Minimalist News

Eric Swalwell's Bid For California Governor Hits Snag Over Residency Claims Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has a major hurdle to overcome in his bid to succeed California Governor Gavin Newsom - he has been accused of not living in the Golden State.  California's constitution requires gubernatorial candidates to have resided in the state for the previous five years, however a new lawsuit from conservative activist and filmmaker Joel Gilbert claims that Swalwell's "home address" listed on his election paperwork is actually a lawyer's office.  According to Gilbert, Swalwell actually lives in a $1.2 million, six-bedroom mansion in Washington DC with his wife Brittany Watts, who apparently didn't

Socialism Is A Noun - A Synonym For Socialism Is Theft Submitted by Mitchell Vexler, socialism is defined as a political system advocating that the means of production and distribution are owned or regulated by the community as a whole. Words that you may have heard of being representative of socialism are collectivism, communalism, communism, leftism, progressivism, Marxism, Bolshevism, Leninism, Trotskyism, welfarism, Maoism, neo-Marxism, social democracy, consumer socialism, utopian socialism, classless society, collective ownership, public ownership, state ownership, Stalinism, Sovietism Marxism-Leninism, Eurocommunism, totalitarianism, radical socialism, state ownership, rule of the proletariat, and state socialism. All of these synonyms can be replaced with 1 word,

Musk's Boring Company To Build Free 1-Mile Tunnel In "Tunnel Vision Challenge!" In a new contest, Elon Musk's tunneling firm, The Boring Company, will build a 1-mile tunnel for free to the best idea submitted to the company.  The Boring Company's Prufrock 5 tunneler (via X) "Announcing the Tunnel Vision Challenge!" the company wrote on X. "Pitch us your best 1-mile tunnel idea (Loop, freight, pedestrian, utility, etc.), we’ll pick a winner, and build it…for free!" > Announcing the Tunnel Vision Challenge! Pitch us your best 1-mile tunnel idea (Loop, freight, pedestrian, utility, etc.), we'll pick a winner, and build it…for free! > > Details:https://t.co/xRTmClRjVt > > Criteria: >

Why California Is Bleeding Tech Jobs: Decline Is A Policy Choice Authored by Vance Ginn via the American Institute for Economic Research, For much of the past half-century, California benefited from a powerful first-mover advantage. Dense networks of talent, capital, and research institutions allowed the state to absorb policy mistakes that would have crippled competitors. High spending and taxes, restrictive housing rules, and regulatory complexity were treated as nuisances rather than binding constraints, because growth could outstrip their costs. That margin of error has narrowed dramatically. What California is now experiencing is not a cyclical tech downturn or a post-COVID-19 pandemic anomaly. It is a

Canada Weighs Token Troop Deployment To Greenland, But Fears Trump Wrath The Canadian government is weighing whether to deploy a small contingent of troops to take part in training exercises in Greenland after several European and NATO member countries already sent in dozens of soldiers. The discussions come as President Trump argues that the United States "needs" the Danish autonomous territory for national security reasons and has intensified his calls for Washington to take control of the island. The Europeans have clearly sent troops there for more than just "exercises" - but as a show of unity and "strength" in support of

'We Must Pass The SAVE Act': Republicans Engage In Serious Push For Voter ID House Republicans are going "full steam ahead" on a supercharged version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a GOP-sponsored bill to prevent non-citizen voting in federal elections. It would amend the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require documentary proof of US citizenship (passport, birth certificate, or REAL ID=compliant driver's license) when registering to vote.  The bill (H.R. 8281) was originally introduced in 2024 and was passed by the House in a 220-198 vote, however it stalled in the Senate under Democratic control.  In early 2025, it was

Why People Feel The Economy Is Bad, When Data Show Improvement Authored by Petr Svab via The Epoch Times, The U.S. economy is either chugging along nicely or seriously struggling, depending on who is asked. The mismatch stems from perception and perspective. While many of the macroeconomic data look benign, they don’t capture the pain experienced by a large segment of society, several experts told The Epoch Times. At 4.4 percent, unemployment has been only slightly elevated and the median wage growth of 4 percent has more than kept up with 2.7 percent inflation, all according to December data from the Bureau of Labor

"Decades Of Underinvestment": LA Firefighters Turn To Voters Amid Budget Crisis Los Angeles firefighters say years of underfunding have pushed their department into crisis, forcing them to appeal directly to voters for money to cover what they describe as basic public safety needs—even as the city spends about $1 billion a year on homelessness programs, according to the NY Post. This week, firefighters launched petition drives to place a half-cent sales tax increase on the November 2026 ballot. The measure would fund additional firefighters, new engines, and repairs to aging fire stations, which supporters describe as a last resort after repeated warnings

This Could Be The Big One Authored by weather observer Ryan Hall,  There are winter storms, and then there are storms that come from a real pattern shift. The kind that don't just brush one region, but impact a big chunk of the country. This upcoming setup is starting to look like the second type. Over the last day or so, confidence has increased that we're heading into a legitimate winter storm window late this week into the weekend. The signal is becoming clearer across guidance, and the ingredients are lining up in a way that usually gets my attention. The Big Picture A strong Arctic

Newsom Strains To Flip Script On California's Failures Authored by Susan Crabtree via American Greatness, It’s an odd predicament for a leading Democratic presidential contender. Gavin Newsom’s biggest strength—political spin and performance come almost second nature to him—could also be his biggest liability as he strains to remake the tarnished image of the state he has governed for the last seven years. Newsom, with his smooth-talking, rapid-fire responses and his attempt to out-Trump Trump on social media aggression, is everything Kamala Harris wasn’t in 2024. But neither Californian can easily shake the biggest millstone dragging down their White House ambitions. Their failed progressive policies

