3 hours ago The Guardian view on capital punishment: an upsurge in executions should concern us all | Editorial

The vast majority of countries have outlawed the death penalty. Yet the annual toll is growing – and Donald Trump wants to increase its useThe good news: Zimbabwe has just banned the death penalty. While it should remove an exemption clause, which might allow for capital punishment’s return were a state of emergency to be declared, the decision is another welcome step in the global journey towards abolition: 113 states have now banned executions.The bad news is that fewer countries have been killing more people in the last few years. Last May, Amnesty International recorded 1,153 executions in 2023, a 31% increase from the previous year and the highest level for almost a decade. (The figure is an underestimate since countries including China, believed to be the world’s largest executioner, do not publish data on the death penalty.) There was no letup in 2024. Iran reportedly executed more than 900 people. Saudi Arabia is believed to have killed another 330, compared with 172 in...

Politics

4 hours ago Grieving mum of student murdered by sex offender demands law change to 'save women's lives'

Lisa Squire, whose daughter was murdered by a prolific sex offender, is pleading with ministers to learn the lessons of Libby's death so her daughter’s memory can be ‘honoured’

Society

10 hours ago Chinese investment of £600 million in UK ‘a start’, says Cabinet minister

Science Secretary Peter Kyle said the Chancellor has returned from China with ‘solid commitments for investment’.

Economics

61 minutes ago Alfie Dorrington in Aberdeen transfer talks as Tottenham star in the making sees Ange promise to him come true

he Spurs staff want to get the under-19 England international out to get first-team experience

Sport

3 hours ago Swedish PM says country neither at war nor at peace as armed forces enter Baltic

Ulf Kristersson says ‘hostile intent cannot be ruled out’ as increased surveillance follows suspected cable sabotage The Swedish prime minister has said that his country is neither at war nor at peace as he announced that Sweden would be sending armed forces into the Baltic sea for the first time as part of increased surveillance efforts amid a spate of suspected sabotage of undersea cables.The country announced it will contribute up to three warships and a surveillance aircraft to a Nato effort to monitor critical infrastructure and Russia’s “shadow fleet” as the alliance tries to guard against sabotage of underwater infrastructure. Continue reading...

Events

12 hours ago What will my descendants make of my photo 100 years from now? | Seamas O'Reilly

Looking at a sepia-tinged picture of my grandmother, she has the kind of face you don’t see any more The photo shows my grandmother. She’s among the adults at the back, fourth from right, peeping out from a row of old-timey faces. The kind of faces you don’t see any more, faces that could only come from the past. Even without the sepia tint and the period clothing, you know you’d have a hard time showing them an iPhone or talking to them about AI. Frankly, you’d have a hard time explaining ITV4.But it is sepia-tinted, this photo, almost artificially so; its stock-still adults and fidgety kids captured in eerie permanence, so perfectly composed as to recall the cover of a stirring Irish childhood memoir. Judging by the boys and girls in their little suits and sparkling white dresses, it’s from a first holy communion ceremony, presumably one with pupils from the small primary school in Mulleek, Fermanagh, where she taught for 30 years. Continue reading...

Culture

3 hours ago The Guardian view on Argentina’s austerity year: painful cuts, rising poverty and a geopolitical gamble | Editorial

In his first 12 months Javier Milei has imposed drastic economic measures – sparking protests while banking on an IMF bailoutThe first foreign leader to meet Donald Trump after his victory last November was Argentina’s president, Javier Milei. The affinity is obvious: both are political outsiders united by extreme-right rhetoric and a penchant for anarchic capitalism. Mr Milei promised a war on bureaucrats, brutal public spending cuts and sweeping deregulation of Latin America’s second-largest economy. Predictably, the outcome has been devastating: a recession plunged more than half the country into poverty within the first six months of 2024.Mr Milei did not so much win the last election as the previous government lost it. When voters went to the polls in October 2023, monthly inflation stood at around 8%, fuelling frustration with the established parties and anxiety about the future – sentiments Mr Milei skilfully exploited. After his victory, monthly inflation soared to...

Politics

32 hours ago We built our world with fire. Now heat is destroying our lives | John Vaillant

We fell in love with the power and speed that fossil fuels brought us. But the price being paid in California, and around the world, has become too highZero per cent contained. In layperson’s terms, that means “out of control and burning at will”. It’s a common designation for a wildfire – in the wild. But when a fire like this enters an urban area such as Los Angeles County, the most highly populated metropolitan area in the US, it becomes an exploding bomb, and this one has been detonating since last Tuesday.By now, the energy release from this wind-driven, drought-fuelled firestorm turned urban conflagration is into the megatons, and the nuclear-scale destruction is there for all to see: block after block and neighbourhood after neighbourhood levelled – roughly 12,000 structures destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, 55 sq miles of city and mountain burnt, nearly 200,000 residents evacuated – so far. There is more to come. Continue reading...

