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)
Wildlife targets will be missed in England and Northern Ireland, watchdog says 13. January 2026 (01:01) Seven out of 10 targets have little likelihood of being met by 2030, Office for Environmental Protection saysThe government will not meet its targets to save wildlife in England and Northern Ireland and is failing on almost all environmental measures, the Office for Environmental Protection watchdog has said.In a damning report, the OEP has found that seven of the 10 targets set in the Environment Act 2021 have little likelihood of being met by 2030, which is the deadline set in law. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bushfire threat eases across Victoria as number of structures destroyed nears 500 13. January 2026 (00:55) No emergency warnings in place for first time since Thursday – though 12 major blazes are still activeFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe bushfire threat in Victoria has eased, with no emergency warnings in place for the first time in almost a week, as the number of structures lost nears 500.The State Control Centre (SCC) on Tuesday morning confirmed that while there were 12 major bushfires active across Victoria, many of which are expected to burn for days or weeks, there were no emergency warnings in place for the first time since Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Peter Mandelson apologises for Epstein association in sudden U-turn 13. January 2026 (00:36) Former ambassador to US had earlier declined to give apology for keeping in touch with sex offender after his conviction Peter Mandelson has issued an apology for his association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – after declining to do so in an interview broadcast on Sunday.The Labour peer, who was sacked as US ambassador when details of his support for Epstein emerged in September, gave an interview to the BBC in which he suggested that as a gay man he knew nothing of the disgraced financier’s sex life. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Peter Thiel makes $3m donation to fight California’s proposed billionaire tax 13. January 2026 (00:19) Ballot proposes one-time, 5% tax on anyone in state worth more than $1bn and grant a five-year period for paymentPalantir co-founder Peter Thiel has donated $3m to a California lobbying group advocating against a proposed wealth tax that would target billionaires in the state. The seven-figure contribution comes as several ultra-wealthy tech moguls have left or threatened to leave California over the tax.Thiel, worth some $26bn, made the donation last month to the California Business Roundtable’s political action committee, according to a public disclosure filing which was first reported by the New York Times. A representative for Thiel did not respond to requests for comment. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
