The Guardian

In today’s newsletter: A researcher with a focus on the region explains what’s behind deadly nationwide demonstrations and what a hardening of public opinion against the state might bringGood morning. At least 648 people have been killed by Iran’s security services during nationwide demonstrations, with more than 10,600 arrested. The unrest is widely seen as the most serious challenge to Iran’s Islamic Republic in recent years.People took to the streets for reasons ranging from rising economic hardship to long-simmering anger over political repression and civil rights. Together, they represent a hardening of public opinion against the state.Iran | Donald Trump

Wild success of television series drives huge demand for Game Changers novels, with Australian booksellers reporting significant customer ordersA seventh book in Rachel Reid’s gay romance series that inspired the TV drama Heated Rivalry will be out later this year but Australian fans are still struggling to get their hands on a physical copy of any of the preceding six books.Unrivalled, the next instalment in the Canadian author’s Game Changers series, will be released internationally on 29 September, the publisher HarperCollins announced on Tuesday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jan/13/heated-rivalry-book-wait-television-show-hockey-series Author : Stephanie Convery Publish date : 2026-01-13 04:01:00 Copyright

Exclusive: Chinese officials are using a ‘highly specific’ interpretation of EU rules to suggest Taiwanese figures should not be granted visas, officials sayChinese officials have been pushing “legal advice” on European countries, saying their own border laws require them to ban entry to Taiwanese politicians, according to more than half a dozen diplomats and officials familiar with the matter.The officials made demarches to European embassies in Beijing, or through local embassies directly to European governments in their capital cities, warning the European countries not to “trample on China’s red lines”, according to the European diplomats and ministries who spoke to

Ructions within festival board over Palestinian-Australian academic’s inclusion began in October, email revealsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFormer New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has become the latest international headline act to pull out of the 2026 Adelaide writers’ week in protest over the Adelaide festival board’s decision to rescind its invitation to Palestinian-Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah.Ardern had been scheduled to discuss her memoir A Different Kind of Power with the ABC’s host of 7.30, Sarah Ferguson, on 3 March. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jan/12/jacinda-ardern-pulls-out-of-adelaide-writers-week-as-fallout-over-randa-abdel-fattahs-axing-continues-ntwnfb Author : Kelly Burke Publish date : 2026-01-12 22:54:00

Prime minister speaks to the media this morning after recalling parliament for two days next week. Follow updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKevin Rudd will step down from his role as Australian ambassador to the US at the end of March, Albanese just announced.On behalf of our nation, we thank Kevin for his service to Australia, and for taking forward Australia’s interests with our closest security ally.That community will be grieving today, and I say to those people in Victoria but also those in the flood-affected areas of Queensland: this is not over.Please stay

Senator condemned president’s bid to weaken central bank’s independence and examined Democrats’ futureFed chair investigation - live updatesDemocratic senator Elizabeth Warren said on Monday that Donald Trump’s attempts to control the Federal Reserve “undermines America all around the world” as she laid out a path for the future of the Democratic party focused on economic policies.In remarks at the National Press Club in Washington DC, the Massachusetts senator, who chairs the Senate banking committee, decried the US president’s latest attempt to weaken the central bank’s independence after the Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into its chair, Jerome Powell.

‘Given he was sacked for his dodgy tax affairs, this was never going to happen,’ says sourceZahawi says he accepts that the Conservatives are to blame for some of the problems facinng the country.Since leaving parliament, I have been reflecting on the successes and failures of my old party’s time in government, and I rue the timidity, even at times the weakness, with which we try to deal with the problems of the country.My analysis is that a huge culprit is the over-mighty bureaucratic inertia that now dominates and runs the country, that has taken control of swathes of the

Journalists call on homeland security officials to reduce law-enforcement confrontations as tensions flareAfter a year in which US journalists faced a dramatic increase in violence from law enforcement, news organizations and advocacy groups have recently tried to better protect reporters through outreach to the Department of Homeland Security.Over the last four months, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a collection of New York news outlets have sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security attempting to open dialogue to reduce confrontations between law enforcement officers and journalists at protests, especially over efforts to deport alleged undocumented immigrants.

