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Uncertainties over Trump presidency and his stance on Ukraine loom with both leaders facing domestic woesMuch was said over the last 48 hours about Elon Musk’s apparent use of a salute banned for its Nazi links in Germany.Do you wonder what the Germans make of it? The Guardian’s Kate Connolly looked into this and it’s complicated. Some say it was an unambiguous Nazi salute...

New retailer, which is part of Great British Railways plan, is not expected until 2026 at the earliestBusiness live – latest updatesA new online train ticket retailer backed by the government is to be created, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced, with the aim of simplifying the process of buying tickets from different rail operators.However, the service will only be available once Great...

New US president threatens to ignite trade war, accusing China of ‘sending fentanyl to Mexico and China’Here is the video clip of the Episcopal bishop of Washington, Mariann Edgar Budde, pleading with Trump during a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral to protect immigrants and respect gay rights.If you would like something to listen to, today’s episode of our Today in Focus podcast...

Settlers reportedly stormed Palestinian villages in the West Bank shortly before Trump cancelled sanctions against Israelis accused of violence in the territoryJordan’s foreign minister, speaking at the second day of the World Economic Forum in Davos, said that there needs to be more than a “short term” solution for Gaza.Ayman Safadi told a room of delegates that a “comprehensive solution that addresses the root...

Chancellor tells World Economic Forum in Davos she ‘absolutely’ supports wealth creationBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK government will publish an immigration white paper later this year including proposals to introduce visas aimed at high-skilled workers as part of its push to kickstart growth, Rachel Reeves has announced.The chancellor told a breakfast event at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “We are going to...

Creator links up with Jesse Tinsley as Donald Trump says he is open to Elon Musk and Larry Ellison buying siteBusiness live – latest updatesMrBeast, the YouTube star and highest-earning creator on the internet, has officially joined a bid to buy TikTok’s US operations.The 26-year-old has teamed up with the tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley, the founder of the online HR company employer.com, to make...

Staff placed on paid administrative leave as president repeals executive orders promoting LGBTQ equalityUS politics live – latest updatesUS federal employees working in diversity offices must be put on paid leave by Wednesday evening as the new administration of Donald Trump has ordered the programmes to close, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, has confirmed.“Send a notification to all employees of DEIA (Diversity,...

Maine Coon made three trips in 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia after being missed by baggage handlerA Maine Coon cat named Mittens became an accidental jetsetter this month when her cage was overlooked in a plane cargo hold and she made three trips in 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia.Mittens, eight, was booked for one-way travel with her family from Christchurch,...

Cost of scaling world’s tallest peak rises for first time in nearly a decade to $15,000Nepal will increase the permit fees for climbing Mount Everest by 36%, making the world’s tallest peak more expensive for mountaineers for the first time in nearly a decade, officials have said.Income from permit fees and other spending by foreign climbers is a key source of revenue and employment...

Increase to £17.8bn is well above City forecasts and is highest December figure for four yearsBusiness live – latest updatesUK government borrowing jumped unexpectedly to £17.8bn last month, piling pressure on Rachel Reeves to plan budget cuts before a spending review in the summer.The figure was about a quarter higher than the City had forecast and was up by £10.1bn more than in the...

Fifty-one sites in NSW have significant PFAS contamination requiring continued monitoring and remediation, EPA tells Senate inquiryFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastExperts and water providers have called for a broad ban on so-called “forever chemicals” at a Senate inquiry into PFAS, warning of environmental harm and increasingly costly removal.The Water Services...

Right Rev Mariann Budde’s appeal amounts to bold public criticism and prompts frosty response from US presidentThe Episcopal bishop of Washington has appealed directly to Donald Trump to “have mercy upon” communities across the country targeted by the new administration’s immigration and LGBTQ+ policies.“There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives,” the Right...

Two 14-year-olds charged over incident involving girl of same age at Fordingbridge recreation groundTwo 14-year-old boys have been charged with the kidnap and rape of a girl of the same age in a New Forest park.The incident is alleged to have taken place at Fordingbridge recreation ground on the evening of 17 January. Continue reading...

Prospect of further public transport disruption remains despite unions’ commitment to halt work bansFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHopes of an end to industrial action that has thrown Sydney’s train system into chaos may be dashed as the NSW government faces the prospect of pay negotiations with unions breaking down.The Minns...

Local publishing house says it will ‘retain creative control’ and no redundancies are planned for Melbourne officeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe world’s largest general book publisher has acquired one of Australia’s leading independent publishers, the Text Publishing Company.Penguin Random House announced the acquisition on Wednesday, with the chief executive of its Australian operations, Julie Burland, saying the move...

Adam Edward Moule is ninth person charged under Strike Force Pearl investigation into spate of antisemitic attacks across SydneyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe arrest of a man who allegedly attempted to set a synagogue on fire in Sydney’s inner west this month is a “big breakthrough”, the New South Wales...

