Iran flips ‘kill switch’ to hide alleged crimes as death toll rises amid protests

Iran protests spread to 180 cities as authorities allegedly use lethal force against demonstrators, with Human Rights Activists in Iran reporting 65 killed and 2,300 arrested.
Published: January 11, 2026, 1:51 am
Armed Iranian protesters battle police in Tehran streets as Trump warns of forceful US response

Protests in Iran turn more violent with 65 reportedly killed by Friday and over 2,300 arrested as authorities imposed an internet blackout amid nationwide anti-regime unrest.
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:18 pm
Protester scales Iranian Embassy in London, tears down regime flag, hoists pre-revolution symbol
Drama played out in London when a protester reportedly scaled Iran's embassy building, tears down a regime flag and replaces it with a pre-1979 flag.
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:03 pm
US warns Americans to leave Venezuela immediately as armed militias set up roadblocks

The U.S. government issued an urgent security alert for Americans in Venezuela to leave immediately due to safety concerns and an inability to provide continued assistance.
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:00 pm
Iranian hospitals overwhelmed with injuries as protests rage across Islamic Republic

Iranian hospitals are reportedly overwhelmed as anti-government protests rage, with doctors treating gunshot wounds to heads and eyes amid nationwide unrest.
Published: January 10, 2026, 8:00 pm
Trump discusses whether he'd order a mission to capture Putin

President Donald Trump dismisses the idea of capturing Vladimir Putin, saying he's "disappointed" the Russia-Ukraine war remains without a resolution.
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:49 pm
Greenland leaders push back on Trump's calls for US control of the island: 'We don’t want to be Americans'

Greenland leaders firmly reject President Donald Trump's proposed U.S. takeover as the American administration vows action regardless of their wishes.
Published: January 10, 2026, 5:51 pm
Who would rule Iran if the Islamic Republic falls?

From Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi to imprisoned activists, Iran's potential successors remain unclear. Opposition figures debate who could unify after regime change.
Published: January 10, 2026, 2:00 pm
Socialist dictator Maduro gone, but Venezuelans remain wary after years of oppression

Venezuelan citizens express cautious relief after Nicolas Maduro was ousted and taken to New York to face trial, ending years of controversial socialist rule.
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:00 am
UAE cuts funding for citizens studying at UK universities over campus radicalization fears: report

The UAE is pulling scholarships from U.K. universities, citing fears Emirati students could be radicalized amid tensions over Britain and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Published: January 10, 2026, 12:47 am
Venezuela’s New Leader Enlists U.S. Troops to Bring a Rogue Ship Back

Delcy Rodríguez got American help with the return of an oil tanker linked to one of her political rivals that had left the country without authorization.
Published: January 11, 2026, 1:22 am
Inside Iran’s Protests: How a Plunging Currency Set Off Wide Unrest

In a serious challenge to Iran’s authoritarian government, angry protests have spread from the markets and universities of major cities to the impoverished towns in the hinterland.
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:34 am
Why Putin Went Quiet When Challenged by Trump Over Venezuela

For the Russian leader, courting President Trump to secure a favorable resolution in Ukraine, and possibly more, is far more important.
Published: January 10, 2026, 12:17 pm
How Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s Leader, Became Vital to Trump’s Plans for the Country

Delcy Rodríguez, a guerrilla’s daughter, started out as a provocateur. She pivoted to revive a ravaged economy, making her vital to U.S. plans to run Venezuela.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:37 pm
Trump Eyes Greenland, and Europe Figures Its Best Bet Is a Negotiation

European officials were stunned that President Trump restated his desire for Greenland after a yearlong effort to dissuade him, according to diplomats and others.
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:35 pm
I.C.C. Judges Denounce Effect of Trump’s Sanctions

President Trump’s retaliation against top officials at the International Criminal Court has shut them out of American services and made even routine daily tasks a challenge.
Published: January 10, 2026, 5:01 am
Why Are Iranians Protesting? What to Know About the Unrest.

Demonstrations that began as outrage at the state of the economy have spread to cities across the country, amid an escalating crackdown by the authorities.
Published: January 10, 2026, 9:20 pm
How an Abrupt Call Between Trump and Colombia’s President Averted a Crisis

President Gustavo Petro said that the new tone between the leaders was “friendly,” but he also resurfaced his deep disagreements with President Trump.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:16 am
Death Toll Grows as Nationwide Protests Rock Iran for a Third Night

Antigovernment unrest that began two weeks ago has intensified in recent days, as has violence.
Published: January 11, 2026, 2:30 am
Nearly 13,000 Irish Passports Are Recalled Over ‘Technical Issue’

The recall affects passports issued between Dec. 23 and Jan. 6, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:11 pm
Machado Offered Trump Her Nobel, but Prize Institute Says It’s Not Allowed

After María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader, offered her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump, the Norwegian Nobel Institute said it cannot be “transferred to others.”
Published: January 10, 2026, 6:13 pm
Acquired Tastes
The dream of cohabitating with a group of friends is an attractive fantasy, but we can benefit from its lessons, regardless of our living situation.
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:21 am
Chrystia Freeland Resigns as a Member of Canada’s Parliament

Once a powerful force under Justin Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland ended her time in politics on Friday.
Published: January 10, 2026, 6:11 pm
After President’s Capture, U.S. and Venezuela Explore Restoring Diplomatic Ties

The move embodied the contradictions and fast-changing nature of the two countries’ relationship.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:38 am
Trump Urges Oil Companies to Speed Work in Venezuela

The president met with executives on a day when the U.S. seized another tanker carrying Venezuelan oil.
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:30 pm
Iran Convulsed in Second Night of Nationwide Protests

Large marches against the government occurred despite an internet blackout and threats of a severe crackdown.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:35 pm
What Is El Helicoide, the Infamous Torture Prison in Venezuela?

As Venezuela’s interim authorities began to release political prisoners, some of their families raced to the notorious prison that symbolized Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian rule.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:33 pm
Freed Venezuelan Political Prisoner Called Maduro’s 2024 Victory a Fraud to His Face

Enrique Márquez, a centrist opposition lawmaker, refused to rubber-stamp the government’s dubious election results in front of the entire nation.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:28 pm
U.S. Boards Another Tanker Carrying Venezuelan Oil

The tanker, the Olina, is the fifth to be boarded or seized by U.S. forces in recent weeks as part of an effort to control Venezuela’s oil exports.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:11 am
Landfill Collapse in Philippines Leaves 4 Dead and Dozens Missing

A garbage mound outside Cebu City in the central Philippines collapsed on Thursday. Rescuers were searching for 34 missing people, including some trapped under the debris.
Published: January 10, 2026, 5:09 am
Trump Addresses Venezuela, Greenland and Presidential Power in New York Times Interview

On topic after topic, President Trump made clear that he would be the arbiter of any limits to his authorities, not international law or treaties.
Published: January 10, 2026, 8:08 pm
Who is Michael David McKee, the man accused of killing ex-wife and dentist husband in Ohio

Ohio surgeon Michael David McKee is accused of murdering his ex-wife and her dentist husband in a Columbus shooting. The Chicago doctor was arrested on murder charges.
Published: January 11, 2026, 1:07 am
Aurora terrorized by Venezuelan gang as dictator Maduro let Tren de Aragua seize power
How government failure in Venezuelan prison system created transnational criminal organization now facing federal charges in multiple U.S. states.
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:00 pm
Crowd-for-hire boss rejects Minneapolis unrest as illegal chaos

Crowds on Demand's CEO refuses to touch Minneapolis anti-ICE demonstrations, calling roadway blocking and federal obstruction illegal after shooting.
Published: January 10, 2026, 9:00 pm
US military launches airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria, officials say

U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News Saturday that the U.S. military has launched airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.
Published: January 10, 2026, 8:17 pm
Melodee Buzzard’s grandmother shreds possible insanity defense for accused killer mom: ‘Planned everything’

Grandmother speaks out as mother accused of killing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard appears in court, questioning what changed in the woman she once knew.
Published: January 10, 2026, 8:00 pm
Police arrest surgeon ex-husband of Ohio woman slain alongside dentist husband in double murder, records show

An ex-husband was arrested in the double murder of an Ohio dentist and his wife at a Columbus home. Michael McKee was charged in the shooting deaths of Spencer and Monique Tepe.
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:09 pm
'Times Square Killer' used fake police badge to murder 18-year-old nursing student: deathbed confession

Serial killer Richard Cottingham confessed to the 1965 murder of nursing student Alys Eberhardt in a deathbed admission, solving a 60-year-old cold case.
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 pm
Columbus police chief responds to 'disturbing' murder mystery of Ohio dentist, wife found shot in home

Columbus' police chief calls the dentist murder case "disturbing" as the investigation continues into the deaths of Spencer and Monique Tepe, who were found shot in their home.
Published: January 10, 2026, 6:08 pm
ICE officer who shot Minnesota woman was dragged by car of illegal alien sex offender months earlier

