Two killed in plane crash near Gold Coast, igniting bushfire 27. January 2026 (03:32) A 73-year-old pilot and a male passenger died after the wreckage caught fire on impact, with emergency services now working to contain the bushfireFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo men have been killed in a light plane crash near the Gold Coast, sparking a bushfire.Emergency crews rushed to Heck Field, a private airstrip north of the Gold Coast, after the plane went down in nearby bushland about 6am on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
French lawmakers vote to ban social media use by under-15s 27. January 2026 (03:22) Legislation, which also bans mobile phones in high schools, would make France the second country after Australia to take such a stepFrench lawmakers have passed a bill that would ban social media use by under-15s, a move championed by president Emmanuel Macron as a way to protect children from excessive screen time.The lower national assembly adopted the text by a vote of 130 to 21 in a lengthy overnight session from Monday to Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
White House backtracks initial claims about Alex Pretti after intense backlash 27. January 2026 (03:04) Widely circulated video of Pretti’s killing by federal agents undercut earlier assertions of him being a gunmanWhite House officials sought to rapidly distance Donald Trump and top officials from their initial portrayals of the man fatally shot by federal officials in Minnesota as a gunman, as they faced a deepening backlash after video footage was widely seen to undercut their assertions.The move came as Trump advisers appeared to realize that the caustic portrayals of the man, Alex Pretti, who was reportedly licensed to carry a gun, had turned the killing into an even larger political liability for the president. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police allege man charged with hate speech at Sydney protest has links to disbanded neo-Nazi group 27. January 2026 (02:58) Brandan Koschel was denied bail after appearing virtually before the court on Tuesday on charges of publicly inciting hatred on the grounds of raceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice have alleged in court that there is information online that suggests a man charged under hate speech laws after an alleged antisemitic comment during a speech at an anti-immigration rally yesterday has links to or may have been a member of a now disbanded neo-Nazi group.Brandan Koschel was refused bail and remanded in custody after he appeared before the NSW bail division court on Tuesday from custody before magistrate Daniel Convington. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says he will impose new tariffs on South Korea, sending shares in carmakers tumbling 27. January 2026 (02:30) US president says tariffs on automobiles, lumber and pharmaceuticals will rise to 25%, accusing Seoul of not living up to a trade deal struck last yearDonald Trump has said he is raising tariffs on South Korean goods including automobiles, lumber and pharmaceuticals, accusing the country of not living up to a trade deal struck last year and sending shares in Korean carmakers tumbling.In a post on social media, the US president said the tariffs paid on South Korean exports into America would rise from 15% to 25% because the “Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NHS England to trial AI and robotic tools to detect and diagnose lung cancer 27. January 2026 (01:01) Pilot comes at same time as pledge to offer all smokers and ex-smokers lung cancer screening by 2030NHS England is to trial a combination of AI and robot-assisted care to speed up the detection and diagnosis of lung cancer, the UK’s most lethal form of the disease.The trial comes at the same time as the health service pledges to offer all smokers and ex-smokers the chance to be screened for lung cancer by 2030. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bernardine Evaristo renews call to diversify school curriculum in England 27. January 2026 (01:01) Author says pace of change in GCSE English literature texts is too slow and tide is turning against inclusionThe Booker prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo has called for renewed efforts to diversify the school curriculum in England, warning that young people are growing up in a society where “doors are closing” and the tide is turning against inclusion.There has been progress in the diversity of texts on offer in the GCSE English literature curriculum, but uptake in schools is still low with just 1.9% of GCSE pupils in England studying books by authors of colour, up from 0.7% five years ago, according to a report. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Most young adults in UK are anxious about jobs and the economy, research suggests 27. January 2026 (01:01) Respondents to King’s Trust survey cited AI and a lack of work experience as reasons they might fail in lifeMore than seven in 10 teens and young adults in the UK say they wish they were not starting their careers in the current economic climate, according to new research from the King’s Trust.The study also found that more than a quarter of people aged 16 to 25 feel they are going to fail in life, highlighting growing anxiety among those entering the labour market. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Record number of people in UK live in ‘very deep poverty’, analysis shows 27. January 2026 (01:01) Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds problem is ‘deeper and more damaging than at any point in the last 30 years’The UK’s poorest families are getting poorer, with record numbers of people classed as in “very deep poverty” – meaning their annual household incomes fail to cover the cost of food, energy bills and clothing, according to analysis.Although overall relative poverty levels have flatlined in recent years at about 21% of the population, life for those below the breadline has got materially worse as they try to subsist on incomes many thousands of pounds beneath the poverty threshold. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
National insurance hike and energy bills behind food price rise, say UK retailers 27. January 2026 (01:01) Latest BRC figures show year-on-year rate of increase was 3.9% in January, up from 3.3% the month beforeRetailers have blamed rising energy bills and the chancellor Rachel Reeves’s hike in employers’ national insurance contributions for a jump in food prices, as suppliers and supermarkets struggle to absorb higher costs.The British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade body for retailers, said prices across all goods in shops rose by 1.5% in January compared with the same month last year, up from a 0.7% rise in December and higher than the 0.7% increase economists had been expecting. It is also above the three-month average of 0.9%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
