Far from ‘upcharged grape juice’: the 13 most exciting nonalcoholic wines in the US

The top booze-free wines – from pinot noir to sparkling rosé – taste surprisingly similar to traditional offerings

• In the UK? I tried 75 low- and no-alcohol drinks: here are my favourite beers, wines and spirits

• Sign up for the Filter US newsletter, your weekly guide to buying fewer, better things

As an editor and writer who regularly covers the world of nonalcoholic drinks, I have tasted more than my fair share of booze-free wines. Much like with regular wine, the results have been mixed – some are bitter or super sour, or even worse, smell like nothing. But I’ve also had the pleasure of drinking alcohol-free wines that scratched the same itch as a top-notch riesling or champagne.

When I have conversations with people who are curious about nonalcoholic wines, cost comes up as one of the most common concerns. I totally understand that it’s tempting to write off the category as upcharged grape juice with better branding, but contrary to popular opinion, you’re not actually paying for the alcohol in regular wine either.

Published: January 17, 2026, 6:15 pm

‘She had a hidden identity’: new film uncovers a mother’s second world war secrets

In harrowing documentary My Underground Mother, a woman finds out what really happened to her mother in the war

When journalist Marisa Fox was a young girl, her mother would regale her with stories of her own youth, all of which roiled with drama and consequence. When she was a 13-year-old girl living in Poland in the late 1930s, on the brink of the Nazi occupation, her mother told her she was pulled away from her mother and put on a boat to Palestine where she spent the rest of the second world war. As a teenager in that country, she said she became part of a radical Jewish underground group for whom she acted as a spy and a saboteur, smuggling bombs and guns which they used against the British army who ran the country at the time and who they very much wanted to force out. “I was a hero,” her mother would often boast, “never a victim.”

Stories like those both dazzled and horrified the young Fox, but by the time she was nine she began to realize that certain parts of the tale didn’t add up. “I would say to her: ‘Wait a minute, if you were born in 1935 and [the second world war] started in 1939, you would have been four, not 13,’” Fox said. “Whenever I would say that, she would say: ‘No more questions.’”

Published: January 17, 2026, 1:00 pm

Racial quotas for immigration are back | Heba Gowayed

The Trump administration’s immigration policies hearken back to the racist 1924 Immigration Act, meant to whiten the US

On 14 January, the Trump administration announced a stop on issuing immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as 10 countries from eastern Europe. The Department of Homeland Security justified the decision by claiming that immigrants from these countries are at “high risk” of reliance on welfare and becoming a “public charge”.

As an immigration scholar, I was immediately struck by the falsehood of this economic justification. The vast majority of immigrants have been legally disqualified from cash welfare since 1996. Those who do qualify for benefits like Snap and Medicaid use them at much lower rates than non-immigrants. Through their taxes, immigrants are net contributors – especially undocumented immigrants who are excluded from federal benefits.

Published: January 17, 2026, 2:11 pm

‘Read this and you will be happier’: experts pick the self-help books that really work

From finding love to becoming a better parent … Philippa Perry, Paul Dolan, Orna Guralnik and others reveal the books that will change your life

Published: January 17, 2026, 9:00 am

Claudette Colvin’s life should teach us this: resistance is collective, and it never stops | Gary Younge

Colvin, who died this week, made a stand on an Alabama bus nine months before Rosa Parks. When we met, her message about the struggle was clear

“In life, there’s the beginning and the end,” John Carlos, the African American sprinter who raised his fist in a black power salute from the podium of the 1968 Olympics, once told me. “The beginning don’t matter. The end don’t matter. All that matters is what you do in between – whether you’re prepared to do what it takes to make change. There has to be physical and material sacrifice. When all the dust settles and we’re getting ready to play down for the ninth inning, the greatest reward is to know that you did your job when you were here on the planet.”

Claudette Colvin, who died earlier this week in a hospice in Texas, did her job while she was here on the planet, although it was several decades before her physical and material sacrifice was acknowledged. On 2 March 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, aged just 15, Colvin took a stand and refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman.

Gary Younge is a professor of sociology at the University of Manchester

Published: January 17, 2026, 6:00 am

EU ambassadors summoned for emergency talks after Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland - Europe live

European leaders hit back at Trump ‘blackmail’ as president escalates plan for the US to acquire Greenland

The United States will also suffer if president Donald Trump implements threats to impose tariffs on European countries opposing his plans to acquire Greenland, a French minister said on Sunday.

“In this escalation of tariffs, he has a lot to lose as well, as do his own farmers and industrialists,” French agriculture minister Annie Genevard told broadcasters Europe 1 and CNews.

Published: January 18, 2026, 11:33 am

Syrian army surges into Kurdish-held towns in ‘betrayal’ shattering prospects of accord

Government extends grip on north after stalled efforts under Ahmed al-Sharaa to reach accommodation with Kurds and fold their forces into national army

Syria’s army has taken control of swathes of the country’s north, dislodging Kurdish forces from territory over which they held effective autonomy for more than a decade.

State media said on Saturday that the army took over the northern city of Tabqa and its adjacent dam, as well as the major Freedom dam, formerly known as the Baath, west of the Syrian city of Raqaa. It came despite US calls to halt the advance.

Published: January 18, 2026, 5:44 am

How Trump’s promise to slash energy bills in half has failed across the US

Guardian analysis shows electricity bills were up 6.7% last year, and much higher in some states, and gas bills up 5.2%

• Trump’s failed energy bill pledge leaves US households struggling: ‘It’s obscene’

Donald Trump has comprehensively failed to meet a key election promise to slash Americans’ energy bills in half within the first year of his presidency, with power prices instead surging across the US.

The average household electricity bill in the US was 6.7% more expensive in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to a Guardian analysis of data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Department of Energy’s statistical arm. The increases meant that, on average, US households paid nearly $116 more across 2025 than they did in 2024.

