PDC World Championship darts quarter-finals: Ryan Searle v Jonny Clayton – live

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• Littler v Ratajski, Humphries v Van Veen from 7pm GMT

*Searle (1) 2-0 (0) Clayton Another break of throw for Searle! Clayton missed a dart at D16, a terrible effort, and Searle took out 116 on tops with the air of a man strolling to the paper shop on a brisk winter morning. His finishing has been outrageous.

Searle (1) 1-0 (0) Clayton*

Executions in Saudi Arabia hit highest number ever in 2025

Analysts attribute increase to kingdom’s ‘war on drugs’ as authorities kill 356 people by death penalty

Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, setting a new record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year.

Analysts have largely attributed the increase in executions to Riyadh’s “war on drugs”, with some of those arrested in previous years only now being executed after legal proceedings and convictions.

Tacita Dean on witnessing Ceal Floyer’s final work of art: ‘She gave death the middle finger’

The Royal Academician celebrates an extraordinary moment as her friend, the artist Ceal Floyer, approached the end of her life last month

• Read more: Ceal Floyer obituary

It is very hard to describe a work by the British conceptual artist Ceal Floyer because description overburdens it. Her practice was so finely wrought that it existed only in the experience between a work’s idea and its absorption. Ceal handled this equation deftly and with perfect poise, but it was a perilous and naked process with little or no place to hide, or none.

Resolving the relationship between an idea’s inception and its manifestation became increasingly fraught for her and many works never made it to fruition. Therein lay her courage. This is why I wanted to add something to last month’s obituary of her by Jonathan Watkins.

Switzerland resort fire latest news: ‘several dozen’ dead after blast at ski town of Crans-Montana, police say

About 100 people were injured in the bar early on Thursday morning, but police have ruled out an act of terrorism

Officials at the press conference are asking for “prudence” from those in the town, reminding them not to make unnecessary demands on hospitals, which are overwhelmed.

Please leave investigators to do their work, they say.

Rideshare union rights, social media limits and other state laws taking effect Jan. 1

Every new year, public media reporters across the country bring us some of the new state laws taking effect where they are. Here are six in 2026.

Oil prices record steepest annual fall since Covid pandemic

After biggest loss for producers since 2020 the slide could continue, with global output expected to remain high

Oil markets have recorded their steepest annual fall since the Covid pandemic and could be on track to plummet further as oil producers continue to pump more crude than needed by the global economy.

Oil prices slumped by almost 20% in 2025, marking the biggest annual loss since 2020 and the first time that the oil market has recorded three consecutive years of annual losses.

My big night out: I was about to get fired – then a colleague invited me to the party that changed my life

I wasn’t sure journalism was for me until I ended up in a bar with a group of lawless, funny co-workers who complained long and hard about the panther suspended above us in a cage

In the mid-90s, I was working as an admin assistant on the listings magazine of the London Evening Standard, and was about to be fired. OK, I wasn’t that good at the job, but I was also done with it. It was on my mind that I needed an actual job, one that you could describe to someone: “I’m an X.” At what point did you get to say: “I’m a journalist”? And was that even a real thing? A lawyer friend had told me: “I see mine as a profession and yours as more of a trade.” I ruminated on that a lot.

Anyway, some time between my latest misdemeanour and my inevitable disciplinary letter, someone from the main paper, let’s call him Pete Clark because that was his name (everyone else will go by initials, but Pete’s dead now, and he would want to be named, I think), asked if I wanted to go to a party. It was no special occasion, just the launch of a bar; this happened every night in the 90s, even Mondays. He was 43, but all old people look the same when you’re 23, so I felt as if the viscount owner of the paper had noticed me from the top of his gold mountain and invited me to a ball.

How to turn the dregs of a bottle of beer into cheesy rolls – recipe | Waste not

If you don’t fancy the last warm finger or two of beer in your can, save it to bake into these fluffy, flavourful rolls

I often don’t finish a large bottle or can of beer, leaving a bit in the bottom that barely seems worth saving. When I remember, I’ll pop it in the fridge and save it to add to a stew or batter, but today’s rolls are my new favourite way of using it up.

They tried to smear him as an antisemite – but Mayor Zohran Mamdani walks in a rich Jewish tradition | Molly Crabapple

When I look at Mamdani, I don’t see some radical departure. I see him an heir to the Yiddish socialism that helped build New York

Billionaires raised fortunes against him. The president threatened to strip his citizenship. Mainstream synagogues slandered him as the spawn of Osama Bin Laden and Chairman Mao. But today, Zohran Mamdani became the first socialist mayor of New York City.

For all the hysteria, when I look at Mamdani, I didn’t see some radical departure from the past. I see him as the heir to an old and venerable Jewish tradition – that of Yiddish socialism – which helped build New York.

January isn’t for reinvention – it’s for dishes we know by heart

There’s something quietly radical about indulging in nostalgia – not because the past was better, but as a counterpoint to all that future planning

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Our friend Bridget is serious about Christmas, and she does it spectacularly: come 1 December, her tree will be up, beautifully lit and decorated, her nearest and dearest (us included, thankfully) will get their bespoke Advent calendar (this year it was a cheesy one for me and a puzzle for Sarit – perfect) and a month of fun activities will ensue, culminating in a magnificent day. She is so serious about it, in fact, that her planning for next year starts now: she hits the January sales for everything that’ll keep for the next Christmas holiday – stocking fillers, festive candy, decorations, jumpers and socks – and it’s all stored neatly in a cupboard in anticipation of another gloriously executed December.