The ICE officer who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good was allegedly dragged 50 yards by illegal immigrant's car months earlier, reports indicate.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:58 pm
Portland police chief cries while admitting DHS was right about Tren de Aragua ties in CBP shooting
Portland Police Chief Bob Day tearfully confirms two individuals shot during immigration enforcement have suspected ties to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:54 pm
Brown University shooting videos show awareness and planning, experts say

Federal authorities released transcripts showing the Brown University shooter allegedly confessed to planning attack that killed two and wounded nine others.
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:00 pm
Middle Eastern country stops sponsoring students studying in Britain over fear of radicalization: report

UAE stops funding students to study in Britain, claiming fears of radicalization by Muslim Brotherhood. The nation will sponsor education elsewhere.
Published: January 10, 2026, 2:00 pm
Mississippi man charged with murder after 6 killed in overnight shootings, including 7-year-old

Mississippi man facing murder charges after allegedly killing six people, including four family members, in shootings across three locations in Cedarbluff.
Published: January 10, 2026, 1:32 pm
Minneapolis police nowhere to be found as agitators seize control of street after ICE shooting

Agitators erected barricades and took control of a Minneapolis street after Wednesday's fatal ICE shooting, with no police presence observed in the area.
Published: January 10, 2026, 1:00 pm
DAVID MARCUS: FBI must not let ICE agent become the next Derek Chauvin

Minneapolis leaders allegedly rush to judgment on ICE agent shooting, drawing comparisons to Derek Chauvin case and calls for federal protection.
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:29 am
Preliminary autopsy reveals possible cause of death for missing 4-year-old Alabama boy Johnathan Boley

Preliminary autopsy findings reveal possible cause of death for 4-year-old Johnathan Boley who disappeared on New Year's Eve in rural Alabama community.
Published: January 10, 2026, 2:59 am
California driver allegedly kills 2 more people while out on bail for previous fatal crash

A Southern California driver is accused of a fatal hit-and-run and another crash that allegedly killed a bicyclist and two others. Video evidence allegedly linked the suspect to the crashes.
Published: January 10, 2026, 2:29 am
Judge Pauses Trump Policy Ending Family Reunification for Some Migrants

The policy applied to migrants from some Central and South American countries who were awaiting visas.
Published: January 11, 2026, 2:18 am
Who Was Renee Good, the Woman Killed by an ICE Agent in Minneapolis?

Ms. Good, 37, was a poet and a mother who grew up in Colorado. Her wife said the couple had “stopped to support our neighbors” when Ms. Good was shot.
Published: January 11, 2026, 12:44 am
Trump Is Briefed on Options for Striking Iran as Protests Continue

The president has said he will be “hitting them very hard” if Iranian leaders kill protesters amid widespread demonstrations calling for wholesale changes in the country.
Published: January 11, 2026, 12:34 am
U.S. Launches Major Strikes on Islamic State Targets in Syria

The airstrikes followed an even larger attack in December to avenge the killing of three Americans last year.
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:39 pm
Disinformation in Minneapolis Shooting Points at People Who Were Not Involved

Within hours of an ICE officer shooting and killing a woman, social media users misidentified the agent who fired as Steve Grove.
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:52 pm
Anti-ICE Protests Spread Nationwide After Minneapolis Shooting

Demonstrators across the country expressed anger at the killing of a woman in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents.
Published: January 11, 2026, 2:07 am
Monkeys Are on the Loose in St. Louis, City Officials Say

As many as four vervet monkeys were spotted in a neighborhood in North St. Louis on Thursday, city officials said. No one knows how they got there.
Published: January 10, 2026, 9:28 pm
Death Toll From California Wild Mushroom Poisoning Rises to 3

The death of a Sonoma County resident last week prompted public health officials to urge foragers not to consume wild mushrooms.
Published: January 10, 2026, 6:32 pm
FBI’s Inquiry Into Minneapolis ICE Shooting Faces Doubts After White House’s Remarks

Ex-law enforcement officials said the administration’s declarations that the killing was justified elicited questions about the F.B.I.’s willingness to scrutinize the agent who fatally shot an unarmed activist.
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:40 pm
Six Dead in Mississippi Shooting; Suspect in Custody, Clay County Sheriff Says

The authorities in Clay County, Miss., arrested a 24-year-old man after a 7-year-old girl and five more people were killed.
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:46 pm
What Happens if ICE Agents and Local Police Stop Getting Along?

Cooperation among law enforcement agencies is critical to many investigations, experts say. After a series of shootings by immigration agents, the relationship is showing cracks.
Published: January 10, 2026, 8:16 pm
A ‘Ticklish Subject’: Trump’s Words on Immigration Often Collide and Contradict

In an interview with The New York Times, President Trump made a point of keeping distance from certain hard-line immigration policies, even as he continues to demonize and shut out immigrants.
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:07 pm
Climate Change Threatens Way of Life for Native American Tribes in Pacific Northwest

Warming seas and increased flooding threaten a way of life for Native Americans who have called the Pacific Northwest coast their home for generations.
Published: January 10, 2026, 1:16 pm
She Was Born Two Days Before the Altadena Fire Took Her Home

She was the family’s first baby in 16 years. And she came into their world as the Altadena fire changed everything. They struggled for months to find housing, stability and peace.
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:00 am
Judge Bars Trump From Withholding Election Funds to States

The ruling is the latest legal setback to President Trump’s sweeping effort to compel changes to state election standards.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:19 am
Trump Wants 10% Cap on Credit Card Interest Rates, After Killing Other Fee Limits

The president revived a campaign promise he has not actively pursued since taking office.
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:13 am
Russell Vought, CFPB Leader, Requests $145 Million for Agency He Wants to Eliminate

A federal judge ordered Russell T. Vought, the bureau’s acting director, to keep requesting funds for the financial watchdog’s operations.
Published: January 10, 2026, 2:43 am
Minnesota Woman Dies After Shark Bite in U.S. Virgin Islands, Authorities Say

People at the beach went to the woman’s rescue and helped her ashore, the authorities said, but she died at a hospital.
Published: January 10, 2026, 2:18 am
Trump Administration Freezes Food Stamps in Minnesota

The move was part of a broader effort to freeze social services to some Democratic-led states amid a fraud investigation in Minnesota.
Published: January 11, 2026, 12:03 am
Dr. Oz Visits California to Target ‘Fraud’

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and Bill Essayli, a Los Angeles-based prosecutor, said they were investigating federally funded services.
Published: January 10, 2026, 1:57 am
Minneapolis ICE shooting live updates: Protestors gather outside White House as Renee Good’s death sparks anger nationwide

Demonstrations, named ‘ICE Out for Good’ demand accountability for ICE officers and remember Renee Good
Published: January 11, 2026, 2:27 am
Trump warns Tehran that US ‘stands ready to help’ Iranian protesters as regime crackdown intensifies

US president issued statement after Iran claimed to have arrested 100 ‘armed rioters’
Published: January 11, 2026, 12:19 am
Officials finally track and kill 11-foot alligator that killed woman after flipping her canoe in Florida in May

The alligator was startled when the woman’s canoe passed over its back, according to officials
Published: January 11, 2026, 12:14 am
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says ‘Putin is afraid of the US but not Europe’ in latest attack on allies

US president says future operation to capture Russian president would ‘not be necessary’
Published: January 11, 2026, 12:06 am
Iran protests latest: Trump says US ‘stands ready to help’ Iranians wanting freedom in threat to Tehran

The US president issued the warning to Tehran’s clerical regime, which on Saturday said it had arrested 100 ‘armed rioters’
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:57 pm
US military carries out strikes against ISIS targets in Syria

The attacks were part of an operation launched last month
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:56 pm
Gunman killed 6 people - including 7-year-old girl and family members - in Mississippi mass shooting, police say

The alleged shooting spree took place across three locations in Mississippi’s Clay County
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:35 pm
NRA sues its own charity for misusing ‘many millions of dollars’ and ‘hijacking’ logo to build rival group

The longstanding gun rights advocacy group has struggled with a series of financial scandals in recent years
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:23 pm
Tina Peters clemency being considered by Colorado governor, report says
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Trump claimed to pardon Tina Peters in December, but it does not affect her state conviction since presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:01 pm
Thousands turn up for nationwide anti-ICE protests after killing of Renee Good as Minneapolis grieves

Protesters demanded accountability for the ICE officer responsible for killing 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:46 pm
Virginia man pleads not guilty to charges in DC pipe bomb case

A Virginia man has pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of planting two pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican national parties on the eve of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021
Published: January 10, 2026, 9:56 pm
Ex-husband of victim in mysterious Ohio double murder arrested, reports say
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Police located the suspect’s vehicle in Illinois over a week after the shooting deaths in Ohio
Published: January 10, 2026, 9:32 pm
Monkeys of unknown origin running loose in St. Louis, officials say

