They tried to smear him as an antisemite – but Mayor Zohran Mamdani walks in a rich Jewish tradition | Molly Crabapple
But today, Zohran Mamdani became the first socialist mayor of New York City. In New York at the turn of the century, Jewish workers created a secular, socialist, but specifically Yiddish world. “Where is the synagogue of our Jewish workers? In 1914, these neighborhoods sent Jewish socialist labor lawyer Meyer London to Congress. In 1920, five New York socialist assemblymen were expelled from office on accusations of disloyalty.
Source:The Guardian
January 02, 2026 10:21 UTC
I’ve been a New Yorker for 23 years. Today Zohran Mamdani’s swearing-in makes this city a real home | Mona Eltahawy
In New York City, and everywhere else I’ve been, 2025 was the year when everybody learned his name. I moved from Egypt to Seattle in 2000, and then to New York City a year after the September 11 attacks. “The capital of linguistic diversity, not just for the five boroughs (of New York City), but for the human species, is Queens,” Rebecca Solnit and Joshua Jelly-Schapiro wrote in Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas. As is Republican New York City councilwoman Vickie Paladino, who called for the “expulsion of Muslims” in the wake of the Bondi Beach massacre. The year after I moved to New York City, my brother and his wife had a daughter – my own immediate family’s first US citizen.
Source:The Guardian
January 02, 2026 08:25 UTC
Winter blooming of hundreds of plants in UK ‘visible signal’ of climate breakdown
Daisies and dandelions are among hundreds of native plant species blooming in the UK, in what scientists have called a “visible signal” of climate breakdown disrupting the natural world. “This new analysis shows a very clear link between rising temperatures and impacts on our plant species,” said Walker. Last week, the Met Office said 2025 was likely to be the UK’s hottest year on record. Debbie Hemming, a vegetation expert at the Met Office, said it was “tangible evidence” that climate breakdown was directly influencing the world around us. “These findings underscore how rising temperatures and increasing climate extreme events are shifting the natural cycles of our plants and wildlife,” she said.
Source:The Guardian
January 02, 2026 08:23 UTC
COLUMN: Why Taunton is faring better than most other towns
With the misery of England’s Ashes cricket debacle, we’ve got high hopes for better things in the Six Nations rugby. If that turns into another sporting flop, how about our chances in the football World Cup next summer? What are the chances of achieving something respective councils have failed to do over the past 18 years? But we want to see the promised shops, flats and leisure venues - or should that be commerces, appartements et lieux de loisirs? On a positive note, yes there are some vacant shops in Taunton, but we fare a lot better than most towns around the country.
Source:Express
January 02, 2026 06:06 UTC
Experience: My friend turned out to be my long-lost sister
I always knew I was adopted: my mum told me that, as well as her, I had my “tummy mummy”. One day, one of my co‑ workers, Julia, noticed my Dominican Republic flag tattoo. About three weeks later, my results were ready. A year later, I got a message from someone named Molly, who was also adopted from the Dominican Republic. Two and a half weeks later, in January 2021, the results came back.
Source:The Guardian
January 02, 2026 05:17 UTC
Ocean’s Eleven-style gang steal €90m after drilling into bank vault
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Source:The Times
January 02, 2026 04:35 UTC
'I reached out to Alexander Isak to apologise - this is what he said'
Alexander Isak has suffered a long-term injury. Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has revealed details of a text exchange with Liverpool striker Alexander Isak following the striker's devastating injury setback. The ankle injury occurred when Isak was caught by van de Ven whilst scoring the Reds' opening goal in a 2-1 victory over Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Read our Privacy PolicyVan De Ven has now revealed the contents of the message he sent to Isak after the high-intensity Premier League clash. Alexander Isak of Liverpool scores but suffers an injury during the Premier League match between Tottenham and Liverpool.
