UK car sales top 2m in 2025 as Chinese brands boom 06. January 2026 (01:01) Electric car sales rose by nearly a quarter to a record 473,000, or 23.4% of the overall market, says SMMTA rise in the popularity of Chinese brands pushed total car sales in the UK above the 2m mark last year for the first time since 2019, figures reveal.Chinese companies accounted for 9.7% of the 2m new car registrations in the UK in 2025, or 196,000 vehicles, according to preliminary figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), a lobby group. That was nearly double the 4.9% market share achieved by the country’s carmakers in 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Adults in England eating as much salt a day as in 22 bags of crisps, study shows 06. January 2026 (01:01) Campaigners call for action to make manufacturers reduce salt in food, which can contribute to high blood pressure and deathsAdults in England eat the same amount of salt every week as is found in 155 bags of crisps, according to analysis by a leading health charity.The British Heart Foundation, which carried out the study, said this also equated to 22 bags a day of ready salted, lightly salted or sea salt crisps. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Michael Schumacher, author of Francis Ford Coppola and Eric Clapton biographies, dies aged 75 05. January 2026 (22:46) Daughter of the Wisconsin author confirmed her father died on 29 December and did not provide cause of deathMichael Schumacher, a Wisconsin author who produced a diverse array of works ranging from biographies of film-maker Francis Ford Coppola and musician Eric Clapton to accounts of Great Lakes shipwrecks, has died. He was 75.Schumacher’s daughter, Emily Joy Schumacher, confirmed Monday that her father died on 29 December. She did not provide the cause of death. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minneapolis Hilton cancels ICE agents’ hotel reservations 05. January 2026 (22:34) Move sparks praise but chain says hotel independently operated and cancellations ‘not reflective of Hilton values’The Department of Homeland Security on Monday said a Hilton hotel canceled reservations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota, where the Trump administration has deployed officers after allegations of fraud against Somali immigrants.After ICE officers booked rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton canceled their reservations, the department said in a post on X. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Arizona supreme court evacuated after package tests positive for explosives 05. January 2026 (22:16) Department of education, across the street from the supreme court, also evacuatedLaw enforcement, including the US Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco are investigating a “suspicious package” that was found in the Arizona supreme court building on Monday morning, the agency’s Phoenix division posted to X.At around 10.30am Monday, staff at the Arizona supreme court building were sent home and the building was evacuated after a package in the building’s mailroom tested positive for explosives, 12News, Phoenix’s NBC affiliate reported. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Protesters celebrate and denounce US capture of Maduro outside New York court 05. January 2026 (22:08) Some demonstrators celebrated the Venezuelan president’s detention while others spoke out against US imperialismDozens of demonstrators of various stripes gathered outside the federal courthouse in freezing temperatures in New York on Monday to express their views on the US criminal charges against Venezuela’s forcibly removed president, Nicolás Maduro.As Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges related to international drug trafficking and weapons charges inside the heavily secured court, Alejandro Flores joined other Venezuelans outside in chants that celebrated the detention of the Latin American dictator since the early hours of Saturday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Deposed Maduro pleads not guilty after capture in shock US attack on Venezuela 05. January 2026 (21:53) President protests innocence in US court as countries at UN meeting condemn Donald Trump’s ‘crime of aggression’Venezuela crisis – latest updatesThe deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to drugs, weapons and narco-terrorism charges on Monday, two days after his capture by US special forces in an operation ordered by Donald Trump that sent shockwaves around the world.The brevity and formality of the arraignment hearing in federal court in Manhattan – barely 30 minutes during which Maduro was asked to confirm his name and that he understood the four charges against him – belied the far-reaching consequences of the US action. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Corporation For Public Broadcasting formally dissolves after federal funding cuts 05. January 2026 (21:42) Board of directors vote to dissolve organization after nearly 60 years in operation after funding cuts under TrumpThe nonprofit charged by Congress with allocating funds to NPR, PBS and other US public radio and television stations announced is dissolving after massive federal funding cuts under Donald Trump.The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced on Monday that its board of directors had voted to dissolve the organization after nearly 60 years in operation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
MPs across UK parties criticise ministers over cautious stance on Venezuela attack 05. January 2026 (21:34) Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper challenged for refusing to criticise Trump’s raid despite widespread doubts about legalityMPs have attacked UK ministers over their refusal to criticise Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela, as Keir Starmer attempts to walk a fine line between defending international law and keeping the US president on side.Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs rounded on the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, on Monday night as frustration grew over the government’s cautious response to the US capture of the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Albanese to visit flood-hit Queensland; Bondi suspect moved to Goulburn Supermax 05. January 2026 (21:00) Naveed Akram will be held at the high-security prison as he awaits trial. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA group of former Labor MPs and activists have written an open letter to Anthony Albanese calling on him to hold a royal commission into antisemitism and the Bondi terror attack.They said democracy was “at stake” if the prime minister failed to heeds the calls.We commend NSW premier Chris Minns for calling a NSW royal commission but such a commission cannot compel institutions and individuals beyond its jurisdiction to give evidence or provide commonwealth officers with the necessary legal protection to speak frankly.Only a commonwealth royal commission can unpack the dynamics of Jew hatred including aspects such as the social media threat, how hate and incitement is weaponised in Australia and how we can come together across the nation to defeat it. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
