It is good to see Jonathan Freedland calling out the thuggery of the Trump administration (Donald Trump is pursuing regime change – in Europe, 12 December). To safeguard its security and values, Europe must act swiftly to prepare for a post‑Nato Europe. Such thinking also generally proposes major increases in military spending, an EU-based command structure independent of the US, integrated European military capabilities, a shared European nuclear deterrent, and binding mutual defence commitments. However, recreating a European-led “house of dynamite” will simply compound existing insecurities. While challenging to implement, a compelling model for sustainable security without nuclear deterrence or offensive military capabilities could be developed.

One year ago, the world No 1, Magnus Carlsen, and the global chess body, Fide, were at loggerheads after the Norwegian was penalised for wearing jeans at the World Rapid in New York. Relations worsened further when Fide opposed Carlsen’s wish for the new Freestyle circuit winner to be called a world champion, and he announced that he was “done” with Fide. The Australian IM built a strong position against the former world champion, but could not find a route to victory. This week at the Tech Mahindra Global League in Mumbai, India, Firouzja displayed his speed skills by scoring 4/4 against Caruana, Gukesh, Nakamura, and the former world champion Vishy Anand. Oro, 12, has just scored his second GM norm (of three needed for the GM title) at an all-play-all invitation in Buenos Aires.

EU leaders have pledged a €90bn loan for Ukraine to meet urgent financial needs, but failed to agree on the preferred option for many of securing that loan against Russia’s frozen assets in the bloc. Belgium’s prime minister, Bart De Wever, said the reparations loan had not been a good idea. The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said it was “quite something” to get 27 countries to agree on a €90bn loan for another. She said the most important decision had already been taken a few days earlier when the EU decided to freeze the Russian assets indefinitely. But if a reparation loan had been agreed, UK was set to put its £20bn or so of frozen Russian assets into the pot.

Flood protection takes many forms, from the levees of Louisiana to the drains of East Anglia. Some villages in bronze age Europe may have had a more unusual barrier: a circle of skulls. As flooding became worse, villages in the Circum-Alpine region in what is now Germany and Switzerland started building defences. These included log palisades, houses on stilts, and flood walls reinforced with stone and skulls. There is no documentary evidence for the flood protection theory, which remains speculative.

‘It’s a meadow of quaggas’From a floating research station on Lake Geneva, the lake looks as it always has, with snow-capped mountains tumbling into its dark waters. The highest density was found in Lake Geneva, with an average of 4,000 quagga mussels a square metre across the whole lake. In 2022, researchers found 98.9% of samples were quagga mussels, and in a 2024 survey, they exclusively scooped up quagga mussels – nothing else. After thousands of years of stability, Lake Geneva is undergoing a period of huge and irreversible change in the space of just a decade. Ibelings says: “Going back is a fairytale, because of quagga mussels and climate change.

The five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld was left stunned after falling to a straight-sets defeat by Switzerland’s Stefan Bellmont in their first-round clash at Alexandra Palace. Bellmont produced the performance of his career to become the first Swiss player win a match at the World Darts Championship. The 36-year-old from Cham hopes that his success will inspire a wave of darts enthusiasts in his home country. View image in fullscreen Raymond van Barneveld cuts a forlorn figure as he leaves the stage. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PAJames Wade, the world No 7 who is a four-time semi-finalist at Alexandra Palace, brushed aside Japan’s Ryusei Azemoto in straight sets.

From 4h ago 13.10 GMT Putin calls European leaders 'little pigs' as he insists Russia will achieve its goals in Ukraine by diplomacy or force Pjotr Sauer Russian affairs reporter Meanwhile, Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lashed out at European leaders, deriding them as “little pigs”, and said Russia would achieve its territorial goals in Ukraine either through diplomacy or by military force. Russian president Vladimir Putin speaks during an expanded meeting of the Defence Ministry Board at the National Defence Control Centre in Moscow, Russia. He also expressed his concerns that using frozen assets would inevitably prompt Russia to lash back at the EU and could disrupt the peace talks. Share4h ago 13.10 GMT Putin calls European leaders 'little pigs' as he insists Russia will achieve its goals in Ukraine by diplomacy or force Pjotr Sauer Russian affairs reporter Meanwhile, Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Wednesday lashed out at European leaders, deriding them as “little pigs”, and said Russia would achieve its territorial goals in Ukraine either through diplomacy or by military force. She suggested Rome was generally in favour on the use of frozen Russian assets, but needed to see strong legal basis for all proposed actions.

