Social media star Shirley Raines dies after years helping homeless in LA 29. January 2026 (17:08) Known as “Ms Shirley”, she used TikTok to bring food, dignity and hope to Skid Row and beyondShirley Raines, a social media creator and non-profit founder who dedicated her life to caring for people experiencing homelessness, has died, her organization Beauty 2 The Streetz said Wednesday. She was 58.Raines was known as “Ms Shirley”, to her more than 5 million TikTok followers and to the people who regularly lined up for the food, beauty treatments and hygiene supplies she brought to Los Angeles’ Skid Row and other homeless communities in California and Nevada. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nigel Farage meets UAE ministers and drums up donations on Dubai trip 29. January 2026 (17:00) Reform UK leader speaks at GB News event also attended by industry minister on second UAE visit in two monthsNigel Farage has paid a visit to Dubai to build diplomatic relations with United Arab Emirates ministers and drum up donations for Reform UK from wealthy expats.The two-night trip was his second visit to the Gulf state in two months, after a £10,000 trip hosted by Abu Dhabi to attend the Formula One grand prix. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Paedophile nursery worker admits 26 new offences including upskirting of girls 29. January 2026 (16:19) Vincent Chan, 45, is already facing years behind bars for molesting girls aged three and four at a nursery in LondonA paedophile nursery worker has admitted a series of new charges including filming up the skirts of girls as they sat in a classroom.Vincent Chan, 45, is facing years behind bars for molesting girls aged three and four while working at Bright Horizons nursery in West Hampstead, north London. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran seeks to avert US military action with talks in Ankara 29. January 2026 (15:20) Turkey hosts urgent mediation as Trump’s threats mount and Tehran weighs painful compromises to avoid conflictIran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, will travel to Ankara for talks aimed at preventing a US attack, as Turkish diplomats seek to convince Tehran it must offer concessions over its nuclear programme if it is to avert a potentially devastating conflict.Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, proposed a video conference between Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian – the kind of high-wire diplomacy that may appeal to the US leader, but would be anathema to circumspect Iranian diplomats. No formal direct talks have been held between the two countries for a decade. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Great Ormond Street surgeon harmed 94 children, review finds 29. January 2026 (15:08) Report into actions of Yaser Jabbar from 2017 to 2022 says 36 of the patients suffered severe harm under his careNearly 100 children suffered harm at the hands of a Great Ormond Street orthopaedic surgeon, a report has concluded.Yaser Jabbar treated hundreds of children from 2017 to 2022 at Great Ormond Street hospital (Gosh) in London, with independent experts saying in the review that his surgery fell well below the level expected in several areas. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Boy, 15, pleads guilty to murder of Leo Ross, 12, in Birmingham 29. January 2026 (15:03) Leo Ross was stabbed to death by stranger as he walked home from schoolA teenager has pleaded guilty to murdering a 12-year-old Birmingham schoolboy, Leo Ross, by stabbing him in the stomach during a random attack in parkland.Leo died after being taken to hospital from a riverside path in Shire Country Park, Hall Green, Birmingham, on 21 January last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU proposals for free extra cabin bags on planes ‘lunatic idea’, says easyJet 29. January 2026 (15:02) Giving passengers right to additional carry-on baggage would be ‘terrible for the consumer’, warns airline’s CEOEasyJet said proposals to enforce free additional cabin bags on planes across Europe are a “lunatic idea”, warning of fare rises and flight delays if legislation goes through.The European parliament last week voted overwhelmingly to give all passengers the right to carry on a small case, as well as the free underseat bags currently permitted. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
European boss of Post Office IT scandal firm Fujitsu to step down 29. January 2026 (15:02) Paul Patterson, who represented the firm at the public inquiry, will become non-executive chair in MarchThe European boss of Fujitsu, the company behind the Horizon software at the heart of the Post Office IT scandal, is to step down from his role in March.Paul Patterson, who is the chief executive of the European division of the company, will become non-executive chair of Fujitsu’s UK business, where he will “continue managing the company’s response” to the inquiry into the scandal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Xi-Starmer meeting: Chinese leader tells PM he hopes both countries can ‘rise above differences’ 29. January 2026 (15:02) China agrees visa-free travel for British citizens as countries sign agreements on closer economic cooperationUK politics live – latest updatesThe Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, has said the UK’s relationship with his country has gone through “twists and turns” over the years but that a more “consistent” approach is in both their interests.Ahead of talks with Keir Starmer during the first visit to China by a British prime minister in eight years, Xi said the two men would “stand the test of history” if they could “rise above differences”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia spends more on tax breaks for landlords than social housing, homelessness and rent assistance combined 29. January 2026 (15:00) Exclusive: Acoss report shows property investors received $12.3bn in tax concessions in 2025, while the share of social housing dropped to a record lowGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia spends billions of dollars more on tax breaks for property investors than on social housing, homelessness and rent assistance combined, according to research by the Australian Council of Social Service (Acoss).The analysis comes as new data from the Productivity Commission reveals the share of homes dedicated to social housing has dropped to a record low 3.6%, from 5.7% in the 1990s. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
