Guterres warns of ‘powerful forces’ undermining ‘global cooperation’ 17. January 2026 (08:00) In historic speech to mark UN’s 80th anniversary, secretary general makes impassioned plea for multilateralism and international law amid drastic US funding cutsThe United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, will warn on Saturday of the peril posed by “powerful forces lining up to undermine global cooperation” in an address to mark the 80th anniversary of the UN’s first major meeting.Speaking in London’s Methodist Central Hall – the site where eight decades earlier delegates from 51 countries came together for the inaugural session of the general assembly – the UN head will make an impassioned plea for the virtues of multilateralism and international law to prevail during a period of deepening global uncertainty. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK urged to ratify high seas treaty to avoid being shut out of Ocean Cop summit 17. January 2026 (07:00) As international treaty comes into force, bill to make it law in Britain is moving at ‘glacial pace’ through parliamentThe UK risks being shut out of a historic oceans summit because parliament has failed to ratify the UN’s high seas treaty, environmental charities and campaigners have warned.The high seas treaty, formally known as the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, comes into force on Saturday, after two decades of talks. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘He needs to disappear for a very long time’: has Peter Mandelson finally run out of spin? 17. January 2026 (07:00) Bruised and tainted by his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the Labour peer still has admirers – and the drive to go againThe BBC’s interview with Peter Mandelson had offered ample evidence of the Labour peer’s “formidable political brain”, according to Louis Mosley, UK head of the US data firm, Palantir Technologies.An indefensible error of judgment had been made by Mandelson, Mosley said in a panel discussion with Laura Kuenssberg after the airing of some of the 30-minute interview on her Sunday morning political show, but “he is a masterful interpreter of Trump and we now live in a world where that man will determine much of what happens, and we need people who can be that translation function”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nasa readies its most powerful rocket for round-the-moon flight 17. January 2026 (07:00) Artemis II mission could launch on 6 February, sending astronauts on a 685,000-mile journeyNasa is preparing to roll out its most powerful rocket yet before a mission to send astronauts around the moon and back again for the first time in more than 50 years.The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida as early as 6 February, taking its crew on a 685,000-mile round trip that will end about 10 days later with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rare twins born in DRC raise cautious hope for endangered mountain gorillas 17. January 2026 (07:00) Virunga park ranger says babies are well cared for by mother Mafuko but high infant mortality makes first weeks criticalIt was noon by the time Jacques Katutu first saw the newborn mountain gorillas. Cradled in the arms of their mother, Mafuko, the tiny twins clung to her body for warmth in the forest clearing in Virunga national park, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).Katutu, head of gorilla monitoring in Virunga, has seen dozens of newborns in his 15 years as a ranger. But, he tells the Guardian, even he was touched by the sight of the fragile infant males, who face serious obstacles if they are to become silverbacks one day. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Greenland crisis: Europe needs the US, but it also needs to stand up to Trump 17. January 2026 (06:15) US president’s increasingly bellicose demands for control of the island may force the EU to draw a line in the snow Greenland: new shipping routes, hidden minerals – and a frontline between the US and Russia?The crisis over Greenland may deliver the moment when Europe must stand up to Donald Trump, as officials have said a US attempt to annex the territory could shatter the Nato transatlantic alliance.European leaders have entertained Trump’s demands for nearly a year as he has pushed Nato countries to increase their defence spending to 5% of GDP, and threatened to pull US support from Ukraine as part of a peace process that appears to favour Russia. They have also given a muted response to US adventurism abroad including the capture and rendition of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The Iranian state silenced protests with brutality. What now for Iran’s opposition? 17. January 2026 (06:00) Grieving, bruised and divided on the wisdom of foreign-backed revolt, how can the Iranian people achieve change?The Japanese writer Haruki Murakami in his novel 1Q84 may have foreshadowed the great and indelible rift Iranian society is about to experience. “The ones who did it can always rationalize their actions and even forget what they did. They can turn away from things they don’t want to see. But the surviving victims can never forget. They can’t turn away. Their memories are passed on from parent to child. That’s what the world is, after all: an endless battle of contrasting memories.”Inside Iran, contrasting memories are already being brought into even sharper relief and made more traumatic by the blanket propaganda from Iran state TV portraying protesters as drug-crazed or pawns of a foreign power attracted to a violent terrorist culture reminiscent of Islamic State. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran plans permanent break from global internet, say activists 17. January 2026 (06:00) Report claims unrestricted online access will be a ‘government privilege’, limited to individuals vetted by regimeIran is planning to permanently break from the global internet, only allowing individuals vetted by the regime to connect online, according to Iranian digital rights activists.“A confidential plan is under way to turn international internet access into a ‘governmental privilege’,” according to a report from Filterwatch, an organisation monitoring Iran’s internet censorship, citing a number of sources in Iran. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Filipino migrant worker’s death in NSW referred to federal police 17. January 2026 (05:26) Deputy state coroner concludes 21-year-old, who died after exiting a moving vehicle, was ‘exploited’ and exposed to ‘potentially criminal’ conduct in five weeks in AustraliaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA New South Wales coroner has referred the death of a Filipino migrant worker, who died after jumping from a moving vehicle in 2019, to the Australian federal police to consider further investigations.NSW deputy state coroner Rebecca Hosking handed down the findings into the death of 21-year-old Jerwin Royupa on Friday. She concluded Royupa, a trainee at a winery, was “exploited” and exposed to “potentially criminal” conduct during his five weeks in Australia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US judge gives Trump administration three weeks to return deported student 17. January 2026 (03:36) Lawyer for administration had apologized earlier for violating court order and admitted ‘mistake’A US federal judge in Boston on Friday gave the Trump administration three weeks to “rectify the mistake” it made by deporting a college student to Honduras while she was traveling home to visit her family for Thanksgiving as he recommended it issue her a student visa.The US district judge, Richard Stearns, imposed the deadline after a lawyer for the administration earlier this week apologized for having violated a court order that should have prevented 19-year-old Any Lucia López Belloza from being sent to Honduras. She is a Honduran national who was brought to the United States by her mother when she was eight while seeking asylum. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
