The King and Queen appeared in high spirits as they arrived at Crathie Kirk near Balmoral this morning to attend a Sunday service.

Politics

The region is still in the midst of a cold snap

Society

Fiendish question provoked debate among fans

Economics

Eternal rivals meet again with silverware on the line

Sport

Palisades and Eaton fires continue to rage with more than 36,000 acres burned

Events

Acclaimed for her work on children’s books, the artist is teaming up again with her collaborator on Bear HuntThe imaginations of hosts of little children, many now parents themselves, have been shaped by the paintbrush of Helen Oxenbury. Her illustrations have guided millions of toddlers off to the Land of Nod, yet the first solo exhibition of her work has been a long time coming.And so, just as oddly, has any follow-up collaboration with Michael Rosen, considering the huge success of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, their 1989 picture book. Continue reading...

Culture

Beauty clinic manager Jean Huang tragically died following a botched breast augmentation surgery - unregistered doctor Jie Shao was jailed and has now been banned from providing health services

Science

World No 8 is coming off a career-best year as pressure mounts to become the first homegrown Australian Open men’s singles champion since 1976Playing at home in front of a home crowd can go one of two ways. For some, it’s an inspiration, they play their best tennis at the most important moments. For others, it can be crippling, the tension ripping through their body and stopping them from playing the way they so dearly want to.Think Sam Stosur, the Australian who won the US Open in sensational style in 2011, beating Serena Williams in the final, but for whom the expectations at Melbourne Park were simply too stressful. For all his talent, Nick Kyrgios’s best run in Melbourne is a quarter-final effort in 2015. Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo made one quarter-final at Roland-Garros but triumphed in Australia and at Wimbledon. Continue reading...

Politics

The week began with a biting cold snap that hammered much of the U.S., the product of a jet stream that slips out of its usual path more often these days

Society

Looking to beat those January blues? Adding some colour into your wardrobe is a guaranteed way to boost your mood so we've found the best dopamine buys on the high street

Economics

Heavyweight clash in the third round

Sport

Verdict of crimes against humanity for kidnap of mixed-race children could pave way for wider justice, activists sayA historic court ruling that found Belgium guilty of crimes against humanity during its colonial rule of central Africa has been hailed as a turning point that could pave the way for compensation and other forms of justice.Belgium’s court of appeal ruled last month that the “systematic kidnapping” of mixed-race children from their African mothers in Belgian-ruled Congo, Rwanda and Burundi was a crime against humanity. The case was brought by five women who were removed from their Congolese mothers as small children between 1948 and 1953, and who now live in Belgium and France. Each was awarded €50,000 (£42,000) in damages. Continue reading...

Events

Looking at a sepia-tinged picture of my grandmother, she has the kind of face you don’t see any more The photo shows my grandmother. She’s among the adults at the back, fourth from right, peeping out from a row of old-timey faces. The kind of faces you don’t see any more, faces that could only come from the past. Even without the sepia tint and the period clothing, you know you’d have a hard time showing them an iPhone or talking to them about AI. Frankly, you’d have a hard time explaining ITV4.But it is sepia-tinted, this photo, almost artificially so; its stock-still adults and fidgety kids captured in eerie permanence, so perfectly composed as to recall the cover of a stirring Irish childhood memoir. Judging by the boys and girls in their little suits and sparkling white dresses, it’s from a first holy communion ceremony, presumably one with pupils from the small primary school in Mulleek, Fermanagh, where she taught for 30 years. Continue reading...

Culture

Chinese scientist Shi Zhengli, 60, continues to work on bat coronaviruses in Wuhan - top virologists say her work could have a 'potentially catastrophic' impact five years on from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic

Science

Parents must frequently say ‘no’ to their own wants and needs to serve their child’s long-term flourishing – and growth into a wonderful adultRead more in our Making sense of it seriesI believe power trips and parenting should never mix, so I freaked out when the early childhood nurse told me that to my baby boy, I was a “goddess”. She meant he was dependent on me for everything, so I had to be everything to him, come what may. But the life divine didn’t come easily to me: my boy didn’t sleep much, so I didn’t either.A decade on, I’ve seen the light. The nurse was right all along: parenting is a God gig. You don’t need to be a believer for something miraculous to happen when you become a parent: you go about becoming the god you don’t believe in, and your child’s personal guarantee that the world is a welcoming place. Continue reading...

