Morning everyone. European leaders have backed Greenland’s independence after a senior Trump official said “obviously” it should be part of the US. Meanwhile, the UK and France agreed to deploy forces to Ukraine if there’s a peace deal, and Venezuela’s regime imposes its authority after the US capture of Maduro.
At home, the woman arrested in Sydney with a “globalise the intifada” jacket argues she should never have been detained. Plus, the world’s oldest living Test cricketer, Neil Harvey, once one of Bradman’s Invincibles, says he’d love to bat against today’s “poor” teams.
Australia
Photograph: Eraldo Peres/AP
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Test rethink | Animal sentience, categorising crustaceans as animals and rehoming lab animals are all on the table as the Australian code for animal research is scrutinised for the first time in a decade.
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Protester’s claim | The 53-year-old protester detained in Sydney’s CBD while wearing a jacket that said “globalise the intifada” says she should “never have been arrested”, claiming police told her the slogan was unlawful but couldn’t point to any law banning its use.
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Exclusive | Victorian Liberal upper house MPs Moira Deeming and Ann-Marie Hermans face preselection challenges as senior party members sound out a former journalist to run against Renee Heath.
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War alarm | War in Europe has made conflict in the Indo-Pacific more likely – and countries including Australia need to be better prepared, according to senior officials in Europe. Tom McIlroy reports from Poland on how Australia is helping the fight against Vladimir Putin.
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Lobby warning | New South Wales ministers have been told not to meet alone with prominent lobbyist Eamonn Fitzpatrick after the NSW Electoral Commission placed his firm on a watchlist for breaches of the lobbying code.
World
Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Santiago, Chile. Photograph: Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters
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Machado vow | The Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has vowed to return to the country as soon as possible despite being described by Donald Trump as unfit to run the country after the US after it forcibly removed Nicolás Maduro from power. Follow developments here. Venezuela’s regime has deployed armed militias to re-consolidate power.
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Greenland pressure | European leaders have rallied behind Denmark after Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, ramped up the pressure on Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland and claimed “nobody is going to fight the US” over the future of the vast Arctic territory. We ask why Trump is renewing his claims about Greenland, and how an annexation would undermine Nato from within. Keep up to date here as Europe’s “coalition of the willing” agree to send troops to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal there.
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Safety oversight | Authorities in Crans-Montana have said the bar that caught fire in the Swiss ski resort on New Year’s Eve, killing 40 mainly young partygoers, had not been inspected by safety officers for the past five years.
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‘Bury Palestinian state’ | Israel is moving to start construction on a vast illegal settlement in the heart of the West Bank which the far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said would “bury the idea of a Palestinian state”.
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Trigger point | Mickey Rourke has denounced an online fundraiser set up to help pay off his debts, saying he does not want to accept charity.
Full Story
Composite: Guardian Design
The Birth Keepers: When Emilee met Yolande – episode two
Who are Emilee Saldaya and Yolande Norris-Clark, the women behind the Free Birth Society movement? This is episode two of a year-long investigation by Guardian journalists Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne.
Full Story
The Birth Keepers: when Emilee met Yolande – episode two
Sorry your browser does not support audio – but you can download here and listen $https://audio.guim.co.uk/2026/01/06-02501-FS_BK_02_replay.mp3
In-depth
Neil Harvey at the SCG in 2020. Photograph: Matt King/Getty Images
Neil Harvey, the world’s oldest living Test cricketer, can no longer make the journey to Sydney for Test matches. But the Australia legend and last survivor of the Bradman Invincibles remains an astute observer and he tells Tanya Aldred he would love to play against “poor” current teams, why he doesn’t like Bazball, and that Mitchell Starc belongs up there as a great of the game.
Not the news
Lila McGuire as Evonne Goolagong. Photograph: ABC
There’s a bumper crop of streaming treats awaiting in January. Luke Buckmaster flicks through the channels to pick out some highlights including Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in a true-crime thriller, Lila McGuire in the ABC’s Goolagong, Noah Wyle in The Pitt, Nicolas Cage giving one of his best-ever performances in Pig, and a Game of Thrones spin-off.
Sport
Steve Smith walks off the ground after hitting an unbeaten 129. Photograph: Robbie Stephenson/PA
The bridge from which the Bondi terror suspects allegedly opened fire should be kept as a tribute to the victims, Jewish groups have told the Wentworth Courier. Kerry Stokes is lobbying BlueScope Steel investors to back his plans to buy BlueScope Steel for $13bn, the Fin Review reports. Gold Coast residents say the growing practice of dumping caravans on suburban streets is “un-Australian” as councils push for new parking restrictions, according to the Bulletin.
What’s happening today
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Environment | Western Sydney University study into tree deaths and climate change.
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Housing | Cotality report on rental prices while ABS releases data on building approvals.
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Economy | Inflation figures for November due at 11.30am.
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Brain teaser
And finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
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Quick crossword
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Cryptic crossword