Source:Express
January 02, 2026 03:05 UTC
‘Their first instinct was to loot’: how Trump’s acolytes are plundering the Kennedy Center
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, announced on X that the Kennedy Center board had “voted unanimously” to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center. Whitehouse, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, remains undeterred and determined to press on with his investigation. Your focus on simple rental fees is no way to run an institution as diverse as the Kennedy Center. The investigation notes reports that the Kennedy Center is operating over budget amid falling ticket sales. He wants to be in the middle of it so you can see the Kennedy Center as a venue for him to put himself in front of people and seek accolades and admiration would be fairly irresistible.
Source:The Guardian
January 02, 2026 01:14 UTC
Save your new year resolutions until the spring weather arrives
Although humans don’t hibernate, our bodies do slow down when nights are long and the weather is colder. Kimberly Dienes, a lecturer in clinical and health psychology at Swansea University, recommends saving your resolutions until the spring weather arrives. Come March, you’ll have a far higher chance of success with some gentle spring resolutions. But she cautions against setting yourself up to fail by being too ambitious: our bodies still need time to recover from the winter dip. My new year’s resolution will be to leave it until spring …
Source:The Guardian
January 01, 2026 21:53 UTC
How the Swiss ski resort fire unfolded: what we know so far
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Source:The Times
January 01, 2026 21:35 UTC
Marks and Spencer New Year’s 2026 opening times: When are stores open?
MARKS and Spencer has helpfully revealed its opening hours over the New Year. When is M&S open over New Year’s? The January sale has started at Marks and Spencer, with up to 50 per cent off. The vast majority of M&S stores across the UK are closed on New Year’s Day, allowing staff to enjoy the bank holiday with their families. Also, some stores located in travel hubs and service stations are continuing to operate.
Source:The Times
January 01, 2026 21:22 UTC
Andy Cohen slams outgoing NYC mayor Eric Adams as ‘chaotic, horrible’
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Looking ahead to the mayor stepping aside and his successor, Zohran Mamdani, being sworn in at midnight, Cohen turned to the camera and ranted: “I’d like to say, watching the final moments of Mayor Adams’ chaotic, horrible…“I just want to say, I mean he’s got his pardons, he’s pardoned. “I will say this,” Cohen sneered. I think he got rid of some of the rats, but isn’t that a metaphor of sorts? The Post adds that Cohen has form when it comes to outbursts against mayors, fuming similarly about Bill de Blasio when he left office in 2022.
Source:The Times
January 01, 2026 21:10 UTC
The Guardian view on mRNA vaccines: they are the future – with or without Donald Trump | Editorial
The future of vaccinationAlthough mRNA vaccines proved their efficacy against Covid, the next frontier remains an open question. Recently developed mRNA flu vaccines like Moderna’s mRNA1010 and Pfizer’s modRNA significantly outperformed the standard flu jab in final-phase trials. The world’s responsibilityIt will take more than a mercurial Donald Trump to destroy the US’s advantage in mRNA research and production. If Mr Trump’s campaign against mRNA research continues, the forthcoming EU Biotech Act should make it a priority for Europe to surpass the US as the world’s pre-eminent mRNA research and manufacturing centre. As long as Mr Kennedy is allowed to set policy, American mRNA research will be operating in a hostile environment.
Source:The Guardian
January 01, 2026 20:31 UTC
New Year latest: Las Vegas follows New York into 2026 - as Trump calls for 'peace on earth' during speech
How did world leaders welcome new year? The globe has welcomed in 2026 in style, but how have world leaders marked the occasion? Over the in the US, President Donald Trump called for "peace on Earth" as he prepared to ring in the new year with First Lady Melania at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Inside one of the ballrooms, Trump told the crowd that the country is "doing great". China's president, Xi Jinping, vowed to reunify China and Taiwan in his annual New Year's Eve speech in Beijing.
Source:The Times
January 01, 2026 20:04 UTC
How to be better with money in 2026 — and make the habit last a lifetime
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Source:The Times
January 01, 2026 17:47 UTC