Ilhan Omar and two other House members blocked from visiting ICE facility in Minnesota pred 18 urami in 56 minutami Democrats ejected even though judge ruled Congress members can’t be barred from visiting ICE facilitiesThree Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota, including House representative Ilhan Omar, were blocked from entering an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center located near Minneapolis on Saturday morning.The incident took place near the Whipple federal building in the Twin Cities as clashes and demonstrations continued after the shooting death of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE agent in south Minneapolis earlier in the week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australia’s Cop31 chief negotiator plans to lobby petrostates on fossil fuel phaseout pred 19 urami in 39 minutami Exclusive: Chris Bowen says key to next UN climate summit will be ‘engagement, engagement, engagement’ with countries such as Saudi ArabiaGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChris Bowen wants to use his stint as the world’s chief climate negotiator to lobby Saudi Arabia and others to stop resisting progress at UN summits, heeding calls for a “hard-nosed” approach in dealing with big emitters obstructing the transition.Appointed “president of negotiations” for Cop31 under the deal that handed Turkey hosting rights for the conference, Australia’s climate change and energy minister has told Guardian Australia a focus ahead of the summit would be talking to countries “with whom we don’t traditionally agree”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Call centre operator that won major Centrelink contract paid no corporate tax for two years pred 19 urami in 39 minutami Telco Services Australia generated more than $185m in revenue in 2024-25 and $130m the year before but paid zero taxGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn outsource call centre operator for Centrelink paid no corporate tax for several years even after winning a major government agency contract worth tens of millions of dollars, Guardian Australia can reveal.The Perth-headquartered company, Telco Services Australia, generated more than $185m in revenue in 2024-25 but reported no taxable income, new financial documents show.Do you know more? Email jonathan.barrett@theguardian.com Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Protester pulls down national flag from Iranian embassy in London pred 19 urami in 53 minutami Demonstrator seen putting up pre-Islamic revolution lion and sun flag in support of rallies challenging Tehran regimeA protester has climbed on to the balcony of the Iranian embassy in central London and pulled down the country’s flag during an anti-regime demonstration.
Social media footage appeared to show a man replacing the flag with the pre-Islamic revolution lion and sun flag, often used by opposition groups in the country.The Iranian embassy later posted a picture on its X account of the flag back in place with the caption “Iran’s flag is flying high”.
The Metropolitan police said an estimated 500 to 1,000 people attended the protest on Saturday at its peak in Kensington. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
St Louis residents report monkeys roaming on city streets pred 20 urami in 57 minutami 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 come to life.A handful of monkeys were spotted in north St Louis by residents on Friday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration suspends $129m in benefit payments to Minnesota pred 21 urami in 35 minutami USDA notified state’s governor of decision, citing inquiries into alleged fraud by local non-profits and businessesThe Trump administration announced it is suspending $129m in federal benefit payments to Minnesota amid allegations of widespread fraud in the state.The secretary of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brooke Rollins, shared a letter on Friday on social media that was addressed to Minnesota’s governor, Tim Walz, and the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, notifying them of the administration’s decision and citing investigations into alleged fraud conducted by local non-profits and businesses. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
David Lammy: JD Vance agrees that sexualised AI images on X are ‘unacceptable’ pred 21 urami in 39 minutami Exclusive: US vice-president ‘sympathetic’ to concerns over Grok-generated pornography, says deputy PMJD Vance, the US vice-president, has agreed that it is “entirely unacceptable” for platforms such as X to allow the proliferation of AI-generated sexualised images of women and children, David Lammy has told the Guardian.The deputy prime minister said Vance, usually known as an AI enthusiast, expressed concern about how the technology was being used to fuel “hyper-pornographied slop” online when they met in Washington on Thursday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump announces one-year 10% cap on credit card interest rates pred 22 urami in 37 minutami But critics expressed doubt that president can implement such a move without approval from CongressDonald Trump announced a one-year cap that would limit credit card interest rates to 10% this week, in a move that has prompted mixed reaction from lawmakers and beyond.The president’s social media post on Friday night said the restriction would take effect on 20 January, but he did not provide specifics on how the government would implement it or ensure that companies comply. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mamdani’s first 10 days: getting things done despite right’s dystopian fantasies pred 23 urami in 39 minutami The New York mayor’s popular moves on rent and free childcare defied rightwing predictions of a far-left hellscapeRightwing politicians and media issued grave warnings about Zohran Mamdani.The election of the democratic socialist would, according to some, cause a spike in crime, and a reduction in freedom, prompting rich people to flee the city and leading to, in the words of one conservative thinktank, “collapse, dependency, and political repression” in the manner of “Venezuela” and “Cuba”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nasa announces timeline of astronauts’ early departure from ISS due to ‘serious’ medical issue pred 23 urami in 43 minutami Space agency said crew of four will leave ISS next week with goal of touching down in California on 15 JanuaryNasa has announced when it will commence its first medical evacuation from the International Space Station after an astronaut fell ill with a “serious” but undisclosed issue.The US space agency announced on social media on Friday night that it will aim to have the crew leave the station no earlier than 5pm EST on Wednesday, 14 January, with the goal of them landing near California early on Thursday morning, 15 January, “depending on weather and recovery conditions”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
