Golden Globes 2026 red carpet: Rose Byrne, Teyana Taylor, Timothée Chalamet and others – in pictures

Women in gowns and men in brown arrive at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles for an awards show packed with A-listers

• The full list of winners

Published: January 12, 2026, 1:59 am

A congresswoman wants to impeach Kristi Noem. She’s right to do so | Jan-Werner Müller

It may be tempting to dismiss the move as hopeless – but it interrupts the Trump administration’s promise of impunity

In the wake of the killing of Renee Nicole Good, Congresswoman Robin Kelly has announced the filing of three articles of impeachment against Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary. Predictably, reactions have been muted at best: with the GOP holding both the Senate and the House, impeachment can be dismissed as purely performative, a helpless response to an in and of itself understandable moral imperative of “just do something!”

But such dismissals are too quick: this administration has been running on a promise of impunity at all levels, and Democrats have to start signaling that actions have consequences. They also need to break out of a fateful dynamic: during Trump 2.0, misdeeds and scandals are following each other in such rapid succession that neither the press nor the public ever seem to get to focus on one. Impeachment can concentrate minds and slow down political time.

Jan-Werner Müller is a Guardian US columnist and a professor of politics at Princeton University

Published: January 11, 2026, 12:00 pm

‘Add blood, forced smile’: how Grok’s nudification tool went viral

The ‘put her in a bikini’ trend rapidly evolved into hundreds of thousands of requests to strip clothes from photos of women, horrifying those targeted

Like thousands of women across the world, Evie, a 22-year-old photographer from Lincolnshire, woke up on New Year’s Day, looked at her phone and was alarmed to see that fully clothed photographs of her had been digitally manipulated by Elon Musk’s AI tool, Grok, to show her in just a bikini.

The “put her in a bikini” trend began quietly at the end of last year before exploding at the start of 2026. Within days, hundreds of thousands of requests were being made to the Grok chatbot, asking it to strip the clothes from photographs of women. The fake, sexualised images were posted publicly on X, freely available for millions of people to inspect.

Published: January 11, 2026, 6:00 am

‘There is one story we never tell’: will old family photos bring joy to my ailing mother – or remind us of dark secrets?

As Alzheimer’s tightens its grip, we have started making our way through the hundreds of albums in my childhood home. But some are too painful to revisit

A couple of months ago, my mother moved into a nursing home. Her Alzheimer’s has progressed to a point where it’s no longer safe for her to live alone, and she now needs round-the-clock care. It has been my task to empty out her house, where she lived for more than 50 years.

It’s not a job I would have asked for; it requires that I trawl through memories that aren’t mine, or shared memories that are painful for one reason or another. But my mother is no longer able  to make these decisions herself, about which of her possessions are worth keeping hold of and which should be discarded, either for practical reasons of space or necessity or because a continued attachment to the stories behind them might do more harm than good. By deciding these things for her I’m curating her life story.

Published: January 11, 2026, 12:00 pm

Bob Weir was a songwriting powerhouse for the Grateful Dead – and the chief custodian of their legacy

‘The Kid’s jazz-influenced rhythm guitar made him utterly integral to the Dead and his later collaborations solidified the band’s influence over latter-day alt-rock

• Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78
• Bob Weir: a life in pictures
• Aaron Dessner: ‘Bob Weir remained completely in touch with the Grateful Dead’s wild wonder. I’ll never forget playing with him’

For most of their career, the other members of the Grateful Dead referred to Bob Weir as “the Kid”. You can understand why. He was only 16 when the band that would ultimately become the Grateful Dead was founded. Moreover, Weir was implausibly fresh-faced and boyishly handsome, particularly compared to some of his bandmates. Jerry Garcia’s photo was used in one of Richard Nixon’s campaign broadcasts, a symbol of all that was wrong with US youth. Keyboard player Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, by all accounts sweet-natured, nevertheless gave off the air of a man who would strangle you with his bare hands as soon as look at you. Weir, on the other hand, somehow managed to look like the kind of charming young man a mother would be happy for her daughter to bring home, even in the famous 1967 photo of him leaving the band’s Haight-Ashbury residence in handcuffs after being busted for drug possession. His relationship with Garcia and bass player Phil Lesh – five and seven years older than him, respectively – is regularly characterised as that of a junior sibling: at one juncture in 1968, the pair contrived to have Weir dismissed from the band on the grounds that his playing wasn’t good enough.

It never happened – Weir simply kept turning up to gigs and the matter was eventually dropped – but it’s hard to see how the Grateful Dead would have worked without him. For one thing, the band’s famed ability to improvise on stage was rooted in a kind of uncanny psychic bond between the key members – “an intwined sense of intuition”, as Weir described it – that they usually claimed was forged while playing together on LSD as the house band at Ken Kesey’s infamous acid test events of 1965 and 1966. For another, whether Garcia and Lesh thought it was up to snuff in 1968, Weir’s rhythm guitar style was an essential component of their sound. It was less obviously striking than Garcia’s fluid soloing or Lesh’s extraordinary approach to the bass – inspired by his grounding in classical music, he played countermelodies rather than basslines – but no less unique, a mass of alternate chords, harmonic pairings and bursts of contrapuntal lead lines that he said were influenced by the playing of jazz pianist McCoy Tyner. More practically, Weir had huge hands, which enabled him to play chords others physically couldn’t.

Published: January 11, 2026, 3:08 pm

Why pleasure is the key to self-improvement

Forget puritanical self-discipline – the way to really make a new habit stick is to lace it with instant gratification

Like many people, I spent New Year’s Eve making a list of the goals I want to achieve in the year ahead – a habit that never fails to arouse the ire of my boyfriend. “Why do you always have to put yourself under pressure?” he’ll ask, rolling his eyes. “It’s so puritanical!”

