Minimalist News

Behind The Utter Failure Of Russian Anti-Air Systems In Venezuela There are reports that during the Trump-ordered military raid on Venezuela to oust and capture President Nicolás Maduro, at least one US helicopter was hit by surface fire or possibly small missile, but the chopper managed to keep flying - with the pilot wounded - and the damaged aircraft made it back from the mission safely. But this raised the question: what happened to Venezuela's Russian-supplied anti-air defenses, including S-300 and Buk-M2 surface-to-air missile systems purchased in 2009? While at this point it is well understood that the US military and CIA had help from

10 Commandment Displays Became Law In Texas, Then The Lawsuits Came Authored by Darlene McCormick Sanchez via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Melissa Martin, a veteran Texas educator with some 30 years of experience, was thrilled when the state passed a law in 2025 that required the state’s 9,000 public schools to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms. Lorne Liechty poses with a copy of the Ten Commandments in Rockwall, Texas, on Jan. 8, 2026. Bobby Sanchez for The Epoch Times For Martin, it was a bright spot—a swing back toward classical education rooted in Western civilization in an otherwise liberal teaching environment. Her excitement

New Documents Detail Jack Smith's $20K Bribe To Informant In 2023, then-Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office approved a shady $20,000 payment to a confidential human source for information in the controversial FBI probe, code-named Arctic Frost, which investigated efforts by President Donald Trump and his supporters to challenge the 2020 election results, according to documents FBI Director Kash Patel turned over to Congress this week. The documents outline the scope and methods of the investigation. An email shows that prosecutorial approval was communicated by Counselor to the Special Counsel, Raymond Hulser, on June 2, 2023.  The memo states the payment "was discussed by

Their Bodies Were Irreversibly Damaged, Now These Former Transgender Teens Are Fighting for Justice Authored by Darlene McCormick Sanchez via The Epoch Times, Young people who used to identify as transgender have filed dozens of lawsuits in the past few years, but have yet to win a verdict in their favor. They are known as “detransitioners,” those who regret changing their gender identity, often after making irreversible changes to their bodies via medication and surgery on the advice of medical professionals. This year, several cases that have survived dismissal and arbitration, are making their way into courtrooms across the country. These cases face obstacles, including

Russia Belatedly Reveals Ukrainian Target Destroyed By Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile The NY Times had called it a warning delivered to Europe at Mach 10: "The message came screaming through the skies at 8,000 miles per hour. Early Friday morning, for just the second time since its all-out invasion of Ukraine, Russia fired a nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile — a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic weapon that until recently was banned under international treaty," the publication wrote. The Ukrainian side, along with some evidence available from circulating videos, pointed to a hypersonic projectile having been used against the far western Ukrainian city of Lviv, but the question of just

"The Globalist Deep State Is In Panic Mode" After Trump's Cash Cut-Off Via Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com, Journalist Alex Newman, author of the popular book “Deep State” (which is soon to be massively updated and re-released), thinks evil powers trying to overthrow America are distraught because their money and plans are drying up.  Newman says, “I think the globalist Deep State is in panic mode, and I think the Left is as well..." > "The operation against Maduro sent a massive shock wave through the global Left.   > > I see the global Left as a tentacle of the global Deep State.  It runs right through

DoJ Charges Venezuelan Illegal Over Border Patrol Vehicle Ramming Attack Fox News reporter Bill Melugin reports that the Department of Justice has charged a Venezuelan national, who was shot by Border Patrol in the Portland metro area last Thursday, with aggravated assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon after allegedly using his red pickup truck to ram a federal vehicle. This follows the recent ICE shooting in Minneapolis that left one far-left activist dead. Additionally, attacks on federal agents are on the rise. Melugin further explained how the DoJ arrived at the charges and provided additional color about the ramming

South Korea To Lift Ban On Corporate Crypto Investment: Report Authored by Martin Young via CoinTelegraph.com, South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) is reportedly updating its guidelines to allow corporations to invest in digital assets after a nine-year ban.  Listed companies and professional investors will be able to invest up to 5% of their equity capital in crypto assets, reported local news outlet Seoul Economic Daily on Sunday.  According to the report, a senior FSC official familiar with the matter said the authorities will “release the final guidelines in January [or] February and allow virtual currency transactions for investment and financial purposes by legal entities.” The move

Mexico Reports Positive Conversation With Trump On Security, Drug Trafficking Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Jan. 12 that she had a productive dialogue with President Donald Trump on efforts to combat drug trafficking and other issues of mutual concern. > “We had a very good conversation with the President of the United States, Donald Trump,” Sheinbaum wrote in a post on X on Monday. > > “We discussed various topics, including security, with respect for our sovereignty, reducing drug trafficking, trade, and investment. Collaboration and cooperation within a framework of mutual respect always yield results.” As The Epoch Times' Ryan Morgan reports, the

Trump Imposes 25% Tariff On Any Country Doing Business With Iran "Effective Immediately" After it quietly faded away in late summer, that trade war with China is about to make a triumphal reappearance. In a day that was already flooded by a relentless firehose of newsflow, Trump added to the leaning tower of chaos when said on Truth Social that he was imposing a 25% tariff on goods from countries “doing business” with Iran (most notably China which is its largest oil client), ratcheting up pressure on the government in Tehran that has been rocked by widespread protests. Trump said that the new

Trump 'Favors' Attacking Iran, Vance Pushing Back, As President Pezeshkian In Streets For Large Counter-Protests Update(1820ET): There are reports of a significant internal Trump administration divide over Iran policy, with Vice President Vance said to be leading the charge for the non-interventionist camp, which much of MAGA might welcome while seeing in Vance the top contender for 2028: > President Trump currently leans toward authorizing fresh military strikes on Iran, U.S. officials say, as the White House is weighing a last-ditch Iranian offer to engage in diplomacy over curbing its nuclear program. > > Some senior administration aides, led by Vice President JD

