$180bn investment aims to increase global plastic production by 40%

headlines Environment / $180bn investment in plastic factories feeds global packaging binge Colossal funding in manufacturing plants by fossil fuel companies will increase plastic production by 40%, risking permanent pollution of the earth Ramzan Kadyrov / Russia calls for answers after Chechen leader's Instagram is blocked Bitcoin / Bubble rises again after pre-Christmas rout To infinity and beyond / Trump has big plans for Nasa – but is it just a fantasy? Mexico maelstrom / How the drug violence got so bad Peru / Thousands protest over pardon for ex-president Alberto Fujimori spotlight The top US sports stories of 2017 / NFL, Conor McGregor and Dennis Rodman After a thrilling 2016, sports fans might have expected an anticlimax. Instead, they got fights, feuds – and an NFL storyline that ran and ran The Conservative resistance / The rightwingers who stood up to Trump Film / The most exciting blockbusters of 2018 Obama's post-presidential life / What does his second act have in store? The Mother Load / Five comedians all mothers should watch Bussed out / How America moves thousands of homeless people around the country opinion The Handmaid's Tale held a mirror up to a year of Trump Matthew d'Ancona One Christmas, I ran out of money. Instead of coming clean, I felt ashamed Reni Eddo-Lodge Ta-Nehisi Coates v Cornel West: black academics and activists give their verdict Melvin Rogers, Patrisse Cullors, Carol Anderson, Shailja Patel Advertisement sports The age of Trump seems like a better time than ever for an XFL revival Live / Tottenham Hotspur v Southampton: Premier League – live! NFL round-up / The Cleveland Browns can't be terrible forever. Can they? Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396