Family of 12-year-old Sydney Harbour shark attack victim prepare for ‘worst possible outcome’ 21. January 2026 (02:15) Close family friend says Nico Antic had ‘devastating injuries’ and was fighting for his life after more than 60 hours in hospitalFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
The family of the 12-year-old who was attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour are grieving as they contemplate “the worst possible outcome”.The boy, named as Nico Antic in an online fundraiser, has been fighting for his life after being bitten on both legs on 18 January at a harbour beach in Vaucluse, in Sydney’s east. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New poo balls on Sydney beaches after revelation of huge fatberg stuck in treatment plant 21. January 2026 (02:04) Exclusive: Sydney Water erects sign at Malabar beach near wastewater facility stating ‘do not touch any debris … we are cleaning the area’Fatberg the size of four buses likely birthed poo balls that closed Sydney beachesDebris balls have washed up on Sydney’s beaches after a weekend of heavy rain, with the objects found on Malabar beach next to a sewage treatment works and also in Botany Bay.Sydney Water erected a sign at Malabar beach warning of the potential pollution. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rambling Trump runs through his achievements as worried world watches on 21. January 2026 (01:26) As fears over Nato and Greenland hung in the air, president veered wildly off topic in briefing to tout his successes“I was quite the baseball player, you wouldn’t believe,” said Donald Trump, suddenly wistful as he recalled his the salad days when his mother would tell him, “Son, you could be a professional baseball player,” and he would reply, “Thanks, mom.” Carpe diem!Not for the first time on Tuesday, the US president had veered wildly off topic. The point of this story was a “big building” that “loomed over the park” in Queens, New York, where he used to play little league baseball. When he asked why it had bars on the windows, she told him it was a mental hospital. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge orders release of actor Timothy Busfield pending child sex abuse case 21. January 2026 (01:13) Emmy award winner faces charges of inappropriately touching a minor while on set directing a TV seriesA judge has ordered that actor Timothy Busfield be released from jail during a detention hearing on child sex abuse charges .The order Tuesday by state district court judge David Murphy is linked to accusations that Busfield inappropriately touching a minor while working as a director on the set of the series The Cleaning Lady. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nearly 400 millionaires and billionaires call for higher taxes on super-rich 21. January 2026 (01:01) Mark Ruffalo, Brian Eno and Abigail Disney sign letter timed for WEF in Davos saying wealthy are buying political influenceNearly 400 millionaires and billionaires from 24 countries are calling on global leaders to increase taxes on the super-rich, amid growing concern that the wealthiest in society are buying political influence.An open letter, released to coincide with the World Economic Forum in Davos, calls on global leaders attending this week’s conference to close the widening gap between the super-rich and everyone else. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Crunch time’ on rising costs of Send provision in England, says thinktank 21. January 2026 (01:01) IFS says system failing to deliver for those who need it and ministers face stark choices with white paper imminentThe government is facing “crunch time” over the rising costs and failures of special needs education for children in England, according to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.The IFS said government spending on educating children with special needs would double between 2015 and 2028, “squeezing funding” for mainstream schools as a result. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK grassroots music venues show lowest decline since 2018 as sector stabilises post-pandemic 21. January 2026 (01:01) The number of small venues shrank by just nine in 2025, but more than half of them reported making no profit, while employment in the sector dropped almost 22%The number of grassroots music venues (GMV) in the UK shrank in effect by just nine in 2025, the lowest rate of annual decline since 2018.Thirty venues closed permanently between July 2024 and 2025 and 48 ceased functioning as GMVs, citing financial viability, change in ownership and eviction or redevelopment. However, 69 spaces that had previously ceased operating as GMVs returned to the sector. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judi Dench backs campaign to protect London’s green spaces from developers 21. January 2026 (01:01) Actor says it is ‘more important than ever’ to safeguard city’s parks as report finds more than 50 are at riskDame Judi Dench has called for greater protections for London’s parks and green spaces, as research finds more than 50 of the city’s parks are at risk from development.The Oscar-winning actor has long loved trees, and in 2017 fronted a BBC documentary about her love for them. She plants a tree every time a close friend or relative dies, including for her late husband, Michael Williams, who died in 2001, and the actor Natasha Richardson, who was killed in a skiing accident in 2009, and one for her brother Jeffery Dench, who died in 2014. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump has growing stranglehold over EU and UK energy supply, study shows 21. January 2026 (01:01) European countries now reliant on US liquified natural gas shipments, creating risk of higher bills amid recent tensionsDonald Trump has a stranglehold over EU and UK energy supply as a result of Europe swapping its dependency on Russia for reliance on the US, analysis has shown.In part due to the war in Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions on Russian pipeline gas, European countries have become dependent on shipments of US liquified natural gas (LNG), according to a paper co-authored by the Clingendael Institute, in The Hague, the Ecologic Institute, in Berlin, and the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hugh Grant and Esther Ghey sign letter backing under-16s social media ban in UK 21. January 2026 (00:48) Actor and mother of Brianna Ghey among signatories of letter to three party leaders ahead of Lords voteThe actor Hugh Grant is among the signatories of a letter urging Westminster party leaders to ban social media for children under 16.The letter to Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Ed Davey calls on them to back amendment 94a to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill, ahead of peers voting on amendments on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
