As Trump reshapes foreign policy, China moves to limit risks, reap gains
President Trump's focus overseas may spare China for now, but Beijing still worries that his "America First" rhetoric hasn't softened what it calls U.S. "military adventurism."
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Minister defends Starmer, saying Mandelson ‘conned everyone’ – UK politics live
Peter Mandelson ‘lied, manipulated and deceived everybody,’ said Steve Reed in a staunch defence of the prime minister and his chief of staffAfter the release of a vast tranche of documents and emails that shed further light on the close relationship between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein, the government has come under intense pressure to release details about its vetting process before Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in December 2024.Below, we look at how much Keir Starmer knew about Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein, and what vetting process the former peer went through for the top diplomatic job in Washington. Continue reading...
Ukraine, Russia agree to exchange prisoners after ‘productive’ talks with US - Europe live
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that the countries agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, with talks to continue in coming weeksUS presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said that the US, Ukraine and Russia have agreed to exchange 314 prisoners in “the first such exchange in five months.”He said:“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine.”“We may be, in the course of 2026, coming to a point where the whole thing becomes unsustainable, because so much of the Russian economy has been distorted so much by the building up of the war economy at the expense of the civil economy. I think defying the laws of economic gravity can only go on for so long.” Continue reading...
‘Hope and relief’ as seaside town’s last youth centre saved
Charity praises effort to stop Ramsgate’s Pie Factory Music closing but calls for more youth services in coastal townsThe last remaining youth centre in one of England’s most deprived coastal places has been saved from being sold after a long campaign by the charity that has for 13 years called it home.In November the Guardian revealed how the centre in Ramsgate on the Kent coast was facing being auctioned off by Kent county council, despite an independent report that estimated the centre was saving the council more than £500,000 a year in costs, including for services in mental health, youth justice and social care. Continue reading...
Searching for dinosaur secrets in crocodile bones
Until now, estimating how old a dinosaur was when it died has been a fairly simple process: Count up the growth rings in the fossilized bones. But new research into some of dinosaurs' living relatives, like crocodiles, suggests that this method may not always work.
In Pakistan, gold price rollercoaster pushes buyers to silver
With gold prices sky-rocketing, Pakistanis are turning to buying silver to cash in on some of the bullion rush.
Pakistan army says it killed 216 fighters in weeklong Balochistan campaign
Military says operations that began in January degraded leadership and operational capabilities of 'terrorist' networks.
Loss of life was avoidable in worst small boat disaster in Channel, inquiry finds
Cranston report highly critical of systemic failings and missed opportunities around deaths of more than 30 peopleLoss of life was avoidable in the worst mass drowning from a small boat crossing in the Channel, a public inquiry has found.The 454-page report by the former high court judge Sir Ross Cranston is highly critical of failings around the deaths of at least 24 men, seven women and two children in November 2021. Continue reading...
Maduro’s alleged frontman Alex Saab reportedly captured in Caracas
FBI and Venezuela’s intelligence agency also reportedly arrest billionaire media mogul Raúl Gorrín at same addressA close and powerful associate of the deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has reportedly been detained during a joint operation by Venezuela’s intelligence agency and the FBI.Alex Saab, a wealthy Colombian-Venezuelan businessman long considered Maduro’s frontman, was removed from his position in Venezuela’s government a fortnight after US forces captured his ally on 3 January. In the early hours of Wednesday, the 54-year-old was reportedly detained by members of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) at a luxury home in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. Continue reading...
UK health body says 36 cases of toxin poisoning linked to baby formula
Clinical reports show the children had consumed batches of recently recalled products, UKHSA saysThere have been 36 clinical reports of children suffering symptoms consistent with toxin poisoning linked to recent baby formula recalls, the UK Health Security Agency has said.The UKHSA said it and partner agencies had received 24 notifications in England, seven in Scotland, three in Wales, one in Northern Ireland and one from the crown dependencies of children who had consumed implicated batches and developed symptoms. Continue reading...