Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has also been speaking alongside Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk in the last few minutes as part of Tusk’s visit to Kyiv. I will bring you the key lines here shortly.
Shortly before the United States descended into civil war and senior administration officials made a forceful case to purchase Greenland for its natural resources, an American ship appeared in Nuuk’s harbour. Its arrival at Greenland’s largest outpost was newsworthy enough to merit a large picture in the local newspaper. The clipping, published in 1861, comes from the pages of the Atuagagdliutt, a Kalaallisut-language weekly that was the first in the world to use colour illustrations. The image of early US interest in Greenland forms part of a newly opened exhibition on 19th-century Arctic exploration at the University of Toronto’s Thomas Fisher rare book library. Arctic Fever, which draws together lithographs, books, maps and ephemera, offers some uncanny parallels to today’s scramble for the north, showcasing the ambition, hubris and hunger for territory and resources that still drive much interest in the region. “A lot of people see the news and are confused by president Donald Trump’s desires for Greenland. He’d said it in his first term. He voiced it last year,” said Isabelle Gapp, an art historian at the University of Aberdeen, and co-curator of the exhibition. “But people often don’t quite understand just how long a history the US has with Greenland.” The view held by senior officials in the current White House was also held in 1867, when secretary of state William Seward formalized a desire to acquire Greenland and Iceland, citing the two islands’ immense strategic value. Donald Trump has said he would not take Greenland by force, but the White House suggests that it remains keen to control the island. Jeff Landry, the US special envoy to Greenland, called it“one of the world’s most strategically consequential regions” in a recent New York Times op-ed, and called American dominance in the Arctic a “non-negotiable” reality. “It’s lucky for us – in a kind of nasty way – that politics would make this collection so resonant. But I’m hopeful it gives us a chance to think about more than just politics,” said the exhibition’s other curator, Mark Cheetham, an art historian at the University of Toronto. “It’s also the place where the themes of environment and migration and resource extraction are so dominant. We’re hoping though to be able to give the public a fuller view of a place that has long been the source of obsessions.” Few regions of the world have captured the public imagination as the Arctic, buoyed in part by accounts of successful expeditions – and the horrors associated with failure. The exhibition’s title comes from the 19th-century US adventurer Walter Wellman, who wrote: “The arctic fever is in our blood, and there is no cure for such patients but to put them on ice.” By focusing their collection during the zenith of exploration in the region, the team at the library are hoping to reshape how people understand the human presence in a vast, culturally and geographically diverse region of the planet. “We tried to push against the narrative that this was a barren, inhospitable wasteland. Wilderness implies a space in which there is kind of nothingness, that one is travelling to a place where no one has been before. But this is obviously untrue when you look at the people who have long lived there,” Gapp said. “But even today, there’s a narrative that is a place where this man overcomes nature. And this idea very much comes from the 19th century.” Grant Hurley, a librarian who helped acquire many of the works, said the collection showed the evolution of how nations slowly changed their views of the north. “For European and American explorers, the Arctic was once thought of as a place to be transited successfully. It was simply a place to pass through,” he said. “Once that was accomplished, it then became a place to colonize and claim as your own territory.” But for Indigenous peoples, the lands and waters were long a place to live, hunt, travel and explore. Threaded through the exhibit is a recognition that they understood how to thrive on the region’s land and waters – and attempted to share that knowledge with outsiders. The British explorer William Parry spent a winter learning from Inuit in the 1820s when his search for the fabled Northwest Passage was foiled by ice. Parry grew enamoured with an Inuk woman called Iligliuk, who displayed a “superiority of understanding for which she was so remarkably distinguished”. Early attempts to have locals sketch maps of the region “did not produce any very satisfactory information”, Parry wrote in his journal. But soon the British began to “appreciate the geographical knowledge which they possessed”. Iligliuk’s ability to translate her knowledge of the land into something sailors could use was both accurate and detailed. Her skills were called “astounding” by the English geographer John Barrow, who was serving as the second secretary of the admiralty. Iligliuk’s maps reflected generations of interaction with the environment. Instead of a compass, she was guided by winds, the movement of ice and the contours of the land. She identified spots where caribou were plentiful and where one could rest, displaying a very different relationship with the region than the one envisioned by European and American explorers. “What strikes me over and over again is