Centrist ideas no longer wanted in Conservative party, says Kemi Badenoch 28. January 2026 (14:53) Party leader tells MPs that one-nation Tories doubting her rightward direction ‘need to get out of the way’UK politics live – latest updatesCentrist ideas are no longer wanted in the Conservative party, Kemi Badenoch has said, arguing that one nation-type Tories or others who have qualms about her rightward direction for the party “need to get out of the way”.Making a speech in Westminster intended to set out her vision for the party after a spate of recent defections to Reform UK, the Conservative leader hit out at what she called the “tantrum” of Robert Jenrick and others. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Threat of US-Iran war escalates as Trump warns time running out for deal 28. January 2026 (14:52) US president says armada heading towards Iran is ‘prepared to fulfil its missions with violence if necessary’The threat of a US-Iranian war may be looming closer after Donald Trump warned time was running out for Tehran and said a massive US armada was moving quickly towards the country “with great power, enthusiasm and purpose”.Writing on social media, the US president said the fleet headed by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was larger than the one sent to Venezuela before the removal of President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month and was “prepared to rapidly fulfill its missions with speed and violence if necessary”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ofsted finds no political bias at Bristol school criticised for cancelling MP’s visit 28. January 2026 (14:50) Snap inspection of Brunel academy took place after it withdrew invitation to pro-Israel Labour MP Damien EganA snap inspection of a Bristol secondary school criticised for postponing a visit by an MP who is a member of a group that advocates for Israel has found “no evidence of partisan political views”.Ofsted inspectors arrived at Bristol Brunel academy earlier this month after reports that its leaders had called off a visit by Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East, after opposition from a pro-Palestine group and members of staff belonging to the National Education Union. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
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)
