The Guardian·Thursday, January 8, 2026

The Guardian - Thursday, January 8, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Two weeks on, questions linger over targeting and impact of US airstrikes in Nigeria

Very little information has been shared about strikes in Sokoto state Two weeks after the US carried out Christmas Day airstrikes in north-west Nigeria on what it described as Islamic State fighters, questions remain over the specific group that was targeted and the operation’s impact. In the aftermath of the strikes, Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that “ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christia

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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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Venezuela to release ‘important number’ of detainees

Congressional president Jorge Rodríguez says releases are a gesture to ‘consolidate peace’ Five days after the US seized Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela has announced it is releasing an “important number” of detainees in what the congressional president characterised as a gesture to “consolidate peace”. It is unclear how many people are being freed. Human rights organisations working in the country estimate that Venezuela holds between 800 and 1,000 political prisoners, most of them detained for takin

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Brazilian president vetoes bill reducing Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva rejects bill passed by congress as he marks anniversary of 2023 Brasília riots Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has vetoed a bill that would dramatically reduce the prison sentence of the country’s far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted last year of plotting a coup. Lula vetoed the bill, which was passed by congress in December, on the third anniversary of riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the capital, Brasília, over his defeat by Lula in

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Venezuela cooperating fully and US will control its oil for years, Trump claims

US president says Delcy Rodríguez’s interim administration is doing ‘everything that we feel is necessary’ The US is receiving full cooperation from Venezuela’s regime and will control the country and its vast oil reserves for years, Donald Trump has claimed. Caracas was giving Washington “everything that we feel is necessary” and the US would remain a political overlord there for an indefinite period, the US president said. Continue reading...

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‘Shadow fleet’ ships moving sanctioned oil reflagged to Russia at rising rate

Lloyd’s List analysis suggests 40 suspicious vessels joined Russian registry last year, with 17 reflagged last month Two oil tankers under US sanctions sailing through Channel towards Russia Forty ships accused of belonging to a large “shadow fleet” moving sanctioned oil for Venezuela and others were reflagged to Russia last year in an apparent attempt to gain Kremlin protection from American seizure. Analysis by the shipping intelligence publication Lloyd’s List suggests that of those, at lea

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US protester arrested after TV interview says she was targeted due to Venezuela trip

Jessica Plichta faces misdemeanor charges, which locals say is a tactic of Grand Rapids, Michigan, police to suppress protests Jessica Plichta was arrested on 3 January after a live interview with a local news station about a Grand Rapids, Michigan, protest against the Trump administration’s seizure of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s president, in an attack with a reported death toll of 100. The clip went immediately viral, racking up millions of views across social media. While the headlines focuse

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