ICE targets Somali communities in Maine in new Trump administration crackdown 21. January 2026 (22:55) Immigration enforcement has sent a surge of federal agents to the fishing state, with about 50 arrests so farThe Trump administration has begun another targeted immigration crackdown, sending a surge of federal personnel to Maine, an ocean fishing state, in a plan dubbed by the government Operation Catch of the Day.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is aiming the push at Somali immigrants living in the north-eastern state, according to reporting by the New York Times. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
American democracy on the brink a year after Trump’s inauguration, experts say 21. January 2026 (22:24) Scale and speed of president’s moves have stunned observers of authoritarian regimes – is the US in democratic peril?Three hundred and sixty-five days after Donald Trump swore his oath of office and completed an extraordinary return to power, many historians, scholars and experts say his presidency has pushed American democracy to the brink – or beyond it.In the first year of Trump’s second term, the democratically elected US president has moved with startling speed to consolidate authority: dismantling federal agencies, purging the civil service, firing independent watchdogs, sidelining Congress, challenging judicial rulings, deploying federal force in blue cities, stifling dissent, persecuting political enemies, targeting immigrants, scapegoating marginalized groups, ordering the capture of a foreign leader, leveraging the presidency for profit, trampling academic freedom and escalating attacks on the news media. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Offshore gambling operators using Australian Open to promote illegal services 21. January 2026 (21:59) One offshore e-casino posted Instagram promotion featuring AO logo despite no affiliation with tournamentFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOffshore gambling operators are using the Australian Open to promote their illegal services, sparking calls for sweeping bans on the unlicensed websites.Australian regulators and sporting professionals have expressed rising concern at the growth of offshore sites, where gamblers are not protected by Australian consumer law and have no guarantee they can withdraw their winnings. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sheinbaum defends transfer of Mexican cartel members amid efforts to appease Trump 21. January 2026 (21:05) Analysts warn that Trump will probably demand more action from Mexico to counter drug-trafficking groupsMexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has defended the latest transfer of 37 Mexican cartel operatives to the US as a “sovereign decision”, as her government strives to alleviate pressure from the Trump administration to do more against drug-trafficking groups.It was the third such flight in the year since Donald Trump returned to the White House, but analysts warn that while it remains an effective pressure valve, the returns may be diminishing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
How Badenoch’s meeting with Mike Johnson led to Trump’s Chagos deal rant 21. January 2026 (21:00) A brief encounter set off a chain of events that culminated in a public rebuff to the US president from Keir StarmerWhen Kemi Badenoch met Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, on Monday evening, she pressed him on two issues: the Chagos Islands deal and North Sea oil drilling.Neither participant was part of their respective executive branch, and neither issue was at the centre of the crisis that has engulfed transatlantic politics. But before long, the meeting had some very real political consequences. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says Canada should be grateful for ‘freebies’ it gets from the US 21. January 2026 (21:00) US president singles out Mark Carney day after prime minister warned world is undergoing geopolitical ‘rupture’Donald Trump has said Canada should be “grateful” for the “freebies” it gets from the US, a day after its prime minister, Mark Carney, warned the world was undergoing a geopolitical “rupture”.Speaking those attending the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland, the US president singled out Carney’s speech that was sharply critical of US foreign policy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia news live: Coalition in crisis as Nationals resign en masse; hot weather on the way for long weekend 21. January 2026 (20:52) Temperatures to climb to 40C in Melbourne and Adelaide. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPurple tomatoes approved for saleThe novelty fruit, approved by regulators on Wednesday, gets its colour from added anthocyanin pigments – the same compounds found in blueberries and blackberries. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Val McDermid was assigned ‘sensitivity reader’ to cut offensive language from old books 21. January 2026 (20:51) Author discusses changes made to Lindsay Gordon novels from 80s and 90s to prepare for their rereleaseThe crime writer Val McDermid has revealed she was assigned a “sensitivity reader” to remove language that could cause offence from her earlier works.The Scottish author has sold more than 19m novels worldwide and is known for the authenticity of the dialogue in her work. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Washington Post demands government return electronics seized in raid of reporter’s home 21. January 2026 (20:34) The paper says ‘outrageous seizure’ of Hannah Natanson’s devices threatens press freedomThe Washington Post has asked a federal court in Virginia to force the US government to return materials belonging to reporter Hannah Natanson, whose apartment was raided last week.Natanson, who has closely reported on the ways in which the Trump administration has reshaped the federal government, had two laptops, two phones, a Garmin watch and other devices seized as part of an investigation into a government contractor’s alleged retention of classified materials, an action that press freedom groups decried as highly unusual and wildly inappropriate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fired DHS worker sues agency after he criticized Noem on an alleged fake date 21. January 2026 (20:26) Brandon Wright alleges criticism of the homeland security secretary is protected by the first amendmentA former employee of the Department of Homeland Security who was fired after video circulated of him on a date criticizing the agency’s head, Kristi Noem, sued the department on Monday, alleging the termination violated his first amendment rights.Brandon Wright, who worked at DHS for eight years in IT, said in a federal lawsuit that his time at the agency came to an “abrupt end” because of the “yellow journalism tactics” deployed by an unidentified woman he met on the dating app Bumble. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
