Lea en español Venezuela accused the US of launching an attack on the country after explosions rocked Caracas, the capital, and aircraft were seen flying overhead, following weeks of pressure from the Trump administration against the regime of Nicolas Maduro . The first explosions were heard around 2 a.m. local time, according to residents. The Venezuelan government said military and civilian targ...
Lea en español Venezuela accused the US of launching an attack on the country after explosions rocked Caracas, the capital, and aircraft were seen flying overhead, following weeks of pressure from the Trump administration against the regime of Nicolas Maduro . The first explosions were heard around 2 a.m. local time, according to residents. The Venezuelan government said military and civilian targets had been hit across three regions, and called on “political and social forces” to rally against the attacks. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. CBS News cited US officials as saying that President Donald Trump had given the order to strike days ago but other military operations took precedence and then weather delayed the plans. If true, launching airstrikes would mark the most serious escalation yet in Trump’s months-long campaign against Venezuela, which saw him build up military forces in the region, authorize a series of attacks on alleged drug-running boats and accuse Maduro of running a terrorist organization. The US has also orchestrated a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers going into and leaving Venezuela. Last month, Trump warned his campaign would “only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before.” US Senator Brian Schatz , a Hawaii Democrat, said the US has “no vital national interests in Venezuela to justify war.” “We should have learned not to stumble into another stupid adventure by now,” Schatz said, adding that Trump is “not even bothering to tell the American public what the hell is going on.” “Venezuela has been attacked!” Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro posted on X, adding his government had triggered an “operational plan” in its cities which border Venezuela. Petro also called on the Organization of American States and the United Nations to meet “immediately.”
Captain Ben Stokes said his England players should not be protective of their positions in the final Ashes Test against Australia in Sydney. Stokes' men have already lost the series and the aftermath of Ashes defeats are often the signal for changes in the England team. England have declined to finalise their XI for the contest at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in advance and will instead name th...
Captain Ben Stokes said his England players should not be protective of their positions in the final Ashes Test against Australia in Sydney. Stokes' men have already lost the series and the aftermath of Ashes defeats are often the signal for changes in the England team. England have declined to finalise their XI for the contest at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in advance and will instead name their team at the toss for the fifth Test on Sunday (23:30 GMT Saturday). "There shouldn't be any reason for anyone to get individual or insular about what they want to do this week," said Stokes. "As soon as someone starts thinking about their own performances it becomes quite easy to see through. "One thing I've managed to get into this group is that everything you do, think, and say is always about what's best for the team and not yourself. "Whoever goes out there this week, everything they do and every decision they make will be about what the team needs." England named a 12-man squad for the fifth Test on Friday. Seamer Matthew Potts looks set to make his Ashes debut in place of the injured Gus Atkinson, potentially leaving a choice between Shoaib Bashir and Will Jacks. Bashir began the tour as England's first-choice spinner, but has so far been overlooked in favour of all-rounder Jacks. England's decision would appear to hinge on how big a role they believe spin will play. The SCG has historically aided spinners, though the ground has lost that reputation in recent years. Across this Ashes series, only nine wickets have fallen to spin. Australia have also opted against naming their team, with the Sydney surface the subject of much speculation after a grassy surface for the fourth Test in Melbourne resulted in England winning inside two days. By Saturday the SCG pitch had lost the green colour it had earlier in the week. Rain is forecast for Sunday's first day, possibly shortening the Test and limiting the impact spin could have. "It's quite a difficult one," said Stokes...
Waiting for the Out 9.30pm, BBC One Josh Finan is a top new talent, with hit shows Say Nothing and The Responder under his belt. He takes the lead role in this brilliant new drama as Dan, a philosopher who for the first time is teaching men in prison. But this triggers Dan’s own past traumas, specifically unresolved business with his violent father. Based on Andy West’s memoir and written by Denni...
