General news

• Mark E Smith, the Fall frontman, dies aged 60

  24-01-2018 21:18 via theguardian.com
  Famously fractious singer had been suffering from ill health throughout 2017Mark E Smith, the irascible frontman of Manchester post-punk band the Fall, has died at the age of 60.Smith formed the Fall in 1976 in Prestwich and was the only constant member of the band. He was known for his tempestuous relationship with his bandmates, and frequently fired them – there have been 66 different members over the years, with a third of them lasting less than a year. Smith famously once said: “
  
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• UK says it ‘will never compromise on national security’ after Trump calls Chagos deal ‘act of great stupidity’ – UK politics live

  20-01-2026 10:55 via theguardian.com
  Government stresses deal was previously welcomed by US as Starmer’s chief secretary insists diplomacy with Trump is workingJohnson says he met Keir Starmer yesterday, after Starmer’s speech and press conference about Greenland and the Trump tariffs threat. Johnson says:When I met with prime minister Starmer at Downing Street yesterday, I told him that I thought his national address a few hours earlier was well done.He noted, of course, that the UK and the US are close allies and that
  
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• Australian Open 2026: Jannik Sinner eases through, Bencic beats Boulter on day three – live

  20-01-2026 10:53 via theguardian.com
  Live updates from all the action at Melbourne Park
  Dramatic day two marred by retirements | Email KatyFritz’s 2025 was a slight disappointment, he didn’t quite push on from his US Open final appearance in 2024, and as a result he’s no longer the highest-ranked American – that’s Ben Shelton. Fritz has also been dealing with a knee injury during the early stages of this season, but he leads Royer, the Frenchman who’s making his Australian Open debut, 7-6, 5-5.I
  
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• Football transfer rumours: Liverpool in for Van de Ven? Troy Parrott to Leeds?

  20-01-2026 10:36 via theguardian.com
  Today’s rumours are playing the long gameAs the vultures circle the Tottenham misery hole, there’s talk that Liverpool want to pluck Micky van de Ven from Thomas Frank’s injury-ravaged and form-deficient squad. Weekend whispers had it that Liverpool were preparing a £78m bid for the Dutch defender, though a move would be likelier in the summer. By way of return, and more immediately, Spurs have shown interest in luring Curtis Jones from Anfield and Juventus could be in fo
  
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• Trump says ‘there can be no going back’ on Greenland as private messages from Macron leaked – Europe live

  20-01-2026 10:18 via theguardian.com
  Flurry of posts on Truth Social firmly set out Trump’s Greenland stance to European leaders Trump cites UK’s ‘stupidity’ over Chagos Islands as reason to take over GreenlandAnd Davos looks like the place to be this week, with Trump now declaring that after his call with Nato’s Rutte he will have “a meeting of the various parties” on Greenland – whatever that means and whoever is going to be involved.Separately, it’s not clear if Macron’
  
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• Cameo by Rob Doyle review – a fantasy of literary celebrity in the culture war era

  20-01-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  In this larky autofiction, the ups and downs of creative life are cartoonishly dramatised as the writer becomes an action heroRob Doyle’s previous novel, Threshold, took the form of a blackly comic travelogue narrated by an Irish writer named Rob. In one episode before Rob becomes an author, we see him as a sexually pent-up teacher abroad, masturbating over an essay he’s marking. That the scene is an echo of one in Michel Houellebecq’s Atomised (once named by Doyle as
  
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• Between the bars: theatrical gig about life after prison reveals hard truths of homecoming

  20-01-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  A Giant on the Bridge, performed by a ‘Scottish indie folk supergroup’, draws on dozens of interviews about the confines former prisoners experience on the outsideWhen we talk about crime and punishment, the notion of homecoming is often absent but decarceration and re-entry are critical aspects of the justice system. These subjects are at the heart of A Giant on the Bridge, the singer-songwriter Jo Mango and the theatre-maker Liam Hurley’s urgent piece of gig-theatre, which pr
  
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• A Poem for Little People review – Ukraine’s war with Russia seen through eyes of emergency evacuation team

  20-01-2026 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Ivan Sautkin films efforts to help residents abandon their frontline homes, as well as a pensioner acting as a spy for the Ukrainian army from the Russian borderThere is a scene in this Ukrainian documentary in which a woman gruffly shrugs off the offer of evacuation from her property on the frontline. Her son has put in the request to the volunteer humanitarian team ferrying civilians to safety in the east of the country. But she is caring for her brother, who is paralysed, the woman protests &
  
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• I do not want to reconcile with my family, says Brooklyn Peltz Beckham

  20-01-2026 09:46 via theguardian.com
  Son of David and Victoria Beckham takes to Instagram to open up about feud with parentsA very public spat on social media captured global attention and filled the front pages on Tuesday with its grave consequences for a once close relationship.No, not the US president Donald Trump slamming the UK for its “extreme stupidity” but this was Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, son of David and Victoria Beckham, apparently permanently cutting ties with his family. Continue reading...
  