Local officials have been hunting for the mysterious monkeys since Thursday
Published: January 10, 2026, 9:26 pm
Veteran actor T.K. Carter, known for 'The Thing' and 'Punky Brewster,' dies at 69

Veteran actor T
Published: January 10, 2026, 8:00 pm
Steve Bannon denies reports he’s plotting a run for the White House in 2028

The 2028 campaign is seen as a major test of where Trump’s MAGA movement goes after the president is barred from serving another term in the White House
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:52 pm
‘Lectern Guy’ of Jan 6 infamy running for office on MAGA platform in Florida

Johnson’s “Fix Manatee FAST” slogan focuses on cutting government waste, lowering living costs, promoting family-friendly growth and solving traffic problems practically
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:39 pm
Trump announces 10 percent credit card cap as banks push back

Strong resistance is anticipated from Wall Street and credit card companies
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:36 pm
Trump signs order to protect Venezuelan oil revenue in US accounts

The directive states these funds should be used in Venezuela to help create “peace, prosperity and stability”
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:07 pm
Trump warned ‘upsetting allies who shed blood for the US’ threatens critical defence deals

Exclusive: Obama’s former assistant secretary of state Frank Rose was the last U.S. official to negotiate a defence deal with Denmark and the Greenland Home Rule administration. He spoke to The Independent about the international dispute that could break NATO
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 pm
Washington National Opera leaving the Kennedy Center in latest upheaval since Trump takeover
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After WNO announced their departure, the Trump Kennedy Center claimed the decision was due to a ‘financially challenging relationship’
Published: January 10, 2026, 6:04 pm
‘Thousands have been killed. Why would I vote?’ Myanmar’s people despair over sham election and plea for Aung San Suu Kyi’s return

Opposition groups and the UN have called for the international community to boycott the results of elections held by the military junta. Maung Maung, Peter Popham and James C Reynolds report
Published: January 10, 2026, 5:27 pm
Jeffrey Epstein’s brother says new autopsy details will be released in February and will prove pedophile was murdered

Multiple federal reviews have concluded Epstein died by suicide, but doubters continue to insist he died from foul play
Published: January 10, 2026, 5:05 pm
Trump’s ‘morality’ raises nightmare of ghosts past in Colombia

As the belligerent US president threatens more attacks on South America with no regard to international law, he is causing real fear in the region, reports world affairs editor Sam Kiley from Bogota, Colombia
Published: January 10, 2026, 5:01 pm
Six people killed in shooting spree in Mississippi
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The shootings occurred at three separate locations
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:58 pm
‘Make schools screen free again’: The bipartisan push to digitally detox American students

Educators and state legislators across the nation are pushing to banish smartphones from the classroom as evidence mounts that compulsive tech use is harming young people, reports Io Dodds
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:44 pm
Tucker Carlson takes conservatives to task for trying to ‘score political points’ from Minnesota shooting

After an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis on Wednesday, response has divided along partisan lines over what really happened and how to interpret the shooting
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:43 pm
National Park goers told their pass could be ‘void’ if they cover up Trump’s face

National Park staff will make a judgment call as to whether visitors with altered passes face fines
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:27 pm
Stephen Miller’s cousin blames him for the killing in Minneapolis: ‘Her blood is on your hands’
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Miller’s cousin previously accused him of using his privileged upbringing and wealth as a weapon in his political actions
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:27 pm
‘We don’t want to be Americans’: Greenland’s indigenous Inuits hit back at Trump as president repeats threats

The U.S. president shows no signs of backing down on his desire for Greenland, but he is facing resistance from its citizens
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:06 pm
Dark, freezing and depressed: More than a million Ukrainians struggling without heat or water after Russian attacks

With temperatures as low as -15C in some parts of Ukraine, vulnerable residents tell Alex Croft that life under Russian assault is as difficult as ever
Published: January 10, 2026, 1:51 pm
High School Musical star Matt Prokop arrested on charges including child pornography

Prokop is best known for his roles in ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year’ and ‘Geek Charming’
Published: January 10, 2026, 1:31 pm
Anti-ICE protesters storm hotel and set off fireworks after deadly Renee Nicole Good shooting

Anti-ICE protesters marched through downtown Minneapolis and gathered outside hotels said to be housing deferral agents following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good.
Published: January 10, 2026, 12:43 pm
What you need to know about Russia’s hypersonic Oreshnik missile

The Oreshnik, whose name means Hazel Tree, is an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile
Published: January 10, 2026, 12:40 pm
Ukraine’s drones set fire to Russian oil depot after Putin’s Oreshnik missile attack

Ukraine's long-range drone strikes on energy sites aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its invasion
Published: January 10, 2026, 12:37 pm
Iranian pop icon Googoosh says she is ‘waiting for a change of regime to happen soon’

In 2000, Faegheh Atashin was able to leave Iran and perform in Canada, where she discovered that the decades of enforced silence had not erased her influence
Published: January 10, 2026, 12:33 pm
Hollywood couple gain Guinean citizenship after tracing ancestry to West African country

MeaganGood began dating Jonathan Majors in 2023
Published: January 10, 2026, 12:01 pm
Musk claims outcry over Grok deepfakes used as an ‘excuse for censorship’

Governments and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned reports X’s AI chatbot Grok was creating sexualised images of people, including children
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:41 am
The tech letting prisoners see the other side of the world without leaving their call

‘I went to Thailand, man!’
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:24 am
Iran, Russia and China join for naval drills in South Africa as tensions run high

China, Russia, and South Africa are long-standing Brics members
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:20 am
Transgender people face an increasing number of restrictions. It may only be the beginning

A Supreme Court ruling upholding the state laws could ripple beyond athletics
Published: January 10, 2026, 11:13 am
What is happening in Iran? Internet blackout and Israel blamed after widespread anti-regime protests

Donald Trump continues to threaten Iran’s Islamic regime with military action for killing protesters
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:31 am
The truth about how many drugs in the US come from Venezuela | Debunked

Donald Trump has claimed “a lot of drugs” are coming out of Venezuela - but do the figures back up the president’s claims?
Published: January 10, 2026, 10:00 am
Iran shuts off internet as protests blaze. A timeline of how unrest unfolded and grew

Khamenei accuses protesters of acting at Trump's behest
Published: January 10, 2026, 8:20 am
Who is Iran’s supreme leader? Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s rise to power explained amid protests

Iran’s supreme leader faces his biggest threat yet after more than three decades in power
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:18 am
Trump warns Ayatollah ‘we will start shooting if you do’ as Iran rocked by another night of protests

US president says he has ‘put Iran on notice’ not to target protesters after demonstrations were held across the country
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:06 am
A battered Cuba braces for aftershocks as US seizures of oil tankers linked to Venezuela surge

As U.S. seizures of oil tankers linked to Venezuela surge, so do concerns in Cuba about whether the island’s government and economy will survive
Published: January 10, 2026, 5:25 am
Macy’s announces store closures in 12 states — here’s a list of where and what to know

Clearance sales at department store chain will reportedly start in mid-January
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:53 am
USDA suspends ‘federal financial awards’ for Minnesota, citing ‘massive fraud’

The USDA is suspending more than $120 million in federal funding to Minnesota effective immediately
Published: January 10, 2026, 4:28 am
Utah schools ban the book ‘Wicked’ for good

Author Gregory Maguire previously admitted his novel is ‘completely not for children’
Published: January 10, 2026, 3:54 am
We tested 37 US lip balms – these are the best to soothe and hydrate

From trusty Vaseline to trendy Supergoop, our top balms will help keep even the driest of lips moisturized this winter
In the UK? The best moisturising lip balms to hydrate and protect your lips
Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things
Chapped lips can happen any time of year, but winter is especially tough. The skin on your lips is thinner and more sensitive than elsewhere on your body. Lacking oil glands, your lips don’t stand a chance exposed to the elements. Hence: lip balms tucked away in coat pockets, makeup bags, purses, totes, briefcases, diaper bags, and desk drawers.
Many of us have dozens of sticks and tubes and tubs: some add a hint of color, SPF, anti-aging ingredients, a dab or flavor, a drop of medicine, viral internet cachet. But which one do you turn to the most? What is the one that really does the job of keeping you moisturized and preventing (or treating) chapping and cracking lips?
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 6:15 pm
Inside Tony Dokoupil’s chaotic first week as the CBS Evening News anchor

The revamped US broadcast has endured a rough start with changed plans, big interviews, social media criticism and an abrupt firing
As traditional TV audiences continue to decline, and more Americans switch to streaming platforms and social media, it’s often a challenge for networks to get the public’s attention when relaunching a show. That hasn’t been an issue for the CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil.
The nightly broadcast has received close scrutiny – and a heap of criticism – since its official launch on Monday, and unofficial launch two nights earlier, when the anchor hosted a special edition after the US attack on Venezuela.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 11:00 am
Do the tiny, boring exercises: how to really look after your hips

