Dreaming of writing your novel this year? Rip up all the rules!

After 35 years of teaching fiction writing, the prize-winning author shares her wisdom. First tip? Don’t write what you know…

I don’t think it’s a bad thing to want to write a first sentence so idiosyncratic, so indelible, so entirely your own that it makes people sit up or reach for a pen or say to a beloved: “Listen to this.” A first line needn’t be ornate or long. It needn’t grab you by the lapels and give you what for. A first line is only a demand for further attention, an invitation to the rest of the book. Whisper or bellow, a polite request or a monologue meant to repel interruption. I believe a first line should deliver some sort of pleasure by being beautiful or mysterious or funny or blunt or cryptic. Why would anyone start a novel, “It was June, and the sun was out,” which could be the first line of any novel or story? It tells you nothing. It asks nothing of you.

Published: January 3, 2026, 9:00 am

At Zohran Mamdani’s block party, I observed a simple truth: people want more politics, not less | Samuel Earle

Years of scandal and disappointment have left a void in our politics. But New York’s new mayor offers an alternative to more apathy: hope

On 1 January, to mark his inauguration as mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani threw a block party. As he was sworn in outside city hall in front of a crowd of a few thousand of us, a nearby street in Manhattan was closed to traffic so that tens of thousands more could gather to watch the historic moment live on enormous screens. The weather – a cloudless blue sky and arctic winds – felt somehow fitting: a licence to dream and a warning against complacency.

Mayors don’t usually take office amid such a festival atmosphere. A smaller, more exclusive event is normally adequate. But a key feature of Mamdani’s rise has been the desire for mass participation in politics. There was no chance this day was going to pass without an open-invitation party.

Published: January 3, 2026, 7:00 am

From squirrel picnics to penpals, karaoke to crochet: 43 easy ways to lift your spirits

Guardian writers and readers share the simple tricks they use to bring a bit of joy into their lives

During the pandemic, my husband found some wood on our street and used it to build a tiny, squirrel-sized picnic table. We attached it to the side of our fence with a handful of peanuts on top. Few sights are guaranteed to lift my day more than watching a “dining in” Nutkin parking its rump on the tiny wooden seat, occasionally glancing towards the house as if he’s waiting for you to bring the drinks. If you don’t have as much time on your hands as my husband did during lockdown, you can buy one on Etsy.

Published: January 3, 2026, 12:00 pm

What phase follows a full moon? The Saturday quiz

From Phoebe Buffay and Lisa Simpson to Mount Ulysses and the Sangre de Cristo mountains, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz

1 Which Briton has the most statues erected in their honour?
2 Which parts of the world have no assigned time zones?
3 Whose portrait of Elisabeth Lederer recently sold for $236m?
4 Germany’s Isabell Werth is considered the GOAT in what Olympic sport?
5 Which Old English poem commemorates a battle of AD991?
6 What is the oldest university in the Netherlands?
7 Which US rocker died in Bath in 1960?
8 What phase follows a full moon?
What links:
9 Freud’s unconscious drives; Kipling poem; moon of Jupiter; existing; Pennywise?
10 Phoebe Buffay; Frankenstein’s monster; Lisa Simpson; Spock; Elle Woods?
11 Mount Ulysses, BC and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, NM?
12 L Frank Baum; Gregory Maguire; Stephen Schwartz; Jon Chu?
13 Mr Brightside; Wonderwall; All of Me; Take Me To Church?
14 PM Brown (4); industrialist Ford (3); king Longshanks (2); saint More (1)?
15 Idrissa Gueye, Everton; Ricardo Fuller, Stoke; Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer, Newcastle?

Published: January 3, 2026, 7:00 am

‘No one can know’: Heated Rivalry’s gay love story exposes ice hockey’s culture of silence

The surprise hit series has reopened a familiar debate: why, in the National Hockey League, visibility is still treated as a problem rather than a possibility

At around the midpoint of the first episode of Heated Rivalry, just after Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov – one Canadian, the other Russian, both hockey’s top prospects – have had their first tryst, Hollander sits at the side of his hotel bed and says: “So. You’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you?” Rozanov, lying naked beside him, replies sarcastically: “Me? Yes, Hollander, I’m going to tell everyone.” Hollander reinforces the point: “Because no one can know,” he says. Rozanov utters something under his breath in Russian, then: “Hollander. Look, I’m not going to tell anyone, OK?” Hollander replies: “OK.”

No one can know. If hockey were to have an unofficial slogan, this might be it. Heated Rivalry, the surprise 2025 hit series from Crave and HBO, is layered drama, prompting timely questions about the barriers to acceptance that persist within sport even as they are lowered elsewhere across society. But it may be that hockey’s existential battle with its culture of silence is the show’s deepest target.

Published: January 2, 2026, 9:00 am

Four realistic resolutions and how to keep them

We’re ringing in 2026 with simple ideas for improving your life

• This piece was originally published in the Filter US newsletter on buying fewer, better things. Sign up here to get early access to it

Each week we cut through the noise to bring you smart, practical recommendations on how to live better – from what is worth buying to the tools, habits and ideas that actually last.

Every time the new year rolls around, I start to rethink my entire existence. Instead of setting a few realistic resolutions, I head straight to Pinterest in search of grandiose ways to overhaul my life. Maybe this will be the year I learn how to ski, despite the fact that I live in Manhattan and am terrified of ski lifts.

I tried 17 rice cookers to find the best model in the US: here are my favorites

Less waste and fewer dishes: these glass food containers changed how I store leftovers

This versatile Japanese chef’s knife has lasted longer than some of my relationships

The best blenders in the US: five favorites for smoothies, soups and frozen drinks

‘Everything a spatula does, just better’: five reasons you need a fish spatula, even if you hate fish

Published: January 2, 2026, 4:33 pm

US captures Venezuelan president Maduro during ‘large scale’ attack and says he will face criminal charges – live

US president says ‘the United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela’

• Full report: US captures Maduro during ‘large scale’ attack

• Why has US attacked Caracas and captured Venezuela’s president?

• What we know so far about the attack

• Watch: Aircraft fly low over Caracas as explosions hit city

The Reuters news agency says it has been told by a US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, that the US carried out strikes inside Venezuela on Saturday.

The unnamed official did not provide details. As mentioned earlier, the White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to request for comment on Saturday morning.

Published: January 3, 2026, 1:24 pm

Trump claims US has captured Venezuela’s President Maduro and wife

US president says on social media that operation to capture Nicolás Maduro carried out with US law enforcement

• US attacks Venezuela – live updates

• What we know so far about the attack

• Watch: Aircraft fly low over Caracas as explosions hit city

Donald Trump has claimed the US has “captured” Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flown them out of the South American country after a pre-dawn assault on Caracas and the surrounding region.

“It was a brilliant operation, actually,” the US president told the New York Times after witnesses in Venezuela reported a series of explosions. “A lot of good planning and [a] lot of great, great troops and great people.”

Published: January 3, 2026, 10:23 am

Venezuela attack: what we know so far as Trump claims Maduro captured

US president confirms attack on Venezuela and says Nicolás Maduro and wife Cilia Flores have been flown out of country

•​ US strikes on Venezuela – live updates

The US president, Donald Trump, has said Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been captured and flown out of the country after a “large scale” pre-dawn assault on Caracas and the surrounding region. Here is what we know so far:

US attorney general Pam Bondi says deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, will face criminal charges after an indictment in New York. Bondi vowed in a social media post that the couple will “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts”.

In a statement on X, US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Maduro is “under indictment for pushing drugs in the United States”. Republican US Senator Mike Lee said on Saturday that Rubio had told him that he “anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody”.

Earlier, Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that the US had “captured” Venezuela’s dictator, Maduro, and his wife, and flown them out of the South American country after a pre-dawn assault on Caracas and the surrounding region.

Venezuela’s government accused the US of launching a series of attacks against civilian and military targets in the South American country, after explosions rocked its capital, Caracas, before dawn on Saturday.

In a statement, Venezuela’s government urged citizens to rise up against the assault and said Washington risked plunging Latin America into chaos with “an extremely serious” act of “military aggression”. It added: “The entire country must mobilise to defeat this imperialist aggression.”

Explosions and low-flying aircraft were heard in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday. In its statement, Venezuela’s government confirmed that the city had come under attack, as well as three other states: Miranda, La Guaira and Aragua.