The ICE Elephant: Why The Law Requires All The Facts Authored by Jonathan Turley, In a famous Indian parable, five blind men are brought to an elephant. Each feels a different part of the animal, and they come to radically different views of what an elephant is. It depended on which parts they touched, from tusk to tail. The controversy over the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, 37, is a type of political elephant parable. People focus on only certain parts of the story to support what they want the case to mean. Critics and supporters of the responsible officer have slowed down videotapes that

Australia Joins The Rare Earth Reserve Rush Australia will begin purchasing and storing key minerals for defense and high-tech industries from local miners as part of a A$1.2 billion ($802 million) national reserve aimed at strengthening global supply chains, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Bloomberg reports that the initial stockpile will target rare earths, antimony and gallium, according to Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Resources Minister Madeleine King and Trade Minister Don Farrell. As one of the largest rare-earth producers outside China, Australia hopes the move will reduce Beijing’s leverage over critical resources. Critical minerals have become a flashpoint in global trade disputes, particularly

States Poised To Win Supreme Court Battle Over Men In Women's Sports, Legal Experts Predict Authored by Matthew Vadum via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The U.S. Supreme Court will uphold two state laws that ban male athletes who don’t identify with their sex from competing on school sports teams intended for females, legal experts say. The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 5, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times Their comments come as the nation’s highest court prepares to hear back-to-back oral arguments on Jan. 13 in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. Idaho and West Virginia argue their respective laws comply

House Republicans Coalesce Around Stock-Trading Ban For Lawmakers House Republicans are lining up behind a long-sought effort to curb stock trading by members of Congress, signaling what party leaders say may be their strongest opportunity yet to address concerns that lawmakers can profit from insider information. (Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images) The proposal, drafted by Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the Committee on House Administration, would prohibit House and Senate members from purchasing individual stocks while in office. The measure, titled the Stop Insider Trading Act, has secured backing from House GOP leadership and support from Republicans across ideological factions. Steil

On The Lefty-Left's Largely Female Hysteria Authored by James Howard Kunstler, PERMISSION GRANTED: GO KILL YOURSELF > “A mascrosocial cluster B crisis is ripping this nation apart because Leftism has hijacked the minds of progressive females who then LARP out dangerous Gnostic heroic delusions.” > > - JD Haltigan Historians of the future, grilling beaver-tail paninis over their campfires, will look back in wonder and nausea at the madness of America — and other regions of Western Civ — in the raging 2020s. It will be clear by then that it was largely a female hysteria, like other departures from social sanity in the annals

Socialism, Not Sanctions, Is Responsible For The Destruction Of Venezuela Authored by Daniel Lacalle, Venezuela is not poor due to sanctions. It is poor because the Chavez-Maduro regime stole hundreds of billions of dollars and demolished the productive fabric of the economy. Venezuela had 12,700 private companies when Chávez came to power, according to Conindustria. Only about 3,800 manufacturing industries are still operating, of which around 3,200 are privately owned and 600 are state‑owned. The assault on private property culminated with the expropriation of more than 690 companies in twelve years. Government-run businesses failed, and large state-owned companies in Venezuela are technically insolvent or heavily loss-making. Socialism

UK, Germany, France Push New Plan To Appease Trump On Greenland President Trump's Friday's remarks to reporters Friday made clear he is willing to take control of Greenland - even if it's the "hard way" - and this sent the Europeans scrambling over the weekend to come up with plans or strategies for quickly de-escalating inter-NATO tensions. "I'm not talking about money for Greenland yet. I might talk about that. But right now we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not," the President had said, adding: "I would like to make a deal. You know, the

UBS Explains Why Trump's 10% Credit Card Rate Cap Is "Unlikely" To Happen Update (1520ET): Analysts Erika Najarian and Tim Chiodo told clients that President Trump's proposed 10% one-year cap on credit card interest rates is "unlikely." The analysts explain their reasoning: > With the midterms ahead and affordability remaining top of mind for voters, President Trump posted on social media that he is calling for a 10% rate cap on credit card APRs beginning on January 20, 2026, effective for one year. > > We note that: > > 1. It would take an Act of Congress for such rate caps to be put

Most US Debanking Cases Stem From Government Pressure, Report Says Authored by Stephen Katte via CoinTelegraph.com, The majority of debanking cases in the US are a result of government pressure, rather than individual banks’ policies, according to a new report from the American think tank the Cato Institute. Cato Institute analyst Nicholas Anthony explained in a report on Thursday that debanking could take several forms: religious or political, the idea that a financial institution closes accounts solely due to political or religious belief or affiliation; operational, when a bank chooses to close a customer’s account as it’s no longer in the bank’s interest; or government, when a

Exclusive: ClimatePartner analysis shows how move would risk plunging Earth further into climate catastrophe US plans to exploit Venezuela’s oil reserves could by 2050 consume more than a tenth of the world’s remaining carbon budget to limit global heating to 1.5C, according to an exclusive analysis. The calculation highlights how any moves to further exploit the South American nation’s oil reserves – the largest in the world, at least on paper – would put increasing pressure on climate goals, and risk plunging the Earth further into climate catastrophe. Continue reading...

