US aircraft monitor tanker off Ireland in clampdown on Venezuelan oil 05. January 2026 (16:05) A dozen other ships are reportedly trying to evade Donald Trump’s naval blockade by turning off location beaconsA tanker is under US military surveillance 250 miles off the coast of Ireland while about a dozen vessels with Venezuelan oil are apparently trying to evade a naval blockade in the Caribbean.The ships, which are under US sanctions, turned off transmission signals that can be used to follow them after they sailed from Venezuela, according to TankerTrackers.com. The monitoring service said satellite images showed at least four left Venezuelan waters through a route north of Isla Margarita, the country’s largest island and a popular resort. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK credit card borrowing rises at fastest annual rate in almost two years 05. January 2026 (16:01) Bank of England says individuals borrowed extra £2.1bn in consumer credit in NovemberBusiness live – latest updatesCredit card borrowing rose at the fastest annual rate for almost two years in November, according to the Bank of England, as households took on debt to finance the rising cost of Christmas.In a snapshot covering the month of Rachel Reeves’s highly anticipated autumn budget, the central bank said individuals borrowed an additional £2.1bn in consumer credit, up from a £1.7bn increase in October. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One person in custody after attack on JD Vance’s Ohio home, officials say 05. January 2026 (14:58) US vice-president was not at his Cincinnati home when attacker smashed windows trying to get into the houseOne person is in custody after an overnight attack on the home of JD Vance in which windows were broken, authorities in Ohio said on Monday.The US vice-president was not at his Cincinnati residence at the time, according to a statement from the US Secret Service. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Prax Lindsey oil refinery bought out of administration by US rival 05. January 2026 (14:54) Insolvency Service says 250 staff remaining at Lincolnshire will be guaranteed jobs until the end of MarchBusiness live – latest updatesThe Prax Lindsey oil refinery in north Lincolnshire is to merge with a neighbouring rival, after the US energy company Phillips 66 bought the site, which collapsed into administration last summer.The US company plans to integrate the former Prax operations with the nearby Humber Refinery, which it already owns. It said it would not restart the Lindsey site in North Killingholme as it was not “viable in current form”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man fined for dressing as fake admiral at Remembrance Sunday event 05. January 2026 (14:53) Jonathan Carley, 65, ordered to pay nearly £800 after pleading guilty to attending ceremony in Royal Navy uniform without permissionA man has been fined after he admitted dressing as an admiral without permission at a Remembrance Sunday event.Jonathan Carley, 65, pleaded guilty to wearing uniform bearing the mark of his majesty’s forces without permission and was fined £500, and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £200 surcharge, at Llandudno magistrates court on Monday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
'Tuna King' pays record £2.4m for giant bluefin at Tokyo auction 05. January 2026 (14:52) Kiyoshi Kimura will turn prized 243kg fish into sushi rolls selling for £2.4o at his restaurant chainA sushi entrepreneur has paid a record 510.3m yen (£2.4m) for a giant bluefin tuna at a prestigious auction in Tokyo’s main fish market.Kiyoshi Kimura, who styles himself the “Tuna King”, paid the top price for the 243kg (536lbs) specimen, which was caught off Japan’s northern coast. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Duke of Marlborough appears in court charged with strangling estranged wife 05. January 2026 (13:49) Aristocrat, 70, gives address as Blenheim Palace and indicates he will plead not guilty to three charges of intentional strangulationThe Duke of Marlborough has appeared in court and indicated not guilty pleas to charges of strangling his estranged wife.Charles James Spencer-Churchill, a distant relative of Winston Churchill and Diana, Princess of Wales, is accused of three charges of intentional strangulation against Edla Marlborough between November 2022 and April 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
All eyes on secretary of state races – with 2028 White House at stake 05. January 2026 (13:00) Voters will choose secretaries of state in contests that could play key role in outcome of 2028 presidential electionWhen Americans go to cast ballots in the midterm elections in 2026, much of the attention is likely to be on races for the US House, Senate and governorships – contests that will serve as a referendum on Donald Trump’s first two years in office and determine the trajectories of the final ones.But further down the ballot, voters will choose secretaries of state in key races that could have a major effect on how elections are run in many US states, including several battleground states that are key to the 2028 presidential race. Twenty-six states are set to choose secretaries of state next year, including the presidential battlegrounds of Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nicolás Maduro to appear in New York court on drug and weapons charges | First Thing 05. January 2026 (12:29) US officials have warned of further military intervention if Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, fails to meet their demands. Plus, how gun-safety advocates are riding a ‘seismic’ wave to US legislaturesDon’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up hereGood morning.Nicolás Maduro, the deposed Venezuelan president, is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday afternoon on drugs and weapons charges after US special forces seized him in a shocking raid at the weekend.What is the reaction in Caracas? While some quietly rejoiced at Maduro’s demise, the traumatic night-time assault on the city prompted stockpiling, uncertainty and fear.What’s the global impact of Trump’s slashing of climate science? It’s substantial. Scientists and forecasters around the world depend on US satellites and studies to track extreme weather in Europe, plan disaster responses in the Caribbean and monitor deforestation in the Amazon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump must give up ‘fantasies about annexation’, says Greenland’s PM 05. January 2026 (12:24) Leader of former Danish colony, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, condemns US ‘threats’ as Nordic neighbours offer supportVenezuela live – latest updatesEurope live – latest updatesGreenland has urged Donald Trump to give up his “fantasies about annexation” after the US president, fresh from his military operation in Venezuela, again threatened to take over the Arctic territory.In a bracingly direct statement, the Greenlandic prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, accused the US of “completely and utterly unacceptable” rhetoric, declaring: “Enough is enough.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