Waiting for the Out 9.30pm, BBC One Josh Finan is a top new talent, with hit shows Say Nothing and The Responder under his belt. He takes the lead role in this brilliant new drama as Dan, a philosopher who for the first time is teaching men in prison. But this triggers Dan’s own past traumas, specifically unresolved business with his violent father. Based on Andy West’s memoir and written by Dennis Kelly (Pulling, Together) the interactions at the lessons alone are deeply fascinating. Hollie Richardson The Masked Singer 6.30pm, ITV1 View image in fullscreen Take it off! … The Masked Singer on ITV1. Photograph: Kieron McCarron/ITV Sloth! Teabag! Can of Worms! Conkers! Toastie! It can only be the return of telly’s zaniest singing show. As the first masked singers make their debut performances, the judges are ready to guess which celebrities they are. Plus, Goldfish fronts the Masked Singer band. HR The Traitors 7.45pm, BBC One Given the success of the celebrity edition, it’s easy to forget that it’s been a whole year since the last norm version. Or that it’s usually by this point in the series that we’re starting to warm to certain characters. Spare a thought for the first victims: no one ever remembers the people who get booted out in week one. Alexi Duggins 40 Duets at the BBC 9pm, BBC Two From obvious classics (Kylie and Jason, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton) to duets that seemed absurd until they happened (Eminem and Dido, anyone?), this archival dive plots yet another route through the BBC’s vast music collection. Expect to hear from Meat Loaf and Cher, Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, and George Michael and Aretha Franklin. Phil Harrison The Hunting Wives 10pm, ITV1 The fantastically trashy satire of Texas housewives continues to sizzle. As the friendship between ringleader Margo (Malin Akerman) and newcomer Sophie (Brittany Snow) intensifies, cast-off Callie (Jaime Ray Newman) becomes increasingly jealous. In less sexy news: who is the dead woman in the woods? HR Bo...
Palantir US69608A1088 Palantir Technologies has encountered significant volatility in the opening weeks of the 2026 trading year. A stark contrast has emerged between bullish analyst endorsements and persistent selling pressure, driving the stock price notably lower. Investors are grappling with the tension between long-term optimism for the company's artificial intelligence capabilities and immed...
Palantir US69608A1088 Palantir Technologies has encountered significant volatility in the opening weeks of the 2026 trading year. A stark contrast has emerged between bullish analyst endorsements and persistent selling pressure, driving the stock price notably lower. Investors are grappling with the tension between long-term optimism for the company's artificial intelligence capabilities and immediate concerns over its steep valuation. Despite the downward price movement, several prominent research firms have recently reinforced their positive stance on the data analytics specialist. * Zacks Investment Research upgraded its rating to "Strong Buy" on January 2, citing anticipated profit growth. * Wedbush analyst Dan Ives reaffirmed Palantir as a top selection for 2026, projecting a path toward a trillion-dollar valuation fueled by the AI revolution. * The substantial $448 million contract with the U.S. Navy continues to be highlighted by proponents as evidence of the firm's operational strength and government demand. This optimism, however, is being tested on the trading floor. The equity closed at $168.54 on Friday, marking a single-day decline of 5.18%. This drop is part of a broader weekly retreat, with shares down 10.69% over the past five sessions. Valuation Concerns and Technical Pressure The market's nervous sentiment is amplified by fundamental appraisal metrics. With a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio hovering around 400, depending on the calculation methodology, the stock is considered richly valued. Recent stock sales by Chief Financial Officer David Glazer have added to the cautious mood. Skeptics argue that the share price has disconnected from underlying business fundamentals, even amidst robust revenue expansion. From a technical perspective, market observers note that the stock is now testing key support levels. Should the current selling pressure persist, the next significant support zone is seen near the $150 mark. A breach below this level could furth...
UK-based functional drinks firm Sneak Energy has gained trust with it audience Ashley Read still recalls the moment when Sneak Energy, the cult functional drinks brand, started making headway in the UK. Back in 2018, Read was at energy supplement leader Science in Sport (SiS) and admired how Sneak was able to click with its target, niche audience in a way that the big players were unable to. In ot...
