Australian beef producers said they were “extremely disappointed” after China announced a 55% tariff on imports that exceed quota levels in a move to protect a domestic cattle industry slowly emerging from oversupply.
China’s commerce ministry said on Wednesday the total import quota for 2026 for Australia and other countries such as Brazil and the US covered under its new “safeguard measures” is 2.7m metric tons, roughly in line with the record 2.87m tons it imported overall in 2024.
US intelligence officials persuade Donald Trump that Ukrainians did not target Putin with drones – reports. What we know on day 1,408
Ukraine was “10%” away from a peace deal, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, and his country wanted an end to the war but not at “any cost”. The Ukrainian president, in his New Year’s Eve address, said any agreement needed strong security guarantees. “The peace agreement is 90% ready, 10% remains. And that is far more than just numbers.”
As the Russian ruler, Vladimir Putin, pushes for full control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region as part of any deal, Zelenskyy said he did not believe Russia would stop there. “Pull out from the Donbas, and it will all be over. That is how deception sounds when translated from Russian – into Ukrainian, into English, into German, into French, and, in fact, into any language in the world.”
Zelenskyy said he would not sign a “weak” peace agreement that would only prolong the war. “What does Ukraine want? Peace? Yes. At any cost? No. We want an end to the war but not the end of Ukraine … Are we tired? Very. Does this mean we are ready to surrender? Anyone who thinks so is deeply mistaken.”
European leaders and allies meeting in Paris on 6 January will make firm commitments towards protecting Ukraine after any peace deal with Russia is brokered, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Wednesday during his New Year Eve’s speech.
Ukrainian long-range drones struck the Temp oil depot in the Russian city of Rybinsk, sparking a large fire, an official from Kyiv’s SBU domestic security service said on Wednesday. In Ukraine, a Russian drone attack hit apartment buildings and the power grid in Odesa, injuring six people, including children. Officials said Wednesday that four apartment buildings were damaged and the power company DTEK reported significant damage to two energy facilities.
US and European officials agree that Ukraine did not target Putin and his house with drones. Donald Trump on Monday appeared to give the Russian claim credence, but on Wednesday the US president shared a New York Post editorial accusing Russia of blocking peace. A source familiar with the issue said on condition of anonymity that Trump had reposted the editorial after being briefed by the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, on the drone attack allegations. US national security officials including the CIA determined that the attack did not happen, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, as it tried to shore up its claims, Russia’s defence ministry released video including a Russian serviceman standing next to fragments of a device that he said was a downed Ukrainian Chaklun-V drone carrying a 6kg explosive device that had not detonated. “This is laughable,” said Heorhii Tykhyi from Ukraine’s foreign ministry, “both the fact that it took them two days to produce this, and the fact that the things they try to present as evidence basically shows that they are not serious even about fabricating the story. We are absolutely confident that no such attack took place.”
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, called Russia’s claims “a deliberate distraction … No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine’s infrastructure and civilians since the start of the war.” Reuters said that a Ukrainian briefing paper noted that in the hours after the alleged attack, various Russian officials made extremely similar and likely coordinated comments in public. Residents of a town near Putin’s Novgorod residence heard no sounds of air defences on the night of the alleged attack.
Kim Jong-un hailed North Korean troops fighting in an “alien land” in a new year message to soldiers, state media reported on Thursday. Without mentioning the Ukraine war, the dictator addressed personnel in what state-run KCNA described as “overseas operations units”. North Korea has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean and western intelligence agencies, with at least 600 killed and thousands more injured – all having fought under instructions to kill themselves rather than be taken prisoner.
The US has granted the majority Russian-owned Serbian oil company NIS a reprieve until 23 January from sanctions targeting Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a Serbian minister said on Wednesday. Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS) was forced in early December to shut down Serbia’s sole oil refinery, which supplied about 80% of Serbia’s fuel needs. Washington imposed sanctions on NIS demanding the complete exit of Russian shareholders and preventing the refinery from receiving supplies. But talks over its sale have dragged on.
US military announces two separate strikes on boats it claims were transporting drugs in the Pacific
The US Coast Guard was searching for survivors of a US military strike against a convoy of suspected drug vessels in the Pacific Ocean, officials said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the US military’s Southern Command said the military had carried out a strike against three vessels.