We may not be quite as organised and foresightful as Bridget, but we are looking ahead to the coming year with the usual mix of excitement and angst, and starting to mentally put things in the calendar: maybe you have a spring holiday, or an autumn baby? Maybe there’s a visitor from abroad you’re looking forward to, or tickets for a once-in-a-lifetime gig? Even if there is nothing planned yet, summer is something we are always excited about, and the coming year starts to slot into place, as plans become experiences and, before we know it, memories. Time rushes forward, and suddenly it’s gone.

Enzo Maresca leaves Chelsea after dramatic breakdown in relations

• Italian departs Stamford Bridge role after 18 months

• Tensions behind the scenes damaged relationships

Enzo Maresca has left his job as Chelsea’s head coach. Maresca’s relationship with the club’s board has broken down and the split has led to a parting of the ways.

It had seemed Chelsea would give the Italian time to turn around his side’s form but events have moved quickly during the past 24 hours. There was deep dissatisfaction with the 45-year-old’s decisions during games but the bigger issue was his conduct away from the pitch. The situation has been volatile ever since Maresca made cryptic comments about experiencing his “worst 48 hours” at the club after the win over Everton on 13 December.

At the turn of the year, I’m facing a pivot point. Midlife crisis? No thanks | Emma Brockes

At 50, I find myself in a gazing-up-at-trees phase. What does it all mean? It’s not completely clear – but it’s certainly bothering my kids

According to research undertaken by Stanford Medicine in 2024, adult human beings are subject to two “massive biomolecular shifts” – spikes in ageing, in other words – one at 44 and another at 60, confirming what most of us instinctively know to be true: that we get older in jagged bursts – not with gentle, steady progression. As the new year issues its annual invitation to stocktake, the thing I keep thinking is where we might place the equivalent emotional pivot points, those periods in which, after years of – God willing! – pottering along feeling roughly the same, suddenly, one day, there’s a change.

I bring this up because I seem to be in the middle of one, an inflection point that manifests in the number of times on the walk back from the school drop-off I stop to look at a bird in a tree, or a snail on a wall, or any number of other overwrought visual metaphors that allow me to feel momentarily like I’m inside a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Hard to put one’s finger on what’s going on, but it has to do with the sense of an ending, which, if it’s sad at all, isn’t sad-sad; rather, it occupies that category of sadness I think of as the anticipation of future nostalgia.

Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist

Dry Cleaning: Secret Love review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week

(4AD)
The standout act in the sprechgesang wave, the four-piece’s newly expansive sound carries singer Florence Shaw’s distinctive tales of mundane lives spiralling out of control

Dry Cleaning’s third album features a lot of strikingly odd lyrics. Take your pick from “alien offshoot mushroom, going the gym to get slim”; “my dream house is a negative space of rock”; or, indeed, “when I was a child I wanted to be a horse, eating onions, carrots, celery”. But it’s an ostensibly more straightforward line, from Cruise Ship Designer, that seems destined to attract the most attention. “I make sure there are hidden messages in my work,” says vocalist Florence Shaw as the track draws to a conclusion, the muscular guitar riff that’s driven it along devolving into a janky, trebly scrabble.

Initially, the lyric appears to characterise what Dry Cleaning do, and Shaw in particular. From the moment they first appeared with the 2018 EP Sweet Princess, the south London quartet have attracted adjectives such as “surreal”, “enigmatic” and “inscrutable”. Most of the British bands who emerged around the same time bearing a roughly equivalent blend of post-punk guitars and spoken-word vocals sounded angry or sarcastic or straightforwardly comedic. Dry Cleaning, on the other hand, seemed mysterious. Shaw’s lyrics were collages of overheard remarks, recycled YouTube comments, lines from adverts and non sequiturs, delivered in a voice that was too icy to sound whimsical. It’s variously been characterised as “anhedonic” and “achromatic”, but might more straightforwardly be described as sounding politely bored. She occasionally shifts from speaking into singing in an untutored voice that brings to mind Stuart Moxham of Young Marble Giants’ line about their understated vocalist Alison Statton sounding “as if she was at the bus stop or something”. It was all intriguingly confusing: here were songs that could indeed contain hidden messages, that seemed like puzzles to be unpicked.

UK ministers face increased pressure to restrict gambling ads

Polling indicates strong public backing for a much less permissive approach to promotion, including sponsorship

Ministers will come under mounting pressure to introduce curbs on gambling advertising this year, as MPs and campaigners latch on to polling that indicates widespread public support for tougher restrictions.

Policies affecting gambling have been the subject of fierce debate over recent years, leading to stricter regulation of the £12.5bn-a-year sector and higher taxes announced in November’s budget, despite intensive lobbying by the industry.

From Sehitler to Armstrong: 10 female footballers set for breakthrough in 2026

Today’s newsletter looks at 10 superlative talents who are ready to take the next step in the coming 12 months

Alara Sehitler, Bayern Munich and Germany (19): Sehitler’s transition into Bayern Munich’s first team has come as little surprise and the creative midfielder has established herself as a strong impact player for José Barcala’s side. She has three Frauen Bundesliga goals this season and sparked Bayern’s comeback against Arsenal in the Champions League. After making her senior debut for Germany in November 2024, she will be looking to establish herself as a regular for their upcoming 2027 World Cup qualifiers.

