An ecosystem of smuggled tech holds Iran’s last link to the outside world 13. January 2026 (06:00) Despite internet blackout, a small number of Iranians are risking their lives to share messages as protests continueFor most of Iran, the internet was shut off on Thursday afternoon – the most severe blackout the country has seen in years of internet shutdowns, coming after days of escalating anti-government protests.For a very small sliver of the country, it is still possible to get photos and videos to the outside world, and even to make calls. The Telegram channel Vahid Online on Monday posted photos of dead bodies lying next to a street in Kahrizak, on the southern outskirts of Tehran; on Sunday, it shared a video of Iranians chanting “death to Khamenei” at a funeral. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia working to circumvent sanctions to ensure India oil imports continue 13. January 2026 (06:00) Delhi is world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude, which is now cheaper than oil from Middle EastRussia is already working to circumvent the latest US sanctions to ensure India can continue to import high levels of cheap Russian crude oil, according to industry analysts.Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, India has become the world’s second largest purchaser of Russian crude oil, which has been heavily discounted due to the impact of western sanctions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK retailers endure ‘drab December’ as non-food sales fall flat 13. January 2026 (06:00) Sales of clothes and computers fall, but discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl enjoy bumper tradingRetailers suffered a “drab Christmas”, ending the year with disappointing sales in their most important month, according to new data underlining the difficulties facing Britain’s high streets.Overall retail sales grew by just 1.2% in December compared with a year earlier, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said. That was below the 12-month average of 2.3%. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Adelaide writers’ week 2026 cancelled as board apologises to Randa Abdel-Fattah for ‘how decision was represented’ 13. January 2026 (05:35) Almost all remaining festival board members have resigned after backlash to decision to disinvite the Palestinian Australian authorFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAdelaide writers’ week 2026 has been cancelled after days of turmoil as more than 180 authors and speakers dropped out in protest of the decision to disinvite the Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah.In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the Adelaide festival board announced the event, which was scheduled to begin on 28 February, would no longer go ahead. The three remaining members of the festival board have resigned immediately, following the resignations of four others – with the exception of the Adelaide city council representative, whose term expires in February. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Heated Rivalry books sell out amid Australian fans’ infatuation with gay ice hockey TV show 13. January 2026 (05:01) Wild success of television series drives huge demand for Game Changers novels, with Australian booksellers reporting significant customer ordersA seventh book in Rachel Reid’s gay romance series that inspired the TV drama Heated Rivalry will be out later this year but Australian fans are still struggling to get their hands on a physical copy of any of the preceding six books.Unrivalled, the next instalment in the Canadian author’s Game Changers series, will be released internationally on 29 September, the publisher HarperCollins announced on Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mamdani demands release of New York council employee detained by US agents 13. January 2026 (03:45) Mayor decries ‘assault on our democracy’ after employee detained during ‘routine immigration appointment’Federal immigration agents detained an employee of the New York City council on Monday, sparking outrage from the city’s leaders and renewed rebukes against the Trump administration’s immigration actions.“This is an assault on our democracy, on our city, and our values,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement on X. “I am calling for his immediate release and will continue to monitor the situation.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Unimaginable loss’: Renee Good family urges ‘empathy’ in call for justice 13. January 2026 (03:19) Relatives pay tribute to ‘extraordinary mother’ and hope killing by ICE agent leads to meaningful changeRenee Good’s extended family said on Monday it wanted justice and accountability for her death at the hands of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, but urged people stirred to outrage by the shooting of the 37-year-old Minneapolis mother of three to root their conversations in “humanity, empathy, and care for the family most affected”.In a statement and in interviews with the Guardian, the family members – most of them relatives of Good’s late husband Timmy Macklin Jr, the father of her youngest son – paid tribute to Good, her children, and to Macklin, and said they hoped the “unimaginable loss” the family had suffered would lead to meaningful change and “fewer families [who] have to endure this kind of pain”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China pressing European countries to bar Taiwan politicians or face crossing a ‘red line’ 13. January 2026 (02:26) Exclusive: Chinese officials are using a ‘highly specific’ interpretation of EU rules to suggest Taiwanese figures should not be granted visas, officials sayChinese officials have been pushing “legal advice” on European countries, saying their own border laws require them to ban entry to Taiwanese politicians, according to more than half a dozen diplomats and officials familiar with the matter.The officials made demarches to European embassies in Beijing, or through local embassies directly to European governments in their capital cities, warning the European countries not to “trample on China’s red lines”, according to the European diplomats and ministries who spoke to the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says countries doing business with Iran face 25% tariff on US trade 13. January 2026 (01:33) President posts online as US weighs response to situation in Iran, which is major facing anti-government protestsDonald Trump said on Monday any country that does business with Iran will face a tariff rate of 25% on trade with the US, as Washington weighs a response to the situation in Iran, which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years.“Effective immediately, any Country doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran will pay a Tariff of 25% on any and all business being done with the United States of America,” the US president said in a post on Truth Social. Tariffs are paid by US importers of goods from those countries. Iran has been heavily sanctioned by Washington for years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Coal power generation falls in China and India for first time since 1970s 13. January 2026 (01:01) ‘Historic’ moment in biggest coal-consuming countries could bring decline in global emissions, analysis says Coal power generation fell in China and India for the first time since the 1970s last year, in a “historic” moment that could bring a decline in global emissions, according to analysis.The simultaneous fall in coal-powered electricity in the world’s biggest coal-consuming countries had not happened since 1973, according to analysts at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, and was driven by a record roll-out of clean energy projects. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