Venezuela has accused the US of trying to “seize control” of country’s resources, in particular its oil and minerals. Th country has called on the international community to denounce what it called a flagrant violation of international law that put millions of lives at risk.

In the early hours of Saturday the president of neighbouring Colombia, Gustavo Petro, called for an immediate emergency session of the UN security council, saying on social media that Venezuela had come under attack.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer has reacted to Donald Trump’s military action in Venezuela saying: “The UK was not involved in any way in this operation.” He added that “we should all uphold international law”.

Russia has demanded “immediate” clarification about the circumstances of the capture of Maduro during an attack ordered by Trump. Earlier, Venezuela’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, said the US needed to provide “proof of life” for Maduro.

Published: January 3, 2026, 1:16 pm

Colombia sends armed forces to Venezuela border amid concern over refugee ‘influx’

President Gustavo Petro says Colombia rejects US aggression against sovereignty of Venezuela

• US attacks Venezuela: latest news updates

• What we know so far about the attack

• Watch: Aircraft fly low over Caracas as explosions hit city

Colombia has mobilised its armed forces in the aftermath of US strikes on neighbouring Venezuela. President Gustavo Petro said Colombia was concerned about refugees fleeing in the aftermath of the attacks.

Petro posted on X that his government had held a national security meeting in which it was decided that forces should be sent to the border amid a potential “massive influx” of people leaving Venezuela.

Published: January 3, 2026, 12:19 pm

Why has US attacked Caracas and captured Venezuela’s president?

Trump’s unprecedented capture of Nicolás Maduro follows months of military campaign and years of strained relationship

• US attacks Venezuela – live updates

Overnight on Friday, the US carried out airstrikes across Venezuela, with explosions rocking the capital, Caracas, before dawn. Shortly afterwards, Donald Trump announced that US forces had captured the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flown them out of the country.

The stunning attack and unprecedented capture of a sitting president follow months of an intense US pressure campaign against Venezuela. Since September, the US navy has amassed a huge fleet off the Venezuelan coast and carried out airstrikes against alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific and seized Venezuelan oil tankers. At least 110 people have been killed in the strikes on boats, which human rights groups say could amount to war crimes.

Venezuelan officials have accused the US of trying to gain access to the country’s oil reserves, the largest in the world.

The bombardment of Venezuela and the capture of Maduro is a serious and dramatic escalation of the US campaign. The future of Venezuela’s ruling regime remains uncertain.

Published: January 3, 2026, 12:02 pm

A top DoJ official trained Pam Bondi on ethics rules in the department. Then he was fired

Joseph Tirell says before he was fired as the DoJ’s senior ethics attorney, he fought battles over matters like the US attorney general accepting gifts

Joseph Tirrell was reaching the end of a vacation on 11 July, and watching TV at home. He checked his email on his phone and saw a message from his employer, the Department of Justice. He thought it was strange that he was receiving email from the government on his personal account. Inside was a message that he was being fired from his job as the top ethics official at the department.

The notice, signed by Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, did not give a reason for his firing. It also misspelled his first name, addressing it to “Jospeh W Tirrell”. Tirrell called his bosses at the department, who at first seemed as surprised as he did, before eventually confirming that he had in fact been terminated.

Published: January 3, 2026, 1:00 pm

Crans-Montana fire: families face agonising wait for victims’ identification

Collective grief hangs over Swiss resort as relatives desperately seek information about missing loved ones

The group of 15 young people had travelled from Milan to Crans-Montana, some of them crossing the border by car, others by train, to celebrate New Year’s Eve. The Swiss ski resort was well known to them, having spent summers here with their families, and a big draw was marking the new year in the bar that in recent years had become known as the place to be.

Eight from the group managed to escape the inferno that ripped through Le Constellation, killing about 40 people, while three are among the 80 who were critically injured. Two of the eldest, Marco, 20, and Gabriele, 18, had planned to join their friends in the venue – appreciated by young people for being an affordable place to party in a resort popular with celebrities and wealthy skiers – shortly after midnight but by a last-minute twist of fate decided not to.

Published: January 2, 2026, 7:10 pm

Tents supplied to displaced Palestinians ‘inadequate for Gaza winter’

Thousands have blown down in storms and tents from China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia found to be not waterproof

Thousands of tents supplied by China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to shelter displaced Palestinians in Gaza offer only limited protection against rain and wind, an assessment compiled by shelter specialists in the devastated territory has revealed.

The assessment will undermine claims that Palestinians in Gaza are being supplied with adequate shelter. Fierce storms in recent weeks blew down or damaged thousands of tents, affecting at least 235,000 people, according to UN estimates.

Published: January 3, 2026, 5:00 am

‘No future for us’: disaffected Iranians say it’s now or never to topple regime

Ailing economy sparks biggest uprising in years, with protesters saying it’s time to hit regime when it’s at its weakest

Mehnaz was too young to protest when Mahsa Amini died in police custody three years ago after she was arrested for allegedly wearing the hijab improperly. Her mother did not let her join the throngs of crowds chanting “woman, life, freedom” in Tehran and across the country – so she could only watch at home as they were beaten back by batons and bullets.

Since then, the 19-year-old computer science student in Tehran has waited for the chance to join fellow Iranians in protest. On Sunday, the moment finally came.

Published: January 3, 2026, 8:52 am

California ban on openly carrying guns is unconstitutional, court rules

Ninth circuit sides with gun owner that ban in counties with more than 200,000 people violates second amendment

A US appeals court on Friday ruled that California’s ban on openly carrying firearms in most parts of the state was unconstitutional.

A panel of the San Francisco-based ninth US circuit court of appeals sided 2-1 with a gun owner in ruling that the state’s prohibition against open carry in counties with more than 200,000 people violated the US constitution’s second amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Published: January 3, 2026, 12:43 am

US woman charged with fetal homicide after allegedly inducing own abortion

Kentucky woman reportedly ordered medication to end her pregnancy and buried remains in her yard

A Kentucky woman is facing multiple criminal charges after she allegedly induced her own abortion using medication.

Kentucky state police arrested the woman, Melinda S Spencer, 35, on charges of fetal homicide in the first degree, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, according to a local Kentucky news outlet. Spencer reportedly ordered medication online to end her pregnancy, then buried the remains of her pregnancy in her backyard.

Published: January 2, 2026, 11:17 pm

Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice

Exclusive: Inaccurate information presented in summaries, Guardian investigation finds

People are being put at risk of harm by false and misleading health information in Google’s artificial intelligence summaries, a Guardian investigation has found.

The company has said its AI Overviews, which use generative AI to provide snapshots of essential information about a topic or question, are “helpful” and “reliable”.

Published: January 2, 2026, 5:00 pm

Saks Global CEO steps down as luxury retailer reportedly preparing for bankruptcy

Executive chair Richard Baker to replace Marc Metrick after company misses $100m interest payment on debt

Saks Global said on Friday that its CEO, Marc Metrick, has stepped down and named executive chair, Richard Baker, as his successor, amid reports that the luxury retailer is preparing for bankruptcy.

The change at the top comes days after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Neiman Marcus parent company is preparing for bankruptcy after missing an interest payment exceeding $100m on debt from its Neiman merger.

Published: January 2, 2026, 9:45 pm

Trump cuts have fueled ‘rage-giving’ to US rural public radio. Will it be enough?

Across the US, federal public media cuts have galvanized many communities to donate to their local radio stations

As soon as the US government voted to cut funding to more than 1,500 public media outlets last July, Luke Dennis, general manager at WYSO, a public radio station in Yellow Springs, Ohio, kicked into action an emergency funding drive.

“The thing that really bothered me was not so much that the federal funding went away, because I felt like that was inevitable under the current administration, but to give us zero runway to prepare for it,” says Dennis.

Published: January 3, 2026, 1:00 pm

New year, new deal? Why peace still feels elusive for Ukraine

The US may be making positive noises, but exhausted Ukrainians remain wary after nearly four years of war

“I would give anything in the world if, in this address, I could say that peace will also come in just a few minutes,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a message to the Ukrainian people released just before midnight on New Year’s Eve. “Unfortunately, I cannot say that yet.”

Zelenskyy said a peace agreement was “90% ready”, but added something that subverted Donald Trump’s constant claims that a deal is just around the corner. “Those 10% contain, in fact, everything,” he said.

Published: January 3, 2026, 10:00 am

‘Just an unbelievable amount of pollution’: how big a threat is AI to the climate?

