Today in Focus

Keir Starmer’s days as prime minister are numbered, Labour MPs have warned, after a week of fury over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Several MPs have said the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, should take responsibility and resign, with one describing the mood surrounding No 10 as seeming ‘terminal.’ Lucy Hough talk...

The latest release of the Epstein files has dominated the news this week, with documents related to Bill Gates, Peter Mandelson, Elon Musk and Woody Allen pulling them into the spotlight. But, as the US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche suggested the legal review into the Epstein files was ‘over’, the survivors of Epstein’s abuse made clear it was not the end. Annie Kelly speaks to Lisa Philips...

Peter Mandelson faces a criminal investigation over allegations he leaked Downing Street emails and market-sensitive information to the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2009. The Metropolitan police are investigating Mandelson, who was then business secretary, on suspicion of misconduct in public office, an offence that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Police are also reviewin...

Prediction markets allow you to put money on everything from the US attacking Iran to Jesus returning. Saahil Desai explains their dizzying rise. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

A small number of Palestinians from Gaza have started crossing into Egypt for medical treatment after Israel allowed a limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing. It had been largely closed since Israeli troops seized it in May 2024, cutting off a critical lifeline for those in Gaza. About 20,000 Palestinians needing medical care hope to leave Gaza using the crossing, but only a handful have b...

A succession of political leaders have been trooping to Beijing in recent months. Is it an indication of a new world order? Tania Branigan explains. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Donald Trump claims that the release of millions more files related to Jeffrey Epstein ‘absolve’ him of wrongdoing, even though his name appears hundreds of times. The latest documents also indicate high-profile figures, including the former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Labour peer Peter Mandelson, continued friendships with the disgraced financier after his child sex abuse convictions. S...

The Pakistani writer on enduring an abusive relationship in the public eye, and how she broke free. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

With Donald Trump tearing up the world order, governments across Europe are having to confront the fact that most of the technology they rely on comes from US companies. French officials have taken a step this week to reduce their dependence on US digital infrastructure, announcing they have stopped using Zoom, the US-owned video meeting software, in favour of a French-made program. But how viable...

How does it feel when ICE agents swarm your city? Minneapolis residents on why they are rising up. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Donald Trump says ‘time is running out’ for Iran as the threat of war appears to loom closer. A huge US armada is being moved towards Iran and is seen as the starkest indication yet that Trump intends to strike. The US president had called on the Iranian regime to negotiate a deal on the future of its nuclear programme, only weeks after he promised Iranian protesters ‘help was on the way’ then bac...

Miqdaad Versi, Shaista Aziz, Aamna Mohdin and Nosheen Iqbal on the rise of the far right and growing Islamophobia in the UK. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Keir Starmer has landed in China to meet Xi Jinping, in the first trip to the country by a British prime minister in eight years. But Starmer is facing myriad issues, including pressure to try to secure the release of Jimmy Lai, the jailed former media tycoon and one of Hong Kong’s most significant pro-democracy voices, as well as raising other human rights concerns. On top of that he has the diff...

Syrian government forces have seized swathes of territory from Kurdish groups – including camps holding IS prisoners. Will Christou reports on why this is a dangerous moment. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Jeff Bezos’s Amazon MGM Studios is due to release its feature-length documentary about Melania Trump, directed by Brett Ratner, a formerly exiled film-maker who was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. The documentary was screened at a promotional event inside the White House, attended by what the Hollywood Reporter describes as ‘70 assorted VIPs’, including Amazon’s Andy Jassy, Apple’s...

The prime minister may have seen off the challenge for the moment – but what will be the cost to his leadership? Peter Walker reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

US federal agents shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, the second such killing in the city in less than three weeks. Pretti was an intensive care nurse with no criminal record, yet authorities raced to portray him as a violent ‘gunman’ who threatened to ‘massacre’ law enforcement. Video evidence directly contradicts this account. Protests have since erupted across th...

Are the German people on board with the government’s massive militarisation programme? Kate Connolly reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Donald Trump’s maximalist approach to foreign policy reached a crescendo this week, with the US president dominating proceedings at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Trump rescinded his threat to seize the Danish territory of Greenland, and launched his so-called board of peace for Gaza. It’s been a chaotic week in Trumpworld – but there is increasing resistance from other world leaders, and sign...

There have been a slew of defections as Reform rides high in the polls. But is it changing the party? Peter Walker reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The US president has backed down from weeks of threats to seize Greenland after threatening Europe with tariffs and the potential of military force. After talks with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, Donald Trump said the ‘framework of a future deal’ had been agreed that would allow the US to build up its military presence in the territory. Trump has also backed down from the tariff threat a...

Trump’s board of peace includes Putin, Netanyahu and Tony Blair. What on earth will it do? Julian Borger reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

The Duke of Sussex has been giving evidence in the high court, accusing the publisher of the Daily Mail of ‘grave breaches of privacy’ and unlawfully gathering information. The prince is joined in the legal action by a group of other notable figures including Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley and Doreen Lawrence. Lucy Hough speaks to the senior national news editor Aaron Sharp – watch on YouTube . Help s...

Former contestant Diane Carson, and journalist Elle Hunt on the success of the BBC’s hit show The Traitors. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, the eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham, has appeared to permanently cut ties with his family. In an explosive statement posted on Instagram, he claimed his parents had been controlling narratives in the press about his family, and had tried to ‘ruin’ his relationship with his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham. Lucy Hough speaks to Guardian columnist Marina Hyde – watch on Yo...