how militarized the Arctic has been [since] the first excursions in the 1500s. Parry wanted to find the Northwest Passage. Why? Because it was an economic and military advantage,” Cheetham said. “Iligliuk’s views reflected a wholly different measure of time and space.” While none of his items are present, the curators admit that Sir John Franklin, the famed explorer, is the “ghost” of the exhibition. His 1845 expedition in search of the Northwest Passage ended in disaster, with all 129 crew members succumbing to the hostile elements. From 1847 to 1859, at least 36 expeditions set out in search of Franklin’s lost ships. All ended in failure, but produced both an unprecedented stream of detailed studies of the region. The collection also includes other, more human artefacts from the search, including elaborate playbills printed on silk commemorating the theatrical showcases put on as entertainment during the long winter nights. One such performance, aboard the HMS Assistance in 1851, promised a “grand farcical, tragical, melo-dramatical, serio-comic” play, with a “lady … engaged at an enormous sacrifice, it being her first appearance on any stage” – a nod to the extensive catalogue of costumes brought along for the voyage. It wasn’t until researchers turned to Inuit oral history that they were able to locate the final resting place of the Erebus and the Terror in the past decade. Climate change has battered swaths of the Arctic and will inflict further damage to delicate ecosystems. As permafrost thaws and ice melts, the rush to extract immense resource wealth is only beginning. Nations and Indigenous peoples are bracing once more for a feverish push into the region. “As the focus intensifies once more on the Arctic, it’s important to remember there isn’t one history, there are many histories. People have long moved in all directions, from all places. They have traveled and they have lived there,” Gapp said. “The history of the Arctic is long, rich, varied, and so too is its future. Where we are today is just another brief moment in its history.”
A close and powerful associate of the deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has reportedly been detained during a joint operation by Venezuela’s intelligence agency and the FBI. Alex Saab, a wealthy Colombian-Venezuelan businessman long considered Maduro’s frontman, was removed from his position in Venezuela’s government a fortnight after US forces captured his ally on 3 January. In the early hours of Wednesday, the 54-year-old was reportedly detained by members of the Bolivarian national intelligence service (Sebin) at a luxury home in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. Raúl Gorrín, a billionaire media mogul who owns the Globovisión TV channel, was also reportedly detained at the same address. There was no immediate confirmation of the arrests from Venezuela’s government but a US official said Saab had been detained as a result of collaboration between US and Venezuelan authorities. The official said they expected Saab to be extradited to the US in the coming days. However, Saab’s lawyer, Luigi Giuliano, called reports of his client’s detention “fake news” and told Colombia’s El Espectador newspaper that he was “doing fine in Caracas”. A representative for Gorrín told the New York Times that the businessman was free as of Wednesday evening. Intelligence sources told the Colombian radio station Caracol that Saab, who had served as minister for industry and national production under Maduro, was taken into custody at about 2am and was being held at the intelligence service’s detention centre. Saab’s supposed detention was the latest twist in the life of the Barranquilla-born businessman, who came to be known as one of the most important financial operators of Maduro’s Chavista political movement. In 2019, Saab was indicted in the US for allegedly being part of a corruption racket in which about $350m of government money was transferred out of Venezuela and into accounts he owned or controlled. The following year, Saab was arrested after landing in Cape Verde while flying to Iran and, after a protracted legal battle, extradited to the US in 2021 to be charged with money laundering. He was the subject of sanctions in the UK for plundering resources destined for public programmes designed to feed and house poverty stricken Venezuelans. However, in December 2023, Saab – who has denied the charges against him – was released as part of a prisoner swap deal with the Biden administration. He returned to Venezuela and in 2024 Maduro made his ally a minister – a position he was stripped of on 16 January by Maduro’s former number two, the country’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez. Saab’s reported detention was a reminder of how volatile the political situation remains in Venezuela one month after Maduro’s downfall upended the country’s authoritarian political landscape. Trump has claimed that the US is “running” the South American country after January’s special forces raid and has warned that Rodríguez could face a worse fate than Maduro if she fails to do Washington’s bidding. Since taking power, Rodríguez has removed several members of Maduro’s cabinet and security apparatus, including the head of presidential security and the minister of communication and information. However, other key names in the Chavismo movement remain in power, including the feared interior minister Diosdado Cabello, who controls Venezuela’s security forces and paramilitary groups.
