Last Wednesday's White House meeting between Marco Rubio and his Danish and Greenlandic counterparts wasn't your typical diplomatic gathering. They were there to discuss the United States essentially 'buying' Greenland.

Holiday cheer has faded, credit card bills have arrived, and motivation is running low; Blue Monday on 19th January is billed to be the most depressing day of the year. But what if instead of being something to endure, it marks the start of a powerful reset?

Dear Editor, Many people want to give back to their communities, but sometimes finding the time to volunteer can be a real challenge. It’s not always easy to commit to a traditional volunteering shift, at a specific time or on a regular basis. Balancing giving back with work, family, and other responsibilities can be difficult.

Transdev has launched a Level 2 Bus Driver Apprenticeship programme, with the first cohort beginning in January 2026 and applications now open for subsequent intakes. The scheme, delivered in partnership with training provider Realise, comprises 326 hours of training over eight months. Each apprenticeship is valued at £8,000, funded entirely through Transdev's Apprenticeship Levy.

Millions of UK households may already have an important financial safety net built into their life insurance – and many don’t even realise it. Research from life insurance expert MoneySuperMarket shows that millions of policyholders aren’t aware that many life insurance policies include terminal illness benefits.

As more UK residents look to the likes of Etsy and Vinted to make room in their wardrobes this year, tax professionals are raising the alarm. HMRC now has visibility into online selling activity, and non-compliance could lead to in-depth investigations or large fines that exceed your earnings.

New analysis suggests gross costs of net zero could exceed even the highest official predictions of £7.6 trillion. Official estimates of the cost of net zero are often driven by “fantasy assumptions”. Public bodies have consistently underestimated the cost of renewables, heat pumps and electric vehicles, while assuming implausibly low borrowing costs. New analysis warns that misleadingly low figures risk shutting down serious democratic debate over one of the most expensive policies in British history.

The 2026 Annual Oxford Animal Ethics Summer School will be held at Merton College, Oxford, from 3rd to 6th August, 2026. By popular demand the subject is ‘Ethical Strategies for Animal Protection’. The Summer School, organised by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, is now calling for abstracts of presentations to be submitted by experts interested in speaking at the event.

Columnist Claire Kenny paid a visit to South Leeds charity Women’s Whispers, a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping women and children who’ve experienced domestic violence, other types of abuse, ill-health, and other gruelling situations.

Britain is facing a work-related stress crisis, according to new TUC data. Almost eight in ten (79 per cent) of union reps taking part in the TUC’s 15th biennial survey reported stress as one of the main concerns they face at work - and that employers are routinely failing to assess or act on the risks.

Every year the AJ Bell Great North Run is a bucket list event for runners across the globe – will you be one of the 60,000 people running the iconic 13.1 course from Newcastle to South Shields on Sunday 13 September? This is your chance as the January ballot for this year’s AJ Bell Great North Run is now open, but be quick, the ballot closes this Sunday 11 January at midnight.

Few labels grate quite as sharply as “Boomer”. Once a neutral demographic tag, it has hardened into a conversational cudgel, swung to dismiss people not for what they say or do, but for the year stamped on their birth certificate. What began as a statistical convenience has become a cultural shortcut — and like most shortcuts, it leads us away from the truth.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak has called on the Government to have a relentless focus on affordability in 2026 or risk the further rise of the far and populist right.  The call comes as new polling by TUC/38 Degrees, carried out by Survation, lays bare the scale of Britain’s affordability crisis: 

New figures reveal the UK wastes a staggering 10.2 million tonnes of food every year, with an extra three million tonnes wasted over the festive period.

Around 10,000 offshore gas and oil workers are spending today and the rest of the Christmas and New Year holiday far out on the dark seas around Britain’s coasts, providing the energy to heat homes, cook turkeys, and power fairy lights.

TransPennine Express (TPE) has unveiled a specially named Railway 200 Nova 1 (Class 802) train at Newcastle Station, celebrating 200 years since the birth of the modern railway. The unveiling took place on Friday 19 December, where invited guests gathered to see the new name and striking design revealed, joined by an enthusiastic crowd celebrating the milestone.

VodafoneThree has announced it is bringing 400 customer contact jobs back to the UK, marking the biggest recruitment drive for VodafoneThree brands both prior to, and since, the merger. The roles, delivered by partner Concentrix, will focus on Vodafone and Three specialist care and sales, with 200 based in Belfast and 200 in Sheffield.

Today’s data from the Office for National Statistics that showed that annualised inflation came in at 3.2% in November, down from the 3.6% reported in October. Core Inflation came in at 3.2% in the 12 months to November, down from the 3.4% in October. MoM inflation came in at -0.2% down from 0.4% in October.

With all the respect I can muster - and that's precious little - Mr Trump can shove his opinions about Europe right back where they seem to have come from. They are grossly disrespectful, ignorant, and just plain wrong. But what do you expect from a man who has no concept of truth, decency, or justice?

Long-distance train operator CrossCountry is reminding customers of a new timetable arriving on Sunday 14 December, as part of the rail industry’s twice-yearly timetable update. The changes will see an uplift in CrossCountry services, including some additional services between Reading and Newcastle and between Birmingham and Leicester.

England’s Coast, the coastal booking and inspiration tool, is gearing up for an exciting 2026 across the North West and North East coast.

While much of the UK housing market has managed to stay on Santa’s nice list this year with modest price growth, new analysis from Springbok Properties shows that a number of local areas are going to find a lump of coal in their festive stockings when it comes to the level of house price appreciation seen so far this year.

A north Cumbrian vet practice has become one of the first in the world to trial a new technology which could dramatically reduce the environmental impact of anaesthetics. Laura Binnie, sustainability lead at Paragon Veterinary Group which has installed the new kit at its Dalston branch, said: “This is very exciting new technology, and we are proud to be pioneers in this.