UK arresting Palestine Action supporters is censoring free speech, says US official 19. January 2026 (20:38) Sarah Rogers says prosecuting people for ‘merely’ expressing support ‘does more harm than good’Arresting supporters of Palestine Action is “censoring” their free speech and “does more harm than good”, a Trump administration official has said.Sarah Rogers, the US undersecretary for public diplomacy, was asked in an interview with the news platform Semafor whether the British government should allow supporters of the proscribed terror group to protest. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Karen Solie’s Wellwater wins TS Eliot poetry prize 19. January 2026 (20:30) Poet’s sixth collection explores the destruction of the natural world, with a perspective shaped by her upbringing in rural CanadaThe Canadian poet Karen Solie has won the 2025 TS Eliot poetry prize for a collection of work, Wellwater, which explores the destruction of the natural world.Solie was announced as the winner at a ceremony held at the Wallace Collection on Monday evening, and will receive £25,000 in prize money from the TS Eliot Foundation. Wellwater, her sixth collection, co-won the Forward prize for best collection last October, alongside Vidyan Ravinthiran’s Avidyā. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Spain to hold three days of mourning after train crash that killed at least 40 19. January 2026 (20:24) Rescuers continue to comb through wreckage, as people search for missing loved ones and questions of why it happened emergeSpain will begin three days of mourning on Tuesday as rescuers continue to comb through the wreckage of twisted train cars and scattered debris to locate victims after a train collision that killed at least 40 people and injured dozens of others.On Monday, more than 18 hours after a high-speed train carrying about 300 Madrid-bound passengers derailed and collided with an oncoming train, people across the country were still scrambling to make contact with missing loved ones caught up in Spain’s worst rail disaster in more than a decade. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mother of murdered Brianna Ghey urges Starmer to ban social media for under-16s 19. January 2026 (19:10) Esther Ghey says daughter’s eating disorder and self-harm had been exacerbated by harmful online contentThe mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has urged Keir Starmer to ban social media for under-16s, adding to growing pressure on the prime minister before a crunch vote on the issue on Wednesday.Esther Ghey wrote to Starmer on Monday explaining in detail how she felt her daughter’s eating disorder and self-harm had been exacerbated by TikTok influencers with whom she had become obsessed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Italian fashion designer Valentino dies aged 93 19. January 2026 (19:05) His eponymous label is renowned for its opulent, elegant take on women’s fashion and has a legion of famous fansValentino Garavani, the designer central to pioneering Italian glamour with his eponymous fashion house, has died aged 93.“Valentino Garavani passed away today at his Roman residence, surrounded by his loved ones,” his foundation said on Instagram on Monday. “Valentino Garavani was not only a constant guide and inspiration for all of us, but a true source of light, creativity and vision,” it added. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ex-gambling bosses facing UK criminal trial lose civil case against regulator 19. January 2026 (17:54) Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman ordered to pay Gambling Commission’s costs after claim dismissedTwo gambling executives who are facing criminal charges of bribery and fraud have failed in a separate civil suit against the Gambling Commission, in which they accused the regulator of breaching their right to privacy.Kenny Alexander and Lee Feldman, the former chief executive and chair of Entain, the Ladbrokes and Coral owner, sued the gambling regulator last year, over its intervention in their failed attempt to take control of the online casino company 888. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Noem backtracks on ICE pepper spray denial amid tension in Minneapolis 19. January 2026 (17:42) US justice department announced it is investigating protesters in Minnesota who disrupted church servicesKristi Noem first denied that federal agents were using chemical agents against protesters, then after being shown video footage turned to blaming the protesters themselves, as tensions continued to run high amid the Trump administration’s surge of federal officers into Minneapolis.The head of homeland security, who has acted as spearhead for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in the city – known as “Operation Metro Surge” – told the CBS show Face the Nation on Sunday that her department had not used pepper spray against crowds. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Why the UK won’t retaliate to Trump tariffs over Greenland – The Latest 19. January 2026 (17:42) Keir Starmer has played down the possibility of retaliatory tariffs on the US, after Donald Trump threatened them against Nato allies unless they support his plan to take Greenland. At an emergency press conference, Starmer said tariffs would be the “wrong thing to do”.Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s senior political correspondent, Peter Walker – watch on YouTube Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Gestapo tactics’: Bruce Springsteen condemns Trump team’s ICE crackdown 19. January 2026 (17:18) New Jersey musician said during concert in home state that US core values ‘have never been as endangered’ as nowBruce Springsteen used a Saturday concert to decry what he called the “Gestapo tactics” of the Trump administration’s surge of immigration officers and said the country’s founding values “have never been as endangered as they are right now”.While performing in his home state of New Jersey, Springsteen dedicated his 1978 song The Promised Land to Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by an ICE officer in Minnesota. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Payback will be severe’: Mickey Rourke vows revenge on those behind crowdfunder ‘scam’ in his name 19. January 2026 (17:12) Oscar-nominated actor says his lawyer was trying to reimburse those who had donated money to a GoFundMe appeal set up allegedly to raise funds for the starThe actor Mickey Rourke has again spoken out against the GoFundMe appeal set up in his name, purportedly to raise funds for the star, who is currently in financial hardship.Earlier this month, the actor – who made his name in 1980s action and romance films before being Oscar nominated for his 2008 comeback, The Wrestler – declared he had nothing to do with the crowdfunder. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
