Renee Nicole Good said ‘I’m not mad at you’ before ICE agent shot her, video shows 09. January 2026 (21:44) Clip first posted by partisan outlet Alpha News shows perspective of ICE agent as Good was fatally shotRenee Nicole Good calmly said everything was “fine” and “I’m not mad at you” seconds before an on-duty Immigration Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot her in Minneapolis as she drove away, according to a cellphone video shared on Friday by Donald Trump’s White House.The partisan media outlet Alpha News first posted the video on X, a 47-second clip that showed the perspective of the ICE agent – and captured a man’s voice calling Good a “fucking bitch” after she was mortally wounded. It was then shared by the White House’s official Rapid Response X account as well as JD Vance, with the vice-president writing in part that he agreed with the notion that Good’s death was “a tragedy” but accused the media of dishonestly covering the circumstances of her killing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California is completely drought-free for the first time in 25 years 09. January 2026 (20:15) Some wet years and recent winter storms have helped bring the state out of drought after years of insufficient rainfallCalifornia is completely drought-free for the first time in a quarter of a century, a significant development in a state that endured grueling years with insufficient rainfall.Over the last 25 years, drought conditions in California have intensified the state’s wildfire crisis and created challenges in its massive agricultural sector. But a few wet years, and a recent spate of winter storms, helped bring the state out of drought. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Six protesters arrested in Portland after two people shot by border patrol agents 09. January 2026 (19:48) Local leaders’ appeal for non-violence largely holds despite growing outrage over US immigration enforcement in cityUS politics live – latest updatesSix protesters were arrested by police in Portland, Oregon, late Thursday, as an appeal for calm from local leaders largely held despite growing outrage over federal immigration enforcement in the city after two people were shot by US border patrol agents.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the two people who were shot and injured in a statement on Friday as Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras and Luis David Nico Moncada, undocumented immigrants from Venezuela. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform UK accused of betraying election pledges after council tax rises 09. January 2026 (18:53) Four out of five councils controlled by party have proposed 5% council tax rises, the maximum permitted by lawNigel Farage’s Reform UK has been accused of betraying election promises to cut council tax after several councils it controls said they planned to increase rates close to the maximum allowed.They include Kent county council – the party’s flagship local authority and one viewed by it as the “shop window” for what a Reform-led government would look like – which has proposed an increase of 3.99%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Growing protests in Iran do not necessarily herald a return to monarchy 09. January 2026 (18:46) Despite significant support for the shah, Iranian society may be looking for any ‘escape from a dead end’Supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s deposed shah, were claiming the crowds out in the streets of Iran were a direct response to his call to action. They described it as a referendum on his leadership and that the response showed he had won.Yet the issue of an alternative leadership for Iran remains unresolved. Many Iranians, eager to end the 47-year-long rule of the clerics, still view a return to monarchical rule with suspicion. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
University of Glasgow rector cleared of misconduct by medical watchdog over alleged antisemitism 09. January 2026 (17:42) Palestine activist and doctor Ghassan Abu-Sitta also cleared over alleged support for Hamas in case brought by GMCThe rector of the University of Glasgow has been cleared of misconduct by a medical watchdog over alleged antisemitism and support for Hamas.Dr Ghassan Abu-Sitta, a plastic surgeon and prominent Palestinian activist, appeared via video link on Friday before a fitness to practise panel of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, where a case of misconduct against him was rejected. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US military forces seize fifth tanker in effort to control Venezuelan oil 09. January 2026 (17:21) Pre-dawn assault on the Olina oil tanker was carried out by US marines and navy sailors in the Caribbean near TrinidadUS politics live – latest updatesThe US early on Friday boarded another oil tanker, the US military said, as part of efforts to target sanctions-busting vessels traveling to and from Venezuela.US forces were seen in video footage that officials posted online landing on the ship’s deck as the vessel named Olina was seized in the Caribbean near Trinidad. It is the fifth interdiction of such ships in recent weeks, separately from the series of previous US operations since the start of the fall to strike suspected drug boats off the coast of Venezuela. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘An incomprehensible nightmare’: grief turns to anger over Swiss bar fire as Le Constellation owner arrested 09. January 2026 (17:18) Jacques Moretti arrested on Friday as lawyers representing families of victims say investigators are not moving fast enoughLike many young people across Switzerland, Kenzo Ronnow, a university student in Lausanne, slept in on 1 January after celebrating the new year.But as he scrolled through his phone soon after waking, he saw the lead story of a foreign news website was about Switzerland. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘She will go down as one of the best’: the rise of Jessie Buckley 09. January 2026 (17:00) From talent shows to the big screen, the actor’s performance in Hamnet has made her a leading awards contenderHamnet, Chloé Zhao’s film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s bestselling novel about William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes (or Anne) Hathaway, is a tender meditation on love and grief. Charting the couple’s anguish over the death of their 11-year-old son – said to have inspired the play Hamlet – it has moved audiences to tears and united critics in their praise.The film’s emotional force is carried by the Irish actor and singer Jessie Buckley, who portrays Hathaway (opposite Paul Mescal’s Shakespeare) with a rawness and intimacy that has already earned her a Critics’ Circle award for best actress, and marked her out as a leading contender for the Golden Globes, Baftas and Oscars. The Guardian film critic Peter Bradshaw called her “unselfconsciously beguiling”, while Rolling Stone predicted audiences “will be talking about Jessie Buckley’s performance for years”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU states back controversial Mercosur deal with Latin American countries 09. January 2026 (16:22) Agreement after 25 years of negotiations prompts farmers to block roads in Paris, Brussels and WarsawEuropean Union member states have backed the biggest ever free trade agreement with a group of Latin American countries, ending 25 years of negotiations but stoking further tensions with farmers and environmentalists around the bloc.The contentious Mercosur deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, prompted immediate protests in Poland, France, Greece and Belgium, with farmers blocking key roads in Paris, Brussels and Warsaw. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
