Ukrainian president says he has received no ‘unequivocal answer’ from European allies about how they would defend Ukraine if Russia attacked again. What we know on day 1,415

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has received no “unequivocal answer” from European allies about how they would defend Ukraine if Russia attacked again after a peace deal was reached. On Tuesday, European leaders and US envoys announced they had agreed key security guarantees for Kyiv, including a European multinational force that would be deployed if a ceasefire could be reached. But when asked if he was sure that European allies would step in and defend his country in the event of another Russian invasion, Zelensky said on Wednesday he had no “clear” answer on that.

“I personally very much want to get a very simple answer: yes, if there is aggression again, all partners will give a strong response to the Russians. And that’s the exact question I put to all our partners. And so far I haven’t received a clear, unequivocal answer,” Zelensky said. He said there was “political will” from Kyiv’s allies to “give us strong security guarantees”. “But until we have such security guarantees – legal ones, backed by parliaments, backed by the United States Congress – we cannot answer this question.”

UK prime minister Keir Starmer said British MPs will have the opportunity to vote on the final number of troops deployed to Ukraine should a peace deal be reached, Peter Walker reports. Downing Street could not say, however, whether the Commons vote, which would take place before deployment, would tie the government’s hands should MPs reject the prospect of British boots on the ground.

British troops would “conduct deterrent operations and to construct and protect military hubs”, Starmer told parliament on Wednesday. “The number will be determined in accordance with our military plans, which we are drawing up and looking to other members to support. So the number I will put before the house before we were to deploy.”

During the session in the Commons, the Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty said that “the presence of boots on the ground in Ukraine was a red line for Putin, and I worry that this potentially might be a stick that he beats us with in order to push back on any peace deal.”

Russian strikes late on Wednesday knocked out power supplies almost entirely in two regions of south-eastern Ukraine, the energy ministry said. “As a result of the attack, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions are almost completely without electricity,” the ministry said on Telegram. Ukraine’s prime minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said impending snowfalls and temperatures plunging overnight to minus 20C were likely to compound disruptions to power and heating.

Russia attacked two seaports in Ukraine’s Odesa region on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring eight others, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine’s seaport administration said the attacked ports were Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, both key export arteries for Ukraine’s commodity-heavy economy. “This is yet another attack by a terrorist country on port infrastructure that is involved in ensuring global food security,” deputy prime minister, Oleksiy Kuleba, said.

Ukraine’s foreign currency reserves grew to a record high of $57.3bn at the start of January as the country continues to draw substantial flows of foreign support, the central bank said on Wednesday. Ukrainian military spending surged from around $7bn in 2021, the last year before the invasion, to a record of more than $70bn last year. The government depends heavily on financial aid to pay for humanitarian and social spending, as well as defence.

Beijing and Canberra have adopted different strategies to support policing in the Pacific nation and observers are split on which is proving more effective

At a church hall on the outskirts of Honiara, dozens of community leaders gathered for a training session organised by the Chinese police, alongside local Solomon Islands officers.

Among them is Ben Angoa, who has enthusiastically embraced the training, as well as other things China has provided: solar lighting, sewing machines, soccer balls, and even noodle-making lessons.

Analysis finds those who stopped using medication saw weight return four times faster compared with other weight loss plans

People who stop taking weight loss jabs regain all the weight originally lost in under two years, significantly faster than those on any other weight loss plan, according to a landmark study.

Weight loss medications, known as GLP-1 agonists, were originally developed as treatment for diabetes and work by mimicking the glucagon-like peptide (GLP) 1 hormone which helps people feel full.

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78th over: England 312-8 (Bethell 145, Potts 7) Bethell finally has the strike … and he immediately takes a single off Webster. I wonder if he’s going to play some shots before that second new ball? The singles continue as Webster tosses the ball up, inviting a potential hoo-ha. Bethell gets the reverse-sweep out, but with the field back he gets just one.

77th over: England 307-8 (Bethell 142, Potts 5) Scott Boland is up from the other end … and he immediately finds Potts’ front pad. It looks like it’s going down the leg-side, but Australia go upstairs with a review. It’s comfortably missing the stumps. Potts gets the bat down to see off a maiden.

President’s order suspends support for UNFCCC climate framework, UN population agency and other entities

The Trump administration will withdraw from dozens of international organizations, including the UN’s population agency and the UN treaty that establishes international climate negotiations, as the US further retreats from global cooperation.

Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order suspending US support for 66 organizations, agencies and commissions following his instructions for his administration to review participation in and funding for all international organizations, including those affiliated with the UN, according to a White House statement on social media.

Tactical anarchy reigned supreme on a night of chaotic, bewildering, thrilling drama played out amid freezing conditions.

Not that the on-pitch temperature ever seemed to drop below boiling point as a renascent Leeds led three times yet departed with their seven‑match unbeaten run at an end and Yorkshire hearts broken by Harvey Barnes’s stoppage -time winner.

Darren Fletcher failed to produce what Manchester United’s interim manager, fans and chief executive craved: a cathartic victory to move the club on quickly from the recent turbulence.

The big plus was Benjamin Sesko, whose two goals doubled his season tally. He said: “It’s been tough but now I finally did it. Now it’s just up to me and up to us to keep going like that.”

Few things in life can be more awkward than sitting next to your new boss while 3,000 malcontents bellow abuse at him. On the bright side, at least this was a crash course in the modern Chelsea for Liam Rosenior.

The new head coach saw poor defending undermine flashes of defiance, witnessed his erratic side collect their eighth red card of the season, and heard the away end at Craven Cottage spend much of the second half aim mutinous chants in the direction of Behdad Eghbali, the club’s co-controlling owner.

President says he wants to raise military budget to $1.5tn and accuses US defense companies of delivery failures

Donald Trump has claimed he plans to crack down on executive compensation and shareholder payouts at military defense contractors, as his administration looks to dramatically ramp up spending on the armed forces.

In a series of posts on social media, the US president said he wants to increase the military budget to $1.5tn – and complained that defense giants had been failing to swiftly deliver “vital” equipment to the US and its allies across the world.

Startup founded by former OpenAI staff is aiming to more than double its annualized revenue run rate this year

Anthropic is planning a $10bn fundraise that would value the Claude chatbot maker at $350bn, according to multiple reports published on Wednesday.

The new valuation represents an increase of nearly double from about four months ago, per CNBC, which reported that the company had signed a term sheet that stipulated the $350bn figure. The round could close within weeks, although the size and terms could change. Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and Coatue Management are planning to lead the financing, the Wall Street Journal reported.

For the best part of 95 minutes, Antoine Semenyo was almost entirely anonymous. He can do that sometimes; drift in and out of games. When you possess the type of artistry Semenyo does, you can afford such periods of quiet absence.

Then came the type of moment that has convinced Manchester City to shell out £65m for his services; the gamechanging ability that can win games and, perhaps, titles for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Pep Guardiola believes team spirit will help Manchester City get through a difficult period, but more than camaraderie alone will be required on this evidence. City endured a third consecutive draw to leave the leaders Arsenal, who have a game in hand, five points ahead and currently without a title challenger.

An Erling Haaland penalty gave City a platform they were unable to build on, failing to convert a plethora of chances in the second half. City let Brighton come back into the match and deservedly depart with a point thanks to Kaoru Mitoma.

• UK Athletics chief Jack Buckner expresses outrage

• ‘As a former athlete, I find this particularly appalling’

The UK Athletics chief executive, Jack Buckner, has described Reece Prescod’s decision to participate in the controversial Enhanced Games as “appalling”.

The former Great Britain sprinter Prescod gave a statement to the Times saying he is “very excited” to be joining the sprinting field of the event. The Enhanced Games allows the use of performance-enhancing substances and permits athletes to take substances approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under strict supervision.

Blak Caucus, Palestine Action Group and Jews Against the Occupation ‘48 launch challenge in court, arguing the laws are invalid

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A constitutional challenge has been launched against controversial laws in New South Wales that restrict protest actions for up to three months after terrorist incidents, introduced following the December Bondi attack.

The groups the Blak Caucus, Palestine Action Group (PAG) and Jews Against the Occupation ‘48 filed the challenge in the NSW supreme court on Wednesday, arguing in the court summons that the laws are invalid because they “impermissibly burden the implied constitutional freedom of communication on government and political matters”.

After the devastating fires, neighborhoods pledged to build back stronger and better than before. A year later, they’re still untangling issues

Fog shrouded the ruins still standing at the center of the Pacific Palisades on a morning in December, a once-vibrant Los Angeles community decimated by flames. Melted newsstands that distributed the Palisadian-Post, an almost century-old paper that ceased operating in the fire’s wake, sit on crumbled concrete. Weeds spread over an expanse of emptied lots, painting the blackened foundations and chimneys with swaths of green.