Dozens of children are reported to have been experiencing symptoms of toxin poisoning after the recall of various baby formulas, the UK Health Security Agency has said. The reports follow the Food Standards Agency confirming the recall of several batches of Nestlé infant formula and follow-on formula products on 5 January due to the possible presence of the cereulide toxin. The UKHSA has been made aware of 36 cases of children developing symptoms consistent with cereulide toxin poisoning across the UK, including 24 in England, after consuming baby formula from the affected batches. On 24 January, Danone, another infant formula retailer, recalled one batch of its Aptamil first infant formula due to the same toxin. Last week, the FSA confirmed the presence of the toxin in some Nestlé products, with the problem ingredient having been identified as arachidonic acid oil. Gauri Godbole, the deputy director of gastrointestinal infections, food safety and one health at the UKHSA, said the reports of children with these symptoms were not unexpected due to the “widespread availability of the affected products prior to the recall”. She added: “Current surveillance indicators do not show unusual increases in reports of vomiting in children under the age of one for this time of year, but UKHSA are monitoring these outputs and continue to investigate the public health implications of this recall, including the impact of the toxin on children. “Parents and caregivers are advised to recheck and remove all recalled formula from their homes to prevent illness in their children.” Bacillus cereus is a type of bacteria that can contaminate food. It produces the cereulide toxin, causing symptoms such as vomiting, stomach cramping and diarrhoea. Symptoms usually have a rapid onset, between 15 minutes to six hours after ingestion. They usually resolve within 24 hours providing there is no ongoing exposure to the toxin. The FSA has urged the public if they have any of the affected products to stop using them, switch to an alternative and contact their GP or NHS 111 if their baby has already consumed the formula. Those at high risk of complications due to the poisoning include young children and immunocompromised people.
It was designed in the 1950s to be the world’s first “drive-through shopping centre”, a futuristic structure with more than than two miles of ramps looping past 300 shops, as well as cinemas, a hotel, a private club, a concert hall and a heliport. But the building was never completed, and under the regimes of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, spaces envisioned as shops were turned into cells, and El Helicoide became Venezuela’s most notorious torture centre for political prisoners. Now, under US pressure, acting president, Delcy Rodríguez – who previously oversaw the prison as Maduro’s vice-president – has announced plans to shut down El Helicoide and turn it into a cultural centre. The giant structure, which looms over central Caracas, will be turned into a “sports, cultural and commercial centre for police families and neighbouring communities”, Rodríguez said on Friday. The move is part of a raft of measures touted by Rodríguez as proof that the government has turned the page since Maduro was captured and renditioned to the US. But activists have criticised the plan as an attempt to rehabilitate a symbol of Venezuela’s collapse – and erase the regime’s long history of repression. “The horrors committed at El Helicoide have already been sufficiently documented and exposed by numerous human rights organisations and by a United Nations mission,” said Martha Tineo, coordinator of the NGO Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón (Justice, Encounter and Forgiveness, or JEP), one of the groups that have for years supported political prisoners and their families. “We welcome the fact that it will be shut down – but not so that it can be turned into some kind of social or recreation centre,” Tineo said. Activists argue the site should instead be turned into a space