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Exclusive: SIK leader Jess Berthelsen rejects Trump claim that the US needs Greenland for 'national security'Greenland “will not be annexed”, the longtime leader of its largest labor union has declared, refuting Donald Trump's claims that the Arctic territory's current status poses a national security threat to the US.In an interview with the Guardian, Jess Berthelsen, chair of SIK, Greenland's national trade union confederation, said people in the territory do not recognize the US president's allegations that Russian and Chinese ships are scattered throughout its waters. “We can't see it, we can't recognize it and we can't understand it,” he said. Continue reading......

If this reform succeeds it will be a blueprint for African self-reliance. But the state has failed to deliver the most basic services for decades. No wonder Nigerians are suspiciousLet's not mince words. Nigeria's new tax regime, which landed on our heads this January, is the most ambitious attempt to reshape the state since, well, since the last time someone had a “bright idea” in Abuja. They're calling it a “generational reset”.From where I sit, and from where millions of Nigerians actually sit – in traffic, in market stalls, in offices – wondering how to make ends meet, it feels more like a grand, high-stakes gamble. Continue reading......

Deal would create world's largest mining company and come almost a year after previous discussions failedBusiness live – latest updatesRio Tinto and Glencore have restarted talks over a merger that would create the world's largest mining company.The talks come almost a year after previous discussions between the two mining companies collapsed. If a deal is agreed, it would create a global mining business with an enterprise value of more than $260bn (£193bn). Continue reading......

Online competition and weak consumer confidence behind fall, although sales at group's supermarkets roseBusiness live – latest updatesSainsbury's has blamed “significant headwinds” from weak consumer confidence, heavy online competition and widespread discounting for a fall in sales at its Argos chain over the all-important Christmas quarter.The UK's second-largest grocer said its supermarkets increased sales by 3.4% at established stores in the three months to 3 January but Argos sales fell 1% in the period. Continue reading......

X to limit editing function to paying subscribers after platform threatened with fines and regulatory actionGrok, Elon Musk's AI tool, has switched off its image creation function for the vast majority of users after widespread outcry over its use to create sexually explicit and violent imagery.The move comes after Musk was threatened with fines, regulatory action and reports of a possible ban on X in the UK. Continue reading......

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsCoal could be a potential stumbling block in these latest Rio Tinto/Glencore talks.Rio divested itself of the dirty, polluting fossil fuel in the last decade; in 2018 it became the only major global mining company to have no coal assets.“This is Simon's first test as CEO and I would expect his disciplined approach to be carried through to M&A. Continue reading......

Investment firm that also bought WH Smith's high street business has reputation for rapid and hard-nosed restructuringThe expected collapse of the high street retailers Claire's and The Original Factory Shop, with 2,550 jobs at risk, has put the previously little-known investment firm Modella Capital in the spotlight.The UK-based firm, which bought the two troubled chains within the last year, was set up by a group of restructuring professionals four years ago and has risen to prominence. Continue reading......

For much of the last 30 years, the rest of the world has been forced to persevere with climate action in the face of US intransigenceOutrage as Trump withdraws from key UN climate treaty along with dozens of international organisationsDonald Trump's latest attack on climate action takes place amid rapidly rising temperatures, rising sea levels, still-rising greenhouse gas emissions, burgeoning costs from extreme weather and the imminent danger that the world will trigger “tipping points” in the climate system that will lead to catastrophic and irreversible changes.The US president's decision to withdraw from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the world's leading body of climate scientists, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will not alter any of those scientific realities. Continue reading......

Cyclists and others voice frustration as transport infrastructure descends into chaos amid increasingly rare cold snapA week-long winter cold snap that would once have been normal in the Netherlands has caused more than 20,000 flight cancellations, chaos on roads and railways, buildings to partially collapse, and a stream of angry cyclists asking why roads seem better gritted than cycle lanes.Since Saturday, up to 15cm of snow has fallen across the country, with temperatures of -10C (14F) including wind chill, sparking angry commentary over how some nations manage months of snow but the Netherlands, no longer used to it, appears paralysed. Continue reading......

The 1958 says club has become a 'laughing stock'Protest planned at Old Trafford in early FebruaryManchester United supporters group The 1958 has called for a vote of no confidence in the club's ownership model, calling Sir Jim Ratcliffe “an incompetent clown”. The organisation will also hold a protest at the home match against Fulham on 1 February to make their voices heard at Old Trafford.The group wants the removal of the Glazer family and Ratcliffe from the club. Concerns were also expressed in relation to the work of the chief executive, Omar Berrada, and the director of football, Jason Wilcox, in the aftermath of Ruben Amorim's sacking, which will lead to an interim replacement. Continue reading......