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• Number of employed people in UK falls again as wage growth slows

  20-01-2026 09:37 via theguardian.com
  Shops, restaurants and hotels particularly hit by slowdown in hiring, as unemployment remains at 5.1% Business live – latest updatesThe number of employed people in the UK has fallen, particularly in shops, restaurants, bars and hotels, reflecting weak hiring, while private sector wages grew at the slowest rate in five years, official figures show.Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the number of employees on payrolls fell by 43,000 in December from the previous mo
  
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• Release the beast! How Iron Maiden and a naked Ralph Fiennes created the ultimate big-screen needle drop

  20-01-2026 09:30 via theguardian.com
  The Number of the Beast lights up an unforgettable scene in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple thanks to director Nia DaCosta expertly blending ‘craziness and romance’There were laughs of surprise around me in screen three of the Everyman in Muswell Hill, north London, as 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple drew to its conclusion. Without giving too much away for those who haven’t seen it, Ralph Fiennes dancing semi-naked among piles of human bones to Iron Maiden’s The Number of
  
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• Australia’s strongest gun reform since the Port Arthur massacre has become law. Here’s what you need to know

  20-01-2026 09:07 via theguardian.com
  The laws, in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, establish a national buyback, stop the importation of some firearms and tighten background checksGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastParliament has passed some of the most significant changes to Australia’s guns laws since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.Spurred by last month’s Bondi beach terror attack, the new laws will toughen background checks and fund a national gun buy-back scheme. Continue reading...
  
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• Not like the old days? In truth, there has never been a better time to watch sport | Sean Ingle

  20-01-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  For all the golden moments, rewatching coverage from 40 years ago was a lesson in how much things have improvedForty years ago this month, the Pet Shop Boys track West End Girls topped the charts. Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton and Chelsea were locked in a four-way battle for the title. And Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared on Wogan. Terry: “This new film you’ve made, Commando: it’s very violent isn’t it?” Arnie: “Actually, it’s low-key. I only kill
  
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• Ice hockey and then some: Heated Rivalry is a worldwide hit – and no one is happier about it than us Canadians | Sue Carter

  20-01-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  In a country plagued by underdog status and a sport fraught with a history of racism, misogyny and homophobia, this adaptation has reimagined what’s possible I grew up in a hockey town where there was no escaping Canada’s beloved sport. Our suburban streets doubled as rinks; the choppy slap of tennis balls reverberating against hockey sticks a constant sound. As pre-teens, my friends and I would put on lip gloss and tight jeans to hang out at the Friday night junior hockey games. I s
  
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• Brahim Díaz’s nightmare miss shows dangers of trying to emulate Panenka

  20-01-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  While the famous penalty technique is the ultimate act of showmanship, the cost of failure is too high to justifyBeing too smart for your own good is usually drummed out of children before they leave school but sometimes people cannot help themselves. The Panenka penalty, successfully executed, offers the limited benefit of making a goalkeeper look silly and the taker a genius but Brahim Díaz is the latest to learn the cost of what happens when it goes wrong.Díaz was given 15 minut
  
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• After four shark attacks in 48 hours, NSW authorities urge beachgoers ‘just go to a pool’

  20-01-2026 08:42 via theguardian.com
  Surfer taken to hospital with minor injuries after latest shark attack at Point Plomer beach on mid-north coastFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA surfer has been taken to hospital after being bitten by a shark off the coast of New South Wales’ Limeburners Creek national park, the state’s fourth incident in 48 hours.The local health district said the man, 39, was in hospital in a stable condition with mino
  
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• World is short of nearly a million midwives, report warns

  20-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Shortage raises rates of maternity intervention, while improving access to care could potentially save 4.3m lives a year, say experrtsA global shortage of nearly a million midwives is leaving pregnant women without the basic care needed to prevent harm, including the deaths of mothers and babies, according to new research.Almost half the shortage was in Africa, where nine in 10 women lived in a country without enough midwives, the researchers said. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Mingling is part of the adventure’: a family trip to Wales shows why hostels are booming

  20-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Forget draughty bunk rooms and awkward social encounters, hostels now provide home comforts and a sense of community private rentals will never match‘Penguins? In Snowdonia?” I asked incredulously. “That’s right!” came the enthusiastic reply from our newest hostel companion. We were standing in the large kitchen of The Rocks hostel in Capel Curig, a village in the north-east of Eryri national park (Snowdonia), chatting amiably while waiting for our teas to brew.&ldq
  
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• ‘It felt celebratory’: Portrait of Britain winners – in pictures

  20-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  From charity workers to synchronised swimmers via a young lad having tea with his nan, these people all inspired award-winning photographsContinue reading...
  
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• I got a fine after Cineworld cut its parking time limit

  20-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The cinema chain didn’t warn me clearly when I went to see Avatar: Fire and Ash that I needed to register my number plateI parked at Cineworld in Chichester to watch the new film Avatar: Fire and Ash.It is more than three hours long and, when I returned to my car, I’d received a penalty charge notice (PCN) for overstaying. I’d watched the previous two Avatar films there without a problem. Continue reading...
  