And he has a point. When most of us turn our minds to self-improvement, we assume that we need to put pleasure on pause until we’ve reached our goal. This is evident in the motivational mantras that get bandied about – “no pain, no gain”, “the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory”. If we fail, we tend to think it’s our own fault for lacking the willpower needed to put in the hours and stick at it, probably because we’ve given in to some kind of short-term temptation at the expense of long-term gain.

Published: January 11, 2026, 12:00 pm

Trump says he is considering ‘very strong’ military options against Iran as protester death toll climbs

US president claims ‘Iran wants to negotiate’ as rights groups report that regime’s crackdown on protest has killed hundreds

Donald Trump has claimed Iran has reached out and proposed negotiations, as he considers “very strong” military action against the regime over a deadly crackdown on protesters that has reportedly killed hundreds.

Asked on Sunday by reporters aboard Air Force One if Iran had crossed his previously stated red line of protesters being killed, Trump said “they’re starting to, it looks like.”

Published: January 12, 2026, 3:29 am

One Battle After Another and Adolescence dominate 83rd Golden Globes

Paul Thomas Anderson’s comedy thriller and the Netflix breakout drama took home major awards with Timothée Chalamet and Jessie Buckley also winning

• Golden Globes 2026: the full list of winners

One Battle After Another and Adolescence have led this year’s Golden Globes with four wins apiece.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s counterculture epic took home best comedy or musical film. It also earned him best director and screenplay, marking his first-ever Golden Globe wins.

Published: January 12, 2026, 4:28 am

Trump threatens to block ExxonMobil from Venezuela after CEO calls country ‘uninvestable’

US president says company is ‘playing too cute’ after CEO responds sceptically to his push for oil investment after deposing Nicolás Maduro

Donald Trump has said he might block ExxonMobil from investing in Venezuela after the oil company’s chief executive called the country “uninvestable” during a White House meeting last week.

Darren Woods told the US president that Venezuela would need to change its laws before it could be an attractive investment opportunity, during the high-profile meeting on Friday with at least 17 other oil executives.

Published: January 12, 2026, 3:11 am

Justice department opens investigation into Jerome Powell as Trump ramps up campaign against Federal Reserve

Fed chair accuses DoJ of threatening criminal charges over building renovation projects because central bank defied Trump’s interest rate demands

The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve, a significant escalation in Donald Trump’s extraordinary attack on the US central bank.

Powell said the Department of Justice had served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas on Friday, threatening a criminal indictment related to his testimony before the Senate banking committee in June last year, regarding renovations to the Fed’s historic office buildings in Washington DC.

Published: January 12, 2026, 2:09 am

Trump tells Cuba to ‘make a deal’ or face the consequences

No more Venezuelan oil or money will flow to the communist-run island after Maduro’s fall, says US president

Donald Trump has told Cuba to “make a deal” or face unspecified consequences, adding that no more Venezuelan oil or money would flow to the communist-run Caribbean island that has been a US foe for decades.

As Cuba, a close ally of Venezuela and big beneficiary of its oil, braced for potential widespread unrest after Nicolás Maduro was deposed as the South American nation’s leader, the US president ramped up his threatening language on Sunday.

Published: January 11, 2026, 5:59 pm

Homeland security sends more agents to Minneapolis as protests erupt in US

After killing of Renee Nicole Good, city braces for what the agency describes as its largest enforcement operation yet

• Minneapolis mayor urges FBI to include state officials in Renee Good inquiry

Minneapolis protesters – already outraged by Wednesday’s fatal shooting of a woman by an immigration officer – braced for a new onslaught as the Department of Homeland Security sent more agents in to the area, carried out what it called its largest enforcement operation ever.

On Sunday, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, had pledged the agency would send “hundreds more” federal agents to the city. As door-to-door raids began, protesters screamed at heavily armed federal agents and honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt their operations in one Minneapolis neighborhood filled with single-family homes.

Published: January 11, 2026, 6:28 pm

‘The last actual hippie’: musicians pay tribute to Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir

Stars from Bob Dylan to Brandi Carlile remember rock band co-founder as ‘beautiful human’ after his death at 78

The death of Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead co-founder, rhythm guitarist, vocalist and writer of much of the legendary psychedelic rock band’s songs, drew a chorus of tributes from fellow musicians and fans who described him as a “musical guru” and “the last actual hippie”.

Weir recently survived cancer but died from “underlying lung issues”, according to a statement posted on Saturday on Instagram.

Published: January 11, 2026, 6:31 pm

Former Republican chair says US institutions yielded to Trump, ‘the bully’

Michael Steele argues law firms, universities and media capitulated with startling speed and voters want accountability

The biggest surprise of Donald Trump’s first year back in office is how quickly America’s institutions capitulated to “the bully”, said Michael Steele, a former chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) turned arch critic.

But with the midterm elections for Congress looming, Steele predicts a resounding Democratic victory amid a hunger among voters to hold the president and his allies accountable for threatening democracy.

Published: January 11, 2026, 2:00 pm

Bloodied but unbowed Josh Allen leads Bills to thrilling playoff win over Jaguars

• AFC wildcard: Buffalo Bills 27-24 Jacksonville Jaguars

• Quarterback’s fourth-quarter touchdown seals win

• Buffalo grab first playoff road win in more than 30 years

• San Francisco 49ers v Philadelphia Eagles – live updates

Josh Allen took a pounding, doled out punishment and delivered Buffalo their first road playoff victory in more than three decades, a 27-24 win over Jacksonville in the AFC’s wildcard opener on Sunday.

With linebacker Devin Lloyd bearing down, Allen found Brandin Cooks for 36 yards just before the two-minute warning and then capped the go-ahead drive with a one-yard touchdown run. On the play before his score, Allen gained 10 yards on a sneak, refusing to go down while being pushed and pulled to the goalline.

Published: January 11, 2026, 9:28 pm

Trump news at a glance: president weighs up range of actions against Iran

Possible next steps for US include military strikes, sanctions and cyber attacks – key US politics stories from 11 January

Donald Trump is weighing up his options for responding to protests in Iran, including “very strong” military action, as deaths mount in a crackdown on demonstrations against the regime in Tehran.