Kansas School Bans Students From Naming Kirk, Trump Or Jesus As Role Models Yet another example of why American parents are increasingly pulling their kids out of public institutions and turning to home schooling.  Parents at an elementary school in Kansas are upset after students were reportedly told that they were not allowed to list President Donald Trump, late conservative activist Charlie Kirk and even Jesus Christ as their role models for an assignment.  The incident at Marshall Elementary School in Eureka, Kansas occurred in October and only recently came to light because students were originally instructed not to tell their parents about

US Lender Newrez To Accept Crypto Holdings In Mortgage Approval Authored by Nate Kostar via CoinTelegraph.com, Newrez plans to treat eligible cryptocurrency holdings as qualifying assets in its mortgage underwriting process, a move that could broaden access to home loans for crypto holders. The change is expected to take effect in February across the lender’s non-agency products, covering home purchases, refinancings and investment properties. While borrowers can already use assets such as stocks and bonds in underwriting, crypto holders have typically been required to sell their positions. At launch, Newrez said it will recognize Bitcoin, Ether, spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) backed by those assets, and

Minneapolis Police Face Mass Exodus As New Paid Leave Program Hits Amid Riots Minneapolis faces a compounding crisis, as dozens of police officers are expected to tap into a new state paid leave program while the city grapples with anti-ICE riots and a staffing shortage that has stretched the department to its breaking point.  Between 60 and 100 officers from the Minneapolis Police Department have applied for or plan to apply for the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program, which took effect on January 1, according to multiple sources who spoke with Alpha News senior reporter Liz Collin and Crime Watch

Happening Now: Largest Solar Storm In Two Decades Pounding Earth Update (Sunday Afternoon): The Space Weather Prediction Center issued an alert on X, saying the Earth-directed coronal mass ejection first identified on Saturday is now producing one of the largest solar radiation storms in more than two decades. "An S4 severe solar radiation storm is now in progress - this is the largest solar radiation storm in over 20 years. The last time S4 levels were observed was in October, 2003. Potential effects are mainly limited to space launch, aviation, and satellite operations," SWPC said. Here's what a S4 severe solar radiation storm can

NYC Mayor Mamdani Under Fire Not For Snubbing Black Appointees Authored by Luis Cornelio via Headline USA, Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s newly sworn-in mayor, is already facing criticism less than a month into his tenure. Not for his democratic socialist agenda, but for failing to appoint black and Hispanic officials.  In New York City, the mayor relies heavily on deputy mayors, a group that functions much like a cabinet. Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams, filled his administration with black and Hispanic officials, a stark contrast to Mamdani’s approach.  According to a New York Times report on Thursday, some black and Latino leaders “worry they are being denied access to power under Mayor Zohran Mamdani and that they may lose the ground they had gained under former Mayor

Gold And Silver Explosion: Something Big Is Happening Gold and silver prices, according to Brandon Smith of Alt-Market.com, are signaling stress under the surface of the economy. From shrinking physical inventories to record central bank buying, precious metals warn that the underlying issues aren’t resolved… In early 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic hysteria I noted that the covid panic seemed to perfectly coincide with the Federal Reserve’s acceleration of interest rates and asset dumping. This trend, I argued, was a precursor to a Catch-22 scenario I have been warning about for some time. Since the crash of 2008, the central bank

Denmark Skips Davos Forum In Protest Over Deepening Greenland Crisis The World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos for 2026 is scheduled for this week (Jan. 19-23), focusing on the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue". Day one, which has kicked off Monday, isn't much of a display of "dialogue" as some key officials are absent, amid Europe's ongoing spat with President Trump over the future fate of Greenland. Among a record number of 400 top political leaders, including over 60 heads of state and government - as well as hundreds of CEO's - conspicuously absent are officials from Denmark, who have decided

Don Lemon Faces KKK Act Charges On MLK Holiday Update (1408ET): Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that former CNN host Don Lemon has been put "on notice" by the Justice Department and could face charges under federal civil-rights laws, including the Ku Klux Klan Act, for his role in storming a church service in Minnesota. Lemon allegedly joined a far-left mob that was on the hunt for a pro-ICE pastor at a St. Paul church.  "The Klan Act is one of the most important federal civil rights statutes. Its a law that makes it illegal to terrorize and violate the civil

Nobel Foundation Says Prize Can't Be Passed On To Others After Trump–Machado Meeting Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The Nobel Foundation said Sunday reiterated its prestigious Nobel Peace Prize cannot be passed on to another person after a Venezuelan opposition leader gifted the prize that she won to President Donald Trump last week. President Donald Trump meets with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in the Oval Office, during which she presented the President with her Nobel Peace Prize, on Jan. 15, 2026. Daniel Torok/The White House/Handout via Reuters During a meeting at the White House on Jan. 15,

Nigerian King Must Pay $72k Restitution For Defrauding NC Medicaid During Pandemic Authored by Stephen Horn via The Triangle Trumpet, Ekelekamchukwu Alphonsus Ngwadom, 61, received a suspended sentence requiring three years probation and $72,014.66 in restitution after pleading guilty to twenty-seven felonies in regards to hundreds of Medicaid claims for children’s therapy he fraudulently filed in 2020 and 2021 at his Raleigh practice, Almarch Counseling. (¹, ², ³) Mugshot: Ekelekamchukwu Alphonsus Ngwadom It was during this same period that Ngwadom was crowned King or “Eze” of the Mbubu-Amiri kingdom in Nigeria’s Imo State, according to a local news source which also identified him as

President announces 30-day order after inmates also took 46 people hostage at three prisons Guatemala’s president has declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency to combat criminal gangs after authorities accused them of killing eight police officers and holding hostages at three prisons. The killings occurred in the capital, Guatemal City, and surrounding areas a day after gang-affiliated inmates took 46 people hostage in the three prisons across the country to demand incarcerated gang leaders be moved to lower-security facilities. Continue reading...