Society

16 hours ago ‘A welfare state with a budget on the right side of zero’: Iceland’s youngest

Kristrún Frostadóttir, who entered politics just four years ago, speaks to the Observer about feminism, the far right and reopening talks on joining the EUNearly 45 years ago, Iceland made history by producing the world’s first elected female president of a country, setting it on a path to being the global feminist frontrunner it is today.Since then it has had multiple female presidents and prime ministers, but it wasn’t until three weeks ago, when social democrat Kristrún Frostadóttir took office, that the country’s two top positions were both held by women at the same time. It comes after Halla Tómasdóttir became Iceland’s second female president in August. Continue reading...

Economics

2 hours ago Real Madrid vs Barcelona LIVE! El Clasico match stream, latest score and goal updates today

Fierce rivals clash once again in Saudi Arabia with the Supercopa de Espana up for grabs

Sport

3 hours ago Sweden neither at war nor at peace, says PM, as warships sent to Baltic Sea

Ulf Kristersson says ‘hostile intent cannot be ruled out’ as increased surveillance follows suspected cable sabotage The Swedish prime minister has said that his country is neither at war nor at peace as he announced that Sweden would be sending armed forces into the Baltic Sea for the first time as part of increased surveillance efforts amid a spate of suspected sabotage of undersea cables.The country announced it will contribute up to three warships and a surveillance aircraft to a Nato effort to monitor critical infrastructure and Russia’s “shadow fleet” as the alliance tries to guard against sabotage of underwater infrastructure. Continue reading...

Events

24 hours ago Rebecca Ferguson admits she's torn after receiving Eurovision Song Contest offer

Rebecca Ferguson has confirmed she is in talks to compete in the upcoming 2025 Eurovision Song Contest - but fans might be shocked by the details that she has shared

Culture

3 hours ago Former minister ‘asked army chief to resign over national security incident’

General Sir Gwyn Jenkins is considered a frontrunner for the post of next chief of defence staff

Politics

19 hours ago How to protect YOUR money from Rachel Reeves's economic meltdown: Finance guru JEFF PRESTRIDGE talks to Britain's top experts to reveal what you need to do NOW

Are the wheels coming off Rachel Reeves's 'wagon'? Political allegiance may determine your answer to this question, but financial markets are adamant in their opinion.

Economics

9 hours ago Meet Grace Charis, Paige Spiranac's influencer rival who went viral for her controversial golf attire

She may not be an LPGA or Ladies European Tour player. She's not even a professional golfer. Yet Charis has quickly become one of the most popular players of the game online in recent years.

Sport

3 hours ago China's mystery HMPV virus spreads to India and Malaysia as cases 'skyrocket' in UK

The human metapneumovirus (HMPV) has recorded a 'significant increase' in China and is now reportedly spreading to other countries, with India and Malaysia being hit

Events

24 hours ago Man City transfer latest as striker progress made and £33.5million deal agreed

Abdukodir Khusanov will join Manchester City after a deal was agreed with Lens and Omar Marmoush could follow with talks progressing

Economics

15 hours ago How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona: TV channel and live stream for Spanish Super Cup final today

Eternal rivals meet again with silverware on the line

Sport

4 hours ago Don't mention the Rangers war as Clement the Condemned becomes a sideshow on potty Ibrox day – 3 talking points

The ultras headed for the exits after 55 minutes but the move didn’t go down well with a large amount of the rest of the ground

Events

4 hours ago Real Madrid vs Barcelona LIVE! El Clasico match stream, Spanish Super Cup team news, lineups, TV today

Fierce rivals clash once again in Saudi Arabia with the Supercopa de Espana up for grabs

Politics

29 hours ago Watch: Rachel Reeves attends economic talks in China as chancellor pledges to make UK ‘better off’

Watch again as Rachel Reeves attended economic talks in China on Saturday (11 January) as the chancellor pledged to make the UK “better off”.

