Home Office age assessment scheme endangers child refugees and must be scrapped, NGOs say 19. February 2026 (01:03) Coalition of refugee support groups says board’s ‘traumatic’ and ‘flawed’ processes are putting children at riskA coalition of refugee support groups has called for a Home Office organisation to be axed, claiming it is putting hundreds of children at risk.The Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium, which consists of more than 100 organisations including the Refugee Council, Barnardo’s and the NSPCC, has published a report analysing the performance of the Home Office’s national age assessment board (NAAB), which was set up in March 2023 to determine the ages of young asylum seekers newly arrived in the UK, often on small boats. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gaza death toll in early part of war far higher than reported, says Lancet study 19. February 2026 (00:30) Research suggests more than 75,000 killed in the first 16 months of conflict, 25,000 more than announced at the timeMore than 75,000 people were killed in the first 16 months of the two-year war in Gaza, at least 25,000 more than the death toll announced by local authorities at the time, according to a study published on Wednesday in the Lancet medical journal.The research also found that reporting by the Gaza health ministry about the proportion of women, children and elderly people among those killed was accurate. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Opening up worlds’: Linda Burney joins UTS board with a mission to boost Aboriginal participation 19. February 2026 (00:00) Former minister helped develop Australia’s first Aboriginal education policy in the 1980s and brings decades of expertise to embattled universityFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLinda Burney has been appointed to her first public role since leaving federal parliament, joining the board of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in a move the New South Wales government hopes will restore faith in the embattled institution.Burney, the first Aboriginal woman to be elected to the federal House of Representatives, ended her two-decade career in politics in early 2025, departing as the minister for Indigenous Australians in mid-2024 and formally leaving office at the end of the 47th parliament. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New York hospital ends transgender treatment program for minors 18. February 2026 (23:58) NYU Langone’s decision comes amid Trump administration threats to cut funding to providers who treat trans youthNYU Langone Health, one of New York City’s major hospital networks, announced this week that it will shut down its gender‑affirming care program for minors, as the Trump administration escalates threats to strip federal funding from providers that treat trans youth.In a statement to the Guardian, spokesperson Steve Ritea said that “given the recent departure of our medical director, coupled with the current regulatory environment, we made the difficult decision to discontinue our Transgender Youth Health Program.” He added that the hospital’s pediatric mental health services will continue. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Shia LaBeouf allegedly called queer man homophobic slurs before New Orleans arrest 18. February 2026 (23:45) Actor allegedly also made remarks to man who dresses in drag, and was seen dancing on Bourbon Street after arrestThe actor Shia LaBeouf allegedly aimed homophobic slurs at two men – one who identifies as queer and the other who dresses in drag – as the Transformers star was arrested for purportedly battering them at a bar early on Tuesday morning in New Orleans, the victims said.Jeffrey Damnit – who was born with the last name Klein and was listed as one of the victims by New Orleans police – said in an interview on Wednesday that he was wearing mascara, eye shadow and lipstick when LaBeouf tried to beat him up “while screaming, ‘You’re a fucking faggot’”. He also shared a cellphone video showing LaBeouf in the back of a vehicle being examined by first responders, glancing over at Damnit and saying, “Faggot.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tech firms must remove ‘revenge porn’ in 48 hours or risk being blocked, says Starmer 18. February 2026 (23:30) PM says measure, also applied to deepfake nudes, is needed owing to a ‘national emergency’ of online misogynyDeepfake nudes and “revenge porn” must be removed from the internet within 48 hours or technology firms risk being blocked in the UK, Keir Starmer has said, calling it a “national emergency” that the government must confront.Companies could be fined millions or even blocked altogether if they allow the images to spread or be reposted after victims give notice. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Property developers spark anger over plan to clear woodland home to Baudin’s and Carnaby’s black cockatoos 18. February 2026 (23:20) Proposal to replant inside a different type of protected woodland would not replicate diversity of cleared sites used by threatened cockatoo species, conservationists sayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastProperty developers in Perth plan to bulldoze an endangered banksia ecosystem used by threatened black cockatoo species, and conservationists have warned the damage cannot be mitigated by proposed offsets.The developers want to replant the banksia ecosystem within a different type of protected woodland – a proposal that a leading botanist said was doomed to fail. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tens of thousands more students join legal action over Covid-hit studies 18. February 2026 (21:46) Sign-ups to Student Group Claim in England and Wales escalate amid reports of £21m payout by University College LondonTens of thousands more students who were at university during the pandemic have joined a group claim for compensation, amid reports of a £21m payout by one of the UK’s leading institutions.Lawyers acting for student claimants said a further 30,000 from different universities had signed up to the Student Group Claim this week, taking the total to almost 200,000. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump tells Starmer handing Chagos Islands to Mauritius is a ‘big mistake’ 18. February 2026 (21:44) US president had recently said the plan was the best deal Starmer could makeDonald Trump has urged Keir Starmer not to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius, warning he was “making a big mistake”.Under the deal agreed last year, Britain would cede control over the British Indian Ocean Territory but lease the largest island, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump’s immigration siege is rattling hospitality industry, workers say 18. February 2026 (21:29) Unite Here, the US’s largest hospitality workers’ union, says ICE crackdown is harming tourism and costing jobsDonald Trump’s immigration policies are having a chilling effect on the hospitality industry, where nearly a third of workers are immigrants, according to the largest hospitality union in the US.The number of employed hospitality workers dropped by 98,000 from December 2024 to December 2025, according to a report from Unite Here, which represents 300,000 workers across the hospitality, food and tourism industries in the US and Canada. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
