The Guardian

Hundreds also hospitalised in Indore after public toilet built above drinking water pipeline appears to have let sewage into the supply Sewage-contaminated drinking water is being blamed for killing at least 10 people, including a baby boy, and sending more than 270 others to hospital in Indore, ranked India’s “cleanest city” for the last eight years. Residents of a congested, lower-income neighb…

They’re cosy, civilised and different without disturbing things too much. Let’s do this! At last. I have been waiting a year for this moment. I must apologise to you all. Twelve months ago, in this very organ, nay in this very diary, I noted that we were now in the hazy, lazy, crazy days between Boxing Day and New Year and thus wished you all a happy “Christmas perineum”. It should have been, of …

Bird organisations say more research on the species needed to control impact on other wildlife In the past 20 years, the soundscape in the ancient wild, rolling landscape of Richmond Park has been transformed. Once you would have heard the chirrup of the stonechat, the chirp of the greater spotted woodpecker or the song of the skylark. Today, the auditory power of one bird dominates. The bright g…

Multinational boosts online chatter after social media users showcase product’s widespread use in life hacks As a product discovered more than 150 years ago on a Pennsylvania oilfield, the humble pot of Vaseline may not seem like an obvious target for social media algorithms. Yet the brand’s emergence as a TikTok talking point has placed it at the forefront of an advertising revolution, in which …

Medical director says NHS ‘far from complacent’ as cold snap bites with average of 2,676 flu patients a day on wards The number of people in hospital with flu in England has fallen for the second week in a row, NHS figures show, as England’s top doctor said the health service was “far from complacent” as a cold snap takes hold. An average of 2,676 flu patients were in hospital each day during the…

Elsewhere, area of low pressure off Iberian peninsula brings lashings of heavy rainfall to southern Portugal and Spain After a recent heatwave affected large parts of Australia before Christmas, Cyclone Hayley made landfall along the north-west coast on Tuesday night. Hayley formed on 28 December in the southern Indian Ocean and steadily intensified on a path south towards the north coast of West…

Brian King Joseph claims the rapper and actor was ‘priming’ him for ‘sexual exploitation’. Smith’s lawyer has called the allegations ‘false, baseless and reckless’ Will Smith is being sued by a violinist from his 2025 tour, who claims the rapper and actor exhibited “predatory behaviour” and was “deliberately grooming and priming” him for “further sexual exploitation”. Brian King Joseph is also pu…

Blaze that swept through crowded New Year’s Eve bar in Crans-Montana also injured 115 people. Plus, the politicians and advocates making climate policy part of the affordability agenda Good morning. Swiss investigators are racing to identify the victims of a fire that tore through a crowded bar, killing about 40 people and injuring 115 who were celebrating at a New Year’s Eve party in the Alpine …

About 40 people died in Crans-Montana bar fire, with investigators saying it could take days to identify all victims Switzerland resort fire – latest updates Investigators have said it could take days to identify all the victims who died in the fire that tore through a crowded bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, as a local official said many of the injured were in a life-threatening con…

US had accused Italian pasta companies of selling products at unfairly low prices The US government has slashed proposed tariffs on Italian pasta that would have almost doubled the cost of many brands for shoppers. Donald Trump had threatened to impose tariffs as high as 92% on Italian pasta companies , after accusing 13 producers including Barilla, La Molisana and Pastificio Lucio Garofalo of se…

The 29-year-old was also charged with attempted murder after fire in Clyde North Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A woman has been charged with murder after a fatal house fire in Melbourne’s south-east last month. Emergency services were called to reports of a fire and people injured at Sunburnt Circuit in Clyde North, 46km south-east of the Melbourne CBD, about 1.45am…

Fire killed about 40 people who were celebrating at a New Year’s Eve party in the ski resort of Crans-Montana at the town’s Le Constellation bar A video that appears to show an attempt at putting out fire spreading on the ceiling of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana can be viewed below: Hundreds of mourners gathered in silence in the freezing night in Crans-Montana on Thursday evening, laying…

Reports say actor, 34, found unresponsive in corridor of Fairmont hotel in early hours of New Year’s Day Victoria Jones, the daughter of the actor Tommy Lee Jones, has been found dead in a San Francisco hotel. Jones, 34, was discovered in the early hours of New Year’s Day according to TMZ, which cited law enforcement sources. Continue reading...

UK’s blue-chip share index, created in 1984, has risen by more than 20% over past 12 months The UK’s blue-chip share index has broken through the 10,000-point level for the first time, as global shares are lifted by a “Santa rally”. The FTSE 100 jumped on Friday morning to a high of 10,022, a new peak for the index. Continue reading...

Wintry weather likely to continue into the weekend across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Travel disruption is expected on Friday with snow and ice forecast across the UK. Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are already in place for parts of the UK, ahead of amber snow warnings for northern Scotland that begin at midday on Friday. Continue reading...