3 h. ago ‘They want to break us’: Russian energy grid strikes give freezing Kyiv some of its darkest days

Impact of raid on infrastructure rivals early weeks of war when tanks tried to force their way into Ukrainian capitalOn the night of 9 January, amid warnings from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of massive and imminent Russian airstrikes, Tetiana Shkred began cooking for her children at midnight.Concerned that the power was once again about to be knocked out in her apartment block on Kyiv’s left bank – the side of the city that has been most affected by Moscow’s attacks on energy infrastructure – she cooked until 3am, when her flat was plunged into freezing darkness. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago ‘I think they want to break us’: Russian strikes on energy grid give freezing Kyiv some of its darkest days

Impact of raid on infrastructure rivals early weeks of war when tanks tried to force their way into Ukraine’s capitalOn the night of 9 January, amid warnings from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of massive and imminent Russian airstrikes, Tetiana Shkred began cooking for her children at midnight.Concerned that the power was once again about to be knocked out in her apartment block on Kyiv’s left bank – the side of the city that has been most affected by Moscow’s attacks on energy infrastructure – she cooked until 3am, when her flat was plunged into freezing darkness. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago ‘A bombshell’: doubt cast on discovery of microplastics throughout human body

Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a ‘joke’High-profile studies reporting the presence of microplastics throughout the human body have been thrown into doubt by scientists who say the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives. One chemist called the concerns “a bombshell”.Studies claiming to have revealed micro and nanoplastics in the brain, testes, placentas, arteries and elsewhere were reported by media across the world, including the Guardian. There is no doubt that plastic pollution of the natural world is ubiquitous, and present in the food and drink we consume and the air we breathe. But the health damage potentially caused by microplastics and the chemicals they contain is unclear, and an explosion of research has taken off in this area in recent years. Continue reading...

Events

8 h. ago People feel like the 'Russians are trying to freeze them': Guardian reporter in Kyiv – video

The Guardian's Peter Beaumont is in Kyiv where temperatures are expected to fall to -20C during the night. Many residents are forced to use emergency shelters to warm up and use electricity after a large-scale Russian attack on the capital on 9 January damaged energy facilities. Hundreds of homes have been left without power or heating after the strikes Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago Dunelm's heated blanket keeps you 'so warm', feels snuggly and reduces bills

People said that they 'feel nice and toasty' on chilly evenings under the 26p-per-hour blanket

Events

14 h. ago After the Bondi attack, a deepfaked Guardian video went viral. It won't be the last – video

In the days after the worst mass shooting in Australia since Port Arthur, a wave of misinformation spread across social media. A video of Australian federal police commissioner Krissy Barrett claiming four Indian nationals had been arrested, with a Guardian watermark on screen, was in fact a deepfake made from a genuine video of a press conference Barrett had given on 18 December. The video was flagged by online factcheckers, but not before being watched hundreds of thousands of times. As Guardian Australia's technology reporter Josh Taylor explains, these deepfakes are only getting easier to makeFake Minns, altered images and psyop theories: Bondi attack misinformation shows AI's power to confuse Continue reading...

Events

50 h. ago Watch out JLo and Angelina Jolie! Golden Globe host Nikki Glaser promises to mock stars during show

The blonde told People: 'Everyone is fair game. I really feel that way. 'I was even thinking, like, "Oh, I'll leave plus ones alone, they don't deserve it.'

Culture

3 d. ago No, private schools aren’t victims of ‘reverse discrimination’ – and Cambridge should know better | Lee Elliot Major

Trinity Hall’s plan to target elite schools sends the message that privilege equals talent, when the reality is that poorer students are already on the back footA Cambridge college’s plan to target students from some of the country’s most elite private schools has struck a nerve. As reported by the Guardian, Trinity Hall justified the move by claiming that a focus only on “greater fairness in admissions” could “unintentionally result in reverse discrimination”. Alumni LinkedIn feeds and social media threads quickly filled with outrage, as many Cambridge graduates interpreted the move as class prejudice rearing its ugly head once again. One angry fellow at the college said it amounted to a “slap in the face” for their state-educated undergraduates.It brought back memories of the sneering snobbery at Oxford when the former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, then principal of Lady Margaret Hall, introduced a new foundation year. “We don’t do hard luck stories,” sniffed one academic. “Oxf...

