More than a quarter of Britons say they fear losing jobs to AI in next five years 25. January 2026 (16:00) Survey reveals ‘mismatched AI expectations’ between views of employers and staff over impact on careersMore than a quarter (27%) of UK workers are worried their jobs could disappear in the next five years as a result of AI, according to a survey of thousands of employees.Two-thirds (66%) of UK employers reported having invested in AI in the past 12 months, according to the international recruitment company Randstad’s annual review of the world of work, while more than half (56%) of workers said more companies were encouraging the use of AI tools in the workplace. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pilates after prayers: men’s classes in Bradford mosques offer fitness and friendship 25. January 2026 (16:00) When organisers posted a TikTok promoting 45-minute pilates sessions, the video amassed 2m views. Now plans are afoot for female classes and youth clubsIt’s early afternoon on a gloomy day at the Jamia Usmania mosque in Bradford and a group of mostly elderly men have finished their midday prayers.The assembly of mainly retired men would usually return to the familiar drumbeat of day-to-day life, but instead they make their way downstairs to tackle squats, glute bridges and the butterfly position in the mosque’s weekly 45-minute pilates class. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Outsourced call centre staff at NDIS have to pretend to work for government, workers say 25. January 2026 (15:00) Serco employees also say they are given email addresses identical to public servants, making them indistinguishableGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOutsourced call centre staff on the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) phone lines must pretend to be public servants, according to workers, and are responsible for deciding which funding requests are prioritised despite having no specialised welfare training.Workers at Serco, a major outsource provider, have also been issued government agency email addresses, making it impossible for the public to tell them apart from direct employees despite vast differences in their pay, conditions, training and support. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Utterly overwhelmed’: British writer-director’s short film earns Oscar nod 25. January 2026 (15:00) Lee Knight says accolade for A Friend of Dorothy, based on friendship with neighbour, sends message to never give upA writer-director from Stanmore in Middlesex whose short film has been nominated for an Oscar has said he feels “utterly overwhelmed” by the accolade.Lee Knight’s film A Friend of Dorothy, starring Miriam Margolyes and Stephen Fry, is in the running for best live action short. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour row erupts after Andy Burnham blocked from byelection race 25. January 2026 (14:39) Allies of Greater Manchester mayor say No 10 has ‘chosen factionalism’ as decision leads to a furious backlashLabour’s national executive committee (NEC) has blocked Andy Burnham’s request to seek selection for the Gorton and Denton byelection, setting off an immediate and furious row within the party.In a vote of the 10-strong “officers’ group” of the NEC, only one person, Lucy Powell, the party deputy leader and a close ally of Burnham, voted to allow the Greater Manchester mayor to compete to be a candidate in the seat vacated by Andrew Gwynne this week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Alex Pretti was murdered’: NBA’s Haliburton among sports stars to condemn Minnesota killing 25. January 2026 (14:28) 37-year-old shot dead by federal agents on SaturdayTyrese Haliburton and Angel Reese post on social mediaA number of prominent US sports stars have condemned the killing of a registered nurse, Alex Pretti, by federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday.Pretti, 37, is the second person shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis in less than three weeks as protests over Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown sweep the city. Senior Trump administration officials have claimed Pretti intended to “massacre” federal officers with a handgun but video of the killing appears to contradict those claims. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alex Honnold free solos Taipei 101 skyscraper in live Netflix climb 25. January 2026 (14:05) US climber takes an hour and half to scale one of Asia’s tallest buildings without ropes or a harnessThe US rock climber Alex Honnold climbed one of Asia’s tallest skyscrapers without ropes or a harness on Sunday, fulfilling an ambition that began more than a decade ago and which he hoped would inspire people to pursue their own challenges because “time is finite”.Honnold, who starred in the 2019 Oscar-winning documentary Free Solo, ascended the 508-metre (1,667ft) Taipei 101 using the skyscraper’s horizontal metal beams to pull himself up with his bare hands. The challenge had originally been scheduled to take place on Saturday but was postponed because of rain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Screen time limits for children are no longer enough, new US report finds 25. January 2026 (14:00) Experts say guidance is ‘refreshing’ as it puts more emphasis on responsibility of companies and societyThe American Academy of Pediatrics has released new guidance on how to protect children’s mental health in the digital age – emphasizing the need for systemic changes as well as parental engagement that goes beyond limiting screen time.Jessica Schleider, an adolescent psychologist and professor at Northwestern University whose lab develops digital mental health interventions, said the new policy statement was “really refreshing to see”, because it contrasts with conventional wisdom that places too much of the safety burden on individual parents. Common advice like “limiting individual youth access to screens”, or asking parents to keep tabs on their children’s every digital movement is “not only impossible, but for adolescents in particular, potentially invasive”, Schleider said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘They’re trying to milk us’: leaseholders tell of soaring charges amid Labour reform delays 25. January 2026 (14:00) Some residents say they are facing financial ruin as government’s long-awaited law changes stall“I don’t say this lightly, but I feel traumatised by this,” said Sarah*, a leaseholder who owns a one-bedroom flat in Moseley, south Birmingham. “Every time I open the front door to my house I’m expecting some frightening letter with lots of zeros on it. It has ruined my life, to be honest.”Sarah works full-time as a school teacher, but has been forced to take up a second job to pay the spiralling bills from the management company of her building. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US storm cuts power to hundreds of thousands of homes and grounds flights 25. January 2026 (13:49) Snow, sleet, freezing rain and perilously cold temperatures forecast to sweep eastern two-thirds of nationMore than 500,000 households and businesses in the US are without power and more than 9,600 flights are expected to be cancelled ahead of a monster winter storm that threatens to paralyse eastern states with heavy snowfall.Forecasters said snow, sleet, freezing rain and dangerously frigid temperatures would sweep the eastern two-thirds of the nation on Sunday and into next week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
