After 15 months of war, a ceasefire deal in Gaza has been reached. In his farewell address to the nation, Joe Biden tried to convince the US public that it was just one of many successes he’d had in the White House. But is that how his time in office will be remembered? Jonathan Freedland speaks to the author Franklin Foer about Biden’s legacyArchive: CBS, PBS Newshour, CBS Chicago, CNC, WPLG Local 10, BBC Continue reading...

Politics

Trump’s nominee to lead the interior department will tell senators that he supports expanding drilling on public lands, a reversal from Biden’s policy In his final days in office, Joe Biden is expected to outline steps to better protect the United States from hackers linked to rivals like Russia and China, the Guardian’s Joseph Gedeon reports:The Biden administration is making a final push to fortify America’s cyber defenses against mounting threats from China and Russia, issuing a sweeping cybersecurity executive order just days before leaving office that aims to tackle vulnerabilities from outer space to consumer electronics. Continue reading...

Society

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the triple lock pension guarantee could become income-based - just weeks after attacking Labour for means testing the Winter Fuel Payment

Economics

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos has successfully fired a rocket into orbit as he took a giant leap in his space race with Elon Musk.

Sport

The CBP One app has brought nearly 1 million people to the U.S. on two-year permits with eligibility to work since January 2023, but it could end under President-elect Donald Trump

Events

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday that a ceasefire deal as well as a deal to return hostages held in the Gaza Strip has been reached.

Politics

Irena Fedotova claims she was robbed at knifepoint as part of a set up outside a London club, where she had around £40k stolen after masked armed robbers forced her to unlock her phone

Society

Helen Flanagan claimed she is 'really struggling financially' and cannot even afford a £10 taxi to take her son to nursery, but was banned from driving at Wirral Magistrates' Court.

Economics

The American faced a boisterous crowd in her win over local hope Destanee Aiava but says ‘energy is a good thing’On a day of a new attendance record at Melbourne Park, the world No 11, Danielle Collins, was booed and jeered in her win over local hope Destanee Aiava, the latest intervention at the Australian Open from boisterous and often intoxicated crowds in a sport known for its civility.The treatment appeared to affect the American, who shouted “shut up” to one fan during her tense 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-2 victory, even blowing kisses to the stands and turning and slapping her bottom in post-match victory taunts. Continue reading...

Sport

Apart from adding that he was focused on his latest project, Michelle Obama had little to say about her husband of 30-odd years.

Events

Aged 55 and a long-time follower of a healthy diet, Dawn was suffering excruciating inflammation in her joints, a dull complexion and low energy. Then it changed.

Politics

Hawaii lawmakers are beginning a new legislative session with a vow to try to stabilize the state’s property insurance market

Society

The U.S. Department of Education says plans for colleges to pay athletes directly for their name, image and likeness deals would run afoul of Title IX

Economics

The boyhood fan looks to be inching towards a sensational move back to Celtic Park

Sport

China has reported that its economy expanded at a 5% annual pace in 2024, achieving Beijing’s target of “around 5%” growth helped by strong exports and recent stimulus measures

Events

Supreme Court is set to release at least one opinion on Friday morning

Politics

British Gas, Scottish Power and Ovo Energy languish at the bottom of the annual rankings compiled by Which?

Economics

The RFA One launch will blast off from SaxaVord Spaceport on Unst, the northernmost of the Shetland Islands.

Sport

A federal judge in Texas is allowing three other states to pursue a challenge seeking to restrict access to the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide

Events

The outcome of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been thrown into doubt following Donald Trump’s election to the White House - but Britain must continue to back Ukraine

Politics

Johnny Scott, 26, smashed his car into the gates of Buckingham Palace whilst in a 'fidgety and dazed' state - before armed police arrived on scene and arrested him

Economics

Liverpool and Arsenal are set to face a defining period in the Premier League title race after the Gunners closed the gap on their rivals to just four points

Sport

Experts say climate crisis was likely responsible for a quarter of the dryness that fueled the fires’ rapid spreadAs Los Angeles’s deadly wildfires continue to burn, a group of survivors is taking aim at the industry most responsible for fueling climate disasters: fossil fuels.Residents impacted by the blazes lamented during a Thursday conference call losing their homes and communities and called for litigation and policies that could force big oil to pay for the damages. In the coming days, lawmakers will introduce legislation with that aim in mind. Continue reading...

Events

Motorcyclist holds nine-minute lead with just ceremonial ride leftSanders set to become just second Australian to win raceDaniel Sanders is on the verge of racing into Australian motorsports history as just the second man from his country to win a coveted Dakar Rally title.With just one short, sharp stage left after a draining two-week Saudi Arabian slog in the world’s toughest motor race, the Yarra Valley motorcyclist needs just to protect a substantial nine-minute lead over the final 131km loop around Subaytah, including 61km against the clock, to follow his friend Toby Price into the record books. Continue reading...