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• Aryan Papers review – Holocaust-themed thriller means well but turns out to be a shockingly poor effort

  20-01-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  We are in 1942 Stuttgart – though the sight of modern wheelie bins says otherwise – as a woman at a facility dedicated to breeding Aryan babies tries to smuggle two Jewish children to safetyThis second world war-set drama should not be confused with a famous unrealised film project of similar name. That one is the Holocaust-themed feature based on the novel Wartime Lies by Louis Begley that Stanley Kubrick tinkered with for years before finally abandoning; Suspiria director Luca Guad
  
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• TV tonight: a hit deadpan sitcom returns – with added Bridget Christie

  20-01-2026 07:15 via theguardian.com
  Chi is back with her to-do list in Things You Should Have Done. Plus, a predatory coach targets Portia in Waterloo Road. Here’s what to watch this evening10pm, BBC Three
  Lucia Keskin returns with her deadpan brand of comedy in the award-winning sitcom. Working through a list of things to do with her life, left by her dead parents, aimless Chi is feeling good – until the police are back on her doorstep with news of her aunt’s death. It’s a good time to tick therapy off the
  
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• UK aviation reforms could sideline public input over flight paths, campaigners warn

  20-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Plans to speed up airspace changes for Heathrow expansion could mean industry influences decisions on noise and routesAviation campaigners have warned that communities risk being locked out of decisions about new flight paths as the government accelerates reforms that will allow a third runway at Heathrow to go ahead.Airspace around the UK will be reconfigured as part of a long-running modernisation process to allow planes to fly more efficiently and minimise delays, and the London airport has s
  
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• ‘There can be no exclusions’: how Hillsborough law hit a roadblock

  20-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  What was meant to be a triumph for Keir Starmer has become mired in disagreement with victims’ familiesIt was meant to be a triumphant moment. After almost 16 months of briefing from Whitehall sources that Keir Starmer would never be able to keep his promise to introduce the Hillsborough law, the prime minister was introduced at the Labour conference by Margaret Aspinall.Aspinall, whose son James, 18, was one of the 97 people killed in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, has with other bereave
  
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• Royal Mint Court residents plan legal challenge if Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London approved

  20-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Claims of ‘government interference’ in decision on plans for vast outpost near Tower of LondonResidents of Royal Mint Court plan to mount a legal challenge within weeks if Steve Reed, the local government secretary, approves China’s plans to build a vast new embassy at the site by the Tower of London on Tuesday.Mark Nygate, the treasurer of the local Royal Mint Court Residents’ Association, said people living near the proposed development had concerns about “governm
  
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• New City & Guilds owners tripled bosses’ pay amid £22m cost-cutting drive

  20-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Total pay of the qualification body’s top six executives has risen by 240% to £6.2m since charity sold itThe new owners of the vocational training body City & Guilds appear to have more than tripled the pay of its top six executives right at the moment the company is cutting £22m of costs and shrinking its UK workforce.The large increases to salary and bonuses have emerged during a scandal over the sale of the qualification awards business by its former owner, the UK charit
  
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• Kenji Morimoto’s recipe for miso leek custard tart with fennel slaw

  20-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Jammy leeks, savoury sweet chawanmushi and toasted sesame seeds make this flaky pastry dish feel decadent and specialThis savoury custard tart celebrates some of my favourite flavours (and dishes): jammy miso leeks, savoury-sweet chawanmushi (a Japanese steamed custard flavoured with dashi) and toasty sesame seeds, all enveloped in flaky pastry. It feels decadent, so it’s best served with a simple fennel salad, zingy with apple cider vinegar and mustard. It’s excellent eaten while st
  
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• ‘I’d give anything just to see her again’: owners’ grief for their beloved pets

  20-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  As a study says a pet death can hurt as much as that of a relative, three people describe their emotionsGrief over the death of a pet could be as chronic as that for a human family member, according to research. The study, published in the academic journal PLOS One, suggests grieving pet owners can suffer from prolonged grief disorder (PGD).PGD is a mental health condition that can last months or even years, and often involves intense longing and despair, and problems socialising and going about
  
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• As Trump menaces Greenland, this much is clear: the free world needs a new plan – and inspired leadership | Gordon Brown

  20-01-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  The idea that the liberal rules-based order can survive his presidency now seems complacent. This is a historic moment – and a time to actA European-wide chorus of resistance, led this morning by Keir Starmer, has greeted Donald Trump’s plan to take over Greenland, by force if necessary, and to start a tariff war if any country stands in his way. Have no doubt, this is a moment: if pursued as a non-negotiable demand, Trump’s plan ends any lingering hope that the liberal rules-b
  
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• Antarctic penguins have radically shifted their breeding season – seemingly in response to climate change

  20-01-2026 06:01 via theguardian.com
  Changing temperatures may be behind change in behaviour, which experts fear threatens three species’ survivalPenguins in Antarctica have radically shifted their breeding season, apparently as a response to climate change, research has found.Dramatic shifts in behaviour were revealed by a decade-long study led by Penguin Watch at the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, with some penguins’ breeding period moving forward by more than three weeks. Continue reading...
  
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