Sussan Ley just outlasted the Liberal party’s shortest serving leader. But will she survive another milestone? 22. January 2026 (09:39) A leadership challenge could be likely if Ley’s conservative rivals, Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie, agree on who should be the candidateFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSussan Ley passed a milestone this week.While locked in a string of party room meetings and tense negotiations with Anthony Albanese over Labor’s hate speech bill, she surpassed eight months and eight days as her party’s leader. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK government borrowing falls to £11.6bn in December 22. January 2026 (09:34) Official figures better than expected after stronger receipts than a year earlierBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK government borrowed less than expected in December, official figures show, after stronger receipts than a year earlier.Public sector net borrowing – the difference between spending and income – was £11.6bn last month, the Office for National Statistics said, compared with £18.7bn in the same month a year earlier. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One in four children in England start school without being toilet trained, say teachers 22. January 2026 (08:51) Survey finds rising numbers of reception pupils struggling with basic life skills such as eating independentlyAbout one in four children who started reception in 2025 were not toilet trained, a survey of teachers has found, prompting warnings that growing numbers of pupils are struggling with basic life skills.In an annual survey of primary school staff in England by the early years charity Kindred Squared, teachers estimated that 26% of the children in their reception class were having frequent toilet mishaps, rising to more than one in three (36%) in the north-east. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Three people dead after shooting in NSW town as police urge locals to stay inside 22. January 2026 (08:44) Two women and a man have have died after a shooting at Lake CargelligoGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThree people have been fatally shot after a gunman opened fire in a country town in central western NSW.NSW police said on Thursday that a police operation was under way at Lake Cargelligo, which is located three hours south-west of Dubbo. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Heatwave and fire warnings as parts of Victoria expected to approach ‘all-time maximum record’ temperatures 22. January 2026 (07:07) At least five days of temperatures above 40C forecast for parts of South Australia, Victoria and NSWFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictorians are being warned to brace for another heatwave, with temperatures set to soar towards record levels in some parts of the state, putting authorities on alert in fire-affected areas.South Australia and parts of New South Wales have also been told to prepare for hot weather, due to what the Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Kevin Parkyn described as a “dome of heat” that has caused record-breaking heat in Western Australia moving east. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The year of the ‘hectocorn’: the $100bn tech companies that could float in 2026 22. January 2026 (07:00) OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX and Stripe are rumoured to be among ten of the biggest companies considering IPOsYou’ve probably heard of “unicorns” – technology startups valued at more than $1bn – but 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the “hectocorn”, with several US and European companies potentially floating on stock markets at valuations over $100bn (£75bn).OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX and Stripe are among the big names said to be considering an initial public offering (IPO) this year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Half the world’s 100 largest cities are in high water stress areas, analysis finds 22. January 2026 (07:00) Exclusive: Beijing, Delhi, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro among worst affected, with demand close to exceeding supplyHalf the world’s 100 largest cities are experiencing high levels of water stress, with 39 of these sitting in regions of “extremely high water stress”, new analysis and mapping has shown.Water stress means that water withdrawals for public water supply and industry are close to exceeding available supplies, often caused by poor management of water resources exacerbated by climate breakdown. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump declaration of Greenland framework deal met with scepticism amid tariff relief 22. January 2026 (06:52) Nato chief Mark Rutte says there is ‘a lot of work to be done’, as some Danish MPs voice concern at Greenland apparently being sidelined in US president’s talks Donald Trump’s announcement of a “framework of a future deal” that would settle the issue of Greenland after weeks of escalating threats has been met with profound scepticism from people in the Arctic territory, even as financial markets rebounded and European leaders welcomed a reprieve from further tariffs.Just hours after the president used his speech at the World Economic Forum to insist he wanted Greenland, “including right, title and ownership,” but backed away from his more bellicose threats of military intervention – Trump took to social media to announce “the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” and withdrew the threat of tariffs against eight European countries. He later called it “a concept of a deal” when he spoke to business network CNBC soon after Wall Street closed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sussan Ley’s leadership all but over after Coalition split, senior Liberals say 22. January 2026 (06:21) Senior Coalition sources also believe David Littleproud’s leadership of the Nationals could end after division over hate speech lawsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSussan Ley’s leadership of the Liberal party is all but over, senior colleagues believe, after a spectacular split over hate speech laws blew up the Coalition for the second time in eight months.Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie are the leading contenders to replace her, according to multiple sources who anticipate a challenge could begin to materialise as early as Friday, after the day of mourning for the Bondi massacre. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ActionAid to rethink child sponsorship as part of plan to ‘decolonise’ its work 22. January 2026 (06:00) Development charity’s new co-chairs signal shift from controversial sponsor a child scheme launched in 1972 to long-term grassroots fundingChild sponsorship schemes that allow donors to handpick children to support in poor countries can carry racialised, paternalistic undertones and need to be transformed, the newly appointed co-chief executives of ActionAid UK said as they set out to “decolonise” the organisation’s work.ActionAid began in 1972 by finding sponsors for schoolchildren in India and Kenya, but Taahra Ghazi and Hannah Bond have launched their co-leadership this month with the goal of shifting narratives around aid from sympathy towards solidarity and partnership with global movements. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