From the best exercise moves to how many steps you really need to aim for a day, experts weigh in on how to maintain hip health
When Elvis the pelvis gyrated and thrust his way across national television screens, audiences were delighted and censors were scandalised. But physiotherapists were probably standing up in their seats cheering at the display of such healthy and limber hip movements.
Hips are a key weight-bearing joint, yet we rarely give them the amount of love and attention they deserve.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 pm
Six great reads: Katherine Ryan, a missing backpacker returns, and Fast Food Nation redux

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 6:00 am
Blind date: ‘The register office was next door … but we opted for the pub and more drinks’

Dara, 24, a trainee accountant, meets Alexia, 24, a healthcare worker
What were you hoping for?
Something a little different for a Tuesday night, and a fancy meal with some good company.
Published: January 10, 2026, 6:00 am
From boho chic to dressy: the alpha female celebrities reviving flares

Claudia Winkleman is among high-profile women again popularising the trouser style once favoured by hippies
In fashion currently, trouser shape firmly sit in two camps – skin-tight, as with the revival of skinny jeans, or ultra oversized and baggy. But, perhaps, there is a third way. Enter – once again – the flare.
The trouser shape, first popularised in the 70s and flirted with briefly five years ago, is back again in 2026. Resale app Depop says there has been a 30% increase in the searches for the style this month alone.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 9:00 am
US protests condemn ICE killing of Renee Good and ‘a regime that is willing to kill its own citizens’

In Philadelphia, protesters demanded ICE leave US communities and Trump end warmongering in Venezuela
On a rainy Saturday in Philadelphia, two separate protests, both with a few hundred people, marched from city hall to the federal detention center. They differed slightly in solutions as well as crowd makeup – white older adults dominated the morning’s march organized by the groups behind the No Kings protests, while a more racially diverse crowd swathed in keffiyehs and N95 face masks led the afternoon’s, planned by the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter. However, both groups shared a goal: for ICE to get out of American communities and to put an end to Donald Trump’s warmongering in Venezuela.
“From Venezuela to Minneapolis, all we’re seeing is a regime that is scrambling, willing to kill its own citizens, willing to kill foreign citizens, to maintain its power,” said Deborah Rose Hinchey, co-chair of the city’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter.
Continue reading...Published: January 11, 2026, 12:25 am
US and allies strike Islamic State in Syria after attack that killed three Americans

Military says it targeted the jihadist group throughout Syria in response to attack on US and Syrian troops in Palmyra
US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Islamic State jihadist group in Syria on Saturday, the US military said, in the latest response to an attack last month that left three Americans dead.
Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the 13 December attack in Palmyra, which killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter. The area is home to Unesco-listed ancient ruins and was once controlled by jihadist fighters.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 10:09 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.
Continue reading...Published: January 11, 2026, 2:58 am
Service door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says

Jacques Moretti, who is in custody, told Swiss prosecutor’s office he forced door open and found people lying behind it
The French owner of the Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire during new year celebrations has told investigators a service door had been locked from the inside.
Jacques Moretti, co-owner of the Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, was taken into custody on Friday, as prosecutors investigated the tragedy.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 8:45 pm
Mississippi man charged with six murders, including father, brother and a child

Officials expect charge against Daricka Moore, 24, to be elevated to capital murder, with death penalty considered
Authorities in Clay county, Mississippi, say a man has been taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder following the fatal shootings of six people, including a child, on Friday night.
Daricka Moore, 24, is accused of killing multiple relatives as well as a local pastor before his arrest, according to Clay county sheriff Eddie Scott, who addressed the case during a Saturday news conference. Officials said the charge against Moore, who lives in the county, is expected to be elevated to capital murder, and prosecutors could seek the death penalty if he is determined to be mentally competent.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 10:52 pm
Iran protesters tell of brutal police response as regime lashes out

Videos emerging despite internet and mobile phone blackout show demonstrations continuing despite reports of escalating crackdown
Demonstrators have continued to take to the streets of Iran, defying an escalating crackdown by authorities against the growing protest movement.
An internet shutdown imposed by the authorities on Thursday has largely cut the protesters off from the rest of the world, but videos that trickled out of the country showed thousands of people demonstrating in Tehran overnight into Saturday morning. They chanted: “Death to Khamenei,” in reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and: “Long live the shah.”
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 1:59 pm
‘We’ve got your back’: Australian PM visits bushfire-ravaged towns as 300 structures destroyed and 350,000 hectares burned

Fifteen emergency warnings remain in place across Victoria with state premier warning ‘we are not through the worst of this by a long way’
Australian authorities are assessing the damage after one of the worst heatwaves in years resulted in bushfires igniting across the country’s south-east, with hundreds of homes and structures lost, thousands of hectares burned and entire towns evacuated.
A state of disaster remained in place across much of Victoria on Sunday, as thousands of firefighters and emergency service workers continued to battle blazes that were expected to rage for “weeks”.
Continue reading...Published: January 11, 2026, 2:57 am
Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78

Rhythm guitarist helped guide the legendary jam band through decades of change and success
Bob Weir, the veteran rock musician who helped guide the legendary band the Grateful Dead through decades of change and success, has died at age 78, according to a statement posted to his verified Instagram account on Friday.
The Instagram statement, posted by his daughter Chloe Weir, said he was surrounded by loved ones when he died. Bob Weir had been diagnosed with cancer in July and “succumbed to underlying lung issues”, the statement said.
Continue reading...Published: January 11, 2026, 1:01 am
Trump administration suspends $129m in benefit payments to Minnesota

USDA notified state’s governor of decision, citing inquiries into alleged fraud by local non-profits and businesses
The Trump administration announced it is suspending $129m in federal benefit payments to Minnesota amid allegations of widespread fraud in the state.
The secretary of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brooke Rollins, shared a letter on Friday on social media that was addressed to Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, and the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, notifying them of the administration’s decision and citing investigations into alleged fraud conducted by local non-profits and businesses.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 5:04 pm
Federal judge blocks White House freeze of childcare subsidies in Democratic states

Funding was paused because health department said benefits were going to people in country illegally
A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot block federal money for childcare subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now.
The states of California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York argued that a policy announced on Tuesday to freeze billions of dollars in funds for three grant programs was having an immediate impact on them and creating “operational chaos”. In court filings and a hearing earlier on Friday, the states contended that the government did not have a legal reason for withholding the money from them.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 2:53 pm
Behind the Somali daycare panic is a mother-and-son duo angling to be top Maga influencers

Nick and Brooke Shirley have for years published conspiracy-minded takes on hot-button rightwing issues
YouTube influencer Nick Shirley, whose viral video alleging fraud by daycare centers servicing Minneapolis’s Somali American community came days ahead of the Trump administration’s declaration of a national funding freeze, has for years published conspiracy-minded takes on hot-button rightwing issues.
He also has close ties to the White House, Republicans, and to representatives of an earlier generation of rightwing partisan “ambush journalists” such as James O’Keefe. He worked with Minnesota Republicans to produce the viral video on Somali-run daycares.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 1:00 pm
Self-interest over ideology as disparate inner circle shapes Trump foreign policy

Administration officials, his family and even Mar-a-Lago guests wield outsized influence on a mercurial president
It is a world turned upside down. In his first year in office, Donald Trump has bullied Ukraine, bombed Iran and toppled the leader of Venezuela. In the eyes of critics, he has turned the US into a rogue superpower that poses a greater threat to Nato allies than its foes.
The blitzkrieg has left diplomats in foreign capitals scrambling to understand Trump’s motivations and what – or who – is shaping his thinking. Like past presidents, he has an inner circle of advisers who are playing a crucial role in determining his worldview.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 4:00 pm
Trump’s territorial ambition: new imperialism or a case of the emperor’s new clothes?