Giulia Galli, Roma and Italy (17): Galli is widely regarded as one of the best young Italian talents to emerge for a long time and became Roma’s youngest player to make her Serie A debut in May 2024, aged 16 and one month. Establishing herself in the senior squad this season, she scored her first club goal in September and has featured in the Champions League. After starring in Italy’s sensational run to the semi-finals of last summer’s Under-17 Euros, the talented forward played a significant role at the subsequent Under-17 World Cup, picking up the bronze boot. She will surely feature at this autumn’s Under-20 World Cup.

Guides to help you tackle your New Year's resolutions

From building your strength to tackling credit card debt, NPR's Life Kit has a newsletter journey to help you tackle your New Year's resolution.

‘They misjudged Caerphilly’: how the Reform juggernaut backfired in Welsh byelection

It was assumed that Reform would sweep all before it – but locals rejected the party’s campaign of ‘lies and hate’

Yuliia Bond works two jobs, raises two children and is studying at university. In the autumn, she also found time to take on Reform UK when it tried to win the Caerphilly byelection.

Bond, a Ukrainian refugee who has settled in south Wales, said she could not remain silent as Reform tried to win the seat in the Senedd (Welsh parliament ).

More women reporting abuse in Norway as member of royal family to go on trial for rape

Country’s largest women’s health organisation says case of Marius Borg Høiby encouraging people to seek help

Staff at Norway’s largest women’s health organisation have seen a rise in the number of women reporting abuse and sexual assault at the hands of their partners ahead of the rape trial of a member of the royal family, saying they hope the case helps to “break taboos”.

Marius Borg Høiby, the 28-year-old son of the Norwegian crown princess, is due to stand trial in February on 32 charges including four counts of rape, the domestic abuse of a former partner and the illegal filming of a number of women without their knowledge or consent.

Veganuary can be a piece of cake: cooks and dieticians share 12 ways to make delicious plant-based food

Swap chicken for beans and avoid cheeze … From a MasterChef finalist to a maker of ready meals, high-profile vegans give their favourite recipes and tips

This new year, you may be embarking on Veganuary, or have resolved to eat less meat and dairy in 2026. What are some of the simplest switches to make and most nutritious dishes to try with minimum fuss? Vegans share their tips on how to eat a balanced plant-based diet.

Zohran Mamdani is now mayor of New York City. Here’s what he campaigned on

From freezing rents to free buses and municipal grocery stores – a recap of the policies that won Mamdani the office

Zohran Mamdani was sworn into office as New York’s 111th mayor at the stroke of midnight, the first Muslim mayor as well as the first to take office as a Democrat bearing the credentials of a democratic socialist.

The 34-year-old was sworn in by Letitia James, the state attorney general, in a disused subway station beneath city hall that acts as turnaround for the local 5 train, to be followed by a first-of-its-kind public block party along Broadway’s “Canyon of Heroes”.

The perfect day for parents: how to keep kids healthy and happy – without neglecting yourself

Having a routine but not overplanning, getting them involved with chores and making sure you have time just for you can all help you stop being overwhelmed

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My four-year-old is in the living room playing with a dinosaur, a pig and Jessie the cowgirl from Toy Story. I’m trying to cook dinner. “Mama, mama, pllleeease can you play with me?” I hear a pot lid rattle. The broccoli is starting to smell burned; I dash back to the kitchen. “Help! Quickly come! I’m falling!” I rush through. She’s dangling from the sofa pretending to fall off the side of a volcano. “HEEELP!” The broccoli is definitely burning. And there goes the door. “Muuuuuum, I need a poo!”

This wild ride of five minutes is one most parents will recognise. Getting through the day is to feel like you’re being pulled in a solar system’s worth of directions, and by turns defeated, happier than you’ve ever felt before, like a husk, in control and like you’re careening off a cliff. It throws up a need to get very good at planning, and prioritising what demands to acquiesce to, when to say no; when to sit down and play, when to say: “Sorry, I need to sit down, or go for a run.”

What's open on New Year's Day 2026? See which stores are operating.

Plan ahead as banks, post offices and major stock exchanges will be closed in observance of the federal holiday.

Zohran Mamdani sworn in as mayor of New York City

New mayor, 34, was sworn in by state attorney general Letitia James in old beaux-arts city hall subway station

Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City soon after midnight in a private ceremony in an abandoned beaux-arts subway station – a prelude to daylong celebrations set to include a second, public swearing-in and a block party outside city hall.

Mamdani, 34, was sworn into office by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, surrounded by wife, Rama Duwaji, members of his immediate family, including Mira Nair, his mother and a film-maker, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, a professor of African studies at Columbia University.

Dozens presumed dead in fire at Swiss Alps bar during New Year's celebration

Dozens of people are presumed dead and about 100 injured, most of them seriously, following a fire at a Swiss Alps bar during a New Year's celebration, police said Thursday.

The hill I will die on: Enough of the ‘Hey you!’ faux-friend nonsense. You’re a business, not my mate | Max Fletcher

No, your communications don’t make me feel valued as an individual. A ‘Dear’ or ‘Sir’ wouldn’t hurt once in a while

How do you feel when big corporations address you directly? (In other words, when they use the second-person pronoun “you” in their communications.) Do you feel like you’re valued? That you’re being treated as an individual? Or does it make you want to grab their CEO by the scruff of the neck and tell them to shut up?