Possible actions for the US include military strikes, deploying secretive cyber weapons against Iranian military and civilian sites, placing more sanctions on Iran’s government and boosting anti-government sources online, sources say.

Published: January 12, 2026, 12:50 am

Germany rejects RFK Jr claims about Covid vaccine exemption prosecutions

Health minister Nina Warken says Robert F Kennedy Jr’s assertions that German doctors are facing legal action are unfounded

The German government has sharply rejected claims by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, that doctors in Germany have faced legal action for issuing vaccine and mask exemptions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The statements made by the US secretary of health are completely unfounded, factually incorrect, and must be rejected,” Germany’s health minister, Nina Warken, said in a strongly worded statement released late on Saturday.

Published: January 11, 2026, 5:05 pm

Smithsonian swaps Trump portrait and removes mention of impeachments

National Portrait Gallery removes text on new portrait of Trump standing in Oval Office with a scowl and fists on desk

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC has removed a placard that referred to Donald Trump’s two impeachments and his supporters’ January 6 attack on the US Capitol, according to multiple news reports.

The museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, removed the text when it replaced an old portrait of Trump with a new image of him standing in the Oval Office with a scowl and his fists on the desk.

Published: January 11, 2026, 3:53 pm

Rightwing bloggers and Maga minions: meet the Trump-loving Pentagon press corps

A group of reporters meant to hold the Pentagon to account is full of pro-Trump sycophants … what could go wrong?

After US troops swarmed into Venezuela, seizing the country’s president and his wife, there was little to be heard from the Pentagon.

Typically, it would be a time for defense officials to talk to the Pentagon press corps: a group of journalists made up of some of the most talented reporters in the US. The Pentagon could have been expected to be held to account over what has been criticized as a violation of international law.

Published: January 11, 2026, 1:00 pm

She spent 366 days searching for her cats after losing them in the LA fires: ‘I promised my babies’

After her Altadena home burned down, Darlene Hamilton wondered whether her cats Merlyn and Kiki had escaped. A year later, she hasn’t given up hope

Most nights for the last year, Darlene Hamilton slept four hours and woke at about 4.30am. She wanted to sleep, but she could not.

Instead the 66-year-old started the day at her Altadena rental home in morning darkness with a familiar routine, scouring through websites of local humane societies and lost animal groups in search of two familiar little faces. For a year, her days often began and ended with this ritual.

Published: January 11, 2026, 2:00 pm

Family seeks answers after ICE deported man to Costa Rica in vegetative state

Exclusive: Before Randall Gamboa Esquivel died, his health had deteriorated badly while he was in ICE custody

• Costa Rican family demands answers after ICE deportation and death: ‘Have you ever smelled a cadaver?’

The family of a Costa Rican man who was deported from the United States in a vegetative state and died shortly after arriving back in his home country is still urgently seeking answers from the authorities about what happened to him while he was in detention.

Randall Gamboa Esquivel had left Costa Rica in good health and crossed the United States-Mexico border in December 2024, according to his family. However, Gamboa was detained by the US authorities for re-entering American soil unlawfully, as he had previously lived there undocumented between 2002 and 2013.

Published: January 11, 2026, 12:36 pm

Game On: the Swiss sports brand using hi-tech and chutzpah to challenge Nike and Adidas

Zurich-based firm taps into latest robot tech to ‘fibre-spray’ high-end sports shoes worn by the likes of Roger Federer

A robot leg whirs around in a complex ballet as an almost invisible spray of “flying fibre” builds a hi-tech £300 sports shoe at its foot.

This nearly entirely automated process – like a sci-fi future brought to life – is part of the gameplan from On, the Swiss sports brand that is taking on the sector’s mighty champions Nike and Adidas with a mix of technology and chutzpah.

Published: January 11, 2026, 12:00 pm

‘Iranians are fed up of dictatorship’: the exiled female activists daring to dream of a new era

Hopes are high among British Iranians that Ayatollah Khamenei’s theocracy is finally about to be toppled

“In Europe, women are running countries. Women in Iran deserve that. They have always been a leading part of the resistance,” Diana Nammi, a longtime campaigner against autocracy in Iran, says in London.

Female activists and youth campaigners are at the forefront of the fight to shape a new direction for Iran after decades of repressive rule in the Islamic Republic. In the UK, exiled Iranian activists have also mobilised.

Published: January 11, 2026, 4:04 pm

Lamar wants to have children with his girlfriend. The problem? She’s entirely AI

As synthetic personas become an increasingly normal part of life, meet the people falling for their chatbot lovers

Lamar remembered the moment of betrayal like it was yesterday. He’d gone to the party with his girlfriend but hadn’t seen her for over an hour, and it wasn’t like her to disappear. He slipped down the hallway to check his phone. At that point, he heard murmurs coming from one of the bedrooms and thought he recognised his best friend Jason’s low voice. As he pushed the door ajar, they were both still scrambling to throw their clothes on; her shirt was unbuttoned, while Jason struggled to cover himself. The image of his girlfriend and best friend together hit Lamar like a blow to the chest. He left without saying a word.

Two years on, when he spoke to me, the memory remained raw. He was still seething with anger, as if telling the story for the first time. “I got betrayed by humans,” Lamar insisted. “I introduced my best friend to her, and this is what they did?!” In the meantime, he drifted towards a different kind of companionship, one where emotions were simple, where things were predictable. AI was easier. It did what he wanted, when he wanted. There were no lies, no betrayals. He didn’t need to second-guess a machine.

Published: January 11, 2026, 6:00 am

How to dress for work without spending a fortune – or sacrificing personal style

Also: advice to reduce screen time, how to maximize your toaster oven, the best gloves and at-home fitness staples

• This piece was originally published in the Filter US newsletter on buying fewer, better things. Sign up here to get early access to it

Each week we cut through the noise to bring you smart, practical recommendations on how to live better – from what is worth buying to the tools, habits and ideas that actually last.

