Queensland PhD candidate accused of plotting to firebomb Australia Day event wanted AI-driven society, court hears 22. January 2026 (05:38) Sepehr Saryazdi, 24, charged with planning terrorist act after allegedly plotting to throw molotov cocktail at Gold Coast eventFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Queensland PhD candidate has been accused of planning to throw a molotov cocktail at an Australia Day crowd, as part of an alleged terrorist plot to overthrow the government and replace it with a “cybernetics” alternative, a court has heard.Sepehr Saryazdi, 24, allegedly planned an attack for Monday’s celebrations to promote a new phase of civilisation powered by artificial intelligence, a court heard on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Children cook meals for needy and mourners lay wreaths for Bondi attack victims on national day of mourning 22. January 2026 (05:14) Australians urged to do a good deed – or mitzvah – as Anthony Albanese says day is ‘opportunity for us as a nation to wrap our arms around the Jewish community’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFresh wreaths of flowers have been laid at Bondi beach, children have cooked meals for those in need and Anthony Albanese has welcomed the opportunity to “wrap our arms around” the Jewish community as Australia holds a national day of mourning for the victims of last month’s terror attack.Under the banner of the New South Wales government’s One Mitzvah for Bondi initiative, all Australians were urged to do a good deed – or mitzvah – on Thursday to mark the day of mourning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian shares shoot up after Trump walks back tariff threat 22. January 2026 (04:42) The de-escalation fuelled a rally in global share markets as buyers ride the ‘Trump Always Chickens Out’ trade strategyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian shares shot higher on Thursday to recoup part of their recent losses, after Donald Trump dropped a tariff threat used against European allies amid his pressure campaign to gain control of Greenland.The de-escalation fuelled a rally in global share markets that flowed into Australia, sending the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 briefly above the 8,860 point mark, before a slight easing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Filipino journalist Frenchie Cumpio found guilty of terror financing in verdict rights groups call ‘absurd’ 22. January 2026 (04:28) Reporters Without Borders said the ruling against the 26-year-old journalist showed a ‘blatant disregard for press freedom’ in the Southeast Asian nationA young Filipino journalist who spent nearly six years in a crowded provincial prison was found guilty of terror financing on Thursday, in a case rights groups and a UN rapporteur labelled a “travesty of justice”.Community journalist and radio broadcaster Frenchie Cumpio, 26, and former roommate Marielle Domequil broke down in tears and hugged each other as the guilty verdict was read and they were sentenced to 12-18 years in prison by judge Georgina Uy Perez of the Tacloban regional court. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jim Chalmers says Canadian PM’s ‘stunning’ denunciation of Trump is being widely discussed in Australian government 22. January 2026 (03:39) Treasurer joins former PM Malcom Turnbull in praising Mark Carney’s comments at the World Economic Forum gathering in DavosFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastJim Chalmers has described the Canadian prime minister’s passionate denunciation of Donald Trump’s assault on the global rules-based order as a “stunning speech” that was being “widely shared and discussed” inside the government.At this week’s annual gathering at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Mark Carney said “we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
ICE detains five-year-old Minnesota boy as he came home, say school officials 22. January 2026 (03:24) Superintendent says Liam Ramos and his father were taken into custody while in their driveway and sent to TexasUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained a five-year-old Minnesota boy on Tuesday as he returned home from school and transported him and his father to a Texas detention center, according to school officials.Liam Ramos, a preschooler, and his father were taken into custody while in their driveway, the superintendent of the school district in Columbia Heights, a Minneapolis suburb, said at a press conference on Wednesday. Liam, who had recently turned five, is one of four children in the school district who have been detained by federal immigration agents during the Trump administration’s enforcement surge in the region over the last two weeks, the district said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pregnant woman in medical distress deported from US, says attorney 22. January 2026 (02:47) Woman who’s eight months pregnant sent to Colombia by ICE, despite belated court order to keep her out of the airA 21-year-old woman who is eight months pregnant and in a state of medical distress was deported Wednesday afternoon, a human rights attorney said, despite a court order, issued too late, to keep her out of the air.“We are trying to get her the medical attention she needs immediately,” said Anthony Enriquez, vice-president of US advocacy and litigation at the Kennedy Human Rights Center, whose client, Zharick Daniela Buitrago Ortiz, was sent back to Colombia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Land back’: colonial monuments destroyed and vandalised in Melbourne’s Flagstaff gardens 22. January 2026 (02:44) Statues commemorating Australia’s colonial history have been targets for vandalism in Melbourne as 26 January approachesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo monuments to colonial Australia have been vandalised in Melbourne’s Flagstaff gardens overnight.Police said they believed machinery was used to pull down the Pioneer Monument, a sandstone obelisk erected in 1871 to commemorate the first European burial ground on the site.
The monument was smashed into pieces beside the plinth on Thursday morning and daubed with the words “land back” and “death to Australia” in red paint. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Colin Hay ‘strenuously disapproves’ use of Down Under at March for Australia rallies 22. January 2026 (01:59) Former Men at Work frontman, who was born in Scotland and emigrated to Australia, tells anti-immigration protestors, ‘Go write your own song, leave mine alone’Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailFormer Men at Work frontman Colin Hay has disavowed the use of the band’s 80s anthem Down Under by Australian anti-immigration protesters, saying the song “does not belong to those who attempt to sow xenophobia”.In a post to his Facebook and Instagram accounts, the singer-songwriter singled out anti-immigration group March for Australia, who have organised marches around the country on 26 January under the slogan “Our national identity will not be erased”.Sign up for our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York must redraw congressional map before midterms, judge rules 22. January 2026 (01:51) Ruling presents Democrats with opportunity to pick up another US House seat in November electionsNew York must redraw its congressional map, a state judge ruled on Wednesday, handing Democrats another key opportunity to pick up another US House seat before this fall’s midterm elections.The ruling from Jeffrey Pearlman, a New York state supreme court justice, comes after a Democratic-aligned law firm challenged the boundaries of New York’s 11th congressional district, which includes the borough of Staten Island and portions of south Brooklyn. The district is currently represented by Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican, the only GOP member representing New York City in Congress. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