Trump’s attack on Venezuela suggests expansionism is under way but some argue it is simply standard US foreign policy stripped of hypocrisy
The attack on Venezuela and the seizure of its president was a shocking enough start to 2026, but it was only the next day, when the smoke had dispersed and Donald Trump was flying from Florida to Washington DC in triumph, that it became clear the world had entered a new era.
The US president was leaning on a bulkhead on Air Force One, in a charcoal suit and gold tie, regaling reporters with inside details of the abduction of Nicolás Maduro. He claimed his government was “in charge” of Venezuela and that US companies were poised to extract the country’s oil wealth.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 6:00 am
Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv struggles to stablise ruined power grid after major Russian attack

Residents battle bitter winter cold inside unheated apartments; Ukraine confirms UN to hold emergency meeting Monday on Russian ballistic missile attack. What we know on day 1,418
Engineers in Kyiv scrambled on Saturday to stabilise a power grid brought to the brink by a campaign of Russian strikes, including one two nights ago. The city’s residents huddled against bitter winter cold inside their unheated apartments on Saturday as engineers worked to restore power, water and heat. Prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that the power situation in the capital was still difficult, as the grid was badly damaged and people were using more electric heaters because of the cold.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed Saturday the UN security council would hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss Russia’s latest large-scale attack on Ukraine, which used an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile. “The meeting will address Russia’s flagrant breaches of the UN Charter,” Sybiha wrote on X.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, said major attacks by Russia on Friday “have resulted in significant civilian casualties and deprived millions of Ukrainians of essential services, including electricity, heating and water at a time of acute humanitarian need.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov spoke with representatives of the United States on Saturday as Kyiv and Washington seek to agree on a framework to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We continue to communicate with the American side on practically a daily basis,” Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram app.
The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, said on Saturday that 600,000 residents were without electricity, heating and water after a Ukrainian missile strike. In a statement posted on Telegram, Vyacheslav Gladkov said that work was under way to restore supplies, but that the situation was “extremely challenging”.
A Ukrainian drone strike sparked a fire at an oil depot in Russia’s southern Volgograd region, officials said Saturday. Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday it had struck the Zhutovskaya oil depot overnight. In a statement on Telegram, it said the depot is supplying fuel to Russian forces, adding that damage was being assessed. Ukraine’s military said that besides the oil depot in Volgograd, it had struck a drone storage facility belonging to a unit of Russia’s 19th Motor Rifle Division in Zaporizhzhia, southern Ukraine, as well as a drone command and control point near the eastern city of Pokrovsk.
An overnight Ukrainian drone attack injured at least four people and damaged several buildings in Russia’s southern city of Voronezh, the governor of the Voronezh region said on Sunday. An emergency service facility, seven apartment buildings and six houses were damaged as a result of the attack, the governor, Alexander Gusev, said on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia’s defence ministry said Saturday that its forces used aviation, drones, missiles and artillery to strike Ukrainian energy facilities and fuel-storage depots on Friday and overnight. It did not immediately specify the targets or damage.
Continue reading...Published: January 11, 2026, 2:38 am
‘History will tell’: as US pressure grows, Cuba edges closer to collapse amid mass exodus

Disillusioned with the revolution after 68 years of US sanctions and a shattered economy, one in four Cubans have left in four years. Can the regime, and country, survive the engulfing ‘polycrisis’?
Hatri Echazabal Orta lives in Madrid, Spain. Maykel Fernández is in Charlotte, in the US, while Cristian Cuadra remains in Havana, Cuba – for now. All Cubans, all raised on revolutionary ideals and educated in good state-run schools, they have become disillusioned with the cherished national narrative that Cuba is a country of revolution and resistance. Facing a lack of political openness and poor economic prospects, each of them made the same decision: to leave.
They are not alone. After 68 years of partial sanctions and nearly 64 years of total economic embargo by the US, independent demographic studies suggest that Cuba is going through the world’s fastest population decline and is probably already below 8 million – a 25% drop in just four years, suggesting its population has shrunk by an average of about 820,000 people a year.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 4:00 pm
Why the white America Trump dreams of is just a fantasy

Blocking immigration will not make Trump’s America great again – for the US to shine, he must let it get browner
Here’s one reason Donald Trump seems perennially in a bad mood: he has probably figured out that the America he fantasizes about is out of his reach.
However many immigrants he manages to deport or prevent from entering the country, the white paradise he is promising his Maga base, free of Somalis, Mexican “rapists” and generally people from “shithole countries” – closer in hue to the America where he was born – is not his to offer.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 11:00 am
The shocking case of LA’s ‘zombie’ fire – and the young man at the center of it

Prosecutors claim Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, started a smaller wildfire that went on to become the devastating Palisades blaze. Is he ultimately to blame?
More than a year after a devastating wildfire tore through Pacific Palisades, all but obliterating one of the west coast’s most iconic neighborhoods, prosecutors are honing their case against the man they say is responsible.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, a 29-year-old occasional Uber driver who used to live in Pacific Palisades, was charged with three felonies by federal prosecutors in October, who claim he was in the neighborhood in the early hours of New Year’s Day. According to a federal complaint, Rinderknecht allegedly used an open flame – likely a lighter – to start a small blaze that grew to about 8 acres (3.2 hectares) before firefighters rushed to the area and extinguished it.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 2:00 pm
Premier League rights may end up at Netflix despite reluctant football romance

As Netflix and Paramount Skydance clash over WBD, football rights once considered peripheral could become central to the future of UK streaming
Netflix has spent years politely rebuffing Premier League and Uefa entreaties to bid for their TV rights, so it would be ironic if it picked them up by default. That intriguing outcome is a possibility as a result of the $100bn-plus takeover battle for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) between Netflix and its streaming rival Paramount Skydance which will shape the future not only of Hollywood but global news.
Much-hyped sports rights are a footnote in a deal of such magnitude that it will require signoff from the US government, but the implications for football will be profound, even if Donald Trump is more concerned about who owns (and presents on) CNN than which platform shows Bournemouth v Brighton at Saturday lunchtime next season.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 6:00 am
The moment I knew: huddled under a spooky bridge by the Canal de l’Ourcq, we were like two little penguins

At first Alyssa Moore and Jacob Randell kept their romance a secret from their circus troupe. But as the world shut down they took a leap together
Find more stories from the moment I knew series
The first time Jake and I crossed paths was at a circus festival in Bathurst. It was 2010 and I was in my last year of high school. Aspiring circus troupes from across the country had gathered to showcase their acts.
It felt as though all eyes were on Jake’s group from Adelaide. They were incredibly talented. I definitely remember him – I even took one of his workshops – but didn’t think much more of it.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 pm
Mass surveillance, the metaverse, making America ‘great again’: the novelists who predicted our present

From Jorge Luis Borges to George Orwell and Margaret Atwood, novelists have foreseen some of the major developments of our age. What can we learn from their prophecies?
This year marks 100 years since the first demonstration of television in London. Elizabeth II sent the first royal email in 1976. The first meeting of the Lancashire Association of Change Ringers took place in 1876. All notable anniversaries. But I’m going with 2026 as the 85th anniversary of a great short story: Jorge Luis Borges’s The Garden of Forking Paths (1941). It’s about chance, labyrinths and an impossible novel. Ts’ui Pên, an ancestor of the narrator, sets himself the task of writing a novel with a cast of thousands: “an enormous guessing game, or parable, in which the subject is time”. In most novels, when a character reaches a fork in the path, they must choose: this way, or that way. Yet in Ts’ui Pên’s novel, all possible paths are chosen. This creates “a growing, dizzying web of divergent, convergent, and parallel times”. The garden of forking paths is infinite.
It’s often said that Borges’s story foreshadows the multiverse hypothesis in quantum physics – first proposed by Hugh Everett in 1957, then popularised by Bryce DeWitt in the 1970s as the “many worlds interpretation” of quantum mechanics. In a 2005 essay, The Garden of the Forking Worlds, the physicist Alberto Rojo investigated this claim. Did the physicists read Borges? Or did Borges read the universe? It turned out that Bryce DeWitt hadn’t known about Borges’s garden. When Rojo questioned Borges, he also denied everything: “This is really curious,” he said, “because the only thing I know about physics comes from my father, who once showed me how a barometer works.” He added: “Physicists are so imaginative!”
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 9:00 am
Eddie Izzard: ‘I once ran 90km in just under 12 hours. That was a tough day’

The comedian and actor on her favourite Bond film, revisiting the Death Star canteen and escaping the red carpet with Brad Pitt
When you started performing your one-woman Hamlet, how much did you labour over your delivery of the play’s most iconic lines, such as “To be or not to be”?
The first thing I found when I was rehearsing Hamlet was that I felt very at home. I thought, “That’s unusual – I should be quaking in my boots!” I just felt very at ease and happy to be there. But the first time I performed “to be or not to be” on stage, there was a sense of – aren’t bells supposed to ring here? Isn’t there supposed to be a klaxon?
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 pm
‘It’s younger people seeking some sort of spirituality’: UK Bible sales reach record high

Surge in 2025 sales correlates with growth in church attendances in England and Wales, research shows
For Christian booksellers, any good news about Bible sales has been few and far between. But recent retail figures have shown a revival.
Sales of the good book reached a record high in the UK in 2025, increasing by 134% since 2019 – the highest since records began – according to industry research. Last year, total sales of Bibles in the UK reached £6.3m, £3.61m up on 2019 sales.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 12:10 pm
‘Bring me a gigantic Gladiator who can cradle me like a baby!’: behind the scenes of the most joyous show on TV

When it first returned to our screens, people said Gladiators was a tired format. They had clearly forgotten the joy of watching half-clad hulks with silly names go to battle, says superfan Helen Pidd as she heads backstage
When Gladiators is filming at the Sheffield Arena, it feels as if everyone is in on the joke. The woman in the ticket office looks at me gravely. “Before I give you these,” she says, “I need to ask a question. These are very good tickets. You’re in the camera block, near the red contestant’s friends and family. So there’s something I need to know. If the camera is on you, are you going to duck and hide and get all embarrassed? Or are you going to go absolutely flipping mental?”
I’ve been up until the early hours painting portraits of my favourite Gladiators with the precise hope of making it on to the telly. Of course I’m going to go absolutely flipping mental! I’ve been waiting for this day since 1992.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 12:00 pm
Why Russia’s economy is unlikely to collapse even if oil prices fall

