Pig organ transplants could one day be superior to human ones, says expert 26. December 2025 (13:00) Surgeon leading xenotransplantation trial aimed at solving shortage of human organs says edits can lessen risk of rejectionA leading surgeon behind a clinical trial of transplanting pig kidneys into living humans has said they could one day be superior to those from human donors.Dr Robert Montgomery, the director of NYU Langone’s Transplant Institute, said the first transplant of the trial had already been carried out, with another expected to take place in January. Six patients are initially expected to receive the pig organs, which have been gene-edited in 10 places to reduce rejection by the human body. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour ‘alienating rural people’ with plan to ban trail hunting, says Countryside Alliance 26. December 2025 (12:54) Poll released as people gather for Boxing Day hunts finds 65% of respondents think government neglects rural areasKeir Starmer’s government has been told it has “alienated rural people” as traditional Boxing Day hunts gathered across England ahead of plans to ban trail hunting.The warning came from the Countryside Alliance pressure group, which released a poll suggesting 65% of people think the Labour administration unfairly neglects country communities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: Deep freeze grips Canada as US records warmest Christmas 26. December 2025 (12:52) Temperatures plunge below -50C in the Yukon, while swaths of US experience springlike weatherNorthern Canada has been gripped by an intense and prolonged cold spell, with temperatures hovering between -20C and -40C for weeks. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, its coldest December temperature since 1975.Meanwhile, Mayo and Dawson endured 16 consecutive nights below -40C, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C on Monday. Whitehorse also recorded 10 nights when temperatures dropped below -30C. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘All brakes are off’: Russia’s attempt to rein in illicit market for leaked data backfires 26. December 2025 (10:00) Russian state has tolerated parallel probiv market for its convenience but now Ukrainian spies are exploiting itRussia is scrambling to rein in the country’s sprawling illicit market for leaked personal data, a shadowy ecosystem long exploited by investigative journalists, police and criminal groups.For more than a decade, Russia’s so-called probiv market – a term derived from the verb “to pierce” or “to punch into a search bar” – has operated as a parallel information economy built on a network of corrupt officials, traffic police, bank employees and low-level security staff willing to sell access to restricted government or corporate databases. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Unpublished ‘Tupperware erotica’ novel prompts fierce contest for TV rights 26. December 2025 (09:36) Interest in Wet Ink by Abigail Avis is part of a trend for works by female authors among streamers and production companies A much-hyped novel about a housewife who uses Tupperware parties to secretly smuggle erotic stories to her friends and neighbours is causing a stir in the television world, igniting a fierce bidding contest over the right to adapt it for the small screen.Wet Ink, a novel by the 33-year-old London-based author Abigail Avis, is not scheduled to be published until the spring 2027, but industry insiders said a fierce auction between six major production companies had already taken place for the TV rights. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Asian women in England almost twice as likely to suffer severe childbirth tears 26. December 2025 (09:00) Exclusive: Analysis of NHS data shows rates of most serious tears are nearly double those for white and black womenAsian women in England are almost twice as likely to suffer the most severe birth injuries during labour, with many healthcare professionals unaware of this greater risk, analysis has found.Third- and fourth-degree tears, also known as obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI), are the most severe forms of vaginal tearing during childbirth. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Brown shooting suspect: gruelling academic climate may have taken mental toll, say ex-classmates 26. December 2025 (09:00) Cláudio Valente and one of victims, Nuno FG Loureiro, both studied at notoriously challenging Técnico in LisbonAs investigators in Massachusetts work to piece together a motive for the murders of two Brown University students and an MIT physics professor, former classmates of the suspected gunman and one of the victims have been asking if the roots of the tragedy lie in their shared experience at a top university in Portugal.The suspected gunman, Cláudio Valente, and one of those killed, Nuno FG Loureiro, studied at the prestigious and notoriously challenging University of Lisbon engineering and technology school, known locally as Técnico, both graduating in 2000. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak found guilty of abuse of power in latest 1MDB trial 26. December 2025 (08:54) Najib has been in prison since August 2022, when Malaysia’s top court upheld a corruption conviction. He denies wrongdoingJailed former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has been found guilty of abuse of power, in the biggest trial yet in the multibillion-dollar fraud scandal related to state fund 1MDB.Najib had been charged with four counts of corruption and 21 counts of money laundering for receiving illegal transfers of about 2.2bn ringgit ($544.15m) from 1MDB. He has consistently denied wrongdoing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK ministers urged to cap political donations to ‘rebuild voter confidence’ 26. December 2025 (08:00) Letter from 19 organisations says a cap would help to protect democracy, weeks after £9m donation to Reform UKMinisters should legislate to cap political donations to “rebuild voter confidence” in democracy, campaigners have said before the introduction of a landmark elections bill.The government is being urged to show more ambition as it prepares to publish legislation early next year that will extend the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
VIP viewing: cinemas bet on luxury bars and beds to usher in a new film era 26. December 2025 (08:00) Sector reinvests in high-end experiences, from front-row beds to premier pods and business class-style seats with built-in wine coolersFrom champagne coolers to front row VIP beds, cinema owners are investing heavily in premium experiences as the industry gets its box office mojo back.As the third instalment in James Cameron’s blockbuster Avatar series pulls in the Christmas holiday crowds, the UK box office is expected to surpass £1bn in 2025 for the first time since before the global Covid pandemic. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