UK-based functional drinks firm Sneak Energy has gained trust with it audience Ashley Read still recalls the moment when Sneak Energy, the cult functional drinks brand, started making headway in the UK. Back in 2018, Read was at energy supplement leader Science in Sport (SiS) and admired how Sneak was able to click with its target, niche audience in a way that the big players were unable to. In other words, they didn’t ‘fake it’. “I remember being sat in the office when we were looking to expand into gaming and esports,” says Read. “Sneak came along and they were doing it with credibility and authenticity with its audience rather than a big blue chip coming in to try and resonate with gamers. We looked at it with admiration but weren't entirely sure how it would scale.” After nearly a decade with SiS, Read is now CEO at Manchester-based Sneak, a £20m retail and online business whose creative and design teams are the drivers of a business in a competitive sector. Read More: 'Our nut butter brand is on people's dating profiles — we're now courting £35m sales' “Very early on we weren’t going to outspend the big players,” says Read. “There is creative license and we have fun along the way. We know we have to do things differently to cut through to the consumer these days.” When Sneak launched with its blue raspberry, cherry bomb and stealth energy powder flavours, the founders sold three tubs on its first day. Today, powder tubs account for nearly 70% of its business over can offerings, while 70% of Sneak’s audience is aged 18-34 within the gaming community against a slightly older demographic with rivals such as Monster, Relentless and Rockstar. At the core of Sneak’s success is resonating with a “cynical and deeply passionate audience”. Sneak’s closed Facebook community numbers around 50,000 and 15,000 on Discord, a communication platform for gamers. Sneak Energy CEO Ashley Read moved from energy supplement leader Science in Sport. Read says the channels are more than...
It’s said that you should never meet your heroes, but 36 years after the Liverpool manager sat by my hospital bed, I got to thank our greatest ally Born to a son of Anfield in a Warwickshire village, I grew up geographically remote from my spiritual football home. Emotionally, though, the pull of the boys in red was ever-present: from my first game at Anfield in 1974 to FA Cup final defeat at Wemb...
It’s said that you should never meet your heroes, but 36 years after the Liverpool manager sat by my hospital bed, I got to thank our greatest ally Born to a son of Anfield in a Warwickshire village, I grew up geographically remote from my spiritual football home. Emotionally, though, the pull of the boys in red was ever-present: from my first game at Anfield in 1974 to FA Cup final defeat at Wembley in ’77, to witnessing the first of Liverpool’s six European Cups, in Rome, when my first hero, Kevin Keegan, ran Berti Vogts ragged. I cried when Keegan left, but soon a new king was born in my imagination: Kenny Dalglish, that wily, tough, insanely skilful Scot. I travelled the country to follow my team through the peaks and troughs that culminated in the lowest possible low, on 15 April 1989, the day of the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. There are many things I remember about Hillsborough, some of which returned to me years, even decades, later. My dad saying: “If it’s a nice day tomorrow, we’ll go.” Ian St John on the end of my hospital bed. My best mate laughing as I struggled to eat a yoghurt. The endless bright white lights of the Royal Hallamshire. The surreal trip to my local hospital in an ancient, drafty ambulance. One thing I don’t remember, though, is meeting my hero. And for good reason. For I’m the “miracle” boy woken by the sound of Kenny’s voice when he spoke at my bedside. Continue reading...
I am staring at my computer, mouth ajar, when my phone rings. The call is from an unknown mobile number, which I would not normally answer, but I’ve just emailed someone requesting an interview, with my own phone number appended to the bottom, and I’m hoping this might be them. I’m also hoping it might not be them. “Hello?” I say. “Hello, is that Tim, yeah?” a male voice says. I leave a long pause...
I am staring at my computer, mouth ajar, when my phone rings. The call is from an unknown mobile number, which I would not normally answer, but I’ve just emailed someone requesting an interview, with my own phone number appended to the bottom, and I’m hoping this might be them. I’m also hoping it might not be them. “Hello?” I say. “Hello, is that Tim, yeah?” a male voice says. I leave a long pause. “Yeah,” I say. This is definitely not the person I emailed. In the background I hear the sound of a busy open-plan office – a call centre perhaps. “Good morning, Tim,” he says. “I’ve just got some urgent questions to ask you about your account.” “What account?” I say. “The account you set up with us,” the voice says. “With who?” I say. “Maybe you don’t remember setting up the account?” he says. “What account?” “Maybe you … ” He stops speaking for a moment. I’m pretty certain I hear him giggle. “You may have dealt with my colleague Tony,” he says, now openly laughing. “I think …” “I don’t know who you are,” I say. “Or what you’re talking about.” “If you could just … ” But he is suddenly too hysterical to say anything more. There is only the occasional snort – the sound of a man trying and failing to regain control of himself. I hang up. As bewildered as I am, it still hurts to be randomly rung up and laughed at. I leave my office shed, cross the garden, step into the kitchen and tell the oldest one what happened. Soon he too is laughing. “What was he trying to do?” he says. “I don’t know,” I say. “Maybe he was on his first day of being a phone scammer, and forgot to read the part of the script where he pretends to be from my bank.” “Do you think?” the oldest one says. “And then he just couldn’t recover,” I say. “Or maybe he was just laughing at me.” “Maybe,” the oldest one says. My stock response when I think I’m being manipulated – to feign incomprehension – is now genuine: I have no idea what’s going on “Either way, it’s the lack of professionalism I find galling,” I say...
