23 h. ago Is Starmer’s reluctance to criticise Trump smart tactics – or the sign of a man without a plan? | Rafael Behr

The PM won’t call out Trump over Venezuela, and won’t commit to Europe. His refusal to choose leaves vital choices for Britain to be made by others For an inveterate liar, Donald Trump is remarkably honest. The best guide to what he thinks is what he says. When forecasting his likely course of action, start with his declared intentions – removing the president of Venezuela, for example – and assume he means it. When he says the US must take possession of Greenland, he is not kidding.The motives are sometimes muddled but rarely hidden. Trump likes making deals, especially real estate deals, and money. He wants to be great and to have his greatness affirmed with praise and prizes. He craves spectacle. The world as he describes it doesn’t always resemble observable reality, but there is an effortless, sociopathic sincerity to his falsehoods. The truth is whatever he intuits it to be in the moment to advance his interests and manipulate his audience.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist C...

Politics

36 h. ago Trump calls Venezuela strikes ‘amazing’ and teases meeting with oil executives after ousting Maduro – live

US president calls the Caracas operation ‘brilliant tactically’ and ‘an incredible thing’ and says deposed leader Nicolás Maduro is a ‘violent guy’From elation to frustration: Trump snub wrongfoots Venezuela’s oppositionMy colleague Sibylla Brodzinsky has reported on the relationship between the US and Colombia, home to significant oil reserves. Here is an extract from her story:Colombia has long been a close partner of the US in the fight against drug trafficking and enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington but relations have soured dramatically since Trump came to office.Colombia’s narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as the Gulf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) guerrilla group, the majority of whose members demobilised after a 2016 peace deal Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Trump news at a glance: Republicans backpedal on claims US will ‘run’ Venezuela

Trump has called on Venezuela’s interim leader to adhere to US demands as top Republicans scramble to answer questions about what happens next – key US politics stories from 4 January 2026Proclaiming the US would “run” Venezuela after abducting its president and his wife, president Trump has now qualified his claim. Amid questions, including from top Republicans, Trump has now called on Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, to accommodate US demands or face the possibility of a fresh military intervention.Rodríguez, 56, who had on Saturday pledged fealty to ousted president Nicolás Maduro and condemned his capture as an “atrocity”, appears to be adhering to the US line. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Mamdani says he called Trump to personally object to Venezuela attack and capture of Maduro

‘I registered my opposition, I made it clear and we left it at that,’ the new New York mayor said of the call

Politics

2 w. ago Russia and China pledge support for Venezuela as Trump ratchets up pressure on Maduro

Trump again called for Venezuela’s president to leave power and said the US would keep or sell the oil it had seizedChina and Russia have expressed support for Venezuela as it confronts a US blockade of sanctioned oil tankers, while Donald Trump continues to ramp up his pressure campaign on the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.Amid reports of slowing activity at Venezuelan ports, the US president again called for Maduro to leave power, and reiterated that the US would keep or sell the oil it had seized off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Venezuela calls Trump admin’s seizure of tanker ‘an act of international piracy’ and claims its being targeted for oil

“Largest one ever seized actually,” Trump said.

Events