US president repeats his desire for the territory as he mocks its defences as ‘two dog sleds’ and shrugs off impact on NatoChair of the Danish parliament’s Greenland committee, Aaja Chemnitz, told reporters that the planned meeting with US senators was “good news” as it was “important for us to use all the diplomatic connections we have at our disposal.”Chemnitz, a Greenlandic politician sitting in the Danish parliament, said there were “lots” of incorrect claims about Greenland, and “it is absolutely crucial we get some truths on the table.” Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jan/12/greenland-denmark-us-donald-trump-ukraine-russia-europe-latest-news-updates Author : Jakub Krupa Publish

US president says he ‘may have to act’ before talks amid crackdown that rights group says has led to at least 538 deaths‘The streets are full of blood’: Iranian protests gather momentum as regime cracks downIranian student killed during protests was shot in head ‘from close range’Analysis: Unpredictable Trump weighs up Iranian pleas for help against calls for restraintThe Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also reportedly said this morning that internet connectivity would shortly be restored in Iran, including to embassies and government ministries. He did not say how long it would take for the internet to be restored.Iran’s internet

Police allege a 47-year-old imam was assaulted after he and his wife were forced off the road by three people in Melbourne’s south-eastFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThree people have been arrested after a Muslim leader was allegedly forced from his car on a Melbourne freeway and punched in the face in what police say was a racially motivated attack.The Bosnia-Herzegovina Islamic Society in Noble Park said its leader, Imam Ismet Purdic, and his wife who was also allegedly forced from the car, had suffered “profound trauma”

More than $80,000 already raised to support treatment of Scott, who confronted Joel Cauchi alone during the April 2024 Westfield attackFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAmy Scott, the New South Wales police officer who pursued and shot the perpetrator of the Bondi Junction stabbing attack, has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form of breast cancer”.Joel Cauchi killed six people in a mass stabbing attack on 13 April 2024 at the Bondi Westfield shopping centre, wounding another 10. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/12/amy-scott-bondi-junction-stabbing-hero-police-officer-cancer Author : Andrew Messenger

NSW premier said councils will have the power to cut off utilities if operators ignore planning laws and cease-use notices. Follow the latest updates liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictoria premier returns to Bendigo home after evacuating during firesThe Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has posted a video on social media returning to her home in Bendigo, after she was among thousands forced to evacuate on Friday evening due to bushfires.You can see here that the fire is still in the landscape across Mount Alexander, and just on the other side of that ridge line is

Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah accused British intelligence services of providing questions to his CIA interrogatorsThe UK has settled out of court by paying a “substantial sum” to a Guantánamo Bay detainee who was suing the government for its alleged complicity in his rendition and torture, according to the inmate’s legal team.Lawyers for Abu Zubaydah have accused the British intelligence services of providing questions to his CIA interrogators to put to him while they were torturing him at a string of CIA “black sites” around the world where he was held between 2002 and 2006. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/11/uk-pays-substantial-sum-to-tortured-guantanamo-bay-detainee

Tehran issues warning after Donald Trump says US stands ready to help amid crackdown on demonstrationsIran has warned the US not to attack over protests that have rocked the country, as Donald Trump weighed the options for a response from Washington, with the reported death toll from the demonstrations soaring to the hundreds.At least 538 people have been killed in the violence surrounding demonstrations, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRNA), including 490 protesters. The group reported that more than 10,600 people were arrested by Iranian authorities. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/11/iran-arrests-protest-leaders-as-crackdown-intensifies-amid-threat-of-us-intervention Author : William Christou

55-year-old worker died during overnight shiftTemperatures plunged to -12C in Cortina d’AmpezzoA guard at a construction site near a 2026 Winter Olympic venue in the mountain resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo died during a freezing overnight shift, authorities have confirmed. Italy’s infrastructure minister, Matteo Salvini, called for a full investigation into the circumstances of the 55-year-old worker’s death.Italian media reported that the death occurred on Thursday while the worker was on duty at a construction site near Cortina’s ice arena. Temperatures that night plunged to -12C (10.4F). Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/11/guard-winter-olympic-construction-site-freezing-death Author : AP Publish date : 2026-01-11 16:43:00

