General news

• The Night Manager review – no naughty bum-flashing? It’s still a class above all other spy thrillers

  01-01-2026 23:05 via theguardian.com
  The racy espionage blockbuster caused a global frenzy a decade ago – and set an unbelievably high bar. As Tom Hiddleston’s M16 agent Jonathan Pine returns to take down a new supervillain, he just about pulls it offFinesse was the selling point of The Night Manager when it debuted in 2016. It was a class above other spy thrillers, setting itself among moneyed elites – rotten ones, but elites nonetheless – and furnishing itself with luxury locations. In Tom Hiddleston it ha
  
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• The Traitors review – ​this amazing new twist changes everything

  01-01-2026 22:05 via theguardian.com
  ‘We don’t need middle management,’ yell the new batch of traitors. With just one audacious tweak, the hit show promises to become even more satisfying – and full of bombshellsNew year, new killing spree. This is the third time the BBC has dropped a new season of The Traitors on or close to 1 January, enshrining a great new British tradition of easing into the new year with a month-long “psychological game of deception” – and, after a slow-burn start to t
  
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• London is a warning to Zohran Mamdani - The Telegraph

  01-01-2026 22:00 via news.google.com
  London is a warning to Zohran Mamdani  The TelegraphFour challenges facing New York City Mayor Mamdani  BBCHow the politics of Mamdani’s parents, both longtime BDS supporters, shaped NYC’s new mayor  The Times of Israel‘We will not wait’: Mamdani kicks off housing plans after inaugural party  Al JazeeraBishop Robert Barron slams Zohran Mamdani's 'warmth of collectivism' line: ‘For God’s sake’  Fox News
  
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• Wild London review – honestly, telly does not get any better than this

  01-01-2026 20:30 via theguardian.com
  Mischievous and glorious, David Attenborough brings his lifelong sense of wonder to the city’s wildlife, from foxes to peregrine falcons, in this exquisite and endlessly moving specialThe journey begins in a row of allotments lodged deep between two north London streets. It’s 8.30pm and David Attenborough – 99 years young, in customary short-sleeved blue shirt and chinos – is on the hunt for Tottenham’s most elusive resident. He gets settled on a camping chair. Wait
  
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• Murder investigation after man dies in Leeds tower block 'attack' - BBC

  01-01-2026 20:25 via news.google.com
  Murder investigation after man dies in Leeds tower block 'attack'  BBCMan charged with murder over New Year's Day death in Leeds  BBCMurder inquiry as man dies in tower block 'attack'  BBCNew Year's Day 'murder' in Leeds as man dies in tower block 'attack'  The MirrorBurmantofts murder: Man arrested after victim dies in hospital following attack  Yorkshire Post
  
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• Snow alerts upgraded to amber as Scots warned of blizzard conditions

  01-01-2026 20:06 via bbc.com
  The new year begins with snowy weather in most parts of Scotland north of Dundee with an amber alert taking effect on Friday.
  
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• EastEnders actor 'grateful' to avoid driving ban for speeding

  01-01-2026 19:06 via bbc.com
  Colin Salmon was shown leniency by the court because he cares for his seriously ill wife and daughter.
  
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• The Guardian view on mRNA vaccines: they are the future – with or without Donald Trump | Editorial

  01-01-2026 18:30 via theguardian.com
  Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we examine how the White House’s war on vaccines has left the future of a key technology uncertain and up for grabsThe late scientist and thinker Donald Braben argued that 20th-century breakthroughs arose from scientists being free to pursue bold ideas without pressure for quick results or rigid peer review. The rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines seemed to validate his claim: emergency con
  
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• Starmer vows to 'defeat decline and division' in new year message

  01-01-2026 16:45 via bbc.com
  The PM acknowledges "things have been tough" but says 2026 will see "positive change".
  
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• Annual Channel migrant crossings highest since 2022

  01-01-2026 16:12 via bbc.com
  The 2025 total is the highest since 2022, when nearly 46,000 migrants made the crossing.
  
