2 hours ago Hamas Israel ceasefire 'will go into effect on Sunday morning' as new statement issued

Qatar's foreign ministry has issued a statement

Politics

67 minutes ago Liverpool flop's pizza cravings saw him flout law in gold Cadillac and supercars

El Hadji Diouf was no stranger to controversy during his career but his behaviour off the pitch also raised serious questions about the Liverpool flop

Society

17 hours ago The relief I’ll feel if the Gaza ceasefire deal holds is tempered by rage. Because it could have happened so much sooner | Jonathan Freedland

The agreement reached this week is basically the plan Joe Biden unveiled in May. So much pain, terror and death could have been avoidedWhen news of the ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas first broke on Wednesday, a friend offered the kind hope that now, at last, there could be a sense of joy. I wanted very much to feel that way but, at that moment, I could not – and here’s why.For one thing, a mere announcement did not seem enough. When it comes to the Middle East, “believe it when you see it” tends to be a good operating principle. Sure enough, there followed 48 hours of hitches and last-minute delays and even now, as I write this and after the Israeli security cabinet approved the deal, it seems like tempting fate to assume everything will run smoothly. Continue reading...

Economics

42 minutes ago Gaza ceasefire to begin on Sunday as Israel approves deal to free hostages in exchange for prisoners

Ceasefire set to start on Sunday when first hostages are expected to be released

Events

30 hours ago Wards at mental health facility at centre of abuse scandal criticised as concerns raised over safety of patients

Patients complained of feeling unsafe on wards, with staff doing 'things to deliberately provoke them'

Science

3 hours ago Middle East latest: Ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 0630 GMT on Sunday

Qatar’s foreign ministry said the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will go into effect at 0630 GMT on Sunday

Politics

17 hours ago Relief at this Gaza deal should be tempered by rage at Hamas and Netanyahu. How dare they take so long? | Jonathan Freedland

The agreement reached this week is basically the plan Joe Biden unveiled in May. So much pain and death could have been avoidedWhen news of the ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas first broke on Wednesday, a friend offered the kind hope that now, at last, there could be a sense of joy. I wanted very much to feel that way but, at that moment, I could not – and here’s why.For one thing, a mere announcement did not seem enough. When it comes to the Middle East, “believe it when you see it” tends to be a good operating principle. Sure enough, there followed 48 hours of hitches and last-minute delays and even now, as I write this and after the Israeli security cabinet approved the deal, it seems like tempting fate to assume everything will run smoothly. Continue reading...

Economics

3 hours ago Donald Trump inauguration: how do donations to the inaugural fund work?

What to know about Trump’s inauguration committee – from what rules are in place to how much it has raisedDonald Trump’s inauguration committee has raised a record $170m for the bonanza of balls, receptions, parades, dinners and related events that will surround his swearing in as president on Monday.The financial takings – which, with money reportedly still coming in, could reach $200m by inauguration day – outstrips the $106m raised for the returning president’s first inaugural in 2017, itself a record at the time. It also far exceeds the $65m donated to Joe Biden’s inauguration four years ago. Continue reading...

Politics

21 hours ago Tony Slattery's fans raise £20k in funeral fundraiser after star's addiction left him bankrupt

Former Have I Got News For You panelist Tony Slattery passed away earlier this week and a fundraising page has been met with hundreds of donations in the days since the news broke

Economics

5 hours ago Hostages’ families wait for news of releases as Israel approves ceasefire

There has been no confirmation on the status of British-linked hostages, including Emily Damari, Eli Sharabi, Oded Lifschitz and Avinatan Or.

Events

5 hours ago TikTok told me kundalini activation could change my life – this is what happened

If you’re into wellness, you’ll have seen a certain dramatic spiritual trend all over your social media feeds. And now, seemingly out of nowhere, kundalini activation transmissions are available in every major city in the UK. As Hannah Ewens discovers, you have to try it yourself to believe it

Politics

22 hours ago Now that'll give you a headache! Guest blows £160,000 on rare whisky at upmarket Scots hotel

A group of whisky lovers splurged on some of the world's most sought after spirits at the five star Fife Arms in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, as they celebrated New Year.