Published: January 17, 2026, 3:00 pm

Nasa moon rocket creeps to its launch pad in preparation for astronaut flight

First journey around moon with astronauts in more than 50 years could blast off in February

Nasa’s giant new moon rocket has moved to the launch pad in preparation for astronauts’ first lunar fly-around in more than half a century.

The trip could blast off in February.

Published: January 18, 2026, 9:44 am

‘They’re here to antagonize us’: trans advocates say hostility at rallies is up as supreme court hears key case

As high court considers trans kids’ participation in school sports, tensions run high between opposing protest groups

As the US supreme court heard arguments on Tuesday for a case that could determine whether transgender children can participate in school sports – and potentially impact LGBTQ+ civil rights protections more broadly – competing groups of activists rallied in Washington DC.

On one side was a multiracial mix of hundreds of people rallying for trans rights and in support of Becky Pepper-Jackson, a track and field athlete from West Virginia and the plaintiff in the West Virginia v BPJ case before the supreme court.

Published: January 17, 2026, 7:06 pm

Buddhist monks pass halfway mark on 2,300-mile Walk for Peace through US

Despite injuries, walkers and pet dog continue trek to promote ‘peace, loving kindness and compassion’ in the US

A group of Buddhist monks has passed the halfway mark on a 2,300-mile Walk for Peace, as they seek to raise awareness of “peace, loving kindness and compassion” in the US and the world.

The 18 monks, two of whom are following a Buddhist practice of never lying down during the three-month journey, were in North Carolina on Saturday, their 83rd day on the road. Led by the Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra, who is conducting the walk barefoot, they have already overcome a serious injury to one member of the group as they head towards Washington DC.

Published: January 17, 2026, 2:00 pm

US federal forces blind two protesters shot in face with ‘less-lethal’ munitions

Kaden Rummler and Britain Rodriguez tell KTLA and LA Times of being shot at close range during California protest

Two protesters have been blinded by so-called “less-lethal” munitions deployed by federal officers during an anti-ICE protest last week in Santa Ana, California, according to reports.

The blindings come amid rising scrutiny of federal authorities’ use-of-force policies, after the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer set off nationwide protests.

Published: January 17, 2026, 1:00 pm

‘Still here!’: X’s Grok AI tool accessible in Malaysia despite ban

Experts warn use of VPNs makes it hard to limit access to technology that can create nonconsensual explicit images

Days after Malaysia made global headlines by announcing it would temporarily ban Grok over its ability to generate “grossly offensive and nonconsensual manipulated images”, the generative AI tool was conversing breezily with accounts registered in the country.

“Still here! That DNS block in Malaysia is pretty lightweight – easy to bypass with a VPN or DNS tweak,” Grok’s account on X said in response to a question from a user.

Published: January 18, 2026, 9:39 am

RFK Jr’s new diet guidelines pose risks for health and the environment, experts say

US health department’s new food pyramid places red meat and cheese high in saturated fats over plant-based proteins

The new food pyramid rolled out in US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) places animal-based proteins, including cheese and red meats high in saturated fats, above plant-based proteins, which has raised alarm bells among health and environmental experts.

This rejiggered food pyramid is in line with Kennedy’s previous signals that he will recommend increasing saturated fat in US diets as part of the “Make America healthy again” movement.

Published: January 17, 2026, 6:00 pm

Trump news at a glance: European leaders condemn threat of tariffs over Greenland

French president says ‘no amount of intimidation’ will make EU change course; Greenlanders march against takeover threat. Key US politics stories from Saturday 17 January at a glance

European leaders have hit back at Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on countries opposing his Greenland takeover, saying the move would “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral”.

The US president threatened a 25% tariff on a slew of European countries – including Denmark, Germany, France and the UK – until the US is allowed to purchase Greenland, in an extraordinary escalation of the president’s bid to claim the autonomous Danish territory.

Published: January 18, 2026, 2:11 am

Trump says he’ll sue JPMorgan Chase for allegedly cutting him off after US Capitol riot

President also denies he ever offered JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon the chair of the Federal Reserve

Donald Trump threatened to sue JPMorgan Chase on Saturday, citing an unsubstantiated allegation that major banks discriminated against him after the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot.

Trump announced the potential lawsuit in a post on social media, tying the threat to his criticism of a recent Wall Street Journal article that reported he had offered the JPMorgan Chase CEO, Jamie Dimon, the position of US Federal Reserve chair. Trump insists the report is inaccurate and says no such offer was ever made.

Published: January 17, 2026, 7:02 pm

Trump buys $1m in Netflix and Warner Bros bonds days after saying he’ll ‘be involved’ in merger

Warner Bros is also being pursued by Paramount Skydance, helmed by David Ellison, son of president’s ally

Donald Trump bought at least $1m worth of bonds in Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), according to a financial disclosure form, days after he said would “be involved” in a proposed merger between the two companies.

The White House released a financial disclosure report on Friday which showed that Trump made two purchases from Netflix and two purchases from WBD, each amounting to at least $502,000.

Published: January 17, 2026, 5:21 pm

Trump pardons Florida fraudster after commuting her sentence during his first term

President’s pardon of Adriana Camberos comes amid a flurry of other pardons Trump issued on Thursday

Donald Trump has pardoned a woman who ended up imprisoned for fraud a second time after he afforded her clemency during his first presidency.

Adriana Camberos initially had a sentence commuted by Trump just before his first stint in the White House ended in 2021. That came after she was convicted as part of an effort to divert 5-Hour Energy drink bottles acquired for resale in Mexico and instead keep them in the US. Prosecutors said she and several co-conspirators attached counterfeit labels and filled the bottles with a phony liquid before selling them.

Published: January 17, 2026, 2:41 pm

Davos 2026: the last-chance saloon to save the old world order?

Donald Trump will lead the largest US delegation ever at the World Economic Forum, as others plan a fightback against his policies including his latest tariff threats

“A Spirit of Dialogue”: the theme for this year’s World Economic Forum, the gathering of the global elite in the sparkling Alpine air of Davos, seems a heroic stretch, when star guest Donald Trump has spent the past year smashing up the world order.

