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    From Donald Trump to Benjamin Netanyahu, let 2026 be a year of reckoning | Jonathan Freedland

    These malign figures will do anything to avoid paying for the harm they have done, but accountability must eventually come to bothIt’s not quite a new year resolution, and it’s certainly not a prediction. Think of it instead as a hope or even a plea for the next 12 months. May the coming year see those leaders who have done so much damage to their own countries, and far beyond, at last be called to account. Let 2026 be a year of reckoning.Start with the man whose reach is longest, by dint of the mighty power he wields. Such is the nature of the US electoral system that Donald Trump, who returned to power less than a year ago, will face the judgment of voters in 10 months’ time. His name will not be on the ballot but, make no mistake, the midterm elections of 3 November will deliver a verdict on the second Trump presidency.Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnistGuardian newsroom: Year One of Trumpism: Is Britain Emulating the US?
    On Wednesday 21 January 2026, join Jonathan Freedland, Tania Branigan and Nick Lowles as they reflect on the first year of Donald Trump’s second presidency – and to ask if Britain could be set on the same path.
    Book tickets here or at guardian.liveDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading… More

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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 dockThe 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 on Venezuelan soil since Trump began his five-month campaign of military pressure in August. Continue reading… More

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    Climate Protest in the Age of Unrest

    There are three remarkable shared characteristics about the wave of Generation Z (Gen Z) protests that have swept around the world in the last 18 months: the speed and scale with which they took off, their astonishing success and, lastly, the mix of motivations that lit the spark of protest and those that are missing… Continue reading Climate Protest in the Age of Unrest
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    A Disquieting Read: Reflections on Western Certainty in a Multipolar World

    The heart-warming hustle-bustle of Christmas and the optimistic welcoming in the New Year are over. A quiet content has enveloped the house. Yes, there is a spot of winter gardening to do, but that can wait until the afternoon. With a large steaming mug of coffee in my hands, I eagerly ensconce myself in my… Continue reading A Disquieting Read: Reflections on Western Certainty in a Multipolar World
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    George Clooney fires back at Trump after US president mocks his French citizenship

    Trump called the actor and his wife, Amal, ‘two of the worst political prognosticators of all time’ after they were awarded French passportsGeorge Clooney has lashed out at US president Donald Trump for criticising France’s decision to grant the Hollywood actor and his family French citizenship.The 64-year-old Oscar winner, his wife, Amal Alamuddin Clooney, and their two children became French citizens earlier this month after living on a property in southern France for years. Continue reading… More

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    What is Keir Starmer doing to push back the populists? Not nearly enough. We have a plan to take them on | Chris Powell

    There is much to learn from the New Labour playbook. We were disciplined, innovative, robust and proactive – and we won• Labour needs complete ‘reset’ to defeat threat posed by Reform UK, says strategist• Chris Powell is an election strategy analyst and advised the Labour party for more than 20 yearsThe next general election will be no ordinary democratic contest. Not the usual swing of the pendulum this way or that. It will be a key moment in the history of our democracy – and it could be less than three years away.Be in no doubt: populists represent a new and terrifying threat to the kind of free elections and free society we cherish, but now take for granted.Chris Powell is an election strategy analyst and advised the Labour party for more than 20 years. David Cowan, who co-authored this article, is founder of Forensics, a data and consumer research consultancy. They are co-founders of winningagainstpopulists.com Continue reading… More

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    The Emergence of the New World Order and the Decline of the US

    The current world order is constantly facing upheavals in geopolitics, geostrategy, the world economy and, most importantly, the effectiveness of international organizations, such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO), in fulfilling their mandates. These upheavals stem from ongoing frictions and tensions between the West, led by the United States, and the… Continue reading The Emergence of the New World Order and the Decline of the US
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    ‘I don’t think we should have billionaires’: mayor Zohran Mamdani in his own words

    Democratic socialist mayor led historic push to lead New York, speaking on immigration, Trump and subway burritosZohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who is now mayor of New York City, ran a campaign known for its soaring political rhetoric, its viral memes and its candidate’s witty quips.Here are some of the quotes that came to define his historic push to lead one of the world’s most important cities:New York will remain a city of immigrants: a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant. So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.What I don’t have in experience, I make up for in integrity. And what you don’t have in integrity, you could never make up for with experience.No more will New York be a city where you can traffic in Islamophobia and win an election.It’s pronounced ‘cyclist’.I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this.I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality, and ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country.I hear you. I see you. And if you’re a burrito on the Q train, I eat you.If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. So, if there is any way to terrify a despot, it is by dismantling the very conditions that allowed him to accumulate power. This is not only how we stop Trump, it’s how we stop the next one. So, Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you: turn the volume up! Continue reading… More