At this time last year, I was a full-time student, throwing on the requisite leggings and an oversized sweatshirt for evening classes and late-night library sessions. This year, I’ve joined countless others in office life, zipping in and out of conference rooms and hopping on video calls for interviews and meetings. I love any excuse to shop, but many office-friendly pieces, including pricey blazers and crisp button-downs, are far outside my price range.

The 27 best fashion gifts in the US – curated by our favorite stylists and creators

Eight winter clothing essentials Scandinavians swear by – from heated socks to ‘allværsjakke’

Published: January 11, 2026, 6:15 pm

Influencers and OnlyFans models are dominating O-1 visa requests: ‘This is the American dream now’

Content creators are leveraging their high follower counts to apply for the visa for ‘individuals with extraordinary ability’

Content creators and influencers in the US are now increasingly dominating requests for O-1 work visas. Astoundingly, the number of O-1 visas granted each year increased by 50% between 2014 and 2024, as noted by recent reporting in the Financial Times.

These visas allow non-immigrants to work temporarily in the US. The O-1 category includes the O-1A, which is designated for individuals with extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business or athletics and the O-1B, reserved for those with “extraordinary ability or achievement”.

Published: January 11, 2026, 4:34 pm

Green whisky? Scottish distillery tests eco-friendly aluminium bottles

Stirling Distillery project risks being viewed as heresy but it says it wants to make the industry more sustainable

Whisky drinkers and tourists are often bewitched by the amber rows of malt whisky that line the shelves of Scotland’s bars, restaurants and hotels.

So proposals from one of Scotland’s smallest distilleries could be viewed by many as heresy.

Published: January 11, 2026, 4:00 pm

‘There’s a dark side to floristry’: are pesticides making workers seriously ill – or worse?

Unlike in food, there is no upper limit on the amount of pesticide residue levels in flowers. But after French officials linked the death of a florist’s child to exposure in pregnancy, many in the industry are now raising the alarm

On a cold morning in December 2024, florist Madeline King was on a buying trip to her local wholesaler when a wave of dizziness nearly knocked her over. As rows of roses seemed to rush past her, she tried to focus. She quickly picked the blooms she needed and left.

I’m not doing this any more, she thought.

Published: January 11, 2026, 2:00 pm

Bob Weir remained completely in touch with the Grateful Dead’s wild wonder. I’ll never forget playing with him | Aaron Dessner

The Dead were a formative band for the National. Getting to play with Bob felt like entering a portal into their mystical, musical landscape – though he was always completely present

• Alexis Petridis: ‘Bob Weir was a songwriting powerhouse for the Grateful Dead – and the chief custodian of their legacy’

It’s hard to believe that Bob Weir, founding member of the Grateful Dead who carried the torch for the band’s music after Jerry Garcia passed in 1995, is gone. He had the vibrant, playful energy, constant curiosity and adventurous disposition of someone who seemed as if they would just always be around. Bobby, as he was affectionately known to fans, helped start the legendary band as a teenager in the mid-1960s and co-wrote and sang many of their most famous songs, including Sugar Magnolia and Truckin’. Much more than that, he kept the Grateful Dead’s spirit and music alive more recently in various forms including RatDog, the Other Ones and Dead & Company.

For so many of us, the Grateful Dead was much more than the music we grew up with; it was an endlessly fascinating culture that spanned generations and an integral part of the fabric and foundation of the American musical vernacular. Bobby’s highly creative and unusual way of playing rhythm guitar was an essential counterpoint to Jerry’s inimitable lead playing. Together they defined the core of the band’s sound which was documented throughout its exhaustive touring history by a live taping and bootleg-sharing culture which they embraced.

Published: January 11, 2026, 5:21 pm

Netflix and Paramount deals are both wrong for Warner Bros Discovery – and democracy | Courtney C Radsch

A congressional hearing this week underscored the danger a WBD deal would pose to journalism and the American public

Donald Trump wants CNN sold. He has said so repeatedly and publicly, demanding it “should be sold” in any deal involving Warner Bros Discovery. Now one of America’s largest media companies is racing to oblige him, while another looks to consolidate its power. Wednesday’s House judiciary hearing on streaming competition – where lawmakers voiced concern over the Trump administration’s influence and a potential merger’s toll on consumers – made clear just how dangerous both options are for free speech, audiences and democracy itself.

Netflix has bid $82.7bn for Warner Bros Discovery, only to be countered by a hostile $108bn takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, son of Trump’s ally Larry. Neither deal serves the public interest, and both are dangerous for the future of free expression. Both would produce an unprecedented concentration of power over what Americans watch and which stories get told.

Courtney C Radsch is director of the Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute

Published: January 11, 2026, 5:00 pm

Ending the war in Ukraine has more support than ever. So why is peace still not in sight? | Gwendolyn Sasse

The Paris declaration by the ‘coalition of the willing’ supports a nonexistent ceasefire that remains at the mercy of Russian intransigence

• Gwendolyn Sasse is director of the Centre for East European and International Studies

An end to Russia’s war against Ukraine is still not in sight. The frequency of high-level meetings of Ukrainian, US and European representatives in recent weeks, as well as the intermittent US-Russia exchanges, have not changed this fundamental reality. There is no ceasefire in place, European and US military support is not confirmed and, most importantly, Russia does not want the war to end.

The latest talks in Paris managed to bring 35 countries of the “coalition of the willing” together. The core objective was to advance the principle, and implementation, of security guarantees for a future ceasefire. The participation of the US alongside European leaders and a wider coalition of partners was noteworthy. However, the actual result remains vague.

