Category: World

Vice President JD Vance has posted a bigoted meme mocking Congressional Democrats who were holding a candlelight vigil to remember the violence that erupted at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
In an X post, Vance’s post edited images of sombreros onto a freeze-frame of Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries with their colleagues on the Capitol steps Tuesday. Democrats were marking five years since the riot that saw police officers beaten and government property destroyed.
On that day, supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building as Congress held a joint session to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election win. The failed attempt to overturn the results and keep Trump in office came after the president and his allies repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that the election was stolen from him.
Vance’s meme riffs off those Trump circulated last fall. At the time, Republicans were baselessly claiming Democrats were refusing to support a spendin..

On the first anniversary of the most destructive wildfires in the L.A. area, the scant home construction projects stand out among the still mostly flattened landscapes.
Fewer than a dozen homes have been rebuilt in Los Angeles County since Jan. 7, 2025, when the Palisades and Eaton fires erupted, killing 31 people and destroying about 13,000 homes and other residential properties.
For those who had insurance, it’s often not enough to cover the costs of construction. Relief organizations are stepping in to help, but progress is slow.
Among the exceptions is Ted Koerner, whose Altadena home was reduced to ash and two chimneys. With his insurance payout tied up, the 67-year-old liquidated about 80% of his retirement holdings, secured contractors quickly, and moved decisively through the rebuilding process.
Shortly before Thanksgiving, Koerner was among the first to finish a rebuild in the aftermath of the fires, which were fueled by drought and hurricane-force winds.
But most do not have..

CloseZelensky claims Russia lost 35,000 military personnel in DecemberDonald Trump’s senior negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Kyiv's European allies in Paris today in the latest push for a peace deal.
More than 27 leaders will converge on the French capital to finalise a proposal on security guarantees that can be taken to Russia.
The key issues to be discussed by the Coalition of the Willing-led talks include which countries are prepared to deploy peacekeeping troops and what the remit of any force overseeing a ceasefire might be. Russia has said it won't accept troops from Nato countries on Ukrainian soil.
Zelensky says the allies need to ensure that Russia doesn't repeat its invasion if a peace agreement is signed, and has signalled that Ukraine is ready to fight on if Moscow does not agree to a ceasefire.
Ahead of the talks, Zelensky carried out a top-level reshuffle of his administration and replaced the..

Donald Trump has issued a catalogue of threats against several countries after American troops captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
The US president has followed Mr Maduro’s shock arrest with threats against Colombia, Mexico, Greenland, Iran and Cuba.
Mr Maduro will appear in a New York court at 12pm ET (5pm GMT), where he faces charges of narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. He faces decades to life in prison on each count if convicted.
As the fallout over Mr Maduro’s arrest continues, The Independent looks at every country Mr Trump has recently threatened, after his boast that “American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again.”
VenezuelaFor months, the US has been striking what it describes as Venezuelan “drug boats”, which it claims are carrying narcotics to the US.
Since the first strike in September, Mr Trump has orde..

CloseRussia releases video of drone it says was used in alleged attack on Putin residenceDonald Trump denied that Ukraine targeted Russian president Vladimir Putin’s residence last week, days after saying news of the drone attack had left him “very angry”.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force ‍One on Sunday, Trump said that while “something happened nearby”, US officials did not find Putin's residence was targeted specifically.
“I don't believe that strike happened,” he said. European officials claimed Moscow had made the allegation to undermine peace efforts.
Last week, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine had fired a wave of drones at Putin’s residence in northwestern Novgorod region.
As Russia and Ukraine continued to exchange attacks in the new year, Kyiv recorded its first civilian casualty of 2026 in the early hours of Monday.
The Russian defence ministry accused Ukraine of targeting Moscow with drones every day of 2026 so far, saying this was an escala..