British boxer is released on New Year’s Eve in Ikeja
Joshua can ‘recuperate at home’ after treatment
The British boxer Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital, Nigerian authorities said on Wednesday night. The two-time former heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist was involved in a car accident near Lagos on Monday which killed two of his close associates and team members.
The 36-year-old had been under observation while recovering from minor injuries, his promoter had said on Monday.
This year features a football World Cup, a Winter Olympics, a Commonwealth Games and a historic Test match
Jannik Sinner will be aiming to become only the second man in the Open era, after Novak Djokovic, to win three consecutive Australian Open singles titles, while in the women’s draw Madison Keys will be seeking to defend the title she landed via a shock victory over Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s final. Elsewhere, Roger Federer is scheduled to return to Melbourne Park for the first time since retiring from tennis in 2022 as part of a Battle of the World No 1s match, alongside Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt. “It still makes me smile when I think about all the moments I’ve had here,” said the Swiss legend.
Colorado lawmaker , who pushed for Epstein files release, points to bill’s unanimous passage through US House and Senate
Republican representative Lauren Boebert has fired back at Donald Trump for vetoing a bill that would have funded a drinking water project in her Colorado district, implying the president was playing at political retaliation.
The bill was aimed at funding a decades-long project to bring safe drinking water to 39 communities in Colorado’s eastern plains, where the groundwater is high in salt and wells sometimes unleash radioactivity into the water supply.
Ex-special counsel testified in front of judiciary committee about aborted federal prosecution of Donald Trump
Jack Smith, the former justice department special counsel who led the aborted federal prosecution of Donald Trump, told a congressional committee that he never spoke to Joe Biden about his cases, according to the transcript of a deposition released on Wednesday.
In his behind-closed-doors testimony to the House judiciary committee earlier this month, Smith defended the charges he brought against Trump for allegedly possessing classified documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 election, while warning of the consequences of allowing election meddling to go unpunished.
Manager praises his team’s turnaround in past 12 months
January arrivals also hailed for making a key difference
Pep Guardiola has praised Manchester City for turning their form around to become the best-performing Premier League team in 2025 and warned rivals they will improve once Rodri returns to full fitness.
Despite a rare trophyless season, City go to Sunderland on New Year’s Day with 2025’s best points-per-game ratio, narrowly ahead of Arsenal, who played two more league matches.
Decision comes after DoJ stopped contesting California court’s ruling to return control of guard to state’s governor
Donald Trump has staged a sudden climbdown from his attempts to impose federal troops in law enforcement roles on Democratic-run cities, announcing on Wednesday that he was ending attempted deployments from Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland.
The unexpected shift came after justice department lawyers said they were no longer contesting a California court’s ruling that returned the national guard troops to the authority of Gavin Newsom, the state’s governor. It also followed a rare rebuke from the US supreme court, which blocked the White House’s efforts to deploy national guards in Illinois.
A woman has been found dead after being swept out into the ocean from a Sydney beach in the early hours of New Year’s Day, as authorities issue a warning about dangerous surf conditions on the NSW coast.
Later in the morning another swimmer went missing in the water at Coogee.
England scrum-half returned from injury to a side on the crest of a wave and will hope to catch Steve Borthwick’s eye
Harry Randall and Bristol enter the new year with high hopes. The scrum-half has returned to fitness ahead of schedule after hamstring surgery and marked his 150th Bears appearance in the win against Newcastle last Saturday.
Pat Lam’s side approach the Prem encounter with Sale at Ashton Gate on Friday after five straight victories, sitting fourth in the table, their attractive style having clicked. A fresh assault on the playoffs looks likely.
Resisted at first, the replacement for the subway token became an indelible symbol of the city
First, New Yorkers saw the elimination of subway token, which lasted for half a century. Now, its successor – the swipeable MetroCard, which lasted barely more than three decades – has seen its demise.
At midnight on 1 January, the flexible credit card-sized pass used by millions of New Yorkers to get through subway turnstiles is being terminated from sale just as a new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, takes office.