Fires blaze through 8,500 hectares, forcing 50,000 people to evacuate as firefighters struggle to extinguish flames Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile have killed at least 18 people, scorched thousands of hectares of forest and destroyed scores of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heatwave. Chile’s president, Gabriel Boric, declared a state of catastrophe in the country’s central Biobío region and the neighbouring Ñuble region, about 500km (300 miles) south of Santiago, the capital. Continue reading...

Any Lucía López Belloza was detained at Boston’s airport in November and flown to Honduras two days later * US citizens and permanent residents: have you been racially profiled by ICE? The Trump administration apologized in court for a “mistake” in the deportation of a Massachusetts college student who was detained trying to fly home to surprise her family in Texas for Thanksgiving. But the administration still argued that the federal government error should not affect her immigration case. Continue reading...

John Ratcliffe meets Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas less than two weeks after his agents helped to oust her precedessor The CIA chief whose agents reputedly played a key role in abducting Nicolás Maduro has flown to Venezuela to meet his successor as the sidelined opposition leader, María Corina Machado, vowed she would become the country’s first elected female president. Machado’s comments were broadcast on Friday, a day after she handed her Nobel peace prize medal to Donald Trump in recognition of what she called a principled and decisive move against Maduro, whom US special forces snatched on 3 January. Continue reading...

Former president convicted for coup plot to take advantage of law that knocks four days off jail term for each book read Jair Bolsonaro’s lawyers appear to have been reading up on the country’s penal code and have found a way to help their client reduce the 27-year prison sentence he received last year for plotting a coup: by reading books. There is only one problem: the former far-right Brazilian president has never been known as a bibliophile. “Sorry, I don’t have time to read,” Bolsonaro once declared. “It’s been three years since I read a book.” Continue reading...

Number of high-spending Chinese tourists visiting Japan halved last month after PM said an invasion of Taiwan could spark Japanese military involvement Chinese tourism to Japan almost halved in December amid a bitter diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo over the security of Taiwan. The number of tourists from mainland China dropped by about 45% from the same month a year earlier to about 330,000, Japan’s transport ministry said on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Fourth year of decline deepens concerns over ageing, shrinking workforce and long-term economic impact China’s population fell for a fourth consecutive year in 2025 as the birthrate plunged to another record low despite the introduction of polices aimed at encouraging people to have children. Registered births dropped to 7.92 million in 2025 – or 5.63 for every 1,000 members of the population – down 17% from 9.54 million in 2024, and the lowest since records began in 1949. Continue reading...

Sanae Takaichi tells senior figures in ruling Liberal Democratic party she plans to dissolve lower house on 23 January Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has called a snap election as she attempts to capitalise on high approval ratings since becoming the country’s first female prime minister three months ago. Takaichi, a conservative who is embroiled in a deepening dispute with China over the security of Taiwan, said on Monday she would dissolve the lower house of the Diet – Japan’s parliament – on 23 January, with an election to follow on 8 February. Continue reading...

Economy weathered a fraught geopolitical landscape to reach 5% goal but domestic structural challenges ‘not going away’, say experts * China’s population falls again as birthrate hits record low * Business live – latest updates China has said its economy grew 5% last year, hitting Beijing’s official target as the world’s second-largest economy overcame Donald Trump’s tariff war with a record trade surplus. Data released on Monday by Beijing’s National Bureau of Statistics showed the Chinese economy hit the official target of “around” 5% – the same growth as in 2024 – despite a slowdown to 4.5% in the final three months

Decision expected on Monday or Tuesday, potentially smoothing relations before Keir Starmer’s visit to China * Why Chinese ‘mega embassy’ is not such a worry for British spies A decision on China’s proposed mega embassy in London is expected on Monday or Tuesday, with Chinese officials and British diplomats in Beijing holding their breath in anticipation of the planning application finally being approved. The saga, which has been running since 2018, is widely expected to end with the British government giving the green light for construction. If it does, one group likely to be grateful is those who work in the British

Families call for end to political ‘bickering’ amid concerns the state LNP will not back proposed program * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The parents of police murdered in a 2022 ambush in western Queensland have thrown their support behind the federal government’s proposed gun buyback scheme in the wake of the Bondi beach terror attack. The Guardian understands that the state LNP government decided not to support the buyback program at a marathon cabinet meeting on Monday. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed * Liberal leader claims credit for ‘fixing’ Labor’s hate speech laws as they pass lower house * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The attorney general, Michelle Rowland, says the two bills on gun control and hate speech will be introduced to parliament this morning and that there has been “constructive engagement” with the Coalition over the last 48 hours. But on whether that deal is signed, sealed and delivered, Rowland, speaking on the ABC’s Radio National Breakfast, won’t guarantee the Coalition will support the bill when introduced and she says she

The spectacular aurora australis, also known as the southern lights, may be visible as far north as Victoria and New South Wales A ‘severe’ solar storm, which is being monitored by the National Emergency Management Agency, could make auroras visible in Australia as well as cause disruptions to the power grid. Here’s what you need to know about the solar storm. Continue reading...