Leftwing leader rallies his supporters as US president accuses him of drug trafficking and threatens military action A leftwing South American firebrand calls for his followers to rally in public squares nationwide to defend his country’s sovereignty and decry verbal attacks from Donald Trump. The US president accuses the leader of personally flooding American streets with illegal drugs and imposes sanctions against him and his wife. Threats of military action are followed by a phone conversation between the two leaders. One might imagine that this is a description of the buildup of tensions that led to the 3 January special forces raid

Picture is as murky as a barrel of oil, with US companies in 2026 expecting their first production drop in four years US shale-oil producers were already contending with oil prices at four-year lows. News that they may soon face a significant competitor in their back yard probably wasn’t how frackers wanted to greet 2026. The US capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolaá Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, hit the share prices of independent shale-oil producers, such as Diamondback Energy and Devon Energy, last week. Continue reading...

Canada’s PM seeks to smooth over past ructions in relationship with China as trade war takes its toll During the final stretch of Canada’s spring election campaign, Mark Carney told a debate audience that China was the country’s “biggest geopolitical risk”. He pointed to its attempts to meddle in elections and its recent efforts to disrupt Canada’s Arctic claims. When Carney’s government plane touches down in Beijing this week, it will be the first time a Canadian prime minister has been welcomed in nearly a decade. The trip, undertaken amid the rupturing of global economic and political alliances, reflects a desire by

US president says company is ‘playing too cute’ after CEO responds sceptically to his push for oil investment after deposing Nicolás Maduro Donald Trump has said he might block ExxonMobil from investing in Venezuela after the oil company’s chief executive called the country “uninvestable” during a White House meeting last week. Darren Woods told the US president that Venezuela would need to change its laws before it could be an attractive investment opportunity, during the high-profile meeting on Friday with at least 17 other oil executives. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Chinese officials are using a ‘highly specific’ interpretation of EU rules to suggest Taiwanese figures should not be granted visas, officials say Chinese officials have been pushing “legal advice” on European countries, saying their own border laws require them to ban entry to Taiwanese politicians, according to more than half a dozen diplomats and officials familiar with the matter. The officials made demarches to European embassies in Beijing, or through local embassies directly to European governments in their capital cities, warning the European countries not to “trample on China’s red lines”, according to the European diplomats and ministries who spoke to

‘Historic’ moment in biggest coal-consuming countries could bring decline in global emissions, analysis says Coal power generation fell in China and India for the first time since the 1970s last year, in a “historic” moment that could bring a decline in global emissions, according to analysis. The simultaneous fall in coal-powered electricity in the world’s biggest coal-consuming countries had not happened since 1973, according to analysts at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, and was driven by a record roll-out of clean energy projects. Continue reading...

Country follows Indonesia in restricting access after global outcry over X’s AI tool Malaysia has become the second country to temporarily block access to Elon Musk’s Grok after a global outcry over the AI tool and its ability to produce fake, sexualised images. Malaysia said it would restrict access to Grok until effective safeguards were implemented, a day after similar action was taken by Indonesia. Continue reading...

Early Rain pastor said to be among those held in sweep that followed arrests of members of other unregistered churches Leaders of a prominent underground church have been detained in south-west China, according to a church statement, the latest blow in what appears to be a sweeping crackdown on unregistered Christian groups in the country. On Tuesday, Li Yingqiang, the leader of the Early Rain Covenant Church, was taken by police from his home in Deyang, a small city in Sichuan province, according to the statement. Li’s wife, Zhang Xinyue, has also been detained, along with two other church members: Dai Zhichao,

Move comes after governments and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned the AI tool and some have opened inquiries into sexualised content Indonesia temporarily blocked Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot on Saturday due to the risk of AI-generated pornographic content, becoming the first country to deny access to the AI tool. The move comes after governments, researchers and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned and some have opened inquiries into sexualised content on the app. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed * Adelaide writers’ week 2026 cancelled as board apologises to Randa Abdel-Fattah for ‘how decision was represented’ * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast New role a ‘continuation of Rudd’s public service’, PM says Albanese said the decision to step down was “entirely” Rudd’s, but said the ambassador’s next role will only continue his work to advance the public interest. Kevin Rudd has a work ethic unlike anyone I’ve ever met. … He sees this as a continuation of his public service, not just to Australia but to the global community. I have seen

Almost all remaining festival board members have resigned after backlash to decision to disinvite the Palestinian Australian author * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Adelaide writers’ week 2026 has been cancelled after days of turmoil as more than 180 authors and speakers dropped out in protest of the decision to disinvite the Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah. In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the Adelaide festival board announced the event, which was scheduled to begin on 28 February, would no longer go ahead. The three remaining

Neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Network claims it will disband before hate speech legislation is introduced to parliament on Monday * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia’s spy boss will be given powers to recommend an organisation be proscribed as a hate group under the Labor government’s new religious vilification protections. The draft bill, which the government released on Tuesday, includes new hate speech and anti-vilification laws, powers to formally designate groups as proscribed organisations, and provisions for the largest gun buy-back scheme since the 1996

Jasper Jones and Runt writer charged after search warrant issued at his Fremantle home on Monday * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Prominent Australian author Craig Silvey has been charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material. Silvey, 43, had a search warrant issued at his Fremantle home on Monday, 12 January, where detectives allegedly found him “actively engaging with other child exploitation offenders online”. Continue reading...