Politics

A Toyota subsidiary has agreed to pay more than $1.6 billion and plead guilty for violations related to the submission of false and fraudulent engine emission testing and fuel consumption data to regulators and the illicit smuggling of engines into the United States

Economics

Arsenal 2-1 Tottenham: The Gunners’ flaws are still evident but they kept their Premier League title hopes alive in an entertainingly chaotic north London derby

Sport

Aimee Betro was arrested in Armenia and flown back to the UK where she has been charged in relation to a failed conspiracy to murder a man from Birmingham back in 2019

Events

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists attacked Emily's home, shot her in the hand, murdered her friends and kidnapped her into Gaza amid the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.

Politics

Project involves building luxury hotel complex at small abandoned military base on island off Albanian coast

Economics

Liverpool have won three of their last seven matches in all competitions and there are fears Arne Slot's men could be in the middle of a blip for the first time this season, with Arsenal chasing them down

Sport

Nearly two dozen victims are suing the US Army and the Department of Defense in civil court, alleging both institutions are liable for Major Michael Stockin’s actions

Events

President-elect Donald Trump has named Troy Meink, a former Air Force KC-135 tanker navigator and former deputy of the National Reconnaissance Office, as his choice to serve as the top civilian leader for the Air Force

Politics

The transfer window is heating up at Celtic Park with the Kyogo murmur exploding

Economics

Arsenal firmly in Premier League title race after North London derby win: Arteta  MSN

Sport

Measures come a week after Washington also sanctioned Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s rival, Mohamed Hamdan DagaloThe United States has imposed sanctions on Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of choosing war over negotiations to bring an end to the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.The US treasury department said in a statement that under Burhan’s leadership, the army’s war tactics have included indiscriminate bombing of civilian infrastructure, attacks on schools, markets and hospitals, and extrajudicial executions. Continue reading...

Events

The prominent banker also serves as the United Nations special envoy for climate action and finance

Politics

The firm is making major cuts to its workforce as part of a broader strategy 🔧

Economics

Scott Bessent also tells US senators in heated confirmation hearing that he backs tougher sanctions on Russian oil

Events

After meeting with provincial and territorial premiers, outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, ‘everything is on the table’

Politics

Nicola Blackwell alleged female manager Varsha Kapoor had targeted her keeping her out of online meetings and speaking about her in Hindi to a colleague, a tribunal heard. (stock image)

Economics

The outgoing president was right, in his farewell address, to warn of the dangers posed by the billionaires around the tableAristocrats are “the most difficult Animals to manage, of anything in the whole Theory and practice of Government. They will not suffer themselves to be governed,” John Adams warned, writing after his presidency. Banning titles was insufficient; a few would still be distinguished by birth or, especially, wealth. The problem was not just their ability to buy political favours but the grip that their money had on people’s minds.Economic and political power entwine everywhere. Fear of the rich’s outsized influence has existed throughout US history. Yet at times the relationship becomes especially stark and threatening. On Wednesday, Joe Biden evoked the 19th-century Gilded Age and the robber barons – who crushed competitors, exploited workers, bought judges and politicians, and flaunted wealth – in his warning against oligarchs. Continue reading...

Events

Some of the biggest names in tech and finance will be at the parties happening across the city

Politics

Netanyahu, with Trump waiting in the wings, has no interest in lasting peace. From these beginnings must come political change – and a reckoning At last! The yearned-for Israel-Hamas ceasefire-for-hostages deal is finally happening. It is welcome. Like thin ice covering deep waters, it is scarily fragile, prone to crack under the slightest pressure. And it is desperately, lethally overdue. Tens of thousands of Palestinians, and many Israelis, have died since last May, when US president Joe Biden first set out the parameters of this agreement. Civilians are still being killed in Israeli airstrikes that have actually intensified since the two sides grudgingly initialled the deal in Qatar.Palestinians in Gaza and elsewhere are naturally relieved these merciless Israeli bombardments will soon stop. But celebrations are tempered by fears about the future, and by deep grief and anger over the still terrifying present and immediate past. According to Gaza health ministry figures, more than...

Economics

Labour should ask the Bank of England if it can do more to boost growthRecent days of market turmoil have elicited some extraordinary responses. The fact that investors are demanding higher rates to lend to the UK government apparently puts this Labour government in the same position as Liz Truss in 2022, according to some Labour MPs, or as Denis Healey facing the International Monetary Fund in 1976. Others dub the UK’s current position as stagflation, a term redolent of the 1970s, with their stagnant economy and runaway inflation. The problem with these comparisons is that the latest raft of key economic figures do not bear them out – not quite. The first bit about the stagnant economy is broadly correct: over the three months to November, GDP did not rise at all. But inflation isn’t running away. Indeed, at 2.5%, it’s just above the Bank of England’s target and, crucially, price pressures, both in the service sector and stripping out food and energy, have abated. Seen against thes...

Events

The prominent banker also serves as the United Nations special envoy for climate action and finance

Politics

Eligible pensioners over 80 are set to receive the full Winter Fuel Payment of £300 before January 29.

Economics

US secretary of state Antony Blinken says he is ‘confident’ ceasefire will happen; Israeli cabinet to convene on Friday morning to ratify the dealThe devastating impact of 15 months of war on GazaHow Trump loomed over Gaza ceasefire negotiationsKey mediator Qatar said that 33 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza would be released in the first stage of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory.Israel earlier said it would release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first stage of a Gaza truce agreement, Israeli and Palestinian sources reported Tuesday. Continue reading...