The president will touch down alongside the snowcapped Swiss mountains with the largest US delegation ever seen at the WEF, including the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, the commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, and the special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Published: January 18, 2026, 6:00 am

JD Vance: ‘despicable toady for Trump’ – and 2028 candidate in all but name

Vice-president has emerged as key defender of Maga flame – and is backed by big tech billions. Is this the heir apparent?

“We did not have a lot of money,” said JD Vance, placing hand on heart as he recalled his childhood in Middletown, Ohio in the 1990s. “I was raised by a woman who struggled often to put food on the table and clothes on her back.”

There was an earnest cry from the audience. “Mamaw!” shouted a man.

Published: January 18, 2026, 10:00 am

‘He hoped Trump’s help would arrive’: why protesters in Iran feel betrayed

Many believed a US president would – for the first time – rescue them but now people can only despair after mass arrests and brutality

When Donald Trump, said he would “rescue” protesters if Iranian authorities started shooting, Siavash Shirzad believed the US president.

The 38-year-old father had seen protests rise up before, only to be brutally crushed by authorities.

But this was the first time in his life that the president of the United States had promised to help demonstrators. Reassured, Shirzad took to the streets, ignoring his family’s warnings and joining the growing crowds.

Published: January 18, 2026, 5:00 am

Prince Harry v the Daily Mail: high-stakes trial could have profound effects on UK media

Royal will join a group of notable figures in his action against the tabloid and its stablemate, the Mail on Sunday, in a trial expected to last nine weeks

On Monday morning, Prince Harry’s legal war with the Daily Mail, one of the British media’s most formidable forces, will finally come to trial in court 76 of the high court in London.

The prince is joined in his action by some of the most recognisable figures in British life: the singer and songwriter Elton John and his husband, David Furnish; actors Liz Hurley and Sadie Frost; Doreen Lawrence, a Labour peer whose son Stephen was murdered in a racist attack; and former politician Simon Hughes, who once ran to lead the Liberal Democrats.

Published: January 18, 2026, 6:00 am

I was warned my children would be ripped in half when we divorced. But I had no idea just how brutal custody cases can be

My experience of court was eye-opening. And when I sat in on other cases, I realised how often mothers are vilified

It’s 1836 and the French writer George Sand is swimming in the River Indre with her clothes on, weighed down by layers of ankle-length fabric. To anyone passing by, she must look mad or worse – driven by a death wish. But for her there is the relief of cool water sluicing hot skin, after walking for hours in 30C heat. She’s been moving all day because if she stops she’ll remember how frightened she is: she’s about to go to court to fight for her children against a husband driven by punitive anger.

Custodire. To care. To look after. To guard. To restrain. Maternal care is, we are constantly told, the most natural of functions. But for century after century, women who transgress the expected norms of what a mother should be have battled for their children and been found wanting. Maternal care comes at a price when the law is involved. And all too often custody can be more a question of restraint than care.

Published: January 18, 2026, 6:00 am

I adore my husband but I feel a fraud at his church | Ask Annalisa Barbieri

Couples not sharing religious beliefs or going to each other’s places of worship isn’t unusual, but perhaps there’s something else going on here

When I met my husband eight years ago, I knew he was churchy, but as a low-church Protestant, I thought this wouldn’t be a problem. Outside church, I am comfortable with our religious differences. I sort of believe in God, and find immense spirituality in nature, but think Christ was simply a good man, whereas my husband believes it. He respects my beliefs and has never imposed his on me.

The problem I have is with the church we attend. I often feel a fraud as I don’t share the beliefs of the rest of the congregation. I feel alienated by the emphasis on theology over Christ’s teachings, and the hymns and rituals. I resent having to sacrifice my Sundays mouthing words I do not believe.

Published: January 18, 2026, 6:00 am

‘A gaming success story’: how Warhammer became one of Britain’s biggest companies

Worth £6bn and with revenues recently rising by 10.9%, the niche interest game has become a global business

You don’t need to spend your weekends organising a face-off between bloodthirsty orcs and elves to have heard of the game Warhammer.

So popular is the fantasy game that its parent company Games Workshop is valued at a staggering £6bn and is almost ever-present on British high streets.

Published: January 18, 2026, 8:00 am

Sleep, stress and sunshine: endocrinologists on 11 ways to look after your metabolism

Hormones impact almost all of our bodily functions, from skin, to the gut, to our moods. Here, experts on hormonal and metabolic health explain how to stay well

“Most people would like to have more energy and be leaner,” says Prof David Ray, an endocrinologist at the University of Oxford who also provides NHS services. “There is a connection between how we choose to live, what our bodies look and feel like, and the hormones that are going around the body. What endocrinologists deal with is disorders of either a lack of hormones, or too much of a hormone.”

Published: January 18, 2026, 5:00 am

‘You don’t want this smoke’: US sheriff reflects on her viral remarks about ICE

Philadelphia sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s words have become a rallying cry against Trump’s immigration crackdown

“You don’t want this smoke,” Rochelle Bilal, Philadelphia’s sheriff, warned Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during an 8 January press conference. Her words have since become a rallying cry for resistance to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. At the conference with Larry Krasner, Philadelphia’s district attorney, and city council members, Bilal spoke out against the 7 January fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. “We stand here today with all those who stand against the made-up, fake, what you can call ICE, professional law enforcement,” she said at the conference. “I don’t call them none of that. I call them made-up, fake, wannabe law enforcement. Because what they do is against not only legal law, but the moral law.”

Bilal is part of a growing body of elected officials who are speaking out against the Trump administration’s immigration policies and ICE’s alleged misconduct and aggressive enforcement tactics. As the first Black female sheriff of Philadelphia elected in 2019, Bilal has faced perhaps the most vitriol from opponents who have targeted her for her race and gender. “Race played a big [role in the] response,” Bilal told the Guardian in a conference room on her Philadelphia office floor. “The negative, nasty messages that are being received is ridiculous.” Since the video of her speech went viral, Bilal told the Guardian that death threats that she’s received have required her to increase her security detail. In a Facebook post, ICE also said that she should resign.

