The Guardian·Friday, January 2, 2026

The Guardian - Friday, January 2, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Anthony Joshua’s driver charged with dangerous driving after fatal crash in Nigeria

British boxer was injured in collision that killed his personal trainer Latif Ayodele and strength coach Sina Ghami Nigerian police have charged Anthony Joshua’s driver with causing death by dangerous driving after a fatal crash that killed two people. Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was also charged with driving without a valid driving licence and “driving without due care and attention, causing bodily harm and damage to property”. He is due to appear in court on 20 January. Continue reading...

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Cremation pyre in Africa thought to be world’s oldest containing adult remains

9,500-year-old pyre uncovered in Malawi offers rare insight into rituals of ancient African hunter-gatherer groups A cremation pyre built about 9,500 years ago has been discovered in Africa, offering a fresh glimpse into the complexity of ancient hunter-gatherer communities. Researchers say the pyre, discovered in a rock shelter at the foot of Mount Hora in northern Malawi, is thought to be the oldest in the world to contain adult remains, the oldest confirmed intentional cremation in Africa, an

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US ‘adapt, shrink or die’ terms for $2bn aid pot will mean UN bowing down to Washington, say experts

Afghanistan and Yemen excluded from list of 17 priority countries chosen by Trump administration to receive aid laden with demands The $2bn (£1.5bn) of aid the US pledged this week may have been hailed as “bold and ambitious” by the UN but could be the “nail in the coffin” in changing to a shrunken, less flexible aid system dominated by Washington’s political priorities, aid experts fear. After a year of deep cuts in aid budgets by the US and European countries, the announcement of new money for

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Guinea’s junta chief elected president after opposition boycott

Mamady Doumbouya reneged on promise not to stand and hand west African country back to civilian rule The head of Guinea’s junta, Mamady Doumbouya, who had pledged not to run for office after seizing power four years ago, has been elected president after the country’s electoral commission said he had secured a sweeping majority of the vote. Doumbouya, 41, faced eight rivals for the presidency but the main opposition leaders were barred from running and had urged a boycott of the vote held over th

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Tensions between Saudis and Emiratis over future of Yemen reach boiling point

Dispute has potential to create civil war in south of Yemen and spill over into neighbouring countries Tensions between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia over the future of Yemen and the imminent possibility of the declaration of an independent southern state have reached boiling point with Saudi Arabia in effect accusing the UAE of threatening its future security. The dispute has the potential to create a civil war within the south of Yemen and also spill over into other disputes includ

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Maduro urges Trump to abandon ‘illegal warmongering’ and start ‘serious talks’

Venezuelan president warns of a ‘forever war’ similar to Iraq after US counterpart claims first land strike on dock The Venezuelan leader, Nicolás Maduro, has urged Donald Trump to abandon his “illegal warmongering” and begin “serious talks” with his administration as mystery continued to surround a purported pre-Christmas CIA airstrike on the South American country. Speaking during an hour-long TV interview, Maduro declined to confirm reports of the apparent US attack, which would be the first

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Trump’s shadow war in Venezuela grows, but country’s strongman leader still clings to power

Report of a drone attack on a port facility signals new phase in US military campaign against Nicolás Maduro US wargames played out scenarios for Maduro’s fall. None of them ended well for Venezuela Nearly a week after Donald Trump first announced what he said was the first US ground strike in a four-month-long military pressure campaign against Venezuela, details remain very thin on the ground. CNN and the New York Times reported late on Monday that they had confirmed the CIA had used a drone

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Jair Bolsonaro undergoes second procedure to treat persistent hiccups

Former Brazilian president underwent a phrenic nerve block while temporarily released from prison for surgery Jair Bolsonaro underwent a second “phrenic nerve block procedure” on Monday to treat persistent hiccups. The treatment went well and the former Brazilian president’s condition is stable, according to his medical team. Continue reading...

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At least 13 people killed and 98 injured in train derailment in Mexico

Train accident in Oaxaca is likely to raise criticisms about public works projects from the previous administration At least 13 people were killed when a train derailed in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, in an accident which is likely to revive opposition criticisms of the speed and dealings with which the country’s government builds its flagship public works projects. The incident took place on the Interoceanic Train, which was built to link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the narrowest pa

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US struck ‘big facility’ in Venezuela, Trump claimed without offering details

Trump alleged that US forces hit ‘very hard’ in what would mark his team’s first land strike on Venezuela if confirmed Donald Trump has claimed that US forces struck a “big facility” in Venezuela last week – but the president did not specify what it was, or where, and the White House has not commented further. “We just knocked out – I don’t know if you read or you saw – they have a big plant, or a big facility, where the ships come from. Two nights ago, we knocked that out. So we hit them very h

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