Gordon Ramsay says tax changes will make restaurants ‘lambs to the slaughter’ 22. January 2026 (19:39) Celebrity chef warns UK government’s plans for higher business rates from April ‘simply will not work’The celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has accused the government of cooking up a kitchen nightmare at restaurants across the country with tax changes that he says will make hospitality businesses “lambs to the slaughter”.Ramsay, whose company operates 34 restaurants in the UK including Bread Street Kitchen, Pétrus and Lucky Cat, said the industry was “facing a bloodbath”. He said restaurants were closing every day as a result of rising business rates, which came on top of higher energy, staffing and ingredient costs and little growth in consumer spending. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Toronto man posed as pilot to rack up hundreds of free flights, prosecutors say 22. January 2026 (19:22) Dallas Pokornik accused of using fake ID to fool airlines in case likened to Hollywood thriller Catch Me If You CanA Toronto man posed as a pilot for years in order to fool airlines into giving him hundreds of free flights, prosecutors have alleged, in a case that has prompted comparisons to the Hollywood thriller Catch Me If You Can.Authorities in Hawaii announced this week that Dallas Pokornik, 33, had been charged with wire fraud after he allegedly fooled three major US carriers into giving him free tickets over a span of four years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police block Ukip march through Tower Hamlets over violence fears 22. January 2026 (19:19) Met says allowing protest would risk serious disorder, including from local peopleFar-right Ukip supporters will be stopped from marching through Tower Hamlets for fear of serious violence, including from local people, Scotland Yard has said.The Metropolitan police said it was not a ban, as the march on 31 January calling for mass deportations could take place in another part of London. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UAE ordered to pay £260,000 to trafficking victim exploited by diplomat in London 22. January 2026 (18:51) High court ruling marks first time a foreign state has been held liable for domestic servitude by its envoy on UK soilThe United Arab Emirates must pay more than £260,000 to a victim of human trafficking who was exploited by one of its diplomats in London, the high court has ruled.Lawyers representing the woman said it was unprecedented for a court to order a foreign state to pay for domestic servitude by a diplomat on UK soil. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
French navy intercepts suspected Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tanker in Mediterranean 22. January 2026 (18:49) Emmanuel Macron says the oil tanker was boarded and searched ‘subject to international sanctions’ The French navy has intercepted a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean suspected to be part of the “shadow fleet” that enables Russia to export oil despite sanctions.“This morning, the French navy boarded and searched an oil tanker from Russia, subject to international sanctions and suspected of flying a false flag,” President Emmanuel Macron said on X. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Canada aquarium that threatened to kill its whales wants to sell them to US 22. January 2026 (18:33) Marineland seeks approval to sell belugas to United States after its China export proposal was rejected‘It’s heartbreaking’: how 30 captive beluga whales have become pawns in row over animal crueltyMarineland, the Canadian amusement park and aquarium which has threatened to kill its captive whales, wants government approval to sell the belugas to the United States after its China export proposal was rejected, according to an official and a former trainer.The former tourist attraction near the famed Niagara Falls has been mired in controversy for years. Twenty animals, including 19 belugas, have died at the park since 2019, according to a tally by the Canadian Press. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Peru’s interim president embroiled in scandal over secret meetings with Chinese businessmen 22. January 2026 (18:20) Opposition lawmakers say they will seek to impeach José Jerí over undisclosed meetings in Lima’s ChinatownPeru’s interim president, José Jerí, has denied lying to the country and claimed he was the victim of a plot to discredit him amid a growing political scandal over his secretive meetings with Chinese businessmen.Jerí, 39, who took office in October after his predecessor Dina Boluarte was forced out, told a congressional oversight committee on Wednesday that he had been the target of a smear campaign designed to destabilise the country ahead of elections in April. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss ‘new reality’ of relations with US 22. January 2026 (18:11) While Donald Trump has dropped his threats to annex Greenland, for now, emergency EU meeting will go ahead to discuss volatile situationTransatlantic relations have “taken a big blow over the last week” the EU’s foreign policy chief said, as leaders from the bloc gathered for an emergency summit after weeks of escalating threats from Donald Trump over Greenland that were suddenly rescinded with a vague deal on Arctic security.Summing up the mood, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the EU was living through a lot of unpredictability: “One day, one way; the other day, again, everything could change.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Barron Trump told police he was ‘very close’ to alleged rape victim, court hears 22. January 2026 (17:44) Donald Trump’s son was on video call with woman when he saw a man repeatedly punch her, court toldDonald Trump’s youngest son said he was “very close” to an alleged rape victim after raising the alarm about a suspected assault against her, a court has heard.Barron Trump was on a Face Time video call a year ago with the woman, who cannot be named, when he saw a man repeatedly punch her, Snaresbrook crown court was told on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
World is entering time of ‘great power politics’, warns German chancellor 22. January 2026 (17:41) Friedrich Merz says global order changing at ‘breathtaking pace’ and urges leaders in Davos not to accept new realityDavos live – latest updatesThe German chancellor has warned that the rise of “great powers” is shaking the foundations of the old world order, unravelling it at “breathtaking pace”.Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Friedrich Merz said a time of “great power politics” had begun, citing Russia’s war with Ukraine, China’s move into the “ranks of the great powers” and the radical reshaping of US foreign and security policy under Donald Trump. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