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• Jess Cartner-Morley’s January style essentials: from posh slippers to French-Girl hairpins

  01-01-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Activate fresh-start mode with our fashion editor’s favourites for 2026 – including an unlikely new obsessionAre we ready for 2026? Ready as we’ll ever be, right? We’ve got this, team. Time to turn the page and kick things forward, with the help of a few key pieces to nudge mind, body and soul into the onwards and upwards.Making your wardrobe a little more 2026 is a surprisingly effective strategy for activating fresh-start mode. Read on for your new-year primer: the cosi
  
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• Scotland's first 2026 babies make New Year a double celebration

  01-01-2026 14:44 via bbc.com
  Maternity hospitals across the country have been reporting the first new arrivals of the new year.
  
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• Tacita Dean on witnessing Ceal Floyer’s final work of art: ‘She gave death the middle finger’

  01-01-2026 14:12 via theguardian.com
  The Royal Academician celebrates an extraordinary moment as her friend, the artist Ceal Floyer, approached the end of her life last month• Read more: Ceal Floyer obituaryIt is very hard to describe a work by the British conceptual artist Ceal Floyer because description overburdens it. Her practice was so finely wrought that it existed only in the experience between a work’s idea and its absorption. Ceal handled this equation deftly and with perfect poise, but it was a perilous and nak
  
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• Songs about new beginnings – ranked!

  01-01-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  From CMAT and the Carpenters’ fresh starts to the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun and Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, starting again is a rich theme in pop. Here are some of the best examplesIt’s hard to imagine anyone’s heart not being lifted a little by Right Back Where We Started From: the euphoric rush of new love rendered into three minutes of cod-northern soul (performed, unexpectedly, by various ex members of ELO, the Animals and 60s soft-poppers Honeybus). Avoid the
  
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• Fifty-seven people died on NI roads in 2025

  01-01-2026 13:41 via bbc.com
  The figures have been released as Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins urged the public to focus on road safety in 2026.
  
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• Dad pays tribute to 'wonderful family' killed in Boxing Day fire

  01-01-2026 13:16 via bbc.com
  Tom Shearman pays tribute to his wife and two children after a fire engulfed their home.
  
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• Dry Cleaning: Secret Love review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

  01-01-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  (4AD)
  The standout act in the sprechgesang wave, the four-piece’s newly expansive sound carries singer Florence Shaw’s distinctive tales of mundane lives spiralling out of controlDry Cleaning’s third album features a lot of strikingly odd lyrics. Take your pick from “alien offshoot mushroom, going the gym to get slim”; “my dream house is a negative space of rock”; or, indeed, “when I was a child I wanted to be a horse, eating onions, carrots, celer
  
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• ‘They misjudged Caerphilly’: how the Reform juggernaut backfired in Welsh byelection

  01-01-2026 12:20 via theguardian.com
  It was assumed that Reform would sweep all before it – but locals rejected the party’s campaign of ‘lies and hate’Yuliia Bond works two jobs, raises two children and is studying at university. In the autumn, she also found time to take on Reform UK when it tried to win the Caerphilly byelection.Bond, a Ukrainian refugee who has settled in south Wales, said she could not remain silent as Reform tried to win the seat in the Senedd (Welsh parliament ). Continue reading...
  
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• Veganuary can be a piece of cake: cooks and dietitians share 12 ways to make delicious plant-based food

  01-01-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Swap chicken for beans and avoid cheeze … From a MasterChef finalist to a maker of ready meals, high-profile vegans give their favourite recipes and tipsThis new year, you may be embarking on Veganuary, or have resolved to eat less meat and dairy in 2026. What are some of the simplest switches to make and most nutritious dishes to try with minimum fuss? Vegans share their tips on how to eat a balanced plant-based diet. Continue reading...
  
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• How to talk dating like gen Z: 51 (hyperspecific) terms for love, sex and bad behavior

  01-01-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  As young people take on a messy dating landscape, they’ve created their own lexicon to match. Here’s like what phrases ‘bird theory’ and ‘monkey branching’ meanThis year marked a decade since the term “ghosting” hit the mainstream. At the time, the idea that someone could abruptly cease communication with a lover without explanation seemed like the peak of indignity. How naive we were. In the 10 years since, finding a partner has only become more c
  
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• UK welcomes new year with celebrations across the country

  01-01-2026 10:45 via bbc.com
  Millions around the UK have attended firework displays and street parties to usher in 2026.
  
