Travel disruption expected as snow and ice forecast across UK 02. January 2026 (09:04) Wintry weather likely to continue into the weekend across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandTravel disruption is expected on Friday, with snow and ice forecast across the UK.Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for parts of the UK, and amber snow warnings for northern Scotland will begin at midday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than 60 Henri Matisse artworks donated to Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris 02. January 2026 (07:00) Artist’s daughter Marguerite features in most of the pieces, kept in the family until ‘complete surprise’ donationThe 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. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Racial and religious hate crime on UK public transport is growing, data shows 02. January 2026 (07:00) Anti-racism groups warn some people are avoiding public transport or limiting their use of it for fear of abuseRacial and religious hate crime on public transport is on the rise according to new data obtained by the Guardian, as community groups report how people are restricting their daily journeys because they fear abuse or assault.Police forces across the country have recorded an increase in hate crimes over the past year, with a significant rise in racially motivated offences in Scotland as well as religious hate crimes targeting Muslims in England and Wales. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ministers may cut green tech mandate from new homes regulations in England 02. January 2026 (07:00) Exclusive: Critics say removing battery installation requirement will reduce amount homebuyers save on energy billsMinisters are poised to allow homes in England to be built without carbon-cutting technology in what experts have said is a climbdown after pressure from housebuilders.The future homes standard (FHS), due to be published in January, will regulate how all homes are built and is expected to enforce tough new regulations such as mandating solar panels on nearly all houses and high standards of insulation and heat pumps in most cases. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK government should end rail outsourcing ‘racket’, says union 02. January 2026 (07:00) RMT estimates six cleaning, security and catering suppliers made £150m profits last year Railway leaders should “think afresh” about outsourcing contracts and try to run services better, the rail minister has said, as union research indicated six major private suppliers made £150m in profits last year.Rail unions are campaigning to end the widespread outsourcing of jobs such as cleaning, security and catering, arguing that staff employed by third-party companies have worse conditions and that profits could be reinvested in the railway. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Truly humbling’: inside the centre where UK medics are helping Ukrainian amputees 02. January 2026 (06:00) British military doctors and therapists provide support at base where innovative treatments aid recovery of those who have lost limbsAt a specialist treatment centre in Ukraine, as other amputees play volleyball nearby, Vladislav shows a video on his phone of how he lost his left leg. He found the footage – of a drone closing in rapidly on a buggy, Vladislav standing exposed at its rear – on a Russian military social media channel.The 31-year-old, an arbitration lawyer before Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, makes a double whistling noise to describe the drone’s ominous progress. “That’s me,” he says, pointing at the video, filmed from a fibre optic drone, chasing him down with terrifying ease as the vehicle slows for a corner. Then the screen goes blank. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Winter blooming of hundreds of plants in UK ‘visible signal’ of climate breakdown 02. January 2026 (06:00) New year plant hunt shows rising temperatures are shifting natural cycles of wildflowers such as daisies Daisies and dandelions are among hundreds of native plant species blooming in the UK, in what scientists have called a “visible signal” of climate breakdown disrupting the natural world.A Met Office analysis of data from the annual new year’s plant hunt over the past nine years found an extra 2.5 species in bloom during the new year period for every 1C rise in temperature at a given location during the previous November and December. This year’s hunt started on Thursday and runs until Sunday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia’s 2025 road toll: NSW records highest number of deaths in eight years as fatalities rise nationwide 02. January 2026 (05:44) Authorities warn that speeding was the biggest killer in 2025, a contributing factor in 134 deathsNew South Wales has recorded the deadliest year on its roads in eight years, with indications that there was no progress in curbing road fatalities nationwide in 2025.In 2025, 355 people died on roads in NSW, 28 more than in 2024, the state government announced on Friday. It is the highest annual death toll on the state’s roads since 2017, when there were 392 deaths. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Venezuela open to talks on drug trafficking, says Maduro, but refuses to comment on reported US strike on land 02. January 2026 (05:33) President Nicolás Maduro reiterated his belief that the US wants to force a change of government in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves Venezuela is open to negotiating an agreement with the US to combat drug trafficking, the country’s president Nicolás Maduro has said, but he declined to comment on a reported CIA-led strike on a Venezuelan docking area that Donald Trump claimed was used by cartels.Maduro, in the pre-recorded interview with Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet, reiterated his belief that the US wants to force a change of government in Venezuela and gain access to its vast oil reserves through its months-long pressure campaign that began with a massive military deployment to the Caribbean Sea in August. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kim Jong-un’s daughter visits state mausoleum, fuelling speculation she will be next North Korean ruler 02. January 2026 (04:31) Kim Ju-ae has been making increasingly prominent appearances in state media over the past three yearsThe daughter of the North Korean ruler, Kim Jong-un, who is likely being prepared as his successor has accompanied her parents on her first public visit to the Kumsusan mausoleum to pay respects to former leaders, ahead of an event that could see her succession formalised.Photos from state news agency KCNA showed Kim Jong-un accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and senior officials on the visit on 1 January, with Ju-ae between her parents in the main hall of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
