General news

• Sheffield fire LIVE: Huge blaze erupts near shopping centre as locals told to shut windows

  02-01-2026 20:29 via express.co.uk
  Dramatic pictures show flames and thick black smoke filling the night sky in the huge UK city.
  
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• Huge rescue operation after 'number of people' go missing in sea off UK coast

  02-01-2026 20:21 via express.co.uk
  Emergency crews were scrambled after swimmers vanished in the water.
  
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• Winning EuroMillions numbers LIVE: Full lottery results with Thunderball on January 2

  02-01-2026 20:19 via express.co.uk
  One lucky player could start the year as a millionaire if they scoop tonight's EuroMillions jackpot. .
  
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• Police race to UK hospital after man 'attacks patients in A&E waiting room'

  02-01-2026 19:48 via express.co.uk
  Police have arrested a man in his 20s.
  
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• ‘Suspension of entry into the US’, paparazzi – and wine: three other reasons George Clooney moved to France

  02-01-2026 19:21 via theguardian.com
  A UK government warning that Amal Clooney risks US sanctions over her role in the issuing of an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister is key among reasons the couple have sought French citizenshipThe exodus from Hollywood to shores not presided over by Donald Trump has been busy and loud. Ellen DeGeneres, Robin Wright and Courtney Love moved to England; Rosie O’Donnell opted for Ireland; Eva Longoria, Spain. Other Trump critics, including Richard Gere, Lena Dunham and Ryan Gosling,
  
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• 10 million Brits to skip meals in January amid cost of living crisis

  02-01-2026 18:26 via express.co.uk
  More than 10 million adults plan to skip meals or eat less this January to save money, with 57% expecting to run out of cash completely by the end of the month.
  
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• Benefits cheats who stole £54m 'ordered to pay back just £2m'

  02-01-2026 18:23 via express.co.uk
  A gang who stole £54 million to bankroll their extravagant lifestyles have been ordered to payback just a measly amount.
  
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• Horror as man accused of gang-raping child attempts to murder wife

  02-01-2026 18:05 via express.co.uk
  An Oldham man accused of gang-raping a child went on to attempt to murder his own wife.
  
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• Your Guardian sport weekend: World Championship darts final, Ashes and Afcon

  02-01-2026 18:00 via theguardian.com
  Here’s how to follow along with our coverage – the finest writing and up-to-the-minute reports Continue reading...
  
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• Households urged to sprinkle cat litter on driveways before Saturday

  02-01-2026 17:30 via express.co.uk
  The Met Office is urging drivers to take extra due to possible icy roads.
  
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• Major car hire firm halts UK operations and blames 'spiralling costs' of Sadiq Khan's ULEZ

  02-01-2026 16:58 via express.co.uk
  The firm has even threatened to leave the UK altogether if Sadiq Khan presses ahead with one crucial move.
  
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• Popular bakery brand announces immediate closure and shuts last branch

  02-01-2026 16:09 via express.co.uk
  Owners took to social media to release a statement.
  
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• The best concealers: eight favourites for camouflaging blemishes and dark circles – tested

  02-01-2026 16:00 via theguardian.com
  Searching for a concealer that can do it all? From creamy to crease-resistant, brightening to hydrating, these are the formulas that impressed us most• The best mascaras for longer, fuller and fluttery lashesWhen life gets stressful, your face is often the first place to show telltale signs. Eye bags get darker after sleepless nights and pimples appear in protest at the first signs of stress. Whatever the cause, the best concealers can help to even out imperfections, so you look flawless re
  
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• My mother repeated one Cantonese idiom throughout my life: 'you want beauty, you don’t want life' | Michelle Law

  02-01-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Sometimes Michelle Law looks at people who make risky decisions and feels a deep sense of envy. But when that envy materialises, so too does the voice of her motherRead more in the Home Truths seriesIn news that will delight my enemies, I believe there’s a chance I’ll die young and by accidental means. To clarify, I’m currently in excellent health (sorry to my enemies), but I’m sensing a spectacular midlife crisis on the horizon that could spell the end.Maybe it’ll
  
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• I taste words. ‘Bob’ is like a milk chocolate Easter egg on my tongue

  02-01-2026 15:00 via theguardian.com
  Monique Todorovski, a clinical administrator, shares her experience of lexical-gustatory synaesthesiaRead more in the way I feel seriesWhen I met my husband and found out his name was Philip, I felt conflicted. I liked him as a person but his name tasted like crunchy green pears and I don’t like green pears at all. My compromise was to call him Phil, which tastes more like stewed pear – sweeter and not as crunchy. It’s just a nicer-tasting name in my mind.Fortunately I was 30 b
  
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• 2025 was UK’s hottest and sunniest year on record, says Met Office

