2 h. ago The Guardian view on the new Monroe doctrine: Trump’s forceful approach to the western hemisphere comes at a cost | Editorial

Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today, how US foreign policy has dramatically – and alarmingly – turned towards Latin America and the CaribbeanDonald Trump is not generally noted as a student of history. Yet over the past year, his decisive reorientation of US foreign policy towards the Americas has revived a playbook dating back two centuries, to the fifth president, James Monroe. Now the 47th is doubling down. An anti-interventionist is having second thoughts. Remarks that sounded at first like bad jokes or random outbursts from the presidential id have become more sinister through repetition or accompanying actions. Only a fool would take all of Mr Trump’s comments literally – but they should certainly be taken seriously.He has refused to rule out using military force to take control of Greenland and repeatedly floated the idea of making Canada the 51st state. He threatened to seize the Panama canal. He has imposed swing...

Politics

14 h. ago US removal of panels honoring Black soldiers at WWII cemetery in the Netherlands draws backlash

The American Cemetery in the Dutch village of Margraten has become a flashpoint over the removal of displays honoring Black soldiers

Events

24 h. ago Cracks in Trump’s peace plan as Ukraine accuses Russia of lies over ‘attack on Putin residence’

Russia said it would revise its response to peace talks after claiming Ukraine had attacked Vladimir Putin’s forest retreat – an allegation dismissed by Volodymyr Zelensky as ‘lies’

Politics

25 h. ago The Guardian view on antibiotics: recent breakthroughs are great news, but humanity is losing the bigger race | Editorial

Our magic bullets are increasingly rare and ineffective. The golden age of discovery is over and the way we develop and use drugs needs to changeDuring her tenure as director general of the World Health Organization, Dr Margaret Chan used to say that all of the “easy” antibiotics had already been found. Her point was that in responding to the urgent threat of antibiotic-resistant infections, we would struggle to find new medicines – or preserve the ones we have – if we didn’t find new ways of working. She was right.Since 2017, just 16 antibiotics have gained widespread regulatory approval – mostly close relatives of medicines already in use and so unlikely to evade resistance for long. The development of new ones is a slow and unprofitable business, curative medicines being less lucrative than ones treating longer-term conditions. And the scientific outlook remains bleak.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to s...

Politics

30 h. ago Britain needs new defence pact with Europe amid fears Trump won’t defend it from attack, voters say

Polling for The Independent shows voters are concerned the US may not come to Britain’s aid in the event of an attack by Putin

Politics

36 h. ago Key details of the latest Ukraine peace deal – and the main hurdles Russia keeps putting in the way

Donald Trump says talks on security guarantees for Ukraine ‘close to 95 per cent’ complete

Economics

45 h. ago Trump hails ‘terrific’ Ukraine peace plan meeting with Zelensky and claims ‘a lot of progress’ made

US president Donald Trump said there were a few ‘thorny issues’ that remained

Politics

46 h. ago Putin’s influence looms large as Zelensky meets Trump in Florida for peace talks

US president Donald Trump said the meeting would be bookended by calls with the Russian leader

Politics

48 h. ago Trump says Putin ‘serious’ about peace as he welcomes Zelensky for talks

The Ukrainian leader is meeting the US president in Florida.

Politics

50 h. ago The Guardian view on the new space race: humanity risks exporting its old politics to the moon | Editorial

Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we look skyward, where a new lunar contest mirrors humanity’s struggle to live within planetary limitsDuring the cold war’s space race, the Apollo moon missions were driven by the need to prove American superiority. Having made that political and technological point with the 1969 moon landing, the contest between Moscow and Washington petered out. A new dash across the skies kicks off in 2026, reigniting geopolitical competition under the guise of “peaceful exploration”. The moon’s south pole is emerging as the most valuable real estate in the solar system, offering “peaks of eternal light” for solar arrays and ice deposits in craters shielded from the sun.The US and a China-led bloc are eyeing the lunar surface and its potential to control a post-terrestrial economy. Space had been humanity’s last commons, supposedly shielded by the 1967 UN outer space treaty that bans state ...

Politics

52 h. ago Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy lands in Florida for Trump peace talks; call with European leaders to take place during meeting

Ukrainian president will meet US president at his Mar-a-Lago home later today for their first in person meeting since OctoberThe Ukrainian military said on Sunday that it hit the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region in an overnight drone attack.The strike caused a fire and damages were still being assessed, Kyiv’s General Staff said. Continue reading...