Police commissioner Mal Lanyon says demonstration rules – imposed after Bondi attacks – have ‘taken heat out of the community’ The New South Wales police commissioner has extended a restriction on protests in Sydney for a third time, but narrowed the area it covers in a bid to get “the balance right between community safety and a right to protest” ahead of Invasion Day. On Tuesday afternoon, Mal Lanyon, said the restrictions would no longer include Hyde Park, allowing police to authorise the major annual Invasion Day protest to march from that location to Victoria Park on Monday. Continue reading...

While violent dingo and human interactions have been increasing, police refuse to speculate whether 19-year-old woman drowned or was killed by the wild canids * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Two campsites have been closed and park rangers are increasing patrols after a 19-year-old Canadian woman was found dead on a beach surrounded by a pack of dingoes on a popular Queensland tourist island. Two men made the grisly discovery while driving down the eastern beaches of K’gari (formerly known as Fraser Island) at about 6:15am

US president says the UK’s decision to hand over sovereignity of the islands is among a ‘long line’ of reasons why Greenland ‘has to be acquired’ * Donald Trump links Greenland threats to Nobel snub as EU trade war looms In May 2025, the UK signed an agreement to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, but lease the largest one, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there. The agreement followed lengthy negotiations started under the previous Conservative government after a 2019 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice said the UK should

Red caps are becoming a symbol of protest in Denmark as Donald Trump ratchets up the pressure on Greenland Red baseball caps spoofing Donald Trump’s Maga hats have become a symbol of Danish and Greenlandic defiance against the US president’s threat to seize the frozen territory. The caps reading “Make America Go Away” – parodying Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan – have gained popularity, along with several variants on social media and at public protests, including a weekend demonstration held in freezing weather in Copenhagen. Continue reading...

The US president said he would “100%” push ahead with his plans to hit European nations with tarrifs if he doesn’t get Greenland * Donald Trump links threats to seize Greenland to Nobel prize snub In a nod to Trump’s efforts on Ukraine, Starmer says he recognises the US president’s role in pushing for ceasefire there – as he says “we will work closely with the United States, Ukraine and our other allies to apply pressure where it belongs: on Putin.” In his strongest criticism of Trump yet, Starmer goes on to say: A trade war is in no one’s interest, and my

PM says US tariffs are in no one’s interests – and Greenland row should be resolved through ‘calm discussion’ Keir Starmer has played down the prospect of retaliatory tariffs on the US, after Donald Trump threatened to impose fresh levies against Nato allies if a deal over Greenland is not reached. The prime minister said US tariffs would damage the British economy and were “in no one’s interests”, despite growing pressure domestically to take a more forceful response. The UK would prefer a “calm discussion” with allies, he added. Continue reading...

Officials say death toll likely to rise as rescuers continue to comb through wreckage in remote area of Andalucía Spain will begin three days of mourning on Tuesday as rescuers continue to comb through the wreckage of twisted train cars and scattered debris to locate victims after a train collision that killed at least 40 people and injured dozens. On Monday, more than 18 hours after a high-speed train carrying about 300 Madrid-bound passengers derailed and collided with an oncoming train, people across the country were still scrambling to make contact with missing loved ones caught up in Spain’s worst rail disaster

Two sides blame each other for release of inmates, as Syria’s president looks to gain control of north-east Dozens of inmates from a jail holding Islamic State prisoners have been freed in Syria amid clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and government-affiliated forces in the north-east of the country. Videos released by the SDF showed what it said were IS members being broken out from a jail in Shaddadi by figures in black balaclavas. It said it had lost control of the building after an attack by government-affiliated fighters that killed or wounded dozens. Continue reading...

Two people detained in Kermanshah, including 16-year-old, tell group they were subjected to sexual abuse during arrest A 16-year-old was among protesters sexually assaulted in custody by the security forces in Iran during the nationwide uprising that has left thousands dead, according to a human rights group. Two people, one of them a child, detained in the city of Kermanshah in western Iran told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that they were subjected to sexual abuse by riot police during their arrest. Continue reading...

Government’s truce with Syrian Democratic Forces follows advance on Kurdish-held areas amid struggle to control entire country The Syrian government on Sunday announced a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), taking almost full control of the country and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the north-east for over a decade. The announcement comes as tensions between government forces and the SDF boiled over earlier this month, eventually resulting in a major push by government forces towards the east. The SDF appeared to have largely retreated after initial clashes on a tense frontline area in eastern Aleppo province. Continue reading...

President issues warning amid speculation Donald Trump plans to assassinate or remove supreme leader Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned on Sunday that any attack on the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be a declaration of war. In an apparent response to speculation that Donald Trump is considering an attempt to assassinate or remove Khamenei, Pezeshkian said in a post on X: “An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation.” Continue reading...

Finance minister says Netanyahu should back annexation and settlement, and attacks Turkey and Qatar’s role on Gaza ‘executive board’ Far-right members of Israel’s governing coalition on Sunday rejected a US-backed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, criticising their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for failing to annex the Palestinian territory and establish new Israeli settlements in the territory. After the announcement of the White House’s pick of world leaders who will join the so-called Gaza “board of peace”, which includes representatives of Turkey and Qatar, both of which have been critical of Israel’s war in the strip, Israeli far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich,

Eastern region on high alert as authorities try to track animal tearing through villages in Jharkhand after apparently becoming separated from herd Forest officials in India are on the hunt for an elephant that has killed more than 20 people in a days-long rampage through the eastern state of Jharkhand. 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 Jharkhand. 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...

