Starmer vows to raise issues ‘that need to be raised’ with Xi amid push to free Jimmy Lai 28. January 2026 (08:00) The prime minister may also discuss the fate of the Uyghurs with the Chinese leader‘Very low bar’: analysts say Starmer faces slim pickings in ChinaKeir Starmer has said he will “raise the issues that need to be raised” on human rights with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, as he arrived in Beijing for the first trip to the country by a UK leader in eight years.The prime minister has come under pressure from rights groups to try to secure the release of Jimmy Lai, the jailed former media tycoon and one of Hong Kong’s most significant pro-democracy voices. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer says Reform pursuing politics of ‘toxic division’ after Matt Goodwin unveiled as byelection candidate 28. January 2026 (08:00) Prime minister says Reform seeking to ‘tear people apart’ after Gorton and Denton candidate questions whether all UK-born people are BritishKeir Starmer has accused the Reform UK candidate in the Greater Manchester byelection of pursuing the politics of “toxic division” after he refused to disown his claim that UK-born people from minority ethnic backgrounds are not necessarily British.The prime minister suggested that Matthew Goodwin, a hard-right activist, would try to “tear people apart” in Gorton and Denton, and that voters wanting to stop Nigel Farage’s party should coalesce around the Labour candidate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Human remains found in search for Belgian backpacker missing in Tasmanian wilderness since 2023 28. January 2026 (07:49) Police say Celine Cremer’s family was told of the discovery on Wednesday and that forensic testing was yet to take placeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHuman remains have been discovered near a remote location where a Belgian hiker disappeared more than two years ago.Police say a bushwalker found the remains during a search for Celine Cremer, who was last seen in the Philosopher Falls area near Cradle Mountain in Tasmania’s north-west on 17 June 2023. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar sprayed with unknown substance at Minneapolis town hall 28. January 2026 (07:15) Man arrested and charged with assault after spraying strong-smelling liquid at Minnesota Democrat from syringeCongresswoman Ilhan Omar was sprayed with an unidentified substance by a man with a syringe on Tuesday as she gave her first in-person town hall of the year in Minneapolis, during which she called for ICE to be abolished “for good” and DHS secretary Kristi Noem to resign.Omar had only been speaking for a few minutes when a man in the audience got up and began to shout, while spraying her with the liquid. People at the meeting said the liquid had an acidic smell. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW school counsellor banned after having jelly shots and engaging in ‘sexual contact’ with students 28. January 2026 (06:11) Health Care Complaints Commission finds Victoria Worsley poses ‘a significant and unacceptable risk’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA New South Wales school counsellor who invited students to her home for alcoholic jelly shots before engaging in “sexual contact” with them has been permanently banned from practising.The Health Care Complaints Commission found that Victoria Worsley, known as “Toy” Worsley, poses “a significant and unacceptable risk to the health and safety of the public”, permanently prohibiting her from providing any health services in paid or voluntary roles, including counselling and social work. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Attacks day after day’: Odesa in Russia’s crosshairs as war pivots back to Black Sea 28. January 2026 (06:00) Unable to get near Ukraine’s main port, Moscow is pounding the city from afar with missiles and dronesOutside the Kadorr apartment complex in Ukraine’s Black Sea city of Odesa, about 500 metres from the seafront, residents and rescue workers mill around in freezing temperatures.Above an office on the 25th floor, a block of wall has been blown out by a Russian drone. Below, rubble and glass have been moved quickly into piles as owners survey cars crushed by the falling masonry. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
England’s most deprived areas to get worse by next election, report for No 10 finds 28. January 2026 (06:00) Exclusive: the 613 most deprived areas will see higher crime rates and worse unemployment under current funding schemes, report saysThe country’s most deprived neighbourhoods will have higher crime rates and worse unemployment by the end of the parliament, according to a report written at the request of N 10.The forecasts from the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (Icon) show crime rates and unemployment will rise until the next election in England’s 613 most deprived neighbourhoods, despite the government’s promises to invest in local communities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Royal Mail delivered Christmas letters and parcels late to about 16m people 28. January 2026 (06:00) ‘No light at the end of the tunnel for consumers’ as 2025 figure is 50% higher than previous year, says Citizens AdviceRoyal Mail has been criticised for offering an “unacceptable” performance over the crucial Christmas period after it failed to deliver letters and cards on time to about 16 million people, Citizens Advice found.The consumer watchdog, which carried out research into Christmas deliveries, said that figure was 50% higher than in 2024, and the highest level over the festive period in five years, excluding when Royal Mail was hit by strike action in the run-up to Christmas four years ago. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Placebo make theatre debut with score for Brecht production by Royal Shakespeare Company 28. January 2026 (06:00) Alt-rockers will score Hitler allegory The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, with Mark Gatiss in the title roleAlt-rockers Placebo are set to collaborate with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) by scoring a new production of Bertolt Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.Written in 1941, the play is about a Chicago mobster who seeks to control the city’s vegetable trade through corruption, intimidation and violence: a clear allegory of how Adolf Hitler had swept to power during the 1930s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China’s ambassador warns Albanese reclaiming Port of Darwin will force Beijing to intervene 28. January 2026 (05:22) Xiao Qian hits out at Labor’s policy to force the Chinese-owned company Landbridge to sell its 99-year lease on the portFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChina’s ambassador to Australia says plans by the Albanese government to remove the Port of Darwin from Chinese ownership will put at risk future trade growth and force an intervention by Beijing.Ambassador Xiao Qian hit out at Labor’s policy to force the Chinese-owned company Landbridge to sell its 99-year lease on the port, sparked by pre-election national security concerns from both Labor and the Coalition. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