Defenders say AI can do good to fight the climate crisis. But spiralling energy and water costs leave experts worried

During a golden sunset in Memphis in May, Sharon Wilson pointed a thermal imaging camera at Elon Musk’s flagship datacentre to reveal a planetary threat her eyes could not. Free from pollution controls, the gas-fired turbines that power the world’s biggest AI supercomputer were pumping invisible fumes into the Tennessee sky.

“It was jaw-dropping,” said Wilson, a former oil and gas worker from Texas who has documented methane releases for more than a decade and estimates xAI’s Colossus datacentre was spewing more of the planet-heating gas than a large power plant. “Just an unbelievable amount of pollution.”

Published: January 3, 2026, 8:00 am

‘Suspension of entry into the US’, paparazzi – and wine: three other reasons George Clooney moved to France

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 citizenship

The 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, have upped sticks without citing the re-election as a motivating factor.

In the case of Clooney, however, there has appeared little doubt that his decision to gain French citizenship was primarily because of Trump, whose re-election he energetically campaigned against. Yet amid the heat and headlines generated by the pair’s war of words, some of the actor’s reasons for relocating may have flown under the radar.

Published: January 2, 2026, 6:21 pm

The secret to being happy in 2026? It’s far, far simpler than you think …

Stop stressing about self‑improvement or waiting until you’re on top of everything. This year give yourself permission to prioritise pleasure

I have a proposal to make: 2026 should be the year that you spend more time doing what you want. The new year should be the moment we commit to dedicating more of our finite hours on the planet to things we genuinely, deeply enjoy doing – to the activities that seize our interest, and that make us feel vibrantly alive. This should be the year you stop trying so hard to turn yourself into a better person, and focus instead on actually leading a more absorbing life.

Naturally, I anticipate certain objections to this suggestion.

Published: January 3, 2026, 6:00 am

Vaping safer than smoking – so why are people struggling to quit e-cigarettes?

With vaping now more common than smoking, experts explain addiction and what actually helps people quit

More socially acceptable than smoking – yet just as addictive – vaping has become the UK’s default way of consuming nicotine.

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics last month showed that the number of over-16s in Great Britain who use vapes or e-cigarettes has overtaken the number who smoke cigarettes for the first time, with 5.4 million adults now vaping daily or occasionally, compared with 4.9 million who smoke.

Published: January 3, 2026, 6:00 am

‘A rise of love’: Liverpool church targeted in 2024 riots forges links against hate

St Anne’s in Toxteth joined forces with neighbouring mosque to find common voice against far right

• Donate to the charity appeal here

• Communities are our defence against hatred. Now, more than ever, we must invest in hope

When anti-immigration riots spread across the UK in the summer of 2024, one of Liverpool’s oldest churches found itself in the crosshairs.

The 180-year-old St Anne’s in Toxteth was one of dozens of properties across the country on a far-right “hitlist” shared online. One menacing post showed its historic redbrick tower burning behind flame emojis.

Published: January 3, 2026, 8:00 am

I May Destroy You helped me confront being spiked

I had previously found Michaela Coel’s 2020 drama relatable and familiar, but decided to rewatch it after going through a similar experience – and it spurred me into action

• Content warning: this article contains references to sexual abuse which some readers might find distressing

When I May Destroy You aired in the summer of 2020, I hadn’t yet been spiked. Michaela Coel’s comedy-drama, based on her own experience of sexual assault, follows Arabella (Coel) as she realises she was drugged and raped on a night out. With one in four women in Britain having experienced sexual violence, the 12-part series was a difficult watch for many. If not relatable, then confronting and familiar; something that had happened to others, but close enough to know that it could happen to you. Three months later, it did happen to me. I remember going back to a man’s flat on a second date, but then there’s a vast nothingness that I’ve been unable to make sense of since.

The morning after, confused and embarrassed by my memory loss, I asked him what had happened. When he said we’d had sex, and I said I couldn’t remember it, he seemed offended, as though my amnesia were an accusation. After tea and toast, I left to meet my sister, who, when I told her I had blacked out after only three drinks, suggested I’d been drugged. I initially dismissed this – that’s what depraved strangers do to paralytic women on sticky club toilet floors. Not men you like in nice flats with comfy sofas. Not men who you would have had sex with anyway, consciously and consensually. Then I remembered the half-empty bottle of wine, leftover from a dinner party, offered to me but untouched by him.

Published: January 3, 2026, 7:00 am

Blind Date: ‘My contact lens fell out towards the end, so we had to cut it short’

Karyshma, 27, a financial data analyst, meets Arun, 36, a radiographer

What were you hoping for?
A memorable evening, good company and to meet someone I wouldn’t have crossed paths with. I’m a romantic, so I like the idea of letting the universe (or the Guardian) do some matchmaking instead of the Hinge monotony.

Published: January 3, 2026, 6:00 am

Tennessee actually just did something amazing for women | Arwa Mahdawi

The state has created the first registry in the US to track repeat domestic violence offenders

Let’s say you’re going on a first date and you want to make sure the person you’re meeting up with isn’t a registered sex offender. If you live in the US, you can find this out very quickly: there’s a centralized website provided by the US Department of Justice that lets you search a name or location in seconds.

Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian US columnist

Published: January 3, 2026, 11:00 am

The hill I will die on: Fan fiction is real literature, whatever the snobs say | Urooj Ashfaq

Yes, it’s messy, derivative and occasionally incomprehensible – but so is life

Fan fiction is democracy in its purest, most chaotic form. It’s the people seizing the means of production. Every “what if?” is a tiny revolution. What if the side character got a backstory? What if the finale didn’t end in heartbreak? What if Harry Styles and Zayn Malik kissed just once, for morale?

Of course, many would argue that fan fiction isn’t real literature. It borrows worlds and characters that someone else created. It’s often unedited, published online for free and written by people with no verified experience. To the purists, it lacks originality, polish and commercial value, the hallmarks of what they believe “serious” writing should be.

Urooj Ashfaq is a Mumbai-based comedian, writer and actor.

Published: January 3, 2026, 6:00 am

Jason White on plastic pollution in the food chain – cartoon

Continue reading...

Published: January 3, 2026, 11:00 am

Migrants are at the heart of our art, our music, our whole history. That’s what the right won’t admit to you | Rowan Williams

From Britain’s medieval buildings to western pop and contemporary art, these creations showcase our interwoven stories

We are repeatedly sold a painfully two-dimensional picture of the motivations of those seeking shelter in Britain. According to this picture, migrants are eager to experience the benefits of our society, but they are also out to undermine it, because they come from cultures whose values are dramatically different from our own. Think of the ongoing “grooming gangs” scandal: an undeniably appalling series of events, institutional failures and victim-blaming that has been transformed into a narrative that suggests any “alien” is likely to be a sexual predator, since their predatory behaviour is a direct consequence of their religious and cultural background.

So often, all we are allowed to know about asylum seekers is that they are asking – with irritating persistence – for a place in our social fabric, as if they have no world of their own, no cultural hinterland, no really recognisable human values aside from mysterious and dangerous belief systems. This explains why there is now a feverish pressure to instantly reveal the ethnicity of any suspect in a major crime of unprovoked violence – as with the Cambridgeshire train attack (where, confusingly, it transpired that the hero of the day was a man of north African background), or the tabloid habit of illustrating stories about migrants with images of young men, usually of Middle Eastern appearance.

Published: January 3, 2026, 10:00 am

I’m not sure a bakery needs a branded condom – can any business resist selling merch now? | Elle Hunt

From Trader Joe’s totes to Greggs jewellery, swag mania reveals how small businesses can promote their ‘brands’ – and how we use stuff to signal our tribe

For all its many charms, Norwich tends to lag behind London on internet-buzzy trends (personally, I count that as among its charms), but it’s not always easy to pinpoint by exactly how long. So I was interested to spot, on a recent trip into the fine city, a woman carrying a Trader Joe’s-branded tote bag.

Trader Joe’s is a US supermarket; it does not operate in the UK, let alone East Anglia. And yet its merchandise – specifically this black-strapped, red-stamped but otherwise unremarkable tote bag – has been increasingly ubiquitous in London this year, as noted by the New York Times in July.

