Pricey deworming remedies are being touted as cure-alls. Supermodel Heidi Klum gave it a go – experts roll their eyes

Our cartoonist on the latest manager in north London to take the good ship Tottenham in the wrong direction

People are serious about wanting to see each other without getting drunk – and they could be on to something, writes Zoe Williams

North Korean leader reportedly blames Yang Sung-ho for ‘confusion’ at factory project as major congress looms The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has dismissed a vice-premier over troubles in a factory modernisation project, in an apparent move to tighten discipline among officials and push them to deliver greater results before a major political conference. The upcoming ruling Workers’ party congress, the first of its kind in five years, is one of North Korea’s biggest propaganda spectacles and is intended to review past projects, establish new political and economic priorities and reshuffle officials. Continue reading...

‘The Woody’ was crammed and chaotic, and nobody could be rushed. There was always time for another pint and conversation

Film and TV tie-ins, Lego sets and Toniebox speakers help push sales 6% higher in 2025, after five years of no growth Lego brick flowers, Toniebox audio players and Squishmallows are among the top sellers that have helped UK toy industry sales rise for the first time since the pandemic. In 2025 UK toy sales increased by 6% to £3.9bn, according to the annual industry report by the market research company Circana. The recovery was hailed as a “turning point” by analysts after five years of no growth when the cost of living crisis weighed heavily on demand. Continue reading...

A titanic battle is raging to prevent us capping crippling ground rents that families have to pay, often to faceless companies. We must fight and win it, says MP and former deputy PM Angela Rayner

Critics expected to mount legal challenge to plans for vast complex at Royal Mint Court amid security concerns The UK government has approved the construction of a vast new Chinese embassy complex in east London, despite concerns about security and its impact on political exiles in the capital. The decision brings to an end, for now at least, the saga that has been running since 2018 over the site at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge. Continue reading...

Ex-deputy PM says government must stick to plans to cap charges for leaseholders in England and Wales Angela Rayner has urged Keir Starmer to stick to his campaign pledge to cap ground rents for leaseholders in England and Wales, as cabinet divisions over the government’s plans to rip up the leasehold system come to a head. The former deputy prime minister has intervened in a tense standoff between Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, over whether to stand by Labour’s promise to limit annual charges for existing leaseholders. Continue reading...

In China, marriage and birth rates have hit record lows and many people are living in isolation. Is the Are You Dead? app just a practical response to this – or something more troubling?

A review of Trump’s bold promises about immigration, the economy, the US’s standing in the world and much more

Kemi Badenoch may look like a stronger leader now, but Jenrick is a dangerous rival – he knows where the Conservatives have been going wrong, says Henry Hill, deputy editor of ConservativeHome

The Number of the Beast lights up an unforgettable scene in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple thanks to director Nia DaCosta expertly blending ‘craziness and romance’

A Giant on the Bridge, performed by a ‘Scottish indie folk supergroup’, draws on dozens of interviews about the confines former prisoners experience on the outside

Full VAT on meat products could cost EU households as little as €26 a year but cut impact by 3-6%, says paper The environmental impacts of meat consumption could be rapidly and cheaply reduced if governments applied full VAT on products such as beef, pork, lamb and chicken, a study has shown. Depending on how the additional tax revenues were redistributed, such a change could cost households as little as €26 (£23) a year, while cutting ecological destruction by between 3% and 6%, the paper found. Continue reading...

For all the golden moments, rewatching coverage from 40 years ago was a lesson in how much things have improved

Government stresses deal was previously welcomed by US as Starmer’s chief secretary insists diplomacy with Trump is working Mike Johnson, the US speaker, is about to give his speech to MPs and peers in the Houses of Parliament. The most prominent overseas speakers (heads of state or government) are invited to speak in Westminster Hall, or the Royal Gallery in the Lords, but Johnson (third in line of succession in the US) is having to make do with a committee room. There is a live feed here. Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands. Continue reading...

Studies detecting microplastics throughout human bodies have made for alarming reading in recent years. But last week, the Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, reported on major doubts among a group of scientists about how some of this research has been conducted

In a country plagued by underdog status and a sport fraught with a history of racism, misogyny and homophobia, this adaptation has reimagined what’s possible , says writer Sue Carter

From charity workers to synchronised swimmers via a young lad having tea with his nan, these people all inspired award-winning photographs

US president says on social media that Britain’s decision to cede islands to Mauritius is ‘act of total weakness’ Donald Trump has suggested Britain’s decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius is among the reasons he wants to take over Greenland. The US president, who is travelling to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, made the claim as he ramped up his rhetoric on acquiring the Arctic territory. Continue reading...

Forget draughty bunk rooms and awkward social encounters, hostels now provide home comforts and a sense of community private rentals will never match

We are in 1942 Stuttgart – though the sight of modern wheelie bins says otherwise – as a woman at a facility dedicated to breeding Aryan babies tries to smuggle two Jewish children to safety

World is short of a million midwives, report finds, with adequate access potentially saving 4.3m lives a year

Shops, restaurants and hotels particularly hit by slowdown in hiring, as unemployment remains at 5.1% * Business live – latest updates The number of employed people in the UK has fallen again, particularly in shops, restaurants and hotels, reflecting weak hiring, while private sector wages grew at the slowest rate in five years, official figures show. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the number of employees on payrolls fell by 184,000 in December compared with a year earlier, to 30.2 million. Continue reading...