It’s impossible nowadays to buy food, walk down the street or even open your emails without businesses trying to chat you up. A carton of Alpro oat milk shouts “Hey you!” from the dairy aisle. A restaurant you visited once sends a circular with “We miss you!” in the subject line. You get a bill from Octopus Energy with 41 uses of this cursed pronoun, but it never once addresses you with “Dear”.

Max Fletcher is a London-based writer

Our 2026 listening resolutions: from Radiohead to Kendrick Lamar, critics try to get into music they’ve never liked

Streaming’s algorithms make it easy to avoid whole discographies – so in the interest of deeper listening, our writers dedicate time to the ones who might have got away

The first time I heard Joni Mitchell, in 1997, she was looped across the chorus of Janet Jackson’s single Got ’Til It’s Gone. The song’s credits would educate me on the sample’s origins; I had previously assumed Big Yellow Taxi was an Amy Grant original. The second time I heard a Mitchell song was when Travis covered the beautiful River as a B-side.

Crypto soared in 2025 — and then crashed. Now what?

For most of 2025, cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin surged as President Trump vowed to make the U.S. a crypto leader. But now, a severe sell-off has shaken the sector.

Warren Buffett officially retires as Berkshire Hathway's CEO

The legendary 95-year-old investor spent decades building his company into one of the world's largest and most powerful. Now Greg Abel is taking it over.

How this strange NFL season broke the Coach of the Year mold | Oliver Connolly

In a season defined by chaos and turnarounds, the award should go not to surprise, but to the coach who solved the hardest problems

The NFL’s Coach of the Year award is simple. It typically serves as a mea culpa. We’re sorry our preseason predictions about your team were wrong.

In theory, it’s a straight line: the coach who oversaw the biggest turnaround is handed the award. In practice, it’s a yearly argument about expectations and whether we’re rewarding actual coaching or just the greatest surprise.

"48 Hours: NCIS": The Marine's Wife

When a young military wife at the Marine Combat Base in Twentynine Palms, California, vanishes, NCIS agents discover she has a secret — did it lead to murder?

Often brutal, always beautiful: the sea hounds of the Frisian Islands – in pictures

For 10 years, the scientist and photographer Jeroen Hoekendijk has been observing pinnipeds such as seals and walruses on the fragile North Sea archipelago stretching along the Dutch, German and Danish coastline. A remainder of the now-drowned Doggerland, left behind after the ice age, the low-lying islands are an advance warning sign of the warming and rising seas of the climate crisis

• Photographs by Jeroen Hoekendijk, text by Philip Hoare

Israel allowing traders to bring into Gaza ‘dual-use’ items barred from aid organisations

Sources say generators and tent poles restricted from humanitarian bodies but commercial shipments allowed in

Israel is running a parallel system of controls for shipments into Gaza, allowing commercial traders to bring goods into the territory that are barred for humanitarian organisations.

Basic life-saving supplies including generators and tent poles are on a long Israeli blacklist of “dual-use” items. The Israeli government says entry of these items must be severely restricted because they could be exploited by Hamas or other armed groups for military ends.

Run Away review – James Nesbitt and Minnie Driver give us comfort TV at its finest

The twists and turns come thick and fast in this deeply pleasing Harlan Coben thriller, as a father goes in search of his missing daughter. Even a vegan restaurant owner gets in on the act

They come round sooner every time, do they not? I think we’re now the recipients of a new Harlan Coben adaptation every three weeks or so. Who knows what rate will be attained next year? We watch and wait, though possibly in neither case for long.

We are now about a dozen, rating-banking offerings into the bestselling thriller writer’s multi-book deals with Netflix and Amazon. They are generally solid, workmanlike fare that doubtless help fund many passion projects and pay many mortgages along the way. They are comfort TV not just for viewers, but, I suspect, everyone involved.

You be the judge: should my boyfriend change the way he showers?

Audrey thinks Noah doesn’t take bathing seriously enough. He says he’s a ‘quick-shower kind of guy’ but keeps himself clean. You decide whose argument scrubs up best
• Get a disagreement settled or become a YBTJ juror

Noah doesn’t wash himself thoroughly enough – he just rubs a bit of gel around his body

I smell nice and I’m not unclean, so why does showering have to be like a full military operation?

Irish man found dead at famous Whitehaven beach among four deaths on Australia’s east coast

A woman has also died after being swept into the ocean in Sydney on New Year’s Day, while the body of a man was found near Palm beach

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An Irish man has died at Whitehaven beach near the Great Barrier Reef, with three other people found dead and grave fears for two more after separate incidents in waters off Sydney during a horror New Year period.

Queensland police said that emergency services received reports that a 35-year-old Irish man had been found dead in the water at the popular beach in the state’s north at about 11am on Wednesday.

Can you guess 6-7 words on the 50th annual "Banished Words List"?

Respondents to a Michigan college's survey of overused and misused words and phrases say "6-7" is "cooked" and should come to a massive full-stop.

Kim Jong-un hails North Korea’s ‘invincible alliance’ with Russia in New Year’s message

Kim praised his men fighting in an ‘alien land’, congratulating their ‘heroic’ defence of the nation’s honour and instructing them to ‘be brave’

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has praised his troops fighting abroad as forging an “invincible alliance” with Russia in a new year’s message, state media said on Thursday.

Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine, according to South Korean and western intelligence agencies.