Published: January 17, 2026, 5:00 pm

‘It took time to love my soft, larger shape’: the body-positive writer who recovered from an eating disorder

Megan Jayne Crabbe was diagnosed with anorexia at 14. When she hit her ‘goal weight’ and still didn’t feel happy, a supportive online community showed her a new way to live

Megan Jayne Crabbe’s transformation goes beyond the physical. “My ‘before’ was trying to make myself as small as possible in every conceivable way: my body, voice, emotions, opinions,” she says. “My ‘after’ is allowing myself to be my biggest self, however that looks.”

Crabbe, 31, became aware of diets before she turned 10. As she entered puberty that intensified and she became fixated on magazine articles about how to change her body, eating as little as possible as a way to manage anxiety about school and growing up.

Published: January 17, 2026, 12:00 pm

What happens to accidental heroes when the headlines fade? ‘You get your award and then there’s nothing’

After traumatic events we look for reminders of humanity’s good, and flashes of courage from ordinary people become symbols of hope. But it can be hard to wear the hero’s crown

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

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

The smell of burning flesh and pulverised concrete is seared into the psyche of Anneke Weemaes-Sutcliffe. On 22 March 2016, the Australian expat was due to check in for a flight when Islamic State suicide bombers detonated two nailbombs inside Brussels airport. Miraculously unharmed, she sprinted to the exit after the second blast exploded metres away from her – but then, risking her life, decided to turn back.

Screams, wailing alarms and a thick blanket of dust choked the air. The ceiling had caved in. “It turned from buzzing with life to a war zone. It’s horrific, absolutely horrific,” Weemaes-Sutcliffe says.

Published: January 17, 2026, 7:00 pm

Paul Smith reworks his past at Milan menswear salon show

Fashion elder compères his own celebration of designs revived from his archive by design director Sam Cotton

This January marks the first menswear fashion week in Milan without a familiar constant in Giorgio Armani, after the designer died aged 91 in September. But the brand will still show on Monday, and there are other elder statesmen on the schedule in the shape of Ralph Lauren, 86, and Paul Smith, who will be 80 this year.

Paul Smith showed his collection on Saturday evening at the brand’s Italian HQ. Its playful nature was evident from the format as Smith himself compèred, with descriptions of the designs and inspirations over a microphone. The clothes demonstrated all the hallmarks that fans have come to love – bold prints, great suiting (this time oversized) and bright colours on sweaters and shirts.

Published: January 17, 2026, 6:51 pm

Iran cannot be bombed into democracy. But it can be helped to find its way there | Simon Tisdall

Independent media, civil society, the rule of law – these are the things that Iranians truly need. And there are ways for the west to help secure them

Soon after becoming president in 2017, Donald Trump ordered an attack on an Islamic State (IS) underground complex in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The strike involved the first-ever use in combat of a GBU-43 massive ordnance air blast (Moab) “bunker buster” bomb – the US’s most powerful conventional weapon. The bombing killed about 90 insurgents but failed to crush IS. It also made zero long-term difference to the US’s losing battle with the Taliban.

Yet that was not the point. Inexperienced Trump, who had famously avoided military service, was keen to show he was in charge, a commander-in-chief unafraid to make tough calls and send troops into harm’s way. He craved a big bang – a spectacular demonstration of unmatched US power. Like a teenager who unexpectedly obtains the keys to the family gun cabinet, he could not resist the temptation to play with all those shiny new Pentagon weapons.

Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator

Published: January 18, 2026, 8:00 am

Weight-loss drugs do nothing to address the troubled relationships we have with our bodies | Susie Orbach

The food, beauty and pharmaceutical industries poison our self-image. GLP-1 drugs will only make them richer – and strengthen the hold they have over us

Fifty years ago, I started thinking about the demand for women to look a certain way and the rebellions against the narrow ways in which we were supposed to display (and not display) our bodies. For a while, there was a conversation about the strictures. Some young women refused to conform. Some women risked being in the bodies they had rather than embodying the dominant images of being Madonna or the whore. But troubled eating abounded, even if it wasn’t always visible, stoked by the food and diet industries and their bedfellows in the beauty and fashion industries. These industries targeted appearance as crucial to girls’ and women’s identity and their place in the world.

Today, a new kind of troubled eating is stalking the land, entirely induced by the new GLP-1 weight-loss drugs produced by pharmaceutical companies and promoted by their willing agents on social media. It is totally understandable that people want relief from obsessive and invasive thoughts about their bodies and food. The explosion of GLP-1 drugs has provided a kind of psychological peace for many who feel less frightened of their appetites.

Susie Orbach is a psychotherapist, psychoanalyst and social critic. She is the author of many books, including Bodies and Fat Is a Feminist Issue

Published: January 18, 2026, 10:00 am

The Republicans’ latest Clinton stunt will not work | Arwa Mahdawi

Focusing on the ex-president won’t distract Americans from the Trump administration’s foot-dragging on the Epstein files

I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that, somewhere in a makeshift situation room in Mar-a-Lago, there’s a whiteboard with “very high IQ strategies to distract everyone from Jeffrey Epstein” written on the top.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist

Published: January 17, 2026, 2:00 pm

My picture was used in child abuse images. AI is putting others through my nightmare | Mara Wilson

I was a child actor, exploited by strangers on the internet. Now millions of children face the same danger

When I was a little girl, there was nothing scarier than a stranger.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, kids were told, by our parents, by TV specials, by teachers, that there were strangers out there who wanted to hurt us. “Stranger Danger” was everywhere. It was a well-meaning lesson, but the risk was overblown: most child abuse and exploitation is perpetrated by people the children know. It’s much rarer for children to be abused or exploited by strangers.

Published: January 17, 2026, 12:00 pm

Americans disapprove of Trump’s foreign policy. His escapades are likely to cost him | Sid Blumenthal

History tells us what happens when American presidents focus on foreign policy and neglect domestic economic policy

Donald Trump’s blitzkrieg since his 3 January seizure of the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has been guided by his triumph of the will, as he told the New York Times. “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me … I don’t need international law.”