Published: January 3, 2026, 8:00 am

The Guardian view on Gaza’s winter: the world must take heed as Palestinian suffering deepens again | Editorial

Families are struggling to survive amid the devastation. Israel’s ban on international NGOs will worsen this disaster

As Gaza enters the bleakest period of winter, children are dying of hypothermia, drowning in flooded camps and burning to death as their families try to cook in flimsy tents. Israel destroyed nine out of 10 homes over more than two years of war. Camped amid the ruins, Palestinians struggle against strong winds, heavy rain and freezing temperatures. Aid deliveries resumed following the ceasefire, staving off the famine that had taken hold in parts of the territory, but remain wholly insufficient: 1.6 million people face acute food insecurity. The sanitation infrastructure has collapsed.

The UK, Canada, Japan, France and six other nations have jointly warned that the situation is catastrophic. Yet Israel is now deepening one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. On Tuesday, it announced that it is deregistering 37 NGOs active in Gaza. They must cease all operations there by 1 March unless they meet its new “security and transparency standards” – including by disclosing the personal details of staff. Many of the listed groups are among the best-regarded in their field, including Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

Published: January 2, 2026, 6:07 pm

Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest: Premier League – live

⚽ Premier League updates from the 12.30pm GMT kick-off
⚽ Live scores | Tables | Follow us on Bluesky | Email Sarah

Nottingham Forest manager Sean Dyche has confirmed Callum Hudson-Odoi has picked up a knock which is why he is not involved today. He told Sky Sports:

We don’t think it’s too serious… this game has come around a bit quick with another in a few days.

Shall we just put this one to bed early in two words? Sol. Campbell.

Sol Campbell, God bless his soul!

Published: January 3, 2026, 1:22 pm

Celtic v Rangers: Scottish Premiership – live

⚽ Scottish Premiership updates, 12.30pm GMT kick-off
⚽ Live scores | Tables | Follow us on Bluesky | Mail David

Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy has his say ahead of kick-off. Teams now warming up.

“This is a special game. It’s a rivalry, so we know the importance of this game. My player wants to do well for them, obviously, but also for the fans, for the club.

Published: January 3, 2026, 1:25 pm

Best-on-best hockey returns as US and Canada unveil Olympic squads

• NHL players return to men’s Olympic ice hockey

• US, Canada unveil rosters packed with star talent

• Knight leads US women as PWHL era reaches Games

The return of ice hockey’s biggest stars to the Winter Games could spark a renaissance for the sport on the global stage, as gold-medal favorites United States and Canada handpicked top NHL talent for the Milano-Cortina Olympics.

The National Hockey League has not permitted its athletes to participate in the Games since 2014, putting a damper on the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament as the world’s best players were forced to stay home in 2018 and 2022.

Published: January 2, 2026, 8:48 pm

NFL playoff race: Seahawks and 49ers meet with NFC’s No 1 seed at stake

The final week of the regular season delivers a winner-take-all clash in the NFC West, while Houston surge, the Rams slide and the race for the No 1 draft pick tips toward farce

Seattle Seahawks (13-3) v San Francisco 49ers (12-4)

Published: January 2, 2026, 8:00 am

Will Carlos Alcaraz prosper after split with coach as new tennis season looms?

Spaniard resumes intense rivalry with Jannik Sinner, while Sabalenka and Swiatek remain at the top of women’s game

Amid the endless flood of Instagram photo dumps and gushy captions from social media users around the world saluting another year gone by, Carlos Alcaraz’s efforts were particularly interesting. The candid photos chosen by Alcaraz from his camera roll included dozens of friends and family, various barbecues and his many haircuts throughout the year, but there was no room at all for one notable individual: Juan Carlos Ferrero.

The abrupt dissolution of the coaching partnership between Alcaraz and Ferrero is one of the most shocking recent coaching splits and the reaction has been dramatic. Journalists swarmed outside Alcaraz’s tennis club in El Palmar a day after the news in their futile attempts to speak with the world No 1, then Ferrero decided to give a number of interviews to offer his own side of the story. Reports from Spain detailing reasons for the end to their partnership continue to circulate. Depending on who you ask, Alcaraz either made a fatal mistake by not fighting harder to maintain his relationship with the coach who guided him for seven years, or he is courageously taking responsibility for his career as an adult.

Published: January 3, 2026, 8:00 am

Another year, another manager – but it is unfair to paint Chelsea’s project as a flop | Jacob Steinberg

Enzo Maresca got the sack because of his actions. That does not mean the club’s structure needs a complete overhaul

Some clubs build around their manager. Eddie Howe is hugely influential at Newcastle and Aston Villa are pretty much Unai Emery FC these days. Chelsea, though, have adopted an alternative model. They have a team of five sporting directors, led by Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and do not want one person to hold all the power.

Yet the question many are asking in the wake of Enzo Maresca’s demise is whether the template will yield success at the very highest level. It is never quiet at Chelsea. They are often busy in the transfer market, meaning there is an element of players coming and going, and they are now looking for their fifth permanent head coach since a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm run by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, bought the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022.

Published: January 2, 2026, 6:21 pm

USMNT’s World Cup, Arsenal’s title challenge and Real’s power struggle: soccer questions for 2026

The world of soccer throws up no shortage of questions every year. In today’s Pitch Points column, we address three of the big ones for 2026

You may have heard there’s a World Cup this year. After all the debate about ticket prices and peace prizes and cooling breaks, an actual soccer tournament will kick off. That’s when the US, both as a national team and a host nation, will truly be judged; when the 2026 World Cup will be deemed a soaring success or a grotesque failure. There will be no in between. No nuance. That vanished from public discourse a long time ago.

Published: January 2, 2026, 9:21 am

Indiana hand Alabama worst ever bowl loss to join Oregon and Ole Miss in college football’s last four

• Indiana crush Alabama 38-3 in historic Rose Bowl win

• Oregon’s defense shuts out Texas Tech in Orange Bowl

• Last-minute field goal lifts Mississippi past Georgia

Fernando Mendoza threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns to lead top-seeded Indiana to a 38-3 blowout of ninth-seeded Alabama in a College Football Playoff quarter-final at the Rose Bowl on Thursday in Pasadena, California.

The Hoosiers advance to the semi-finals and will take on fifth-seeded Oregon on 9 January in the Peach Bowl.

Published: January 2, 2026, 9:34 am

Israel accuses Mamdani of antisemitism on first day as New York mayor

Foreign ministry says mayor has poured ‘antisemitic gasoline on an open fire’ by scrapping IHRA definition

Israel’s foreign ministry has accused the New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, of pouring “antisemitic gasoline on an open fire” after he reversed a recent order by the outgoing mayor, Eric Adams.

“On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: he scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel. This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire,” the foreign ministry said in a post on X.

Published: January 2, 2026, 3:14 pm

‘We will grind you down’: how rogue peers became Labour’s toughest opponents

As Labour seeks abolition of hereditary peers, Tory-dominated House of Lords has inflicted near-record number of defeats on No 10

Dining in the House of Lords canteen just after Labour came to power, one Labour adviser found themselves sitting opposite two Tory peers.

In particular, the pair were fuming about the forthcoming abolition of hereditary peers. Both agreed, the adviser said, that there should be a deliberate strategy to undermine the government on all its legislation, to slow down debate, and to push the new Lords leader, Angela Smith, to ask No 10 for concessions.

Published: January 3, 2026, 6:00 am

Ukraine war briefing: Russia makes biggest battleground gains since first year of war, analysis shows

Russian army captured more Ukrainian territory in 2025 than previous two years combined; Zelenskyy names new top aide. What we know on day 1,410

Russia’s battlefield gains in Ukraine last year were the highest since 2022, an analysis showed, as Kyiv prepared to host security advisers from allied states despite Moscow’s unrelenting strikes. The Russian army captured more than 5,600 square kilometres, or nearly 1%, of Ukrainian territory in 2025, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War. The land captured is more than in the previous two years combined, though far short of the more than 60,000 sq km Russia took in 2022.

As Russia pressed its advantage against outgunned Ukrainian troops, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said about 15 countries would attend security talks in Kyiv on Saturday, the latest in a flurry of efforts to end the nearly four-year war. The meeting will include representatives from the EU and Nato, while a US delegation would join via video link.

Zelenskyy named military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as his new top aide on Friday, after the president’s previous chief of staff resigned in November over a corruption scandal. Budanov has built up a strong reputation in Ukraine, credited with a series of daring operations against Russia. When formally appointed, he will succeed Andriy Yermak, who resigned in November after investigators raided his house as part of a sweeping corruption probe.

