Business leaders and Catholic bishops join call for royal commission after Bondi attack 01. January 2026 (21:57) Signatories to open letter include former Reserve Bank of Australia governors Philip Lowe and Glenn Stevens and billionaire James PackerGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian business leaders and public figures have joined forces to call for a commonwealth royal commission into antisemitism, radicalism and the events leading up to the 14 December Bondi beach terrorist attack.At least 120 leaders have signed the open letter, including former Reserve Bank of Australia governors Philip Lowe and Glenn Stevens, billionaire James Packer, former Telstra chief executive David Thodey, as well as sporting figures, politicians and university chancellors. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Zohran Mamdani promises ‘new era’ for New York City in first speech as mayor 01. January 2026 (21:17) Mayor says ‘I will govern as a democratic socialist’ at inauguration ceremony featuring AOC and Bernie SandersZohran Mamdani on Thursday vowed to “reinvent” New York City in a speech on his first day as mayor, promising “a new era” for America’s largest city and an ambitious start to his term of office.The 34-year-old political star and democratic socialist, who a year ago was a virtually unknown state assemblyman, is the city’s first Muslim mayor, first of south Asian descent and the first to be born in Africa. He is also the first to be sworn in using the Qur’an. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York chose ‘courage over fear’, AOC says at Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration ceremony – live 01. January 2026 (20:50) Congressmember delivered opening remarks at city hall, noting that Mamdani is the city’s first Muslim mayorZohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji appearing on stage for his inauguration ceremony earlier.New York is a place that “a young immigrant democrat socialist Muslim can be bold enough to run and brave enough to win,” he says, “not by abandoning conviction, but by standing firmly within it.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Switzerland to hold five days of mourning after 40 killed in resort fire 01. January 2026 (20:02) Blaze that swept through crowded New Year’s Eve bar in Crans-Montana also injured 115 peopleLe Constellation bar fire in Switzerland: what we know so farSwitzerland will hold five days of mourning after an “unprecedented” fire tore through a crowded bar, killing about 40 people and injuring 115 who were celebrating at a New Year’s Eve party in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana.The country’s president, Guy Parmelin, described the blaze as one of the most traumatic events in Switzerland’s history. “It was a drama of an unknown scale,” he said, paying tribute to the many “young lives that were lost and interrupted”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cremation pyre in Africa thought to be world’s oldest containing adult remains 01. January 2026 (20:00) 9,500-year-old pyre uncovered in Malawi offers rare insight into rituals of ancient African hunter-gatherer groupsA cremation pyre built about 9,500 years ago has been discovered in Africa, offering a fresh glimpse into the complexity of ancient hunter-gatherer communities.Researchers say the pyre, discovered in a rock shelter at the foot of Mount Hora in northern Malawi, is thought to be the oldest in the world to contain adult remains, the oldest confirmed intentional cremation in Africa, and the first pyre to be associated with African hunter-gatherers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘It happened in seconds’: sudden inferno brings horror to Swiss ski resort 01. January 2026 (19:43) New year party at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana turned into tragedy as flames shot across the ceilingThe new year had passed its first hour and the party in Le Constellation was in full swing with revellers dancing to thumping hip-hop. Dawn was far off and the teenagers and twenty-somethings were in no hurry to leave the bar. It was, after all, New Year’s Day.Outside, darkness draped Crans-Montana, a ski resort in the Swiss Alps with a reputation for posh luxury. Le Constellation, however, had few pretensions: a cavernous venue with TV screens on the top floor to watch sport, and a basement with low lighting, loud music and a dancefloor. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says he takes more aspirin than recommended but his ‘health is perfect’ 01. January 2026 (18:38) President tells Wall Street Journal in interview that his doctors encouraged him to take lower dose but he declinedDonald Trump takes “more aspirin” than his doctors recommend but he says “my health is perfect”, according to an interview given to the Wall Street Journal after the outlet recently questioned the 79-year-old president’s health.Trump told the Journal that the large dose of aspirin he take daily has causes him to bruise easily and he has been encouraged by his doctors to take a lower dose – but he declined the advice because he has been taking it for 25 years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Birmingham revellers turn out for non-existent fireworks – for second new year in a row 01. January 2026 (18:32) Hundreds of people gather in Centenary Square to see in 2026 after false claims online promise ‘dazzling’ displayThe new year got off to an anticlimactic start for hundreds of people in Birmingham who were tricked into attending a non-existent New Year’s Eve fireworks display. Again.Crowds of revellers gathered in the city’s Centenary Square, hoping to catch a glimpse of a pyrotechnics display to welcome in 2026. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Shameful’ 41,000 people reached UK by small boat last year, says Home Office 01. January 2026 (18:00) Second highest annual number of irregular arrivals on record reached British shores in 2025More than 41,000 people crossed the Channel in small boats last year, figures branded “shameful” by the Home Office have revealed.The government said 41,472 people arrived in the UK by crossing the Channel in 2025 – the second highest number on record after 45,774 made the journey in 2022. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour needs complete ‘reset’ to defeat Reform UK threat, says strategist 01. January 2026 (18:00) New Labour advertising guru Chris Powell says urgent plan needed to ‘wage and win the daily war for attention’Chris Powell: What is Keir Starmer doing to push back the populists? Not nearly enoughKeir Starmer does not have enough of a plan to defeat the “existential threat” that populism poses to UK democracy and should undertake a “fundamental reset”, New Labour’s former advertising strategist Sir Chris Powell has warned.Powell, who is the brother of Jonathan Powell, Starmer’s national security adviser, warned there were just three years to stop the “new and terrifying threat” of populists, suggesting Reform UK could represent a danger to democracy and national institutions. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
