US robotaxis undergo training for London’s quirks before planned rollout this year 29. January 2026 (08:00) Waymo cars have been earning their stripes by getting used to zebra crossings while awaiting a government green lightAmerican robotaxis due to be unleashed on London’s streets before the end of the year have been quietly undergoing training to understand the city’s quirks, not least the zebra crossings, their promoters said on Thursday as they showed off one of the UK-specific driverless cars for the first time.The US self-driving ride-hailing company Waymo has a fleet of about 24 cars in London, each rigged with cameras, radar and lidar (light detection and ranging) censors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The return of inflation may poison Labor’s second-term agenda and scare more voters to the fringes 29. January 2026 (07:58) As economic grievance grows in the electorate, an interest rate hike is the last thing our fraught politics needsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCost of living has been bubbling along as the number-one issue for Australian households, and now it threatens to hijack the Albanese government’s second-term agenda.The return of high and rising inflation is not only a blow to workers who were finally starting to see some real growth in their wages through 2025. It also risks further polarising and antagonising our already fraught politics. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Inquiry calls for ban on ‘globalise the intifada’ in NSW – but only when used to incite hatred and violence 29. January 2026 (07:50) Opposition ‘deeply unimpressed’ with recommendation that ‘adds nothing except confusion’, shadow attorney general saysGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA New South Wales parliamentary inquiry has recommended banning the phrase “globalise the intifada” when it is used to incite hatred, harassment, intimidation or violence, but won’t call for banning the statement outright or recommend a ban on phrases such as “from the river to sea”.The Labor MP Edmond Atalla, the chair of the inquiry, confirmed the draft recommendations to Guardian Australia ahead of a final closed meeting on Thursday, at which the Labor-led committee voted to table the report almost entirely unchanged. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Albanese defends Isaac Herzog’s Australia visit as federal MP joins calls to rescind invitation 29. January 2026 (07:30) Independent MP Sophie Scamps joins Labor’s Friends of Palestine group and Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi in objecting to Israeli president’s visitFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAnthony Albanese has defended the government’s invitation to Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, to visit, after another federal MP joined calls to cancel the visit after the Bondi terror attack.Herzog’s arrival in February will be met by a “major security response” in Sydney and planned protests nationwide from pro-Palestinian groups demonstrating against the civilian death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China executes 11 people linked to Myanmar scam operation 29. January 2026 (06:50) Beijing has stepped up cooperation with south-east Asian nations to crack down on the multibillion-dollar industryChina on Thursday executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including “key members” involved in scam operations, state media reported.Scam compounds have flourished in Myanmar’s lawless borderlands, part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Videos show altercation between Alex Pretti and federal officers 11 days before he was killed 29. January 2026 (06:03) Three newly discovered videos show the Minneapolis ICU nurse being tackled by federal agents in a prior confrontationSenate Democrats demand DHS funding bill include reforms to ‘rein in ICE’Videos emerged on Wednesday of a previous confrontation between Alex Pretti and federal agents, 11 days before the ICU nurse was fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis.About two minutes of video, published on Wednesday by The News Movement, a digital news outlet, shows an incident on 13 January in Minneapolis in which officers appeared to grab Pretti and bring him to the ground during intense community protests against the federal crackdown in the city. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran tries to confront ‘catastrophe’ of violent clampdown on protests 29. January 2026 (06:00) Calls for independent external inquiry into brutal crackdown that some estimates suggest killed more than 30,000A deep and painful inquest is under way inside Iran as politicians, academics and the security establishment try to come to terms with what has been described as a catastrophe after the violent protests and their even more violent suppression by the security forces.The shape of the debate taking place in the heavily censored society is emerging, as selective newspapers and Telegram channels slowly open up to international audiences after the protests – which some estimates suggest could have left more than 30,000 dead – that have stunned many Iranians. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran accused of ‘campaign of revenge’ as doctors arrested for treating protesters 29. January 2026 (06:00) US state department calls for the release of all detained healthcare workers as at least one arrested surgeon reported to be at risk of executionDoctors are being arrested in Iran for helping save the lives of some of the tens of thousands injured during Iran’s brutal crackdown on anti-regime protests, with at least one surgeon now at risk of being sentenced to death.The arrests and death sentence are part of a campaign of “revenge”, say human rights groups, after healthcare workers and doctors refused to ignore the plight of badly injured protesters shot or stabbed at close range, and in some cases set up makeshift treatment centres. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer-Xi meeting live: UK prime minister says he wants ‘more sophisticated’ relationship with China 29. January 2026 (05:48) Starmer tells Xi Jinping during Beijing meeting that it has been ‘too long’ since a British PM has visited China. Follow the latest developments, liveReturning to Starmer’s comments to Xi, the British PM called for a deeper relationship with China during what he described as “challenging times for the world”.He told the Chinese leader that their countries needed to work together on global stability, climate change and other issues. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police ‘confident’ Lake Cargelligo triple murder suspect Julian Ingram is still alive and may be receiving help 29. January 2026 (04:52) NSW police believe assistance has been provided ‘from people that he knows in community’ since last week’s shootingFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWarning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have diedPolice are “confident” triple murder suspect Julian Ingram is still alive and believe he has been receiving help from people he knows in the area, a week after three people were shot dead in a small New South Wales town.The NSW police assistant commissioner, Andrew Holland, said investigators were confident Ingram, 37, may have been helped by “people that he knows in community given the temperatures” of more than 40C recorded in the area. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