Rolling coverage of the World Economic Forum in Davos Q: When will president Trump announce a new chairman of the Federal Reserve to succeed Jerome Powell? Bessent says there are four “fantastic candidates”, and the decision is up to the president. I would imagine that he will have an announcement maybe as early as next week. Continue reading...

Shops, restaurants and hotels particularly hit by slowdown in hiring, as unemployment remains at 5.1% * Business live – latest updates The number of employed people in the UK has fallen again, particularly in shops, restaurants and hotels, reflecting weak hiring, while private sector wages grew at the slowest rate in five years, official figures show. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the number of employees on payrolls fell by 184,000 in December compared with a year earlier, to 30.2 million. Continue reading...

US president says on social media that Britain’s decision to cede islands to Mauritius is ‘act of total weakness’ Donald Trump has suggested Britain’s decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is among the reasons he wants to take over Greenland. The US president, who is travelling to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, made the claim as he ramped up his rhetoric on acquiring the Arctic territory. Continue reading...

Total pay of the qualification body’s top six executives has risen by 240% to £6.2m since charity sold it The new owners of the vocational training body City & Guilds appear to have more than tripled the pay of its top six executives right at the moment the company is cutting £22m of costs and shrinking its UK workforce. The large increases to salary and bonuses have emerged during a scandal over the sale of the qualification awards business by its former owner, the UK charity City & Guilds London Institute (CGLI), to the international certification company PeopleCert. Continue reading...

Plans to speed up airspace changes for Heathrow expansion could mean industry influences decisions on noise and routes Aviation campaigners have warned that communities risk being locked out of decisions about new flight paths as the government accelerates reforms that will allow a third runway at Heathrow to go ahead. Airspace around the UK will be reconfigured as part of a long-running modernisation process to allow planes to fly more efficiently and minimise delays, and the London airport has said progress in this area is essential for its expansion. Continue reading...

Major disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field may make northern lights visible far more south than usual The aurora could be visible across Canada and much of the northern tier of US states on Monday night, and possibly even further south, following a major disturbance in the Earth’s magnetic field, a forecast shows. The forecast, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s space weather prediction center, comes amid intense geomagnetic and solar radiation storms, said Shawn Dahl, service coordinator at the center. Continue reading...

Holiday marked with parades and services but tempered by anxieties over racial and social equality under Trump Martin Luther King Jr Day was marked with parades and services across the US on Monday. But the celebration for the achievements of the slain 60s civil rights leader was tempered by contemporary anxieties over racial and social equality and Trump administration’s crackdown in Minneapolis. At a rally in Harlem, the Rev Al Sharpton referred to Renee Good, the 37-year-old mother of three who was killed by an immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this month. Continue reading...

Victor Manuel Diaz was found unresponsive at Camp East Montana in what ICE officials claim is ‘presumed suicide’ * Who is on the frontline of Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown? A second man being held at a US immigration detention facility in Texas has died in two weeks, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Monday. Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, originally from Nicaragua, was found “unconscious and unresponsive in his room” on 14 January at the Camp East Montana detention facility in El Paso, ICE said in a press release. Continue reading...

Son of David and Victoria Beckham takes to Instagram to open up about feud with parents A very public spat on social media captured global attention and filled the front pages on Tuesday with its grave consequences for a once close relationship. No, not the US president Donald Trump slamming the UK for its “extreme stupidity” but this was Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, son of David and Victoria Beckham, apparently permanently cutting ties with his family. Continue reading...

Sarah Rogers says prosecuting people for ‘merely’ expressing support ‘does more harm than good’ Arresting supporters of Palestine Action is “censoring” their free speech and “does more harm than good”, a Trump administration official has said. Sarah Rogers, the US undersecretary for public diplomacy, was asked in an interview with the news platform Semafor whether the British government should allow supporters of the proscribed terror group to protest. Continue reading...

A day after a sweeping deal was announced between the Syrian government and the country’s main Kurdish-led force, the agreement appeared to be falling apart on Monday. After new outbreaks of clashes Monday, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces issued a statement calling for “all of our youth” to “join the ranks of the resistance”. “Just as our comrades in 2014 forged a historic resistance in Kobani and turned it into a graveyard for (the Islamic State group) ... today we affirm with the same...

Key allies reacted coolly on Monday to US President Donald Trump’s invite to pay US$1 billion for a permanent spot on his “Board of Peace” for resolving international conflicts, with analysts likening it to a pay-to-play version of the UN Security Council. The White House has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, chaired by Trump himself, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The board’s charter, seen by...

In 1900, most people lived without electricity, antibiotics or universal education. Today, life expectancy is decades longer, literacy and access to medicine are near universal in many regions, and hundreds of millions have entered the global middle class. This progress was built through science, industry, public health, education and the hard work of ordinary people who believed tomorrow could be better. The question now is whether humanity can achieve a still more audacious goal: a world in...

The death toll from a high-speed train collision in southern Spain rose to 40 on Monday as the government vowed a full investigation into its causes. The crash late on Sunday is Spain’s deadliest train accident since 2013, when 80 people died after a train veered off a curved section of track outside the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela. The latest happened when a train operated by rail company Iryo travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed near Adamuz in Andalusia. It crossed onto...

Brazilian beef exports will remain stable ‌in 2026 compared with last year, beef lobby Abiec said on ‍Monday, projecting shipments between 3.3 million and 3.5 million tonnes this year. That compares with 3.5 million tonnes of beef exported in 2025, including fresh and processed products, when Brazil’s ⁠beef shipments had their best year on record both in volumes and revenue, according to trade data. Roberto Perosa, Abiec president, said exports would remain broadly unchanged after top importer...