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• Government to defend decision to strip Begum's UK citizenship

  01-01-2026 10:01 via bbc.com
  The ECHR questions whether it was considered if Shamima Begum was a victim of grooming and trafficking.
  
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• We fought for 33 years to abolish not proven verdict after our daughter's murder

  01-01-2026 09:16 via bbc.com
  The centuries-old verdict has been scrapped after decades of controversy about its use in Scottish criminal trials.
  
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• The £3m race to save polar explorer Shackleton's villa

  01-01-2026 09:10 via bbc.com
  The building was used as a base by Shackleton while he orchestrated the famous rescue of his stranded crew
  
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• Who might be on move in January in WSL?

  01-01-2026 08:40 via bbc.com
  With the January transfer window opening in the Women's Super League, which players could be on the move and who is out of contract?
  
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• How choirboy who led Prince Charles' procession became global conman

  01-01-2026 08:11 via bbc.com
  Kenner Jones's lies about being a journalist, a priest and a surgeon are unveiled in a documentary.
  
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• I always wanted Paul Mescal to play Shakespeare, says Hamnet writer

  01-01-2026 08:08 via bbc.com
  Hamnet author Maggie O'Farrell says the Irish actor "stood out a mile" long before break out Normal People role.
  
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• Googoosh: A Sinful Voice by Googoosh with Tara Dehlavi review – the extraordinary story of an Iranian icon

  01-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Her voice soundtracked the 60s and 70s, but the revolution silenced her. The legendary singer finally has her say, in this uneven memoirIf you ask any Iranian to name the most important female pop star in our country’s history, they’ll say Googoosh. Nobody else comes close. Over six decades of revolution, suppression and exile, Googoosh has gone from singer to cultural icon, a symbol of a country’s grief for its murdered, imprisoned, and muzzled artists, and a li
  
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• 10 of the best learning holidays in Europe for 2026

  01-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From rock climbing in the Peak District to honing your creative writing skills in Crete, why not take a break with like minds and fellow learners this year?Even complete beginners will soon be scaling sheltered Peak District crags on this two-day course with Pure Outdoor. Participants will master tying in, belaying and several climbing techniques, as well as abseiling down. With a maximum of six learners to one instructor, there is a lot individual attention and personalised targets. The course
  
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• Community key to good healthcare, says incoming Archbishop of Canterbury

  01-01-2026 07:39 via bbc.com
  Dame Sarah Mullally, a former NHS nurse, said in a New Year address that community can help deal with the "root causes" of many hospital admissions.
  
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• From energy prices to interest rates: the dates that could affect your finances in 2026

  01-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Energy price cap goes up on 1 January and Bank of England will make three interest rate decisions by end of AprilAt the start of 2026, it seems the financial picture is finely balanced. Inflation has come down from its latest peak, mortgage rates have started falling and changes announced in the budget should take some money off energy bills from April.But the price of housing, groceries and energy remain far higher than pre-pandemic, and there are some changes coming that will make aspects of l
  
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• Brawls, blackmail and Judi Dench: 75 staggering moments from 75 years of The Archers

  01-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  From Jill’s flung flapjack to Nigel’s tragic fall, the Great Flood, Helen’s acquittal and a priceless cameo from Dame Judi, here’s an anniversary feast of epic Ambridge momentsThe Archers, Radio 4’s “everyday story of countryfolk” – which the BBC now bills, rather more aspirationally, as a “contemporary drama in a rural setting” – celebrates its diamond anniversary this month. Like many British institutions (Marmite, PMQs, fruit c
  
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• New Year’s Eve live:​ fireworks in London, Paris, Berlin and Rome as 2026 begins

  01-01-2026 02:39 via theguardian.com
  Join our live coverage as we cross the globe to enter the new yearSydney is the self-appointed “world capital of new year’s eve” and arguably rightly so. As always, eyes will be on the Opera House at 13:00 GMT when fireworks will light up the sky in spectacular fashion. But there are also huge crowds out in Melbourne to see off the year in style.Thousands of people are expected to descend on Melbourne this evening to celebrate NYE. There will be two 7 minute firework displays a
  
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• Intriguing finds could solve mystery of women in medieval cemetery

  01-01-2026 01:34 via bbc.com
  There is growing evidence that the women were part of an early female religious community.
  