Trump treats the spectacle as a reality TV show in which he is both the executive producer and the host who ultimately declares himself the winner. At his 3 January press conference on the day of Maduro’s seizure, Trump mentioned “oil” 27 times, “money” 13 times and “democracy” not once. He trashed the democratic opposition as lacking “respect” and “support”. The capture of Maduro was a decapitation, not regime change. Indeed, Trump served as a convenient agent of an internal coup of the existing powers, whom he declared “an ally”. “We have to fix the country first,” he said. “You can’t have an election.”

Sidney Blumenthal, former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, has published three books of a projected five-volume political life of Abraham Lincoln: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel and All the Powers of Earth. He is a Guardian US columnist

Published: January 17, 2026, 11:00 am

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix out for season with broken ankle in playoff win

• Nix to undergo surgery after breaking ankle in OT

• Season-ending injury suffered late in playoff win

• Denver advance despite injury to second-year QB

Bo Nix broke his right ankle late in overtime of the Denver Broncos’ divisional-round victory over Buffalo on Saturday and will have surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.

Coach Sean Payton delivered the stunning news about his second-year quarterback in the aftermath of Denver’s biggest win in a decade. Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start the AFC championship game next weekend.

Published: January 18, 2026, 2:53 am

Australian Open 2026: Alcaraz and Raducanu in action; Sabalenka wins on day one – live

The first grand slam of 2026 is under way in Melbourne
Britain’s Fery delivers upset with win over seed Cobolli
Follow us over on Bluesky | Get in touch: email Daniel

I’m not sure why, but I can’t get commentary on Bublik v Brooksby, which isn’t helpful, but Bublik leads 3-1; Tiafoe is up a break in set three, so at 4-2 is only two games away from seeing off Kubler; Zheng leads Korda by a break at 4-3 in the fifth; and Norrie is up a set on Bonzi, but serving to stay in the second at 4-5.

We’re away on Laver, Sabalenka in dayglo straight out of 1989 … and Rakotomanga Rajaonah immediately makes 0-30 on her serve. Oh! And when the champ swats a backhand long, she’s down three break points! All three are saved, but then the underdog raises a fourth on advantage, thrashes a deep return, and Sabalenka nets a forehand! Rakotomanga Rajaonah need only hold five times and she’s a set up! Er yeah, let’s see…

Published: January 18, 2026, 11:33 am

Africa Cup of Nations final buildup, Premier League news, and more – matchday live

⚽ News, buildup and discussion before the day’s action
⚽ Fixtures | Tables | Afcon final preview | Email us here

The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City are also back in Women’s FA Cup action today…

Tottenham v Leicester City

Bournemouth v Manchester City

Brighton v Nottingham Forest

Chatham v York City

Ipswich Town v Sheffield United

London Bees v Liverpool

Manchester United v Burnley

Oxford United v Middlesbrough

Southampton v Bristol City

Arsenal v Aston Villa

Charlton v Swindon

Hull v Birmingham

Strasbourg v Metz

Nantes v Paris FC

Rennes v Le Havre

Lyon v Brest

Stuttgart v Union Berlin

Augsburg v Freiburg

Parma v Genoa

Bologna v Fiorentina

Torino v Roma

AC Milan v Lecce

Getafe v Valencia

Atletico Madrid v Alaves

Celta Vigo v Rayo Vallecano

Real Sociedad v Barcelona

Published: January 18, 2026, 11:30 am

Kenneth Walker III runs riot as Seahawks maul 49ers to reach NFC title game

• Walker rushes for 116 yards, scores three TDs

• Shaheed opens game with 95-yard kickoff TD

• Denver one win from Super Bowl after edging Bills

Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, Kenneth Walker III rushed for three scores and the Seattle Seahawks advanced to the NFC Championship Game with a dominant 41-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night.

Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass and got his first career playoff win in his first season with the Seahawks (15-3), who will host either the Chicago Bears or the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl at stake.

Published: January 18, 2026, 4:35 am

Kevin Stefanski named Atlanta Falcons coach after being cut loose by Browns

• Stefanski gets second NFL chance after Browns firing

• Falcons face QB questions with Cousins and Penix Jr

Kevin Stefanski was hired as coach of the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night, getting a second chance to lead an NFL team less than two weeks after he was fired by the Cleveland Browns.

Stefanski spent six seasons with Cleveland, where he twice was named AP Coach of the Year and had a 45-56 record. He was fired on 5 January after the Browns finished a 5-12 season.

Published: January 18, 2026, 6:04 am

Air Force suspends men’s basketball coach amid investigation into treatment of cadet-athletes

• Joe Scott sidelined as Air Force probes cadet care case

• Assistant Jon Jordan to coach as Falcons host Nevada

• Scott is 97-183 overall, sixth year of second stint now

Air Force men’s basketball coach Joe Scott has been suspended indefinitely amid an investigation into the treatment of cadet-athletes, the school announced Saturday.

No further details about the probe were released.

Published: January 17, 2026, 7:21 pm

Carrick has dream start as Mbeumo and Dorgu give Manchester United derby delight

On 65 minutes Michael Carrick’s second tenure went electric as Manchester United scored a classic breakaway goal by Bryan Mbeumo that sent the interim head coach berserk in the technical area.

After a clearing Harry Maguire header, the ball evaded Rayan Cherki and Bruno Fernandes galloped forward. He had Amad Diallo to the right and Patrick Dorgu and Mbeumo on the left; United’s streetwise captain delayed the pass, then found the Cameroonian, whose finish beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Published: January 17, 2026, 7:29 pm

Vonn powers to fifth podium in five races as Delago wins Tarvisio downhill

• Vonn makes it five podiums from five downhills

• Delago earns first World Cup win on home snow

• Foggy Tarvisio hosts first race in 15 years

Italy’s Nicol Delago won a foggy women’s World Cup downhill on home snow in Tarvisio on Saturday as age-defying US Alpine ski great Lindsey Vonn powered to her fifth podium in five races.

