‘Finally got him to go’: how Epstein was given inside track on events that rippled through global markets

Apparent leak by Peter Mandelson gave advance notice of Gordon Brown’s resignation and €500bn eurozone deal

On a brisk Monday evening in May 2010, Gordon Brown stood on the steps of Downing Street and delivered one of the most dramatic announcements of the New Labour era: his resignation as UK prime minister.

The decision came days after a nail-biting general election that left no single party with a clear run at No 10. Brown kept his decision, which followed days of political wrangling, to a tight inner circle. Nick Clegg, who would go on to serve as deputy prime minister of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, was formally told of Brown’s resignation only 10 minutes before the announcement.

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US says it shot down Iranian drone flying towards aircraft carrier

A US military spokesman says the drone was shot down while approaching an American vessel in the Arabian Sea.

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Republican senator suggests ICE agents wear body cameras on patrols

Ron Johnson says he does not ‘have a problem’ with key demand made by Democrats blocking agency’s funding

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could wear body cameras on immigration patrols, a Republican senator has suggested, in a concession that could pave the way to an agreement on Capitol Hill to fund the much criticized agency.

Ron Johnson, a GOP senator from Wisconsin, said he did not “have a problem” with ICE officers wearing the cameras, one of the key demands made by Democrats who are currently blocking the agency’s financing.

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Todd Blanche says review of Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case ‘is over’

Deputy US attorney general says victims ‘want to be made whole’ but that doesn’t mean ‘we can just create evidence’

The deputy US attorney general, Todd Blanche, the point person on the Trump administration’s Epstein files release, told ABC News on Sunday that prosecutors’ review of the Jeffrey Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking case “is over”.

Separately, in comments to CNN about Epstein, Blanche said that “victims want to be made whole” after surviving the scheme attributed to the late convicted sex offender and which led to a 20-year prison sentence for Maxwell beginning in 2022.

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Teenager dies from Swiss bar fire injuries, bringing death toll to 41

The 18-year-old Swiss national died at a hospital in Zurich, the local prosecutor said.

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Gregory Bovino reportedly mocked US Minnesota attorney’s Jewish faith

Bovino, recently demoted, used the term ‘chosen people’ in sarcastic way as attorney Daniel Rosen observed Shabbat

Recently demoted border patrol official Gregory Bovino reportedly made mocking and sarcastic remarks about the Jewish faith of Minnesota’s US attorney, Daniel Rosen, during a phone call with prosecutors in the state earlier in January.

According to the New York Times, Bovino mocked Rosen for observing Shabbat, a weekly day of rest that begins at sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday – and used the term “chosen people” in a sarcastic way during a phone call with the lawyers on 12 January.

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Catherine O’Hara, actor known for Home Alone and Schitt’s Creek, dies aged 71

Actor, also known for Beetlejuice and her work with Christopher Guest, died after a brief illness

Catherine O’Hara, actor known for Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone and Best in Show, has died at the age of 71.

Her manager confirmed the news to Variety. She died after a brief illness.

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Ukraine sees quieter night as Trump says Putin will not attack its cities

Russia said the US president requested a pause in strikes on Kyiv until 1 February, a move Trump said was prompted by the cold weather.

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Former Illinois deputy sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing Sonya Massey

Sean Grayson receives maximum possible sentence for second-degree murder conviction in 2024 fatal shooting

A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting Sonya Massey, who had dialed 911 to report a possible prowler outside her Springfield home.

Sean Grayson, 31, was convicted in October. Grayson, who is white, received the maximum possible sentence. He has been incarcerated since he was charged in the killing.

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Talks ramp up to avert US government shutdown after Minneapolis shooting

Democrats are pushing to remove funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless new measures are implemented.

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