of memory, along the lines of the former Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada (Esma) in Buenos Aires, a torture centre under Argentina’s military dictatorship which is now a museum. That would offer “a form of reparation for victims by telling the truth and ensuring that these horrors are not repeated”, Tineo said. Named after its spiralling, brutalist concrete structure, the building was conceived in the 1950s to project an image of modernity fuelled by oil wealth during the military dictatorship of Marcos Pérez Jiménez, but it was abandoned after he was overthrown in 1958. In the 1970s it became a temporary shelter for thousands left homeless by devastating landslides, but the overcrowded structure soon became notorious for drug trafficking and crime. In the 1980s, the families were moved out, and it was used as the headquarters for the domestic intelligence service. Under Chávez, El Helicoide became a detention centre for political prisoners held by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin). Repression intensified under Maduro, and reports documented practices of torture including electric shocks, beatings, suffocation and prolonged bans on family visits. In recent years, El Helicoide and Sebin were under the direct command of Rodríguez. Engineer and activist Angel Godoy, 52, spent nine months in El Helicoide last year. Although he says he was not tortured there, he was unable to contact his family for the first three months. He was arrested in the regime’s crackdown after the opposition organised a nationwide effort to collect voting records and prove that it had won the 2024 election – even though Maduro nevertheless declared himself the victor. His organisation had trained citizens to monitor the electoral process. “They saw this as a major threat and came after us,” said Godoy, who was charged with terrorism, incitement to hatred and to armed action. Three months ago, he was transferred from El Helicoide to Yare prison, which is also notorious for its overcrowding and dire conditions. When he was released on 14 January, after 372 days behind bars, Godoy left behind all his few belongings for his cellmates: sandals, a toothbrush, toiletries and some food. “When the guards shouted my name, my fellow inmates began shouting, ‘Freedom, freedom!’ As I walked out, they told me to fight for them and not to forget them,” Godoy said. Like dozens of others released since the US attack, Godoy was not granted full liberty: although, unlike others, he has not been barred from giving press interviews, he must still report to court every 30 days and is prohibited from leaving the country. Activists estimate that between 600 and 800 political prisoners remain behind bars, even after Rodríguez announced her intention to send an “amnesty” bill to congress. “I think I will only truly be free when each and every one of my fellow prisoners is out of those unjust cells,” Godoy said. While no date has been set for a vote, the bill is expected to pass easily in the national assembly, which is dominated by regime loyalists. A main concern of activists is that, according to the acting president, those convicted of crimes such as homicide will be excluded. Yet among political prisoners are many accused of never-proven allegations of supposed assassination plots against Maduro. JEP’s coordinator, Tineo, also argues that these people must be compensated for being wrongfully imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, and that political prisoners, former detainees – many of whom died in custody – their families and civil society organisations must take part in the discussion of the amnesty bill. A new oil industry law, approved last week, has drawn the same criticism over a lack of transparency and public debate, reinforcing the view among critics that Rodríguez’s administration represents a form of Chavismo 3.0. “Trying to carry on as things were in the past would amount to confirmation that there is no real will for change from the government,” Tineo said.