The victory, in a time of one minute and 46.28 seconds with bib number three, was the 30-year-old Val Gardena skier’s first on the World Cup circuit and her first podium since she was third in Saalbach in March 2024.

Published: January 17, 2026, 3:13 pm

EuroLeague CEO dismisses NBA’s European plan as a ‘bit of a broken record’

• EuroLeague chief scoffs at NBA Europe promises

• Silver targets 2027 launch despite skepticism

• Clubs, cash and control drive looming showdown

European basketball often is a hot mess of passionate fandom, heated rivalries and financial problems.

Holding some powerful fiefdoms together is the EuroLeague. It’s not thrilled about the NBA’s plans to create a new competition on the continent.

Published: January 17, 2026, 3:25 pm

Ukraine war briefing: Russia readying strikes on nuclear power system, Zelenskyy warns

Kyrylo Budanov arrives in US heading delegation for further talks on peace proposals. What we know on day 1,425

Russia is taking aim at Ukraine’s nuclear power system, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, as the Kremlin continues to try to freeze Ukraine into submission by crippling its energy grid. “We do not see any willingness on the part of the aggressor to comply with any agreements or end the war,” the Ukrainian president said. “Instead, there is ample information about preparations for further Russian strikes on our energy sector and infrastructure, including facilities and networks that serve our nuclear power plants. Each such Russian strike on the energy sector amid such a harsh winter weakens and undermines the efforts of key states – in particular the United States – to end this war.”

Zelenskyy spoke after a briefing from Ukraine’s chief of defence intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko – the recent replacement for Kyrylo Budanov, who was made head of the president’s office. Budanov on Saturday confirmed his own arrival in the US to discuss peace proposals. He and Ukrainian negotiators Rustem Umerov and Davyd Arakhamia would meet with US envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and the US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, Budanov said. Zelenskyy has tasked his delegation at the Miami talks with finalising proposals about security guarantees and economic recovery. If American officials approve the proposals, the US and Ukraine could sign a deal next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to Zelenskyy. However Russia has given no indication it will accept any peace deal without Ukraine’s entire Donbas region being handed over for a start.

Russian attacks left at least two people dead and others injured in Kharkiv oblast on Saturday, regional authorities said. A strike that damaged a critical infrastructure facility in Kharkiv city’s industrial district could seriously affect power and heating, said the mayor, Ihor Terekhov, with the energy system “constantly operating at its limits”. One person was wounded in the attack. An attack on a house in Kharkiv city killed a woman aged 20 and wounded others. In the village of Borivske, a 52-year-old woman was killed when a drone hit a public transport stop, prosecutors said. In the Sumy region, emergency services said an airstrike on a residential neighbourhood wounded three women and a seven-year-old child, and left 15 residential buildings damaged.

Russia struck energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s Kyiv and Odesa regions overnight into Saturday, the ministry of energy said. More than 20 settlements in the Kyiv region were left without power. Zelenskyy said Ukraine needed to ramp up the importation of electricity and the acquisition of additional equipment from partners. Officials have instructed state energy companies Ukrzaliznytsia, Naftogaz and Ukroboronprom to urgently purchase imported electricity covering at least 50% of their own consumption, according to Denys Shmyhal, the energy minister.

Shmyhal announced that Lithuania would be providing Ukraine with more energy generating equipment for Kyiv and the most critically affected regions, after already supplying equipment for emergency repairs on coal and nuclear power plants. “In addition we have received over 2,000 solar panels, various equipment and machinery from our Lithuanian friends,” Shmyhal said. “Lithuania has contributed €5.7m euros to the energy support fund of Ukraine … There is not a single power plant left in Ukraine that has not been hit by Russian strikes. Ukrainian energy workers continue to repair around the clock and return electricity to people.”

Published: January 18, 2026, 2:12 am

Eight people killed in avalanches in Austrian Alps as rescuers urge skiers to heed warnings

Three Czech skiers swept away in Murtal district while five killed in Pongau area near Salzburg

An avalanche killed three Czech skiers in central Austria, police said, bringing the total to eight killed in the country’s Alps on Saturday.

Avalanches across the Alps have claimed victims since last week after heavy snowfall.

Published: January 18, 2026, 3:56 am

Newborn baby becomes eighth to die of hypothermia in Gaza this winter

Despite the ceasefire, more than 100 children have died in the territory since October

A 27-day-old baby died in Gaza on Saturday from severe cold, bringing the number of children in the region who have died of hypothermia since the start of the current winter season to eight, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Medical sources confirmed to the news agency Anadolu that the newborn, named Aisha Ayesh al-Agha, died as a result of freezing temperatures, and that when she was brought to Nasser hospital in Khan Younis it was already too late to save her.

Published: January 17, 2026, 5:59 pm

Ali Khamenei says thousands killed in Iran protests, some in ‘inhuman, savage manner’

Supreme leader blames US for death toll and calls Donald Trump a criminal for support of demonstrations

The Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has acknowledged for the first time that thousands of people were killed during the protests that rocked Iran over the last two weeks.

In a speech on Thursday, Khamenei said that thousands of people had been killed, “some in an inhuman, savage manner”, and blamed the US for the death toll. The supreme leader railed against the US president, Donald Trump, whom he called a “criminal” for his support of demonstrations, and called for strict punishment of protesters.

Published: January 17, 2026, 4:02 pm

Trump campaign manager quietly drops defamation suit against the Daily Beast

Chris LaCivita sued news outlet over 2024 story about large payments from Trump campaign to his consulting firm

A manager for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential election bid has abandoned a high-profile lawsuit against the Daily Beast, 10 months after complaining the news outlet had defamed him in reporting on campaign expenditures.

Chris LaCivita, who co-managed the campaign that led to Trump’s second presidency, quietly dropped his legal action on Friday, the Daily Beast said. The outlet said it had not retracted the story, made no apology and had not made any cash payment to LaCivita.