Hopes that tougher sanctions and lower oil prices could derail Putin’s war effort underestimate how far the Kremlin has rewired its economy
Pacing inside the Kremlin last weekend, as news feeds churned out minute-by-minute reports of Donald’s Trump’s Venezuelan coup, Vladimir Putin may have been wondering what it would mean for the price of oil.
Crude oil has lubricated the Russian economy for decades – far more than gas exports to Europe – and so the threat of falling oil prices, prompted by US plans for control of Venezuela’s rigs, will have been a source of concern.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 4:00 pm
Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani are showing what ‘pro-family’ means | Arwa Mahdawi

The governor and mayor unveiled a plan for free childcare in New York City. Is the ‘family values’ party listening?
I think we all need a little cheering up, don’t you? So allow me to interrupt the steady stream of violent authoritarianism and state-sponsored murder in your feed with some good news. New York City, which already provides free preschool for three- and four-year-olds, is a step closer to providing free universal childcare for two-year-olds. On Thursday, Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a plan for the free childcare program, which they said will start by focusing on “high-need areas” and then gradually expand to cover the city. The mayor said he expected about 2,000 children to be covered by the program this fall.
Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 2:00 pm
Trump may be the beginning of the end for ‘enshittification’ – this is our chance to make tech good again | Cory Doctorow

The US president is weaponising tech, but his tariffs and Brexit provide a surprising opportunity to gain back digital control of our lives
It’s been 25 years since I started working for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an American nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting human rights on the internet. I’ve found myself in dozens of countries working with activists, politicians and civil servants to untangle the complex technical questions raised by the internet, and every one of our discussions ended in the same place. “OK,” they’d say, “you’ve definitely laid out the best way to regulate tech, but we can’t do it.”
Why not? Because – inevitably – the US trade rep had beaten me to every one of those countries and made it eye-wateringly clear that if they regulated tech in a way that favoured their own people, industries and national interests, the US would bury them in tariffs.
Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of dozens of books, most recently Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 8:00 am
Trinidad and Tobago went all in with the US – it will prove a costly misjudgment | Kenneth Mohammed

Aligning itself with Washington and dismissing regional diplomacy has left the dual island nation isolated amid the Venezuela crisis
There is a saying in Trinidad and Tobago: “Cockroach should stay out of fowl business.” It captures a hard truth. Small states that stray into great-power conflicts rarely emerge unscathed. They are not players; they are expendables.
It’s a statement that frames the reality of where Trinidad and Tobago sits uneasily today.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 11:00 am
As I move around the world, postcards are a tangible way to tell people that I’m thinking of them | Minoli Wijetunga

Unlike a story on Instagram or message on WhatsApp, a postcard is not going to get lost among the never-ending notifications of life
Returning home after an exhausting day, I open my letterbox to find a colourful creature on a thick white postcard. There is a short message with jumbled letters on barely erased pencilled lines: “Happy Birthday Minoli nenda”. (Nenda is aunt in Sinhala.) I put down my bags and breathe.
As I move around the world, postcards have become a way to tell people I love that I’m thinking of them. It’s not a picture that I post on Instagram Stories that disappears in 24 hours, or a WhatsApp message that gets lost among the many notifications. A postcard is tangible. It is real.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 pm
My daughter showed me the joy in jigsaw puzzles – now it’s the only way I know how to relax | Nova Weetman

The simplicity of doing something that existed only to complete was like a meditation. I felt calmer than I had for months
When my daughter started kindergarten many years ago, she’d walk into the room and head straight for the puzzle table. While other kids would scoop up a ball from the basket and rush through the double doors to the back yard, she was strictly a jigsaw person.
I don’t remember teaching her how to attack a jigsaw, she just knew. She’d start with hunting out the four corner pieces, move on to the edges, and then concentrate on building the picture, filling out blocks of colour or pattern. She worked methodically through the stack of puzzles one by one and, when she’d finish doing them, then she’d go outside and play.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 pm
Stafford’s last-minute TD strike lifts Rams over Panthers in wildcard thriller

Stafford throws late TD as Rams survive Carolina rally
Nacua shines with 111 yards and two total touchdowns
Panthers’ first playoff trip in eight years ends late
Puka Nacua stepped into the huddle with the Los Angeles Rams trailing by four with 2:38 left, the home crowd roaring and his team’s season on the line.
He never thought twice about losing.
Continue reading...Published: January 11, 2026, 1:17 am
Olympic favorites Chock and Bates glide to record seventh US ice dance title

Chock and Bates claim record seventh US title
Flamenco Paint It Black wins season-best score
Olympic team selections to be named Sunday
Madison Chock and Evan Bates danced their way to a record-setting seventh US figure skating title on Saturday night, showcasing their trademark creativity, athleticism and precision in their final competition before the Milan Cortina Olympics.
The three-time reigning world champions, performing a flamenco-style dance to a version of the Rolling Stones hit Paint It Black from the dystopian sci-fi Western show Westworld, produced a season-best free skate and finished with 228.87 points.
Continue reading...Published: January 11, 2026, 2:48 am
Warriors’ Steve Kerr rips US government’s response to ICE ‘murder’ in Minneapolis

Kerr says video contradicts federal account of shooting
Timberwolves held moment of silence before home game
Killing sparks protests and scrutiny of ICE tactics
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr delivered a blistering condemnation of the US federal government on Friday, criticizing official accounts of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis and praising the Minnesota Timberwolves for publicly acknowledging the woman’s death.
Speaking to reporters before the Warriors’ game against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center, Kerr said the response from federal authorities following Good’s killing by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was “shameful”, accusing officials of misrepresenting events despite the existence of video footage and eyewitness accounts.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:30 pm
USMNT’s Ricardo Pepi set for surgery after breaking forearm in PSV win

Pepi injured after scoring in Eredivisie rout
PSV confirm surgery and two-month absence
US striker faces race to be fit for World Cup
United States men’s national team striker Ricardo Pepi is expected to miss roughly two months after suffering a broken forearm while playing for PSV Eindhoven on Saturday, the Dutch club confirmed.
Pepi, 23, was injured after landing awkwardly after scoring PSV’s second goal during their Eredivisie match against Excelsior. Medical examinations carried out later that night at a hospital revealed a fracture, and the club said Pepi will undergo surgery on Sunday. PSV did not indicate any complications but ruled the striker out for the immediate future.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 10:58 pm
Chelsea thrash Charlton to get Liam Rosenior era off to winning start

It sums up the uneasy state of affairs at Chelsea that the new head coach winning his first match in charge was not enough to stop the mutiny. This was a controlled, clinical performance from Liam Rosenior’s second string, who strolled into the fourth round of the FA Cup after a 5-1 win over a game but limited Charlton Athletic, but once again the big talking point was the travelling support spewing venom in the direction of their unpopular owners.
Dissatisfaction with the project is not going away. It did not even matter when Rosenior looked at his bench with Chelsea 3-1 up in the second half and decided to give Estevão Willian a runout against tired, lowly Championship opposition. The Brazilian winger is one of the best young players in the world and his runs were soon making Charlton’s defenders dizzy, but even signings like Estêvão have done little to sway the view of a fanbase united in opposition to an ownership almost four years in and still to convince naysayers that their unique vision will bring success.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 10:08 pm
Lindsey Vonn seals Olympic favourite status with fourth podium in four downhills

41-year-old American wins in Zauchensee, Austria
Veteran skier leads downhill World Cup standings
Lindsey Vonn continued her age-defying comeback with a downhill victory on Saturday to take her career World Cup tally to 84 wins. The 41-year-old American’s second success and fourth podium from four downhills this season increased the veteran skier’s lead in the standings and cemented her favourite status for next month’s Winter Olympics.
Already the oldest World Cup winner of all time, Vonn was fastest by 0.37sec from Norway’s Kajsa Vickhoff Lie with a run of 1min 06.24sec on a cold and cloudy morning with snow falling in Zauchensee, Austria. Another American, Jacqueline Wiles, completed the podium, 0.48 slower than Vonn, on a piste considerably shortened after Friday’s training was cancelled due to heavy snowfall.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 1:23 pm
Perfect Indiana on brink of college football immortality after Peach Bowl rout of Oregon

Indiana’s defense forces three first-half turnovers
Heisman winner Mendoza throws five TDs in rout
Hoosiers face Miami for national title on 19 January
Undefeated Indiana’s already impressive march through the College Football Playoff gained momentum as its dominant defense created three first-half touchdowns with turnovers, Fernando Mendoza threw five scoring passes and the Hoosiers overwhelmed No 5 Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl semi-final on Friday night.
No 1 Indiana (15-0, No. 1 CFP) will face No 10 Miami on 19 January in the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Miami beat Mississippi 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl semi-final on Thursday night.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 4:26 am
Macclesfield pull off FA Cup’s greatest shock by knocking out holders Crystal Palace