Events

The Village People, the group behind iconic hit YMCA, think their song will help heal divides in the USA after a backlash about their decision to perform it at Donald Trump's inauguration

Politics

A court in Edinburgh heard how the Scottish Government's decision was a ‘direct consequence’ of the Westminster move.

Economics

In a bid to keep costs down, households may have had to reign back on common habits to reduce the costs of ever-increasing energy bills.

Events

Manchester United transfer news as VAR decided against awarding United a penalty after the ball struck the arm of Kyle Walker-Peters

Politics

"I bought these a couple of weeks ago and they are just as good as my GHD straighteners, I’m pleased I purchased them"

Economics

Chelsea ask for total loan cost to be paid before returnStriker is injured and set to miss most of rest of season Everton’s attempt to cut short Armando Broja’s loan has hit complications with Chelsea wanting compensation to take the striker back.David Moyes, the new Everton manager, confirmed his club were exploring the possibility of terminating Broja’s season-long loan after he was ruled out for 10 to 12 weeks with ankle ligament damage. Everton have used their full allocation of four loan signings this season and, with profitability and sustainability rules restricting their January budget, want to create space for another temporary transfer. Continue reading...

Events

The president-elect’s pose says: here’s a man you can’t get rid of easily. The new vice-president’s says: ‘Can you believe this?’It’s possible that you have seen far more of Donald Trump’s face than you’d like in recent months. But if you haven’t, then I’ve got great news: the president-elect’s official portrait has now been released. This morning, Trump’s transition team shared official portraits of the incoming president and his vice president-elect, JD Vance, before their inauguration next week. “Official Portraits Released – And They Go Hard ????” an accompanying statement from the Trump team proclaimed.So just how hard do they go? You can rate them for yourself, but Trump’s somewhat untraditional pose is certainly trying to project “tough guy”. He’s got one eye squinted menacingly and a grim, defiant look on his face. The pose is strikingly similar to his famous mugshot from 2023. Continue reading...

Politics

After disasters like the wildfires in Los Angeles happen, much of the rebuilding work is done by Latino immigrant workers, many in the country illegally

Events

The president-elect’s pose says: here’s a man you can’t get rid of easily. The new vice-president’s says: ‘Can you believe this?’It’s possible that you have seen far more of Donald Trump’s face than you’d like in recent months. But if you haven’t, then I’ve got great news: the president-elect’s official portrait has now been released. This morning, Trump’s transition team shared official portraits of the incoming president and his vice-president-elect, JD Vance, before their inauguration next week. “Official Portraits Released – And They Go Hard ????” an accompanying statement from the Trump team proclaimed.So just how hard do they go? You can rate them for yourself, but Trump’s somewhat untraditional pose is certainly trying to project “tough guy”. He’s got one eye squinted menacingly and a grim, defiant look on his face. The pose is strikingly similar to his famous mugshot from 2023. Continue reading...

Politics

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg’s desperation to be cool as they suck up to Donald Trump is so cringe it makes my skin crawlI don’t know if anyone else has noticed this but everything seems to be going down the tubes quite fast. And not fun tubes, like at a waterpark. The “ending in shit” kind. The issues are complicated, the reasons diverse, but there are a few culprits who have been making themselves extremely visible.Alongside those holding political office, tech gragillionnaires (I had to invent a new number) like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg obviously wield huge global influence with their computers and numbers and whatnot. There has been a lot written about them and there will be more, as they continue to shape the world and win favour with Donald Trump. Big, scary, probably ruinous things lie ahead. But I’m here to discuss the smaller part. The insult to injury, the sprinkling of salt in the wound. Continue reading...

Events

The Premier League have issued a statement after Manchester United were denied a ‘clear’ penalty after Kyle Walker-Peters appeared to move his arm towards the ball under pressure from Amad Diallo

Politics

The hot favourite for the Champion Hurdle is to warm-up for the big race at the Cheltenham Festival Trials Day meeting after his successful return at Kempton on Boxing Day

Events

‘The number one reason why he got elected, he said, was because of the immigration and the border issue,’ DeSantis says of Trump

Politics

Botox demand is ‘partially fuelled by social media and societal pressures on young people’, Bradley Thomas told the Commons

Events

Former House Speaker has a notoriously frosty relationship with Trump, who has mocked her as ‘Crazy Nancy’

Politics

As images of the war flooded social media and news reports, disillusioned ex-military personnel increased their efforts to pressurise the administration to stop arming IsraelOf the protesters who were forcibly bundled out of the hearing for Donald Trump’s defence secretary nominee Pete Hegseth at the Senate’s armed services committee on Tuesday, two were notable for their jackets.With “US military” stitched over one breast pocket and their surnames on the other, Greg Stoker and Josephine Guilbeau are among thousands of veterans who have become a loud and visible presence in America’s anti-war movement. Continue reading...

Events

President-elect says Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight will report to him on movie business

Politics

President-elect says estranged first term veterans like Mike Pence, John Bolton and Nikki Haley will not be welcomed back in latest Truth Social diatribe

Events