The Guardian·Sunday, January 4, 2026

The Guardian - Sunday, January 4, 2026

10 stories~15 min

Listen to this episode

Hear all 10 stories summarized and read aloud.

▶Play on Tera.fm

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...

Read original →

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

Read original →

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

Read original →

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

Read original →

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

Read original →

‘Extremely dangerous precedent’ set by Trump’s attack on Venezuela, six countries warn – live

Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay say US actions ‘constitute an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security’ Top Republicans backpedal from Trump claim that US will run Venezuela Keir Starmer also told the BBC that he thinks we are living in a more “volatile” world than we have been for “many, many years” and said global affairs have much more of a “direct impact” on the UK than they have in a long time, citing the effects of military conflicts and the climat

Read original →

‘They lied to our face’: Democrats decry Trump’s military raid on Venezuela

Lawmakers call US intervention and capture of Maduro ‘wildly illegal’ and say it lacked congressional approval Trump’s Venezuela intervention: latest updates Democratic leaders responded with fury on Sunday to Donald Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela, slamming it as an illegal act carried out in the absence of required congressional approval that would lead to disaster for the American people. Top Democrats took to the Sunday TV political talk shows to express their dismay at the lack

Read original →

Top Republicans backpedal from Trump claim that US will run Venezuela

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defends capture of Nicolás Maduro and says US has ‘leverage’ over country Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, and prominent Republicans swiftly backpedaled from Donald Trump’s assertion that the US will run Venezuela in transition after US forces snatched the president, Nicolás Maduro, and brought him to the US to face federal criminal charges. Rubio appeared on numerous US politics shows on Sunday morning to defend the US operation in the early hours of Saturd

Read original →

UK ‘not entirely clear’ what it means for US to ‘run’ Venezuela

UK waiting to determine if US breached international law by capturing Nicolás Maduro, PM’s chief secretary says Venezuela crisis – latest updates The UK is “not entirely clear” what it means for the US to be in charge of Venezuela, the chief secretary to the prime minister has said, urging a move towards a peaceful transition of power. Darren Jones said the UK would wait to determine whether there had been a breach of international law after the US attacked the Venezuelan capital and captured

Read original →

European leaders appear torn in face of new world order after Venezuela attack

Leaders try to focus on what comes next, as backing for ejection of Maduro mingles uncomfortably with voicing of support for international law Venezuela crisis: latest updates European leaders emerged divided and torn as they tried to welcome the ejection of Venezuela’s authoritarian president, but still uphold the principles of international law that did not appear to allow Donald Trump to seize Nicolás Maduro, let alone declare that the US will run Venezuela and control its oil industry. Eur

Read original →