Sales of clothes and computers fall, but discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl enjoy bumper trading

Retailers suffered a “drab Christmas”, ending the year with disappointing sales in their most important month, according to new data underlining the difficulties facing Britain’s high streets.

Overall retail sales grew by just 1.2% in December compared with a year earlier, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said. That was below the 12-month average of 2.3%.

Delhi is world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude, which is now cheaper than oil from Middle East

Russia is already working to circumvent the latest US sanctions to ensure India can continue to import high levels of cheap Russian crude oil, according to industry analysts.

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, India has become the world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude oil , which has been heavily discounted due to the impact of western sanctions.

Security chief Diosdado Cabello is nicknamed the Octopus for good reason, with the regime’s fate said to rest with him

His nickname is the Octopus, he hosts a TV show called Hitting it with a Sledgehammer and many Venezuelans consider him the real power in the land.

Diosdado Cabello runs the regime’s security apparatus and is perhaps the most feared, reviled and, in some quarters, revered government figure, with influence to rival that of the interim president, Delcy Rodríguez.

In the new dog-eat-dog world order, appeasement doesn’t work. Time for the EU to grow up

• Fabian Zuleeg is chief executive of the European Policy Centre

Donald Trump’s intervention in Venezuela is not a one-off shock. It epitomises his approach of interventionist isolationism based on a revisionist, neo-nationalist agenda in which power is exercised bluntly, international rules are optional and alliances are transactional. In such a dog-eat-dog world, hesitation and ambiguity do not stabilise the system; they become vulnerabilities to be exploited by a volatile and predatory Washington.

The seizure of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro , combined with Trump’s renewed musings about acquiring Greenland , potentially by using the US military, should dispel any lingering illusion that this is merely erratic behaviour. It reflects a worldview in which sovereignty is conditional, spheres of influence are legitimate, and coercion is normalised when it delivers results in the interest of Trump and his administration. The real question now is not whether Europeans disapprove, but how pro-European liberal democratic forces respond. Three imperatives stand out.

Fabian Zuleeg is chief executive and chief economist at the European Policy Centre

In the new dog-eat-dog world order, appeasement doesn’t work. Time for the EU to grow up

• Fabian Zuleeg is chief executive of the European Policy Centre

Donald Trump’s intervention in Venezuela is not a one-off shock. It epitomises his approach of interventionist isolationism based on a revisionist, neo-nationalist agenda in which power is exercised bluntly, international rules are optional and alliances are transactional. In such a dog-eat-dog world, hesitation and ambiguity do not stabilise the system; they become vulnerabilities to be exploited by a volatile and predatory Washington.

The seizure of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro , combined with Trump’s renewed musings about acquiring Greenland , potentially by using the US military, should dispel any lingering illusion that this is merely erratic behaviour. It reflects a worldview in which sovereignty is conditional, spheres of influence are legitimate, and coercion is normalised when it delivers results in the interest of Trump and his administration. The real question now is not whether Europeans disapprove, but how pro-European liberal democratic forces respond. Three imperatives stand out.

Fabian Zuleeg is chief executive and chief economist at the European Policy Centre

In the new dog-eat-dog world order, appeasement doesn’t work. Time for the EU to grow up

• Fabian Zuleeg is chief executive of the European Policy Centre

Donald Trump’s intervention in Venezuela is not a one-off shock. It epitomises his approach of interventionist isolationism based on a revisionist, neo-nationalist agenda in which power is exercised bluntly, international rules are optional and alliances are transactional. In such a dog-eat-dog world, hesitation and ambiguity do not stabilise the system; they become vulnerabilities to be exploited by a volatile and predatory Washington.

The seizure of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro , combined with Trump’s renewed musings about acquiring Greenland , potentially by using the US military, should dispel any lingering illusion that this is merely erratic behaviour. It reflects a worldview in which sovereignty is conditional, spheres of influence are legitimate, and coercion is normalised when it delivers results in the interest of Trump and his administration. The real question now is not whether Europeans disapprove, but how pro-European liberal democratic forces respond. Three imperatives stand out.

Fabian Zuleeg is chief executive and chief economist at the European Policy Centre

• Houston Texans 30-6 Pittsburgh Steelers

• Rodgers has hinted this season will be his last

• Texans will face Patriots in divisional round

Sheldon Rankins returned a fumble by Aaron Rodgers 33 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to highlight a dominant performance by the NFL’s top-ranked defense, and the Houston Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 on Monday night for the first road playoff win in franchise history.

The Texans’ win means they will play the New England Patriots in the divisional round on Sunday night.

• Houston Texans 30-6 Pittsburgh Steelers

• Rodgers has hinted this season will be his last

• Texans will face Patriots in divisional round

Sheldon Rankins returned a fumble by Aaron Rodgers 33 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to highlight a dominant performance by the NFL’s top-ranked defense, and the Houston Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 on Monday night for the first road playoff win in franchise history.

The Texans’ win means they will play the New England Patriots in the divisional round on Sunday night.

• Houston Texans 30-6 Pittsburgh Steelers

• Rodgers has hinted this season will be his last

• Texans will face Patriots in divisional round

Sheldon Rankins returned a fumble by Aaron Rodgers 33 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to highlight a dominant performance by the NFL’s top-ranked defense, and the Houston Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-6 on Monday night for the first road playoff win in franchise history.

The Texans’ win means they will play the New England Patriots in the divisional round on Sunday night.