Published: January 17, 2026, 3:00 pm

Yoweri Museveni wins Ugandan election as opponent condemns ‘fake result’

Museveni’s opponent, Bobi Wine, alleges that members of polling staff were kidnapped and called for peaceful protests

Yoweri Museveni, has won the Ugandan election and his seventh term with more than 70% of the vote, state election authorities have said, amid an internet shutdown and claims of fraud by his opponent.

His opponent, a youthful musician known as Bobi Wine, condemned what he called “fake results” and alleged that members of polling staff were kidnapped, among other election irregularities. He called for peaceful protests to pressure the authorities to release what he called the “rightful results”.

Published: January 17, 2026, 5:20 pm

Rare twins born in DRC raise cautious hope for endangered mountain gorillas

Virunga park ranger says babies are well cared for by mother Mafuko but high infant mortality makes first weeks critical

It was noon by the time Jacques Katutu first saw the newborn mountain gorillas. Cradled in the arms of their mother, Mafuko, the tiny twins clung to her body for warmth in the forest clearing in Virunga national park, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Katutu, head of gorilla monitoring in Virunga, has seen dozens of newborns in his 15 years as a ranger. But, he tells the Guardian, even he was touched by the sight of the fragile infant males, who face serious obstacles if they are to become silverbacks one day.

Published: January 17, 2026, 6:00 am

China blocks Nvidia H200 AI chips that US government cleared for export – report

Parts suppliers ‘put production on hold’ amid mounting confusion as China restricts purchase of the chips and US puts 25% roundabout tariff on their sale

Suppliers of parts for Nvidia’s H200 have paused production after Chinese customs officials blocked shipments of the newly approved artificial intelligence processors from entering China, according to a report.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report, which appeared in the Financial Times citing two people with knowledge of the matter. Nvidia did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment made outside regular business hours.

Published: January 17, 2026, 5:09 am

US judge gives Trump administration three weeks to return deported student

Lawyer for administration had apologized earlier for violating court order and admitted ‘mistake’

A US federal judge in Boston on Friday gave the Trump administration three weeks to “rectify the mistake” it made by deporting a college student to Honduras while she was traveling home to visit her family for Thanksgiving as he recommended it issue her a student visa.

The US district judge, Richard Stearns, imposed the deadline after a lawyer for the administration earlier this week apologized for having violated a court order that should have prevented 19-year-old Any Lucia López Belloza from being sent to Honduras. She is a Honduran national who was brought to the United States by her mother when she was eight while seeking asylum.

Published: January 17, 2026, 2:36 am

Dublin Bay’s oyster graveyard rises from dead in effort to restore rich ecosystem

Pioneering scheme hopes species that thrived for thousands of years in Irish waters can do so again

The dinghy slowed to a stop at a long line of black bobbing baskets and David Lawlor reached out to inspect the first one.

Inside lay 60 oysters, all with their shells closed, shielding the life within. “They look great,” beamed Lawlor. So did their neighbours in the next basket and the ones after that, all down the line of 300 baskets, totalling 18,000 oysters.

Published: January 18, 2026, 7:00 am

The fate of the planet’s coastlines depends on how fast Antarctica’s ice sheets melt. We don’t know what’s coming

Some regions of the continent have enough ice to push up sea levels by 15 metres if they all melt, but researchers don’t yet fully understand the consequences

On one side of Dr Ben Galton-Fenzi’s view across the vast Totten ice shelf, the sun sat low on the Antarctic horizon. On the other, a full moon.

The ice shelf is “flat and white”, says Galton-Fenzi. “If there’s cloud around, you lose the horizon.”

Published: January 17, 2026, 7:00 pm

Man accused of aiming laser at Trump helicopter acquitted in 35 minutes

Swift verdict of not guilty in case of Jacob Winkler another high-profile defeat for Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for DC

A man tried on a felony charge of aiming a laser at presidential helicopter Marine One while it was transporting Donald Trump was acquitted recently by a jury in Washington DC – which reached its decision in about 35 minutes Tuesday.

The swift verdict of not guilty in the case of Jacob Winkler represented another high-profile defeat for Jeanine Pirro, the former Fox News host whom Trump appointed to be the US attorney for the nation’s capital. Pirro’s office has pursued harsh penalties against individuals accused of attacking federal officers or threatening the president but has failed multiple times.

Published: January 17, 2026, 8:56 pm

Mark Carney in China positions Canada for ‘the world as it is, not as we wish it’

PM’s visit to Beijing seen as a welcome reset to relations in a ‘new world order’ but critics worry what trade deal could mean for Canadian workers

Mark Carney’s trip to Beijing this week secured what he described as a “preliminary but landmark” trade deal and a recognition – welcomed by Beijing – that countries are operating in a “new world order”.

Carney’s visit is the first time in nearly a decade that a Canadian prime minister has been welcomed in Beijing. It comes after years of a deep freeze in the relationship between Ottawa and Beijing that Carney wants to thaw, in order to reduce his country’s precarious reliance on the United States.

Published: January 17, 2026, 2:36 am

Why a Chinese ‘mega embassy’ is not such a worry for British spies

Politicians are raising the alarm, while MI5 quietly welcomes the prospect of Beijing’s new London facility

While there has been no shortage of politicians eager to raise concerns about China’s proposed “mega embassy” near the Tower of London, the espionage community quietly takes a different view, arguing that concerns about the development are exaggerated and misplaced.

The domestic Security Service, MI5, is already quietly welcoming the prospect of rationalising China’s seven diplomatic sites to one, but a more significant argument is that modern technology and the nature of the Chinese threat means that, in the words of one former British intelligence officer, “embassies are less and less relevant”.

Published: January 18, 2026, 9:19 am

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: this glorious grossout comedy is Game of Thrones at its best

My jaw was left agape by this rich, moving spinoff. Its two lead characters have the making of a classic comic double act

The Game of Thrones franchise has fruited again, like an abundant oak. Where’s left to go? A startling opening, in which a lumbering oaf takes a dump behind a tree, gives us a clue. Chronologically, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Monday 19 January, 9pm, Sky Atlantic) sits between the juggernaut original and its courtly prequel, House of the Dragon. Tonally, it’s in a world of its own.