Good morning. Older readers may remember Peter Mandelson as a man in a sharp suit drifting through New Labour’s 1990s heyday like a Bond villain with a Filofax. An architect of Labour’s modernisation and a lightning rod for right-wing press ire, he has been in the orbit of power for more than three decades. That run has now come to a shuddering halt after the release of the so-called Epstein files by the US Department of Justice, which detail the extent of Mandelson’s contact with the late billionaire financier and convicted child sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein. While the Met police investigate Mandelson on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the disclosures from the files have also raised urgent questions about judgment, access and accountability at the highest levels of public life. For today’s newsletter I take a look at Mandelson’s history and current situation, and speak to investigations correspondent Henry Dyer to unpack why, even in these extreme circumstances, Mandelson cannot simply be removed from the House of Lords. First, the headlines. Five big stories UK politics | Labour MPs have warned that Keir Starmer’s days as prime minister are numbered after a day of fury over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Gaza | Israeli forces have bulldozed part of a Gaza cemetery containing the war graves of dozens of British, Australian and other allied soldiers killed in the first and second world wars. Crime | An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a student in his 20s was stabbed in Leicester city centre and later died in hospital, Leicestershire police have said. Media | Washington Post editor in chief Matt Murray on Wednesday morning announced internally a “broad strategic reset” that will result in “significant” layoffs across the company. Immigration | Donald Trump’s border tsar said about 700 federal agents would leave Minnesota, a large drop in agents on the ground but still leaving about 2,000 agents there, far above typical levels for the state. In depth: ‘Peers are expected to act on their personal honour, the ‘good chap’ theory’ Henry Dyer is no stranger to Lords behaving badly, having been part of the Guardian team whose investigations into Lord Evans of Watford and Lord Dannatt led to them being suspended from the House of Lords. I wanted to know if a similar fate might befall Lord Mandelson who, despite saying he has effectively retired, will retain his title. “Peers are expected to act on their personal honour, the code of conduct says,” Henry tells me. “That’s never really been properly defined – the whole thing is supposed to work on the ‘good chap’ theory.” But recent publicity very much suggests that Mandelson has not been a ‘good chap’. *** Who is Peter Mandelson – and why does he still matter? Peter Mandelson is one of the most influential political operators of the past 40 years, even though he has spent much of that time just outside the spotlight. A central architect of New Labour, he helped modernise the party’s image in the 1990s, earning him the nickname “the Prince of Darkness” for his command of media messaging. He served in multiple cabinet roles under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, twice resigning amid controversy and twice returning, before reinventing himself as a European Commissioner, lobbyist and political fixer. Elevated to the House of Lords in 2008, Mandelson remained a behind-the-scenes force within Labour, advising Keir Starmer’s leadership and briefly serving as UK ambassador to Washington in 2025, before the swirl of Epstein-related stories led him to step down. Mandelson was also an exceptional figure in politics for being openly gay, a fact that has shaped how he is treated by the media and the opposition alike. Long before culture wars were part of everyday Westminster talk, his sexuality was weaponised against him. Columnist Matthew Parris “outed” Mandelson in 1998 during an interview for BBC Two’s Newsnight, and Boris Johnson referred to “tank-topped bum boys” in a Telegraph column – an explicitly homophobic attack Mandelson later called an outright slur. What makes him matter now, though, is not just his longevity, but his proximity to power: a figure who was never merely a minister, but a strategist, gatekeeper and power broker. *** What is Mandelson being investigated for? The Metropolitan police are investigating Peter Mandelson on suspicion of misconduct in public office, a common-law offence that applies when a public official is alleged to have acted in their position in a way that seriously abuses the public’s trust. The inquiry was launched after the release of documents from the Epstein files appeared to show Mandelson sharing confidential and potentially market-sensitive government information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as business secretary during the global financial crisis. Misconduct in public office is a notoriously broad and ill-defined offence, but it carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. In practice, prosecutions are rare and typically focus on whether a public official wilfully misused their position without reasonable justification. Other potential lines of inquiry include market abuse, if confidential information was disclosed in a way that could have influenced trading in government bonds or