More socially acceptable than smoking – yet just as addictive – vaping has become the UK’s default way of consuming nicotine. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics last month showed that the number of over-16s in Great Britain who use vapes or e-cigarettes has overtaken the number who smoke cigarettes for the first time, with 5.4 million adults now vaping daily or occasionally, c...
More socially acceptable than smoking – yet just as addictive – vaping has become the UK’s default way of consuming nicotine. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics last month showed that the number of over-16s in Great Britain who use vapes or e-cigarettes has overtaken the number who smoke cigarettes for the first time, with 5.4 million adults now vaping daily or occasionally, compared with 4.9 million who smoke. But alongside this shift is a growing sense of disquiet. Many people who vape say they want to stop, or at least cut down, and are discovering that it is harder than they expected. Some are even considering returning to smoking cigarettes, which for all their dangers, were harder to puff mindlessly at a desk or to conceal from those around them. Confusion about risk may be compounding the problem. Some public health experts worry that the risks of vaping may have been overstated – and that this could be inadvertently encouraging a new generation of smokers. Data released in September by the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) found that 63% of young people now believe vaping is as harmful as, or more harmful than, smoking, despite decades of evidence showing cigarettes remain far more dangerous. So, if you want to quit vaping – or simply do it less – what does the evidence say about what actually works? At first glance, vaping and smoking can feel similar: both deliver nicotine, both involve inhalation, and both can become deeply habitual. But public health experts are unequivocal that they sit in very different risk categories. “We can be absolutely confident that vaping is far less harmful than smoking,” said Martin Dockrell, the recently retired tobacco evidence lead at the UK’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. “They really aren’t comparable, and people who say they are either misinformed, or perhaps kind of wilfully trying to give a false impression.” The reason lies in combustion. Smoking kills because of the con...
Fan fiction is democracy in its purest, most chaotic form. It’s the people seizing the means of production. Every “what if?” is a tiny revolution. What if the side character got a backstory? What if the finale didn’t end in heartbreak? What if Harry Styles and Zayn Malik kissed just once, for morale? Of course, many would argue that fan fiction isn’t real literature. It borrows worlds and characte...
Fan fiction is democracy in its purest, most chaotic form. It’s the people seizing the means of production. Every “what if?” is a tiny revolution. What if the side character got a backstory? What if the finale didn’t end in heartbreak? What if Harry Styles and Zayn Malik kissed just once, for morale? Of course, many would argue that fan fiction isn’t real literature. It borrows worlds and characters that someone else created. It’s often unedited, published online for free and written by people with no verified experience. To the purists, it lacks originality, polish and commercial value, the hallmarks of what they believe “serious” writing should be. But this is to misunderstand the purpose of fan fiction. Fan fiction starts with the itch of dissatisfaction, it is the art of emotional correction. When what is canon fails to deliver, the fan fiction writers step in, armed with Word documents and righteous indignation. You think this character deserved more hand-holding? Fine. Someone out there is writing 10,000 words of forehead kisses and mutual healing right now. Because fan fiction isn’t just rewriting, it’s repairing. It’s giving yourself the closure you need when the author won’t. It’s deciding that pain can end differently, that love can be louder, that characters who were doomed in print get to live this time. It’s literature written by people who refused to move on and sometimes these people spell really badly (and that is completely OK). And yes, it’s rebellion. Against gatekeeping, against prestige, against the assumption that stories only count when they make money. Fan fiction exists because readers loved something so much they refused to let it die. Besides, the cultural influence of fan fiction is undeniable. Fifty Shades of Grey crawled out of the Twilight fandom and bought itself a mansion. Every fandom renaissance, from Marvel to One Direction to A Court of Thorns and Roses, is quietly fuelled by people writing feelings into being at 2am. Fan fiction...