“Kyrylo has specialised experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results,” Zelenskyy said. Budanov, 39, said on Telegram his new position was “both an honour and a responsibility – at a historic time for Ukraine – to focus on the critically important issues of the state’s strategic security”.

Zelenskyy also said he wanted to replace defence minister Denys Shymhal, who was appointed only six months ago, with 34-year-old Mykhailo Fedorov, who is now minister of digital transformation. “Mykhailo is deeply involved in issues related to drones and is very effective in the digitalisation of state services and processes,” the president added.

Moscow kept up its aerial barrage of Ukraine overnight, with the latest strike on a residential area of the city of Kharkiv reducing parts of multi-storey buildings to smouldering rubble. At least two people were killed in the attack, including a three-year-old child, and about 25 more were injured, officials said.

Zelenskyy described the attack as “heinous”. “Unfortunately, this is how the Russians treat life and people – they continue killing, despite all efforts by the world, and especially by the United States, in the diplomatic process,” he said on social media. Russia denied the attack had taken place, suggesting that an explosion at the site was caused by Ukrainian ammunition.

Ukrainian officials on Friday ordered the evacuation of more than 3,000 children and their parents from 44 frontline settlements in the Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, where Russian troops have been advancing. More than 150,000 people have been evacuated from frontline areas since 1 June, said Ukraine’s restoration minister Oleksiy Kuleba.

Published: January 3, 2026, 2:31 am

Military-backed party in Myanmar takes lead in contentious first election since coup

Junta says turnout in first vote in five years is 52%, which observers have described as low compared to past polls

Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party (USDP) is leading after the first phase of a contentious general election, early results cited by state media showed, in the first vote since a 2021 coup.

Having sparked a nationwide rebellion after crushing pro-democracy protests in the wake of its coup, the ruling junta has said the three-phase vote would bring political stability to the impoverished nation.

Published: January 3, 2026, 3:53 am

Reddit overtakes TikTok in UK thanks to search algorithms and gen Z

Platform is now Britain’s fourth most visited social media site as users seek out human-generated content

Reddit, the online discussion platform, has overtaken TikTok as Britain’s fourth most visited social media service, as search algorithms and gen Z have dramatically transformed its prominence.

The platform has undergone huge growth over the last two years, with an 88% increase in the proportion of UK internet users it reaches. Three in five Brits online now encounter the site, up from a third in 2023, according to Ofcom.

Published: January 3, 2026, 7:00 am

BBC settles with 7 October survivors for filming home ‘without permission’

Jewish family say crew did not seek consent to film inside their home days after it was wrecked by Hamas in southern Israel

The BBC has said it has reached a settlement with a Jewish family who survived Hamas’s 7 October attacks in southern Israel after a news crew filmed inside their destroyed home.

The reporting team, which included senior correspondent Jeremy Bowen, entered the Horenstein family’s home in the days after the attacks in 2023.

Published: January 2, 2026, 10:08 pm

College freshman identified as one of three hikers found dead on California’s Mount Baldy

Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova, 19, died on the Devil’s Backbone trail after reportedly falling 500ft

A 19-year-old college freshman has been identified as one of the hikers whose remains were found on California’s Mount Baldy on Monday.

The San Bernardino county sheriff announced this week that Marcus Alexander Muench Casanova, a resident of Seal Beach, California, was discovered along a mountain trail known as the Devil’s Backbone.

Published: January 2, 2026, 7:38 pm

‘A place of darkness and light’: the uninhabited Japanese island that became a rabbit paradise

Once host to a poisonous gas research facility, Okunoshima is now an Instagram-friendly tourist destination

The bunny-ear designs on the window aside, there is little to indicate that the ferry has arrived on an island teeming with rabbits. Then, moments after the passengers disembark, there is activity in the undergrowth. A single rabbit scampers out, wholly untroubled by its two-legged visitors. And then another.

A short walk along the coast takes visitors deep into rabbit territory on Okunoshima, one of 3,000 islands in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea. Half a dozen of the animals chase away another as it attempts to join them in a communal meal of Chinese cabbage. The scene unfolds in front of smiling, camera-toting tourists barely able to believe their proximity to Okunoshima’s fabled – but troubled – furry residents.

The rabbits are dependent on visitors and volunteers for food.

Published: January 2, 2026, 12:00 pm

Week in wildlife: a hide-and-seek squirrel and an otter in a Christmas tree

This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world

Published: January 2, 2026, 8:00 am

2025 was a big year for climate in the US courts - these were the wins and losses

Americans are increasingly turning to courts to hold big oil accountable. Here are major trends that emerged last year

As the Trump administration boosts fossil fuels, Americans are increasingly turning to courts to hold big oil accountable for alleged climate deception. That wave of litigation swelled in 2025, with groundbreaking cases filed and wins notched.

But the year also brought setbacks, as Trump attacked the cases and big oil worked to have them thrown out. The industry also worked to secure a shield from current and future climate lawsuits.

Published: January 2, 2026, 12:30 pm

What makes an elephant abandon her calf – and is it a growing problem?

A helpless baby elephant has won the Thai public’s sympathy but her case has shed light on the pressures facing herds across Asia

Khao Tom, a two-month-old elephant, plays with a wildlife officer, nudging his face and curling her trunk around his wrist. When she lifts her trunk in the air, signalling that she is hungry, the team at the rescue centre seems relieved – she has not been eating well. A vet prepares a pint-sized bottle of formula, which she gulps down impatiently.

Khao Tom has been in the care of Thailand’s national parks and wildlife department since September, when rangers rescued her from a farming area inside Lam Khlong Ngu national park. Born with a congenital disorder affecting her knees, she struggled to keep up with the herd. Within days of her birth, her mother had moved on without her.

Published: January 2, 2026, 11:00 am

US homeland security condemned for using Japanese artist’s work without consent

Hiroshi Nagai, in a post on X, has objected to his artwork being used by the agency to promote its deportation agenda

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is facing backlash once again, this time from a Japanese artist who has condemned the agency for using, without permission, his work to promote deportations.

In a post on X on New Year’s Eve, the department posted a photo featuring a pristine and empty beach with palm trees and a vintage car. Written across the photo was “America after 100 million deportations,” along with a separate caption that said: “The peace of a nation no longer besieged by the third world.”

Published: January 2, 2026, 7:10 pm

Growing number of California sheriffs no longer respond to mental health calls

A shift away from police-led responses spreads, but gaps in crisis teams leave some communities exposed

In the past year, a handful of sheriff’s departments in California have started refusing to respond to 911 calls that involve a mental health crisis, but where no crime has been reported.

In February, the Sacramento sheriff, Jim Cooper, announced that his deputies would only respond to mental health crises if a crime had been committed or was in process, or if someone other than the person in crisis was in imminent danger. Down in San Diego county, the police chief for the city of El Cajon, Jeremiah Larson, made a similar policy decision in May.

Published: January 2, 2026, 5:33 pm

DC pipe bomb suspect must remain in jail before trial, judge rules

Brian Cole, accused of planting bombs before Capitol attack, presents ‘intolerable risk of danger’, court finds

A federal magistrate judge has ruled that the man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican headquarters the night before the January 6 Capitol attack must remain in custody while awaiting trial.

In a memorandum opinion, the court determined that Brian Cole Jr, 30, of Woodbridge, Virginia, “poses an intolerable risk of danger to the community if released”, granting the government’s motion for pretrial detention.

Published: January 2, 2026, 7:12 pm

FBI says it thwarted planned New Year’s Eve terrorist attack in North Carolina

FBI says teen was planning Islamic State-inspired hammer and knife attack on Jews, Christians and LGBTQ+ people

The FBI has said it thwarted an alleged plot to carry out a New Year’s Eve terrorist attack on a grocery store and restaurant in North Carolina in support of the Islamic State (IS).

Christian Sturdivant, 18, of Mint Hill – a town outside Charlotte – was arrested on 31 December as he was being released from a special medical facility. He was charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the US attorney for the western district of North Carolina, Russ Ferguson, said at a press conference on Friday morning.

Published: January 2, 2026, 5:52 pm

Crans-Montana fire survivors treated in burns units across Europe

Some of the injured taken to Belgium, France and Germany while Swiss officials try to identify the dead

Survivors of the catastrophic bar fire in the upmarket Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana are being cared for in special burns units across Europe, while investigators say many of the dead were so badly burned that it could take days or weeks to identify them.

