Labour chooses Angeliki Stogia for Gorton and Denton byelection 31. January 2026 (13:58) The Manchester city councillor was selected to fight the seat after a hustings event and vote by local membersThe Labour party has selected its candidate to fight the Gorton and Denton byelection.Angeliki Stogia, a Manchester city councillor, was chosen to fight the seat after a hustings event and vote by local members. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Eton head apologises after former teacher jailed for sexual assault of pupil 31. January 2026 (13:09) Jacob Leland, who taught Russian, jailed for more than three years for sexually assaulting boy on school tripThe headteacher of Eton college has apologised and said he was “appalled” after a former teacher was jailed for sexually assaulting a pupil.Jacob Leland, 37, who taught Russian, was jailed on Friday for three years and three months for sexually assaulting one of his pupils at his flat and during a school trip in 2012. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats accuse DoJ of not releasing millions of Epstein files despite legal requirement 31. January 2026 (13:00) Justice department on Friday released 3m pages and lawmakers accuse it of not releasing roughly 50% of recordsSurvivors, lawmakers and watchdog groups accused Donald Trump’s justice department of withholding records it is legally required to release following the disclosure of millions of files from the investigation into the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The justice department on Friday released 3m pages of documents from its investigation into the millionaire financier’s sexual abuse of young girls and his interactions with wealthy and powerful figures, including Trump and former president Bill Clinton. The release was an effort to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and, according to US deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, includes more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, all subject to “extensive redactions”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
As US influence wanes, the Chinese trade surplus strangles manufacturing across the globe 31. January 2026 (13:00) Trump’s wounding of the US economy offers Beijing an unparalleled opportunity – if it dials back its overbearing trade tacticsWhen the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, took to the podium at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week to lament how “great economic powers” were dismantling the international order, it seemed clear that he was talking about the United States. He might have been talking about China as well.Not a week earlier, Beijing had revealed that China’s trade surplus ballooned by 20% in 2025, to $1.2tn. Despite Donald Trump’s wall of tariffs that crashed Chinese sales to the US, its overall exports expanded more than 5%. Sales to the 11 countries in Asia’s Asean bloc increased more than 13%. Exports to the European Union rose over 8%. Chinese imports, by contrast, were flat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Impose sanctions on refineries that buy Russian crude oil to end war, says Bill Browder 31. January 2026 (13:00) Putin critic says plants in China, India and Turkey are funnelling up to $1bn a day to KremlinBill Browder’s fight against Vladimir Putin has seen him face threats, lawsuits, false accusations of murder and Interpol arrest warrants. A disinformation-laden film was even made about him.But 16 years after the death of his friend and lawyer Sergei Magnitsky at the hands of Putin’s regime, Browder is unrelenting in his fight for justice. It is an endeavour that, by his estimation, has cost Putin and his cronies billions of dollars already, via asset freezes and sanctions. Hence the considerable risk to his safety. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump’s post-truth agenda beaten back as Americans refuse to accept ICE lies 31. January 2026 (12:00) Effort to manipulate killing of Alex Pretti collapsed after footage torpedoed ‘domestic terrorist’ claim – could this be a turning point?“Our press secretary, Sean Spicer, gave alternative facts.” These were the words of the senior White House aide Kellyanne Conway on NBC television’s Meet the Press in January 2017. “Alternative facts” instantly set a template for the era of Donald Trump.So when Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse, was shot dead by federal agents in Minneapolis last Saturday, White House officials immediately moved to brand him a “would-be assassin” and “domestic terrorist” who had been brandishing a gun. This time, however, the tried and trusted playbook did not work. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mass grave in Jordan sheds new light on world’s earliest recorded pandemic 31. January 2026 (12:00) Researchers tell ‘human story’ about crisis during plague of Justinian, which killed millions in Byzantine empireA US-led research team has verified the first Mediterranean mass grave of the world’s earliest recorded pandemic, providing stark new details about the plague of Justinian that killed millions of people in the Byzantine empire between the sixth and eighth centuries.The findings, published in February’s Journal of Archaeological Science, offer what researchers say is a rare empirical window into the mobility, urban life and vulnerability of citizens affected by the pestilence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Epstein documents shed new light on ‘manipulator’ Ghislaine Maxwell 31. January 2026 (12:00) Accusers’ accounts say Maxwell, convicted in 2021 of sex-trafficking, ‘acted sweet’ but displayed ‘dark side’Documents included in the disclosure of Jeffrey Epstein investigative files have further lifted the veil on how his ex-girlfriend and co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, kept victims in check.Maxwell, who was convicted of luring teen girls into Epstein’s abusive world, deployed a powerful mix of jocular familiarity and cutting iciness in dealings with his victims and others in her orbit, according to accusers’ accounts that were included in this document tranche. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Urban Outfitters, Dreams and Royal Parks cafes criticised for use of gig economy app 31. January 2026 (12:00) TUC urges ministers to bring forward changes to protect workers amid concerns over apps such as TemperThe fashion retailer Urban Outfitters, the bed specialist Dreams and the operator of several Royal Parks cafes have been criticised for the use of the gig economy app Temper to take on staff – some of whom can end up earning below minimum wage.The TUC is urging the government to bring forward promised reforms to protect gig economy workers amid concerns that those hired by apps such as Temper are missing out on significant employment rights including sick pay, rest breaks, holiday pay and a minimum hourly rate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Epstein files latest: photos appear to show former prince Andrew crouching over woman 31. January 2026 (11:47) Elon Musk and former UK ambassador to US Peter Mandelson among those named in newly released documentsHoward Lutnick, currently serving as Trump’s US secretary of commerce, arranged to visit Jeffrey Epstein’s island in 2012, according to Epstein-related files released by the Department of Justice on Friday.According to the newly released documents, on 20 November 2012, Epstein’s longtime assistant emailed Lutnick saying that “Jeffrey Epstein understands you will be down in St Thomas some over the holidays” and that “Jeffrey requested I please pass along some phone numbers to you so the two of you can possibly get together.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
