BA owner’s profits rise by 20% despite drop in passenger numbers last year 27. February 2026 (12:40) IAG enjoys record operating profits on margins of more than 15% at British Airways and sister airline IberiaBritish Airways’ owner, International Airlines Group, has announced a sharp rise in annual profits to almost £4bn despite a slight fall in passenger numbers in 2025.Pre-tax profits across IAG increased by 20% to €4.5bn (£3.9bn), with record operating profits on margins of more than 15% at BA and its sister airline Iberia. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Brigitte Bardot tribute at the César awards greeted with boos 27. February 2026 (12:36) A shout of ‘racist’ could also be heard during the segment at France’s version of the OscarsA tribute to Brigitte Bardot at the Césars, France’s version of the Oscars, on Thursday was greeted with boos. In a video clip posted by Paris Match, boos can clearly be heard among the applause as the tributes, and a shout of “racist!” is also audible.Bardot, who died in December aged 91, became arguably the most celebrated figure in postwar French cinema for films such as And God Created Woman and Contempt, but after quitting acting in the early 1970s her later years were marred by increasing political activity on the far right, resulting in a string of convictions for inciting racial hatred. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
CBS News and CNN staffers fear ‘disaster’ as Paramount wins Warner Bros battle 27. February 2026 (12:00) Decision by Netflix to walk away from takeover leaves workers anxious about possible merger of news networksNetflix’s decision to walk away from its $83bn bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has left some staffers working at CBS News and CNN panicking about the future as the two top-tier news operations come under the same roof.With Paramount Skydance emerging as the winning bidder, a deal that still requires the approval of WBD shareholders and government regulators, they fear the merging of the two networks – and, with it, the potential for a significant amount of job cuts. Some CNN employees are also nervous about Paramount’s Trump-friendly ownership and leadership enacting ideologically driven programming changes at the network, with particular concern about the specter of CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss possibly getting a significant role. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bill Clinton to testify before House committee investigating Epstein links 27. February 2026 (12:00) Deposition comes one day after Hillary Clinton testified and called proceedings ‘partisan political theater’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxFormer president Bill Clinton is scheduled to give deposition Friday to a congressional committee investigating his links to Jeffrey Epstein, one day after Hillary Clinton testified before the committee and called the proceedings “partisan political theatre” and “an insult to the American people”.During remarks before the House oversight committee, Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, insisted on Thursday that she had never met Epstein. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump says affordability crisis is over. Voters and data disagree 27. February 2026 (12:00) Despite claims, polls and economists say tariffs and structural pressures keep US households under strainThe affordability crisis is over, Donald Trump told the US on Tuesday. The president’s state of the union address put the blame for soaring prices squarely on the “dirty, rotten” lies of the Democrats and claimed prices were now “plummeting downward”.“Soon you will see numbers that few people would think were possible to achieve just a short time ago,” Trump said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia and Ukraine agree local ceasefire to allow repairs at Europe’s largest nuclear plant – Europe live 27. February 2026 (11:56) The plant relies on external power to keep its nuclear material cool and avoid a catastrophic accidentThe European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU will provisionally apply the contested EU-Mercosur free trade agreement.Speaking from Brussels, she said that the European Council had last month empowered the commission to provisionally apply the agreement as soon as the first Mercosur country ratifies it, and as Uruguay and Argentina did that yesterday, the commission wants to move ahead with the plan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Weather tracker: US cities close schools and cancel flights amid heavy snowfall 27. February 2026 (11:00) Winter Storm Hernando, which struck north-eastern regions this week, described as a ‘bomb cyclone’Winter Storm Hernando swept across the north-eastern US on Sunday and into the start of the week, unleashing blizzard conditions across much of the region as heavy snowfall combined with gale-force winds. Blizzard warnings were issued for several cities including New York City, Portland and Boston. More than 10,000 flights were cancelled, and schools closed in many states.The storm intensified rapidly through Sunday. Coastal areas of Massachusetts and Rhode Island recorded gusts of about 70mph, and Montauk Point in New York reporting stronger gusts of 84mph. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Manifesto planning ‘mass casualties’ allegedly found at home of WA man charged with preparing terror attack 27. February 2026 (10:16) Prime minister says reports 20-year-old was allegedly going to target mosques, WA police and parliament are ‘distressing’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPolice in Western Australia have charged a 20-year-old man with preparing a terrorist attack, with Anthony Albanese describing the allegation as “deeply shocking”.The man was charged with acting in preparation for a terrorist act, possessing a prohibited weapon, two firearms offences and using a carriage service to menace or harass. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hornby sells slot car racing brand Scalextric for £20m 27. February 2026 (10:01) Purbeck Capital Partners seals deal for business and property rights of toy with model railway makerFor almost six decades Hornby has watched Scalextric drive revenues for its hobby business but on Friday the company said it had decided to sell the famous slot car racing brand for £20m to a little-known buyer.The model railway company, which also sells toy planes and cars under the Airfix and Corgi brands, has sold the Scalextric business and intellectual property rights to Purbeck Capital Partners. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘More exploitation, fewer rights’: Argentina braces for sweeping overhaul of labor laws 27. February 2026 (10:00) Javier Milei’s boosters say law will revive employment, but critics decry cuts to severance and longer working hoursArgentina’s senate is poised to approve a sweeping overhaul of labour laws aimed at weakening trade unions and lowering labour costs for businesses.The government of the self-styled “anarcho-capitalist” president, Javier Milei, says the initiative will help revive formal employment, after 290,600 registered jobs were lost between December 2023, when he took office, and November 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