Economics

6 hours ago A train station was once the pride of Syria's capital. Some see it as a symbol of revival after war

A train station in Damascus was once the pride of the Syrian capital, an essential link between Europe and the Arabian Peninsula during the Ottoman Empire and then a national transit hub

Events

6 hours ago Resettlement agencies race to help refugees ahead of Trump's second term

Resettlement agencies have raced to welcome refugees before President-elect Donald Trump takes office

Politics

24 hours ago Brit Emily Damari is confirmed to be among 33 Hamas hostages to be released as part of Gaza ceasefire deal

The 28-year-old was shot in the hand and leg when she was snatched from her home in southern Israel during the October 7 attack by Hamas.

Economics

11 hours ago Censorship, homework help and cats: China’s RedNote users welcome ‘TikTok refugees’

Americans fleeing the looming TikTok ban have been warmly welcomed to app Xiaohongshu – or RedNote – despite China’s tight restrictions on what can be posted“It is the coolest thing,” says Huang Ziyan, a longtime user of Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, describing the experience as a “21st-century Tower of Babel”.Huang is referring to the influx of US “TikTok refugees” fleeing the impending ban and the resulting cross-cultural exchange that has seen Americans warmly welcomed – and sometimes given a few helpful tips. Continue reading...

Events

13 hours ago BBC The Traitors fans say the contestants 'don't deserve' Alexander's 'selfless' spirit

The contestants added a whopping £10k to their prize pot on Friday night

Politics

11 hours ago Alex Connerty: Tragedy as disability activist whose 'kindred spirit' warmed the nation dies

Alex Connerty, from Merseyside, taught the world about the rare condition called Microcephalic Primordial Dwarfism Type II (MPD), associated with brain and skeletal abnormalities

Events

13 hours ago Israel prepares for hostages' return with scant knowledge of their condition

A team of doctors in Israel is preparing for the return of the hostages from Gaza with the expectation that many are likely to have severe, life-threatening complications from spending more than a year in captivity

Politics

12 hours ago How one of Paris's most historic theatres has been hijacked and turned into a giant migrant camp

Over 300 migrants are now living in the theatre as part of what they're calling an 'anti-racist and anti-colonial struggle' for state-sponsored housing.

Events

19 hours ago Who pays for the presidential inauguration? These are some of the major donors

Inaugural committee set to raise more than $200 million, with any leftover funds likely to be used for a Trump presidential library

Politics

13 hours ago TikTok refugees are pouring to Xiaohongshu. Here's what you need to know about the RedNote app

A rare wave of U.S.-China camaraderie broke out online in recent days as “refugees” from the popular short video platform TikTok poured onto a Chinese social media platform to protest a now-delayed ban on the service

Events

19 hours ago Palestine Action activists plead not guilty over raid on Israeli defence firm's UK base

Palestine Action activists are accused of a violent raid on an Israeli defence firm

Politics

13 hours ago Daughter of one of the oldest Israeli hostages hopes for answers in ceasefire deal

As one of the oldest hostages taken by Hamas, Oded Lifshitz would be among the first to be released under a ceasefire deal

Events

20 hours ago Trump’s border policy tore apart many families. Nobody knows what happens to them now

Number of families that are still separated remains unclear, and a previous ruling offers separated families few protections from future deportationIn summer 2017, the Trump administration began quietly separating families at the US-Mexico border. Under the “zero-tolerance” policy formally announced months later, federal immigration authorities removed children as young as four months old from parents or adults who were seeking asylum. The administration didn’t announce any plans for reunification.As Trump 2.0 grows closer and closer, so does the unease of the lawyers and advocates who have spent years locating, representing and reuniting these families. Organizations Justice in Motion, Kids in Need of Defense and the Women’s Refugee Commission, along with the global private law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, formed a court-appointed steering committee after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed the 2018 class action lawsuit Ms L v US Immigration an...

