UK politicians welcome Trump’s retreat over British troops’ role in Afghanistan 25. January 2026 (13:23) Home secretary says climbdown was ‘as good as it gets’ from US president despite failure to apologise for remarksDonald Trump’s climbdown over his claim that UK troops avoided the frontline in Afghanistan has been greeted with cross-party relief in Westminster despite his failure to apologise for remarks widely condemned as offensive and false.In a rare clarification, the US president praised British troops as being “among the greatest of all warriors” and acknowledged that 457 had died in Afghanistan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Emotionally devastating’: Iranians in US on regime’s deadly protest crackdown 25. January 2026 (13:00) US readers said they were feeling anxious and helpless as authorities’ brutal crackdown has left thousands deadRecent protests in Iran have created the most serious and deadliest unrest in the country since the 1979 revolution, prompting eyes from all around the globe to shift to the Middle East.The Guardian asked Iranians living outside the country to share their views on the current situation in the country and about the possibility of US intervention. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Teachers in England driving homeless pupils to school and washing clothes, research shows 25. January 2026 (13:00) Survey finds schools referring homeless children to food banks as record numbers live in temporary housingSchools are regularly referring homeless children to food banks, driving them to classes and washing their clothes, according to research.A survey conducted by the housing charity Shelter and NASUWT, also known as the Teachers’ Union, asked 11,000 teachers about their experiences of working with children living in temporary accommodation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg named Australian of the Year for 2026 25. January 2026 (12:21) Bennell-Pegg tells ceremony in Canberra she hopes to use award to inspire young people to chase their dreamsCathy Freeman leads Australia Day 2026 honours listGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAs a girl, Katherine Bennell-Pegg would lie on the dry grass in her backyard, gazing up at the stars and dreaming about one day reaching them.While she’s yet to enter space, the now-41-year-old is closer than most could ever hope for. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cathy Freeman leads Australia Day honours alongside enforcer of world-first social media ban 25. January 2026 (12:00) High-profile Australians celebrated alongside more than 600 civilians who have changed lives and the countryAstronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg named Australian of the Year for 2026Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s beloved Olympic sprinter Cathy Freeman has been recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours list alongside a driving force of one of the Games’ youngest sports, skateboarding, a world-leading quantum scientist, a children’s book illustrator, rock royalty and the enforcer of Australia’s world-first social media ban.Freeman was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, the country’s highest civilian honour. Her sensational athletic achievements were applauded by the honours committee, which also acknowledged her social impact across the community, her work on the reconciliation movement in the spirit of unity and inclusion, and as a role model to young people. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minnesota workers pressure employers to take action against ICE operations 25. January 2026 (12:00) Target, Delta and Hilton targeted with actions leading up to economic blackout of no work, shopping or schoolSome of the US’s biggest companies are coming under increasing pressure to speak out about the Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s operations in Minnesota.Workers throughout Minnesota have been pressuring their employers to act following the death of Renee Good, an unarmed woman killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
City minister accused of ignoring £2bn car finance tax loophole 25. January 2026 (12:00) Critics say banks will be able to avoid tax on compensation payouts to victims of £11bn loans scandalThe City minister, Lucy Rigby, has been accused of snubbing taxpayers after she appeared to brush off concerns about a £2bn tax loophole benefiting big banks caught up in the car loans scandal.Rigby was urged to intervene by a member of the parliamentary Treasury committee after it emerged that lenders including Barclays, Lloyds and Santander could sidestep rules designed to ensure banks pay tax on compensation linked to corporate misconduct. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour must avoid ‘psychodrama’, says Mahmood, as NEC meets to decide if Burnham can stand 25. January 2026 (11:52) Home secretary is chair of party’s NEC, which will decide if Greater Manchester mayor can seek return to parliamentLabour must do all it can to avoid a “psychodrama” over Andy Burnham’s possible return to parliament, Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, has said.Mahmood is chair of Labour’s national executive committee (NEC), which was due to meet later on Sunday to decide whether Burnham should be allowed to seek selection for the Gorton and Denton byelection, which would involve him giving up his Greater Manchester mayoralty. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘This is what fascism looks like’: terror in Minneapolis reminiscent of civil war 25. January 2026 (11:00) Alex Pretti’s death could be a moment of reckoning for Democrats to call time on Trump waging war on his peopleWearing helmets, gas masks and camouflage fatigues, the federal agents took aim and prepared to open fire. “It’s like Call of Duty,” one could be heard saying via a TV mic, referring to a first-person shooter military video game. “So cool, huh?”This was the scene on the streets of Minneapolis on Saturday after armed agents, wearing masks and tactical vests, wrestled 37-year-old Alex Pretti to the ground and shot him dead. The killing took place just over a mile from where Renee Good was fatally shot on 7 January, a scene that itself was less than a mile from where police murdered George Floyd in May 2020. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How botched Tory insulation scheme looms over Labour’s warm homes plan 25. January 2026 (11:00) Eco programme turned into a national scandal – but experts worry £15bn plan will prioritise green energy over insulatingNo homeowner wants to be faced with a hefty bill for household repairs – and when those charges are the result of botched insulation under a UK government-run scheme, individual misfortune turns to national scandal.That has been the experience of tens of thousands of households after what MPs have condemned as the “catastrophic failure” of the energy company obligation (Eco) insulation programme run by the last Conservative government, the results of which have only recently been uncovered. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