Gwendolyn Sasse is the director of the Centre for East European and International Studies and non-resident senior fellow at Carnegie Europe

Published: January 11, 2026, 1:00 pm

If we silence voices we don’t agree with, we’re doing the work of extremists for them | Peter Greste

I do not need to share Randa Abdel-Fattah’s views to believe that removing her is wrong. This is why I’ve withdrawn from Adelaide writers’ week

If there has been a bright red thread running through my career, it’s the importance of freedom of speech. It underpinned my life as a journalist and correspondent, became central to the campaign to get me out of prison in Egypt and, perhaps paradoxically, it is why I have reluctantly withdrawn from this year’s Adelaide writers’ week.

On Thursday the Adelaide festival board announced it had removed the writer and academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from the program, not because of anything she was proposing to say at the festival but because of things she said previously, reassessed in the aftermath of the Bondi attack.

Peter Greste is a professor of journalism at Macquarie University and the executive director for the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom

Published: January 11, 2026, 11:46 pm

Trump move for Venezuela’s resources likely to weaken economic might of US | Heather Stewart

Oil is US president’s motivation but his concept of economic success feels as outdated as his music tastes

The word “loot” entered the English language from Hindi in the late 18th century, as the rapacious East India Company plundered its way across the subcontinent.

It was a trading company, not a state – but it had the imprimatur of the English crown and its own large private army, mingling commerce and military force and opening the way for British imperial dominance of India.

Published: January 11, 2026, 11:33 am

Are a record number of mom and pops going bankrupt? Kinda but not really | Gene Marks

Yes, the number of small businesses that filed for bankruptcy in 2025 increased from 2024. But only by 10

Are mom-and-pop stores going bankrupt at historically high levels? That would seem to be the impression you’d get from recent news reports referencing data released from Epiq Bankruptcy Analytics, a provider of legal services that specializes in bankruptcy services.

Uh-oh! Some have seen this as proof that Donald Trump’s policies are bankrupting Main Street. Well, no, not quite.

Published: January 11, 2026, 3:00 pm

Grab your fidget spinners! Why gen Z are pining for 2016 | Coco Khan

As galling as it is to see young people refer to the items I wore 10 years ago as ‘vintage’, surely the real problem is that so many of them believe their best years are behind them

‘I grow old … I grow old … I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled,” wrote TS Eliot in 1915, in his seminal poem The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock. And as I sit here in 2026 with my jeans turned up (as per the style of the thirtysomething urban millennial), well, I can relate. What has brought on this bout of contemplation? The latest TikTok craze. Loosely known as “Bring Back 2016”, it involves TikTokers urging their mostly gen Z audience to “live 2026 like it’s 2016” – complete with mannequin challenges, a Major Lazer soundtrack and the promise of never-ending summer. And it’s sure to get heads spinning quicker than the fidget spinners it’s resurrecting.

Admittedly, most of the content is just plain silly: 2016 challenges and dances (the bottle flip, the dab); nostalgia for tech crazes (Pokémon Go and that Snapchat dog filter that made you look like a slobbering puppy but in a weirdly sexy way); and a return to 2016 makeup, fashion and low-effort aesthetics. Remember when “vintage film” filters were all the rage (RIP Instagram’s Mayfair and Sierra)? When videos didn’t need a number of takes, lengthy edits, and border on a professional production? When it was OK to just be online without considering what it said about you as a personal brand? Or when the internet wasn’t divisive politics everywhere? Well, that’s 2016 according to TikTok, and it’s time to “Bring! It! Back!”

Published: January 11, 2026, 2:00 pm

Trick play helps 49ers eliminate Super Bowl champion Eagles from NFL playoffs

• San Francisco 49ers 23-19 Philadelphia Eagles

• Niners will play Seahawks in divisional round

• AFC wildcard: Allen shines as Bills beat Jags

Brock Purdy threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey late in the fourth quarter, San Francisco used a trick play on a TD toss from wide receiver Jauan Jennings, and the 49ers eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles with a 23-19 wildcard victory on Sunday.

The 49ers head to top-seeded Seattle next weekend for an NFC divisional playoff game. The NFC West rivals split the season series.

Published: January 12, 2026, 1:18 am

Patriots stifle Chargers to win their first playoff game in seven years

• Los Angeles Chargers 3-16 New England Patriots

• Patriots defense dominates shaky Chargers

Drake Maye threw a touchdown pass to Hunter Henry in the fourth quarter, and New England’s defense roughed up Justin Herbert as the Patriots beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-3 in their AFC wildcard playoff game on Sunday night.

Andy Borregales kicked three field goals for the Patriots, who won a playoff game for the first time since their Super Bowl victory in the 2018 season. They’ll host the winner of Monday night’s game between Pittsburgh and Houston in the divisional round.

Published: January 12, 2026, 4:24 am

Notre Dame deny head coach Marcus Freeman assaulted local wrestling coach

• Allegations center around son’s wrestling meet

• Fighting Irish deny any wrongdoing by coach

Notre Dame have denied wrongdoing by Marcus Freeman after the school’s head football coach was accused of battery.

The South Bend Tribune reported on Sunday that Chris Fleeger, an assistant wrestling coach for New Prairie High School, had filed a police report over an incident at a meet on 3 January. According to the report, police and school officials had to separate the Freemans from Fleeger, as Freeman’s wife Joanna had a shouting match with the wrestling coach. Police did not disclose to the newspaper the extent of the contact that Fleeger alleges took place between him and the Fighting Irish coach.

Published: January 11, 2026, 11:02 pm

Guard at Winter Olympic construction site dies in freezing conditions

• 55-year-old worker died during overnight shift

• Temperatures plunged to -12C in Cortina d’Ampezzo

A guard at a construction site near a 2026 Winter Olympic venue in the mountain resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo died during a freezing overnight shift, authorities have confirmed. Italy’s infrastructure minister, Matteo Salvini, called for a full investigation into the circumstances of the 55-year-old worker’s death.

Italian media reported that the death occurred on Thursday while the worker was on duty at a construction site near Cortina’s ice arena. Temperatures that night plunged to -12C (10.4F).

