US will have Greenland ‘one way or the other’, says Trump – Europe live 12. January 2026 (11:34) US president repeats his desire for the territory as he mocks its defences as ‘two dog sleds’ and shrugs off impact on NatoChair of the Danish parliament’s Greenland committee, Aaja Chemnitz, told reporters that the planned meeting with US senators was “good news” as it was “important for us to use all the diplomatic connections we have at our disposal.”Chemnitz, a Greenlandic politician sitting in the Danish parliament, said there were “lots” of incorrect claims about Greenland, and “it is absolutely crucial we get some truths on the table.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
HMRC accepted ‘tolerable’ risk of harm in child benefit fraud crackdown 12. January 2026 (11:31) Internal documents show tax officials withdrew funds without warning families despite concerns about dataUK politics live – latest updatesUK tax authorities believed that withdrawing child benefit payments from parentswithout prior consultation as part of an anti-fraud drive carried a “tolerable” risk, with only a “remote” chance of inflicting harm, according to internal documents.The revelations come just weeks after it emerged that at least 63% of those who had their child benefit stopped were in fact still living in the UK and had not emigrated, as inferred by incomplete Home Office data used in the crackdown. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sikh activist in UK told to increase security over Hindu nationalist threats 12. January 2026 (11:04) Police ask Paramjeet Singh Pamma to install security cameras and reinforce door locks at his homePolice have advised a high-profile Sikh activist in the UK to install security cameras at his home and reinforce door locks because of threats from Hindu nationalist elements.Paramjeet Singh Pamma, 52, said he had been visited by police and received verbal advice to increase his security due to intelligence suggesting threats to his safety. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Carney heads to Beijing as Trump’s America First agenda forces Canada into trade rethink 12. January 2026 (10:39) Canada’s PM seeks to smooth over past ructions in relationship with China as trade war takes its tollDuring the final stretch of Canada’s spring election campaign, Mark Carney told a debate audience that China was the country’s “biggest geopolitical risk”. He pointed to its attempts to meddle in elections and its recent efforts to disrupt Canada’s Arctic claims.When Carney’s government plane touches down in Beijing this week, it will be the first time a Canadian prime minister has been welcomed in nearly a decade. The trip, undertaken amid the rupturing of global economic and political alliances, reflects a desire by Ottawa to mend a broken relationship with a global superpower that uses its vast and lucrative market to both woo and punish countries. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK threatens action against X over sexualised AI images of women and children 12. January 2026 (10:08) Government signals support for possible Ofcom intervention on Grok as scrutiny of X’s AI tool intensifiesBusiness live – latest updatesElon Musk’s X “is not doing enough to keep its customers safe online”, a minister has said, as the UK government prepares to outline possible action against the platform over the mass production of sexualised images of woman and children.Peter Kyle, the business secretary, said the government would fully support any action taken by Ofcom, the media regulator, against X – including the possibility that the platform could be blocked in the UK. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Chalamet a smash, Sinners shut out: the key Golden Globes snubs and surprises 12. January 2026 (09:35) Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another looks unstoppable ahead of the Oscars, despite Timothée Chalamet’s triumph over Leonardo DiCaprio for best actorThe biggest backlash brewing concerns Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, lauded by critics and embraced – especially in the US – by audiences as one of 2025’s key cultural landmarks. The thriller did win two Globes – for cinematic and box office achievement and original score – but both wound up not really counting. The first is the Globes’s consolation prize (it was won by Barbie in 2023 and Wicked last year); the second wasn’t even broadcast on the telecast. Coogler missing out on screenplay to One Battle After Another was perceived by some as a slap in the face – the Oscars and Baftas separate the category into original and adapted, however, so a corrective could come. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ban on ‘globalise the intifada’ risks importing ‘repressive models’ from UK, NSW inquiry after Bondi attack told 12. January 2026 (09:33) Australian National Imams Council say criminalising slogan will unduly impact Muslim Australians including Palestinian and Arab communitiesBanning phrases such as “globalise the intifada” is “likely to disproportionately affect Muslim Australians, including Palestinian and Arab communities,” a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry has been told.The submission by the Australian National Imams Council [Anic] has been echoed by activist group the Palestine Action Group [PAG], who said a ban on the chant risks “importing repressive models from overseas, particularly the United Kingdom”, where police have announced they will arrest protesters who use the phrase. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran crisis: Trump claims leader ‘wants to negotiate’ amid protest crackdown as he mulls US military response – latest updates 12. January 2026 (08:55) US president says he ‘may have to act’ before talks amid crackdown that rights group says has led to at least 538 deaths‘The streets are full of blood’: Iranian protests gather momentum as regime cracks downIranian student killed during protests was shot in head ‘from close range’Analysis: Unpredictable Trump weighs up Iranian pleas for help against calls for restraintIranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi has claimed the protests have now “come under total control” after the violence spiked over the weekend, according to comments being carried by Al Jazeera, which we have not been able to verify the veracity of yet.Araqchi was also quoted as having said the protests “turned violent and bloody to give an excuse” for the US president, Donald Trump, to intervene. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than $200k raised in a day for hero Bondi Junction police officer after ‘rare’ cancer diagnosis 12. January 2026 (08:05) Amy Scott, who confronted Joel Cauchi alone during the April 2024 Westfield attack, has been diagnosed with ‘aggressive’ breast cancer Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAmy Scott, the New South Wales police officer who pursued and shot the perpetrator of the Bondi Junction stabbing attack, has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form of breast cancer”.Joel Cauchi killed six people in a mass stabbing attack on 13 April 2024 at the Bondi Westfield shopping centre and wounded another 10. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New campaign urges Starmer not to diminish legal rights of Send children 12. January 2026 (08:01) Backed by actor Sally Phillips and MPs across parties, group raises concerns about overhaul of provision in EnglandKeir Starmer is being urged not to diminish the legal rights of children with special educational needs by a new national campaign backed by the actor Sally Phillips and a cross-party group of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative MPs.The group Save Our Children’s Rights claims the prime minister is “considering taking our legal rights away” as part of the government’s overhaul of special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision in the forthcoming schools white paper for England. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
