Mafia accused of using Naples hospital for fraud and illegal transport of corpses 26. February 2026 (15:57) Four arrests over Camorra’s alleged infiltration of San Giovanni Bosco to carry out lucrative criminal activityItalian police on Wednesday arrested four people over an alleged Camorra plot to infiltrate a Naples hospital, stage fake crashes for insurance payouts and spirit corpses away on oxygen-masked stretchers to profit from private ambulance transfers.The investigation, prompted by the testimony of a state witness, uncovered a web of lucrative criminal activity allegedly carried out by members of the Contini clan of the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia, inside San Giovanni Bosco hospital. Prosecutors said the “operations were made possible by the organisation’s capacity for intimidation, a force that bent public officials and private citizens alike to its will”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British-Danish couple say new UK passport rules may separate them from children 26. February 2026 (15:52) Family learned of change while abroad, and fear dual-national children will have to stay with relatives while they return to apply for passportsA British man and a Danish woman fear they will be separated from their young children in Copenhagen airport because of new border control rules on British dual nationals.James Scrivens and his wife, Sara, who live in Wales, were visiting relatives in Norway and Denmark during the school holidays, and learned about the new Home Office rules only while they were abroad. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pauline Hanson’s daughter employed in taxpayer-funded job with NSW One Nation senator 26. February 2026 (15:00) Exclusive: Tasmanian Lee Hanson employed as senior adviser to Sean Bell in role worth as much as $180,000Australian Politics podcast: One Nation woos progressive votersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation has employed Pauline Hanson’s Tasmanian-based daughter as a senior adviser to a New South Wales senator, in a taxpayer-funded role worth as much as $180,000 a year.Guardian Australia can reveal that Lee Hanson, who lives just outside Hobart, was appointed as the senior adviser to Senator Sean Bell in October last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
An oil refinery defined life in this quaint California city. What happens when it’s gone? 26. February 2026 (15:00) For decades, the Valero refinery shaped Benicia’s economy, politics and health. Now the city has become a reluctant test case of whether an oil town can reinvent itselfLess than 40 miles north of San Francisco, the city of Benicia has the quaint ambience of an American small town, where a white gazebo and sign for a community crab bake mark the approach to a vibrant downtown stretch of restaurants, cafes and antique shops.From many vantage points, it’s easy to forget the city is home to a massive 900-acre oil refinery, its imposing sprawl of stacks, holding tanks and billowing steam hidden from view. But for nearly 60 years, the refinery has loomed over every aspect of life in Benicia, exerting outsized influence on its economy and politics, while posing serious risks to public health. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Albanese should demand reparations from Israel, say families of Australian soldiers whose graves were bulldozed 26. February 2026 (15:00) A third family says the Australian government must do more to hold Israel and the Israeli Defence Force to account, including demanding an apologyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe families of dead Australian soldiers whose graves were bulldozed by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza have called for reparations and urged the Albanese government to hold Israel accountable.Earlier this month, the Guardian revealed that the IDF had bulldozed parts of the Gaza War Cemetery – the resting place of Australian, British and Canadian soldiers who served in the first and second world wars. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Unbelievably dangerous’: experts sound alarm after ChatGPT Health fails to recognise medical emergencies 26. February 2026 (15:00) Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of casesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChatGPT Health regularly misses the need for medical urgent care and frequently fails to detect suicidal ideation, a study of the AI platform has found, which experts worry could “feasibly lead to unnecessary harm and death”.OpenAI launched the “Health” feature of ChatGPTto limited audiences in January, which it promotes as a way for users to “securely connect medical records and wellness apps” to generate health advice and responses. More than 40 million people reportedly ask ChatGPT for health-related advice every day. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘A gift that falls from the sky’: why farmers are using Etna’s ash as fertiliser 26. February 2026 (15:00) Falling volcanic ash has for years been viewed as a nuisance. But a Sicilian project has discovered its agricultural potential and wants to spread the wordIn the Sicilian town of Giarre overlooking Mount Etna, Andrea Passanisi, a tropical and citrus fruits producer, uses an unusual fertiliser on his 100-hectare (247-acre) stretch of land: volcano ash.Like hundreds of farmers and citizens of rural towns perched on the slopes of Europe’s highest and most active volcano, the 41-year-old’s family has had to deal with the nuisance of falling volcanic ash for generations. But it is only in recent years that the quantity of ash has become so excessive that it required an alternative approach. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hundreds of film-makers back Berlinale director in row over winners’ Gaza comments 26. February 2026 (14:07) Tilda Swinton among those to sign petition supporting Tricia Tuttle, who reportedly faces sack after pro-Palestine speeches at galaProminent directors and actors have rallied in support of the American head of the Berlin film festival in response to reports she could be sacked over comments by award-winners criticising the war in Gaza and the German government’s support for Israel.Germany’s federal government commissioner for culture and media, Wolfram Weimer, convened a crisis meeting on Thursday on the “future direction of the Berlinale”, which is among Europe’s top three cinema showcases with Cannes and Venice. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Number of young people in UK not in work or education rises closer to 1m 26. February 2026 (14:02) Number of Neets climbs to 957,000, up 11,000 on previous quarter, ONS says, driven by rise among young womenThe number of young people in the UK not working or in education has risen closer to a million, figures show, as a government adviser warned that society’s expectation of each generation doing better than the next was “now being broken”.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people aged 16 to 24 who were not in education, employment or training (Neet) rose to 957,000 in the final three months of last year, equating to 12.8% of this age group. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Far-right Base group claims murders in Ukraine amid questions over Russia ties 26. February 2026 (14:00) Leaked information obtained by Guardian paints disturbing picture of violence waged by terror group’s Ukrainian cellThe Ukrainian wing of an internationally proscribed terrorist organization with suspected links to Russia is continuing to claim multiple murders in Ukraine, which comes after it was linked to the brazen assassination of an intelligence officer in Kyiv over the summer.In a Telegram post, the Ukrainian cell of the Base – born in the US, but with a web of cells all over the world – claimed “a successful operation to eliminate an enemy agent in Odesa” in a car bombing, which was later reported on in local Ukrainian media. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