Events

4 d. ago Why is Trump interested in Greenland? Look to the thawing Arctic ice | Gaby Hinsliff

Forecasts suggest that global heating could create a shortcut from Asia to North America, and new routes for trading, shipping – and attackAnother week, another freak weather phenomenon you’ve probably never heard of. If it’s not the “weather bomb” of extreme wind and snow that Britain is hunkering down for as I write, it’s reports in the Guardian of reindeer in the Arctic struggling with the opposite problem: unnaturally warm weather leading to more rain that freezes to create a type of snow that they can’t easily dig through with their hooves to reach food. In a habitat as harsh as the Arctic, where survival relies on fine adaptation, even small shifts in weather patterns have endlessly rippling consequences – and not just for reindeer.For decades now, politicians have been warning of the coming climate wars – conflicts triggered by drought, flood, fire and storms forcing people on to the move, or pushing them into competition with neighbours for dwindling natural resources. For a...

Politics

4 d. ago 'I don’t have Instagram': how being offline became the new status symbol

Instagramming your holiday is starting to feel déclassé. From digital detoxes to phone-free nights out, more people are choosing to log off — and wearing it as a badge of honour, says Joe Bromley

Politics

8 d. ago Taxes will need to rise before next UK election, economists predict

Majority of respondents in FT’s annual survey say economy will not be strong enough for people to feel better off

Politics

1 week ago Sad map shows London’s loneliest areas where more than one in ten people feel isolated

Sad map shows London’s loneliest areas where more than one in ten people feel isolated  My London

Politics

1 week ago Travel experts say 'don't book a January hotel' if it has five red flags

Many people book a January holiday to feel refreshed and recharged, but it could be a mistake if you don't do your research - here's what to look for

Politics

1 week ago Revealed: The new clothing rules to follow when flying after officials beg passengers to 'bring civility back'

While people should be able to wear what they feel comfortable in, officials have urged passengers to 'bring civility' back to flying. And naturally, this includes wearing trousers with a waistband.

Politics

1 week ago Why New Year’s resolutions might feel harder this year – especially for young people

If you’re struggling to make changes, the problem is not necessarily a lack of imagination or hope

Politics

1 week ago PM vows to ‘defeat decline and division’ by ‘staying the course’ in new year

Sir Keir Starmer conceded life is still ‘harder than it should be’ for many but said more people will begin to feel ‘a sense of hope’ in 2026.

Politics

1 week ago Keir Starmer promises Brits will 'have more money' as criticism mounts

In the next 12 months 'more people will begin to feel positive change', Sir Keir Starmer told the nation in his New Year's address. 'We are getting Britain back on track', he added

Politics

2 w. ago ‘The perfect club to join’: Lea Schüller completes Manchester United move from Bayern Munich

United announce deal for 28-year-old forwardSchüller has scored 54 goals for GermanyLea Schüller says it was Manchester United’s ambition that attracted her to the club, after signing for the Women’s Super League side on a three-and-a-half-year contract.The prolific Germany striker, who had six months left on her contract with Bayern Munich, will move to the English club on 1 January for an undisclosed fee, as reported by the Guardian on Sunday, after successfully completing a medical earlier in December. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Toastie made from Christmas leftovers tastes 'even better than the actual meal'

A woman has shared a simple trick to use up your Christmas dinner leftovers that makes them feel like a 'brand new meal' - and people can't get enough of her 'insane' idea

Politics

2 w. ago Clever 'invisible guest' theory could totally change how you act at Christmas parties

A viral theory is helping people with social anxiety feel more relaxed at Christmas parties and social gatherings, with the 'invisible guest' mindset now being adopted in workplaces too

Politics