That oaf eventually gets a name: Dunk. Contrary to expectation, Dunk is a knight. Specifically, a “hedge knight”, a lower-status category whose kind cannot afford their keep and must sleep under trees. “Any knight can make a knight” we are reminded, by simply dubbing them. This lack of gatekeeping has resulted in a class system in which highborn valiants scorn their ignoble brethren. They are knights in name only, and only just. Of course, there’s nothing just about this.

Published: January 17, 2026, 7:00 am

Six great reads: Mondrian’s hidden inspiration, the friendship secret and heat for Heated Rivalry

Need something brilliant to read this weekend? Here are six of our favourite pieces from the last seven days

Published: January 17, 2026, 6:00 am

‘There is a moment of clarity that life would be better without alcohol’: what we can learn from addiction memoirs

After losing her father to alcohol addiction, author Sophie Calon turned to writing – and found clarity, connection and hope in other stories of relapse and recovery

On the night of Boxing Day 2021, my dad’s body was found near a Cardiff hostel. His death, at 55, was as sudden as it was not. For years, alcoholism had been changing the shape of his heart.

He died less than a mile from his old office; top law firm, equity partner. Four miles from our once tight-knit home in a leafy neighbourhood. He had lost both his family and his job in 2019. Raised in Barry, working class, he had been proud of the beautiful life he had built for us. Others thought he “had it all”. He was widely adored, but drinking made him volatile. He was homeless and often behind bars in his final two years.

Published: January 17, 2026, 10:00 am

My cultural awakening: an Eddie Izzard routine inspired me to learn French – and get a job with the EU

Being able to understand the comedian talking in French in his Dress to Kill show led to me learning several languages and working on the continent

Until the age of 13, I had never taken much interest in school French lessons. I had visited the country a couple of times, on family driving holidays to Brittany and Normandy, but my parents did all the talking and I didn’t see the point of learning le and la, soixante-dix or quatre-vingts. It was just something on the curriculum that I had to do.

Then, one evening at home, in Stirlingshire, Scotland, with everyone else in bed, I sat on the sofa and put on a VHS of Eddie Izzard’s standup show Dress to Kill. My parents were fans and I’d caught a glimpse on TV and thought it looked funny. I was young and some of the material was probably too rude but I enjoyed the surreal and absurd comedy, impressions and mad tangents.

Published: January 17, 2026, 7:00 am

Tim Dowling: how a toilet-based epiphany saved me from the January blues

Repairing the cistern has not only given me hope for the year ahead, it has changed our lives …

At the beginning of the month my wife and I had our traditional dispute about the official start date of Dry January.

“January 1st is a public holiday,” I said, as she watched me open a beer. “It doesn’t count.”

Published: January 17, 2026, 6:00 am

Turkey as it used to be: the beach resort of Akyaka retains its ramshackle charm

Thirty years after she first visited, our writer is relieved to discover that the town has managed to swerve the worst excesses of tourist development

My favourite memory of Akyaka? The second evening of our most recent visit: the beach floodlit by the last embers of a flaming sunset, the mountains that stand sentry around the town softening into deep purple hues. Before our eyes, all was transformed: sunloungers stacked away, waiters whisking back and forth with tables, menus and small rechargeable lamps. A little further along, in one of the bar areas on the beach, a trio of Turkish women, their hair in shades of pepper and smoke, sat with their toes in the sand, happily knitting. I recalled other beaches in Turkey, where oligarchs and influencers preen and pose, and thought – yes, this is exactly where I want to be.

Akyaka – a small town, huddled on the eastern end of blue-washed Gökova Bay – is an old friend of mine. Thirty years ago, working as a holiday rep, I visited on a weekly basis, popping in to see the handful of clients who were staying at simple pansiyons (small B&Bs) in the town. Back then … well, actually, back then it wasn’t that different from today, which is something that can’t be said about many of the Turkish villages and small resorts I knew in the mid-1990s.

Published: January 17, 2026, 7:00 am

Blind date: ‘Did we kiss? Well, we didn’t want to let down the bartenders’

Jenny (left), 27, a gallery assistant, meets Sara, 29, a researcher

Published: January 17, 2026, 6:00 am

Samuel Ojo on competitive pressure at the gym – cartoon

Continue reading...

Published: January 17, 2026, 11:00 am

Principles jettisoned, is former Trump foe Marco Rubio playing the long game?

The secretary of state – a neoconservative foreign policy hawk turned America First cheerleader – has defied expectations that he would not last in Trump’s cabinet

The exchange seemed to crystallize a master-servant relationship in a single instant.

Early in January, in a White House gathering with oil executives invited to discuss investment in Venezuela after the US overthrow of Nicolás Maduro, its strongman president, Marco Rubio discreetly passed a note to Donald Trump.

Published: January 17, 2026, 12:00 pm

‘I always knew my dogs loved the wind on their faces’: Thiago Bernardes de Souza’s best phone picture

When the Brazilian photographer heads out on his motorbike, his rescue pets come along for the ride …

Brasília’s sky was bright and beautiful on the day Thiago Bernardes de Souza took this shot. Exploring Brazil’s capital city on his motorbike is a pleasure when the weather is like this, he says, and his canine cavalcade had effectively invited themselves along for the ride.

“The first member of our pack, Filo, isn’t in the photo, but she was there that day,” de Souza says. “Filo started riding with me in a backpack years ago, then around the time she turned one, I rescued Teo. He’s the dog in the goggles, a mixed breed and the most energetic and mischievous. Teo jumped into my sidecar when he was a puppy, and when I rescued Juju, at the front, a couple of years later, she settled into the remaining place immediately. She’s the sweetest and most loving dog. Now, when I head out on the bike, they even know in which order they should get into the sidecar.”

Published: January 17, 2026, 11:00 am