It’s been a year of recovery and reckoning in Los Angeles since the unprecedented wildfires erupted in the parched southern California hillsides and cascaded into the surrounding suburbs with shocking ferocity, killing 31 people.

Governor Tim Walz denounces Trump’s ‘propaganda machine’ and issues ‘warning order’ to prepare state’s national guard; US president blames victim in lengthy social media post

• Woman fatally shot by ICE agent during raid, video shows

Miranda Bryant, the Guardian’s Nordic correspondent, also has written this handy explainer on why Donald Trump is renewing calls for a takeover of Greenland:

People face teargas, pellet guns and violence as protests continue and opposition parties call for general strike

Demonstrations over economic conditions broke out in Kurdish regions of Iran on Wednesday despite authorities using violence to try to disperse protests before an announced general strike, according to witnesses and rights groups.

Protesters took to the streets across Kurdish cities in western Iran, with shopkeepers shutting down stores and demonstrators chanting against government corruption. People said they were met with force as authorities fired teargas, pellet guns and what demonstrators said were live bullets at crowds.

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel peace prize winner will lay out vision for the country in book publishing in US

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado will publish a book in the US that lays out her vision for Venezuela’s political reconstruction as the country faces significant upheaval.

The 120-page work titled The Freedom Manifesto is being released by Regnery Publishing, a conservative book publisher acquired by Skyhorse Publishing in 2023.

Median sale price was at $410,800 last year, according to the Census Bureau, even as Trump campaigned on affordability

Donald Trump said his administration was moving to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes in a bid to reduce home prices.

In a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, the US president said he will be asking Congress to codify the measure and will be discussing additional housing and affordability proposals in a speech at the Davos World Economic Forum.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic thriller and Apple’s comedy series lead nominations for the renamed Sag awards with an impressive showing for Sinners and Adolescence

One Battle After Another and The Studio lead the nominations for this year’s Actor awards.

The Actor awards were previously known as the Screen Actors Guild (Sag) awards but were renamed last year. The name change was to provide “clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about”, according to those involved.

Sarat Sampada founders Harjeet Singh and Jyoti Aswati say allegations are ‘baseless, biased and misleading’

Police have raided the home of one of India’s leading environmental activists over claims his campaigning for a treaty to cut the use of fossil fuels was undermining the national interest.

Investigators from India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) claim Harjeet Singh and his wife, Jyoti Awasthi, co-founders of Satat Sampada (Nature Forever), were paid almost £500,000 to advocate for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty (FFNPT).

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Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Iroegbunam; McNeil, Armstrong, Grealish; Barry.
Subs: Travers, King, Patterson, Beto, Dibling, Rohl, Aznou, Welch, Campbell.

Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-5-2): Jose Sá, Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, Krejci; Tchatchoua, Arias, Joáo Gomes, Mané, Hugo Bueno; Arokodare, Hwang.
Subs: Johnstone, Doherty, Wolfe, Andre Trindade, Larsen, Pedro Lima, Chirewa, Lopez, Ojinnaka.

As we age, we naturally lose mobility. But there are some steps we can take to keep these joints healthy for longer

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You’re clinging to the overhead strap on a packed bus during rush hour when the driver suddenly slams on the brakes. As the crowd surges, your arm jerks back and your shoulder takes the full force of the momentum. It’s times like these one is grateful for a strong and healthy shoulder.

“If you’ve got a strong and mobile shoulder, you have the control to reduce the risk of anything [bad] happening,” says Dr Josh Zadro, a physiotherapist and senior research fellow at the University of Sydney.

Arm circles: Large, controlled circles in front of your body.

The wall slide: Face a wall and slide your hands up as high as possible.

The overhead reach: Stretch your arms to the ceiling to counteract the forward hunch of computer work.

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They’re about to discuss Mainoo on Sky, so here’s my take. He’s got incredible ability in tight spaces, but needs to get better and finding the ball – too much of too many games passed him by – stronger, faster, and better at passing it forward. That said, United’s dreadfulness made his continuing omission completely unjustifiable, and I’m sure he’ll now get a chance in the three-man midfield he needs to thrive. If, in a year, he’s got a young, physical six behind him, the best creator in world football ahead of him, and he’s still not making it happen, we can wonder if, perhaps, he’s not quite good enough, despite his strengths. But not until then.

There are plenty of other matches tonight, just underway. Niall McVeigh has you covered.