January 2026

MPs raise alarm over future of pubs – with more than 500 tipped to close this year

MPs have warned that recent and upcoming policies could be the final nail in the coffin for many pubs, as the Commons backed an increase in alcohol duty in line with inflation. Pubs have faced a toxic cocktail in recent years, including an increase in employer’s national insurance, the minimum wage, energy costs, business rates,

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Wind power prices up in new offshore contracts as UK moves away from gas

Britain is “firmly on track” to meet its clean power targets for 2030, according to the government following a record offshore wind auction. It has awarded contracts to supply 8.4 gigawatts (GW) of new offshore wind power – enough to power 12 million homes. The auction is part of efforts to ease the country away

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Grok controversy: Everything you need to know about X’s sexual AI image scandal

Social media platform X says it has made major changes to its AI chatbot Grok after users started making sexual photos of real women and children. Images generated by Grok have manipulated photos of people, often removing their clothes or making them pose in suggestive ways. Elon Musk’s platform has come under heavy scrutiny worldwide,

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K-pop stars BTS reveal comeback tour after completing military service

K-pop superstars BTS have announced details of their much-anticipated comeback tour, after a break of almost four years to complete mandatory military service. Details released say the band is set for “world domination”, playing 79 shows across Asia, North America, Europe, Latin America and Australia between April this year and March 2027 – the highest

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Australian author Craig Silvey charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material

Australian author Craig Silvey has been charged with possessing and distributing child exploitation material. Western Australia Police Force said detectives executed a search warrant at a property on Monday. It is alleged officers found a 43-year-old man actively engaging with other child exploitation offenders online when they arrived. He was arrested, the force said, and

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New study finds astronauts’ brains change after space travel

New research into the health effects of spaceflight has shown astronauts’ brains change position and shape over time. Following spaceflight, the brain shifts “upward and backward within the skull”, with sensory and motor regions showing the largest shifts, the study found. “There are also regional, nonlinear lateral deformations that differ between the superior and inferior

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High Court hears prosecutors’ challenge to Kneecap terror charge dismissal

Kneecap supporters gathered outside the High Court on Wednesday as judges heard an appeal by the Crown Prosecution Service over the dismissal of a terrorism case against a member of the rap trio. Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May 2025 with the alleged display of

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BBC to file motion to dismiss Trump defamation lawsuit over Panorama edit, court documents show

The BBC will take steps to have Donald Trump’s lawsuit over a January 6 Panorama edit thrown out, court documents show. The US president filed a defamation lawsuit over the broadcaster’s editing of a speech he made in 2021, on the day his supporters stormed the Capitol building. Clips were spliced together from sections of

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