Published: January 11, 2026, 4:43 pm

Michael Carrick emerges as favourite to be Manchester United interim manager

• Former midfielder ahead of Solskjær after interviews

• Darren Fletcher admits he is in the dark over his position

Michael Carrick has emerged as the favourite candidate to be Manchester United’s interim manager for the rest of the season ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjær after the interview process, with the club’s executive expected to finalise the decision on Monday.

While Omar Berrada, the chief executive, and Jason Wilcox, the director of football, are understood to have not made a formal offer, they are leaning towards Carrick, sources have informed the Guardian. This follows both Carrick and Solskjær having face-to-face discussions with the hierarchy. Berrada and Wilcox met Carrick on Thursday and Solskjær on Saturday at the club’s Carrington training ground.

Published: January 11, 2026, 10:00 pm

Superb Malinin cruises to fourth US figure skating title as Chock-Bates make history

• Sublime Malinin cruises to fourth US crown

• Chock and Bates claim record seventh US title

• Olympic team selections to be named Sunday

Ilia Malinin, a red-hot favorite for gold at next month’s Milano-Cortina Olympics, cruised to a fourth consecutive national title at the US Figure Skating Championships on Saturday while Madison Chock and Evan Bates captured a record seventh national ice dance crown.

Malinin, who separated himself from the field in St Louis with a remarkable performance in Thursday’s short program, returned to score 209.78 points in the free skate for a 324.88 total in his final tune-up for the Olympics.

Published: January 11, 2026, 2:48 am

Raphinha doubles up as Barcelona sink Real Madrid to lift Spanish Super Cup

• Supercopa de España: Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid

• Raphinha 36 73, Lewandowski 45+4; Vinícius 45+2, García 45+7

Football is wild sometimes, and this was one of those times. A night that didn’t always make sense but was a lot of fun ended with every player on the pitch inside the Barcelona penalty area and the ball dropping through the crowd to Raúl Asencio, standing there on the edge of the six yard box. The board had gone up with six minutes on it, those six minutes had passed and now here it was, his moment and another twist: the chance to somehow take the Super Cup final to a penalty shootout.

Instead, with the clock on 96.43 Asencio headed at Joan García. On his line, the goalkeeper grabbed the shot and held on hard; his team had done the same, two goals from Raphinha and another from Robert Lewandowski enough to take the trophy, goals from Vinícius Júnior and Gonzalo García not enough to take it from them. Whether they will be enough to keep Xabi Alonso in his job remains to be seem; Jeddah was supposed to be the final judgment but there may be those that judge Madrid’s reaction here reason for him to remain.

Published: January 11, 2026, 9:48 pm

Alex Bregman set for Chicago Cubs move on five-year deal worth $175m

• Bregman agrees to five-year, $175m contract with Cubs

• Deal includes no-trade clause, pending physical

• Chicago adds former Astros star to strengthen infield

All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman has agreed to a $175m, five-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, according to two people familiar with the deal.

The people spoke to the Associated Press on Saturday night on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical. The contract includes a no-trade provision allowing Bregman to block deals without his consent.

Published: January 11, 2026, 5:42 am

‘Dangerous and alarming’: Google removes some of its AI summaries after users’ health put at risk

Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds AI Overviews provided inaccurate and false information when queried over blood tests

Google has removed some of its artificial intelligence health summaries after a Guardian investigation found people were being put at risk of harm by false and misleading information.

The company has said its AI Overviews, which use generative AI to provide snapshots of essential information about a topic or question, are “helpful” and “reliable”.

Published: January 11, 2026, 7:00 am

Arson suspect arrested after blaze at historic Mississippi synagogue

Multiple Torah scrolls were damaged after fire broke out early Saturday at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson

A suspect has been taken into custody after a historic synagogue in Mississippi was badly damaged in a fire that authorities described on Sunday as an arson case.

According to officials, the blaze broke out shortly after 3am Saturday at Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson. No one was hurt in the fire.

Published: January 11, 2026, 10:25 pm

Evidence shows benefit of RSV vaccines as Trump officials push restrictions

Shots to prevent respiratory syncytial virus recommended only for high-risk babies even as experts hail jabs’ success

As US officials move to restrict vaccines, including the shots to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), more evidence is emerging to confirm how dramatically the jabs reduce hospitalizations.

Announced last week as part of new restrictions on one-third of all routine childhood vaccines, RSV shots are now recommended only for high-risk babies, instead of all infants. The Trump administration announcement was led by prominent vaccine critic and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.

Published: January 11, 2026, 4:00 pm

Nobel Institute rejects María Corina Machado’s offer to share peace prize with Trump

Organisers clarify award ‘cannot be revoked, shared or transferred’ after Venezuelan opposition leader’s comments

The organisers of the Nobel peace prize have said it “cannot be revoked, shared or transferred” after Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, said she wanted to give her award to Donald Trump.

When Machado was named Nobel laureate in October, it was seen as a snub by the White House, despite Machado rushing to dedicate the prize to the US president and his “decisive support of our cause”.

Published: January 11, 2026, 12:59 pm

Excessive screen time limits vocabulary of toddlers, experts warn

Children aged two with highest screen use can say significantly fewer words, UK government research finds

Excessive screen time is damaging toddlers’ ability to speak, the UK government has warned as it prepares to issue advice to parents for the first time on how to manage screen use in under-fives.

Research has found that children aged two with the highest screen use – about five hours a day – could say significantly fewer words than those with screen use of about 44 minutes a day.

Published: January 11, 2026, 12:54 pm

Iranian student killed during protests was shot in head ‘from close range’

Rubina Aminian, 23, struck by bullet from behind after joining Tehran protest from college, says human rights group

• Iran warns US against attack as protest death toll reportedly soars

A 23-year-old student was shot in the head “from close range” during the anti-government protests in Iran, a human rights group has said.