Teenager arrested on suspicion of murder following incident in Hall Green areaA 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Birmingham.West Midlands police said the boy was found with serious injuries near Scribers Lane, Hall Green, shortly after 3pm on Tuesday and was taken to hospital, but died from his injuries. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed‘Paid actors’ could be behind some antisemitic attacks, Albanese saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWatt defends government response to antisemitism as ‘very strong’Asked if the federal government has been going enough to combat antisemitism, Murray Watt said it had responded “very strongly here”.Unfortunately, there are some people in the community who are engaging is disgusting...

Inadequately trained staff from Valmar Support Services failed to follow dietary advice when feeding the man, judge finds Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn NDIS provider has been ordered to pay the largest ever penalty of its kind over the death of an intellectually disabled man, who choked on a toasted...

The maritime group, founded in 1760 by merchants and underwriters, issued the apology after commissioning research into its links to slaveryLloyd’s Register, the maritime and industrial group owned by one of Britain’s biggest charities, has apologised for its role in the trafficking of enslaved African people but has been criticised for not going far enough.Founded in 1760 as the Society for the Registry of...

Witnesses say people used bed sheets or jumped to try to get out of the 12-storey Grand Kartal hotel after fire broke out early in the morningSeventy-six people died and 51 others were injured when a fire engulfed a popular ski resort hotel in Turkey’s Bolu mountains, forcing guests to jump out of windows or attempt to use bed sheets to flee the building.The...

Far-right figures Enrique Tarrio and Steward Rhodes set free after being imprisoned for helping plot Capitol attackExtremist supporters of Donald Trump who attacked the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 or were involved in planning the insurrection began leaving prison on Tuesday, after the newly installed president issued sweeping pardons shortly after being sworn in on Monday.The Republican president’s pardon of 1,500 defendants drew...

New report says more than 30m hectares burned, 79% more than in 2023, after country saw worst drought on recordAfter enduring its worst drought on record in 2024, Brazil closed the year with another alarming milestone: between January and December, 30.86m hectares of wilderness burned – an area larger than Italy.The figure published in a new report is 79% higher than in 2023 and...

New Orleans and Houston see record snow leading to closed highways and canceled schoolsA “once in a lifetime” winter storm sweeping through the southern United States on Tuesday dumped snow at levels millions of residents had never seen before.The storm blanketed New Orleans and Houston with record snow that closed highways, grounded nearly all flights and canceled school for more than a million students...

Trump’s agenda is clear: keep people out or make them pay. The US’s fabric as a nation of immigrants is tearing apartImmigrants, refugees and asylum seekers hoping for a safe haven to build a life in the United States awoke to a blistering reality on Tuesday, after Donald Trump’s barrage of policy changes shortly after taking office effectively slammed the door shut on many...

Communication lines open 24 hours intended to avoid breakdown over reported violations and other issuesQatari, US and Egyptian negotiators are running a communications hub in Cairo to protect the ceasefire in Gaza, as Donald Trump said he was not confident the break in fighting would hold.Violations have already been reported. Medics in Gaza said on Monday that eight people had been hit by Israeli...

Elise Stefanik’s comments at Senate hearing align her with Israeli far right and highlight US-UN rifts over Israel policy Donald Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations has endorsed Israeli claims of biblical rights to the entire West Bank during a Senate confirmation hearing, aligning herself with positions that could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.The New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik,...

Some say it was an unambiguous Nazi salute but others are unsure and say focus should be on Musk’s stated support for far-rightDid Elon Musk give a Nazi or Roman salute, and what’s the difference?There were angry reactions across Europe to Elon Musk’s apparent use of a salute banned for its Nazi links in Germany, where some condemned it as malicious provocation or an...

Ukrainian president tells Davos that Europe must establish itself as an ‘indispensable’ player on the global stageVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said that “at least 200,000” allied troops would be needed to enforce any peace deal in Ukraine as he urged Europe to “take care of itself” as Donald Trump returns to power in the US.Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy said European...

MPs say the need for consent-based law was highlighted again by trial of 51 men over abuse of Gisèle PelicotFrance should update its rape law to add a clear reference to consent, a parliamentary report has found, months after French society was shaken by the trial of 51 men over the repeated drugging and rape of Gisèle Pelicot.The report, to be presented on Tuesday,...

Osama Najim was arrested amid claims he used detained migrants in ‘a form of slavery’, but then freed after a mistake by prosecutorsA Libyan general wanted for alleged war crimes and violence against inmates at a prison near Tripoli has been arrested in the northern Italian city of Turin – and then released after an apparent mistake by prosecutors.Osama Najim, also known as Almasri,...

Ryan Corbett and William McKenty swapped for Khan Mohammed, who was held in California for drug traffickingA prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan’s Taliban has freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug-trafficking and terrorism charges.The Taliban praised the swap as a step toward the “normalization” of ties between the US and Afghanistan, but...

Tehran ‘massively weakened’ by reverses in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, says vice-president of Aden-based administrationMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe west should seize the opportunity to target the Tehran-backed Houthi leadership in Yemen while the Iranian government is weakened, the vice-president of the UN-backed government in Aden has said.Aidarus al-Zoubaidi said that Iran’s reverses in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza had left the country “massively...

