Trump approves federal emergency declaration for Potomac River sewage spill 21. February 2026 (18:51) Millions of gallons of raw sewage have been pouring into the water through a ruptured pipe since last monthDonald Trump approved a federal emergency declaration Saturday related to a sewer main break north of Washington DC that threatens to put a stink on the US’s 250th anniversary celebrations in the US capital this summer.“The president’s action authorizes Fema to coordinate all disaster relief efforts to alleviate the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population and to provide appropriate assistance to save lives, to protect property, public health and safety, and to lessen the threat of catastrophe,” a release from the Federal Emergency Management Agency said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police responder to 2017 London Bridge attack sacked for ‘derogatory’ language 21. February 2026 (18:34) DC Mark Luker used offensive language about Romas, Gypsies and Travellers in a WhatsApp groupA police officer who was one of the first on the scene of the 2017 London Bridge terror attack has been sacked for gross misconduct after using “derogatory” language about Romas, Gypsies and Travellers.DC Mark Luker of the British Transport Police (BTP) used offensive language in a WhatsApp group he was in with other police officers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump raises tariffs to 15% on imports from all countries 21. February 2026 (18:01) President announced increase from 10% using different authority from mechanism that supreme court struck down on FridayDonald Trump announced on Saturday that he would raise a temporary tariff rate on US imports from all countries from 10% to 15%, less than 24 hours after the US supreme court ruled against the legality of his flagship trade policy.Infuriated by the high court’s ruling on Friday that he had exceeded his authority and should have got congressional approval for the tariffs, the US president railed against the justices who blocked his use of tariffs, calling them a “disgrace to the nation”, and ordered an immediate 10% tariff on all imports, in addition to any existing levies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Immensely heartened’: Sally Rooney hails Palestine Action high court ruling as victory for UK civil liberties 21. February 2026 (18:00) Exclusive: Irish author, who feared her books being withdrawn from UK, says proscription had been ‘extreme assault’ on rights and freedomsSally Rooney has hailed the high court’s decision that it was unlawful to ban Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws as a victory for civil liberties in Britain.Ministers suffered a humiliating legal defeat a week ago when three senior judges ruled that proscription of the direct action group, which targets organisations it considers complicit in arming Israel, was disproportionate and unlawful. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Iran refusing to export highly enriched uranium but willing to dilute purity, sources say 21. February 2026 (17:55) Proposal will be at heart of offer to US as Trump considers whether to attack IranIran is refusing to export its 300kg stockpile of highly enriched uranium, but is willing to dilute the purity of the stockpile it holds under the supervision of UN nuclear inspectorate the IAEA, Iranian sources have said.The proposal will be at the heart of the offer Iran is due to make to the US in the next few days, as the US president, Donald Trump, weighs whether to use his vast naval build-up in the Middle East to attack the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Combative Carlson-Huckabee interview reveals US right’s chasm over Israel 21. February 2026 (17:00) Parts of Maga view Israel with suspicion, but US ambassador continues to believe in its divine right to much of the Middle EastParts of the Maga right may be souring on Israel – but a hardline form of Christian Zionism seems to remain unofficial Trump administration policy, if a heated debate between Tucker Carlson and Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, is any indication.On Friday, Carlson released a confrontational video interview with Huckabee, conducted at Ben Gurion airport in Israel, that vividly illustrated a gaping divide between two factions of the Republican party. On one side is a Christian nationalist stream of the Maga movement, which views the United States’s close relationship with Israel with increasing suspicion. On the other is an older Christian conservative establishment that views that alliance as a totem of US foreign policy – and in some cases believes that Israeli Jews possess a divine right to a large swathe of the Middle East, US public opinion be damned. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Don’t be fooled by recent good news, the UK economy is still in a precarious state 21. February 2026 (17:00) Labour MPs may clamour for bolder spending, but – like their Tory and Reform counterparts – they ask for the unaffordableToo many Labour MPs want it all, and no amount of pleading from the top of government about the depleted public finances seems to make a difference.The mainly leftist MPs want all the wrongs of the last 15 years put right and quickly. Their next opportunity to demand more cash arrives when Rachel Reeves delivers her spring statement on 3 March. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Salad praise: how ice hockey’s ‘lettuce’ hair is winning over Hollywood 21. February 2026 (15:00) Gentler take on mullet has flowed over shoulders at Winter Olympics and is now tossed on red carpetsHair cut ideas are typically drummed up in the salon, but recently a more unconventional source of inspiration has appeared: the vegetable aisle.“Lettuce hair” is trending. A gentler take on a traditional mullet, the new salad style consists of more subtle differences in the length between the back, sides and top of the hair. Lettuce hair features a loose and often wavy top, softly tapered sides and a feathery tail that skims the back of the neck, resembling leafy greens. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US lawmakers seek release of double amputee from Georgia ICE detention 21. February 2026 (15:00) Congress members write to Kristi Noem to express ‘grave concern’ over detention of Georgia barber Rodney TaylorRepresentative Pramila Jayapal and 20 members of Congress are seeking the release of Rodney Taylor from Stewart detention center in Georgia, several weeks after the one-year anniversary of when agents seized the double amputee outside his suburban home in Loganville, about 40 miles north-east of Atlanta.The representatives sent a two-page letter on 17 February to Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, and Todd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), drawing extensively from the Guardian’s reporting and quoting several stories in detail with “grave concern” due to Taylor’s “extreme hardship in detention and [because] his health is continuing to deteriorate”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US farmers are rejecting multimillion-dollar datacenter bids for their land: ‘I’m not for sale’ 21. February 2026 (15:00) Families are navigating the tough choice between unimaginable riches and the identity that comes with landWhen two men knocked on Ida Huddleston’s door last May, they carried a contract worth more than $33m in exchange for the Kentucky farm that had fed her family for centuries.According to Huddleston, the men’s client, an unnamed “Fortune 100 company”, sought her 650 acres (260 hectares) in Mason county for an unspecified industrial development. Finding out any more would require signing a non-disclosure agreement. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