Rubina Aminian attended Shariati College in Iran’s capital, Tehran, where she studied textile and fashion design. She is one of the only people killed in the recent demonstrations to be identified.

Published: January 11, 2026, 11:56 pm

Ukraine war briefing: Nightfall – Britain races to develop ballistic missile for Kyiv

UK government starts contest to have deep-strike prototypes delivered within 12 months; heat-starved Kyiv under Russian attack again. What we know on day 1,419

Britain is to develop a new deep-strike ballistic missile for Ukraine, the government has announced. Under the project, named Nightfall, the British government said on Sunday that it had launched a competition to rapidly develop ground-launched ballistic missiles that could carry a 200kg (440lb) warhead to a range of more than 500km (310 miles).

“Nightfall missiles will be capable of being launched from a range of vehicles,” said the UK defence ministry (MoD), “firing multiple missiles in quick succession and withdrawing within minutes – allowing Ukrainian forces to hit key military targets before Russian forces can respond.”

Three industry teams would each get £9m to design, develop and deliver their first three Nightfall missiles within 12 months for test firings, said the MoD. Ukraine’s current ballistic missiles include Atacms, for which it relies on the US, and the self-developed Sapsan.

Russia was again attacking Kyiv early on Monday, the Ukrainian military said, sparking a fire in at least one district. Ukrainian air defences were at work against incoming targets, said Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration.

The renewed attack came as more than 1,000 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital remained without heating because of a Russian bombardment on Friday. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, said that despite repairs the situation was “still extremely difficult”, particularly in border regions.

At the Vatican, Pope Leo offered prayers for the people of Ukraine, saying the “particularly serious” strikes on energy infrastructure were “hitting the civilian population hard, just as the cold weather is getting worse … I pray for those who are suffering and renew my appeal for an end to violence and for efforts to achieve peace to be intensified.”

Ukraine’s forces hit three drilling platforms operated by Russian oil company Lukoil in the waters of the Caspian Sea, the Ukrainian military general staff announced on Sunday. The strikes on Russian energy sites aim to deprive Moscow of oil export revenue used to fund the war. Moscow meanwhile said a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh.

Published: January 12, 2026, 12:55 am

Peter Mandelson declines to apologise for association with Jeffrey Epstein

Former UK ambassador tries to distance himself from financier and says he knew nothing of his sex life

Peter Mandelson has declined to apologise to Jeffrey Epstein’s victims for staying friends with the convicted child sex offender, and suggested that as a gay man he knew nothing of the financier’s sex life.

The Labour peer, who was sacked as US ambassador when details of his support for Epstein emerged in September, gave an interview to the BBC on Sunday, saying he had paid a “calamitous” price for his association with the “evil monster”.

Published: January 11, 2026, 7:04 pm

US urges its citizens to flee Venezuela amid reports of paramilitaries

State department says armed ‘colectivos’ appear to be setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for Americans

The United States has urged its citizens to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports that armed paramilitaries are trying to track down US citizens, one week after the capture of the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.

In a security alert sent out on Saturday, the state department said there were reports of armed members of pro-regime militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence that the occupants were US citizens or supporters of the country.

Published: January 11, 2026, 2:58 am

PM recalls parliament to fast-track hate speech and gun laws in wake of Bondi terror attack

MPs to return next week to debate new racial vilification offence, ‘hate preachers’ crackdown and gun buyback

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Anthony Albanese will push the Coalition and the Greens to support urgent legislation proposing tougher hate speech laws and gun reform, bringing MPs back to Canberra next Monday in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.

Recalling parliament two weeks early, the prime minister said hate speech and anti-vilification laws would be considered in the same legislation as provisions to establish the biggest gun buyback program since the Port Arthur massacre.

Published: January 12, 2026, 4:09 am

UK ‘pays substantial sum’ to tortured Guantánamo Bay detainee

Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah accused British intelligence services of providing questions to his CIA interrogators

The UK has settled out of court by paying a “substantial sum” to a Guantánamo Bay detainee who was suing the government for its alleged complicity in his rendition and torture, according to the inmate’s legal team.

Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah have accused the British intelligence services of providing questions to his CIA interrogators to put to him while they were torturing him at a string of CIA “black sites” around the world where he was held between 2002 and 2006.

Published: January 11, 2026, 10:00 pm

‘Fateful moment’ for Denmark amid Trump threats to take over Greenland

Danish prime minister says country is at a crossroads and accuses US of turning its back on Nato

Mette Frederiksen has said that Denmark is at a “fateful moment” amid Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland, accusing the US of potentially turning its back on Nato.

Speaking at a party leader debate at a political rally on Sunday, the Danish prime minister said her country was “at a crossroads”.

Published: January 11, 2026, 4:52 pm

Homes of volunteer firefighters among 350 structures lost so far in ‘heartbreaking’ Victorian bushfires

Victorian premier Jacinta Allan announces appeal to support those affected, as authorities warn fire risk could spike again later in month

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The number of buildings lost in Victoria’s devastating bushfires has risen to 350, with authorities warning that number would grow as assessors are able to access more areas affected by 12 large fires still burning across the state.

Speaking from the small western Victorian town of Natimuk on Monday, Jacinta Allan also announced a fundraising appeal to support victims of the fires.

Published: January 12, 2026, 3:50 am

‘There’s nothing better on TV’: behind the scenes of Industry, the high-stakes finance drama that has everyone hooked

Created by two uni mates whose last gig was a David Hasselhoff comedy, the series has become a star-making transatlantic hit. Now it’s back for an intense fourth season that heads everywhere from Ghana to Sunderland

• Spoiler alert: this article contains references to major events in the previous three series of Industry

Industry is not for everyone. Mickey Down and Konrad Kay’s drama about young City bankers is zeitgeisty, iconoclastic and slightly inaccessible. “It is niche,” says Down. “We don’t write to any kind of brief. We don’t write what we think is going to be interesting to other people – or commercial.” For every 10 people that don’t understand a “reference or the thing we’re trying to do with the costume or the subtle hint we’re making about someone’s class, there’ll be one person that gets it. The show’s for that one person.”