Valentino Garavani, the jet-set Italian designer whose high-glamour gowns – often in his trademark shade of “Valentino red” – were fashion show staples for nearly half a century, has died at home in Rome, his foundation announced on Monday. He was 93. “Valentino Garavani was not only a constant guide and inspiration for all of us, but a true source of light, creativity and vision,” the foundation said in a statement posted on social media. His body will repose at the foundation’s headquarters in...

Canada is considering whether to send a ‌small contingent of troops to Greenland to ‍take part in Nato military exercises, a source directly familiar with the matter said on Monday. The news was first reported by CBC News and the Globe and Mail newspaper. Military officials have presented plans for the operation to the government and are awaiting a decision from ‍Prime Minister Mark Carney, said the source, who requested anonymity ‍given the sensitivity of the matter. Carney’s office declined to...

A blast at a Chinese restaurant in central Kabul on Monday killed at least seven people and wounded more than a dozen others, emergency services said. An Agence France-Presse journalist saw police vehicles and an ambulance at the scene following the explosion on a street known for its flower sellers in the Shahr-e-Naw area. Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said the explosion occurred at the Chinese Noodle restaurant, which he said mainly served Chinese Muslims. “A Chinese Muslim, Ayub, and...

South Africa mourned the deaths on Monday of 13 schoolchildren who died when their minibus collided with a truck, ⁠local officials said in a statement, in an incident that put the spotlight on the country’s dismal road safety record. The private vehicle was transporting students to various primary schools and high schools in the southwest of Johannesburg when the incident occurred around 7am, according to authorities. Parents were seen weeping uncontrollably at the scene of the accident, while...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to join US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” aimed at resolving conflicts globally and overseeing governance and reconstruction in Gaza, the Kremlin said on Monday. Moscow for years tried to balance relations with all major players in the Middle East – including Israel and the Palestinians. But since the Israel-Gaza war and Russia’s assault on Ukraine, Putin has moved away from Israel, boosting ties with its foes like Iran. Moscow has...

The global landscape is undergoing profound rupture. The United States has blatantly interfered in the internal affairs of Venezuela through direct military action and openly covets Greenland. US President Donald Trump has called Canada the “51st state” of his country and threatened to “take back” the Panama Canal. The US is undermining the core assumptions that have underpinned the Western alliance system. Against this backdrop, Canada’s policy community broadly and Prime Minister Mark Carney...

Donald Trump no longer needs to think “purely of peace” after being snubbed for a Nobel prize, the US president said in comments published on Monday, adding the world will not be safe until Washington controls Greenland. Trump has put the transatlantic alliance to the test with threats to take over Greenland “one way or the other”, with European countries closing ranks against Washington’s designs on the vast Danish territory. German and French leaders denounced as “blackmail” weekend threats by...

For much of the past decade, the energy transition debate has largely revolved around one question: can clean technologies work at scale? That is increasingly being answered. Solar panels, wind turbines, batteries and electric vehicles (EVs) have moved into the mainstream as key technologies become more cost-effective, efficient and faster to deploy. In many markets, these energy sources are no longer the future of energy; they are the present. The challenge is no longer simply proving that more...

Guatemala’s president on Sunday declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency to combat criminal gangs after authorities accused the groups of killing eight police officers and holding hostages at three prisons. The killings occurred in the Guatemalan capital and surrounding areas a day after gang-affiliated inmates took 46 people hostage in the three prisons across the country to demand incarcerated gang leaders be moved to lower security facilities. President Bernardo Arevalo said...

Hackers disrupted Iranian state television satellite transmissions to air footage supporting the country’s exiled crown prince and calling on security forces to not “point your weapons at the people”, footage online showed early Monday, the latest disruption to follow nationwide protests in the country. The hacking came as the death toll in a crackdown by authorities that smothered the demonstrations reached at least 3,919 people killed, activists said. They fear the number will grow far higher...

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. Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China 2. Melaku Belachew, Shitaye Eshete claim Hong Kong Marathon crowns - as it happened 3. Trump shrugs off concerns over Canada-China EV deal, calls it a ‘good thing’ 4. Philippines enters its ‘hour of danger’ in Marcos...

The ‌Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, the site of large protests against the government’s deportation drive, two US officials told ‍Reuters on Sunday. The US Army placed the units on prepare-to-deploy orders in case violence in the midwestern state escalates, the officials said, though it is not clear whether any of them will be sent. US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to use the Insurrection Act to...

Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 18 people dead, scorched thousands of acres of forest and destroyed hundreds of homes, authorities said, as the South American country sweltered under a heatwave. Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country’s central Biobio region and the neighbouring Nuble region, around 500km (300 miles) south of Santiago, the capital. The emergency designation allows the suspension of constitutional...

Spanish police said on Monday that at least 39 people are confirmed dead in a high-speed train collision the previous night in the south of the country. Efforts to recover the bodies are continuing and the death toll is likely to rise. Some bodies were found hundreds of meters from the crash site, Andalusia regional president Juanma Moreno said. The crash occurred Sunday at 7.45pm when the tail end of a train carrying 289 passengers on the route from Malaga to the capital, Madrid, went off the...

US President Donald Trump’s actions in Venezuela and the kidnapping of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, have put Russia and China – widely considered two of Caracas’ most important international partners – in a difficult position. If they do not significantly reduce ties with the Latin American nation, they risk Washington’s retaliation. But who has more to lose, Moscow or Beijing? Unlike previous American leaders, Trump has not made any pretence about protecting democracy and human...