financial markets. Mandelson has denied wrongdoing, saying the documents do not show any misdemeanour on his part. The police investigation is expected to involve interviews, examination of devices and requests for unredacted material from US authorities, with any decision to bring charges ultimately resting with prosecutors. *** What is the Official Secrets Act – and has Mandelson broken it? Breaking the Official Secrets Act is often invoked as shorthand for the gravest imaginable breach of state trust, but in practice the act is a blunt, ageing and rarely used legal tool. While senior politicians have suggested Mandelson’s email exchanges with Epstein may have breached the act, it is far from clear whether the information allegedly shared falls within the narrow categories the act protects. The core of the legislation dates back to 1911, drafted in the shadow of fears about a German invasion and written in the language of war, enemies and spies rather than modern government, markets or email trails. Because of that, prosecutions under the act are exceptionally rare – typically fewer than one a year. Former intelligence officials describe it as “notoriously flaky”, and prosecutors are cautious about using it unless a case is overwhelming. Espionage trials are also politically sensitive – juries have historically proved unpredictable, and failed cases can cause deep embarrassment to the state. Two of the most famous Official Secrets cases – against Clive Ponting over the Falklands, and Katharine Gun over the Iraq war – ended in acquittal. *** Why wasn’t Mandelson ejected from the House of Lords? In theory, the House of Lords does have a disciplinary system, Henry explains. Complaints about peers are investigated by the Lords commissioner for standards, who can deal with minor breaches directly or refer more serious cases to the Conduct Committee, a body made up of peers and independent lay members. It can decide, Henry says, “that a Peer might have to pay some money back, might have to issue an apology, and it can suspend peers.” What it has almost never done is expel a peer outright. While the committee technically has that power, it has never formally removed someone who did not resign first. The closest case was Lord Ahmed in 2020, who stepped down after being told he would be expelled after findings of serious misconduct. He was jailed in 2022 for sexual offences against children. There are also time limits, Henry says. Ordinarily, the Lords will only investigate breaches of its code of conduct committed within the past four years, though the committee can choose to waive that restriction in exceptional circumstances. In Mandelson’s case, Henry points out, alleged conduct dating back to his time as a cabinet minister in 2009 could plausibly have been investigated as behaviour that brought the House into disrepute – had he not already resigned. Crucially, though, resignation from the Lords does not mean the loss of a title. Mandelson has retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014, but he remains Lord Mandelson for life. That distinction lies at the heart of the current controversy. *** What sanctions might Mandelson ultimately face? With the police now investigating, Henry says any disciplinary process inside parliament would almost certainly be paused. He points to the case of Michelle Mone, who has been under investigation by the Lords commissioner for standards for several years while criminal inquiries continue. Acting before the conclusion of a police investigation risks accusations of pre-judgment. In theory, parliament could legislate to strip Mandelson of his peerage altogether. Life peerages are created under statute, and Henry stresses that what parliament creates by law, it can undo by law. There is even a legislative template: the Titles Deprivation Act 1917, passed during the first world war, removed titles from peers who sided with enemy powers, and included the precise wording needed to strike someone from the roll of peerages. Legally, then, it could be done quickly – even in a single day – if the government chose to make time for it. The obstacle is political rather than procedural. Targeting a single individual risks setting an uncomfortable precedent, raising questions about why one peer is singled out and others are not, and edging towards the historical taboo of parliament and the crown using acts of attainder to punish individuals with bespoke legislation. Henry’s conclusion is blunt: if ministers truly wanted to act, they could. The real issue is whether they are prepared to own the precedent – and whether they want to wait for the outcome of criminal investigations before doing so. What else we’ve been reading Lanre Bakare sets out on a quest to learn to style his daughters’ mixed-race hair. The results are both moving and sweet. Aamna Mohdin, newsletters team The reaction to the killing of Alex Pretti has been heartening, with even the gun lobby questioning the Trump administration’s justification. Abené Clayton contrasts that with the lack of attention given to the death by police of Black gun owner Philando Castile. Toby Moses, head of newsletters Aditya Chakrabortty’s fascinating reporting on the Greens show they have moved beyond an electoral force to become a social movement, with serious implications for the leadership within the Greens and Labour. Aamna Austin