TV If you only watch one, make it … The Traitors BBC iPlayer; next episode Saturday Summed up in a sentence Series four of the “civilian” Traitors introduces an audacious new wrinkle to keep its players – and its viewers – on their toes. What our reviewer said “Having grown the series’ following with The Celebrity Traitors, the BBC could easily have rolled out another civilian season using past te...
TV If you only watch one, make it … The Traitors BBC iPlayer; next episode Saturday Summed up in a sentence Series four of the “civilian” Traitors introduces an audacious new wrinkle to keep its players – and its viewers – on their toes. What our reviewer said “Having grown the series’ following with The Celebrity Traitors, the BBC could easily have rolled out another civilian season using past templates and felt sure of a record-breaking audience. Instead, they’ve upped the ante and made the format even twistier.” Elle Hunt Read the full review Further reading New Traitors contestants include detective, crime writer and psychologist Pick of the rest Wild London BBC iPlayer View image in fullscreen Wild London. Photograph: BBC/Passion Planet Ltd/Joe Loncraine Summed up in a sentence David Attenborough brings his lifelong sense of wonder to the city’s wildlife, from foxes to peregrine falcons, in this exquisite special. What our reviewer said “This one human animal has changed the way we see the natural world. Whatever will we do without him?” Chitra Ramaswamy Read the full review Further reading ‘Cities need nature to be happy’: David Attenborough seeks out London’s hidden wildlife The Hunting Wives ITVX Summed up in a sentence Blackmail! Murder! Horny Republicans! This starry bonkbuster is about as good as nonsense television gets. What our reviewer said “This is your reward. For getting through Christmas, for getting through the crisis-laden sorrowfest that was 2025, the gods of television have vouchsafed us eight episodes of the most perfect trash to fill our screens since – well, I don’t even know when.” Lucy Mangan Read the full review The Night Manager BBC iPlayer View image in fullscreen Olivia Colman and Tom Hiddleston in The Night Manager. Photograph: BBC/Ink Factory/Des Willie Summed up in a sentence The racy espionage blockbuster returns after a decade away, with Tom Hiddleston back as MI6 agent Jonathan Pine. What our reviewer said “It still floats far a...
Thirty-two years ago, a small group of archaeologists gathered for a weekend in Somerset to make a TV programme about a field in Athelney, the site where once, 1,200 years ago, King Alfred the Great rallied resistance to the invading Viking army. There weren’t many concessions to showbiz glitz. Instead, a group of blokes with unruly hair and a couple of women walked across a field, talked things o...
Thirty-two years ago, a small group of archaeologists gathered for a weekend in Somerset to make a TV programme about a field in Athelney, the site where once, 1,200 years ago, King Alfred the Great rallied resistance to the invading Viking army. There weren’t many concessions to showbiz glitz. Instead, a group of blokes with unruly hair and a couple of women walked across a field, talked things over in the pub and, at one point, gathered around a dot matrix printer to watch it slowly disgorging some results. The most exciting artefact they found was a lump of iron slag. No soil was overturned. From those unpromising beginnings, however, a TV juggernaut was born. That first episode of Time Team, screened on Channel 4 on 16 January 1994, kicked off a remarkable 20-year run of more than 200 episodes, before falling audiences and an unhappy revamp led to its eventual cancellation in 2013. But as any archaeologist will tell you, just because something is in the past doesn’t mean it will stay buried. In 2021, at the urging of a group of devoted fans, some of the original Time Team experts gathered again to film a dig, this time to be broadcast on their own channel on YouTube. Four years on, Time Team has 350,000 subscribers on the platform, where its films regularly attract audiences of up to 2 million. More importantly for the bottom line, 16,000 people pay each month to support it on Patreon. That financial leverage means Time Team is again making archaeological waves: next summer, it will fund a new dig at the Ness of Brodgar in Orkney, after a chance discovery by the programme’s resident geophysicist John Gater suggesting “something quite extraordinary” at the Neolithic world heritage site. View image in fullscreen Excavations at the Ness of Brodgar in Orkney. Photograph: markferguson2/Alamy Even the original presenter, Tony Robinson, has returned for some of the films, after initially, he has admitted, being unsure how the format would work on YouTube. The programme...