Politics

18 hours ago What is RedNote? The Chinese app 'TikTok refugees' are using as US ban looms

RedNote is a Chinese social media app that is rising in popularity in the US and the UK

Events

20 hours ago Syrian Christians want their identity and freedoms protected in any new constitution, envoy says

As Syria begins recovering from 50 years of autocratic rule by the Assad family, an international envoy says Christians and other religious groups expect their rights and freedoms to be preserved under a new constitutional settlement

Politics

19 hours ago Who are the 33 Israeli hostages set to be released under first phase of Gaza ceasefire?

Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, starting on Sunday

Events

24 hours ago Scots nurse saves Palestinian toddler with bullet lodged in neck in Gaza

‘It’s quite frankly a miracle they survived’

Politics

19 hours ago International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor meets with Syrian leader in Damascus

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan has made an unannounced visit to Damascus, meeting with the leader of Syria’s de facto government

Events

26 hours ago Ale Hop & Titi Bakorta: Mapambazuko review – Congolese soukous gets a maximalist makeover

(Nyege Nyege Tapes)This Peruvian-Congolese partnership transforms traditional African guitar-playing with thrillingly chaotic sound designPeruvian multi-instrumentalist Ale Hop has a knack for unsettling reinventions of musical traditions. On her last album, 2023’s Agua Dulce, she and percussionist Laura Robles reimagined the cajón, electronically processing the instrument’s rhythms with skittering synths and rumbling sub-bass to produce eerie, unpredictable percussion. She returns with Congolese guitarist Titi Bakorta, the pair’s lively debut record delivering a new take on the folk-pop sounds of Congolese soukous.Characterised by its high-register, dextrous electric guitar rhythms and bright arpeggiated melodies, soukous is generally an uptempo, joyous genre sitting somewhere between Ghanaian highlife and Latin cumbia. Across six tracks, Bakorta captures this effervescence, his spirited guitar-playing ringing with trilling harmony on opening track Bonne Année, lilting through a fa...

Politics

20 hours ago Watch live: Israelis gather in Hostage Square as security cabinet approves ceasefire deal

Watch live as Israelis gather in Hostage Square, Tel Aviv, on Friday, 17 January, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war-time security cabinet approves a long-awaited ceasefire deal with Hamas.

Events

26 hours ago I was born and raised in Liverpool with a Scouse accent but woke up one day sounding like the Queen due to rare condition with only 100 known patients EVER

Rose Griffiths' voice changed to 'posh' English sounding 'like the Queen' - while her Liverpudlian twang never returned.

Politics

20 hours ago Caught short? Warning after nearly 100 public toilets closed in London over last decade

Charity raises ‘serious public health concern’ as three times as many public loos closed or removed by councils as were opened in past 10 years

Events

27 hours ago Protesters block main Tel Aviv road urging Israeli government to secure hostage deal

Protesters blocked one of Tel Aviv's main roads on Thursday night (16 January) as they called for all remaining hostages in Gaza to be released.

Politics

20 hours ago ‘In Gaza, a press vest makes you a target’: the journalists who have paid a price for reporting on the war

Under the Geneva conventions, media workers are not legitimate military targets, yet at least 166 have been killed in the conflict with Israel. As a ceasefire deal takes shape, we tell the stories of three of those killed or injured in the last yearAfter 15 months of relentless bombardment, the war in Gaza has been the deadliest on record for journalists – with at least 166 Palestinian media workers killed according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).As the world waits for the Israeli cabinet to approve the first phase of a ceasefire due to start on Sunday, press freedom organisations are now demanding unfettered access into Gaza for foreign journalists – who have so far been barred by Israel – and calling for accountability for Israel’s alleged war crimes, urging justice to replace a culture of impunity. Continue reading...