About 40 people were killed and 119 injured when the blaze ripped through a New Year’s Eve celebration in the packed Le Constellation bar and basement nightclub. Investigators believe sparkling candles or sparklers that were put on bottles of champagne and moved too close to the ceiling started the fire.

Published: January 2, 2026, 4:11 pm

Saudi invites Yemen’s southern factions to ‘dialogue’ in Riyadh after surprise independence bid

Southern Transitional Council wants to form a breakaway state, which would split the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest state in two

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has called for Yemen’s southern factions to attend a “dialogue” in Riyadh, after a surprise independence bid and the United Arab Emirates declaring it had withdrawn all troops from Yemen.

In a statement on Saturday, the Saudi ministry urged “a comprehensive conference in Riyadh to bring together all southern factions to discuss just solutions to the southern cause”. Riyadh said the Yemeni government had issued the invitation for talks.

Published: January 3, 2026, 2:11 am

Sewage in drinking water blamed for at least 10 deaths in India’s ‘cleanest city’

Hundreds hospitalised in Indore after public toilet built above water pipeline appears to have let sewage into supply

Sewage-contaminated drinking water is being blamed for killing at least 10 people, including a baby boy, and sending more than 270 others to hospital in Indore, ranked India’s “cleanest city” for the last eight years.

Residents of a congested, lower-income neighbourhood in Indore, Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital, had been warning authorities for months about foul-smelling tap water. Their complaints went unheeded, despite the city’s much-lauded ranking for waste segregation and other cleanliness measures.

Published: January 2, 2026, 12:14 pm

Bowie: The Final Act – 10 years after his death, the rock god gets a rapturous resurrection

Packed with incredible scenes, this heartbreaking anniversary documentary can’t help but offer up a huge serving of nostalgic bliss

There’s a theory that the world spun off its axis with the passing of David Bowie, 10 days into January 2016. It was also two days after his final, death-infused album Blackstar appeared from nowhere. As an artistic statement it was prophetic and impeccably theatrical. A feature-length documentary now shines a black light on that album’s recording, which some call Bowie’s creative resurrection. What does it reveal? And do we want to revisit that place, emotionally?

Thankfully, Bowie: The Final Act (Saturday 3 January, 10pm, Channel 4) does not live solely in the catacombs. It begins at the zenith of Bowie’s pop fame: the 1983 Serious Moonlight tour, where the Thin White Duke turned American soul hero. This MTV-approved, Pepsi advert-inducing stardom was the onset of a career-stalling ennui, Bowie’s artistic voice drying out under the bright lights he sought. It then ricochets back to the start of his musical journey, pinballing us through its highlights. With a mythology this seismic it would be a crime not to. David Bowie invented serving looks, you know. They just happened to come from another planet.

Published: January 3, 2026, 7:00 am

‘The children were delighted to see themselves in such bright colours’: Moe Wai’s best phone picture

The photographer’s painted bottles and hoops enhanced a carefree afternoon on a Burmese beach

As a tuk-tuk driver, Moe Wai feels that he has honed both his observational and people skills. Wai lives and works in Myin Ka Par, a village in Myanmar, and became interested in mobile photography several years ago. In this instance, he used his phone to capture this gaggle of local children as they were returning home from school.

“They were playing on a sandbank with their own plastic bottles,” Wai recalls. He’d been collating props for some time; bottles and hoops he had painted in a variety of colours, including neon pink. “The children were happy to let me replace theirs with my own colourful ones for the purpose of this photo.” He later applied some minor edits using the Lightroom app.

Published: January 3, 2026, 10:00 am

We Bury the Dead review – Daisy Ridley tackles the undead in solid zombie twist

Star Wars alum gives an impressively modest performance in this slightly smarter-than-average survival tale

Unlike some other less resilient horror subgenres, the zombie movie is, fittingly, never going to really die. Neither will film-makers attempting to add their own twist, understandable given how repetitive the die, wake up, lumber, bite and repeat formula has become. Australian director Zak Hilditch’s attempt, the rather buried We Bury the Dead, is therefore not quite as striking as it might have seemed a decade and change ago. Using words such as “contemplative” and “mournful” to describe a film that includes its fair share of gnarly head-smashing has become something of a cliche, so much so that last month’s meta-comedy Anaconda reboot had its characters joke that these days, even a film about a giant snake needs “intergenerational trauma” to work.

But Hilditch mercifully avoids drowning his film in drab self-seriousness. Yes, it’s a zombie survival thriller that’s also about grief – but it’s also just a zombie survival thriller, albeit one with less carnage than some might expect. Those gearing up for gore would be forgiven for expecting such given the film’s cursed 2 January release date, typically handed over to the silliest of studio horror, from One Missed Call to Texas Chainsaw 3D to Season of the Witch (they’ll likely be satiated by next week’s killer chimp schlocker Primate instead). We Bury the Dead, which was partly funded by the Adelaide film festival before premiering at SXSW, is less focused on death toll and more on the toll left on those who’ve lost someone, in this iteration as the result of a US government blunder.

Published: January 2, 2026, 9:38 pm

New year, old warnings: what can films set in 2026 teach us?

From Doom and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to Metropolis, Hollywood hasn’t predicted the most stable of years ahead

2025 sounds more futuristic. Maybe it’s the “f” sound on “five.” But 2026 is one step beyond, and it’s where we are now, with every science-fiction-style development – principally the widespread adoption of AI – looking dystopian, or maybe worse. (Doesn’t it feel like in a proper dystopia, the brain-numbing corporate-backed anti-human technology would actually work a bit better?) Didn’t anyone warn us about this?

The answer, at least with regards to our sci-fi movies years ago (or occasionally months ago) positioned in 2026, is yes and no. Some of those warnings are broadly applicable (global catastrophe) but specifically far-fetched (when mankind is inevitably decimated, we will almost certainly take the ape population with us). Some of them are visionary; others just look like bad green screen. But it’s worth examining where various film-makers, from geniuses to grunts, thought we would be situated by this time in our planet’s evolution. So let’s take a look at some of the movies that have been set in 2026 over the years and see if they have anything to teach us.

Published: January 2, 2026, 10:03 am

‘I’ve seen a lot of great pissheads’: Stephen Graham on booze, Baftas and the return of his bone-crunching boxing thriller

Stephen Graham and Steven Knight had an astonishing 2025. As A Thousand Blows explodes back, they talk about taking decades to become overnight sensations, the Peaky Blinders movie – and why it could be time for a scouse Bond villain

Stephen Graham had a stellar 2025. He didn’t just play Bruce Springsteen’s father in biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere but, of course, co-created and starred in Netflix mega-hit Adolescence – the game-changing drama that sparked global debate about online misogyny, incel culture and the “manosphere”.

His friend and regular collaborator Steven Knight watched admiringly from afar as the devastating four-parter became event TV. “My God, it was a cultural phenomenon,” he says, puffing out his cheeks with pride. “Adolescence got people talking who don’t normally talk, about things they don’t normally talk about. Is there any finer achievement than having a direct, immediate and positive effect worldwide on human relationships? It’s like putting something on screen which is medicine. It’s actually good for you.”

Published: January 2, 2026, 1:00 pm

‘I don’t want to resent the thing I love’: Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor on romance, rationing and retirement

Both stars have bigger films on release but are hugely proud of The History of Sound, which has been four years in the making. They talk about the vulnerability of singing, the cost of inhabiting a role – and rationing future parts

All things considered, telling Paul Mescal I once placed a bet on him is not quite the icebreaker I had hoped. Or rather, it breaks the ice in an unusual way.

“The key question,” he says, his voice betraying a hint of trepidation, “is what was the bet? Most Likely to Join the 27 Club?”

Published: January 2, 2026, 5:00 am

Iain Ballamy: Riversphere Vol 1 review | John Fordham's jazz album of the month

(Babel Label)
The 80s sax star leads an A-list quartet, plus a shared trumpet role for Laura Jurd and Ballamy’s son Charlie

Opening 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 exactly why he has stayed there for 40 years.

In their 20s, Ballamy and pianist/composer Django Bates frequently joined forces as two mavericks, skilfully respectful of the classic jazz tradition while adventurously and often mischievously transforming it. They were key figures in a gifted UK generation that created some of the sparkiest European jazz of the 1980s and 90s, most influentially in the revolutionary orchestra Loose Tubes, which brought together genres from old-school swing to vaudeville, improv and avant-rock, and on occasion really did get people dancing in the streets.

