Aldi reports record Christmas sales after shoppers moved to cut festive grocery bills 05. January 2026 (11:16) UK’s fourth-largest supermarket’s sales rose 3% with 5.5m bottles of fizz and 500,000 turkeys soldBusiness live – latest updatesAldi has reported record Christmas sales as cost-conscious shoppers aimed to cut their festive grocery spending.The UK arm of the German discounter said sales rose by 3% year-on-year in the four weeks to 24 December to £1.65bn, with a 5% surge of £500m in the final week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Eighty ‘one in, one out’ asylum seekers accuse UK of degrading treatment 05. January 2026 (11:06) Detainees being held under controversial scheme say Home Office has caused them ‘severe psychological harm’UK politics live – latest updatesEighty asylum seekers detained in preparation for being returned to France under the UK government’s controversial “one in, one out” scheme have called on UN bodies to investigate their treatment. claiming they have suffered “fear, humiliation, and psychological distress” at the hands of the Home Office since arriving in the UK in small boats.The detainees have compiled a document, “Report on conditions and treatment at Harmondsworth immigration removal centre”, which claims they have been treated unjustly by the Home Office since arriving in the UK on small boats. Harmondsworth is one of two detention centres close to Heathrow airport in London. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three children dead in Iran protests as security forces accused of ‘indiscriminate targeting’ 05. January 2026 (11:06) Escalating protests sparked by economic chaos have seen at least 20 people killed and nearly 1,000 arrested, say human rights groupsAt least three children are reported to have been killed and more than 40 minors arrested after eight days of the ongoing protests across Iran, as human rights groups accuse the regime’s security forces of “indiscriminate targeting of civilians”.The nationwide uprising sparked by the collapse of the country’s currency and rising living costs has spread to at least 78 cities and 222 locations, with demonstrators calling for the end of the regime, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Our minerals could be used to annex us’: why Canada doesn’t want US mining 05. January 2026 (11:00) Opposition to a controversial graphite mine in Quebec strengthened once the Pentagon became involvedThe Outaouais region on the western edge of Quebec is home to thousands of lakes, vast forests and extensive wetlands. It is also the setting of a swathe of wooded land known as La Petite-Nation, which, although not far from the cities of Montreal and Ottawa, remains relatively untouched.That, however, is to change with the arrival of a controversial graphite mine with financing from the Pentagon. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
From tourism to wine, Syrian businesses flounder in post-Assad cultural flux 05. January 2026 (11:00) Shop owners report fewer travellers while bars and wineries hope for legal clarity on alcohol saleAbu Ali spent the first hours after the toppling of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad boxing up his merchandise. Old-regime bumper stickers, mugs with Assad’s face, T-shirts on which Russian and Syrian flags faded into each other – it all had to go.A year later, the weathered tourist shop on the boardwalk of the Syrian coastal city of Tartous has entirely new products. The shelves are lined with the new three-star Syrian flag, mother-of-pearl jewellery boxes engraved with revolutionary slogans, and pictures of rebel fighters killed during the country’s 14-year civil war. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Snow closes schools and disrupts travel in parts of UK and Ireland 05. January 2026 (10:51) Amber weather warnings issued as widespread wintry conditions take holdEurope live – latest updatesHundreds of schools have been closed and flights cancelled in parts of the UK as weather warnings remain in force, with snow bringing disruption.Amber weather warnings for snow are in place across parts of Scotland, forecasting heavy snowfall and significant travel disruption, while yellow warnings for snow and ice extend across much of the UK. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Venezuela attack could embolden China and Russia, says Emily Thornberry 05. January 2026 (10:30) Failure to condemn US intervention risks encouraging others to take similar action, warns senior Labour MPThe lack of western condemnation of the US military intervention in Venezuela could embolden China and Russia to take similar action against other countries, a senior Labour MP has warned.Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, said that without a coherent and strong response to Donald Trump’s move at the weekend to remove the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and bring him to the US, the norms of international law could break down. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: Arctic air grips Europe as severe winds batter Corsica 05. January 2026 (10:15) Subzero temperatures, heavy snowfall and powerful gusts mark a harsh start to 2026 for manyIt has been a cold start to the year across much of Europe, particularly in central regions, where temperatures dropped to double-digit negatives. Heavy snowfall hit parts of eastern and central Europe on New Year’s Eve, notably in Poland and Ukraine, with similar conditions across the Alps on the first few days of the year.The cold is likely to continue this week as an Arctic air mass sinks south across Europe, pulling temperatures well below the seasonal average outside south-east Europe. Temperatures are expected to fall widely by about 5C (41F) below average, with some areas – such as parts of central and north-eastern Europe – up to 10C lower than the norm. When wind chill is taken into account, it will feel even colder. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nicolás Maduro to appear in New York court on drugs and weapons charges 05. January 2026 (10:00) Deposed Venezuelan president was controversially captured over weekend amid US military interventionDeposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro is expected to appear in Manhattan federal court on Monday afternoon on drugs and weapons charges after his controversial capture by US Special Forces this weekend.Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized in a shocking pre-dawn raid at a compound on Saturday during an assault on Caracas. At least 40 people, including civilians and Venezuelan military members, died in the attack, the New York Times reported. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Venezuela live updates: interim president offers to ‘collaborate’ with US after Trump warns of further strikes 05. January 2026 (08:33) Delcy Rodríguez adopts conciliatory tone as she stands in for Nicolás Maduro after Venezuelan leader captured by American forces and brought to USTense calm spreads at border with Colombia after Maduro captureAnalysis: European leaders appear torn in face of new world orderProsecutors say Nicolás Maduro is the kingpin of a cartel of Venezuelan political and military officials who have conspired for decades with drug trafficking groups and US-designated terrorist organisations to flood the America with thousands of tonnes of cocaine.As Reuters reports, Maduro was first indicted in 2020 as part of a long-running narcotics trafficking case against current and former Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrillas. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
