Schools in England to get budget for children with special needs as part of Send overhaul 19. February 2026 (19:50) Children to get individual support directly from school instead of via council in attempt to curb spiralling costsChildren in England with special needs will receive individual support and therapy directly from their schools as part of the government’s overhaul of England’s special education provision.Under the plans, mainstream schools will be given commissioning budgets to spend on therapists or additional support, instead of the money being controlled by highly indebted local authorities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
French prosecutor seeks murder charges over killing of far-right activist 19. February 2026 (19:37) Political tensions rise after fatal attack at protest in Lyon as Emmanuel Macron hits out over remarks by Italian PMA French prosecutor is seeking murder charges against seven suspects in the fatal beating of a far-right activist that has fuelled political anger beyond France’s borders, prompting Emmanuel Macron to tell Italy’s Giorgia Meloni to keep out of French affairs.Quentin Deranque, 23, died from head injuries after being attacked by at least six people on the sidelines of a far-right protest in Lyon on 12 February. Most of the 11 suspects who have been detained are from far-left movements. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Troops for Gaza and money top agenda as Trump’s Board of Peace meets 19. February 2026 (19:29) US president vows multinational force and billions of dollars as autocrats and rightwing allies gather in DC The US has proposed commanding a multinational force in postwar Gaza with troops from Albania, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Morocco, as Donald Trump unveiled his ad-hoc Board of Peace in Washington to heavy international scrutiny.The US plan would require the full disarmament of Hamas and support from Israel, which has tempered expectations that the Trump-friendly committee stacked with autocrats and rightwing allies will be able to deliver on the vision of ending the conflict and rebuilding Gaza as a “riviera”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
RSF siege of El Fasher in Sudan has ‘hallmarks of genocide’, UN mission finds 19. February 2026 (18:59) Report details harrowing 18-month occupation of North Darfur capital, showing destruction aimed at ethnic communitiesThe siege and capture of the Sudanese city of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group last October bore “the hallmarks of genocide”, a UN-mandated fact-finding mission has said.In a report detailing the harrowing 18-month occupation of the capital of North Darfur, investigators concluded that the RSF and allied militias deliberately inflicted conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Zaghawa and Fur ethnic communities. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Appointment of Antonia Romeo as head of civil service shows ‘poor judgment’, say former colleagues 19. February 2026 (18:53) First female cabinet secretary faced allegations of bullying behaviour in 2017 while working in New York consulateKeir Starmer’s decision to appoint Antonia Romeo as the country’s most senior civil servant has prompted dismay among former colleagues who complained about what they considered bullying behaviour when she was a diplomat in New York.Several people who worked with Romeo at the New York consulate nearly 10 years ago have told the Guardian they are upset by the prime minister’s decision to make her cabinet secretary despite knowing about their complaints. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Salman Rushdie among 170 figures to sign open letter over Barbican arts lead departure 19. February 2026 (17:57) Exit of Devyani Saltzman, described as Barbican’s ‘driving force’, announced a few weeks after arrival of new CEOSalman Rushdie, John Akomfrah and Pankaj Mishra are among more than 170 cultural figures who have signed an open letter to the Barbican expressing concern over the departure of its arts director, Devyani Saltzman.Saltzman, who became director of arts and participation at the Barbican in February 2024, is leaving the institution amid a significant leadership change a few weeks after its new CEO joined. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man arrested after two teenagers found dead at Yorkshire holiday park 19. February 2026 (17:45) Girl, 15, and boy, 17, found dead at Little Eden holiday park in suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, police sayTwo teenagers have died at a holiday park on the Yorkshire coast in a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.A 15-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy were found dead inside a rental property at Little Eden holiday park in Bridlington on Wednesday, police said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hosts Italy voice ‘absolute opposition’ to Russia flag flying at Winter Paralympics 19. February 2026 (17:17) Italian government urges IPC to reconsider its stanceRussian and Belarusian athletes to compete under flagsItaly, the Winter Olympic hosts, has called for a reversal of the decision to let 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes compete with national flags and anthems at next month’s Paralympic Games.The foreign minister Antonio Tajani and sports minister Andrea Abodi urged the International Paralympic Committee to reconsider its stance due to Russia’s four-year-old invasion of Ukraine, saying it contradicted the Olympic spirit. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wastewater testing reveals high levels of cocaine in Nantucket, Massachusetts 19. February 2026 (17:14) Up to three times national average of metabolite produced by human use of drug was found in town’s wastewaterTests on wastewater in an upscale Massachusetts ocean resort town have revealed unexpectedly high levels of cocaine – up to three times the national average.Officials in the town of Nantucket on the eponymous island off Cape Cod began testing its wastewater last summer “to monitor high-risk substances and opioids in the community”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrest: how the ‘most shocking’ day unfolded 19. February 2026 (17:00) First arrest of a senior member of royal family in modern history came on morning of former prince’s 66th birthdayFull report: Former prince arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public officeWhy has Andrew been arrested – and what happens now?Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested – latest updatesIt was shortly after 8am on Thursday when a small fleet of unmarked police cars drew up at Wood Farm on the king’s private Sandringham estate in Norfolk.Plainclothes officers stepped out into the late winter drizzle and readied themselves for a historic act that the royal family might have been expecting and dreading for weeks. Inside the house, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was perhaps sitting down to a birthday breakfast. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