Googoosh: A Sinful Voice by Googoosh with Tara Dehlavi review – the extraordinary story of an Iranian icon

Her voice soundtracked the 60s and 70s, but the revolution silenced her. The legendary singer finally has her say in this uneven memoir

If you ask any Iranian to name the most important female pop star in our country’s history, they’ll say Googoosh. Nobody else comes close. Over six decades of revolution, suppression and exile, Googoosh has gone from singer to cultural icon, a symbol of a country’s grief for its murdered, imprisoned, and muzzled artists, and a living link between pre-revolutionary Iran and the diaspora.

Googoosh was just three years old when she started singing in small halls and cabaret venues where her father worked. By her teens she was a film actor and a fashion icon. In the 60s and 70s, when my mother was a teenager, Googoosh was everywhere: on television, in films, magazines, on the radio. She kept recreating herself – her style, her moves, her hair. (My mother and many of her university classmates copied Googosh’s famous wispy haircut.) For a while, this bold, creative young woman shaped how westerners saw Iran, and how a generation of Iranian women understood modernity, femininity and public life.

10 of the best learning holidays in Europe for 2026

From rock climbing in the Peak District to honing your creative writing skills in Crete, why not take a break with like minds and fellow learners this year?

Even complete beginners will soon be scaling sheltered Peak District crags on this two-day course with Pure Outdoor. Participants will master tying in, belaying and several climbing techniques, as well as abseiling down. With a maximum of six learners to one instructor, there is a lot individual attention and personalised targets. The course is suitable for anyone aged 13 and over, from first-time climbers to those with some indoor experience. It is non-residential, but Pure Outdoor has a list of recommended, affordable accommodation nearby, including campsites, hostels, B&Bs and pubs with rooms. The training centre is 10 minutes’ walk from Bamford railway station, which is on the Hope Valley line from Manchester to Sheffield.
£199 for two days, weekends from 7 March-8 November, plus weekday courses most months, pureoutdoor.co.uk

NewJeans member Danielle sued for millions after bitter feud with K-pop record label

Ador terminated the Australian-born singer’s contract on Monday and is now suing her, a family member and the band’s former producer

The K-pop record label Ador is suing a former member of megaband NewJeans for millions in damages, it has announced, a day after removing her from the group following a year-long dispute that saw the band allege mistreatment and attempt to leave their contract.

The compensation suit against Danielle Marsh, a 20-year-old Australian-born singer, comes months after a Seoul district court ruled that NewJeans’ five members must honour their contracts with Ador, whose parent company Hybe is also behind the K-pop sensation BTS. The band’s contract runs until 2029.

‘It’s a matter of time before a farmer is seriously injured’: on the trail of hare coursers in Wiltshire

Police show the Guardian around hotspots for a rural crime that has links to international gangs – and is on the rise

A cold, bright afternoon in the Vale of Pewsey and a couple of brown hares were nibbling away in a field of winter barley. It was a tranquil scene in this tucked-away corner of the English West Country but tyre tracks cutting through the crop were a sign of the violence that takes place when night falls.

This is one of the hotspots in Wiltshire for hare coursing, in which criminal gangs set dogs – usually greyhounds or lurchers – on the mammals.

Doomed lovers, high heels and The Odyssey: films to get excited about in 2026

Margot Robbie busts her corset in Wuthering Heights, the Devil Wears Prada sequel goes fashionably to war, and Christopher Nolan brings us a Greek epic. Plus much more in our pick of the best films coming to UK cinemas this year

• More from the 2026 culture preview

Jessie Buckley may need to hire a carpenter for the silverware-cabinet she is expected to need for her hugely admired performance in the film based on the Maggie O’Farrell novel. She plays Anne (or Agnes) Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, grieving the terrible loss of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, in 1596, which the story imagines to be a spur to the creation of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Paul Mescal plays Shakespeare and Emily Watson his mother, Mary.
• 9 January.

Novo Nordisk enters 2026 on the defense as it faces a ‘must-win’ battle in the U.S. market

The FDA approval of the Wegovy pill highlights many of the key themes Novo Nordisk will have to face in 2026.

Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor, capping historic rise

Mayor Zohran Mamdani took the oath of office in New York City after midnight Thursday. The city's first Muslim mayor, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has promised to focus on affordability and fairness.

Australian man reportedly killed fighting with Ukrainian forces against Russia

Australia’s foreign affairs department seeking to verify reported death of Russell Allan Wilson on 12 December

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The department of foreign affairs is trying to confirm the death of an Australian man who was reportedly killed while fighting with Ukrainian forces against Russia last month.

According to multiple posts on social media, Russell Allan Wilson was killed on 12 December in the Donetsk region. The ABC reported that a friend of Wilson said he was killed during his final mission, and had been due to be married the week after his death.

Notable works entering the public domain in 2026

Here are the significant books, films and characters joining the list of works in the public domain on Jan. 1, 2026.

Rising from the ashes, a symbol of hope at the Rose Parade

Survivors of the Eaton and Palisades Fires find healing and community working on a Rose Parade float to honor the lives and communities lost in last year's wildfires.

What happened next: how KPop Demon Hunters became a global phenomenon and outranked Lady Gaga

It’s the Korean fantasy movie that came out of nowhere to become Netflix’s most-watched film ever. And social media mentions of its characters are outranking those of real-life superstars

When KPop Demon Hunters landed on Netflix in late June, no one predicted it would become a globe-sweeping, chart-topping phenomenon. The near-instant success of the animated kids’ film caught the industry by surprise, and six months later, fans are still hungry for merchandise, music, spin-offs and more stories. Here’s what you may have missed.

