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)
Judge blocks Trump officials from detaining refugees in Minnesota 29. January 2026 (03:29) Ruling follows arrests under DHS ‘re-vetting’ operation of more than 100 refugees who had been lawfully resettledA federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from detaining refugees in Minnesota, following a spate of arrests in the state.More than 100 refugees who had lawfully resettled in the state had been arrested in recent weeks, according to attorneys and advocacy groups. Some were flown to detention centers in Texas, according to attorneys representing the cases, and then were abruptly released – and left to find and pay their own way back home. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FBI executes search warrant at election office in Fulton county, Georgia 29. January 2026 (02:51) County spokesperson says warrant seeks number of 2020 election records while FBI declines to give further detailsThe FBI executed a search warrant at the election office in Fulton county, Georgia, on Wednesday for records related to the 2020 election, according to a spokesperson for the county and the FBI.The warrant sought all ballots from the 2020 election in Fulton county, tabulator tapes, ballot images and voter rolls, according to a warrant obtained by the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Chinese man who filmed evidence of Xinjiang rights abuses is granted asylum in US 29. January 2026 (02:43) Lawyer for Guan Heng, whose exposed evidence of persecution of Uyghurs, says he is ‘textbook example of why asylum should exist’A US immigration judge has granted asylum to a Chinese national who he said had a “well founded fear” of persecution if sent back to China after exposing alleged human rights abuses against Uyghurs there.Guan Heng applied for asylum after arriving in the US illegally in 2021. He has been in custody since being swept up in an immigration enforcement operation in August last year as part of a mass deportation campaign by the Trump administration. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
