Marks & Spencer launches ‘nutrient dense’ range for people on weight-loss jabs

Marks & Spencer is targeting weight-loss jab users with a new range of “nutrient dense” food that it claims will satisfy customers who are eating less.The retailer said the range, which launches on 5 January and includes salads, breads, yoghurt bowls and chicken dinners, was “perfectly portioned to contain high amounts of nutrients per calorie”.People across the UK who are trying to lose weight are increasingly turning to jabs such as Wegovy, Zepbound and Saxenda, which suppress users’ appetites.The trend poses new challenges for food retailers such as M&S, which are trying to maintain sales as some customers eat less.The head of food innovation at M&S, Annette Peters, said the new range was “great if customers are reducing their food intake, such as people using the GLP-1 medications

Octopus Energy to sell stake in software spin-off Kraken at $8.65bn valuation

Octopus Energy has agreed to sell a stake in its Kraken software arm, in a move that would value the division at $8.65bn (£6.4bn) and could open the way for a stock market flotation.The technology, which it already licenses to some rival suppliers, has been vital to the energy company’s success, making it easier to manage customer billing, smart meters, electric vehicle charging and home batteries to make using renewable power cheaper.Octopus said new investors, including the asset manager Fidelity International and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, had joined existing shareholders to acquire a $1bn stake in the business

When swiping up doesn’t get you far | Letters

Speaking of odd habits as a result of using technology (Letters, 25 December), I once passed a bus shelter where a mother was waiting with her young child. The shelter had a huge poster of a new mobile phone and the toddler was leaning out of its buggy and desperately swiping the screen of the phone, presumably in the hope of getting cartoons.Ron BaileyNewcastle upon Tyne I read Joanna Rimmer’s letter on this subject and tried to “like” it.Heather BradfordWinchester Which tablet/ebook user hasn’t absentmindedly put their finger on a printed word they don’t know expecting to see the dictionary definition pop up?Tim MartineauWirral, Merseyside I don’t understand why, when reading a physical copy of the Guardian, the page doesn’t scroll when I swipe up. Can this be corrected, please?Geoff Skinner Kensal Green, London I once picked up a pencil to underline something on Wikipedia

Cryptocurrency slump erases 2025 financial gains and Trump-inspired optimism

As 2025 comes to a close, Donald Trump’s favorable approach to cryptocurrency has not proven to be enough to sustain the industry’s gains, once the source of market-wide optimism and enthusiasm. The last few months of the year have seen $1tn in value wiped from the digital asset market, despite bitcoin hitting an all-time-high price of $126,000 on 6 October.The October price peak was short-lived. Bitcoin’s price tumbled just days later after Trump’s announcement of 100% tariffs on China sent shockwaves across the market on 12 October. The crypto market saw $19bn liquidated in 24 hours – the largest liquidation event on record

Five things England must do to make it two Ashes Test wins in a row in Sydney

Keira Knightley may not spring immediately to mind as a source of inspiration for Ben Stokes’ captaincy but her tactics for dealing with the paparazzi at the height of her fame recalled some of Stokes’ early forays with the armband.Knightley recently explained to Graham Norton that she refused to have anyone follow her, so would stand stock still for hours at a time until the photographers got bored or, better, weirded out. “I do think I freaked them out, they were like: ‘I don’t understand what’s happening here.’”When Brydon Carse came out to bat at No 3 in England’s successful chase in Melbourne, it drew gasps from the crowd in the stadium and saw a spike in social media and texts from those watching at home. “That’s not … Is that Brydon Carse?”Carse made only six runs, largely playing like a man at a silent disco who has his headset tuned to thrash metal

Sharp shooters: the best sports photos of 2025 and the stories behind them

We’ve received more than 500,000 sports photographs in the past year, with some absolute belters among them. Here are some of the fleeting moments, wild celebrations and creative compositions that caught our eyes – accompanied by explanations and technical info from the photographers themselves.Chloe Kelly celebrates by Florencia Tan Jun (1/200th sec, f/2.8, ISO 2500)“As a photographer, a penalty shootout in a final feels completely different from a penalty during regular play. I get nervous, especially because the players’ reactions and celebrations are so much more intense, and I still have to make split-second decisions when everything happens at once