It’s an animated ‘musical urban fantasy film’
The story follows a K-pop girl group called Huntr/x (pronounced “Huntrix”), who are also demon hunters, responsible for protecting humanity from supernatural threats with their combat skills and empowering pop. Their rivals are the Saja Boys, who are secretly demons. When the groups are pitted against one another, the stakes are peace on Earth, and in particular the Honmoon: the magical barrier that protects humans from the underworld. Conflict, and personal growth, ensues.

World is in better place than when Eden Project created 25 years ago, founder says

Tim Smit also says extreme political views will fade when people realise good things around the corner

Sir Tim Smit says the world is in a better place than it was when he co-founded the Eden Project 25 years ago and he believes people are more attuned to the natural world.

Speaking as the project in Cornwall reaches its 25th anniversary, Smit describedextreme political views as the “roar” of people fearful that they cannot control the future but he said they would fade when people realised that good things were around the corner.

Grief, fear and fury: the Israeli and Palestinian mothers still standing united against bloodshed

Israeli movement Women Wage Peace and Palestinian group Women of the Sun held a mass rally in October 2023. Three days later a Hamas attack triggered war – leaving the women more determined than ever

On the shores of the Dead Sea, about 1,500 Israeli and Palestinian women had gathered, holding hands and calling for an end to what they called a “vicious cycle of bloodshed”. It was an October evening in 2023 and they had travelled from villages, settlements and refugee camps around the region for a mass peace rally jointly organised by the Israeli movement Women Wage Peace and the Palestinian group Women of the Sun.

Two of the organisers were friends: Yael Admi, 66, an Israeli mother of six, and Reem al-Hajajreh, 43, a Palestinian mother of four. The women had hoped their message would cut through decades of violence and mistrust. But three days later, Hamas launched its deadly attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, followed swiftly by what turned into a genocidal war by Israel on Gaza which left more than 70,000 dead, most of whom were women and children. The fragile hope embodied by the Dead Sea event was overtaken overnight by grief, fear and fury.

The history behind the NYC subway station chosen for Mamdani's swearing-in

The city shut down the station in 1945 on New Year's Eve. Eighty years later, it's a symbolic venue choice for the incoming mayor's private swearing-in ceremony.

12/27: CBS Weekend News

Powerful winter storm brings heavy snow to Northeast; How AI is assisting with our chores

12/31: CBS Evening News

Tight security across U.S. as partygoers celebrate New Year's; Economic oasis emerges in the Arizona desert

Federal appeals court blocks Hawaii's tourist tax on cruise ships

The levy, which would impose a new 11% tax on the gross fares paid by a cruise ship's passenger, was set to go into effect at the start of 2026.

U.S. military strikes 5 more alleged drug boats, killing 8

The U.S. military says it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days. The attacks killed eight people, while others jumped overboard and may have survived. U.S. Southern Command did not reveal where the attacks occurred.

Capitol riot 'does not happen' without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress

Former special counsel Jack Smith also described President Trump as the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a transcript of Smith's closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee.

Search for survivors after US strikes on alleged drug boats

US military announces two separate strikes on boats it claims were transporting drugs in the Pacific

The US Coast Guard was searching for survivors of a US military strike against a convoy of suspected drug vessels in the Pacific Ocean, officials said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the US military’s Southern Command said the military had carried out a strike against three vessels.

Videos released in Epstein files raise fresh questions about jail footage

A recently released cache of security videos is raising new questions about the prison cameras at the facility where Jeffrey Epstein died in his cell​ in 2019.

Some states set to impose SNAP bans on soda, candy and other foods

Starting January 1, food-stamp recipients in five U.S. states will face restrictions on using the benefits to buy some sugary foods.

Maps show New Year's weather forecasts, with more snow and rain on the way

Lake effect snow, intense rain and chilly temperatures dominate the forecasts for different parts of the U.S., before and after the new year arrives.

Economic oasis emerges in the Arizona desert

Arizona is fast becoming a major hub for computer chip production thanks to what's being called the largest foreign direct investment in U.S. history. Kris Van Cleave takes us to a sprawling campus in Phoenix that is providing thousands of jobs while reducing America's reliance on overseas products.

Fallout grows from Trump administration's freezing of Minnesota child care funds

After the Trump administration paused federal assistance to child care centers in Minnesota, parents are now wondering if their kids' day care is in jeopardy, as the government investigates fraud claims. Jonah Kaplan has been following this developing story.

18 states set to ban SNAP recipients from using benefits for some junk food in 2026

In 2026, several states are set to prohibit individuals from purchasing certain junk food items using their federal benefits. Meg Oliver has the details.

Law enforcement ramps up New Year's security measures across the country

Recent memory serves as a sobering reminder of how critical it is for law enforcement and civilians to be vigilant as crowds gather to celebrate New Year's Eve.

Jeffrey Epstein survivors decry Justice Department's delay in releasing files

There may be millions of documents the Justice Department still needs to release from the case against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. By law, those files were required to be made public nearly two weeks ago. Scott MacFarlane has the latest.

Parts of U.S. ushering in new year under several feet of snow

As thousands in the U.S. gear up to celebrate the new year, snow and rain are coming down harder in parts of the country. Meteorologist Rob Marciano has the latest forecast.

Tight security across U.S. as partygoers celebrate New Year's

New Year's celebrations in major cities across the U.S. are being held under extremely tight security. Elaine Quijano reports from Times Square.