By almost every metric it will go down as the biggest and most seismic FA Cup giantkilling in the competition’s history, with 117 places in the English football pyramid separating Crystal Palace and Macclesfield. Somehow, the star-studded Premier League team who compete in Europe were overwhelmed and deservedly beaten by their sixth-tier hosts, becoming the first cup holders to lose to non-league opposition since 1909.
The fact Palace included three of their cup winning side, in Adam Wharton, Chris Richards and captain Marc Guéhi – who all struggled – just emphasised the scale of the upset. Even Oliver Glasner admitted it was a “David against Goliath story”.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 2:22 pm
NFL wildcard weekend predictions: Allen can carry Bills – if he can handle the pressure

The NFL playoffs kick off with ground-game battles, QB duels and a high-stakes edition of the Packers v Bears rivalry
What the Rams need to do to win Hold on to the ball. Across five regular-season defeats, Matthew Stafford gave the ball away seven times with six interceptions and a fumble. In the Rams’ worst loss of the season, to the Panthers in November, Stafford held his team back from taking a commanding lead with two picks in the first quarter. Keep it tight.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 9:30 am
Greenlanders ‘don’t want to be Americans’, say political leaders amid Trump threats

Five parties issue joint statement after US president warns he would acquire the island ‘the nice way or the more difficult way’
Greenlanders “don’t want to be Americans” and must decide the future of the Arctic island themselves, politicians in the self-governing Danish territory have said, after Donald Trump warned the US would “do something whether they like it or not”.
The leaders of five political parties in the Greenlandic parliament issued a united statement on Friday night, soon after the US president reiterated his threats to acquire the mineral-rich island.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 10:48 am
Nasa announces timeline of astronauts’ early departure from ISS due to ‘serious’ medical issue

Space agency said crew of four will leave ISS next week with goal of touching down in California on 15 January
Nasa has announced when it will commence its first medical evacuation from the International Space Station after an astronaut fell ill with a “serious” but undisclosed issue.
The US space agency announced on social media on Friday night that it will aim to have the crew leave the station no earlier than 5pm EST on Wednesday, 14 January, with the goal of them landing near California early on Thursday morning, 15 January, “depending on weather and recovery conditions”.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 2:56 pm
Pardoned January 6 defendant runs for Florida political office

Adam Johnson served 75 days in prison before being pardoned by Donald Trump in January 2025
A Florida man who was convicted then pardoned by Donald Trump after he grabbed then House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern and posed for photographs with it during the US Capitol riot is running for county office.
Adam Johnson filed to run as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee county commission on Tuesday. That was the fifth anniversary of the January 6 riot, when he was photographed smiling and waving as he carried Pelosi’s lectern after the pro-Trump mob’s attack in 2021.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:47 pm
Nicaraguan authorities arrest dozens for reportedly supporting Maduro capture

Human rights groups say ‘at least 60 arbitrary arrests’ have occurred for celebrating the US military operation
Authorities in Nicaragua have arrested at least 60 people for reportedly celebrating or expressing support for the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, a human rights watchdog group and local media outlets said Friday.
Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega and his wife, vice president Rosario Murillo, are staunch allies of Maduro, who was captured by US military personnel in Caracas last Saturday and taken to New York to face trial on drug and weapons charges.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:25 am
Elon Musk says UK wants to suppress free speech as X faces possible ban

Ministers warn platform could be blocked after Grok AI used to create sexual images without consent
Elon Musk has accused the UK government of wanting to suppress free speech after ministers threatened fines and a possible ban for his social media site X after its AI tool, Grok, was used to make sexual images of women and children without their consent.
The billionaire claimed Grok was the most downloaded app on the UK App Store on Friday night after ministers threatened to take action unless the function to create sexually harassing images was removed.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 1:11 pm
Quebec’s Lake Rouge vanished – but was it a freak natural event or caused by human actions?

Experts and community trying to untangle mystery of outburst that saw water travel almost 10km overland into a bigger lake
Manoel Dixon had just finished dinner one night last May when a phone dinged nearby with a Facebook message.
Dixon, 26, was at his family’s hunting camp near their northern Quebec home town of Waswanipi. They knew the fellow hunter who was messaging Dixon’s father, but what he wrote didn’t make sense.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 6:00 am
St Louis residents report monkeys roaming on city streets

St Louis zoo identified the stray simians as vervet monkeys, but it’s not known where they came from
Some residents in St Louis, Missouri, spotted monkeys roaming their streets this week in a situation that feels like the movie Jumanji come to life.
A handful of monkeys were spotted in north St Louis by residents on Friday.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 5:42 pm
Renee Nicole Good shooting casts scrutiny on ICE’s use of deadly force

ICE already receives less oversight for use-of-force incidents than local police departments, and hotly guards its policies
The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis has cast a spotlight on ICE’s use-of-force policies, and whether the federal agent who shot her will face an impartial investigation or consequences for his actions.
The agency already receives less oversight for use-of-force incidents than local police departments, and has long resisted efforts to disclose its use-of-force policies.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 1:00 pm
Thousands of Irish farmers protest against EU-Mercosur trade deal

Demonstration follows similar actions in Poland, France and Belgium as EU states approve accord
Thousands of Irish farmers are protesting against the EU’s trade deal with the South American bloc Mercosur, a day after EU states approved the treaty despite opposition from Ireland and France.
Tractors streamed into the roads of Athlone, in central Ireland, for the demonstration, displaying signs bearing the slogan “Stop EU-Mercosur” and the EU flag emblazoned with the words “sell out”.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 2:25 pm
Freedom from China? The mine at the centre of Europe’s push for rare earth metals

Swedish producer is trying to to accelerate the process of extracting the elements vital for hi-tech products
It is deep winter with temperatures dropping to -20C. The sun never rises above the horizon, instead bathing Sweden’s most northerly town of Kiruna in a blue crepuscular light, or “civil twilight” as it is known, for two or three hours a day stretching visibility a few metres, notwithstanding heavy snow.
But 900 metres below the arctic conditions, a team of 20 gather every day, forgoing the brief glimpse of natural light and spearheading the EU’s race to mine its own rare earths. Despite identification of several deposits around the continent, and some rare earth refineries including Solvay in France, there are no operational rare earth mines in Europe.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 12:00 pm
World’s richest 1% have already used fair share of emissions for 2026, says Oxfam

Richest 1% took 10 days while wealthiest 0.1% needed just three days to exhaust annual carbon budget, study shows
The world’s richest 1% have used up their fair share of carbon emissions just 10 days into 2026, analysis has found.
Meanwhile, the richest 0.1% took just three days to exhaust their annual carbon budget, according to the research by Oxfam.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 5:00 am
David Lammy: JD Vance agrees that sexualised AI images on X are ‘unacceptable’

Exclusive: US vice-president ‘sympathetic’ to concerns over Grok-generated pornography, says deputy PM
JD Vance, the US vice-president, has agreed that it is “entirely unacceptable” for platforms such as X to allow the proliferation of AI-generated sexualised images of women and children, David Lammy has told the Guardian.
The deputy prime minister said Vance, usually known as an AI enthusiast, expressed concern about how the technology was being used to fuel “hyper-pornographied slop” online when they met in Washington on Thursday.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 5:00 pm
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.
Continue reading...Published: January 11, 2026, 12:01 am
Heated Rivalry review – these physically perfect people have so much sex it’s tedious

This steamy queer romance between ice hockey rivals is packed with constant shots of muscular bottoms in fancy hotel rooms. But a bit more character development or emotional investment wouldn’t go amiss
I suspect that Chala Hunter is still on a recuperative retreat somewhere. Until about May, I would think. For she was the intimacy coordinator on Heated Rivalry and she has earned a break.
For those not aware: intimacy coordinators gained prominence in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, when assorted testimonies from actors (largely female) made public and unignorable the shocking fact that actors (largely male) and directors (largely male) will often (largely always) try to get away with more than has been contracted for once they are naked with A N Other person. An intimacy coordinator is there to help arrange scenes and advocate for actors. Think of them as somewhere between a bureaucrat and a contraceptive.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 11:05 pm
Golden Globes 2026: who will win and who should win the film awards?

