A resignation and call to conscience at company owned by Maga billionaires 30. January 2026 (13:00) Uline employee says she can no longer work for people who helped ‘America descend into fascism’When Laura Wittmann decided this week to submit her resignation from Uline, the giant office supply company owned by two of the biggest donors to Donald Trump’s 2024 election and other Maga Republicans, she did not hold back.“As America descends rapidly into fascism,” Wittmann wrote in a two-page company-wide email sent on Wednesday, “I can no longer work to grow the personal fortunes of people who helped make it so.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Saudi dissident awarded £3m damages threatens enforcement action if he is not paid 30. January 2026 (13:00) London-based satirist hails ‘amazing’ ruling that found Gulf state targeted and attacked him for his criticismA London-based Saudi dissident who a judge decided should receive more than £3m in damages from the kingdom for assault and the hacking of his phone has insisted that it must pay up or face enforcement action.Mr Justice Saini ruled that the Saudi government infected the phone of Ghanem al-Masarir with Pegasus spyware and, while surveillance was continuing, in 2018, its agents attacked him outside Harrods in central London. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Settler-only IDF units functioning as ‘vigilante militias’ in West Bank 30. January 2026 (13:00) Exclusive: ‘Regional defence’ settler units are escalating violent displacement of Palestinians, Israeli reservists and activists sayIsrael’s army has become a vehicle for violent settlers to escalate their campaign against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, with reserve units drawn from settlements functioning as vigilante militias, according to Israeli soldiers and activists, and the United Nations.Hagmar, or regional defence units, were set up across the West Bank from October 2023, as conscripts and the standing army deployed there prepared to move to Gaza. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Venezuela approves bill to open oil sector to foreign investment after US pressure 30. January 2026 (12:54) Law will give private companies more control but experts unsure whether changes go far enough for USVenezuela’s acting president has signed into law a bill making significant changes to the country’s oil sector after pressure from the US to open it up to foreign private investment.The new hydrocarbons law promises to give private companies control over oil production and sales, ease taxes and allow for independent arbitration of disputes, while largely maintaining state control over oil production. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Greens select former mayoral candidate to run in Gorton and Denton byelection 30. January 2026 (12:44) Hannah Spencer, a Trafford councillor and plumber, ran as the party’s candidate for mayor of Manchester in 2024UK politics live – latest updatesThe Green party has selected the former mayoral candidate Hannah Spencer to run in the upcoming Gorton and Denton byelection.Spencer, a Trafford councillor and plumber by trade, has resided in the constituency in the past and was the Green candidate for mayor of Manchester during the 2024 election, where she finished fifth behind Labour’s Andy Burnham, who retained the post, as well as Conservative, independent and Reform candidates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump tells Iran: end nuclear ambitions and stop killing protesters or face US military 30. January 2026 (11:59) President issues warning as warships deployed to Middle East but says ‘it would be great if we didn’t have to use them’Donald Trump has warned Iran it must end its nuclear programme and stop killing protesters if the large US armada of warships deployed in the Middle East are not to be used.The US president said protesters were being killed in their thousands, but that he had stopped Iran from carrying out executions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: Winter storms cause death and outages across eastern north America 30. January 2026 (11:45) Millions are told to stay home in the US and more than a million are left without power, while Australia faces record heatwave Cold weather across a vast swathe of the eastern United States has been the likely cause of at least 49 deaths in the past week.At one point, about 213 million people were under some sort of winter weather warnings, affecting areas from New Mexico to New England – a spread of about 2,000 miles (3,200 km). Millions were told to stay at home, and at one point there were more than a million people without power. As of Wednesday night, there were still 312,000 outages, mostly across Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine will be ‘technically’ ready to join EU in 2027, Zelenskyy says – Europe live 30. January 2026 (11:44) Ukrainian president doubles down on target for accession despite pushback from some European leadersUkraine’s Zelenskyy also spoke by phone with German chancellor Friedrich Merz last night, according to the readout published by the German government.During their call, Merz “strongly condemned the ongoing, systematic, and brutal destruction of Ukrainian civilian energy infrastructure by Russian attacks,” the statement said, with Zelenskyy thanking Germany for its “winter aid package” to help with air defence and power, heat generation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump warns UK against doing business with China after Starmer visits Beijing – UK politics live 30. January 2026 (11:34) It comes after the US president threatened to impose tariffs on Canada if it went through with economic deals struck with ChinaWe are expecting the Green party to announce its candidate for the byelection in the Greater Manchester constituency of Gorton and Denton this morning, at around 11am.Labour won the seat with a 13,000 majority in the 2024 general election, but next month’s byelection is widely touted as a referendum on prime minister Keir Starmer, whose approval rating has tanked to unprecedented lows. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Donald Trump expected to nominate Kevin Warsh as US Federal Reserve chair 30. January 2026 (10:13) Choice of former Fed governor to succeed Jerome Powell comes amid attack on central bank’s independence• Business live – latest updatesDonald Trump is expected to nominate the former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh as its next chair amid an extraordinary attempt by the president to tighten his grip on the US central bank and flout its longstanding independence.Trump told reporters on Thursday that he planned to announce his choice for chair of the Federal Reserve on Friday morning, hinting that “a lot of people think that this is somebody that could have been there a few years ago”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