  02-01-2026 14:36 via theguardian.com
  Mean temperature for year was 10.09C, surpassing 2022 record, and 1,648.5 hours of sunshine were recorded2025 was the UK’s warmest and sunniest year on record, the Met Office has confirmed.The UK’s three hottest years on record have now all been in this decade, which meteorologists say is proof of a rapidly changing climate. All of the top 10 warmest years have happened in the past two decades. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘As evil as Iago’: the return of Terence Rattigan’s shocking Man and Boy

  02-01-2026 13:44 via theguardian.com
  Rattigan hoped his 1954 tale about a swindler who exploits his son’s sexual allure would prove him a serious dramatist. Its scandalous story reveals much about the playwright and resonates freshlyI hear on the grapevine that plans to name a London West End theatre after Terence Rattigan have temporarily stalled. An even better way to honour Rattigan is to revive his plays and the latest such revival is the rarely seen Man and Boy, which opens at the National’s Dorfman theatre at the
  
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• What Zohran Mamdani’s suit tells us about the man and the way society is changing

  02-01-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  In politics, clothes matter – as the mid-market formal wear favoured by the new, young New York mayor testifiesGrowing up in London in the 00s, I was surrounded by suits. On City boys darting around the Square Mile. In Hyde Park, where Arab dads in baggy suits kicked footballs with their children in honeyed light. At school, where cheap grey suits were our uniform. The suit has always been a costume of seriousness that signals powerfulness and performance; all the things I was apparently s
  
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• The best recent poetry – review roundup

  02-01-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  The Bonfire Party by Sean O’Brien; Plastic by Matthew Rice; Retablo for a Door by Michelle Penn; Jonah and Me by John F Deane; Intimate Architecture by Tess JollyThe Bonfire Party by Sean O’Brien (Picador, £12.99)
  This sombre collection showcases O’Brien’s varied use of forms and subject matter, exploring themes of history, remembrance of war and political conflict, death, time, the passing of friends and loved ones as well as human desire and culpability. A central
  
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• Rapid expansion of ring-necked parakeets in UK sparks concern

  02-01-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Bird organisations say more research on the species needed to control impact on other wildlifeIn the past 20 years, the soundscape in the ancient wild, rolling landscape of Richmond Park has been transformed. Once you would have heard the chirrup of the stonechat, the chirp of the greater spotted woodpecker or the song of the skylark. Today, the auditory power of one bird dominates.The bright green ring-necked parakeet increased 25-fold from 1994-2023 in the UK. They are still mainly based in th
  
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• Who stole all the cheese? The great big food quiz of the year

  02-01-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Know your welsh rabbit from your scotch woodcock? Tuck in and test your knowledge against Quo Vadis head chef Jeremy LeeContinue reading...
  
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• Andrew Miller: ‘DH Lawrence forced me to my feet – I was madly excited’

  02-01-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  The novelist on how The Rainbow made him want to write, the strange genius of Penelope Fitzgerald and finding comfort in TintinMy earliest reading memorySitting on the sofa with my mum reading Mabel the Whale by Patricia King, with beautiful colour illustrations by Katherine Evans. I think it was pre-school. My mother was not always a patient teacher, and I was often a slow learner, but the scene, the tableaux, in memory, has the serenity of an icon.My favourite book growing
  
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• Iain Ballamy: Riversphere Vol 1 review | John Fordham's jazz album of the month

  02-01-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  (Babel Label)
  The 80s sax star leads an A-list quartet, plus a shared trumpet role for Laura Jurd and Ballamy’s son CharlieOpening 2026’s jazz reviews with a story from the mid-1980s might be risking audience restiveness, but that was the decade in which a far-sighted young saxophonist on the UK jazz scene called Iain Ballamy first appeared on this writer’s radar. The cross-generational lineup and captivating ideas of Riversphere, his first solo release in years, testify to exa
  
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• Blue: Reflections review – a clunky rehash of their Y2K boyband heyday

  02-01-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  (Blue Blood International/Cooking Vinyl)
  The four-piece try to tap into modern pop’s deep well of nostalgia but come off like Westlife on a bad day‘Blue’s in the house / Oh it’s party time!” muse the fortysomething man-band on Souls of the Underground, the penultimate song on this seventh album, and the fourth since their 2011 reunion. The British four-piece are keen to take us back to their early 00s heyday, a time of Met bar table service, where the ladies have &l
  
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• From climbing Kilimanjaro to cycling the Tour de France route … readers’ favourite organised challenges

  02-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Whether it’s for the satisfaction of completing a tough physical challenge or to raise money for charity, our readers select their most memorable adventures
  • Tell us about your favourite beach in Europe – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucherWhen tackling a big cycling challenge, choose an event with strong support – it makes all the difference. Riding the full Tour de France route with Ride Le Loop was tough, but the incredible staff turned it into an unforgetta
  