Politics

We fell in love with the power and speed that fossil fuels brought us. But the price being paid in California, and around the world, has become too highZero per cent contained. In layperson’s terms, that means “out of control and burning at will”. It’s a common designation for a wildfire – in the wild. But when a fire like this enters an urban area such as Los Angeles County, the most highly populated metropolitan area in the US, it becomes an exploding bomb, and this one has been detonating since last Tuesday.By now, the energy release from this wind-driven, drought-fuelled firestorm turned urban conflagration is into the megatons, and the nuclear-scale destruction is there for all to see: block after block and neighbourhood after neighbourhood levelled – roughly 12,000 structures destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, 55 sq miles of city and mountain burnt, nearly 200,000 residents evacuated – so far. There is more to come. Continue reading...

Society

Abraham Ancer has raked in huge sums thanks to his switch to LIV Golf back in 2022, but the Mexican-American continues to hold out hope for the chance to compete in the four golf majors

Economics

The El Clasico giants go head-to-head in Saudi for the glory and bragging rights

Sport

Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street after leaving their home at around 2.12am on Tuesday.

Events

See how many famous faces you recognise in these fascinating photos

Culture

Scottish government stresses risk to public is low, as chief veterinary officer says it is first outbreak since 2023A protection zone has been set up after an outbreak of bird flu in Angus, Scotland’s chief veterinary officer has said.On Friday night, Sheila Voas said a 10km (6.8 mile) surveillance zone had also been declared around the area as well as the 3km protection zone in Kirriemuir after a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was reported. Continue reading...

Science

The world’s richest man looks to move Canada to the right as the beleaguered prime minister prepares to departThe decision by the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, this week to resign as head of the Liberal party has set in motion a leadership race against the backdrop of a looming general election, which will be held amid political turmoil triggered by Donald Trump’s America First economic nationalism. It has also given Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, an opportunity to inject himself into yet another country’s political turmoil.Since Trudeau’s resignation on Monday, Musk has posted repeatedly about Canadian politics on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter he bought in 2022 for $44bn. He has praised clips of Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s Conservative party, while relishing in Trudeau’s downfall and engaging with rightwing Canadian influencers. Continue reading...

Politics

The expansion of the Palisades wildfire has thrown Californians into fresh jeopardy as the blazes continue to rage for a fifth day.

Society

Kristrún Frostadóttir, who entered politics just four years ago, speaks to the Observer about feminism, the far right and reopening talks on joining the EUNearly 45 years ago, Iceland made history by producing the world’s first elected female president of a country, setting it on a path to being the global feminist frontrunner it is today.Since then it has had multiple female presidents and prime ministers, but it wasn’t until three weeks ago, when social democrat Kristrún Frostadóttir took office, that the country’s two top positions were both held by women at the same time. It comes after Halla Tómasdóttir became Iceland’s second female president in August. Continue reading...

Economics

The small-screen adaptation of Robyn Carr's bestselling book series first launched in 2019 and follows midwife Melinda 'Mel' Monroe (Alexandra).

Sport

Palisades and Eaton fires continue to rage with more than 36,000 acres burned

Events

In 1983 David Hurn met one of his photographic heroes, André Kertész , and jokingly suggested that, when he reached Kertész’s age of 89, he would remake his seminal volume, On Reading. True to his word, the Magnum photographer has now done so. Wherever Hurn travelled as a photojournalist, he took images of people reading books, magazines and, lately, on mobile phones. “One of the things that happens in every country in the world is people read,” he says. “It’s lovely to read – the touch of the paper, the ease of being able to check back a few pages. But we’re at a time now where we’re not quite sure whether, in the future, books on paper are going to disappear.”David Hurn’s On Reading is published by RRB Photobooks (£35) Continue reading...

Culture

US planemaker may have delivered 340 aircraft compared with 766 of European group, analysis suggestsBoeing is expected to confirm it made less than half of the aircraft of its rival Airbus in 2024, with analysts questioning whether the troubled US planemaker will be able to increase its rate of production as planned.The company is expected to report that it delivered only 340 aircraft to customers, when it publishes numbers on Tuesday, according to forecasts by Flight Plan. That is far below the 766 delivered by Airbus, Europe’s planemaking champion. Continue reading...

