LA fire department paid celebrity PR firm $65,000 to shape messaging after Palisades fire 29. January 2026 (21:15) LAFD’s non-profit, which raised large sums after 2025 fires, hired firm amid growing criticism over handling of disasterThe official non-profit for the Los Angeles fire department has acknowledged that it had paid $65,000 to hire a leading communications agency to represent the agency last year.The move came as the department was facing growing criticism over its handling of the Palisades fire. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Justice department charges man accused of attacking Ilhan Omar at town hall 29. January 2026 (20:43) Anthony Kazmierczak faces federal assault charges after he appeared to spray the congresswoman with liquid from a syringeThe Department of Justice has filed federal charges against the man accused of attacking Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar at a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday. In newly filed court documents, a close associate told investigators that the alleged attacker previously said that “someone should kill” the Minnesota lawmaker.Local police arrested and booked Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, for third degree assault after he appeared to spray Omar with an acidic-smelling liquid from a syringe as she addressed constituents from a lectern. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump claims Putin agreed to halt Ukraine energy strikes amid extreme cold 29. January 2026 (20:41) US president says he made appeal to Russian leader, but no ceasefire has been confirmed by Moscow or KyivDonald Trump has claimed Vladimir Putin agreed to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for one week after he issued a personal appeal to the Russian leader due to the extreme cold in Ukraine.The short-term ceasefire, which has not been confirmed by either Ukraine or Russia, was announced during a cabinet meeting of Trump’s top advisers at the White House on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Greenland threats no laughing matter, says mayor after comic’s flag stunt 29. January 2026 (20:41) Avaaraq Olsen tells content creators to think before making jokes after German tried to raise Stars and Stripes in NuukThe mayor of Greenland’s capital has called on media professionals and content creators to act responsibly after a German comedian’s failed attempt to hoist the US flag.Maxi Schafroth, 41, a Bavarian comic, tried to run up the Stars and Stripes on a flagpole near the cultural centre in Nuuk but was confronted by angry passersby. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Critics aghast as White House displays framed photo of Trump with Putin 29. January 2026 (20:34) Lawmaker from Estonia says photo celebrates ‘the greatest war criminal of the 21st century’Donald Trump has apparently added a framed photo of himself standing with Vladimir Putin to the White House decor, prompting criticism from a senator, members of the media and beyond.Newly surfaced photos from the Palm Room, which connects the West Wing to the executive residence, show a framed image of the US president and the Russian president at their summit in Alaska last August. Notably, that event marked the first in-person meeting between US and Russian leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. The meeting drew complaints from Democrats who accused him of “cozying up” to Putin, and rolling out “the red carpet” for the Russian leader “instead of “standing with Ukraine and our allies”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Small risk of severe acute pancreatitis with weight-loss jabs, UK regulator warns 29. January 2026 (20:23) Agency updates guidance after increase in reports of condition to the yellow card schemePatients on weight-loss jabs should be aware there is a small risk of developing severe acute pancreatitis, the UK medicines regulator has said.About 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland used GLP-1 medication, such as semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), between early 2024 and early 2025 to lose weight, according to recent research. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump orders immediate reopening of commercial airspace over Venezuela 29. January 2026 (20:13) Order allows direct flights from US to Venezuela, as major oil companies already on ground to assess potential operationsDonald Trump has ordered the immediate reopening of commercial airspace over Venezuela, weeks after US military forces toppled the dictator Nicolás Maduro.Speaking at the White House during his cabinet’s first meeting of the year, Trump said he had just concluded a telephone conversation with Venezuela’s acting president (and former vice-president), Delcy Rodríguez, in which he informed her of the decision to restore flight access. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘My idea of heaven’: Madonna sings praises of artists’ paradise Margate 29. January 2026 (20:01) Star says seaside town ‘inhabited by creativity’ and shares love for a local restaurant after dropping in on Tracey EminIf you were to guess where Madonna goes on holiday, you might think Mustique or the Maldives – Margate probably would not make the list.But the pop superstar spent the weekend there and enthused in an Instagram post that “the whole town seems to be inhabited and energised by creativity”, and that “whenever I go there, I feel like I’ve entered a dream”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The secret to long life? It could be in the genes after all, say scientists 29. January 2026 (20:00) New study into ‘heritability’ shows that 50% of the variation in human lifespan could be down to geneticsSome people who live to a great age put it down to an evening tot of whisky, others to staying out of trouble. Now scientists think they may have unlocked a key secret to long life – quite simply, genetics.Writing in the journal Science, the researchers described how previous studies that had attempted to unpick the genetic component of human lifespan had not taken into account that some lives were cut short by accidents, murders, infectious diseases or other factors arising outside the body. Such “extrinsic mortality” increases with age, as people often become more frail. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
AstraZeneca to invest £11bn in China after rowing back on UK expansion 29. January 2026 (19:46) Keir Starmer says the move, announced during his trip to Beijing, will help support thousands of British jobsBritain’s biggest drugmaker AstraZeneca is to invest $15bn (£11bn) in China, it announced during Keir Starmer’s visit to the country, just months after cooling on plans for expansion in the UK.The Cambridge-based company said it would spend the money by 2030 to expand medicines manufacturing and research and development in China, where it already has a big presence. It includes the construction of a $2.5bn research hub in Beijing, which was announced last March. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