Events

27 hours ago Gaza hostages set to be freed after a year in hell: Ceasefire deal is agreed and due to be approved by Israeli cabinet today with Trump claiming credit for it

The deal, setting out terms for an initial exchange of hostages for prisoners, is expected to pass despite backlash from hard-right members of the coalition.

Politics

21 hours ago Israel's security cabinet backs Gaza ceasefire deal which could see first hostages handed over and ceasefire begin on Sunday

Israel's security Cabinet has today recommended approval of a ceasefire deal that would pause the 15-month war with Hamas in Gaza

Events

28 hours ago Gaza ceasefire latest: Israeli cabinet will meet to approve agreement today, says Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told agreements have been reached on a deal to release the hostages

Politics

21 hours ago After the ceasefire, Gazans face a different kind of war. But we’re still clinging to hope | Al

Thousands of Palestinians are homeless, their houses reduced to rubble. It could take decades to rebuild their livesAl-Meqdad Jamil Meqdad is a writer and researcher from Gaza working in humanitarian and community workThe ceasefire news came suddenly, with an agreement we had heard before, surrounded by bureaucracy, hope and death. People all around me in Gaza – on buses, on donkey carts, in cars, on the street and in the markets – are describing it as a “war after the war”.The ceasefire is not the end of suffering. It is the beginning of everything else. It is an opportunity for people in northern Gaza, Rafah and elsewhere to mourn their loved ones who were killed and their destroyed homes. It is an opportunity to cry for those who have held back their tears for more than 15 months. We were told we could return to our homes, but those homes now lie in rubble. Most of them were levelled to the ground; some were left standing but are uninhabitable.Al-Meqdad Jamil Meqdad is a writer a...

Events

30 hours ago The Middle East, inflation and Trump’s return – what will Biden’s legacy be? – podcast

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

21 hours ago GoFundMe, Mandy Moore and the unfairness of disaster relief: ‘If you were poor before, you should stay poor’

Aid was historically seen as a way to ‘restore the status quo’. Now the actor’s bid for help amid the LA fires raises a question: who deserves to crowdfund?It was a perfectly ordinary celebrity Instagram post for the first week of 2025, which is to say, it was nightmarish, but in a way that we’ve grown accustomed to.The actor and musician Mandy Moore was one of many entertainers to lose her home to wildfire in Altadena, California, last week. In her post upon returning to the neighborhood, photos bearing the jaundiced cast of wildfire smoke reveal rubble, charred trees, and an exterior staircase on the verge of collapse. Moore’s captions cataloged further losses: her husband’s studio and instruments, her children’s school, and the home of her brother-in-law and his wife, who are expecting their first child within weeks. Continue reading...

Events

31 hours ago Israel and Hamas reach ceasefire and hostage release deal as Donald Trump prepares to take office

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

21 hours ago Gaza ceasefire latest: Israeli security cabinet recommends approval of deal

Ceasefire set to start on Sunday when first hostages are expected to be released

Events

33 hours ago MARK ALMOND: Why Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas may not answer anyone's prayers

Europe and America might imagine that peace will be welcomed by all sides, bringing a halt to 15 months of unremitting bloodshed.

Politics

21 hours ago Women’s claims of sexual abuse must be heard – unless they’re about master storyteller Neil Gaiman, apparently | Marina Hyde

It’s easy to process allegations against textbook scumbags like Harvey Weinstein. When it is beloved authors and ‘allies’, less soDraw near, allies, for these are dark days for “kink-shaming”. At best, this is one of the whiniest, most pathetic and least helpful phrases to have entered the parlance of modern times – and at worst, it’s just another guy’s excuse for sexual abuse. It’s confusing. You try to be modern and post-conventional, and you end up enabling the most old-fashioned and conventional nastinesses of all.Still, thank heavens for the parade of embattled famous men fighting kink-shaming’s corner. I have just one thing to say to all the lady authors, lady pop stars and lady actors out there. And that is: if you haven’t had an eye-wateringly expensive lawyer draft a statement about how consensual your sex with a tormented junior was, then are you really properly creative at all?Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? ...

Events