Applebee’s story has been a rare ray of light in 2026; our explainer looks at how a 13-year-old boy swam for four hours, through treacherous maritime conditions, then ran 2km to save his family stuck at sea. Toby A growing number of people are choosing to limit the contact they have with their family. Emily Retter tenderly explores the benefits and the negatives of such a decision. Aamna Sport Winter Olympics | Great Britain’s best hopes of a gold medal at the Winter Olympics have suffered a significant blow after skeleton’s governing body banned Team GB’s aerodynamic helmets for being the wrong shape. Rugby union | ITV will screen in-game commercials for the first time during Thursday’s Six Nations Championship opener between France and Ireland at Stade de France. Snooker | The much-loved snooker player and commentator John Virgo has died at the age of 79, World Snooker has announced. The front pages “‘It’s over’ for Starmer, say Labour MPs amid fury over Mandelson” is the Guardian splash. The Times leads on “Starmer fights for future over Mandelson scandal”, the Telegraph has “Rayner turns on Starmer” and the Sun simply says “Revolting”. “Starmer in grave peril as Rayner twists knife” is lead story at the Mail, and the i paper frames news of the day as “Starmer isolated: Labour MPs losing confidence in the Prime Minister”. The FT splashes on “Satellite signals intercepted by Kremlin craft, spy officials say” while the Mirror mourns the death of snooker legend John Virgo with “I can’t imagine a life without my John”. Today in Focus A survivor on the Epstein Files The latest release of the Epstein files has dominated the news this week. Annie Kelly speaks to Lisa Philips, who suffered years of abuse by Epstein in the 2000s and is now one of the many survivors calling for more transparency from the Trump administration. Cartoon of the day | Nicola Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad The Welsh county of Carmarthenshire has launched “The Sisterhood,” a new initiative capitalising on the trend of women foregoing traditional prosecco-fuelled getaways for trips centred on wellbeing and acquiring new skills. The goal is to immerse visitors in the local landscape and its seasons, while aiming to embody the Welsh word for sisterhood, chwaeroliaeth, which means “sisters together”. It reflects a Welsh tradition of women gathering, often while performing shared tasks like milking or churning butter. Groups can opt for pre-curated stays, or they can design a bespoke experience. The activities are led by Wild Kin, a collective of local experts including potters, painters, coastal foragers, horse whisperers, walking guides, makers, and massage therapists. Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Martin Belam’s Thursday news quiz Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply
In their first call since November, Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned US president Donald Trump to be “prudent” about supplying arms to Taiwan, according to a readout of their call provided by China’s foreign ministry. “President Xi emphasised that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” the readout said. “China must safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow Taiwan to be separated. The US must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence.” Hours later, the self-ruled island’s president, Lai Ching-te, said ties with the US were “rock solid”. “The Taiwan-US relationship is rock solid, and all cooperation projects will continue uninterrupted,” Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, told reporters during a visit to textile merchants in western Taiwan on Thursday. Taiwan is a self-ruled democracy that China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. Beijing prohibits all countries it has diplomatic relations with – including the US – from having formal ties with Taipei. Still, while the US doesn’t officially recognise Taiwan as a country, it is the island’s strongest informal backer and arms supplier. In December, the US state department announced its largest-ever arms sales package to Taiwan, valued at more than $11.1bn and including missiles, artillery systems and drones. The package is yet to be approved by Congress. China reacted angrily to the proposed arms sales, conducting two days of military drills around the island in late December, for which it dispatched air, navy and missile units. The arms sales are also facing pushback from Taiwan’s opposition KMT party and some of its population, along with a proposed increase of defense spending to 3.3% of Taiwan’s gross domestic product. Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament has blocked Lai’s budget plan, including a $40bn special defense budget, proposing instead a much smaller defense spending plan. Late on Wednesday, Trump had said the call with Xi – which covered topics including Taiwan’s future – was “excellent” and “thorough” in a post on Truth Social. The call also covered Russia’s war in Ukraine, “the current situation with Iran” and China buying oil and gas from the US, Trump wrote in the post. He added that he was looking forward to a trip to China in April that will be the first of his current term in office. Trump also said China was considering buying 20m tons of US soya beans in the current season, up from 12m tons in the previous season.