Published: January 2, 2026, 9:00 am

Blank Canvas by Grace Murray review – a superb debut from a 22-year-old author

In this energisingly original novel, an emotionally detached English student at college in New York tells a big lie

Lies 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 consequences of a lie but the ways in which it can, paradoxically, reveal certain truths.

At a small liberal arts college in upstate New York, Charlotte begins her final year by claiming that her father has just died of a heart attack. In fact, he is alive and well back in Lichfield, England. This lie is the jumping-off point for an unpacking of Charlotte’s psychology, as well as the catalyst for her relationship with fellow student Katarina, a quasi-love story that forms the book’s main narrative.

Published: January 2, 2026, 7:00 am

The best recent poetry – review roundup

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 Jolly

The 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 sequence entitled Impasse is inspired by Georges Simenon’s Maigret novels. These poems plunge us into the landscape of the detective hero’s world, a process O’Brien describes as “analogous to dream-life, where certain motifs (cities, railway stations, libraries in my case) recur without ever abolishing the mystery that animates them”. The penultimate poem of the final sequence ushers in an elegiac, pensive tone as the speaker reminds us not to forget “birdsong / the descant of the rising lark / that never ends, composed of silence”. The book reinforces O’Brien’s authority as a chronicler of our times, “love and death consorting as they must”.

Plastic by Matthew Rice (Fitzcarraldo, £12.99)
This book-length poem explores the experiences of a night worker turned poet. Structured as a continuous narrative, it illustrates the frustrations, inequities and relentless cycle of 21st-century manual labour: “The night is proletarian, a morgue of ghosts / given the present is a borderline”. Rice documents the tragic incidents and surreal imaginings that occur within the nightmarish confines of a plastic moulding factory. “Once, in this building, a kid clocked off night shift / for good at the end of a rope / another’s heart gave out at 3am / performing a task as menial as mine.” This sardonic, bleakly moving book interrogates ideas of working-class masculinity and intergenerational trauma, with “hell as an idea of what work could be”; there are glimpses of hope in poetry itself, “the treasure buried in my father’s field”.

Published: January 2, 2026, 12:00 pm

Andrew Miller: ‘DH Lawrence forced me to my feet – I was madly excited’

The novelist on how The Rainbow made him want to write, the strange genius of Penelope Fitzgerald and finding comfort in Tintin

My earliest reading memory
Sitting 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 up
Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth. It’s a story set in Roman Britain; the Eagle is the lost standard of the ninth legion. I was a boy already obsessed by all things Ancient Roman (the alternative to the kind of boy obsessed with dinosaurs). One of the places I remember reading it is in bed with my dad. On Sunday mornings my brother and I would climb into the big bed. My parents had long since split up. There was a picture on the wall, a modest reproduction of Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus. To me, this voluptuous woman gazing at herself in a mirror was my mother. It’s interesting to me how the setting in which you read is such an integral part of the reading experience.

Published: January 2, 2026, 10:00 am

The week around the world in 20 pictures

Russian drone strikes hit Kyiv, flooding in California, the African Cup of Nations and New Year celebrations: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists

Published: January 2, 2026, 6:35 pm

Will Smith accused of ‘predatory behaviour’ and ‘grooming’ by tour violinist

Brian King Joseph claims the rapper and actor was ‘priming’ him for ‘sexual exploitation’. Smith’s lawyer has called the allegations ‘false, baseless and reckless’

Will Smith is being sued by a violinist from his 2025 tour, who claims the rapper and actor exhibited “predatory behaviour” and was “deliberately grooming and priming” him for “further sexual exploitation”. Brian King Joseph is also pursuing the performer and his company Treyball Studios Management for wrongful termination and retaliation in a suit filed in the superior court of California.

Joseph alleges that he was hired for the tour in support of Smith’s new album, Based on a True Story, after first appearing on stage with Smith in December 2024. The suit claims that Smith once told Joseph, “You and I have such a special connection that I don’t have with anyone else.”

Published: January 2, 2026, 11:03 am

‘I felt like my Bafta statue was judging me!’ Gbemisola Ikumelo on backlashes, Black Ops and why 2026 will be her year

Whether she’s a chicken-obsessed schoolboy or a hapless cop fighting a plot to bring down Notting Hill carnival, the comic actor’s dizzying range means she may soon need a bigger awards shelf

In 2020, as long-overdue conversations about race rippled out across the world, Gbemisola Ikumelo, now 39, made a decision. “I had this soul-destroying experience on a job,” she says, hersunny demeanour at odds with the grim tale. She decided to post online about the microaggressions she had endured while appearing in a play some years before, making peace with the fact that it could affect her chances at future roles, and shaking as she typed out the thread. A day passed, “and I just heard my phone going ding, ding, ding. I was convinced it was going to be backlash – but it was people sending their congratulations.” Ikumelo had been nominated for a Bafta for her short, Brain in Gear. “I felt like God was going: ‘Don’t worry.’ It was a beautiful moment.” She won that Bafta and has since scooped another. “When I won the first one, I was living in a small flat, and I felt like the [statuette] was judging me,” she laughs. “I was like, I might have to refurb or move. Now I have an office, so they’re in a very reasonable place.”

You get the feeling she should keep a few shelves free. After flirting with TV roles in the US, in 2025 Ikumelo joined the writing and acting cast of NBC’s Office spinoff The Paper. Closer to home, she also shot another series of the show that scooped her the second of those aforementioned awards, for best female comedy performance – the riotous buddy cop comedy Black Ops (she is still hopeful her brilliantly anxiety-inducing Brain in Gear will make it to a series).

Published: January 2, 2026, 12:00 pm

More than 60 Henri Matisse artworks donated to Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris

Artist’s daughter Marguerite features in most of the pieces, kept in the family until ‘complete surprise’ donation

The Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris has received an “extraordinarily generous” donation of 61 works by Henri Matisse that have been kept in the artist’s family.

Most of the donated art – which includes paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs and a sculpture – features the painter’s daughter Marguerite.

Published: January 2, 2026, 6:00 am

Meera Sodha’s recipe for radicchio and chianti risotto

Bittersweet maroon leaves pair perfectly with juicy red wine in this elegant winter risotto served with a walnut pesto

Bitter ingredients are not to everyone’s taste, but, amid these darkest months, they make me feel alive. I love Seville oranges, grapefruit, brassicas, bitter greens, chicory and, most of all, radicchio. I like the burgundy-spotted castelfranco (great for salad with citrus and cheese) and the long-locked tardivo (best cooked with balsamic vinegar), but radicchio di chioggia is the popular leader of the pack. A chubby little cabbage-y nugget with a middle-of-the-road bitterness that becomes milder, sweeter and more delicious, especially when cooked alongside a large glass of juicy chianti and finished off with a snowy dusting of parmesan.

Published: January 3, 2026, 6:00 am

The secret to a perfect nap: when, where and for how long?

Many athletes and professional musicians swear by getting some shut-eye during the day, but what’s the best way to ensure you don’t end up feeling groggy?

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Listen to enough productivity podcasters, and it’s easy to convince yourself that napping is a superpower: not just a sticking plaster after a bad night’s sleep, but a shortcut to a better memory, improved mood and possibly a faster 5k run time. Premier League footballers are all at it – and so are professional piano players, UFC champions and Arianna Huffington. But if you haven’t got a dedicated nap-room or a job that encourages regular snoozing, are there really enough benefits to a burst of shut-eye for it to be worth the kerfuffle? Is there a reliable way to get to sleep quickly enough? And can you really guarantee you’ll wake up feeling better, not worse?

“There are three main reasons for napping among most adults,” says Clare Anderson, the University of Birmingham’s professor of sleep and circadian science. “The first is what we call compensatory napping, which is what you do when you’ve had insufficient sleep the night before. The second is prophylactic napping, where you are pre-empting insufficient sleep coming up, for instance if you’re working on night shifts. The third is called “appetitive drive”, which basically comes down to desire: you have an opportunity to sleep during the day, and it feels nice to do it.”

Published: January 2, 2026, 4:00 pm

I’m a personal trainer. Here’s the exact equipment I use at home

You don’t need a gym membership to get a respectable workout. The right compact and budget-friendly equipment can help you create a routine

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As a certified personal trainer, I’ll be the first to tell you: you don’t need a gym membership to get a respectable workout. Besides cutting out snowy commutes and long wait times for equipment, a home gym gives you a sense of agency over your fitness routine: you can work out on your time, at your pace.