Lauren Boebert claims Trump’s veto of safe drinking water bill is retaliation

Colorado lawmaker, who pushed for Epstein files release, points to bill’s unanimous passage through US House and Senate

Republican representative Lauren Boebert has fired back at Donald Trump for vetoing a bill that would have funded a drinking water project in her Colorado district, implying the president was playing at political retaliation.

The bill was aimed at funding a decades-long project to bring safe drinking water to 39 communities in Colorado’s eastern plains, where the groundwater is high in salt and wells sometimes unleash radioactivity into the water supply.

Anthony Joshua discharged from hospital in Nigeria after car crash

• British boxer is released on New Year’s Eve in Ikeja

• Joshua can ‘recuperate at home’ after treatment

The British boxer Anthony Joshua has been discharged from hospital, Nigerian authorities said on Wednesday night. The two-time former heavyweight champion and 2012 Olympic gold medallist was a passenger in a car accident near Lagos on Monday which killed two of his close associates and team members.

The 36-year-old had been under observation while recovering from minor injuries, his promoter had said on Monday.

26 for 2026: unmissable sporting events over the next 12 months

This year features a football World Cup, a Winter Olympics, a Commonwealth Games and a historic Test match

Jannik Sinner will be aiming to become only the second man in the Open era, after Novak Djokovic, to win three consecutive Australian Open singles titles, while in the women’s draw Madison Keys will be seeking to defend the title she landed via a shock victory over Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s final. Elsewhere, Roger Federer is scheduled to return to Melbourne Park for the first time since retiring from tennis in 2022 as part of a Battle of the World No 1s match, alongside Andre Agassi, Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt. “It still makes me smile when I think about all the moments I’ve had here,” said the Swiss legend.

Football transfer rumours: Manchester United to sign Yan Diomande and Rúben Neves?

Today’s rumours are back and bleary-eyed, baby

• Men’s transfer window interactive: January 2026 edition

After the bongs and fireworks, 2026 has finally begun. Naturally, no one really cares about resolutions, the real interest is in whether your team will sign a new left-back. Tittle-tattle is back in the limelight and the Rumour Mill will be firing up the very best – and worst – of it over the coming month. It seems as if everyone in the Premier League needs to get the pen and chequebook out to solve their problems, making it an intriguing month ahead.

After missing out on Antoine Semenyo, Manchester United will need to look elsewhere for attacking reinforcements. One name that keeps cropping up is RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and the German side want around £87m for the Ivorian teenager. Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also keeping tabs on Diomande, which will make any purchase a touch trickier.

New year celebrations around the world – in pictures

Revellers across the globe welcome the arrival of 2026 with spectacular fireworks and festivities

• New Year’s Eve 2026 celebrations around the world – live updates

Judge voids decision to end legal status of 60,000 immigrants

A U.S. District Court judge issued a summary judgment on Wednesday, finding that the effort to revoke the legal status of tens of thousands of Hondurans, Nepalis and Nicaraguans was unlawful

Google wraps up best year on Wall Street since 2009, beating megacap peers as AI story strengthens

Shares of Alphabet rallied in 2025 as the company responded to skepticism of its position in artificial intelligence with new products that excited investors.

Jack Smith told House committee he had ‘proof beyond reasonable doubt’ in cases against Trump

Ex-special counsel testified in front of judiciary committee about aborted federal prosecution of Donald Trump

Jack Smith, the former justice department special counsel who led the aborted federal prosecution of Donald Trump, told a congressional committee that he never spoke to Joe Biden about his cases, according to the transcript of a deposition released on Wednesday.

In his behind-closed-doors testimony to the House judiciary committee earlier this month, Smith defended the charges he brought against Trump for allegedly possessing classified documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 election, while warning of the consequences of allowing election meddling to go unpunished.

Keir Starmer to woo voters and MPs with new year plan to cut cost of living

PM to highlight energy bill and interest rate cuts, plus end to two-child benefit cap, and to invite his MPs to Chequers

Keir Starmer will attempt to rescue his relationship with disillusioned voters and his own fractious MPs in a new year push to reduce the cost of living.

The prime minister will give a speech in the coming days focusing on how his government is bringing down living costs, highlighting recent cuts to energy bills and interest rates and the end of the two-child benefit cap.

Trump administration takes back control of D.C. golf courses

President Trump, who loves to golf, has floated the possibility of redoing the district's courses.

Transcript, video of Jack Smith's testimony on Trump cases released

Former special counsel Jack Smith testified for more than eight hours about the investigations and prosecutions of President Trump.

Afcon roundup: Côte d’Ivoire pip Cameroon with dramatic win over Gabon

• Holders come from two goals down to win 3-2

• Burkina Faso beat Sudan as both sides progress

Côte d’Ivoire came from two goals down to beat already eliminated Gabon 3-2 in Group F at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday as the teenager Bazoumana Touré’s headed winner in added time in Marrakech handed them top spot. The Ivorians finished on seven points from their three games, ahead of Cameroon on goals scored after the latter beat third-placed Mozambique.

Gabon were ahead on 11 minutes when Guélor Kanga profited from a mistake from the goalkeeper Alban Lafont as he spilled a tame shot, allowing the forward to score from close range. It was 2-0 on 21 minutes and this time Lafont had no chance. Denis Bouanga curled a superb shot from the left-hand side of the box across the goal and into the far corner.