Politics

Payments are triggered when temperatures falls below 0C for seven consecutive days

Society

A cold breeze coming in from your windows or doors is a nightmare during winter, but there's a quick and easy fix

Economics

Several shows are set to return to Sky and Now's streaming platform but you can quickly catch up on some of the best series before then

Sport

Film left fans unable to sleep and was called one of the ‘best serial killer films in recent memory’

Events

Viewers have flooded the three million member Facebook group Netflix Bangers with praise, urging everyone to stop scrolling and start binging this series immediately.

Culture

Soccer AM was much watch television in the early 2000s and its 'greatest moment' left Tim Lovejoy curled up on the floor in agony moments after showing off in front of a Soccerette

Politics

The expansion of the Palisades wildfire has thrown Californians into fresh jeopardy as the blazes continue to rage for a fifth day.

Society

Watch again as Rachel Reeves attended economic talks in China on Saturday (11 January) as the chancellor pledged to make the UK “better off”.

Economics

Reds are out to book a place in round four

Sport

Availability of manuals and instructions on less moderated apps and forums is making extremist content accessibleA spate of recent vigilante and extremist attacks in the US have highlighted how the booming availability of internet resources is a growing national security concern.Experts and world governments have been sounding the alarm on digital radicalization as accessibility to materials such as assassination manuals, files for 3D printed guns, or something as simple as ChatGPT grows. Continue reading...

Events

The 40-year-old Vonn finished fourth in the Super G to continue a remarkable return to World Cup racing

Politics

The expansion of the Palisades wildfire has thrown Californians into fresh jeopardy as the blazes continue to rage for a fifth day.

Society

Lots of us are using the January sales to keep ourselves warm during the current cold snap.

Economics

Pep Guardiola’s side out to avoid huge upset

Sport

Los Angeles wildfires continue to cause havoc stateside with 16 people so far confirmed to have died in the blazes

Events

‘The show is not on its knees,’ Andy Whyment said

Politics

Donald Trump hopes agreement will take place before his inauguration amid renewed optimismThe White House is working to reach a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas before president-elect Trump’s inauguration, William Burns, the director of the CIA, has suggested.“Negotiations going on right now are quite serious and do offer the possibility, at least, of getting this done in the next couple of weeks,” Burns said in an interview with National Public Radio on Friday. “This administration worked very hard at that right up until 20 January. I think the coordination with the new administration on this issue has been good. President-elect Trump has made clear his interest in trying to get a deal, you know, before his inauguration.” Continue reading...

Economics

Marcus Rashford looks set to return to Manchester United's squad against Arsenal, but speculation over his future at the club continues to grow

Sport

Memo obtained by the Guardian mandates that court would maintain ‘exclusive’ control of all security-related recordsA newly uncovered document reveals that the US supreme court sought to beef up judicial protection, while also reducing public scrutiny of the court’s doings, before the court’s controversial decision to overturn Roe v Wade.The heavily redacted memorandum of agreement (MOA) on security is dated March 2022, and was obtained by the Guardian after being recently surfaced by governmentattic.com. Continue reading...

Events

22-year-old is from a successful skiing familyVonn continues to thrive in comeback at age of 40Lauren Macuga’s first World Cup race win – in a super-G where Lindsey Vonn impressed again in fourth – was no surprise to those who saw the 22-year-old American’s fast-improving results.Macuga was almost flawless on a course that caught out veterans like Federica Brignone and Lara Gut-Behrami, who made errors and knew crossing the finish line that their times would not hold up. Continue reading...

Politics

A mum won a £4m home - then immediately broke her 'dry January' with a bottle of champagne.

Economics

Reds are out to book a place in round four

Sport

Ryan Quigley was celebrating the new year with former teammate Martin ‘Tiger’ Bech, one of the 14 victims killedAmong those who were injured but survived the deadly New Year’s Day truck attack on New Orleans’ most famous street was a former Princeton University football player whose ex-teammate was murdered by the assailant.Ryan Quigley, 26, was in New Orleans with Martin “Tiger” Bech – who grew up about a two-hour drive west of the city in Lafayette, Louisiana – to ring in 2025 after both had forged a friendship while playing for Princeton University’s college football team. They had joined other revelers on Bourbon Street when a former US army veteran inspired by the Islamic State (IS) terror group managed to drive a pickup truck into the crowd that had gathered on one of the world’s most festive thoroughfares. Continue reading...

