Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

Denmark’s postal service will deliver its final letter on 30 December, bringing to an end more than four centuries of letter delivery. PostNord, the company formed in 2009 from the merger of the Swedish and Danish postal services, announced earlier this year that it would stop delivering letters in Denmark. The decision will lead to 1,500 job losses and the removal of 1,500 of the country’s iconic red postboxes. The company cited the “increasing digitalisation” of Danish society, describing Denmark as one of the most digitalised countries in the world. Demand for letters, it said, has fallen sharply, while online…

Elon Musk’s controversial $56bn pay package from Tesla has been reinstated by the Delaware supreme court, two years after a lower court struck it down as “unfathomable”. The ruling, delivered on Friday, revives a compensation deal that could now be worth as much as $139bn, according to the New York Times. The decision comes less than two months after Tesla shareholders approved a fresh long-term pay plan that could be worth up to $1tn to Musk over the next decade. Musk, already the world’s richest person, is estimated to have a personal fortune of about $600bn. In its judgment, the…

The famine in Gaza has ended following an increase in humanitarian aid deliveries, the United Nations said on Friday, while warning that hunger and living conditions across the territory remain severe. The UN said nearly one in eight people in Gaza is still facing food shortages. Persistent hunger has been worsened by winter flooding and falling temperatures, with most of the population living in tents or damaged shelters after much of Gaza’s housing and civilian infrastructure was destroyed during the two-year war. Israel has partially eased restrictions on aid since an October ceasefire with Hamas, but deliveries remain limited and…

The US military carried out air strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria on Friday in retaliation for an attack that killed American personnel, US officials said. The strikes followed a pledge by Donald Trump to respond forcefully after a suspected Islamic State fighter attacked US forces in central Syria last weekend. A US official, speaking anonymously, said the operation was a large-scale response targeting sites across central Syria. Trump said on social media that the Syrian government had fully supported the strikes and described the action as “very serious retaliation”. US Central Command said more than 70…

The Trump administration has announced a major package of arms sales to Taiwan worth more than $10bn, including medium-range missiles, artillery systems and drones, prompting a sharp response from China. The US state department confirmed the sales late on Wednesday, during a nationally televised address by President Donald Trump. Trump made little reference to foreign policy and did not mention China or Taiwan. Relations between Washington and Beijing have fluctuated during Trump’s second term, driven largely by disputes over trade and tariffs. Tensions have also been heightened by China’s increasingly assertive stance towards Taiwan, which Beijing claims must be reunited…

Hundreds of Gen Z protesters have been arbitrarily detained in Morocco amid allegations of beatings and mistreatment, drawing condemnation from human rights groups as the country prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday. The arrests followed a wave of youth-led protests in late September and early October over underfunded healthcare and education. The demonstrations, dubbed “Gen Z 212” after Morocco’s international dialling code, were the largest the country has seen since the 2011 Arab spring. Human rights organisations say the authorities responded with a sweeping crackdown, arresting thousands of people. Detainees were allegedly beaten and left for…

China is set to impose a value-added tax on condoms and other contraceptives for the first time in more than 30 years, as part of efforts to modernise its tax system and encourage higher birth rates. From 1 January, condoms and contraceptives will be subject to a 13% VAT rate. The products have been exempt since China introduced a nationwide VAT system in 1993. The change was included in a VAT law passed in 2024, aimed at updating China’s tax framework. VAT accounts for nearly 40% of the country’s total tax revenue. After enforcing a strict one-child policy for more…

Belgian politicians and senior finance executives have been targeted in a campaign of intimidation linked to Russian intelligence, aimed at persuading Belgium to block the use of €185bn in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine, according to European intelligence agencies. Security officials told the Guardian that key figures at Euroclear, the Brussels-based financial services group holding most of Russia’s frozen central bank assets, as well as senior Belgian political leaders, had been deliberately targeted. EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday are debating whether to approve loans for Ukraine backed by Russian assets. The funding is seen as vital to sustaining…

Brigitte Macron is facing a legal complaint after being filmed calling feminist protesters at a Paris theatre show “stupid bitches”. More than 300 women, 343 in total, have filed a complaint against the French first lady for public insult. The number is a deliberate reference to a landmark moment in French feminist history. The remarks were caught on video last week backstage at the Folies Bergère theatre in Paris. Macron was speaking with the actor and comedian Ary Abittan, whose show she attended with her daughter and friends. The night before, feminist activists had disrupted Abittan’s performance, shouting: “Abittan, rapist!”…

An intense surge in flu cases driven by a newly dominant virus strain is sweeping across Europe, placing health systems in several countries under severe strain, the World Health Organization has warned. The WHO said on Wednesday that at least 27 of the 38 countries in its European region were reporting high or very high levels of influenza activity. In six countries, including Ireland, Serbia, Slovenia and the UK, more than half of patients presenting with flu-like symptoms tested positive for influenza. The agency said the flu season had started around four weeks earlier than usual and urged the public…