The swish of feet on clay and sand has a soothing, rhythmic feel, as wrestlers at a sumo stable in Tokyo propel themselves across the ring, their bodies low, eyes fixed on an imaginary foe. By the time their morning training ends an hour later, all but one of the rikishi are bathed in sweat, gulping lungfuls of air, their strength waning with every shove. One wrestler has spent most of the session at the side of the dohyo ring, guiding his stablemates with words delivered with economy and purpose. After the group bow to a miniature Shinto shrine on the back wall, they gather around their mentor in a communal expression of gratitude. Four years ago, he went by the name Danylo Yavhusishyn, a teenage refugee from the war in Ukraine who arrived in Japan unable to speak a word of the language, and uncertain of how his separation from his family would work out. Then this month, Yavhusishyn – now known by his fighting name Aonishiki – won his second tournament in a row, and is on course to become the first European to become a yokozuna grand champion – the pinnacle of the ancient Japanese sport. “It’s not good to be too fixated on [promotion] … But I wake up every day wanting to get stronger, to climb another rank higher,” he told international media, including the Guardian, after a morning training session at the Ajigawa stable in the capital’s eastern suburbs this week. “Wanting to become stronger and to attain a higher rank is my motivation. The simple fact is that you can’t progress without a struggle.” Aonishiki, whose sumo name means “blue brocade” in honour of the Ukrainian flag, reached the sport’s second-highest rank of ozeki in record time last year, having made his professional debut only in July 2023. His feat is all the more remarkable given his weight – at 140kg (309lb) he is not particularly heavy by sumo standards. It is his strength, skill and determination that should earn the 21-year-old from Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine, promotion to yokozuna – a feat achieved by just 75 men in the sport’s history – if he wins next month’s tournament in Osaka. ‘I want more people around the world to take an interest’ Aonishiki was preparing to begin his university studies in Ukraine when Russia invaded in February 2022, forcing him to abandon his plans. A career in sumo seemed a natural choice for the teenager, who had taken up judo and freestyle wrestling as a boy, becoming national sumo champion in 2021. In 2019, he finished third at the junior world sumo championships in Osaka, where he befriended the Japanese wrestler Arata Yamanaka, then captain of a university sumo team in western Japan. After Russia invaded, Aonishiki, who had fled to Germany with his parents, reached out to Yamanaka, whose family agreed to host him. It took Aonishiki just nine tournaments to reach the top tier of sumo – an accomplishment that tied him with two other wrestlers for the fastest ascent through all six divisions since 1958, when the sport adopted its current format of six 15-day grand tournaments, or basho, a year. Years after sumo was embroiled in match-fixing and bullying scandals – and disquiet among purists at the dominance of Mongolian rikishi – Aonishiki is part of a crop of wrestlers driving a golden age for the sport, whose roots go back centuries. “People ask me for tickets all the time … I’m excited that sumo is getting a lot of attention, and we as wrestlers have a responsibility to respond,” he says. “I want more people around the world to take an interest in sumo, so we still have work to do.” ‘London was a lot of fun’ Stables are opening their doors to overseas visitors amid Japan’s tourism boom, and tickets for tournaments sell out immediately. The success of last year’s exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall – the first sumo tour to Britain for 34 years – confirmed the sport’s growing global appeal. A similar event will be held in Paris in June. “London was a lot of fun, and it was different from when we do sumo in Japan,” says Aonishiki, his frame wrapped in a blue-and-white yukata robe. “The fans’ reaction was different, and you could feel the excitement, so it’s something I would definitely like to do again. “There’s nothing like sumo – it’s not always the strongest or biggest person who wins, so it doesn’t discriminate in that sense. I’ve heard that sumo is becoming popular overseas, and as a wrestler I’d be delighted if more people got into it.” Aonishiki is more loquacious than many of his peers, although he is reluctant to discuss the war in Ukraine. But his home country, and the friends he left behind – are never far from his mind. He speaks to his parents every day and is aware that his success has made headlines in Ukraine. “My friends and my old sumo coach and everyone else, they’re all watching sumo more than I expected,” he says. “When I win a title or even when I just win a match, they get in touch straight away and it gives me more motivation to work hard.” When he isn’t training and “sleeping a lot”, he visits onsen hot springs and – unsurprisingly perhaps – eats out a lot, with sushi and Korean barbecue among his favourites. “I do miss food from Ukraine, he says. “A lot of Ukrainian dishes contain potatoes, so I like it when we have nikujaga [a Japanese meat and potato stew].” The exhausted junior stablemate resting in the background as Aonishiki speaks would no doubt have agreed with his response when asked what he enjoyed most about morning training. “The moment it ends,” he says.