‘I will finish your work’: one woman’s fight for the Jewish art and letters her mother saved from the Nazis 26. January 2026 (15:35) Exclusive: Hundreds of works by the artist and poet Peter Kien have new home in UK after campaign by Judy KingThey survived the Nazis, were confiscated by the communists, and for the last three decades they have been jealously guarded, bound in red tape, by a museum in the Czech Republic. Due to the attentions of an overzealous Czech customs guard and the vagaries of the British weather, a happy conclusion had been in doubt to the very end.But last Thursday a small suitcase filled with 681 drawings, love letters, poems and manuscripts created by the Jewish artist and poet Peter Kien in the Theresienstadt ghetto in German-occupied Czechoslovakia between 1941 and 1944 finally made a blustery landing at Heathrow. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Killing of K’gari dingoes in wake of backpacker’s death could create ‘extinction vortex’, expert says 26. January 2026 (15:00) Queensland government says it has already killed six of the 10 dingoes seen near the body of 19-year-old Piper James Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDingo experts have said a decision to kill a 10-strong pack of the animals linked with the death of Canadian tourist Piper James on K’gari could push the island’s population towards extinction while doing little to protect humans.The Queensland government revealed on Sunday it had already killed six of the pack seen around the body of the 19-year-old in a move that has angered the island’s traditional owners who have said they were not consulted. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Services Australia has not applied child support law properly and some parents are owed money, report finds 26. January 2026 (15:00) Ombudsman says agency knew for years that part of its child support processing not in line with lawGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastServices Australia knew its internal practices relating to child support payments conflict with the law but did nothing about it for six years, a report from the commonwealth ombudsman has found.In 2019, the agency identified that its child support practice that stipulated that parents with less than 35% care of a child do not receive financial support was not aligned with the law. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bunnings accused of ‘greenwashing’ timber amid concerns about supplier’s illegal logging 26. January 2026 (15:00) The Wilderness Society lodges complaint with consumer watchdog over hardware and garden chain’s sale of timber sourced from NSW Forestry CorporationGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne of Australia’s biggest environment groups has accused Bunnings of “greenwashing” its timber, claiming it may have sold products illegally logged by the New South Wales forestry agency.The Wilderness Society (TWS) has asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate the hardware and garden chain because it could be selling unlawfully logged timber, despite Bunnings’ policies and websites promoting responsible sourcing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Crocodile warnings as floods devastate southern Africa 26. January 2026 (14:44) More than 100 people killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in South Africa, Mozambique and ZimbabweDevastating floods have killed more than 100 people in southern Africa since the beginning of the year and displaced hundreds of thousands, as authorities and aid workers warn of hunger, cholera and attacks by crocodiles that have spread with the waters.More than 70 people have died in Zimbabwe and 30 in South Africa, where hundreds of people were evacuated from Kruger national park earlier this month after a deluge of rain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US gripped by severe winter storm with snow, ice and plunging temperatures – latest news 26. January 2026 (14:35) Many alerts remain in place with power outages in some regionsCalling the storms “historic”, Donald Trump on Saturday approved federal emergency disaster declarations in South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Indiana, and West Virginia, allowing access to assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).“We will continue to monitor, and stay in touch with all States in the path of this storm. Stay Safe, and Stay Warm,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘What they’re doing is the worst of humanity’: Sundance festival stars back anti-ICE protest 26. January 2026 (14:14) Elijah Wood joined protest in Utah’s Park City in memory of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, while Natalie Portman said what is happening is ‘absolutely horrific’The Sundance film festival, which is currently under way in Park City, Utah, saw a mass protest against the two fatal shootings in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Sunday, along with high-profile interventions from major film industry figures.Actor Natasha Lyonne was among those spreading social media posts about the protest, called “Sundancers Melt ICE”, which was called for Sunday afternoon. The organisers asked for a 10-minute “respectful” event at sunset on Park City’s Main Street to memorialise Renee Good, who was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on 7 January, and Alex Pretti, who was killed on Saturday by an agent of the Department of Homeland Security. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Private aircraft with eight onboard crashes on takeoff in Maine amid winter storm 26. January 2026 (14:07) Plane crashed at airport in Bangor, which had undergone steady snowfall, along with many other parts of the USUS gripped by severe winter storm – latest updatesA private aircraft carrying eight people crashed on takeoff Sunday night at Maine’s Bangor international airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said – as that region and much of the country grappled with a massive winter storm.The Bombardier Challenger 600 crashed at about 7.45pm, and there was no immediate word on the conditions of those aboard. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham blocked: Has Starmer messed up? – podcast 26. January 2026 (14:06) The Labour party has once again been plunged into turmoil after the NEC blocked Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection. Will the row quickly fade, or does it risk piling further pressure on the prime minister? Meanwhile, Pippa Crerar will be joining Keir Starmer on his trip to China – but can he focus on diplomacy abroad, or will the Westminster psychodrama continue to overshadow the visit? Continue reading...(The Guardian)
West Yorkshire man charged with encouraging suicide in US 26. January 2026 (14:02) Dylan Phelan accused of encouraging man in Louisiana to take his own life over video callA British man has been charged with encouraging the suicide of an American via a video call.Dylan Phelan, of Churwell, near Leeds in West Yorkshire, is accused of encouraging a 21-year-old man, who lived in Louisiana, to take his own life over a video call on 30 October 2024, according to the Crown Prosecution Service. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
