UK new car buyers drive a bargain as average discount nears £6,000 31. January 2026 (08:00) Motorists benefit as industry offers deals of up to 18% off to attract buyers for petrol, diesel and electric modelsIf you are considering buying a new car, now might be the time to act as new data shows manufacturers and dealers slashing prices by more than 10%, with the average discount close to £6,000.The typical discount available across all petrol, diesel and electric cars sold in the UK is 11.4% of the on-the-road price – the equivalent of £5,911 – according to Insider Car Deals, which sells discount data to people looking to buy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer hopes his China trip will begin the thaw after recent ice age 31. January 2026 (07:00) PM flies out after courting world’s second biggest economy aware of difficult balance of risks and potential rewardsThe last British prime minister to visit China was Theresa May in 2018. Before the visit, she and her team were advised to get dressed under the covers because of the risk of hidden cameras having been placed in their hotel rooms to record compromising material.Keir Starmer, in Beijing this week, was more sanguine about his privacy, even though the security risks have, if anything, increased since the former Tory prime minister was in town. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
French MPs demand explanation over tech firm’s contract to help ICE in US 31. January 2026 (07:00) Revelation that subsidiary of Capgemini is to help trace and expel migrants in US provokes outrage in FranceFrench lawmakers have demanded an explanation after one of the country’s biggest tech companies signed a multimillion dollar contract to help the US enforcement agency ICE trace and expel migrants.The revelation that a subsidiary of Capgemini, a multinational digital services firm listed on the Paris stock exchange, had agreed to provide “skip tracing” – a technique for locating targeted people – with big bonuses if successful, has provoked outrage in France. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk 31. January 2026 (07:00) As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictionsWhen flooding hit the low-lying Somerset Levels in 2014, it took two months for the waters to rise. This week it took two days, said Rebecca Horsington, chair of the Flooding on the Levels Action Group and a born-and-bred resident. A fierce barrage of storms from the Atlantic has drenched south-west England in January, saturating soils and supercharging rivers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cambridge university accused of ‘obfuscation’ over arms investment 31. January 2026 (07:00) Academics say £4bn investment fund is ‘designed to prevent any troublesome democratic interference’Cambridge academics have accused the university of “maximal obfuscation” in a row over its £4bn investment fund and how it profits from investing in arms manufacturers.The university’s governing body is expected to meet on Monday to consider a report on its financial ties to the defence sector, but some senior staff have said investments cannot be properly scrutinised because the institution has not been transparent about the companies involved. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US government shuts down partially over homeland security funding 31. January 2026 (06:01) Democratic senators refuse to vote for bill authorizing continued DHS spending after killings of two US citizens Funding lapsed for several US government departments on Saturday, the result of a standoff in Congress over new restrictions on federal agents involved in Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign following the killings of two US citizens in Minneapolis.The partial government shutdown is the result of Democratic senators refusing to vote for a bill authorizing continued spending by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), after federal agents killed Alex Pretti in Minnesota’s largest city last week, and Renee Good earlier in January. The minority party’s blockade imperiled a push by Republicans for approval of larger package of legislation funding other departments, which needed to pass the Senate before the government’s spending authorization expired Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘It’s like a gift from God’: undocumented foreign workers welcome Spanish amnesty 31. January 2026 (06:00) Half a million migrants will be ‘regularised’ under plans to boost economic growth that have angered rightwing partiesNot everyone has been enthused by the Spanish government’s decision this week to buck European political trends by announcing plans to regularise 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers to boost “economic growth and social cohesion”.Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the conservative People’s party (PP), described the move as a reward for “illegality” that would bring more people into the country and “overwhelm our public services”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two men in their 20s found dead at Sydney property 31. January 2026 (04:45) Men – both aged 28 – found at a home in Glenorie on Saturday, New South Wales police sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo 28-year-old men have been found dead at a property in Sydney’s north-west in an incident police are treating as not suspicious.In a statement, New South Wales police said emergency services were called at about 8.40am on Saturday to a home on Harrisons Lane, Glenorie, 40km north-west of the Sydney CBD, following reports of a concern for welfare. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Thousands march in anti-ICE protest in New York City: ‘If it’s them today, it’s us tomorrow’ 31. January 2026 (02:36) In nationwide day of action, people brave plunging cold temperatures to march in city and demonstrate against ICEThousands chanted and marched in New York City on Friday to protest the Trump administration’s escalating mass deportation campaign.Among the protesters were young and old people, all braving plunging cold temperatures in thick coats, hats and gloves. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Heatwave across Australia’s south-east continues for eighth day ahead of a welcome cool change 31. January 2026 (02:17) The BoM forecasts parts of inland NSW will exceed 45C on Saturday, with Thargomindah in Queensland to reach 46C, Mildura 45C and Canberra 41CGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA cool change this weekend is expected to bring an end to eight consecutive days of blistering temperatures above 40C in Australia’s south-east.But before it does, the heat continued on Saturday. Heatwave warnings remained in place for parts of every state and territory excluding Tasmania, with Canberra forecast to reach a top of 41C and parts of inland New South Wales, including Broken Hill, expected to climb higher than 45C. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