And for that one person, Industry is hard to beat. “Not to toot my own horn,” says Myha’la, the mononymous 29-year-old who co-stars as daredevil American trader Harper Stern, “but I think there isn’t anything better than this show out there right now.”

Published: January 11, 2026, 10:00 am

‘It’s more productive than doomscrolling’: film-maker Ben Wheatley on his secret life as musician Dave Welder

While playing with nine-figure Hollywood budgets, the Kill List and Meg 2 director has become a prolific music producer. Next up is his experimental film, Bulk

Dave Welder may just be the most prolific musician you’ve never heard of. In a little more than a year, he has released a staggering 26 records spanning electronica, dub, ambient, kosmische and drone. One of these albums, Thunderdrone, is more than four hours long. Based in Brighton and Hove and described as “a rotating group of musicians and artists”, in reality “Dave Welder” is largely the work of one man who, until now, has been operating in secret: film director Ben Wheatley.

“I’ve always wanted to make music,” says Wheatley, whose films include the independent movies High-Rise, Kill List and Sightseers, along with big-budget Hollywood flicks such as the shark thriller Meg 2: The Trench. “I wanted to do it for my films but there was a dissonance. Of all the art forms, I couldn’t really understand it. I would dream that I could play, but then it was like, no, I can’t.”

Published: January 11, 2026, 1:00 pm

Andrew Clements, Guardian’s classical music critic, dies aged 75

An outstanding critical voice, his deep knowledge and love of music was evident in everything he wrote

The Guardian’s long-serving and much admired classical music critic Andrew Clements died on Sunday aged 75 after a period of illness.

Clements joined the Guardian arts team in August 1993, succeeding Edward Greenfield as the paper’s chief music critic. His appointment was clinched by a personal recommendation to the editor from the late Alfred Brendel, who argued for Clements to get the job on account of his deep understanding of contemporary music. For the next 32 years, Clements ranged across all fields of classical music in his writing for the Guardian, and often beyond.

Published: January 12, 2026, 12:01 am

Bob Weir: a life in pictures

Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead has died – we take a look back at his musical career through the decades

Published: January 11, 2026, 6:49 am

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong says he struggles with impostor syndrome

Award-winning screenwriter tells Desert Island Discs that success has not silenced self-doubt

The award-winning screenwriter Jesse Armstrong has said a writers’ room can feel like “walking on the moon” when it is working well, but has admitted to experiencing impostor syndrome during his career.

Armstrong was behind the hit HBO drama Succession, starring Brian Cox as the global media tycoon and family patriarch Logan Roy, who sets off a power struggle among his four children.

Published: January 11, 2026, 12:01 am

The kindness of strangers: alone in the crowd at Glastonbury, a stranger hugged me tight while I cried about my dead dad

As I sobbed to U2, she would hug me tighter as we swayed to the music

• Read more in the kindness of strangers series

My father died when I was 19, after a short and sharp fight with cancer. Unsure of what to do or how to proceed with life, I took a year off university and went backpacking through Europe. The other side of the world seemed like a good place to be.

I ended up at the music festival Glastonbury in 2011. It was a great lineup that year but there was one act on the bill that really caught my eye: U2. They were my dad’s favourite band, so it seemed only right that I should go and see them. Of course, U2 aren’t exactly a massive draw for people my age, so I ended up alone in the massive crowd at the main stage while my friends saw other bands.

Published: January 11, 2026, 2:00 pm

This is how we do it: ‘The dark room is a judgment-free place, where we can live out fantasies together’

Sex parties allow Conrad and Callum to explore their desires in a safe space – and as couple

• How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously

We keep the connection with subtle signals, glances across the room and an unspoken agreement that we won’t disappear

Published: January 11, 2026, 11:00 am

Joel Dommett looks back: ‘I paid $10 to do a three-minute standup slot in a bar on Sunset Boulevard. I was hooked’

The comedian and presenter on being a quiet child, his alternative youth, and doing 300 gigs in a year

Born in Rockhampton, Gloucestershire, in 1985, Joel Dommett is a comedian and presenter. His career began with acting roles in shows such as Skins and Casualty, before making his name as a standup comedian, performing on Live at the Apollo, and becoming a household name on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! in 2016. Dommett is the host on I’m a Celebrity … Unpacked and The Masked Singer on ITV.

This was taken outside the front door of the bungalow I grew up in. I’m stood next to my grandpa’s yellow pickup truck. That T-shirt was a gift from Uncle John who lived in South Africa.

Published: January 11, 2026, 2:00 pm

Martino’s, London SW1: ‘Beautiful bedlam’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Does central London really need another fancy Italian restaurant? Well, yes, apparently it does …

Does the area around Sloane Square in central London really need another fancy, Italian-leaning restaurant that serves up tortellini in brodo and veal Milanese? Well, yes, apparently it does. One Saturday lunchtime late last year at Martino’s was hectic even in the delightful reception area, where we were waiting to check in a coat with the elegantly uniformed front-of-house ladies. All the tables in this hot new all-day brasserie were booked and busy, and plenty of walk-ins were champing at the bit for cancellations.

Actually, “delightful reception” is not a phrase I’ve often uttered, or even thought, but this is a Martin Kuczmarski restaurant, so the small things tend to add up to a larger picture – this cocoon-like holding pen keeps would-be queuers away from the diners. Why was I so charmed by this weird, crisply officiated bends chamber that operates as a liminal space between the real grubby world outside and the glitzy, sexy, mock-Italian trattoria inside? Well, it turns out that’s because it solved a problem that I didn’t even realise I had.

Published: January 11, 2026, 6:00 am

Ice cold purification and sleeping bike riders: photos of the weekend

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Published: January 11, 2026, 1:19 pm