Côte d’Ivoire came from two goals down to beat already eliminated Gabon 3-2 in Group F at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday as the teenager Bazoumana Touré’s headed winner in added time in Marrakech handed them top spot. The Ivorians finished on seven points from their three games, ahead of Cameroon on goals scored after the latter beat third-placed Mozambique.
Gabon were ahead on 11 minutes when Guélor Kanga profited from a mistake from the goalkeeper Alban Lafont as he spilled a tame shot, allowing the forward to score from close range. It was 2-0 on 21 minutes and this time Lafont had no chance. Denis Bouanga curled a superb shot from the left-hand side of the box across the goal and into the far corner.
US markets buoyed by sustained rise in tech stocks as investors largely shrug off concerns over Trump tariffs
Wall Street finished 2025 near record highs on Wednesday, as ballooning tech valuations and hopes of lower interest rates helped stock markets defy a year of economic uncertainty.
The benchmark S&P 500 rose 16.4% over the course of the year, closing at 6,845.50 on New Year’s Eve in New York, as investors largely shrugged off geopolitical uncertainty and the frenzy around artificial intelligence continued.
Enzo Maresca is on the brink of leaving Chelsea after a complete breakdown in his relationship with the club. The situation around the head coach has been unpredictable for weeks and it is highly likely that a parting of the ways is expected to take place on Thursday.
Chelsea are set to open the new year by holding emergency talks over Maresca’s position. It is expected that the Italian, who was booed by supporters during the disappointing 2-2 draw with Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, will not be in charge for Sunday’s trip to Manchester City. Sources have indicated that Maresca wants to leave the club but it is unclear if he is willing to walk away without a payoff. His contract runs until 2029, with an option for an extra year.
I’ve spent six years writing about environmental justice. The uncomfortable truth is that we’re not all in it together – but people power is reshaping the fight
It’s been another year of climate chaos and inadequate political action. And it’s hard not to feel despondent and powerless.
I joined the Guardian full time in 2019, as the paper’s first environmental justice correspondent, and have reported from across the US and the region over the past six years. It’s been painful to see so many families – and entire communities – devastated by fires, floods, extreme heat, sea level rise and food shortages. But what’s given me hope during these six years of reporting as both an environmental and climate justice reporter are the people fighting to save our planet from catastrophe – in their communities, on the streets and in courtrooms across the world.
The dawn of a new year brings visions of an idealised version of yourself. Fresh-faced, we eagerly pile our to-do lists with things we’ve been putting off and ambitions to aim for. But the energy that comes after a few days off quickly disappears as we settle back into the daily grind of school runs and inbox maintenance.
So instead of adding to your to-do list, why not resolve to take something off it?
New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore is facing a misdemeanor domestic assault charge stemming from an alleged incident on 8 August in Mansfield, Massachusetts.
Barmore, 26, was in a relationship with the alleged victim, according to court documents cited Wednesday by Boston television station WCVB.
Costs for Strand Larsen high, with Wolves wanting £40m
Gil Vicente’s Pablo has nine goals in Portuguese top flight
West Ham are in advanced talks over a deal for the Gil Vicente forward Pablo after having second thoughts about bidding for the Wolves striker Jørgen Strand Larsen.
Nuno Espírito Santo, whose side are at major risk of relegation from the Premier League, wants attacking reinforcements and club sources indicated on Tuesday that an opening offer for Strand Larsen was being prepared. However, there is a scattergun feel to West Ham’s recruitment and they have developed cold feet over the finances around Strand Larsen. Wolves want £40m for the Norwegian, whose wage demands are high.
American cross-country skiing reached a milestone on Wednesday when, for the first time, an American man and an American woman won World Cup races on the same day.
Gus Schumacher and Jessie Diggins delivered the historic double at stage three of the Tour de Ski in Toblach, Italy, both prevailing in a newly introduced 5km heat mass start free event that rewarded speed, pacing and collective tactics rather than head-to-head positioning.
Just eight billionaires accounted for a quarter of the gains, led by Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison and Larry Page
The richest 500 individuals in the world added a record $2.2tn to their wealth in 2025, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with just eight billionaires accounting for a quarter of the gains.
The gains increased their collective net worth to $11.9tn, bolstered by billionaire Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory and booming markets in cryptocurrencies, equities and metals.
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