Timing may show two leaders want to coordinate approach in engaging with new US administration over UkraineUS politics live – latest updatesThe Russian president, Vladimir Putin, held a video call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in a symbolic display of unity just hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the US.Speaking from his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Putin...

Lt Gen Herzi Halevi becomes most senior Israeli figure to resign over security breakdown during 2023 Hamas attackMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael’s top general has resigned, citing the “terrible failure” of security and intelligence related to Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 that triggered the war in Gaza.Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces...

Palestinian health ministry says at least eight killed in operation launched day after Donald Trump lifted sanctions on violent settlersIsraeli security forces have launched an operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, a day after bands of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians, smashing cars and burning property and the new US president, Donald Trump, announced he was lifting sanctions on violent settlers.At least eight...

Impeached president appears in constitutional court following last month’s short-lived martial law orderSouth Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol has denied ordering troops to “drag out” lawmakers from the country’s parliament to prevent them from overturning his short-lived declaration of martial law last month.In his first appearance at the constitutional court, which will decide whether to uphold his impeachment, Yoon replied “no” when asked...

Europe’s politicians spent the night sending carbon copy messages hailing their country’s ‘special’ or ‘strategic’ relationship with the USRest assured that we will be covering all key events in the build up to next month’s elections in Germany in our Europe Live blogs here, but if you want to keep track of how the polls look at any given moment, you can use (and...

Annual growth in average weekly earnings increases by 5.6% in three months to end of NovemberBusiness live – latest updatesUK pay growth rose in November, official figures show, keeping pressure on the Bank of England to hold interest rates amid concerns over lingering inflationary pressures.With the government under pressure on the economy, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said annual growth in average weekly...

PM says ministers would never have been forgiven if they had released information about the attack that led to the collapse of a future trialStarmer says nothing will be off the table in the inquiry.There are also questions about the accountability of the Whitehall and Westminster system – a system that is far too often driven by circling the institutional wagons, that does not...

Axel Rudakubana bought items on Amazon to make lethal poison three years after he came to attention of authoritiesWarning: contains descriptions of violence that readers may find upsettingUK politics live – latest updates Continue reading...

On his first day on office the US president sought to undo much of Joe Biden’s legacy, also vowing to ‘unleash’ oil and gas drilling Trump sworn in as 47th president as US braces for a new era of disruption and divisionDonald Trump supporters who attacked the US Capitol four years ago will begin to leave prison on Tuesday, after the newly installed president...

Humanitarian organisations express cautious hope truce deal will allow to scale up aid from 18 to 500 truckloads a dayDisplaced Palestinian people making their way home have spoken to the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency about their hopes and fears for the future.Ghadeer Abdul Rabbo, 30, told AFP she hopes that the ceasefire will hold “with or without Trump”and world governments will help “maintain...

US dollar hits five-year highs against Canadian currency as Japan’s Nikkei index swings between losses and gainsBusiness live – latest updatesFinancial markets swayed after Donald Trump took office and did not immediately impose new trade tariffs in his executive orders, but later signalled punitive tariffs on Mexico and Canada.The new US president told reporters in the White House’s Oval Office that he was thinking...

Doctor calls situation ‘an absolute disaster’ for public mental health system and vulnerable patientsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMental health wards have begun to close in New South Wales as negotiations to avert the mass resignations of psychiatrists continue.At Cumberland psychiatric hospital, the largest mental health facility in NSW and the oldest in Australia, the acute and rehabilitation wards...

Germany will elect a new Bundestag on 23 February. Find out who is ahead in opinion polls and what coalitions are possibleGermany is preparing for a general election to the Bundestag, the lower house of its parliament, on 23 February, after its “traffic-light” coalition of social democrats, liberals and greens collapsed. The country’s electoral system is highly proportional, so polls give a good indication...

State and territory leaders also agree to set up new database tracking antisemitic crime after national cabinet meeting Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFederal police are investigating whether “overseas actors” are paying local criminals to carry out antisemitic attacks in Australia and whether children are being radicalised online after a wave...

This blog is now closedAFP investigating whether foreign actors paid local criminals cryptocurrency to carry out antisemitic attacksThe foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says it was a “privilege and honour” to be the first Australian foreign minister to “be invited and to attend an inauguration on behalf of our country”.She spoke with the Today show from Washington DC, where she attended Donald Trump’s inauguration.My...

Whitesnake’s David Coverdale and Slash of Guns N’ Roses pay tribute to musician described as an ‘exceptional talent’John Sykes, a guitarist with the rock bands Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake, has died aged 65. A statement said his death followed “a hard-fought battle with cancer”.It added: “He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent but for those who didn’t know...

Rachel Reeves hopes expansion will increase economic growth but Ed Miliband and Sadiq Khan oppose it Business live – latest updatesA reported plan to approve a third runway at Heathrow and an expansion of Gatwick and Luton airports has been labelled “desperate”, as the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, faces opposition from within Labour to the decision.Reeves is poised to make a swathe of announcements intended...