An Arctic blast has hit Britain in the country’s first major taste of winter this year – with drivers getting stuck, trains cancelled and warnings of more icy weather ahead as temperatures plunged to -11.2C and snow started falling in the capital London. Traffic problems have been reported around major cities including Leeds as the Met Office issued a severe weather warning of snow and ice – as it got as cold overnight as -11.2C in the Scottish village of Braemar and -10.7C in Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands. The reading in Braemar was described as the coldest Britain has been at this time of the year since 1998.

A trans war has broken out on Capitol Hill after a Republican lawmaker proposed a measure that would block the first transgender member of Congress from using biological women’s restrooms in the U.S. Capitol. Rep. Nancy Mace is pushing for the new rule ahead of the arrival of Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride, who will take office in January as the first openly-trans lawmaker in the United States. McBride blasted Republicans after the proposal, claiming they were using it as a ‘distraction’ tactic.

Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour is trying to sell a £10million mansion that he doesn’t actually legally own, MailOnline can reveal. Gilmour, 78, recently discovered that a legal oversight means the six-bedroom property he and his wife Polly Samson have lived in for years is actually owned by the Crown. Now he is suing the government to correct the mistake so that he can finally sell it.

Donald Trump has nominated a number of highly controversial candidates to serve in his Cabinet – but a new poll claims they have a slight edge on public approval, with one glaring exception. The president-elect has selected a group of hardline conservatives and MAGA loyalists to serve in his administration. Some have unorthodox views and little government experience, while others are hampered by criminal allegations. However, an Echelon Insights poll shows nearly every member with a slight favorability.

The Kremlin has threatened a ‘nuclear response’ should Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range missiles. ‘The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in the event of aggression with the use of conventional weapons against it,’ Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Russia this morning according to the TASS news service. His statement came as Putin approved an updated nuclear doctrine that would allow his strategic missile forces to deploy nuclear weapons in the event that Russian territory is threatened by a non-nuclear nation supported by a nuclear power.

Snow fell in London today as Britain was gripped by an Arctic chill with temperatures falling well below zero, trains cancelled, cars stuck and schools closed. Commuters faced travel chaos and the coldest UK temperature this early in the season since 1998 was recorded as Braemar in Aberdeenshire fell to -11.2C (12.2F). The Met Office imposed three yellow weather warnings for snow and ice today across the Midlands and North of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.