And you don’t need to fill an entire garage with iron, either. In fact, one of the most rewarding aspects of creating custom fitness programs is getting creative with home gym equipment my clients already own, no matter how minimal or modest. The right compact and budget-friendly gym equipment can help you create a fitness routine you’ll adhere to, and consistency beats having the “best” equipment every time.

Published: January 2, 2026, 8:15 pm

Experience: My friend turned out to be my long-lost sister

We were colleagues, had both been put up for adoption and were from the same place – but the paperwork said we weren’t related. Then a DNA test changed everything

I grew up in a small town in Connecticut. I always knew I was adopted: my mum told me that, as well as her, I had my “tummy mummy”. I was adopted from the Dominican Republic. My mum there was called Julianna, and she and my dad gave me up for adoption because they were poor.

Fast-forward to 2013, and I was 24 and working in a restaurant in New Haven. One day, one of my co‑ workers, Julia, noticed my Dominican Republic flag tattoo. She told me she was from there, too. I said I was adopted from there, and she said she was as well.

Published: January 2, 2026, 5:00 am

Rate the paleo diet? Then try these other prehistoric wellness tips: the Becky Barnicoat cartoon

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Published: January 3, 2026, 6:00 am

What Zohran Mamdani’s suit tells us about the man and the way society is changing

In politics, clothes matter – as the mid-market formal wear favoured by the new, young New York mayor testifies

Growing 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 supposed to want if I ever intended to become a “man”. But until recently, my generation seemed to wear them less and less, and they had all but disappeared from my consciousness.

Then came the newly elected New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who was sworn in at a private ceremony dressed in a sober black overcoat, crisp white shirt and an Eri silk tie from New Delhi-based designer Kartik Kumra of Kartik Research – styled by US fashion editor, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. Buoyed up by an ingenious campaign, he caught the imagination of the world like no other New York mayoral candidate of recent times. But whether he was throwing his hands in the air at a hip-hop club or at a premiere party for the film Marty Supreme, one thing on his campaign trail rarely changed: he was almost always in a suit. Loosely tailored, modern with soft shoulders, yet conventional and ordinary, his is a typically middle-class millennial suit – well, as typical as it can be for a generation that rarely bothers to wear one.

Published: January 2, 2026, 12:00 pm

Rise and shine! How not to look tired (even when you’re totally knackered)

From facial massage to wearing the right colours, there are plenty of ways to appear well rested, even when you’re anything but

According to new research, the UK’s sleep crisis is at a peak; the average person in Britain loses the equivalent of 18 days of sleep every year, while one in four of us survive on just one hour’s rest a night. But I’m here to help. As a beauty editor of more than 15 years – with a penchant for a late night – I’ve tried every trick in the book for faking eight hours of sleep. With these smart tweaks, science-backed tips and insider hacks, you can look half-alive – even if you feel as if you’ve been exhumed.

Published: January 2, 2026, 3:00 pm

‘Magical place’: tourists see another side of Papua New Guinea’s most troubled region

Tourism operators in PNG’s highlands offer access to lush scenery, adventure and culture – in contrast with the region’s dangerous image

In the lush hills of Papua New Guinea’s highlands, Ambua Lodge sits in picturesque but troubled surrounds. From this region – one of the country’s poorest and most dangerous – the hotel is attempting to carve another path for Hela province, which has long been beset by tribal fighting.

Despite a history of conflict in the area, the hotel has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world, and the country’s leaders want to attract even more tourists to this hard-to-access location.

Published: January 2, 2026, 11:00 pm

How to start … anything: expert tips for trying something new

From therapy to running and conversing with strangers, we asked experts what the basics are of starting anything new

The hardest part of any new habit or activity is starting it. Do you need special equipment? How do you know if you’re doing it right? What are the basics, and how do you take your practice to the next level?

In the series How to start, we ask experts to break down how to start, well, anything – including running, dating, cooking and lucid dreaming.

Figure out what you enjoy by checking out a variety of books from the library, but don’t force it. If you’re not enjoying a volume, put it down and move on to the next.

Start with short books and whichever medium – physical books, ebooks or audiobooks – works best for you.

Make reading fun and sociable by sharing books with friends, or joining a book club.

Think about your dreams more – way more. Start by keeping a dream journal and recording your dreams every day.

Cultivate the intention to lucid dream. While you’re awake, think: “The next time I have a dream, I’m going to figure out it’s a dream,” says Dr Ken Paller, professor of psychology at Northwestern University.

The Wake-Back-to-Bed (WBTB) and Mnemonic Induction of Lucid Dreams (Mild) techniques can be effective ways to try to lucid dream – but don’t try it more than two to three times a week as they can be tiring.

You don’t need to teach a dog as many commands – some trainers call them cues – as they might think. Two cues – “sit” and “come” – are essential for minimizing behavioral issues and recall.

Besides basic safety commands, think about training functionally.

There’s no need to spend hours on training. Sessa says she usually suggests her clients work with their dogs for no more than 10 to 15 minutes a day.

Begin in a plank position, with your hands and toes on the ground and feet set wide or narrow. Lower yourself until your body is almost touching the ground, keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle. Then push yourself back up.

Make sure to maintain correct form, with a line from head to heels, and don’t rush through reps.

Make sure you have the basic tools for cooking: a chef’s knife, a cutting board, a a nonstick pan, baking sheets and spatulas.

Quality spices and pantry staples can improve your cooking. Stock up on good kosher salt, fresh black pepper, olive oil, a neutral oil (like canola oil or avocado oil) for high temperature cooking, a couple of vinegars, bags of rice and some beans.

Watch a knife skills class (many are free online) to master essential techniques.

Try recipes that will teach you core cooking skills, like a lentil soup, to learn how to time sauteing and simmering; or a three-egg omelet, to learn heat control.

Cleansers: Start and end your day with a gentle cleanser.

Moisturizers: For all skin types, moisturizers heal and protect the skin.

Sunscreen: No matter the weather, always apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen – at least SPF 30 or higher.

Alternate running and walking. Run for short periods, then walk to recover – this makes the workout more manageable. Over time, you can increase the period of time running, and aim to take fewer walking breaks.

Avoid running too fast or too much. Keep a conversational pace, where you can talk and run at the same time and be sure to take time off as your body adjusts to the new routine.

Get good running shoes. Buying in-person is best, especially if you can visit a running store where you can get properly fitted and try a wide variety of shoes.

Don’t push yourself to run as long and far as you can. It can be draining and lead to injury.

Published: January 2, 2026, 5:15 pm

I taste words. ‘Bob’ is like a milk chocolate Easter egg on my tongue

Monique Todorovski, a clinical administrator, shares her experience of lexical-gustatory synaesthesia

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When 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 by the time I met Phil, so I had an explanation for my word-taste associations, after years of strange looks from family and friends. I had lexical-gustatory synaesthesia, one of the rarest forms of the phenomenon, in which words or sounds trigger taste sensations. Researchers estimate it affects just 0.2% of the population.

Published: January 2, 2026, 2:00 pm

‘The answer is dig a hole’: why Scotland’s islanders want tunnels instead of ferries

From Shetland to the Western Isles, campaigners argue ageing ferries are driving depopulation – and undersea tunnels are the only 21st-century solution

For Alec Priest, an instrument technician at Sullom Voe oil terminal on Shetland, the case for digging tunnels under the narrow stretches of ocean that separate his home from work is clear-cut.

As things stand, two ageing ferries crossing tidal sounds notorious for their powerful currents break up his commute. For a casual tourist, that adds to the mystique. For time-pressed islanders, care workers and businesses, it adds delays, stress and costs.

Published: January 2, 2026, 1:00 pm

Behind the scenes of Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics, a 19th-century story of politics and gay love

The new stadium sits in the suburb of Herston, a name alluding to the state’s first premier and the man believed to be his lover

Today the story would be unremarkable: two gay men, migrants from England, give their Queensland home a portmanteau of their last names.

But in 1859, these two men, Robert Herbert and John Bramston, were the new state’s first premier (then called colonial secretary) and one of his attorneys general.

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Published: January 2, 2026, 2:00 pm

Snow in Wales, flooding in Gaza and a wolf supermoon: photos of the day – Friday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Published: January 2, 2026, 2:42 pm