Trump says National Guard is leaving Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland

"We are removing the National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland," President Trump announced.

Wall Street ends 2025 near record highs after year of economic upheaval

US markets buoyed by sustained rise in tech stocks as investors largely shrug off concerns over Trump tariffs

Wall Street finished 2025 near record highs on Wednesday, as ballooning tech valuations and hopes of lower interest rates helped stock markets defy a year of economic uncertainty.

The benchmark S&P 500 rose 16.4% over the course of the year, closing at 6,845.50 on New Year’s Eve in New York, as investors largely shrugged off geopolitical uncertainty and the frenzy around artificial intelligence continued.

Body found in Texas identified as missing teen Camila Mendoza Olmos

The Bexar County medical examiner's office determined Camila Mendoza Olmos died by suicide.

Mortgage rates fall to their lowest level in 2025

The average cost of a conventional 30-year U.S. mortgage continues to edge down, while rates on other home loans fell to less than 5.5%.

10-year Treasury yield closes out 2025 lower for year, but rises on final day

The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield moved higher on Wednesday, yet ended 2025 lower amid Federal Reserve rate cuts and sticky-but-trending-lower inflation.

Congressional Republicans call on Tim Walz to testify on Minnesota fraud scandal

Walz, who took office in 2019, has come under fire in recent months over fraud scams that occurred on his watch. He has recently faced calls to resign.

These national and regional retailers went out of business in 2025

More than 8,000 stores closed across the U.S. this year, according to retail industry data, including these well-known brands.

Disney cast member recovering after runaway boulder at Indiana Jones show

A staffer at Walt Disney World in Florida is recovering after being struck and injured by a fake boulder that rolled off stage during a live performance, Disney said.

DOJ has 5.2 million pages of Epstein files left to review: Reports

President Donald Trump had signed a bipartisan bill requiring the DOJ to publicly release unclassified records from its Epstein investigations by Dec. 19.

Trump’s first vetoes of his second term hit bipartisan infrastructure projects, draw accusations of retribution

Trump promised retribution after Colorado refused to release Tina Peters, who was convicted by a state court last year.

National Guard troops patrol New Orleans on New Year's a year after attack

Hundreds of National Guard troops are patrolling New Orleans on New Year's Eve, one year after a deadly terror attack.

‘We want the mullahs gone’: economic crisis sparks biggest protests in Iran since 2022

Demonstrations against deteriorating living conditions have widened to include criticism of how Iran is governed

Alborz, a textile merchant in the central Iranian city of Isfahan, decided he could no longer sit on the sidelines. He closed his shop and took to the streets, joining merchants across Iran who shuttered their stores and students who took over their campuses to protest against declining economic conditions.

The sudden loss of purchasing power pushed Alborz and tens of thousands of other Iranians into the streets, where protests are now entering their fourth day. Students have paralysed university campuses, traders have shut down their stores and demonstrators have blocked off streets in defiance of police. Protests have spread from the capital, Tehran, to cities across Iran.

Economist Mark Zandi sees the Fed surprising with three rate cuts in first half of 2026

Markets and Fed officials themselves see only modest easing in the year ahead.

'Big Short' investor Michael Burry says he's not shorting Tesla

In a social media post on X, the Scion Asset Management founder responded to a user asking if he would bet against Tesla by saying: "I am not short."

Ella Baron on seeing in 2026 with Trump and Putin – cartoon

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Greenwashing, illegality and false claims: 13 climate litigation wins in 2025

Legal action has brought important decisions, from the scrapping of fossil fuel plants to revised climate plans

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris agreement. It is also a decade since another key moment in climate justice, when a state was ordered for the first time to cut its carbon emissions faster to protect its citizens from climate change. The Urgenda case, which was upheld by the Netherlands’ supreme court in 2019, was one of the first rumblings of a wave of climate litigation around the world that campaigners say has resulted in a new legal architecture for climate protection.

Over the past 12 months, there have been many more important rulings and tangible changes on climate driven by legal action.

Is anything open on New Year's Eve 2025? See which stores are operating.

Most major retailers and grocery stores will be open on New Year's Eve, although some will have reduced hours.

Gold, silver prices fall after CME raises precious metals margins — again

The moves come at the end of a blockbuster year of annual gains for the precious metals.

‘Heartbreaking’: Florida wildlife groups decry state-sanctioned bear hunt

Fifty-two black bears were killed in three-week hunt state officials said was necessary to reduce ursine population

Wildlife officials in Florida say the slaughter of dozens of black bears during a controversial three-week hunt this month was a success, despite the opposition of protesters who condemned the “heartbreaking, bloody spectacle”.

The Florida fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) on Tuesday announced that 52 bears were killed between 6 and 28 December, and promised to release a “full harvest report” in the coming months that will provide details about where and how the animals died.

How $160 million worth of export-controlled Nvidia chips were allegedly smuggled into China

The scheme involved falsifying shipping documents to misclassify the GPUs and hide their true destinations, including China and other prohibited locations.

Eurostar slowly resumes but passengers face more cancellations and delays

Passengers told to expect knock-on impacts after power supply problem and broken-down train halted services on Tuesday

Rail traffic through the Channel tunnel slowly resumed on Wednesday with more cancellations and delays after an electricity failure on Tuesday stranded thousands of passengers and trapped some for a night in a powerless train.

Two London-Paris trains were cancelled and most trips were delayed in both directions as Eurostar warned of “knock-on impacts” on New Year’s Eve.