Treasury calls in Blair thinktank to advise on using AI across public services 25. February 2026 (17:51) Tech equity campaigners compare move to ‘inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse’Ministers have called in Tony Blair’s thinktank and private tech companies to guide them on deploying AI across the UK government in a move campaigners compared to “inviting in foxes to consult on the future of the henhouse”.James Murray, chief secretary to the Treasury, chaired a meeting on Wednesday with the director of AI at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), the chair of IBM and senior executives at AI companies including Faculty AI, now part of Accenture, and Dex Hunter-Torricke, a former communications adviser at Google, Facebook and Elon Musk’s Space X. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Labour ministers explore ways of easing burden of plan 2 student loans 25. February 2026 (17:48) Government looks at options such as increasing loan repayment thresholds amid growing pressureMinisters are examining ways to ease the burden of student loans after weeks of pressure over a policy pulling more people into repayments, the Guardian understands.The Treasury and the Department for Education are reviewing different options to offer relief to those with plan 2 student loans, which often leave graduates in England and Wales paying tens of thousands more than the original loan amount. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Confusion over Chagos Islands deal as Foreign Office denies handover ‘paused’ 25. February 2026 (17:43) Minister ‘misspoke’ by telling MPs UK was ‘pausing for discussions with our American counterparts’, officials sayUK politics live – latest updatesPlans to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius are still on track, the UK government has insisted, after a minister caused confusion by telling MPs that the deal was “paused”.Hamish Falconer, a Foreign Office minister and former diplomat, was speaking on Wednesday as the deal came under increasing pressure from opposition parties in the UK and from Donald Trump. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
States sue Trump administration over changes to vaccine recommendations for children 25. February 2026 (17:18) States call move an illegal threat to public health and argue CDC puts children’s lives at risk with new guidanceMore than a dozen states, including California, sued the Trump administration over its rollback of vaccine recommendations for children, calling the move an illegal threat to public health.The states argue that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put children’s lives at risk when it announced last month that it would stop recommending all children get immunized against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV. Under the new guidance, which was met with criticism from medical experts, protections against those diseases are recommended only for certain groups deemed high risk or when doctors recommend them in what’s called “shared decision-making.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fly-tipping across England reaches record high 25. February 2026 (17:09) Fines for illegal dumping decreased over past year with only 0.2% of incidents resulting in court actionFly-tipping incidents across England have reached the highest level since current records began, with most offences continuing to involve household waste.In 2024-25, 1.26m fly-tipping incidents were recorded by local authorities, an increase of 9% on the 1.15m reported in the year before, according to data released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Wednesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bill Gates apologizes to foundation staff for Jeffrey Epstein ties 25. February 2026 (16:41) Microsoft co-founder admits affairs and calls meetings ‘huge mistake’ but denies involvement in Epstein’s crimesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxBill Gates apologized to staff of his foundation for his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and admitted to two affairs but stated he did not participate in the convicted sex offender’s crimes, according to a Wall Street Journal report.At a town hall on Tuesday, Gates, the Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, said it was a “huge mistake to spend time with Epstein” and to bring Gates Foundation executives to meetings with Epstein. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israel responsible for two-thirds of record 129 press killings in 2025, says CPJ 25. February 2026 (16:32) Committee to Protect Journalists report says Israel also to blame for 81% of ‘intentionally targeted’ journalist killings The deadly toll on journalists in the Gaza warA record 129 journalists and media workers were killed in the course of their work in 2025, and two-thirds of them were killed by Israel, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said.It was the second straight year that killings set a record and the second straight year that Israel was responsible for two-thirds of them, the CPJ, a New York-based independent organisation that documents attacks on the press, said in its annual report. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wellness influencer picked by Trump for surgeon general faces Senate grilling 25. February 2026 (16:30) Critics concerned as Casey Means, aligned with RFK Jr on vaccine stance, does not have active medical licenceCasey Means, Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general of the United States, appeared before lawmakers on the Senate committee for health, labor and pensions on Wednesday, after her initial confirmation hearing was postponed in October when she went into labor hours before she was set to testify.Means is the president’s controversial pick for the role of the nation’s top doctor, responsible for disseminating the latest public health guidance. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Germany accused of ditching climate targets as it scraps renewables mandate 25. February 2026 (16:11) Coalition government agrees to remove parts of controversial law and allow homes to rely on fossil fuels Germany’s coalition government has been accused of abandoning its climate targets after agreeing to scrap parts of a contentious heating law mandating the use of renewables in favour of a draft law allowing homeowners to rely on fossil fuels.While the previous law required most newly installed heating systems to use at least 65% renewable energy, often with a heat pump, the amended legislation will allow households to keep using oil and gas. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Disputes over Hamas disarmament stall Gaza peace plan progress 25. February 2026 (16:06) Hamas to almost certainly reject plan described in Israeli press, say experts, as no guarantee Israel will withdraw on surrender of weaponsProgress in the Gaza peace plan has stalled over disagreements on how Hamas should be disarmed, with Israel threatening to go back to full-scale war if the condition is not carried out quickly.The second phase of the US-brokered ceasefire, which Washington declared had begun in January, was meant to involve Hamas disarming, Israeli forces withdrawing, and a Palestinian interim administration moving into Gaza backed by a Palestinian police force and an international stabilisation force (ISF). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