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• Blank Canvas by Grace Murray review – a superb debut from a 22-year-old author

  02-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  In this energisingly original novel, an emotionally detached English student at college in New York tells a big lieLies offend our sense of justice: generally, we want to see the liar unmasked and punished. But when the deception brings no material gain, we might also be curious about what purpose the lie serves – what particular need of their own the liar is attempting to meet. This is precisely what Grace Murray’s witty, assured debut explores: not just the consequen
  
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• Back to business: what to wear to kickstart the new year

  02-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Ease yourself into a routine again with relaxed silhouettes, cosy fabrics and slipper-adjacent footwear Continue reading...
  
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• PDC world darts: Van Veen dumps Humphries out as Littler wins over crowd - The Guardian

  02-01-2026 03:30
  PDC world darts: Van Veen dumps Humphries out as Littler wins over crowd  The GuardianWorld Darts Championship 2026 results: Luke Littler into semi-finals but Luke Humphries knocked out  BBCImperious Van Veen stuns Humphries to storm into the semi-finals  PDCCheers replace jeers for Luke Littler as hatchet with fans is buried  thetimes.comWorld Darts Championship: Luke Littler hails 'absolutely unbelievable' crowd after cruising into last four  E
  
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• Apple reportedly cuts production of Vision Pro headset after poor sales - The Guardian

  02-01-2026 03:30
  Apple reportedly cuts production of Vision Pro headset after poor sales  The GuardianApple cuts Vision Pro production and marketing after weak sales  Financial TimesWill Apple's Vision Pro be discontinued?  Geo NewsVision Pro Sales Halt Validates Analyst AR/VR Warnings  Gadget HacksAnalysts need Apple Vision Pro to be a flop, whether Apple considers it one or not  AppleInsider
  
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• Chickenpox vaccines for children on NHS starts across UK - BBC

  02-01-2026 01:31
  Chickenpox vaccines for children on NHS starts across UK  BBCUK children to get chickenpox vaccine with measles, mumps and rubella jab  The GuardianChicken pox vaccine: How and where to get children free jab as NHS rollout begins  The IndependentA chickenpox vaccine is being rolled out on the NHS for the first time.  Sky NewsChickenpox vaccine offered to children for free from today - how scheme will work  The i Paper
  
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• ‘It happened in seconds’: sudden inferno brings horror to Swiss ski resort - The Guardian

  02-01-2026 01:03
  ‘It happened in seconds’: sudden inferno brings horror to Swiss ski resort  The GuardianSwitzerland fire latest: King Charles 'heartbroken by horrific disaster' after fire killed around 40 people in Swiss ski bar  Sky NewsAbout 40 people killed in Swiss ski resort fire, police say  Financial TimesSwitzerland fire: New Year’s horror inferno that left dozens of revellers dead  The Telegraph‘Like a horror film’: How Switzerland s
  
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• 'We are not happy' - Man City fall behind Arsenal in title race - BBC

  02-01-2026 00:33
  'We are not happy' - Man City fall behind Arsenal in title race  BBCSunderland vs Man City LIVE! Premier League match preview, team news, live blog, goal videos, match report  Sky SportsAt the halfway stage of the season, the Premier League remains unpredictable  ESPNPremier League: Sunderland hold Man City, Brentford draw with Tottenham  BBCAke and Savinho to start New Year's Day clash with Sunderland  Manchester City FC
  
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• Further Chelsea exits 'confirmed' amid Instagram message to Enzo Maresca - London Evening Standard

  02-01-2026 00:33
  Further Chelsea exits 'confirmed' amid Instagram message to Enzo Maresca  London Evening StandardChelsea manager latest: Liam Rosenior leading candidate to succeed Enzo Maresca  BBCClub statement: Enzo Maresca | News | Official Site  Chelsea Football ClubEnzo Maresca: Chelsea head coach leaves Stamford Bridge with replacement set to be announced imminently  Sky SportsEnzo Maresca leaves Chelsea after holding talks over Manchester City move  The G
  
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• The world’s gone barking mad. In this era of canine exceptionalism, can humanity stage a comeback? | Farhana Dawood

  02-01-2026 00:07 via theguardian.com
  From pawdicures to designer rainwear, the cult of the dog is expanding with impressive speed. Why must we tolerate it?I’m becoming concerned that we as a species have gone to the dogs – quite literally. Somewhere between the rise of boutique pet grooming and private members’ clubs for canines, dogs appear to have become our preferred species for social interaction.Parks, beaches, cafes – even offices and yoga studios, which in the past were areas for human exclusivity, or
  
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