Survey by online health directory Cleanbill finds more than 1,000 clinics switched from private or mixed billing to full bulk billing since start of 2025Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGP bulk-billing rates have rebounded following incentives introduced by the federal government in November, analysis by the online health directory Cleanbill shows.The national analysis, published on Monday, found the proportion of fully bulk-billing clinics almost doubled to 40.2% by the end of 2025, from 20.7% the year before. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jan/12/almost-twice-as-many-australian-gp-clinics-bulk-billing-since-medicare-incentive-changes-analysis-suggests Author : Melissa Davey Medical editor Publish date : 2026-01-11 14:00:00 Copyright

Heidi Alexander calls for end to violence while Tory leader says she would ‘not have an issue’ with regime changeThe UK wants to see a peaceful transition of power in Iran, a cabinet minister has said, after Donald Trump said he could support protesters with military force.As the US weighs the option of military strikes, Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said she would not be drawn on America’s foreign policy towards Iran, where protests have been met with a violent police response. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/11/uk-wants-peaceful-transition-of-power-in-iran-says-uk-minister Author : Rowena Mason Whitehall editor Publish date : 2026-01-11 11:20:00 Copyright

Opposition leader says a future Conservative government would ban phones in schools, as teachers’ union also backs social media banGeraldine McKelvie is a senior correspondent at the GuardianOne of the UK’s biggest teaching unions has called on the government to ban social media for under-16s over concerns about mental health and concentration.Teachers are dealing every day with the fallout of a social media landscape not originally designed and not suitable for children. Social media companies have shown time and again that they will not act responsibly unless they are forced to do so.If we are serious about safeguarding children, protecting

Resignations follow withdrawal of more than 70 participants in writers’ week after Palestinian Australian author disinvitedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Adelaide festival is facing an unprecedented leadership crisis after three board members resigned this weekend.The journalist Daniela Ritorto, the Adelaide businesswoman Donny Walford and the lawyer Nick Linke have stepped down since the board’s controversial decision to dump the Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 writers’ week program. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/jan/11/three-board-members-resign-from-adelaide-festival-as-randa-abdel-fattah-sends-legal-notice-ntwnfb Author : Kelly Burke Publish date : 2026-01-11 06:31:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

State department says armed ‘colectivos’ appear to be setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for AmericansThe United States has urged its citizens to leave Venezuela immediately amid reports that armed paramilitaries are trying to track down US citizens, one week after the capture of the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.In a security alert sent out on Saturday, the state department said there were reports of armed members of pro-regime militias, known as colectivos, setting up roadblocks and searching vehicles for evidence that the occupants were US citizens or supporters of the country. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/10/us-citizens-venezuela-paramilitaries Author

Rhythm guitarist helped guide the legendary jam band through decades of change and successVeteran rock musician Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead’s rhythm guitarist who helped guide the legendary jam band through decades of change and success, has died at age 78, according to a statement posted to his verified Instagram account on Friday.He was diagnosed with cancer in July and “succumbed to underlying lung issues” surrounded by loved ones, the statement said. It did not mention when or where he died. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/10/bob-weir-grateful-dead-dies-78 Author : Reuters Publish date : 2026-01-11 01:01:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs

Officials expect charge against Daricka Moore, 24, to be elevated to capital murder, with death penalty consideredAuthorities in Clay county, Mississippi, say a man has been taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder following the fatal shootings of six people, including a child, on Friday night.Daricka Moore, 24, is accused of killing multiple relatives as well as a local pastor before his arrest, according to Clay county sheriff Eddie Scott, who addressed the case during a Saturday news conference. Officials said the charge against Moore, who lives in the county, is expected to be elevated to capital murder, and

Adam Johnson served 75 days in prison before being pardoned by Donald Trump in January 2025A Florida man who was convicted then pardoned by Donald Trump after he grabbed then House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern and posed for photographs with it during the US Capitol riot is running for county office.Adam Johnson filed to run as a Republican for an at-large seat on the Manatee county commission on Tuesday. That was the fifth anniversary of the January 6 riot, when he was photographed smiling and waving as he carried Pelosi’s lectern after the pro-Trump mob’s attack in 2021. Continue reading...

St Louis zoo identified the stray simians as vervet monkeys, but it’s not known where they came fromSome residents in St Louis, Missouri, spotted monkeys roaming their streets this week in a situation that feels like the movie Jumanji came to life.A handful monkeys were spotted in north St Louis by residents on Friday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/10/st-louis-missouri-monkeys Author : Eric Berger Publish date : 2026-01-10 17:42:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.