US Senate approves deal to fund government and discuss ICE restrictions 31. January 2026 (01:47) Partial shutdown of government still expected to begin after midnight Friday, lasting at least through weekendThe US Senate approved a major government funding package on Friday, after the killings of two US citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis upended spending talks and gave the out-of-power party rare leverage over Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.In a 71-29 tally, the Senate overcame opposition from a handful of Republicans to rally behind a deal the president struck with Democrats, an unusual display of bipartisanship as tensions rise nationally over the presence of Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) agents in US cities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New type of Bordeaux wine to gain official status as result of climate pressure 31. January 2026 (01:01) Exclusive: Formal validation for claret reflects hotter conditions, falling consumption and shift towards chillable redsBordeaux’s wine industry has historically adapted to consumer habits. In the 1970s the region leaned towards white, but by the 2000s was famed for powerful oak-aged reds.Now it’s turning to a much older form of red with a name familiar to anglophones: claret. With origins in the 12th century, when it was first shipped to Britain, claret was soon our favoured wine, an unofficial byword for bordeaux red, which in recent decades has become increasingly full-bodied. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One in seven food delivery businesses in England are ‘dark kitchens’, study shows 31. January 2026 (01:01) University researchers say growth of the hidden fast food industry may pose risks to public healthOne in seven food businesses on major delivery platforms, including Deliveroo and Just Eat, is now a “dark kitchen”, a university study shows.The findings, which shine a light on the scale of the hidden takeaway industry, found that 15% of all online food retailers in England were dark kitchens. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Atlanta FBI boss reportedly ousted after questioning DoJ’s renewed interest in 2020 election 30. January 2026 (23:34) Paul W Brown reportedly voiced concerns about the FBI’s unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in Fulton countyThe special agent in charge of the FBI’s Atlanta field office was reportedly removed from his post after questioning the Trump administration’s renewed interest in investigating the role of Fulton county, Georgia, in the 2020 election.The agent, Paul W Brown, had expressed concerns around the unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in Fulton county, which have been perpetuated by Donald Trump since he was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 election, according to an MS NOW report on Friday. Citing sources, MS NOW also reported that Brown refused to carry out searches and seizures of records connected to the election that Trump lost four years before winning a second presidency in 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump commerce secretary Howard Lutnick arranged to visit Epstein island, files show 30. January 2026 (23:26) Newly released documents reveal Lutnick sent email to ‘Jeff’ and floated plan for ‘Sunday evening for dinner’Howard 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)
ICE detains two more students from Liam Ramos’s school, officials say 30. January 2026 (23:24) The brothers’ mother was taken by ICE and Minnesota educators were forced to bring the children to herUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken custody of two children who attend the same Minnesota elementary school as Liam Ramos, the detained five-year-old, according to school officials.The superintendent of the school district in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb, told the Guardian that two brothers, in second and fifth grades, were detained with their mother on Thursday. The mother has a pending asylum case and the family has since been transported to a Texas detention facility, the school official said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than 200 killed in coltan mine collapse in eastern DRC, officials say 30. January 2026 (23:11) Rubaya mine produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum, used in mobile phonesMore than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, a spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters on Friday.Rubaya produces about 15% of the world’s coltan, which is processed into tantalum – a heat-resistant metal that is in high demand by makers of mobile phones, computers, aerospace components and gas turbines. The site, where local people dig manually for a few dollars a day, has been under the control of the M23 rebel group since 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man accused of falsely confessing to killing Charlie Kirk faces up to 15-year sentence 30. January 2026 (22:52) George Zinn, 71, further admitted to possessing child sexual abuse material and pleaded no contest to allegationsA man accused of trying to thwart authorities investigating Charlie Kirk’s killing by falsely confessing to the deadly shooting faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to the allegation – and separately admitting to possessing child sexual abuse material.The case centering on George Zinn, 71, all but concluded at a court hearing on Thursday in Provo, Utah, about 5 miles away from the college campus where the Turning Point USA executive director was fatally shot on 10 September 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US DoJ opens federal civil rights investigation into killing of Alex Pretti 30. January 2026 (20:40) Deputy attorney general makes announcement over fatal shooting in Minneapolis as fierce protests there continueThe US deputy attorney general announced on Friday that the justice department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti last Saturday by immigration officers, as fierce protests continued on the streets there.“We’re looking at everything that would shed light on that day,” Todd Blanche, deputy to attorney general Pam Bondi, said at a press conference on Friday morning in Washington DC. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andrew went to intimate dinner with Epstein after his prison release, files suggest 30. January 2026 (20:03) Famous figures including Woody Allen were invited to party with disgraced financier and Mountbatten-Windsor, documents indicateAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor attended an intimate party with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein months after he was released from prison, files suggest.The US justice department released another cache of documents relating to the disgraced financier on Friday.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...(The Guardian)
