Budapest mayor charged over his calls for people to defy Hungary’s Pride ban 28. January 2026 (14:33) Gergely Karácsony urged people to take to streets in June in pushback against Orbán government’s attack on rightsProsecutors in Hungary have filed charges against the progressive mayor of Budapest, seeking to fine him months after hundreds of thousands of people heeded his call to take to the streets in defiance of the government’s ban on Pride.The June march made headlines around the world after the ruling Fidesz party, led by the rightwing populist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, backed legislation that created a legal basis for Pride to be banned, citing a widely criticised need to protect children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Texas man scheduled to be executed for killing ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend 28. January 2026 (14:24) Charles Victor Thompson would be the first person executed in the US this year for the 1998 shooting deaths A Texas man who at one time escaped from custody and was on the run for three days after being sentenced to death for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend nearly 27 years ago was scheduled on Wednesday to be the first person executed in the US this year.Charles Victor Thompson was condemned for the April 1998 shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39; and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, 30, at her apartment in the Houston suburb of Tomball. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iraq’s former prime minister denounces ‘blatant American interference’ in election 28. January 2026 (14:14) Nouri al-Maliki responds to Donald Trump’s threat to withdraw US support for Iraq if he is returned to powerUS politics live – latest updatesIraq’s former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki has angrily denounced “blatant American interference” in the country’s election after Donald Trump threatened to withdraw US support if he was returned to power.“We reject the blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs and consider it a violation of its sovereignty,” al-Maliki, who is nominated by the country’s dominant political bloc to return to the premiership, said in a statement on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Chicago’s United Center to offer cannabis drinks – could other arenas follow? 28. January 2026 (14:07) Drinks to be sold at concerts under federal legislation but attenders may have to wait to imbibe at sporting eventsTHC-infused beverages will now be available at special events in the United Center, the home of the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago Blackhawks, which some experts suggest may pave the way for other arenas to do the same.These drinks can be sold outside of state-legal recreational dispensaries because they are part of the hemp-derived cannabis market that is currently legal on the federal level. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Dutch parties strike minority coalition deal three months after D66 election upset 28. January 2026 (14:05) Christian Democrats and VVD join centrist D66 party three months after surprise win left fragmented parliamentThe leaders of three Dutch political parties have agreed a new coalition deal, paving the way for a rare minority government in the Netherlands almost three months after elections that produced an upset victory for the centrist D66 party.The liberal-progressive, pro-European party, led by the probable new prime minister, Rob Jetten, will join up with the conservative Christian Democrats and the right-wing VVD in a government that holds only 66 seats in the 150-seat lower house. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Not radical, it’s fair’: Australian households would receive compensation in proposed ‘polluter pays levy’ scheme 28. January 2026 (14:01) Superpower Institute report fleshes out 2024 call from Labor heavyweight Ross Garnaut to re-embrace carbon pricing 12 years after Tony Abbott axed itGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government could make deep emissions cuts and restructure an ailing federal budget by taxing polluting companies more than $35bn a year for the damage they cause to the planet, according to a report backed by senior economists and ex-public servants.The analysis by the Superpower Institute – overseen by the longtime Labor adviser Ross Garnaut and former consumer watchdog chair Rod Sims, and supported by ex-Treasury head Ken Henry – makes a case for the introduction of a “polluter pays levy” on companies that extract or import fossil fuels consumed in Australia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
England planning proposals fail to mention safety of women and girls, say critics 28. January 2026 (14:00) Draft proposals likely to ‘embed risk and inequality’, campaigners and urban planners sayGovernment proposals to overhaul England’s planning system fail to mention women or girls and ignore official recommendations to keep women safe made after the death of Sarah Everard, experts have told the Guardian.Draft planning proposals – published two days before the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG) – are likely to “embed risk and inequality” despite the strategy’s insistence that “design and planning are critical tools” in keeping women safe, MPs campaigners and urban planners have said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russian and Ukrainian military casualties in war nearing 2m, study finds 28. January 2026 (12:28) Thinktank says about 1.2m Russians troops killed, wounded or missing to date and 600,000 UkrainiansThe number of Russian and Ukrainian troops killed, wounded or gone missing in nearly four years of war could reach 2 million by this spring, according to a study, as Moscow’s invasion shows no sign of abating.A report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates Russia has had about 1.2 million casualties, including as many as 325,000 deaths, while close to 600,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed, wounded or gone missing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia does not want peace with Europe, says Danish prime minister – Europe live 28. January 2026 (12:04) Mette Frederiksen says ‘world order as we know it is over’ as she prepares for talks with Emmanuel Macron and Greenland’s PM in ParisElsewhere, Hungarian prosecutors have brought charges against Budapest’s liberal mayor, Gergely Karácsony, over his role in arranging an LGBTQ+ rights rally, and are seeking to impose a fine without holding a trial, Reuters reported.Tens of thousands of protesters marched through Budapest last June despite a police ban, turning the Pride march into one of the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years against nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Approving super-embassy before China trip makes Starmer look weak, says Badenoch, as PM arrives in Beijing – UK politics live 28. January 2026 (12:03) Tory leader says Starmer ‘gives way every time things get difficult’, and should focus on countries aligned with UK interestsBadenoch is now taking questions.Asked if she agreed with Reform UK that Britain is broken, Badneoch said she believed that it can be fixed.I was not elected to reheat the party with 1990s policies, and I was not elected to dismantle the party so that Nigel Farage can finally have a go.I was elected by Conservative party members to renew and rebuild. That is exactly what I am doing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