Analysts and experts say the PM would do well to consider the Aukus alliance and reactions from Maga base in making his choice * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Former Labor ministers, the defence department boss and a career diplomat are among the names being touted by government figures to replace Kevin Rudd as Australia’s ambassador in Washington. Rudd, the former prime minister and foreign minister, won praise for stabilising relations with the US president, Donald Trump, on Monday, after the surprise announcement he would depart

Paris trial’s outcome will determine whether leader of far-right National Rally can run for French presidency in 2027 The French far-right party leader Marine Le Pen will face a fresh trial on appeal on Tuesday over the embezzlement of European parliament funds in a case that will determine whether or not she can run in the 2027 presidential election. Le Pen, 57, who leads the far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN), was considered to be a contender for next year’s election until she was barred from running for public office last March after being found guilty of an extensive and long-running fake jobs

Incriminating video, dismissed by officials as part of a ‘hybrid attack’, has forced resignations of Nikos Christodoulides’s wife and chief of staff The Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides, has said he has “nothing to fear” over a scandal that has forced the resignations of his chief of staff and his wife from a leadership role of a major charity. As allegations of high-level corruption swirled days after the island assumed the rotating EU presidency, officials insisted the country had been the victim of “hybrid warfare”. The incriminating claims, implicating the president and first lady in a cash for access network, were made in

Jens-Frederik Nielsen repeated the government’s statement it would work on strengthening security through Nato The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is to travel to Paraguay on Saturday to sign the controversial Mercosur trade deal with a group of Latin American countries this Saturday. The deal with Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay was adopted by member states on Friday, ending 25 years of negotiation and months of wrangling with member states over the final compromises. Continue reading...

Democrat also says president is ‘spending no time thinking about the actual crises’ like food aid and health costs Donald Trump’s threat to annex Greenland represents an existential crisis for Nato, the senior Democratic US senator Chris Murphy has warned, with the demise of the decades-old alliance of western nations certain to follow any American military intervention. “It would be the end of Nato, right? Nato would have an obligation to defend Greenland,” the Connecticut senator and member of the chamber’s foreign relations committee said on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. Murphy added that it would mean “clearly … we would

Haul represents country’s largest seizure at sea, with officers digging bales out from vast amount of salt Spanish police have made their largest seizure of cocaine at sea after finding almost 10 tonnes of the drug hidden among a cargo of salt on a merchant ship off the Canary Islands. Detectives and anti-drug prosecutors investigating a multinational criminal group alleged to be exporting “enormous quantities” of cocaine from South America to Europe had identified a suspect ship that had set off from Brazil, the Policía Nacional said in a statement on Monday. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: A researcher with a focus on the region explains what’s behind deadly nationwide demonstrations and what a hardening of public opinion against the state might bring Good morning. At least 648 people have been killed by Iran’s security services during nationwide demonstrations, with more than 10,600 arrested. The unrest is widely seen as the most serious challenge to Iran’s Islamic Republic in recent years. People took to the streets for reasons ranging from rising economic hardship to long-simmering anger over political repression and civil rights. Together, they represent a hardening of public opinion against the state. Iran | Donald Trump

Despite internet blackout, a small number of Iranians are risking their lives to share messages as protests continue For most of Iran, the internet was shut off on Thursday afternoon – the most severe blackout the country has seen in years of internet shutdowns, coming after days of escalating anti-government protests. For a very small sliver of the country, it is still possible to get photos and videos to the outside world, and even to make calls. The Telegram channel Vahid Online on Monday posted photos of dead bodies lying next to a street in Kahrizak, on the southern outskirts of Tehran;

President posts online as US weighs response to situation in Iran, which is major facing anti-government protests Donald Trump has said any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on trade with the US, as Washington weighs a response to the situation in Iran, which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years. “Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” the US president said in a post on Truth Social on Monday.

This live blog is now closed. * ‘The streets are full of blood’: Iranian protests gather momentum as regime cracks down * Iranian student killed during protests was shot in head ‘from close range’ * Analysis: Unpredictable Trump weighs up Iranian pleas for help against calls for restraint * People in Iran: share your views on the current situation Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, has said communication lines with the US remain open, as the Trump administration continues to weigh the option of military strikes. “This channel of communication between our foreign minister (Abbas Araghchi) and the special envoy of the

Speaker of parliament says country fighting four-front war after minister claims unrest has ‘come under total control’ Tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators have rallied in Tehran as the Iranian regime sought to downplay the continuing nationwide protest movement. State TV showed crowds of people on Monday streaming through the streets of Tehran before gathering in Enqelab Square for the “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism” rally. There, they listened to a speech by the speaker of the parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who railed against western intervention. Continue reading...

Eastern region on high alert as authorities try to track animal tearing through villages in Jharkand after apparently becoming separated from herd Forest officials in India are on the hunt for an elephant that has killed more 20 people in a days-long rampage through the eastern state of Jharkand. Since the beginning of January, 22 people have been killed by a single-tusked elephant that has been tearing through forests and villages in West Singhbhum district of Jharkand. Continue reading...

Delhi is world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude, which is now cheaper than oil from Middle East Russia is already working to circumvent the latest US sanctions to ensure India can continue to import high levels of cheap Russian crude oil, according to industry analysts. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, India has become the world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude oil, which has been heavily discounted due to the impact of western sanctions. Continue reading...

Police ask Paramjeet Singh Pamma to install security cameras and reinforce door locks at his home Police have advised a high-profile Sikh activist in the UK to install security cameras at his home and reinforce door locks because of threats from Hindu nationalist elements. Paramjeet Singh Pamma, 52, said he had been visited by police and received verbal advice to increase his security due to intelligence suggesting threats to his safety. Continue reading...

UN and many western countries as well as human rights groups say that in the absence of a meaningful opposition the election is neither free, fair nor credible Voters in war-torn Myanmar queued up on Sunday to cast their ballots in the second stage of a military-run election, following low turnout in the initial round of polls that have been widely criticised as a tool to formalise junta rule. Myanmar has been ravaged by conflict since the military ousted a civilian government in a 2021 coup and detained its leader, Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking a civil war

Satat Sampada founders Harjeet Singh and Jyoti Awasthi say allegations are ‘baseless, biased and misleading’ Police have raided the home of one of India’s leading environmental activists over claims his campaigning for a treaty to cut the use of fossil fuels was undermining the national interest. Investigators from India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) claim Harjeet Singh and his wife, Jyoti Awasthi, co-founders of Satat Sampada (Nature Forever), were paid almost £500,000 to advocate for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty (FFNPT). Continue reading...