Economics

28 hours ago How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona in the UK: Live stream and TV channel for Spanish Super Cup Final

The El Clasico giants go head-to-head in Saudi for the glory and bragging rights

Sport

4 hours ago Police turned a blind eye when she begged them to find the pervert posting deep

Her whole school seemed to be talking about how nice Miss Pellant was also a porn star online. The problem for teacher Kirsty was that those sexually explicit pictures and videos were not of her at all.

Events

6 hours ago First Minister says he will use Donald Trump's Scottish links in tariff talks

The incoming president has threatened a blanket 20 per cent tariff on all imports into the US

Politics

38 hours ago Watch live: Rachel Reeves attends economic talks in China as chancellor pledges to make UK ‘better off’

Watch live as Rachel Reeves attends economic talks in China on Saturday (11 January) as the chancellor pledged to make the UK “better off”.

Economics

6 hours ago Keir Starmer ‘will act on findings of Tulip Siddiq investigation regardless of outcome’

Minister hits back after Tories call for PM to sack anti-corruption minister at centre of Bangladesh property rowKeir Starmer will act on the findings of an independent investigation into Tulip Siddiq’s conduct regardless of the outcome, a cabinet minister has said, as Kemi Badenoch called for her to be sacked.Badenoch, the Conservative leader, accused the prime minister of appointing “his personal friend as anti-corruption minister and she is accused herself of corruption”, after the Bangladesh government raised serious concerns about Siddiq’s links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina, her aunt. Continue reading...

Events

7 hours ago ‘Australia deserves a champion’: Alex de Minaur ready to meet great expectations | Simon Cambers

World No 8 is coming off a career-best year as pressure mounts to become the first homegrown Australian Open men’s singles champion since 1976Playing at home in front of a home crowd can go one of two ways. For some, it’s an inspiration, they play their best tennis at the most important moments. For others, it can be crippling, the tension ripping through their body and stopping them from playing the way they so dearly want to.Think Sam Stosur, the Australian who won the US Open in sensational style in 2011, beating Serena Williams in the final, but for whom the expectations at Melbourne Park were simply too stressful. For all his talent, Nick Kyrgios’s best run in Melbourne is a quarter-final effort in 2015. Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo made one quarter-final at Roland-Garros but triumphed in Australia and at Wimbledon. Continue reading...

Politics

45 hours ago Britain's Treasury chief is heading to China to revive suspended economic and financial talks

Britain’s Treasury chief is travelling to China this weekend to discuss economic and financial cooperation between the countries, as the U.K.‘s Labour government seeks to reset frayed ties with Beijing

Economics

10 hours ago Germany says sanctions against Syrian war crimes suspects must stay but people need relief

Germany’s foreign minister says sanctions against Syrian officials responsible for war crimes must remain in place but called for a “smart approach” to provide relief to the Syrian population after last month’s overthrow of President Bashar Assad

Events

7 hours ago Canada’s election is about to have an Elon Musk problem with Trudeau’s exit

The world’s richest man looks to move Canada to the right as the beleaguered prime minister prepares to departThe decision by the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, this week to resign as head of the Liberal party has set in motion a leadership race against the backdrop of a looming general election, which will be held amid political turmoil triggered by Donald Trump’s America First economic nationalism. It has also given Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, an opportunity to inject himself into yet another country’s political turmoil.Since Trudeau’s resignation on Monday, Musk has posted repeatedly about Canadian politics on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter he bought in 2022 for $44bn. He has praised clips of Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s Conservative party, while relishing in Trudeau’s downfall and engaging with rightwing Canadian influencers. Continue reading...

Politics

45 hours ago Rachel Reeves jets to China for trade talks as economic woes mount at home

Chancellor Rachel Reeves flew to Beijing to bang the drum bang the drum for trade and rebuild ties after years of frosty relations but economic turmoil risked overshadowing the trip

Economics

11 hours ago Real Madrid vs Barcelona XIs: Confirmed team news, predicted lineups and injuries for Spanish Super Cup final

Clasico rivals meet in Jeddah in pursuit of domestic silverware

Events

8 hours ago Love Island All Stars 2025: Meet the former contestants returning for a second chance at romance

Reality dating show hosted by Maya Jama is back for more love and drama

Politics

15 hours ago Why abandoning Ukraine will usher in new world order in which great wars are inevitable

The current international legal order prohibits the use of force by countries to win territory. If this concept is shattered in Ukraine, a new world order based on threats and violence will emerge

Events

9 hours ago Elon Musk 'reluctant' to talk to MPs despite hundreds of posts about British society

Chi Onwurah, chair of the Commons’ tech committee, has invited Elon Musk to give evidence to MPs for its inquiry into social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms

Politics

23 hours ago TALK OF THE TOWN: Sigourney Weaver & Co fume over a kitchen drama that is causing a stink at her new West End play

Sigourney Weaver must have been thrilled to find there was an award-winning chef right by the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where she's starring in The Tempest.

