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Demonstrations against deteriorating living conditions have widened to include criticism of how Iran is governedAlborz, 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. Continue reading......

The billionaire – who had no government experience – left various federal agencies in disarray while overseeing an 'efficiency' drive across WashingtonAs Elon Musk, the world's richest person, splurged more than $250m on Donald Trump's 2024 re-election campaign, the US president commissioned his new ally to oversee a sweeping “efficiency” drive across the federal government.The Tesla and SpaceX boss, who had no experience inside government, was tasked with eradicating waste and cutting spending as part of the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) – and was quick to stoke expectations. Continue reading......

Resisted at first, the replacement for the subway token became an indelible symbol of the cityFirst, New Yorkers saw the elimination of subway token, which lasted for half a century. Now, its successor – the swipeable MetroCard, which lasted three decades – has seen its demise.At midnight on 1 January, the flexible credit card-sized pass used by millions of New Yorkers to get through subway turnstiles is being terminated from sale just as a new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, takes office. Continue reading......

New utes, sports cars and hatchbacks will break price records at both ends as traditional brands release electric vehicles in 2026Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians can expect to see more electric utes, sports cars and hatchbacks that break price records at both ends of the spectrum, with changes encouraging even the most reluctant brands to join the trend.But the electric vehicle market could also experience significant regulatory upheaval in 2026, with a road-user charge on the national agenda and a review of tax exemptions. Continue reading......

Toby Morton now owns trumpkennedycenter.org, which advertises new year performance by the 'Epstein dancers'Donald Trump may be remaking the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts into a pool of his self-reflection, but a writer for South Park, the TV series that better reflects the obsessions and tendencies of the administration than any political pundit, has purchased the rights to trumpkennedycenter.org.Toby Morton, a TV writer and producer who has worked on the long-running and joyfully offensive sitcom, said he purchased the domain in August after predicting the president would change the name from the Kennedy Center to the Trump Kennedy Center after he installed himself as chair and stocked the board with loyalists. Continue reading......

Anti-racism groups warn some people are avoiding public transport or limiting their use of it for fear of abuseRacial and religious hate crime on public transport is on the rise according to new data obtained by the Guardian, as community groups report how people are restricting their daily journeys because they fear abuse or assault.Police forces across the country have recorded an increase in hate crimes over the past year, with a significant rise in racially motivated offences in Scotland as well as religious hate crimes targeting Muslims in England and Wales. Continue reading......

Exclusive: Critics say removing battery installation requirement will reduce amount homebuyers save on energy billsMinisters are poised to allow homes in England to be built without carbon-cutting technology in what experts have said is a climbdown after pressure from housebuilders.The future homes standard (FHS), due to be published in January, will regulate how all homes are built and is expected to enforce tough new regulations such as mandating solar panels on nearly all houses and high standards of insulation and heat pumps in most cases. Continue reading......

RMT estimates six cleaning, security and catering suppliers made £150m profits last year Railway leaders should “think afresh” about outsourcing contracts and try to run services better, the rail minister has said, as union research indicated six major private suppliers made £150m in profits last year.Rail unions are campaigning to end the widespread outsourcing of jobs such as cleaning, security and catering, arguing that staff employed by third-party companies have worse conditions and that profits could be reinvested in the railway. Continue reading......

Complaint argues Trump administration denying coverage of gender-affirming care is sex-based discriminationThe Trump administration is facing a legal complaint from a group of government employees affected by a new policy going into effect Thursday that eliminates coverage for gender-affirming care in federal health insurance programs.The complaint, filed Thursday on the employees' behalf by the Human Rights Campaign, is in response to an August announcement from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that it would no longer cover “chemical and surgical modification of an individual's sex traits through medical interventions” in health insurance programs for federal employees and US Postal Service workers. Continue reading......

Christine wanted to enjoy her retirement, but then the banks of a local brook burst and turned her and her neighbours' lives upside-downWhen I visited Christine's bungalow in Trowell, Nottinghamshire, and asked if I should take my shoes off, she joked: “I wouldn't worry, I'll be getting a new carpet soon enough when it floods again.” She's got another good one about the time she, a 70-year-old great-grandmother, had to climb through her conservatory window because her front and back doors had been sealed shut by flood barriers. “If you don't laugh, you'll cry,” she says. And there is a lot to cry about: mainly the fact that her home is unsellable due to multiple floods.In 2020, the brook that backs on to Christine's home burst its banks and water poured into her house, as well as the homes of her neighbours Jackie, 67, and Rhona, 76. As we sit around a table drinking tea, they tell me about having to rip out their floorboards, skirting boards, kitchen cupboards and entire bathrooms. Doors ...