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• Anthony Joshua discharged from hospital after Nigeria car crash

  01-01-2026 01:32 via bbc.com
  Two of the former world champion's closest friends were killed in the accident on Monday.
  
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• Detective and crime novelist among new Traitors contestants

  01-01-2026 01:24 via bbc.com
  A barrister, nursery school teacher and cyber security expert will also enter the TV show's castle.
  
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• Anthony Joshua discharged from hospital in Nigeria after car crash

  01-01-2026 01:22 via theguardian.com
  British boxer is released on New Year’s Eve in IkejaJoshua can ‘recuperate at home’ after treatmentThe British boxer Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital, Nigerian authorities said on Wednesday night. The two-time former heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist was involved in a car accident near Lagos on Monday which killed two of his close associates and team members.The 36-year-old had been under observation while recovering from minor injuries, his promote
  
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• Watch: London rings in 2026 with spectacular fireworks

  01-01-2026 01:16 via bbc.co.uk
  Watch: London rings in 2026 with spectacular fireworks
  
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• The Archers cast recreate lost first episode

  01-01-2026 01:07 via bbc.com
  The recording of the first episode didn't survive, so the current cast have recreated the opening scene.
  
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• Children from struggling families to be offered jabs at home

  01-01-2026 01:04 via bbc.com
  The scheme is being tested in some areas of England as part of a government plan to prioritise children's health.
  
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• Enzo Maresca on brink of Chelsea sack after breakdown of relations

  01-01-2026 01:03 via theguardian.com
  Club set to open new year with emergency talksCryptic comments have led to rapid escalationEnzo Maresca is on the brink of leaving Chelsea after a complete breakdown in his relationship with the club. The situation around the head coach has been unpredictable for weeks and it is highly likely that a parting of the ways is expected to take place on Thursday.Chelsea are set to open the new year by holding emergency talks over Maresca’s position. It is expected that the Italian, who was booed
  
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• Energy prices rise slightly for millions of households as temperatures fall

  01-01-2026 01:03 via bbc.com
  Millions of households in England, Wales and Scotland are seeing a slight rise in energy bills in the new year.
  
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• How the 'postcode lottery' of parenting really impacts young children

  01-01-2026 01:02 via bbc.com
  BBC Radio 4's Today will follow six parents for five years, chronicling the ups and downs of looking after a young child in modern Britain.
  
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• Strictly's Ellie and Vito still dancing together every week

  01-01-2026 01:01 via bbc.com
  From Strictly sequins to presenting dreams, Ellie Goldstein speaks about her future ambitions.
  
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• New Traitors contestants include detective, crime writer and psychologist

  01-01-2026 01:01 via theguardian.com
  BBC reveals latest cast, which also features cybersecurity expert, sweet shop assistant and personal trainerA retired police detective, a crime writer and a psychologist are among the next cohort of contestants to enter The Traitors’ castle, as the BBC revealed details of the latest series of its smash-hit sleuthing show.A sweet shop assistant, a cybersecurity expert and a personal trainer are also among those to be divided into plotting “traitors” and the “faithfuls&rdqu
  
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• Children in England to be offered vaccines in their own homes

  01-01-2026 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Pilot scheme launches as one in five start primary school with no protection against deadly diseasesHealth visitors will be sent door-to-door to deliver vaccines to children in England amid alarm that one in five start primary school with no protection against deadly diseases, the Guardian can reveal.The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that at least 95% of children should receive vaccine doses for each illness to achieve herd immunity. However, not a single one of the main
  
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• 26 for 2026: unmissable sporting events over the next 12 months

  01-01-2026 01:01 via theguardian.com
  This year features a football World Cup, a Winter Olympics, a Commonwealth Games and a historic Test match Jannik Sinner will be aiming to become only the second man in the Open era, after Novak Djokovic, to win three consecutive Australian Open singles titles, while in the women’s draw Madison Keys will be seeking to defend the title she landed via a shock victory over Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s final. Elsewhere, Roger Federer is scheduled to return to Melbourne Park for the fir
  
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