Events

9 hours ago Return looted shipwreck treasures to countries of origin as reparations for slavery, says lawyer

Proposal suggests restitution for colonial artefacts should also apply to underwater heritage Shipwrecked colonial treasures that have lain on the seabed for centuries could be recovered and returned to their countries of origin as reparations for slavery.Tim Maxwell, an international cultural heritage lawyer, said repatriating artefacts found underwater could help former colonial powers meet moral obligations to countries they had historically exploited for their transatlantic trade. Continue reading...

Politics

24 hours ago Subway rider who survived being pushed onto tracks breaks his silence on NYE attack

Joseph Lynskey, a 45-year-old who miraculously survived after being abruptly shoved into the path of a speeding southbound train in Manhattan, has broken his silence.

Events

9 hours ago Nathan Aké claims Kyle Walker would be a ‘massive’ loss for Manchester City

Walker has told Pep Guardiola he wishes to leaveFull-back played no part in City’s 8-0 rout of SalfordNathan Aké has stated Manchester City will “massively” miss Kyle Walker if he leaves in the winter window after the 34-year-old informed the club he wishes to do so.After City’s Saturday’s 8-0 FA Cup third-round rout of Salford City, Pep Guardiola revealed the defender was left out of the matchday squad after his request on Thursday to “explore the option” to play abroad. Milan are interested in signing Walker, though a move to Saudi Arabia is not thought to be an option currently. Continue reading...

Politics

25 hours ago Former Labour MP Ivor Caplin arrested after 'paedophile hunter' Facebook live stream sting

Sussex Police have arrested ex-Labour defence minister Ivor Caplin, MP for Hove between 1997 and 2005, in Brighton on suspicion of engaging in sexual communication with a child

Events

10 hours ago John Swinney says he also intervened to stop Alex Salmond's 'bullying'

The First Minister said he told Salmond his behaviour was "not on" when he was "quite brisk with people".

Politics

25 hours ago Revealed: Strasbourg tram 'reversed at full speed' during horror crash that left dozens injured and five people 'fighting for their lives'

Around 50 people are believed to have been injured at the scene at Gare Centrale station in the French city, as emergency crews are in attendance.

Events

10 hours ago Australian Open 2025: Zverev in action, Sabalenka beats Stephens and more on day one – live

Updates from the first day of action at Melbourne ParkAny thoughts? Share them with Daniel via emailTalking of Andreeeva, here she is talking to Tumaini Carayol.I can’t wait to see how she develops but, seeded to meet Saba in round four, she might be on borrowed time. That, contest, though, would be a treat – and most likely a lot closer than our current one. Sabalenka breaks again for 4-0, but Stephens quickly earns 15-40 Continue reading...

Politics

27 hours ago Joan Didion and Mike Davis understood LA through its fires. Even they didn’t predict this week

Fire is an inextricable part of the region’s identity, as the writers knew. But the way this divided city burns has been transformedTalking about fire and Los Angeles is an exercise in repetition. Southern California does have seasons, Joan Didion once noted in Blue Nights, among them “the season when the fire comes”.Fire in Los Angeles has a singular ability to shock, with its destruction that takes “grimly familiar pathways” down the canyons and into the subdivisions. The phrase comes from Mike Davis’s 1995 essay The Case for Letting Malibu Burn, and it is as true for the fires as for our talk of the fires. Even our reflections take on that grim familiarity: we cite Joan Didion citing Nathanael West. We fall in with the great writers of this great city who are always so ready to judge it. Continue reading...

Events

10 hours ago Atlanta latest on Kyogo emerges as Edouard namechecked and Chukwuemeka stance made clear – Celtic transfer bulletin

Brendan Rodgers' star striker shrugged off talk over his future by bagging a double in Dingwall

Politics

27 hours ago Joan Didion and Mike Davis understood LA through its fires. Even they couldn’t predict this week

Fire is an inextricable part of the region’s identity, as the writers knew. But the way this divided city burns has been transformedTalking about fire and Los Angeles is an exercise in repetition. Southern California does have seasons, Joan Didion once noted in Blue Nights, among them “the season when the fire comes”.Fire in Los Angeles has a singular ability to shock, with its destruction that takes “grimly familiar pathways” down the canyons and into the subdivisions. The phrase comes from the writer and activist Mike Davis’s 1995 essay The Case for Letting Malibu Burn, and it is as true for the fires as for our talk of the fires. Even our reflections take on that grim familiarity: we cite Didion citing Nathanael West. We fall in with the great writers of this great city who are always so ready to judge it. Continue reading...

