Coca-Cola sues Vue after cinema chain switches to Pepsi 24. January 2026 (11:00) Attempt to reclaim alleged unpaid debts comes months after 25-year relationship with cinema chain came to an endCoca-Cola is taking legal action against Vue after the cinema chain switched to arch-rival PepsiCo as its supplier for soft drinks in Europe.Vue, which operates more than 90 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, put the contract up for tender last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fake weight-loss medication in tablet form could flood Britain, experts warn 24. January 2026 (11:00) Better regulation and enforcement urged before launch of oral treatments, which criminals are likely to try to exploitExperts are warning that fake weight-loss treatments could become more prevalent as tablet forms of the medications, currently available only via injections in the UK, are launched.They say stronger regulation and enforcement are needed to prevent fraudsters from cashing in on tablets which will be easier to counterfeit. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Olivia Dean’s Man I Need wins Triple J’s Hottest 100 24. January 2026 (10:35) Dancing2 by Keli Holiday comes in second, with almost twice as many Australian songs making the count this year compared to lastGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastBritish pop sensation Olivia Dean has taken out the number one spot in Australia’s largest music poll, Triple J’s Hottest 100, with her single Man I Need.The breezy neo-soul hit, which has spent 10 consecutive weeks atop the Aria singles chart, was widely tipped as the favourite to win the 2025 vote, in which 2.1m votes were cast. Dean finished ahead of Australian artist Keli Holiday, whose TikTok-fuelled earworm Dancing2 claimed No 2. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform UK’s private health insurance plan would cost £1.7bn, Streeting to say 24. January 2026 (09:56) Health secretary will describe plan to offer tax relief on private healthcare as ‘tax cut for the wealthiest’Reform UK’s policy of tax relief on private health insurance could cost the country £1.7bn, the health secretary, Wes Streeting, is expected to say on Saturday.Streeting will make the claim at a conference organised by the Fabian Society, a socialist thinktank aligned to the Labour party, and will describe the Reform proposal as a “tax cut for the wealthiest”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Repatriate the gold’: German economists advise withdrawal from US vaults 24. January 2026 (09:00) Shift in relations and unpredictability of Donald Trump make it ‘risky to store so much gold in the US’, say expertsGermany is facing calls to withdraw its billions of euros’ worth of gold from US vaults, spurred on by the shift in transatlantic relations and the unpredictability of Donald Trump.Germany holds the world’s second biggest national gold reserves after the US, of which approximately €164bn (£122bn) worth – 1,236 tonnes – is stored in New York. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
RHS unveils plans to protect UK gardens from future water shortages 24. January 2026 (09:00) Environmental charity to prioritise water capture and storage as it urges gardeners to prepare for ‘new normal’The Royal Horticultural Society has unveiled emergency plans to protect its gardens from major water shortages in the future.The environmental charity, which owns and operates five renowned public gardens in England, said on Saturday it will invest in more water-capture and water-management projects in 2026 after severe droughts last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia launches deadly strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv ahead of day two of peace talks 24. January 2026 (08:14) Tripartite talks in the United Arab Emirates to resume in wake of missile and drone attacks that have killed one and injured dozensRussia launched a massive drone and missile attack targeting Ukraine’s two largest cities, Kyiv and Kharkiv, early on Saturday, as US, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in the United Arab Emirates for the second day of tripartite peace talks.With Kyiv and other cities in the midst of widespread outages of heat, water and power following Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, officials in Kyiv said one person had been killed and at least 15 injured in strikes that continued until morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Asbestos found in children’s play sand sold in UK 24. January 2026 (08:00) Hobbycraft removes product from sale after parent sent samples to a lab for testing but declines to issue a recallBottles of children’s play sand have been withdrawn from shelves by the craft retailer Hobbycraft after a parent discovered they were contaminated with asbestos.The parent, who did not wish to be named, raised the alarm after her children played with the sand at a party. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The ADHD grey zone: why patients are stuck between private diagnosis and NHS care 24. January 2026 (08:00) NHS England pays for private assessments under ‘right to choose’, but can reject diagnoses and is struggling to cope with demandSameer Modha knows the ADHD system all too well. He has been diagnosed himself, as have his two children, giving him a clear view of how the system works – and where it breaks down.While his own diagnosis was relatively straightforward, the experience with his daughter was very different. The diagnosis he obtained for his eldest child, after an assessment carried out privately by a “very senior ex-Camhs [child and adolescent mental health service] director, someone who knows the system and has seen a huge amount of this”, was later rejected by the NHS. He was told it was not compliant with guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), which sets healthcare standards nationally. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Red meat, no lettuce: Nigel Farage and Liz Truss attend private lunch after week of Tory defections 24. January 2026 (08:00) Meal at Mayfair club took place on day Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick criticised former PM’s mini-budgetIf it was on the menu, a side helping of lettuce never made it to the table. Over blood-red steak and chips, Nigel Farage and Liz Truss came together on Monday for a discreet lunch at a swish Mayfair club, organised by a climate-denying US thinktank.Lois Perry, a former leader of the far-right Ukip party who is now Europe director of the Heartland Institute, posted photographs, now deleted, on X of Farage addressing others, including Truss, at the meal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