Broadcaster’s submission calls on Florida court to throw out defamation case where US president is suing over editing of 6 January 2021 speech The BBC will take legal steps to have Donald Trump’s $10bn defamation lawsuit over a Panorama programme edit dismissed, court documents have shown. Panorama faced criticism in 2025, over an episode broadcast in 2024, for giving the impression the US president had encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol building in 2021. Continue reading...

Sales of clothes and computers fall, but discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl enjoy bumper trading Retailers suffered a “drab Christmas”, ending the year with disappointing sales in their most important month, according to new data underlining the difficulties facing Britain’s high streets. Overall retail sales grew by just 1.2% in December compared with a year earlier, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said. That was below the 12-month average of 2.3%. Continue reading...

Seven out of 10 targets have little likelihood of being met by 2030, Office for Environmental Protection says The government will not meet its targets to save wildlife in England and Northern Ireland and is failing on almost all environmental measures, the Office for Environmental Protection watchdog has said. In a damning report, the OEP has found that seven of the 10 targets set in the Environment Act 2021 have little likelihood of being met by 2030, which is the deadline set in law. Continue reading...

Former ambassador to US had earlier declined to give apology for keeping in touch with sex offender after his conviction Peter Mandelson has issued an apology for his association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – after declining to do so in an interview broadcast on Sunday. The Labour peer, who was sacked as US ambassador when details of his support for Epstein emerged in September, gave an interview to the BBC in which he suggested that as a gay man he knew nothing of the disgraced financier’s sex life. Continue reading...

Prime minister tells parliamentary party that ‘being in the room’ for trade and defence talks will boost UK economy Keir Starmer has defended his frequent trips out of the country to Labour MPs, attempting to draw a direct link with the cost of living at home, which he warned would not be solved by isolationism. The prime minister told the meeting of the parliamentary Labour party (PLP) on Monday night that it was essential for him to be “in the room” for international negotiations on trade and defence, which would then have an impact on the domestic economy. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. * Minnesota sues Trump administration to end surge of ICE agents in state * Trump news at a glance: White House doubles down on threat of ‘lethal force’ against Iran amid unrest In response to the news overnight that Donald Trump’s justice department has launched a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, the Senate banking committee’s top Democrat – Elizabeth Warren – has warned that her colleagues should not move forward with the president’s nominee for the role when Powell’s term expires at in May of this year. Warren accused the president of wanting to

Mayor decries ‘assault on our democracy’ after employee detained during ‘routine immigration appointment’ Federal immigration agents detained an employee of the New York City council on Monday, sparking outrage from the city’s leaders and renewed rebukes against the Trump administration’s immigration actions. “This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement on X. “I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.” Continue reading...

Relatives pay tribute to ‘extraordinary mother’ and hope killing by ICE agent leads to meaningful change Renee Good’s extended family said on Monday it wanted justice and accountability for her death at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, but urged people stirred to outrage by the shooting of the 37-year-old Minneapolis mother of three to root their conversations in “humanity, empathy, and care for the family most affected”. In a statement and in interviews with the Guardian, the family members – most of them relatives of Good’s late husband Timmy Macklin Jr, the father of her youngest son

Self-governing island stresses it is member of Nato, which is looking at improving Arctic defences, through Denmark Greenland’s government has said it “cannot under any circumstances accept” Donald Trump’s desire to take control of Greenland, as Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, said the organisation was working on ways to bolster Arctic security. At the start of a critical week for the vast Arctic island, a largely self-governing part of Denmark, the US president restated his interest in the strategically located, mineral-rich territory, saying the US would take it “one way or the other”. Continue reading...

Ballot proposes one-time, 5% tax on anyone in state worth more than $1bn and grant a five-year period for payment Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel has donated $3m to a California lobbying group advocating against a proposed wealth tax that would target billionaires in the state. The seven-figure contribution comes as several ultra-wealthy tech moguls have left or threatened to leave California over the tax. Thiel, worth some $26bn, made the donation last month to the California Business Roundtable’s political action committee, according to a public disclosure filing which was first reported by the New York Times. A representative for Thiel did not

Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said she had “a very good conversation” with US President Donald Trump on Monday and that their two governments will continue working together on security issues without the need for US intervention against drug cartels. The roughly 15-minute call came after Sheinbaum said on Friday she had requested dialogue with the Trump administration at the end of a week in which he had said he was ready to confront drug cartels on the ground and repeated the accusation...

With domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. In the days since Washington’s ousting and abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro – an event that sent shock waves through global markets – some...

US Senator Mark Kelly sued Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, saying Pentagon ‌proceedings to demote the Arizona Democrat from his retired US Navy captain ‍rank violated Kelly’s free speech rights because he urged troops to reject unlawful orders. Kelly, also a former astronaut, said in his lawsuit in federal court in ⁠Washington that the Defence Department’s actions were retaliatory and violated the US Constitution’s First Amendment protection of free speech. The lawsuit asked the court...

The Ukraine war and Donald Trump’s return to the White House have significantly altered northeast Asia’s geopolitical landscape. North Korea’s defence treaty with Russia and leader Kim Jong-un’s decision to deploy troops to support Moscow have shattered any remaining illusions of strategic restraint. While Russia is believed to be supplying North Korea with finance and technology, Japan and South Korea are accelerating military spending and preparing for long-term confrontation, potentially –...