Ewes and lambs coaxed out of store in Burgsinn after about 20 minutes, leaving trail of destruction in drinks sectionAbout 50 wayward sheep broke off from their flock and stormed a discount supermarket in a German town, startling and delighting customers as the animals rushed to explore the aisles before being escorted from the premises.The woolly incursion occurred on Monday during a routine seasonal migration of the sheep in the Bavarian municipality of Burgsinn. A few dozen of the sheep had other ideas about the route and made their way into a store of the Penny retail chain. Continue reading......

Aria and Tia both south of Britain after US-UK seizure of Marinera, deemed to be part of Moscow's 'shadow fleet'Two oil tankers under US sanctions are sailing east through the Channel towards Russia, prompting speculation over whether the US and UK would be willing to seize further vessels linked to Moscow.The Aria and the Tia, which has changed its name and country of registration several times, were both travelling south of Britain a day after the Marinera oil tanker was captured in the Atlantic by the US with UK help. Continue reading......

Deluge of 'nudified' images on social media platform X raises questions about regulation of use of AI technologiesThe deluge of images of partly clothed women – stripped by the Grok AI tool – on Elon Musk's X has raised further questions over regulation of the technology. Is it legal to produce these images without the subject's consent? Should they be taken off X?In the UK alone there is some doubt over the answers to these queries. Social media regulation is a nascent area, let alone trying to control the deployment of artificial intelligence. There are laws in place to tackle the problem, such as the Online Safety Act, but the government has yet to introduce additional measures such as banning nudifying apps. Continue reading......

Security forces reported to have killed at least 45 people since protests began 12 days ago, as pressure on regime increasesIran was plunged into a complete internet blackout on Thursday night as protests over economic conditions spread nationwide, increasing pressure on the country's leadership.While it was unclear what caused the internet cut, first reported by the internet freedom monitor NetBlocks, Iranian authorities have shut down the internet in response to protests in the past. Continue reading......

Lawsuit accuses AI chatbots of harming minors and includes case of Sewell Setzer III, who killed himself in 2024Google and Character.AI, a startup, have settled lawsuits filed by families accusing artificial intelligence chatbots of harming minors, including contributing to a Florida teenager's suicide, according to court filings on Wednesday.The settlements cover lawsuits filed in Florida, Colorado, New York and Texas, according to the legal filings, though they still require finalization and court approval. Continue reading......

GM says end of tax incentives and less stringent emissions regulations slowed consumer demand for EVs in 2025General Motors said on Thursday it will record a one-time earnings hit of $7.1bn in its quarterly financial results, mostly due to its pullback from electric vehicles in light of shifting US policies.The Detroit auto giant's fourth-quarter results will be dented by $6bn in charges connected to reversals on EV investments, according to a securities filing. The remaining $1.1bn includes costs from the company's restructuring of its China operations. Continue reading......

AI tool also used to undress image of woman killed by ICE agent in US, says researchElon Musk's AI tool Grok has been used to create sexually violent and explicit video content featuring women, according to new research, as the British prime minister added to condemnation of images it has created.Grok has also been used to undress an image of Renee Nicole Good, the woman killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in the US on Wednesday, and to portray her with a bullet wound in her forehead. Continue reading......

Forecasts suggest that global heating could create a shortcut from Asia to North America, and new routes for trading, shipping – and attackAnother week, another freak weather phenomenon you've probably never heard of. If it's not the “weather bomb” of extreme wind and snow that Britain is hunkering down for as I write, it's reports in the Guardian of reindeer in the Arctic struggling with the opposite problem: unnaturally warm weather leading to more rain that freezes to create a type of snow that they can't easily dig through with their hooves to reach food. In a habitat as harsh as the Arctic, where survival relies on fine adaptation, even small shifts in weather patterns have endlessly rippling consequences – and not just for reindeer.For decades now, politicians have been warning of the coming climate wars – conflicts triggered by drought, flood, fire and storms forcing people on to the move, or pushing them into competition with neighbours for dwindling natural resources. For anyone who...

Report says officials seem unprepared for potential risks that unregulated industry poses to UK financial stabilityThe UK Treasury has a “limited grasp” of concerns linked to the booming shadow banking sector and may not be prepared for risks the unregulated industry poses to financial stability, peers have said.While a lack of data makes it hard to say whether the $16tn (£12tn) non-bank financial sector could bring the wider financial system to its knees, officials do not seem to be alive to the potential risks, according to a Lords financial services regulation committee report. Continue reading......

Revolt among MPs was resolved quickly, yet it echoes pattern of making decisions without proper consultationLabour to announce pub business rates U-turn after industry outcryPolitical U-turns come in various forms, and as news of the latest government reversal drifted out, this one connected to the plight of the pub trade, Labour MPs could take comfort in one thing: at least it happened quickly.While last summer's change of stance on benefit reforms was forced on Downing Street by open rebellion, and those for pensioners' winter fuel payments and inheritance tax for farmers followed months of dissent, the decision to revisit decisions on business rates took a matter of weeks. Continue reading......