Ukraine’s top negotiator Rustem Umerov said ‍on Sunday that talks with US officials on a resolution of the nearly four-year-old war with Russia would continue at the World Economic Forum opening this week in the Swiss resort of Davos. Umerov, writing on Telegram, said two days of talks in Florida with a US team ⁠including envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, had focused on security guarantees and a post-war recovery plan for Ukraine. He gave no indication...

European Union ambassadors reached broad agreement on Sunday to intensify ‌efforts to dissuade US President Donald Trump from imposing tariffs on European allies, while also preparing retaliatory measures should the duties go ahead, EU diplomats said. Trump vowed on Saturday to implement ‍a wave of increasing tariffs from February 1 on EU members Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, along with Britain and Norway, until the US is allowed to buy Greenland, a step major EU...

Eight people killed in three separate avalanche accidents in Austria were citizens of the Czech Republic and Austria, authorities said on Sunday. The deadliest incident on Saturday occurred in the Grossarl Valley in the state of Salzburg, where three men aged 53, 63 and 65 were killed. A 60-year-old woman also died after being buried by snow. The victims were part of a group on an alpine ski course offered by the Austrian Alpine Club, the organisation announced on Sunday. “Risk competence and...

Governments reacted cautiously on Sunday to US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations. Only ‍Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Saturday, according to diplomats. Other governments appeared...

Yemeni politicians met on Sunday in Saudi Arabia’s capital in their first public gathering since a southern separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates was disbanded following weeks of clashes. The meeting in Riyadh discussed the future of southern Yemen ahead of a Saudi-sponsored conference, the dates of which have not yet been announced. The separatist demands in southern Yemen are one element in a complex civil war that has gripped the country since 2014, when Houthi rebels backed by...

Iran’s president warned on Sunday that any US strike would trigger a “harsh response” from Tehran after an Iranian official in the ‍region said at least 5,000 people - including about 500 security personnel - had been killed in nationwide protests. Iran’s protests, sparked last month in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar over economic grievances, swiftly turned political and spread nationwide, drawing participants from across generations and income groups - shopkeepers, students, men and women, the poor and...

Kurdish-led forces withdrew on Sunday from Syria’s largest oilfield, a conflict monitor said, as government troops extended their grip over swathes of territory in the country’s north and east. The push came after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree granting the Kurds official recognition in an apparent goodwill gesture, even as his Islamist government seeks to assert its authority across Syria after the ousting of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The Kurds’ de facto autonomous...

Talk of the United States acquiring Greenland has often been dismissed as rhetorical provocation. But the latest escalation is harder to wave away. President Donald Trump said it would be “unacceptable” if the US did not control Greenland only hours before Vice-President J.D. Vance hosted the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers. When territorial language is paired with senior-level diplomacy, it forces allies to draw public red lines, narrows the space for quiet crisis management, and turns...

Moderate Socialist Antonio Jose Seguro came ‍out on top in the first round of Portugal’s presidential election on Sunday, followed by the far-right leader Andre Ventura, and the two will face off in a February 8 run-off. In the five decades since Portugal threw off its fascist dictatorship, a presidential election has only once before - in 1986 - required a run-off, highlighting ⁠how fragmented the political landscape has become with the rise of the far-right and voter disenchantment with...

The latest developments in Venezuela are interpreted as part of a broader US strategy to secure access to major oil resources. They are much more than that: the US raid signals a transformation in the global economy wherein a country’s power is increasingly determined not by its political actions, but by its capacity to embed resource wealth within a self-sustaining production system. These deeper processes did not begin today, but rather around 2008-2009 when, according to an integrated...

Ulrikke Andersen has already made a plan. If the United States invades Greenland, she will flee her home with her daughter. “Before, I was ready to die for my country but when I had a kid that changed everything,” she said. The 40-year-old is one of many residents of the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, now weighing up options they would never have considered just a few months ago. But US President Donald Trump has been clear about his desire to seize the vast, self-governing Danish island, rich in...

The army has once again missed its own deadline for fielding the first US hypersonic weapon, in a sign that one of the Pentagon’s top priorities is still running late. The unit responsible for using the advanced weapon is trained and ready, but the missile – part of a US$10.4 billion hypersonic programme – is not ready for use. And while the army as recently as last month said that it planned to field the weapon by the end of 2025, the army acknowledged this week that it missed that...

US President Donald Trump’s fixation on Greenland offers an ice-cold reminder to leaders in Europe and abroad: no deal is ever final. Trump announced a 10 per cent tariff, rising to 25 per cent in June, on eight European nations, including Denmark, for saying they would undertake token Nato military exercises in Greenland in response to US sabre-rattling. While the tariffs are not certain to take effect, the threat was a brazen escalation and insult to close US allies, trampling over the US-EU...

The Trump administration is asking countries that want a permanent spot on his new Board of Peace to contribute at least US$1 billion. According to a draft charter for the proposed group seen by Bloomberg, US President Donald Trump would serve as its inaugural chairman and would decide on who is invited to be members. Decisions would be taken by a majority, with each member state present getting one vote, but all would be subject to the chairman’s approval. “Each Member State shall serve a term...

A third round of retaliatory strikes by the US in Syria resulted in the death of an al-Qaeda-affiliated leader, who officials say had a direct tie to the Islamic State member responsible for last month’s ambush that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in the country. US Central Command announced that the strike in northwest Syria on Friday killed Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, who they claim was “an experienced terrorist leader who plotted attacks and was directly connected” to...