Events

11 hours ago Labour minister confronted over government's alleged monitoring of Elon Musk's Twitter

Science secretary Peter Kyle was confronted over reports Labour is monitoring Elon Musk’s social media accounts.

Politics

28 hours ago UK going ‘backwards’ on online safety, Molly Russell’s father tells Starmer

Ian Russell called on Sir Keir Starmer to act urgently in order to protect young people online.

Events

11 hours ago Australian Open 2025: Sabalenka beats Stephens, Zverev in action next on day one – live

Updates from the first day of action at Melbourne ParkAny thoughts? Share them with Daniel via emailTalking of Andreeeva, here she is talking to Tumaini Carayol.I can’t wait to see how she develops but, seeded to meet Saba in round four, she might be on borrowed time. That, contest, though, would be a treat – and most likely a lot closer than our current one. Sabalenka breaks again for 4-0, but Stephens quickly earns 15-40 Continue reading...

Politics

29 hours ago Starmer will brutally sack Reeves to save himself. I've had a ringside seat for 50 years of financial crises and even I'm shocked by the speed of her unravelling: ALEX BRUMMER

Liz Truss's short-lived premiership besides, I can think of few administrations that have come into power with such a belief in their own economic superiority only to come unstuck so rapidly.

Events

11 hours ago Grieving dad's heartbreaking plea to Keir Starmer played live on BBC's Laura Kuenssberg

Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly died in 2017, has appealed directly to the Prime Minister as a father to stop children from facing the 'dangers' they’re currently experiencing online

Politics

29 hours ago Real Madrid vs Barcelona XIs: Predicted lineups, confirmed team news and injuries for Spanish Super Cup final

Clasico rivals meet in Jeddah in pursuit of domestic silverware

Events

12 hours ago Boris Johnson brands Vladimir Putin a 'f***ing idiot' as he calls on Western leaders to let Ukraine join Nato

Britain's former Prime Minister told the Russian leader there will be 'no more empire', declaring Ukraine and other eastern European countries would never rejoin the 'Russian imperium'.

Politics

32 hours ago Ons Jabeur: ‘Kids are dying everywhere in Ukraine or Gaza. I have to speak out and use my platform’

Former world No 2 shares her struggles with seeing suffering in Palestine and how she is working with the World Food Programme to help Few players wear their heart on their sleeve as much as Ons Jabeur. The Tunisian, whose sublime skills and smile have lit up the women’s Tour over the past decade, reached the Wimbledon final in 2022 and 2023 and earned herself the nickname Minister of Happiness.But somewhere along the way, Jabeur lost the joy. Keen to start a family, she had told herself that if she won Wimbledon in 2023, that would be the perfect time to take a break. It didn’t happen – she lost to Marketa Vondrousova – and so continued playing. But injuries, illness and the scenes of human suffering in Gaza made her struggle over the past year. Continue reading...

Events

12 hours ago Australian Open 2025: Sabalenka v Stephens, plus Zverev in action on day one – live

Updates from the first day of action at Melbourne ParkAny thoughts? Share them with Daniel via emailTalking of Andreeeva, here she is talking to Tumaini Carayol.I can’t wait to see how she develops but, seeded to meet Saba in round four, she might be on borrowed time. That, contest, though, would be a treat – and most likely a lot closer than our current one. Sabalenka breaks again for 4-0, but Stephens quickly earns 15-40 Continue reading...

Politics

32 hours ago Ons Jabeur: ‘Kids are dying everywhere in Ukraine or Gaza. I have to speak out’

Former world No 2 shares her struggles with seeing suffering in Palestine and how she is working with the World Food Programme to help Few players wear their heart on their sleeve as much as Ons Jabeur. The Tunisian, whose sublime skills and smile have lit up the women’s Tour over the past decade, reached the Wimbledon final in 2022 and 2023 and earned herself the nickname Minister of Happiness.But somewhere along the way, Jabeur lost the joy. Keen to start a family, she had told herself that if she won Wimbledon in 2023, that would be the perfect time to take a break. It didn’t happen – she lost to Marketa Vondrousova – and so continued playing. But injuries, illness and the scenes of human suffering in Gaza made her struggle over the past year. Continue reading...

Events