After feverish speculation, Andrew Hastie failed to mount a Liberal leadership challenge. So what now? 30. January 2026 (10:00) Hastie’s allies are cautioning against assuming his supporters would automatically shift their allegiances to Angus TaylorGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhat was the point of that then?That is the question some Liberals MPs – and no doubt some bemused voters – are asking after Andrew Hastie abandoned plans to challenge Sussan Ley for the party leadership after a week of feverish speculation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British army officers face court martial over Jaysley Beck sexual assault case 30. January 2026 (08:54) Maj James Hook and Col Samantha Shepherd charged with offences relating to case of soldier who took her own lifeTwo serving British army officers face criminal charges over the handling of a case of sexual assault of the teenage soldier Jaysley Beck, who later took her own life.Beck, a Royal Artillery Gunner, was assaulted during a training exercise in Hampshire in July 2021, when she was 19, and killed herself five months later. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andrew Hastie rules out challenging Sussan Ley for Liberal leadership, clearing path for Angus Taylor 30. January 2026 (08:15) Hastie concedes he does not have support needed to become leader, as source says it is a ‘question of when, not if’ Taylor will mount challengeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAndrew Hastie has confirmed he won’t contest the Liberal party leadership, clearing the path for fellow rightwinger Angus Taylor to challenge Sussan Ley.After Hastie ended a week of a speculation with a statement on Friday that confirmed he would not seek the opposition leadership, a source close to Taylor said it was a “question of when, not if” the shadow defence minister will launch a formal bid to unseat Ley. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Abusers using AI and digital tech to attack and control women, charity warns 30. January 2026 (08:00) Exclusive: Smartwatches, Oura rings, smart home devices and Fitbits being weaponised, says RefugeDomestic abusers are increasingly using AI, smartwatches and other technology to attack and control their victims, a domestic abuse charity says.Record numbers of women who were abused and controlled through technology were referred to Refuge’s specialist services during the last three months of 2025, including a 62% increase in the most complex cases to total 829 women. There was also a 24% increase in referrals of under-30s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Professor who claimed ‘Blak’ activists were leading law school to ‘destruction’ to leave University of Melbourne 30. January 2026 (07:56) Exclusive: Dr Eric Descheemaeker and university have agreed he will leave his job to pursue other opportunities, email to staff saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA University of Melbourne law professor who wrote an email saying the institution was dictated to by “‘Blak’ activists” who were leading it to “destruction” will leave the university.The university tried to sack Dr Eric Descheemaeker after the 2023 email to the then dean of Melbourne law school (MLS), in which he claimed it was turning into an “ideological re-education camp”, was leaked and posted around the Parkville campus last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Junta-backed party secures sweeping victory in Myanmar’s ‘sham’ election 30. January 2026 (07:46) Human rights groups and some western countries have denounced the election, the first held since the 2021 coup, describing it as neither free nor fairMyanmar’s military-backed party has completed a sweeping victory in the country’s three-phase general election, state media said, cementing an outcome long expected after a tightly controlled political process held during civil war and widespread repression.The Union and Solidarity Party (USDP) dominated all phases of the vote, winning an overwhelming majority in the two legislative chambers in Myanmar. It secured 232 of the 263 seats up for grabs in the lower Pyithu Hluttaw house and 109 of the 157 seats announced so far in the Amyotha Hluttaw upper chamber, according to results released on Thursday and Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Older women ‘disappear’ from BBC presenting roles, internal review finds 30. January 2026 (07:00) Older men seen as ‘gaining wisdom’ but women must keep looking younger or be ‘idiosyncratic’, review hearsOlder women disappear from presenting roles across the BBC while older men are regarded as “gaining gravitas and wisdom”, according to an internal review of the broadcaster’s record on representation.A “noticeable mismatch” in the number of staff and freelance male and female presenters over the age of 60 was uncovered by the review. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
AI-generated news should carry ‘nutrition’ labels, thinktank says 30. January 2026 (07:00) The Institute for Public Policy Research also argues that tech companies must pay publishers for content they useAI-generated news should carry “nutrition” labels and tech companies must pay publishers for the content they use, according to a left-of-centre thinktank, amid rising use of the technology as a source for current affairs.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said AI firms were rapidly emerging as the new “gatekeepers” of the internet and intervention was needed to create a healthy AI news environment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Liberal MP complains to ABC managing director about Tony Armstrong’s satire special 30. January 2026 (06:46) Melissa McIntosh, who claims Always Was Tonight violated ABC charter, has been dubbed the ‘Liberal party fun police’ by the GreensFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe opposition has complained to the ABC over Tony Armstrong’s one-off special, which took aim at colonialism and racism against Indigenous Australians.The shadow communications minister, Melissa McIntosh, has sent a letter of complaint to the ABC managing director, Hugh Marks, demanding a full investigation into Always Was Tonight, a satirical news program that aired on the broadcaster on 21 January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK’s first rapid-charging battery train ready for boarding this weekend 30. January 2026 (06:00) Great Western Railway service recharges in three and a half minutes between trips on west London lineThe UK’s first superfast-charging train running only on battery power will come into passenger service this weekend – operating a five-mile return route in west London.Great Western Railway (GWR) will send the converted London Underground train out from 5.30am to cover the full Saturday timetable on the West Ealing to Greenford branch line, four stops and 12 minutes each way, and now carrying up to 273 passengers, should its celebrity stoke up the demand. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
