Iceland has hottest Christmas Eve ever with temperature of 19.8C recorded 30. December 2025 (14:13) Meteorological office reports high temperatures across country and record measured at Seyðisfjörður in eastRecord temperatures of almost 20C were reached in Iceland on Christmas Eve, the local meteorological office has confirmed.Seyðisfjörður, a small town in the east of Iceland, hit 19.8C on 24 December. Average December temperatures in Iceland are between -1C and 4C. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Despair for would-be US citizens as American dream blocked by Trump 30. December 2025 (13:00) Aspirant Americans tell of exclusions from ceremonies by sudden policy introduced on ‘security’ groundsThe occasion should have been marked by the joy of reaching the destination of US citizenship following the long odyssey of immigration.Instead, the ceremony at Boston’s Faneuil Hall – renowned as a “cradle of liberty” for its role as a protest hub in the run-up to the American revolution – felt like a nightmarish end of the road for some aspirant new Americans who had turned up full of hope. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK’s warmest spring on record led to rise in songbirds breeding, data shows 30. December 2025 (12:38) Dry and warm 2025 spring gave glimmer of hope for threatened wild birds but many remain in long-term declineThe warmest and sunniest spring on record this year led to an increase in the breeding of some of Britain’s best-loved songbirds, data has shown.Scientists said the dry and warm spring had provided a glimmer of hope for threatened wild birds. In the 2025 breeding season, from May to August, there were higher than average breeding successes for 14 species including the chiffchaff, garden warbler, whitethroat, coal tit, blue tit, great tit and robin. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Renewable energy project approvals hit record high in GB in 2025, data shows 30. December 2025 (12:19) Applications to build battery storage drive boom as offshore wind projects given go-ahead jump sevenfold year on yearA record number of renewable energy projects were given the go-ahead in Great Britain in 2025, after planning approvals almost doubled year on year, according to an analysis.The energy capacity of new battery, wind, and solar projects that received approval climbed to 45GW this year, 96% higher than in 2024, according to data from Cornwall Insight. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Zack is a phenomenal leader’: Siân Berry on the Green party’s next steps as membership doubles 30. December 2025 (12:00) Since Zack Polanski took over as leader, the party has doubled its membership and its four MPs want to take on Reform’s anger and build community spirit“Someone has to be out there making the narrative for social security. Someone has to fight the corrosive attitudes to people on benefits,” says Siân Berry, who has just finished her first year as a Green MP in the House of Commons.She is speaking to the Guardian in her Brighton constituency office, formerly occupied by the legendary Caroline Lucas who flew a lone flag as the only member of parliament for the Green party for 14 years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Unite leader issues blunt warning to Labour about ‘failing to back workers’ 30. December 2025 (11:47) General secretary of party’s main union backer says it must change course or risk sowing seeds of its own destructionUnite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, has told the government it must do more for workers in 2026 or risk sowing the seeds of its own destruction.Graham accused Labour of being preoccupied with its “failing leadership” and described the debate about who might replace Keir Starmer as inevitable. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Marks & Spencer launches ‘nutrient dense’ range for people on weight-loss jabs 30. December 2025 (10:39) New M&S salads, breads, yoghurt bowls and chicken dinners come as more Britons turn to Mounjaro and WegovyBusiness live – latest updatesMarks & Spencer is targeting weight-loss jab users with a new range of “nutrient dense” food that it claims will satisfy customers who are eating less.The retailer said the range, which launches on 5 January and includes salads, breads, yoghurt bowls and chicken dinners, is “perfectly portioned to contain high amounts of nutrients per calorie”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Young Atlantic salmon seen in three English rivers for first time in a decade 30. December 2025 (10:27) Species that is critically endangered in Britain is spotted in Mersey, Bollin and Goyt rivers in north-westYoung Atlantic salmon have been seen in three rivers in north-west England for the first time since 2015, marking a “significant environmental turnaround”.The salmon species was declared critically endangered in Britain in 2023 but fish have been spotted in the Mersey, Bollin and Goyt rivers, meaning they have successfully travelled from the Arctic Circle to spawn. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Octopus Energy to sell stake in software spin-off Kraken at $8.65bn valuation 30. December 2025 (09:05) CEO of Britain’s biggest household energy supplier says technology arm could float in the medium termBusiness live – latest updatesOctopus Energy has agreed to sell a stake in its Kraken software arm, in a move that would value the division at $8.65bn (£6.4bn) and could open the way for a stock market flotation.The technology, which it already licenses to some rival suppliers, has been vital to the energy company’s success, making it easier to manage customer billing, smart meters, electric vehicle charging and home batteries to make using renewable power cheaper. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Six charged after police allegedly find man and teen travelling with loaded guns in Sydney taxi 30. December 2025 (08:49) Police allege a 16-year-old and 20-year-old were in the car with firearms and a dedicated encrypted phoneFour men and two teenage boys have been charged after police allegedly caught two members of the group travelling in a taxi with loaded guns.The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation into a shooting in Sydney’s northwest in November where police allege two men fired shots and a stun grenade into a Tallawong home, in north-west Sydney. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