Mattel is introducing an autistic Barbie on Monday as the newest member of its line intended to celebrate diversity, joining a collection that already includes Barbies with Down syndrome, a blind Barbie, a Barbie and a Ken with vitiligo, and other models the toymaker added to make its fashion dolls more inclusive. Mattel said it developed the autistic doll over more than 18 months in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, a charity that advocates for the rights and better media...

Washington announced on Monday that Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado will meet US President Donald Trump this week as pressure grew on the interim leadership in Caracas to speed up the release of political prisoners. Machado has been sidelined by Washington since US forces seized long-term authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3 and the Trump administration announced it would be “running” Venezuela. Disregarding Machado and her understudy Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Trump...

Two China-flagged supertankers that were sailing to Venezuela to pick up debt-paying crude cargoes made U-turns and were headed back to Asia, LSEG shipping data showed on Monday, a sign that the US-blocked South American country might not be directly exporting oil ⁠to its main buyer any time soon. Following the US announcement last week of a deal to export up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil stuck in storage, US President Donald Trump said China would not be deprived of Venezuela’s crude....

Argentine President Javier Milei said he intends to travel to China in 2026, confirming the plan at a moment when the United States is stepping up pressure on Buenos Aires to scale back its relations with Beijing. Milei made the remarks in an interview with the local newspaper Clarin that was published on Sunday. Asked whether the trip was still on his schedule, he said it was and framed the visit as part of Argentina’s wider commercial agenda rather than a political signal. “We have a very good...

Thousands of nurses at three major hospitals in New York City began to strike on Monday, amid a severe flu season and broader pressures on the US healthcare system. The walkout impacts roughly 15,000 nurses at hospitals including Mount Sinai Medical Centre and New York-Presbyterian in Manhattan as well as Montefiore Medical Centre in the Bronx. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined striking nurses on the picket line in Washington Heights. “All parties must return immediately to the...

Former British finance minister Nadhim Zahawi defected to ‌Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK Party from the Conservative Party on ‍Monday, saying the country was broken and needed Farage as prime minister to fix it. Zahawi, who had a short spell in charge of the nation’s finances under former prime minister Boris Johnson ⁠in 2022, becomes the latest in a long line of former Conservatives to switch to Farage’s populist Reform UK. Reform is currently leading the polls in Britain, far ahead of...

Greenland’s government said on Monday it will ‌increase efforts to ensure the defence of the Arctic territory ‍takes place under the auspices of Nato, and again rejected US President Donald Trump’s ambition to take over the island. Trump has said the United States must ⁠own Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, to prevent China or Russia occupying the strategically located and minerals-rich territory in the future. “All Nato member states, including the United States, have a...

Muhammad Ali once joked that he should be a postage stamp because “that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked”. Now, the three-time heavyweight champion’s quip is becoming a reality. Widely regarded as the most famous and influential boxer of all time, and a cultural force who fused athletic brilliance with political conviction and showmanship, Ali is being honoured for the first time with a commemorative US postage stamp. “As sort of the guardian of his legacy, I’m thrilled. I’m excited. I’m...

Cuba’s leader on Monday reacted defiantly to US President Donald Trump’s threats to “make a deal” or pay the price in the aftermath of key ally Nicolas Maduro’s ouster in a US military raid. Trump has been ramping up pressure on Cuba, one of the few Latin American countries still run by an authoritarian leftist administration after Venezuelan leader Maduro’s capture on January 3. “We’re talking with Cuba,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday, hours after urging Havana to do a deal to head...

America’s capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro in a special operation sent shock waves across the world. With characteristically bombastic rhetoric, US President Donald Trump hailed Operation Absolute Resolve as “an assault like people have not seen since World War II” and “one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might” in history. His deputies were quick to add that the operation also showed the long arm of the US justice system by accusing...

Britain’s media regulator launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s ‌X on Monday to determine whether sexually intimate deepfakes produced by its Grok AI ‍chatbot violated its duty to protect people in the UK from content that could be illegal. “There have been deeply concerning reports of the Grok AI chatbot account on X being used to create and share undressed images ⁠of people – which may amount to intimate image abuse or pornography – and sexualised images of children that may amount to...

Hundreds more federal agents were heading to Minneapolis, the US homeland security chief said on Sunday, brushing aside demands by the Midwestern city’s Democratic leaders to leave after an immigration officer fatally shot a woman protester. In multiple TV interviews, Kristi Noem defended the actions of the officer who shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, whose death has sparked renewed protests nationwide against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Homeland Security...

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he might block ‍ExxonMobil from investing in Venezuela after the oil major’s CEO called the country “uninvestable” during a White House meeting last week. Exxon CEO Darren Woods told Trump that Venezuela would need to change its laws before it could be an attractive investment opportunity, during the high-profile meeting on Friday with at least 17 ⁠other oil executives. Trump had urged the group to spend US$100 billion to revitalise Venezuela’s oil...

We have put together stories from our coverage last weekend to help you stay informed about news across Asia and beyond. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. China turns mega-project failure into defining moment in modern engineering China has pulled off a daring underground feat, using a multimillion-dollar tunnel boring machine (TBM) to recover its stranded twin beneath the country’s largest river. 2. System failure at Malaysia-Singapore border...

With domestic profits narrowing and production capacity expanding, China’s firms are continuing to widen their overseas footprints in search of new, more lucrative markets. In this series, we examine China Inc.’s next phase of “going global” and the complex, challenging international environment its companies have chosen to enter. Chinese national Steve Xie has been doing business overseas for years. His latest venture, a new warehouse in Egypt, will supply electric vehicles and auto parts to...

The Trump administration has threatened to indict Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over Congressional testimony he gave last summer about a Fed building project, ‌an action Powell called a “pretext” to gain more influence over the central bank and monetary policy. The development in the long-simmering effort by President Donald Trump for greater control over the Fed had immediate fallout, ‍with Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a member of the Senate Banking Committee that vets Presidential...

