NHS to spend more to settle lawsuits over negligence during childbirth after court ruling 18. February 2026 (21:14) Supreme court rules children in England who suffer serious injuries at birth can claim for future lost earningsThe NHS will have to spend more money settling lawsuits involving negligence during childbirth after a supreme court ruling that lawyers said puts right a “historic injustice”.The court ruled on Wednesday that children in England who suffer catastrophic injuries while they are being born can claim damages for future earnings they would otherwise have had. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Zuckerberg grilled in landmark social media trial over teen mental health 18. February 2026 (20:37) Meta chief says it has improved identifying underage users but adds ‘I always wish we could have gotten there sooner’The Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, testified at a landmark trial of social media companies on Wednesday. Plaintiffs’ lawyers grilled Zuckerberg about internal complaints that not enough was being done to verify whether children under 13 were using the platform.Zuckerberg claimed Meta had improved in identifying underage users but also said: “I always wish that we could have gotten there sooner.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FCC chair Brendan Carr says media were ‘lied to’ over Stephen Colbert controversy 18. February 2026 (20:36) Carr says the Federal Communications Commission has also opened an enforcement action into ABC’s the ViewThe chair of the US’s top media regulator claimed on Wednesday that journalists had been tricked into covering claims by late-night host Stephen Colbert that he had been blocked by his network from interviewing a Texas Senate candidate.Brendan Carr, the avowedly pro-Trump chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), made his comments after Colbert accused the Trump administration and CBS of censorship. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration releases funds for New York-New Jersey tunnel project 18. February 2026 (20:34) Money clears path for work on Gateway project increasing number of tunnels linking New York City and New JerseyThe Trump administration transferred the balance of federal funds it owed to the Gateway rail tunnel initiative on Wednesday, along with additional money beyond the original amount, clearing the path for work on the project to restart as early as next week.Once finished, the project will increase the number of rail tunnels linking New York City and New Jersey, as well as repair a century-old tunnel that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 used by more than 200,000 travelers and 425 trains daily. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Eight skiers dead after California avalanche, authorities say 18. February 2026 (20:33) One skier still missing and six others rescued after group swept up in Sierra Nevada mountains during severe stormEight skiers who went missing after an avalanche swept the Castle Peak area of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California have been confirmed dead, authorities said during a Wednesday press conference.One skier is still unaccounted for, while six others, who had been stranded, have since been rescued. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Major European allies decline to join first meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace 18. February 2026 (20:09) Dozens of world leaders head to Washington for what White House says will largely be a fundraiser on ThursdayDozens of world leaders and national delegations will meet in Washington DC tomorrow for the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, as major European allies declined to join the group and criticised the organisation’s murky funding and political mandate.The White House has indicated that tomorrow’s summit for his new ad hoc council at the renamed Donald J Trump Institute of Peace will heavily function as a fundraising round, with Trump announcing on social media that countries have pledged more than $5bn toward rebuilding Gaza, which has been devastated in the war with Israel and remains in a humanitarian crisis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Summer is coming!’: Royal Shakespeare Company to stage epic Game of Thrones prequel 18. February 2026 (19:00) Novelist George RR Martin says RSC is ‘obvious choice’ to put on new play The Mad King, which will open after springA new prequel to George RR Martin’s blockbuster fantasy saga Game of Thrones is to be staged this summer by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.The bestselling author, whose novels have been turned into a juggernaut TV franchise, said the RSC was the “obvious choice” to put on the play, Game of Thrones: The Mad King, because Shakespeare had been a constant source of inspiration to him. “Not only that, he faced similar challenges in how to put a battle on stage,” added Martin. “So we are in good company.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Countries that do not embrace AI could be left behind, says OpenAI’s George Osborne 18. February 2026 (18:57) Without AI you will be a ‘weaker and poorer nation’, says former UK chancellor two months into job at US firmThe former chancellor George Osborne has said countries that do not embrace the kind of powerful AI systems made by his new employer, OpenAI, risk “Fomo” and could be left weaker and poorer.Osborne, who is two months into a job as head of the $500bn San Francisco AI company’s “for countries” programme, told leaders gathered for the AI Impact summit in Delhi: “Don’t be left behind.” He said that without AI rollouts they could end up with a workforce “less willing to stay put” because they might want to seek AI-enabled fortunes elsewhere. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NHS hip and knee operations threatened by bone cement supply shortage 18. February 2026 (18:45) Campaigners say the news is a ‘crushing blow’ to patients waiting for surgeriesA shortage in medical cement could lead to delays in a number of patients getting hip and knee replacements and other planned surgeries, experts have said.There is a global supply issue from the NHS’s main provider of bone cement. As a result, hospitals have been ordered to ensure supplies are directed to trauma and urgent care. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform-run council says free library scheme for refugees ‘is not value for money’ 18. February 2026 (18:42) Party withdraws all Lancashire libraries from City of Sanctuary UK programme that supports new arrivals to UK Reform UK has been criticised for withdrawing all Lancashire libraries from a scheme supporting refugees because it was not value for money – despite being free.Nigel Farage’s party said the region’s 63 libraries would no longer be part of the UK-wide Libraries of Sanctuary programme because it was not “an appropriate use of taxpayers’ money”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