Politics

53 h. ago Ukraine war live: Zelenskyy lands in Florida for Trump peace talks; call with European leaders to take place after meeting

Ukrainian president will meet US president at his Mar-a-Lago home later today for their first in person meeting since OctoberThe Ukrainian military said on Sunday that it hit the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region in an overnight drone attack.The strike caused a fire and damages were still being assessed, Kyiv’s General Staff said. Continue reading...

Politics

63 h. ago Europe races to placate pharma as Trump turns up the pressure

Tariff deals with the US have bought time but investment momentum is elsewhere

Politics

2 d. ago Key details about latest Ukraine peace deal – and the main hurdles Russia keeps putting in the way

Volodymyr Zelensky has said he believes the peace plan is ‘90 per cent’ ready

Economics

3 d. ago Zelenskyy heads to Florida for talks with Trump amid fresh strikes on Kyiv

Attacks leave hundreds of thousands without heating as Ukrainian leader readies for intense weekend of diplomacyA third of Kyiv is without heating after a Russian drone and missile barrage on the Ukrainian capital cut off power supplies, leaving hundreds of thousands of people facing freezing temperatures.Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Moscow had used nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles, including ballistic missiles, in the overnight attack. “The primary target is Kyiv – energy facilities and civilian infrastructure,” he said in a post on X. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Zelensky prepares for crucial peace talks with Trump after Putin pounds Kyiv with drones and missiles

Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s latest bombardment revealed Vladimir Putin’s ‘true attitude’ towards peace

Events

3 d. ago Zelenskyy to hold talks with European leaders amid fresh strikes on Kyiv

Attacks leave hundreds of thousands in city without heating as Ukrainian leader prepares for flurry of weekend diplomacyA third of Kyiv is without heating after a Russian drone and missile barrage on the Ukrainian capital cut off power supplies, leaving hundreds of thousands of people facing freezing temperatures.Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Moscow had used nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles, including ballistic missiles, in the overnight attack. “The primary target is Kyiv – energy facilities and civilian infrastructure,” he said in a post on X. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Zelenskyy to meet European leaders and Trump for Ukraine peace talks amid fresh strikes on Kyiv

Attack on Kyiv injures five, says mayor, amid flurry of weekend diplomacy that will see Ukrainian president meet Trump in FloridaEuropean leaders are to take part in a call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump on Saturday as part of a growing push for a peace deal that will see the Ukrainian president head to Florida on Sunday.The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, is to join a call on Saturday, a commission spokesperson told Reuters, ahead of the Ukrainian president’s trip to Florida for a Sunday meeting with Trump that Zelenskyy said would focus on some of the most sensitive parts of the peace talks. Key sticking points include Ukrainian security guarantees and reconstruction, plus territorial discussions regarding the Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago The Guardian view on adapting to the climate crisis: it demands political honesty about extreme weather | Editorial

Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we look at how the struggle to adapt to a dangerously warming world has become a test of global justiceThe record-breaking 252mph winds of Hurricane Melissa that devastated Caribbean islands at the end of October were made five times more likely by the climate crisis. Scorching wildfire weather in Spain and Portugal during the summer was made 40 times more likely, while June’s heatwave in England was made 100 times more likely.Attribution science has made one thing clear: global heating is behind today’s extreme weather. That greenhouse gas emissions warmed the planet was understood. What can now be shown is that this warming produces record heatwaves and more violent storms with increasing frequency. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago The Guardian view on May 2026 elections: a new political geography is coming into view across Britain | Editorial

Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we look at the impact of devolution on growing volatility of party political allegianceNext year will be pivotal in British politics, and 7 May will be the point around which things pivot. Elections to local councils, the Scottish parliament and the Welsh Senedd will give millions of voters across the UK a chance to express party preferences. Their verdicts could imperil Labour and Conservative leaders. In Wales, Labour might be sent into opposition for the first time since devolution. Plaid Cymru and Reform UK are set to make substantial gains. At Holyrood, the Scottish National party (SNP) is on course for a majority. That would be an extraordinary defiance of political gravity for a party weighed down by nearly two decades of incumbency.In England, both Labour and the Tories risk losing scores of councillors as their vote shares are gobbled up by the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and ...

Politics