Europe’s debate over its technological future is both timely and necessary. The centre of gravity for platform technologies, advanced semiconductors, hyperscale cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) has undeniably shifted towards the United States and China. While the US boasts giants like Microsoft and Nvidia, and China has cultivated powerhouses like Huawei and Tencent, Europe has seen its share of the digital platform market shrink. However, viewing this shift as inevitable...

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on ‍Saturday that this week’s Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to ⁠government policy. It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The statement did not specify what part of the board’s composition contradicted ‍Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment. The board, unveiled...

Opening a new front in his worldwide tariff onslaught, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would impose a 10 per cent import tax on the United Kingdom and six European countries for opposing his plan to purchase Greenland and that the rate would more than double if they did not let him acquire the Danish territory. His post on Truth Social two weeks to the day after he abducted Venezuela’s president from Caracas marks the latest chapter in a tumultuous start to 2026, even by Trump’s...

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won his seventh term with 71.65 per cent of votes, according to official results Saturday, in an election marred by an internet shutdown and fraud claims by his youthful challenger, who rejected the outcome and called for peaceful protests. The musician-turned-politician best known as Bobi Wine took 24.72 per cent of the vote, the final results showed. Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has condemned what he described as an unfair electoral process...

Trump administration officials had been in discussions with Venezuela’s hardline Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello months before the US operation to seize the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and have been in communication ‌with him since then, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The officials warned Cabello, 62, against using the security services or militant ruling-party supporters overseen by him to target the country’s opposition, four ‍sources said. That security...

Thousands of people took to the streets of Denmark’s capital on Saturday to protest at US President Donald Trump’s push to take over Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory. The protest followed Trump’s warning on Friday that he “may put a tariff” on countries that oppose his plans to take over mineral-rich Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. They also coincided with a visit to Copenhagen by a bipartisan delegation from the US Congress that has made clear the opposition of...

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday said “several thousand people” died in this month’s anti-government demonstrations, his first acknowledgment of the deadly scale of the unrest. Some of those were killed “brutally and inhumanely”, Khamenei said without offering details in a public meeting broadcast on state TV. He accused the US and Israel of aiding the killings and said the Islamic Republic had evidence to support the claim. Iran did not intend to push the country towards...

South American and European Union officials on Saturday signed a major trade deal, which they hailed as sending a powerful message at a time of tariff threats, global uncertainty and protectionism. The deal between the 27-nation European Union and Mercosur bloc members Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay creates one of the world’s largest free trade areas after 25 years of tricky negotiations. It was given fresh impetus amid the sweeping use of tariffs and trade threats by US President...

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned airlines on Friday to exercise caution when flying over Mexico, Central America and parts of South America, citing the risks of potential military activities and GPS interference. The FAA said it had issued “Notices to Airmen” covering Mexico and Central American countries, as well as Ecuador, Colombia and portions of airspace within the eastern Pacific Ocean. They say: “Potential risks exist for aircraft at all altitudes, including during...

Like many long-time reporters in Hong Kong, I had occasional dealings with David Webb, the market transparency and shareholder rights crusader who died this week of prostate cancer at the relatively young age of 60. Almost all of my encounters with him over the years were annoying and slightly unpleasant. But they made me respect him all the more. He once chastised me for misstating a relatively obscure Nasa space mission in the 1960s and demanded a print correction. I thought, who cares? But I...

The victims of Spain’s deadliest rail crash in more than a decade included a police officer, journalists and a family returning from a musical.

The train crash in the southern region of Andalucía on Sunday was the deadliest in Spain since at least 2013.

The court is set to hear Ms. Cook’s case challenging her firing as the Justice Department investigates Jerome H. Powell, the central bank chair.

Civil rights groups had criticized President Trump for failing to issue a proclamation honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and not attending commemorative events.

Intended as China’s version of Dubai’s palm-shaped artificial island, Ocean Flower Island is a $12 billion monument to debt-fueled economic excess.

Supporters of former president Hugo Chávez, the anti-American socialist, are struggling to come to terms with their government’s pact with Washington.

Uprisings in three prisons have killed 10 police officers, presenting another challenge for President Bernardo Arévalo in his fight against corruption and organized crime.

Valentino, as he was called, created one of the most durable and fashionable labels and became an equal of his high society customers.

Valentino Garavani, fashion’s “Last Emperor,” believed in the power of beauty.

Don’t get them started on the bathing suits. Or the dancing.

Many of the closed beaches were in Sydney, the site of three of the attacks.

A state law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in every classroom has already divided Texas schools. Now a federal appeals court will decide its constitutionality.

A severe solar storm could produce a visible show from Alabama to Northern California.

Cars and trucks slid into one another and off a highway after a lake-effect snowstorm. Numerous injuries were reported, but no deaths.

We seem to be in a new era of anti-gay prejudice.

International law is either universal or meaningless. Greenland will show which one we choose.

The “Tonight Show” host joked that President Trump hung his new Nobel Prize on the wall “right next to his McDonald’s customer of the month plaque.”

The police in Lafayette, Ind., said they were investigating the nonfatal shootings of a Tippecanoe County Superior Court judge and his wife on Sunday.

Gov. Wes Moore and the company behind the Sphere said the project in National Harbor, in the Washington metro area, would create jobs and become a landmark attraction.

New tensions flared a day after a Kurdish-led militia agreed to hand over control of prisons holding some 8,000 Islamic State fighters to the Syrian government.