51 m. ago EU accused of fuelling Putin’s war by importing Russian liquefied natural gas

Despite Brussels’ pledge to ban Russian LNG by 2027, shipments to European ports increased in the last yearEuropean governments have been accused of fuelling Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine as new data shows the Kremlin earned an estimated €7.2bn (£6.2bn) last year from exporting its liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU.Brussels has pledged to ban imports of Russian LNG – natural gas that is supercooled to make it easier to transport – by 2027 but an analysis suggests there is yet to be any letup in the vast quantities being received at European ports from Russia’s LNG complex on the Yamal peninsula in Siberia. Continue reading...

Politics

51 m. ago Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’

The president has vowed to kill off ‘woke’ in his second term in office, and the venerable cultural institution a few blocks from the White House is in his sightsOn 30 May last year, Kim Sajet was working in her office in the grandly porticoed National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. The gallery is one of the most important branches of the Smithsonian Institution, the complex of national museums that, for almost 200 years, has told the story of the nation. The director’s suite, large enough to host a small party, has a grandeur befitting the museum’s role as the keeper of portraits of the United States’ most significant historical figures. Sajet was working beneath the gaze of artworks from the collection, including a striking 1952 painting of Mary Mills, a military-uniformed, African American nurse, and a bronze head of jazz and blues singer Ethel Waters.It seemed like an ordinary Friday. Until, that is, an anxious colleague came in to tell Sajet that the president of the United...

Politics

51 m. ago Girl Taken review – Alfie Allen is incredible in this twisty tale of teen abduction

This tale of a family dealing with a kidnapped daughter is a deeply engaging, psychologically complex thriller that is a cut above the restA summary of Girl Taken is disheartening; a teenage girl is abducted by a man she trusted and kept for his own grim purposes in a remote secret location, and must use her wits to survive the depravities and maybe one day escape. But in full, Girl Taken, like the 2016 book Baby Doll by Hollie Overton on which it is based, is something much better. It takes the neglected parts of such stories – the sadder, quieter, far less titillating and voyeuristic aspects of what it means to take a person out of her home, her world and her life, and away from those of the people who love her – and fleshes all that out instead. It makes for a slower burn, but a much more deeply engaging and psychologically complex thriller than we customarily expect from such a setup, and – in asking what it really means to survive an act of profound violence – harrowing in a mo...

Politics

3 h. ago Outrage as Trump withdraws from key UN climate treaty along with dozens of international organisations

Experts decry move to leave UNFCCC as ‘embarrassing’ as president orders withdrawal from 66 international groupsDonald Trump has sparked outrage by announcing the US will exit the foundational international agreement to address the climate crisis, cementing the US’s utter isolation from the global effort to confront dangerously escalating temperatures.In a presidential memorandum issued on Wednesday, Trump withdrew from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), along with 65 other organizations, agencies and commissions, calling them “contrary to the interests of the United States”. Continue reading...

Politics

4 h. ago The beautiful train journey that now starts in the UK and travels through three European countries

For those considering a trip to Portugal this year, it's worth considering an alternative way of seeing the country - by hopping on a 15-day epic rail journey.

Politics

4 h. ago MARK HALPERIN's analysis of the Minnesota ICE shooting uncovers an indisputable truth... and a crucial question that will determine how this ends

If you thought the fallout of the death of George Floyd was complex, brace yourself for another law enforcement-related killing about to divide America

Events

8 h. ago Pat McAfee scores epic Celtic own goal as pitch to Wilfried Nancy an EPL job backfires

The popular US host was unaware of the Frenchman's doomed 33-day stint in Glasgow's East End

Events

8 h. ago Pat McAfee scores epic Celtic own goal as pitch to get Wilfried Nancy an EPL job backfires

The popular US host was unaware of the Frenchman's doomed 33-day stint in Glasgow's East End

Events

10 h. ago One Battle After Another and The Studio lead Actor awards nominations

Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic thriller and Apple’s comedy series lead nominations for the renamed Sag awards with an impressive showing for Sinners and AdolescenceOne Battle After Another and The Studio lead the nominations for this year’s Actor awards.The Actor awards were previously known as the Screen Actors Guild (Sag) awards but were renamed last year. The name change was to provide “clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about”, according to those involved. Continue reading...

Events

10 h. ago What is Orthodox Christmas? And why do millions of people celebrate it on January 7

The ancient church in the Roman Empire set its religious feasts based on the Julian calendar

Politics

11 h. ago Marco Rubio says he will meet Danish officials to discuss Greenland next week

Remarks by US secretary of state come after Greenland and Denmark request urgent meeting over Trump threatsEurope live – latest updatesThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, says he plans to meet Danish officials next week to discuss Greenland, amid an escalating crisis within Nato over Donald Trump’s threats to take over the Arctic territory.An urgent meeting had been requested by the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark, which has said that any invasion or seizure of the territory by its Nato ally would mark the end of the western military alliance and “post-second world war security”. Continue reading...

Politics

11 h. ago Millions celebrate Orthodox Christmas on Jan. 7, following ancient traditions

Millions of people worldwide celebrated Orthodox Christmas nearly two weeks after much of the world marked the holiday

Politics

12 h. ago Warning signs of rare genetic disease after Jesy Nelson's twins' devastating diagnosis

Pop singer Jesy Nelson revealed her newborn twins have been diagnosed with a life-changing disease that will mean they may never walk or regain their neck strength again

Events

12 h. ago Robyn returns: patron saint of sad pop bangers is finally back with a new album

The Swedish star says ‘Sexistential’ is ‘like a spaceship coming through the atmosphere at a really high speed and crash landing’

Politics

13 h. ago Secret Traitor's identity 'exposed' just hours before bombshell BBC scene airs

EXCLUSIVE: This year The Traitors has an epic new twist after host Claudia Winkleman threw a spanner in the works by picking a fourth "Secret Traitor," whose identity was kept hidden - until now

Society

14 h. ago Gen Z face 'cost of loving' crisis amid fears rising prices leave singletons hard up

Hookups didn’t die, the economy did. When the cost of a mojito rivals a phone bill, even getting to the kiss feels like a premium experience for young singletons looking for love

Economics

15 h. ago New doc claims ‘cult leader’ preacher drove Andrea Yates to drown her five children

For more than two decades, Andrea Yates was framed as a monster who drowned her five children to “save them from hell.” But a new doc, The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story shows a woman grappling with severe postpartum psychosis, who was driven to tragic extremes by the psychological manipulation of others – including a rogue preacher who reached Yates at her most vulnerable. Andrea Cavallier explores the case

Politics

16 h. ago Strictly champion Karen Carney gushes 'my guy' in personal message to Carlos Gu after show end

The pair made Strictly history as Karen became the first footballer to lift the BBC dance show's glitterball trophy

Politics

16 h. ago Skincare fans praise Medik8's new Niacinamide Peptides serum that leaves skin ‘instantly brighter’

Premium skincare brand Medik8 has launched a new £49 serum featuring 10% niacinamide complex and peptides, clinically proven to reduce visible redness in seven days and refine pores by 26% in one month

Politics

17 h. ago Emmerdale fans call out ‘blunder’ as John Sugden’s killer confesses to his murder

VIEWERS of the epic Corriedale crossover are convinced they've found a plot hole as John Sugden's killer confessed to his murder. In the landmark ITV episode, which aired on Monday, the killer finally met his demise, as he was pictured dead in the woods in the final moments. The final shot saw half-sister Victoria standing...

Events