This weekend promises a Hollywood showdown with films including Sinners, Marty Supreme and One Battle After Another up for major awards
After a year that was notoriously close to call (did anyone initially see Anora emerging as the ultimate victor?), this awards season feels a little easier to scope out. Paul Thomas Anderson’s idiosyncratic activism caper One Battle After Another has so far dominated, becoming only the fourth film ever to win best film at both the New York and Los Angeles film circles then the National Board of Review and the National Society of Film Critics. But how far can it go?
It leads this weekend’s Golden Globes with nine nominations but the comedy categories also feature Marty Supreme, now riding high at the box office, and its inescapable leading man Timothée Chalamet. Then on the drama side we have Sinners and Hamnet, two very different films solidifying two very different awards narratives. Here’s how I think it might all play out on Sunday:
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 10:02 am
‘The Beethoven of our day’: Fans on what David Bowie meant to them 10 years after his death

At the annual gathering at the Starman memorial in south London devotees talk about the immense impact the artist’s life and death had on them
For Debbie Hilton, David Bowie meant “everything”. “My house is a shrine to him. He’s still alive in my house. My Christmas tree was David Bowie, even my bedding is Bowie,” she said.
She travelled from Liverpool to join her fellow Bowie devotees at the Starman memorial in Brixton, south London, where the singer was born, to pay their respects on the anniversary of his death.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 4:45 pm
The 15 best games to play on the Nintendo Switch in 2026

From the greatest cartoon racing game in history to a remastered version of an Alien-inspired sci-fi shooter, here are the Switch’s must-play games
• The 15 best games to play on the Nintendo Switch in 2025
Although the Nintendo Switch 2 has been out for several months, not everyone has made the leap to the new machine and there is still much to enjoy on the original console in 2026 (and beyond). From timeless Mario adventures to cutesy shooters to chasm-deep role-playing quests, here are 15 games no Switch owner should be without.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 10:00 am
My cultural awakening: Losing My Religion by REM helped me escape a doomsday cult

I had been a member of the Children of God for two decades, but was growing disillusioned with its controlling behaviour and worrying sexual practices. Then I heard Michael Stipe’s lyrics and was set on a path to freedom
In 1991, I was living in a commune with 200 other people in Japan, as a member of a cult called the Children of God, which preached that the world was going to end in 1993. Everything I did – from where I slept each night, to who I was allowed to sleep with – was decided by the head of my commune. I was encouraged to keep a diary, and then turn it over to the leaders every night, so they could comb through it for signs of dissent. I was only allowed to listen to cult-sanctioned music, and I was only allowed to watch movies with happy endings, because those were the types of films of which the cult’s supreme leader – David Berg – approved. The Sound of Music was one of Berg’s favourite films, so we watched it on repeat.
By the time I was living in Japan, I was in my mid-30s, and I’d been part of the cult for 20 years. I was indoctrinated by a young hippy couple when I was 16, and persuaded to run away from my family and join a sect of the cult near my home town in Canada. I was a lonely teenager and desperately searching for some kind of meaning. Everybody I knew worked in the lumber mill in my small town, and the thought that I was doomed to live that life scared the hell out of me. The first time I visited the commune, everyone hugged me when I walked in, just to say “hello”. It was intoxicating.
But by 1991, after two decades in the cult, my faith was weakening. It was becoming clearer to me that Berg was wrong about the world ending in 1993. A whole series of events that were meant to directly precede the Second Coming hadn’t happened, and Berg – who lived in secrecy and communicated with his followers by written “prophecies” – kept issuing increasingly unconvincing excuses.
I was also becoming more resistant to the way the cult leaders sought to control the most intimate parts of my life. When I joined the cult, it was very sexually conservative. If you wanted to date another member of the community, you had to ask for permission from the leadership. But as the years went by, Berg started preaching a doctrine of sexual freedom, and ordering his members to couple-swap. I had got married to another cult member in the 1980s, and was living with her in a Children of God commune in Japan. Because I resisted couple-swapping I was forcibly separated from my wife as a punishment – and ordered to live in a different commune on my own.
There was also an even darker side to the Children of God that I was trying to shut my eyes to. Berg had released a written decree which permitted adult cult members to have sex with children. I never witnessed any sexual contact with children, and while I did read that decree when it was released in the 1980s, I refused to accept it. Still, it horrified me.
Forcibly separated from my wife, and with Berg’s teachings becoming more twisted, I was in a state of spiritual turmoil. But it was only when I heard REM’s song Losing My Religion that I was pushed to action. Cult members were allowed to own Walkmans, because the Children of God released their own music on cassette, but we were forbidden from listening to “worldly” music. As my will to blindly obey crumbled, I began to secretly tune in to the American armed forces radio station that broadcast in Japan. (Technically, I’d always had the power to covertly listen to music this way, but it’s a sign of how indoctrinated I was that I had never allowed myself to do so before.) One day, Losing My Religion came on, and I remember hearing it for the first time and freezing. I physically stopped walking.
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 am
50 inspiring travel ideas for 2026, chosen by readers: beaches, city breaks, family holidays and more

Our popular readers’ tips column has been running for 20 years. We’ve selected some highlights from the past 12 months to help you plan your 2026 adventures
• Enter this week’s competition, on life-changing holidays
Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 am
AI bubble: five things you need to know to shield your finances from a crash

Some experts have voiced fears a tech meltdown could hit our savings and pensions – here’s how to protect yourself
The new year has started as 2025 ended – with share prices booming amid warnings from some that the growth is being driven by overvalued technology stocks. Fears of an “AI bubble” have been voiced by people from the governor of the Bank of England to the head of Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
Even if you have not actively invested in technology shares, the chances are you have some exposure to companies operating in the sphere. Even if you do not, a collapse could take down other companies’ values.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 am
What does your car say about you? A global portrait of people and their rides, from Shanghai to Santa Monica

You can tell a lot about someone from the vehicle they drive, as Martin Roemers’ collection of photographs show. Introduction by author William Boyd
In my novels I find that I very rarely write “a car” or “a van” or “a lorry” – I always tend to specify the marque and the model, often with some pedantic precision. Why should this be so? After all, I am a non-driver, someone who claims to be able to drive (I did learn), but who never passed his driving test. And yet, paradoxically, I’m something of a car enthusiast – a sort-of petrol-head, I confess – perhaps a consequence of spending many hours, or maybe that should be years, in the back of minicabs that conveyed me here and there around London. In my long experience of minicab use I’ve found that most conversations with minicab drivers often end up being about cars. I’ve learned a lot.
There is another reason why I like to specify. I have a conviction that the type of car, or vehicle, that you drive is as much an expression of your personality as the clothes you wear or the decor of the home you call your own. Even the blandest of mid-price cars – the Toyota Prius, the Kia Picanto, the Volkswagen Jetta, for example – are making a covert statement about you, the owner. You chose that car – and your choice is surprisingly eloquent.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 6:00 am
I tried to make my dog go viral on social media – it taught me more than I expected

Making a star of Murphy the labrador seemed like a harmless and plausible quest. But I hadn’t reckoned with all kinds of costs
Eddie sits at a cafe dressed in a turtleneck and blue beret. “On a scale of 10-10, rate how good I look,” the caption to his post reads.
The socialite’s page is full of candid content: enjoying a doughnut at a popular Melbourne brunch spot, relaxing in a chic robe and celebrating a paid “staycation” at the Hyatt House in Melbourne, adorned in a leopard print outfit.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 7:00 pm
Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for roast swede and purple sprouting broccoli curry | The new vegan

Earthy, sweet swede soaks up a curry sauce like a champion, and this ginger, tomato and coconut number is no exception
As a day-in-day-out home cook, there is no more welcome tool in my dinner toolbox than a bung-it-in-the-oven dish. A second necessary tool in the month of January is the ability to dispose of or transform a swede into an evening meal. For the uninitiated, when roasted, the swede, that pretty, purple-creamed, dense little ball, is part-creamy, part carrot-like in nature, and earthy and sweet in flavour. It also takes to big-flavoured sauces such as this tomato, ginger and coconut curry like a chip to vinegar and couples up well with its seasonal pal, fresh, crunchy purple sprouting broccoli.
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 6:00 am
‘The boy’s contented face, his red hair matching the pig’s – you couldn’t plan for it’: Kelli Radwanski’s best phone picture

Remote photography didn’t dilute the intimacy of this blissful moment in the Nevada sunshine
Sara Weir’s five children had just woken up and were roaming their home in Nevada when this shot was taken. It was 7am and photographer Kelli Radwanski was after the morning light; Weir had another child on the way and had hired Radwanski to capture their family life. All the kids were feeling playful, ready to show off their talents, silly faces and prize possessions. As the eldest son wandered into the frame, holding his pot-bellied pig, Radwanski captured the moment – while sitting in her office chair in Oregon.
“Remote photography was developed during the pandemic and a handful of us still use it as one of our primary art forms,” Radwanski says. “I used a special app that took over Sara’s phone camera, an iPhone 13, and the day before the shoot she showed me around her home from the phone, so I could seek out light and vignettes that would be compelling in telling their story. We used a tall standing tripod to hold the phone and I had Sara place it where I wanted it to go. It worked beautifully for moving all five of them in and out of scenes. I’ve photographed more than 500 people in 14 countries this way.”
Continue reading...Published: January 10, 2026, 11:00 am
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