle of Man that had been largely unknown to me’

‘The Woody’ was crammed and chaotic, and nobody could be rushed. There was always time for another pint and conversation

I felt eyes on me the second I stepped into the pub. It was as though we were interlopers in a sacred space – everyone turned to look. Self-consciously, I walked to a door labelled “BAR” and pushed it open, and was met by further stares at me and my female companion. Only once we had got our pints and sat down did we notice the “GENTS ONLY” sign on the wall.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! review – trippy anime adapted from Japanese folk dives into virtual reality popworld

Emojis explode all over the screen in this hyperactive adaptation of a Japanese folk tale about a princess who has run away from the moon

Never has a film been more deserving of an exclamation mark at the end of the title than this animation from Japan. Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is an adaptation of a Japanese folk tale, the story of a princess from the moon discovered inside a bamboo stalk in a poor rural village. A decade ago, Studio Ghibli adapted the tale into a gorgeously animated movie with a traditional, lovingly hand-painted feel. This film could not be more different, a trippy, high-energy, techno anime set in the near future, half of it in a virtual reality world – and TikTok-ifed with emojis and stickers exploding all over the screen.

It begins when a 17-year-old high school student called Iroha finds a baby girl inside a glowing lamppost (rather than the bamboo stalk of the original). Iroha (voiced by Dawn M Bennett in the English dub) is a sensible kid, a talented musician and grade-A student who has already moved out of the family home and is living alone, working all hours to pay the rent of her tiny studio flat. In any free time she does have, Iroha follows her idol, AI musical megastar Yachiyo, in a crazy, chaotic virtual reality world called Tsukuyomi.

9 major themes that defined the first year of Trump's second term

President Trump has reshaped America's approach to foreign policy, pressured political enemies, downsized the federal workforce and prioritized deportations his first year in office.

The influencer racing to save Thailand’s most endangered sea mammal

Amateur conservationist and social media influencer Theerasak 'Pop' Saksritawee has a rare bond with Thailand’s critically endangered dugongs. With dugong fatalities increasing, Pop works alongside scientists at Phuket Marine Biological Centre to track the mammals with his drone and restore their disappearing seagrass habitat. Translating complex science for thousands online, Pop raises an urgent alarm about climate change, pollution and habitat loss — before Thailand’s dugongs vanish forever

It’s a Brooklyn v Beckham Inc disaster: what happens when the elephant in the room goes rogue | Marina Hyde

Sir David and Victoria cornered the market in selling their family’s privacy for money – but there was a price to pay, and Brooklyn Peltz Beckham has just sent them the bill

The way 2026 has started, none of us wants to see the word “nuclear” in a headline, so on some level you have to feel glad that last night’s news alerts announcing in real time that someone “goes nuclear” and “launches nuclear attack” related to Brooklyn Peltz Beckham. At time of writing, the story about his Instagram broadside against his parents, David and Victoria Beckham, accusing them of treating him as a commercial prop all his life was by far, far and away the best read on the Guardian site, as well as the most deeply read. Again, I’m glad this blow-up wasn’t used as geopolitical cover, because if there was a time for Trump to invade Greenland largely unnoticed, maybe this was it.

Whoever wrote Brooklyn’s intercontinental ballistic Instagram – and it wasn’t the childlike authorial voice behind regular “I always choose you baby … me and you forever baby” posts to his wife – the sentiments will be his. Here’s a sample: “My family values public promotion and endorsements above all else. Brand Beckham comes first. Family ‘love’ is decided by how much you post on social media, or how quickly you drop everything to show up and pose for a family photo opp …”

Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnist

Do 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.

Hilary Duff review – first gig in 18 years for former teen icon is euphoric, escapist fun

Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
Despite never being a huge pop force after her years as Disney star Lizzie McGuire, fans come from Brazil and Saudi Arabia for Duff’s charming, self-deprecating return

It’s fair to say that US actor-singer-writer-entrepreneur Hilary Duff has never been a force to be reckoned with in pop music. Her songs and albums have neither been particularly critically acclaimed nor commercially dominant; many people would know her only as Lizzie McGuire, hero of the Disney Channel sitcom from the early 00s. But for the 38-year-old Duff’s first live performance in 18 years, she’s met with a sold-out crowd screaming back every word of her music like they are all universally adored hits. Duff seems overwhelmed by the rapturous reception. Fans have come from Brazil, Saudi Arabia and all over Europe, and they are often so loud you can’t hear the woman on stage.

But after the shock wears off, Duff shows no signs of rust and her fierce sincerity combined with girl next door charm infuses the night with euphoria and escapism. When she jumps up and down on the stage’s sofa singing Why Not, you get the sense that this is how everyone in the crowd once sang the song in their adolescence. She’s also not afraid to poke fun at herself and her past: she brings three fans on stage to recreate the low-energy dance choreography of her 2007 single With Love that went viral on TikTok in 2021.

The 17-song set expertly sprinkles five new numbers from forthcoming album Luck … Or Something in between fan favourites such as 2015’s criminally underrated Sparks and 2003’s So Yesterday to keep the mood elevated. Time has made Duff’s voice more textured and refined, adding new depth to songs like Fly and Come Clean, though the twee Someone’s Watching Over Me, a ballad about self-acceptance, is cloying.

The biggest noise of the night comes with the one-two encore of her new single Mature and the Lizzie McGuire classic What Dreams Are Made Of. A wild singalong ensues complete with pink butterfly confetti as a giddy Duff jumps for joy on stage. It’s an emotional conclusion that takes this devoted crowd to new levels of noisy rapture and proves that Duff could easily put music at the centre of her portfolio career.

Researchers find Antarctic penguin breeding is heating up sooner

Warming temperatures are forcing Antarctic penguins to breed earlier and that's a big problem for two of the cute tuxedoed species that face extinction by the end of the century, a study said.

As Trump dismantles the existing world order, his version is still taking shape

In his second term, the president is embracing a foreign policy that breaks sharply from U.S. tradition. Both supporters and critics say he's upending a global system in place for 80 years.

Houseplant hacks: can you really use banana water as a fertiliser?

Bananas contain nutrients, but rotting peel smells and attracts fruit flies

The problem
Do you ever finish your smoothie, look at the peel and think: “Surely this could feed something?” You are not alone: social media is full of claims that soaking banana skins in water makes a fertiliser that will give you bigger leaves and better blooms.

The hack
Put banana peels in a jar of water, leave them to sit, then pour the liquid on your plants. Bananas do contain potassium and small amounts of other nutrients. The snag is you have no idea how strong it is or what’s missing.