The EU has frozen €210bn (£184bn, $247bn) of Russian central bank assets which are mostly held at Euroclear in Brussels. EU leaders agreed in 2024 to take the interest on Russia’s frozen sovereign wealth for Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has said using the frozen assets to finance a loan would be akin to “theft of someone else’s property”. Belgium, the host of the lion’s share of the assets, has described the EU plan as “fundamentally wrong”. The Belgian government also wants other countries with Russian frozen assets to use them for Ukraine, including the UK, Japan, Canada, the US, Switzerland and Norway.

The American skiing standout claimed a record-extending 105th World Cup victory after several of her top challengers went out during the opening run of a night race Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately clear if she was injured but she competed in the second run. Defending World Cup slalom champion Zrinka Ljutic and Olympic silver medalist Katharina Liensberger, the next two starters, went out midway down. Shiffrin earned her 68th World Cup slalom win. Women’s Alpine skiing at the winter Olympics will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – where Shiffrin won four medals in her four events at the 2021 world championships and where Lindsey Vonn holds the record of 12 World Cup victories.

From 10h ago 11.50 GMT Leaders sign treaty establishing international Ukraine war damages body The treaty is now signed, establishing the International Claims Commission of Ukraine. View image in fullscreen Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk attends the press conference of the Eastern Flank Summit in Helsinki, Finland. View image in fullscreen Bulgaria's prime minister Rossen Jeliazkov, Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk, president of Lithuania Gitanas Nauseda, Finland's prime minister Petteri Orpo, Romania's president Nicusor Dan, Latvia's prime minister Eviika Silina, prime minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, and Estonia's prime minister Kristen Michal brief the media at the Eastern Flank Summit at the House of the Estates in Helsinki, Finland. Share9h ago 13.10 GMT Zelenskyy and Schoof also get asked about the prospect of Ukraine joining the European Union. Share Updated at 12.05 GMT10h ago 11.50 GMT Leaders sign treaty establishing international Ukraine war damages body The treaty is now signed, establishing the International Claims Commission of Ukraine.

Glaciers in the European Alps are likely to reach their peak rate of extinction in only eight years, according to a study, with more than 100 due to melt away permanently by 2033. The melting of glaciers driven by human-caused global heating is one of the clearest signs of the climate crisis. Under this scenario, glacier losses would peak at about 3,000 a year in 2040 and plateau at that rate until 2060. Larger glaciers take longer to melt, with those in Greenland reaching their peak extinction rate in about 2063 – losing 40% by 2100 under 1.5C of heating and 59% under 2.7C. The researchers said the peak loss dates represent more than a numerical milestone.

Brazil went on to win the World Cup, beating Italy on penalties in the final. This year, as I was discussing the Guardian’s top 100 footballers with Thiago Rabelo, a Brazilian football journalist who contributes to our coverage and also helps with judges for the list, he mentioned that Romário could be interested in taking part. I thought it may be too good to be true, but in mid-November his votes had arrived. View image in fullscreen Romário (left) and Dunga after winning the World Cup in 1994. Voting disclosureWe are very grateful to our judges for taking part, and none have been paid for participating in this project.

(The phrase ‘Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’ is making me get flashbacks from Brexit talks.) View image in fullscreen The new head of Britain's MI6, Blaise Metreweli, makes her first public speech in London. View image in fullscreen The new head of Britain's MI6, Blaise Metreweli makes her first public speech in London. View image in fullscreen Leaders pose for a family photo at the Chancellery in Berlin, where they meet for talks on how to end the grinding war of Russia with Ukraine. View image in fullscreen German chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomes US negotiator Jared Kushner and US special envoy Steve Witkoff at the Chancellery for talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ariane – who was married to Edmond and Nadine’s only child, Benjamin, who died in 2021 – insists the collection must remain intact and in the chateau. A source close to the family said Ariane and her daughters would not discuss the falling out. View image in fullscreen Chateau de Pregny in Switzerland is reported to house art by Goya, Rembrandt, El Greco and others. Photograph: Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images“We are talking about major objects, classified historic objects that belong in a museum,” Nadine says. My only hope is that one day they will appreciate that I am doing this for the honour of the family.”

A palace coup sends Venezuela’s authoritarian leader into exile, sparking a bloody power struggle between members of his disintegrating regime. “Everyone wrestling with this issue [is] sort of hoping that you could wave a magic wand and have a new government [in Venezuela],” said Farah. Miguel Pizarro, another opposition leader, dismissed the suggestion Venezuela was doomed to become a South American version of Iraq, Libya or Haiti if Maduro was toppled. View image in fullscreen Nobel peace prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado speaking in Oslo, Norway, on 11 December. Whatever happened, Farah feared post-Maduro Venezuela was likely to suffer “a huge mess that would last a while”.