Three separate avalanches killed three off-piste skiers in the French Alps on Sunday, resort officials said, a day after three skiers died in similar incidents, bringing the weekend death toll to six. The deaths came despite alerts from the weather service of a high risk of avalanches and warnings against off-piste skiing. In one incident on Sunday, a British man in his 50s was buried while skiing off-piste, according to a statement released by La Plagne ski resort in southeastern France. More...

US President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said on Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544. Iran had no direct reaction to Trump’s comments, which came after the foreign minister of Oman – long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran – travelled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could...

Britain’s former US ambassador Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed over his ‌links to Jeffrey Epstein last year, apologised on Sunday to the victims of ‍the late convicted sex offender but not for his own actions. Mandelson was fired in September over emails that came to light revealing a much closer relationship than previously acknowledged. The veteran British politician ⁠called Epstein “my best pal” and had advised him on seeking early jail release. “I want to apologise to those women for a...

Hamas said on Sunday it will dissolve its existing government in Gaza once a Palestinian technocratic leadership committee takes over the territory, as mandated under the US-brokered peace plan. But the group gave no specifics on when the change will take place. Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority, the Palestinians’ internationally recognised representative, have not announced the names of the technocrats, who are not supposed to be politically affiliated, and it remains unclear if they...

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said no more Venezuelan oil or money would go to Cuba and suggested the Communist-run island should strike a deal with Washington, ramping ‍up pressure on the long-time US nemesis and provoking defiant words from the island’s leadership. Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest oil supplier, but no cargoes have departed from Venezuelan ports to the Caribbean country since the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by US forces in early January amid a strict US oil...

Britain is discussing with Nato allies how it can help strengthen security in the Arctic to counter threats from Russia and China, a UK government minister said on Sunday. Britain’s Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the talks were “business as usual” rather than a response to recent threats by US President Donald Trump to take over Greenland. Trump has said that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of Nato ally Denmark, to prevent Russia or China...

We had barely entered the new year when Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured in a brazen raid on the orders of US President Donald Trump. In the early hours of January 3, the couple were taken from their residence in Caracas, Venezuela, and flown to the US in a military operation impeccably executed in the name of countering narcoterrorism. Beijing, for one, was “deeply shocked” by Washington’s “hegemonic behaviour” and strongly condemned it. At a UN...

At a hospital in Gaza, wards are filled with patients fearing they will be left without care if Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is forced out under an Israeli ban due to take effect in March. Last month, Israel announced it would prevent 37 aid organisations, including MSF, from operating in Gaza from March 1 for failing to provide detailed information on their Palestinian staff. “They stood by us throughout the war,” said 10-year-old Adam Asfour, his left arm pinned with metal rods after he was...

At a high-level conference in Washington last month, the US State Department unveiled an “America first” aid strategy that ties development dollars directly to the commercial and security goals of the world’s largest economy. This shift away from decades of framing the United States’ foreign assistance as a moral undertaking is a reflection, analysts say, of the Trump administration’s view that foreign assistance should advance America’s national interest above all else. Officials at the...

Tehran threatened on Sunday to retaliate against Israel and US military bases ‍in the event of US strikes on Iran, issuing the warning as Israeli sources said Israel was on high alert for the possibility of any US intervention. With Iran’s clerical establishment facing the biggest anti-government protests since 2022, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in recent days, warning Iranian leaders against using force against demonstrators. On Saturday, Trump said the US...

Elon Musk accused the UK government of being “fascist” after it stepped up threats to block X over sexualised images of women and children produced by his artificial intelligence tool Grok. Responding to a chart claiming to show the UK had the highest arrests for social media comments in the world, Musk posted: “Why is the UK government so fascist?” In separate posts hours earlier, Musk said the UK wanted to “suppress free speech” and referred to the country as a “prison island”. X, formerly...

The Norwegian Nobel Institute said the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, ‌shared, or revoked, following remarks by Venezuelan opposition leader Maria ‍Corina Machado suggesting she might give her 2025 award to US President Donald Trump. In a statement, the institute said the decision to award a Nobel Prize is final and ⁠permanent, citing the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, which do not allow appeals. The organisation also noted that committees awarding the prizes do not comment on the...

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot and killed Renee Nicole Good on a Minneapolis street served in a multitude of law enforcement roles during a two-decade career that also included military service. Federal court records show Jonathan Ross’ career includes US military experience and mostly high-level federal law enforcement positions. The details of his tenure are revealed in a federal criminal case against a driver who seriously injured Ross after dragging him 100 metres...

US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, in the latest response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead. Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the December 13 attack in Palmyra – home to Unesco-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by jihadist fighters – that killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter. “The strikes today targeted ISIS...

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order protecting US-held money derived from sales of Venezuelan oil, after the ousting of Nicolas Maduro, the White House said. In an order signed on Friday, Trump – who has made clear that tapping Venezuela’s vast oil reserves was a key goal in the US ousting of Maduro – is acting “to advance US foreign policy objectives”, the White House said in a fact sheet accompanying the order. The action follows a meeting Friday in Washington where Trump...

The global artificial intelligence (AI) race remains one of the most hotly contested spheres of international competition. Few would bet today on an eventual winner, but current trends point to three possible scenarios that we should consider. In the first scenario, the AI world is dominated by the US and China. While the US still has the technological edge, China is closing in fast and vies with the US for leadership on many of the key dimensions of AI prowess. According to Stanford...