Events

Psychologists say that singing, dancing and song preferences play a key role in the viability of romantic relationships“What’s the one thing your readers should do to help them use music to find and catch the partner of their dreams?” asks Patrick Savage, a senior research fellow in psychology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “Go to karaoke and sing a duet. Go and sing A Whole New World with Brad Kane and Lea Salonga. That’s the number one recommendation by science. Well, just by me. I don’t have data on this, but from my personal experience, that’s the best.”Given that he is a musicologist, it is perhaps unsurprising that music is a key part of Savage’s relationship with his wife. But his experience with using music as a romantic tool is not unique. Love songs are found across cultures and despite not being a neat category they have historically been most popular – 67% of the top 40 tracks in America between 1960 and 2010 contained love themes. Continue reading...

Politics

Watch live as Rachel Reeves attends economic talks in China on Saturday (11 January) as the chancellor pledged to make the UK “better off”.

Economics

“Never gonna watch football again”: NFL fans blasts the league as they choose Jets, Jaguars and Browns to  The Times of India

Sport

LA Department of Water and Power says it is working to restore power; Los Angeles county sheriff says death toll expected to rise; police say looters posed as firefighters coming out of housesFull report: international crews arrive to battle raging wildfiresPoliticians quibbling as LA burns: Gavin Newsom’s latest beef with TrumpDetails emerge about the LA fire victimsAs is noted in our news report on the California wildfires, at least 20 arrests have been made for looting. Officials have imposed a mandatory curfew in evacuation zones as well as in the city of Santa Monica, which is next to Pacific Palisades.“Looting is an issue, the number of arrests is continuously growing,” Capt Mike Lorenz of the Los Angeles Police Department said yesterday. Continue reading...

Events

Proposal suggests restitution for colonial artefacts should also apply to underwater heritage Shipwrecked colonial treasures that have lain on the seabed for centuries could be recovered and returned to their countries of origin as reparations for slavery.Tim Maxwell, an international cultural heritage lawyer, said repatriating artefacts found underwater could help former colonial powers meet moral obligations to countries they had historically exploited for their transatlantic trade. Continue reading...

Politics

I don't need the central heating on half as much with this

Economics

Gavin Newsom has been accused of 'passing the buck' in his latest attempts to defend his response to the devastating 'Palisade Fire' which continues to rage.

Events

Walker has told Pep Guardiola he wishes to leaveFull-back played no part in City’s 8-0 rout of SalfordNathan Aké has stated Manchester City will “massively” miss Kyle Walker if he leaves in the winter window after the 34-year-old informed the club he wishes to do so.After City’s Saturday’s 8-0 FA Cup third-round rout of Salford City, Pep Guardiola revealed the defender was left out of the matchday squad after his request on Thursday to “explore the option” to play abroad. Milan are interested in signing Walker, though a move to Saudi Arabia is not thought to be an option currently. Continue reading...

Politics

Downing Street is said to believe that significant reductions are needed in the welfare budget, namely from personal independence payments (PIP).

Economics

LA Department of Water and Power says it is working to restore power as Los Angeles county sheriff says death toll expected to riseFull report: international crews arrive to battle raging wildfiresPoliticians quibbling as LA burns: Gavin Newsom’s latest beef with TrumpDetails emerge about the LA fire victimsHere is video of Los Angeles residents returning to their homes to assess the damaged left by the devastating fires which raged through multiple areas of the city:34,646 homes and businesses in Los Angeles are now without electricity, according to Poweroutage.us, an outage monitor that tracks blackouts across the US.San Bernardino: 8,333Riverside: 7, 152Santa Barbara: 2,081 Continue reading...

