ICE detains five-year-old Minnesota boy as he came home, say school officials 22. January 2026 (03:24) Superintendent says Liam Ramos and his father were taken into custody while in their driveway and sent to TexasUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a five-year-old Minnesota boy on Tuesday as he returned home from school and transported him and his father to a Texas detention center, according to school officials.Liam Ramos, a preschooler, and his father were taken into custody while in their driveway, the superintendent of the school district in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb, said at a press conference on Wednesday. Liam, who had recently turned five, is one of four children in the school district who have been detained by federal immigration agents during the Trump administration’s enforcement surge in the region over the last two weeks, the district said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pregnant woman in medical distress deported from US, says attorney 22. January 2026 (02:47) Woman who’s eight months pregnant sent to Colombia by ICE, despite belated court order to keep her out of the airA 21-year-old woman who is eight months pregnant and in a state of medical distress was deported Wednesday afternoon, a human rights attorney said, despite a court order, issued too late, to keep her out of the air.“We are trying to get her the medical attention she needs immediately,” said Anthony Enriquez, vice-president of US advocacy and litigation at the Kennedy Human Rights Center, whose client, Zharick Daniela Buitrago Ortiz, was sent back to Colombia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Land back’: colonial monuments destroyed and vandalised in Melbourne’s Flagstaff gardens 22. January 2026 (02:44) Statues commemorating Australia’s colonial history have been targets for vandalism in Melbourne as 26 January approachesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo monuments to colonial Australia have been vandalised in Melbourne’s Flagstaff gardens overnight.Police said they believed machinery was used to pull down the Pioneer Monument, a sandstone obelisk erected in 1871 to commemorate the first European burial ground on the site.
The monument was smashed into pieces beside the plinth on Thursday morning and daubed with the words “land back” and “death to Australia” in red paint. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Colin Hay ‘strenuously disapproves’ use of Down Under at March for Australia rallies 22. January 2026 (01:59) Former Men at Work frontman, who was born in Scotland and emigrated to Australia, tells anti-immigration protestors, ‘Go write your own song, leave mine alone’Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailFormer Men at Work frontman Colin Hay has disavowed the use of the band’s 80s anthem Down Under by Australian anti-immigration protesters, saying the song “does not belong to those who attempt to sow xenophobia”.In a post to his Facebook and Instagram accounts, the singer-songwriter singled out anti-immigration group March for Australia, who have organised marches around the country on 26 January under the slogan “Our national identity will not be erased”.Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York must redraw congressional map before midterms, judge rules 22. January 2026 (01:51) Ruling presents Democrats with opportunity to pick up another US House seat in November electionsNew York must redraw its congressional map, a state judge ruled on Wednesday, handing Democrats another key opportunity to pick up another US House seat before this fall’s midterm elections.The ruling from Jeffrey Pearlman, a New York state supreme court justice, comes after a Democratic-aligned law firm challenged the boundaries of New York’s 11th congressional district, which includes the borough of Staten Island and portions of south Brooklyn. The district is currently represented by Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican, the only GOP member representing New York City in Congress. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge-only trials in England and Wales will not wipe out crown court backlog, report says 22. January 2026 (01:01) IFG says proposed plans, which will slash the number of jury trials, will produce ‘marginal gains’ of less than 2% time savedDavid Lammy’s plans to introduce judge-only criminal trials in England and Wales will save less than 2% of time in crown courts, the Institute for Government (IFG) has said.In a report that casts doubt on the ability of the changes, which will slash the number of jury trials to achieve their goal of wiping out the courts’ backlog, the thinktank described the gains from judge-only trials as “marginal”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Four in five blind people struggle with gap at UK train stations, survey finds 22. January 2026 (01:01) RNIB research uncovers high anxiety around rail travel with some having fallen into gaps or been trapped in doors‘It was a very lucky escape’: blind man who fell on to tracks calls for rail travel improvementsFour in five blind and partially sighted people in the UK have struggled to cross the gap between trains and station platforms, according to a survey, with some falling and injuring themselves.Many blind and partially sighted people avoid taking train journeys owing to anxieties around whether they will be properly supported after having had inconsistent experiences, according to research from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hong Kong national security trial of three pro-democracy activists to open 22. January 2026 (00:45) Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho, who led Tiananmen Square vigils, accused of inciting subversion The national security trial of three pro-democracy activists who organised an annual memorial in Hong Kong to mark the Tiananmen Square massacre is to begin on Thursday.Chow Hang-tung, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho are charged with inciting subversion under Hong Kong’s national security law. Their trial is one of the most high-profile national security cases to be heard in Hong Kong since Beijing imposed the law in 2020. The defendants face a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted. The law has a near-100% conviction rate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Use of ADHD medication in UK more than tripled in 13 years, study finds 22. January 2026 (00:30) UK had highest relative increase of five countries in study, with 20-fold rise in proportion of women over 25 using itThe proportion of people in the UK on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication has tripled in the past decade, with a 20-fold increase among women aged 25 and over, a study shows.Researchers led by the University of Oxford examined electronic health records from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK to estimate the use of ADHD medication among adults and children aged three and above. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bezos’s Blue Origin announces plans to deploy thousands of satellites in 2027 22. January 2026 (00:19) Deployment will serve data centers, governments and businesses, jumping into market dominated by SpaceXJeff Bezos’s space company Blue Origin on Wednesday announced a plan to deploy 5,408 satellites in space for a communications network that will serve data centers, governments and businesses, jumping into a satellite constellation market dominated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.Deployment of satellites is planned to begin in the last quarter of 2027, Blue Origin said, adding the network will be designed to have “data speeds of up to 6 Tbps anywhere on Earth”. That speed, possible with the satellites’ planned optical communications, is extreme by consumer standards and would make the network key for data processing and large-scale government programs. Blue Origin said the network would be meant to serve a maximum of roughly 100,000 customers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