For months, many Canadians hoped Donald Trump had lost interest in making their country the 51st US state – his plate full with turning Washington and the global trading system upside down. Those hopes are fading. The shock capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Trump’s ramped-up talk of seizing Greenland have rattled Canada, forcing citizens to take seriously the US president’s past threats to Canadian sovereignty. The administration’s declaration that “THIS IS OUR HEMISPHERE” makes...

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Saturday urged demonstrators protesting the fatal shooting of a ‍motorist by a US immigration agent to stay peaceful, saying that any unlawful actions would play into US President Donald Trump’s hands. Frey, a Democrat, cautioned them as civil liberties and migrant rights groups prepared nationwide rallies to protest the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Wednesday. Minnesota and US officials have offered...

Authorities have charged a 24-year-old man with murder after six people – including a child – were killed in a series of shootings in northeast Mississippi. Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott said the victims – four family members related to the suspect and two other adults – were shot at three separate locations late on Friday. The youngest victim was a cousin of the suspect. “I don’t know what kind of motive you could have to kill a seven-year-old,” Scott said at a press conference on...

Thousands of Irish farmers protested on Saturday against the European Union’s trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur, a day after EU states approved the treaty despite opposition from Ireland and France. Tractors streamed into the roads of Athlone, in central Ireland, for the demonstration, displaying signs including “Stop EU-Mercosur” and ones with the European Union flag emblazoned with the words “sell out”. Farmers on Friday also marched in Poland and blocked roads in France and...

US President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown increasingly is sparking violent confrontations with both migrants and American citizens, a development grimly underscored by an ICE officer’s fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman this week. Under ‌Trump’s orders to ramp up deportations, masked immigration officers have surged into Democratic-led cities, sprayed tear gas in residential streets, tackled people in car parks and pointed guns at bystanders trying to film them. A federal...

A man was killed after a tree fell on a caravan in England after record winds brought by Storm Goretti, as 100,000 homes in France were still without power on Saturday. Some 15 people have died in weather-related accidents this week across Europe as gale-force winds and storms caused travel mayhem, shut schools, and cut power to hundreds of thousands in freezing temperatures. The storm barrelled through southwestern Cornwall and parts of Wales overnight Thursday to Friday, with gusts of up to...

Major Iranian cities were gripped overnight by new mass rallies denouncing the Islamic republic, as activists on Saturday expressed fear authorities were intensifying their suppression of the demonstrations under cover of an internet blackout. The two weeks of protests have posed one of the biggest challenges to the theocratic authorities who have ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, although supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed defiance and blamed the United...

When explosions boomed in the night and US warplanes roared in the sky over Caracas, Jorge Suarez and his companions rushed fearfully for their guns. For these members of the colectivos – armed loyalists of the leftist leadership – the US raid that ousted Nicolas Maduro as their president was the most dramatic challenge yet. “We’re not used to it – it was like a bestseller, like something out of a film,” said Suarez, in black sunglasses and a cap bearing the slogan: “Doubt is treason.” “We took...

Demonstrations broke out in Iran on December 28 and have spread nationwide as protesters vent their increasing discontent over the Islamic Republic’s faltering economy and the collapse of its currency. Dozens of people have been killed and thousands arrested as the daily protests have grown and the government seeks to contain them. While the initial focus had been on issues like spikes in the prices of food staples and the country’s staggering annual inflation rate, protesters have now begun...

The Justice Department’s decision to open up a criminal investigation of Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, is a major escalation in the pressure campaign against the central bank to cut interest rates.

The Federal Reserve is likely to hold interest rates steady when it meets at the end of the month, keeping tensions high with President Trump.

The Labor Department is investigating a complaint alleging misconduct by Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, asked a federal judge to block the Trump administration from disciplining him for a video warning about illegal military orders.

The ruling means that construction can continue on Revolution Wind, a $6.2 billion project off the coast of Rhode Island, at least for now.

The Energy Department canceled $7.5 billion in Biden-era energy spending, largely in Democratic-led states, during last year’s government shutdown.

Rose Byrne, Owen Cooper, Seth Rogen, Teyana Taylor and other award winners in the spotlight.

Nikki Glaser returned as host and killed, while Teyana Taylor delivered the speech of the night. Then there were those awful production choices.

The Pentagon is presenting a wider range of strike options to the president than previously reported. Targets could include Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile sites.

State media, embracing the gaming phrase “kill line,” is asserting China’s political superiority over the United States, deflecting focus on China’s own economic challenges.

The layoffs are set to be announced this week and would affect Meta’s work on the metaverse, as the company spends heavily on building artificial intelligence.

Apple was facing increasing questions about its plans for artificial intelligence as other big tech companies invested tens of billions in the technology.

The suspect, Stephen Spencer Pittman, was turned in by his father, who said his son had laughed as he confessed to the fire that damaged the synagogue, investigators said.

Graffiti denouncing Zionism was discovered Sunday on a wall of the campus, which has not yet been rebuilt after the Eaton fire.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was working behind the scenes to block a proposed tax on billionaires’ wealth and was committed to defeating the measure if it reached the ballot.

Since Milltown Mel died, a New Jersey town has faced a groundhog crisis. Now the governor has vetoed an effort to bring in out-of-state replacements.

And the market is gently shrugging.

Trump’s message, the emotional core of his movement, has always been textbook fascism.

She was the first Black cast member on the PBS show “America’s Test Kitchen,” and used her influence to help other female chefs of color.

Two weeks ago, Eric Adams was in Times Square to lead the New Year’s Eve ball drop as his last act as mayor. He returned on Monday to promote a new business interest.

The former F.B.I. deputy director, who had hosted a right-wing, pro-Trump podcast, will restart the show after a rocky tenure at the law-enforcement agency.

A Maryland man used his government job to order new cellphones worth over $150,000 and then sell them to a pawnshop, federal prosecutors said.