NHS medical negligence persisting in England ‘despite 24 years of warnings’ 30. January 2026 (01:01) MPs on influential committee excoriate health department and NHS England for errors costing £3.6bn a yearMedical negligence in the NHS keeps harming and killing patients because governments and health service bosses have not acted on 24 years’ worth of warnings, MPs have said.In a scathing report published on Friday, the public accounts committee (PAC) excoriates the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England for allowing the cost of mistakes to balloon to £3.6bn a year.The £3.6bn cost of medical negligence is diverting funds away from frontline NHS care.Lawsuits involving brain-damaged babies can take up to 12 years to settle.Some patients sue because hospitals refuse to tell them what went wrong with their care. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nine sells radio stations including 2GB and 3AW to Sydney pub baron Arthur Laundy 30. January 2026 (00:30) Media company also buys digital advertising billboard company QMS for $850mFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe nation’s biggest media company, Nine Entertainment, has sold its talkback radio stations to a Sydney pub baron for $56m and bought outdoor advertising company QMS Media for $850m, in a major upheaval for Australia’s media landscape.Nine Radio, which owns 2GB, 3AW, 4BC, 6PR, 2UE, Magic1278 and 4BH, has been offloaded as talk radio profits dwindle and the audience skews ever older. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
AI use in breast cancer screening cuts rate of later diagnosis by 12%, study finds 30. January 2026 (00:30) Swedish study of 100,000 women found higher rate of early detection, suggesting potential to support radiologistsThe use of artificial intelligence in breast cancer screening reduces the rate of a cancer diagnosis by 12% in subsequent years and leads to a higher rate of early detection, according to the first trial of its kind.Researchers said the study was the largest to date looking at AI use in cancer screening. It involved 100,000 women in Sweden who were part of mammography screening and were randomly assigned to either AI-supported screening or to a standard reading by two radiologists between April 2021 and December 2022. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Georgia lawmakers express alarm to see Tulsi Gabbard at FBI elections office raid 30. January 2026 (00:29) Democratic senators question national intelligence head’s fitness for office after overt, unexplained appearanceDemocratic lawmakers are raising questions about why Tulsi Gabbard, the president’s director of national intelligence, was “lurking” in Fulton county on Wednesday while FBI agents carted off boxes of 2020 election documents.Gabbard visited an elections hub in Fulton county, home to Atlanta, on Wednesday as the FBI executed a search warrant for records related to the 2020 election. The warrant sought all ballots from the 2020 election in the county, tabulator tapes, ballot images and voter rolls, according to a warrant obtained by the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
News live: Australia closely monitoring Nipah virus spread overseas, Butler says; Nine sells talkback radio stations to Sydney pub billionaire 29. January 2026 (23:52) Federal health minister says Australia has no protocols yet for sick travellers who arrive in country. Follow today’s news updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland health minister said federal government still has to bridge the gap on funding dealTim Nicholls, the Queensland health minister, said he still thinks there’s a “bit of water to flow under the bridge” in discussions between states and the federal government over hospital funding.There’s quite a bit of work for the commonwealth to do to step up to the mark because the last offer that was put forward was rejected by states. Because it was inadequate and failed to address the burgeoning problems that we have.We’re negotiating respectfully with them, but quite frankly, the most recent offer wasn’t up to scratch, and we hope to see some improvements on it. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minneapolis mayor warns others to ‘speak up’ against Trump or ‘your city is next’ 29. January 2026 (23:38) Jacob Frey accused the Trump administration of pursuing a ‘might is right’ policy and staging an ‘invasion’ of his cityJacob Frey, the embattled mayor of Minneapolis, has warned fellow mayors that their city will be next in line to be targeted by federal immigration agents unless they speak out against Donald Trump’s aggressive deployments.Addressing the US conference of mayors in Washington DC, Frey won loud applause as he accused the Trump administration of staging an “invasion” of his city and pursuing a “might makes right” philosophy, which he said was championed by Stephen Miller, Trump’s most powerful aide. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform UK council chair resigns after ‘illegally renting out unsafe properties’ 29. January 2026 (23:03) Council said Edward Harris’s properties ‘failed to meet even most basic of living standards and legal requirements’A Reform UK council chair has resigned after it was found he was illegally running two unsafe rental properties, according to a neighbouring local authority.Edward Harris, the chair of Warwickshire county council, owned two unlicensed houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in Staffordshire that had “multiple serious safety failures”, according to Labour-led Tamworth borough council. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose, announces run for governor of California 29. January 2026 (22:54) The former tech entrepreneur joins a sprawling but stagnant field to succeed Gavin NewsomMatt Mahan, the centrist Democrat and mayor of San Jose, announced on Thursday that he would run for governor of California, joining a sprawling but stagnant field to succeed Gavin Newsom.Mahan, 43, is a former tech entrepreneur who was first elected mayor of Silicon Valley’s largest city in 2022. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Teenage boy’s body found in creek after Blue Mountains camping trip 29. January 2026 (22:25) Boy’s friend, 17, winched to safety by emergency rescue team after pair were separated in Blue Gum forestFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA teenage boy has been found dead in a national park creek in the Blue Mountains after he became separated from a friend on a camping trip.Two boys, aged 16 and 17, travelled to Leura train station on Tuesday before they walked to Mount Hay, New South Wales police said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nearly 150 flood alerts in place across England in aftermath of Storm Chandra 29. January 2026 (22:03) Met Office issues yellow rain alerts in south-west, with 66 flood warnings – indicating expected flooding – in forceNearly 150 flood alerts remain in place across England as communities continue grappling with the aftermath of Storm Chandra.A yellow rain alert spanning from noon to midnight on Thursday has been issued for parts of south-west England, with the Met Office warning that more flooding could hit roads, homes and businesses. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