Norwegian payments firm Wise snubbed the UK in 2025 but the RAC and software giant Visma are forecast to float this yearIt wasn't quite a downpour after the drought, but the weather changed for stock market listings in London during the course of 2025. The first half of the year was properly parched as President Trump's tariff agenda upset everything: fundraisings from flotations, or initial public offerings (IPOs), were the lowest in a miserable run that started in 2022. But data from Dealogic show there was a notable pick-up in activity in the second half, albeit still billions away from that of 2021, the last strong year.The mini-revival will have come as a relief for both the London Stock Exchange and Rachel Reeves. For the former, the dearth of new listings – as opposed to fundraisings by companies already on the exchange – has become an embarrassment in recent years, especially after London failed to land Arm Holdings in 2023. Meanwhile, the chancellor is trying to talk up the joys (and superi...

When I started as a reporter in Paris in the 1970s, long, boozy lunches were the norm. Now only fast food and fine dining are thrivingSpare a thought for the poor French restaurateur. Once the iconic image of a sybaritic nation that loved nothing more than a boozy meal out with friends or colleagues, the French restaurant is in deep crisis. Traditional restaurants are closing faster than you can shout “garçon!”, as eating habits change and the cost of living pinches.“It's a catastrophe for our profession,” Franck Chaumès, president of the restaurant branch of the Union of Hospitality Trades and Industries (UMIH) said in a television interview recently. “Some 25 restaurants are going out of business every day.” The UMIH has demanded – so far in vain – that the government ration the opening of new restaurants, in proportion to the local population, and license only professionals who are qualified in cooking and accounting.Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Cent...

The Colla Indigenous people claim Rio Tinto's plans to extract the key mineral will harm fragile ecosystems and livelihoodsMiriam Rivera Bordones tends her goats in a dusty paddock in the russet mountains of Chile's Atacama desert. She also keeps chickens and has planted quince and peach trees and grapevines, which are watered by a stream winding down the hills towards the Indigenous community of Copiapó.But now the huge British-Australian mining multinational Rio Tinto has signed a deal to extract lithium, the “white gold” of the energy transition, from a salt flat farther up the mountains, and she fears the project could affect the water sources of several communities in the area. Continue reading......

Company had hoped the virtual reality device would herald a new era in 'spatial computing'Poor sales have reportedly forced Apple to cut production of the Vision Pro headset that it had hoped would herald a new era in “spatial computing”.The tech company also reduced marketing for Vision Pro by more than 95% last year, according to the market intelligence group Sensor Tower in figures first reported by the Financial Times. Continue reading......

Harsher penalties and a 'reshaping' of the sector predicted when Financial Conduct Authority takes over as regulatorUK law firms are bracing themselves for a money laundering crackdown as ministers race to improve the City's reputation ahead of a fresh financial crime review.The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been designated as the new anti-money laundering watchdog for the legal sector, in a move that experts warn could result in “sharper” penalties and ultimately “reshape” the industry. Continue reading......

After biggest loss for producers since 2020 the slide could continue, with global output expected to remain highOil 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. Continue reading......

Polling indicates strong public backing for a much less permissive approach to promotion, including sponsorshipMinisters 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 few 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. Continue reading......

No, your communications don't make me feel valued as an individual. A 'Dear' or 'Sir' wouldn't hurt once in a whileHow 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 Continue reading......

The 'border adjustment mechanism' aims to create a level playing field while also encouraging decarbonisationThe biggest shake-up of green trade rules for decades comes into force today, as companies selling steel, cement and other high-carbon goods into the EU will have to prove they comply with low-carbon regulations or face fines.But a lack of clarity on how the rules will be applied, and the failure of the UK government to strike a deal with Brussels over the issue, could lead to confusion in the early stages, experts warned. Continue reading......

Energy price cap goes up on 1 January and Bank of England will make three interest rate decisions by end of AprilAt the start of 2026, it seems the financial picture is finely balanced. Inflation has come down from its latest peak, mortgage rates have started falling and changes announced in the budget should take some money off energy bills from April.But the price of housing, groceries and energy remain far higher than pre-pandemic, and there are some changes coming that will make aspects of life more expensive. Continue reading......