Events

Advanced weather modelling maps suggest the UK is yet to see the last of the snow this month, with a blizzard lasting five days tracked to batter Brits towards the end of January

Politics

If you're looking for a new pair of staple shoes to see you through the months of cold and wet weather, look no further than this sale on some 'exceptionally comfortable' boots

Events

World No 1 beats Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 in first roundSabalenka looking to match Hingis’s Melbourne hat-trickAs Aryna Sabalenka strode down the tunnel inside Rod Laver Arena that leads players straight to the court, the cameras momentarily captured a perfect shot. The pathway to Melbourne Park’s premier court is filled with large, rectangular plaques emblazoned with the names of former champions and the dates of their triumphs.For a second, Sabalenka stood perfectly next to the sign that memorialised her 2023 and 2024 Australian Open victories. Already focused on new records and objectives, however, she kept on moving. Continue reading...

Politics

Emergency crews were unable to pass through Rushup Edge and Mam Nick, near Edale on Saturday morning due to vehicles obstructing the icy Derbyshire Road.

Events

Updates from the first day of action at Melbourne ParkAny thoughts? Share them with Daniel via emailTalking of Andreeeva, here she is talking to Tumaini Carayol.I can’t wait to see how she develops but, seeded to meet Saba in round four, she might be on borrowed time. That, contest, though, would be a treat – and most likely a lot closer than our current one. Sabalenka breaks again for 4-0, but Stephens quickly earns 15-40 Continue reading...

Politics

Kinbrace in northern Scotland saw the lowest overnight temperature with minus 13.9C overnight, the Met Office said.

Events

An emergency task force has arrived in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region to deal with the continuing consequences of an oil spill in the Kerch Strait last month

Politics

Evan Brau, 52, was left devastated after the brutal wildfires claimed his home in the Pacific Palisades as he was forced to watch the home he lived in with his wife and two children go up in smoke

Events

Kraf’s charming and challenging fourth and final novel, now published in the UK, is narrated by a New Yorker who experiences psychotic episodes“I am glad I have the radiance. This time I am wiser,” begins Elaine Kraf’s 1979 novel – now published for the first time in the UK – in irresistibly intriguing style. The narrator is Ellen, an artist living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where she regularly experiences periods of what she calls radiance, or what the rest of us would call psychosis, mental illness, or detachment from reality.And what “the rest of us” think is part of the problem for Ellen, because the radiances make her happy and she is no threat to anybody. “Fools! No one likes anyone for what they really are.” So she becomes Esmeralda, self-styled princess of 72nd Street. “I am not one of those rulers who is never seen on the streets mingling with the common people.” Continue reading...

Politics

Samsung is back with a new way to binge on boxsets and watch epic movies.

Events

Taking the overnight train between the capital cities and on to Dresden is all about slow travel and the romance of life on the trackOn the evening of our overnight train journey from Amsterdam to Berlin and on to Dresden aboard the European Sleeper, we enjoy a restorative plate of oysters and steak tartare on the decks of Amsterdam’s BrasserieMarie overlooking the Amstel. Then, after a nightcap in the adjoining Freddy’s Bar, a legendary spot in the Hotel De L’Europe, we make the short stroll to Amsterdam Centraal Station for the so-called Good Night Train.At 22.20 we board the train to Berlin, the bunks are swiftly made up and the blinds part pulled down for sleep. You can open the window for fresh air, brush your teeth in your own basin and there is crisp, clean linen. This slow journey is all about the romance of life on the track – and, for me, a lingering nostalgia. Continue reading...

Politics

A seller of dodgy Fire TV Sticks has been handed a prison sentence after his operation was closed down

Events

Updates from the first day of action at Melbourne ParkAny thoughts? Share them with Daniel via emailTalking of Andreeeva, here she is talking to Tumaini Carayol.I can’t wait to see how she develops but, seeded to meet Saba in round four, she might be on borrowed time. That, contest, though, would be a treat – and most likely a lot closer than our current one. Sabalenka breaks again for 4-0, but Stephens quickly earns 15-40 Continue reading...

Politics

Tributes have been paid to a police officer who died after being hit by a HGV when she stopped to help motorists involved in an earlier crash.

Events

In an extract from their unflinching memoir, Christie Watson and daughter Rowan Egberongbe recall the post-Covid psychological collapse that fractured their bond, and how social media was both the hero and villain of the hour “Can you collect Rowan, please? It’s pastoral care at the school. We’re just a bit worried about her ... She seems manic.’ Continue reading...

Events