China’s dancing robots: how worried should we be? 18. February 2026 (06:19) Eye-catching martial arts performance at China gala had viewers and experts wondering what else humanoids can doDancing humanoid robots took centre stage on Monday during the annual China Media Group’s Spring Festival Gala, China’s most-watched official television broadcast. They lunged and backflipped (landing on their knees), they spun around and jumped. Not one fell over.The display was impressive, but prompted some to wonder: if robots can now dance and perform martial arts, what else can they do? Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Excruciating tropical disease can now be transmitted in most of Europe, study finds 18. February 2026 (06:00) ‘Shocking’ data shows the climate crisis and invasive mosquitos mean chikungunya could spread in 29 countriesAn excruciatingly painful tropical disease called chikungunya can now be transmitted by mosquitoes across most of Europe, a study has found.Higher temperatures due to the climate crisis mean infections are now possible for more than six months of the year in Spain, Greece and other southern European countries, and for two months a year in south-east England. Continuing global heating means it is only a matter of time before the disease expands further northwards, the scientists said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Beats and throat singing: Sámi DJs tap into growing pride in Indigenous identity 18. February 2026 (06:00) Acts such as Article 3 are drawing inspiration from their culture and meeting a big appetite for Indigenous-focused club nights“We both live in maybe the most impractical place if you want to be a successful DJ,” laughs Alice Marie Jektevik, one half of Article 3, a Sámi female DJ collective. Jektevik, 36, and her collaborator, Petra Laiti, 30, reside in a rural village in the far north-east of Norway.But living in Sápmi – the region across northern parts of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia traditionally lived in by Sámi people – has proven to be central to their success, providing the inspiration for much of their work. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tech billionaires fly in for Delhi AI expo as Modi jostles to lead in south 18. February 2026 (06:00) Google, Anthropic and OpenAI bosses to mingle with global south leaders wrestling for control over technologySilicon Valley tech billionaires will land in Delhi this week for an AI summit hosted by India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, where leaders of the global south will wrestle for control over the fast-developing technology.During the week-long AI Impact Summit, attended by thousands of tech executives, government officials and AI safety experts, tech companies valued at trillions of dollars will rub along with leaders of countries such as Kenya and Indonesia, where average wages dip well below $1,000 a month. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Radio Free Asia resumes broadcasts to China after Trump cuts forced near closure 18. February 2026 (04:55) CEO said services have restarted after termination of grants led to criticism that US was ceding ground to ChinaRadio Free Asia has resumed broadcasts to people in China, its chief executive said on Tuesday, after Trump administration cuts last year largely forced the US-funded outlet to cease operations.For years, RFA and its sister outlets, including Voice of America (VOA), had been financed with funding approved by the US Congress and overseen by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump officials sued over effort to ‘erase history and science’ in national parks 18. February 2026 (03:13) National Park Service also sued for removing rainbow Pride flag from Stonewall national monument in New YorkConservation and historical organizations sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over National Park Service policies that the groups say erase history and science from America’s national parks.A lawsuit filed in Boston says orders by Donald Trump and interior secretary Doug Burgum have forced park service staff to remove or censor exhibits that share factually accurate and relevant US history and scientific knowledge, including about slavery and climate change. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wealthy Americans top ‘golden visa’ surge in New Zealand and applications from China double 18. February 2026 (03:03) US family who were 100th to be granted residency under investor scheme say they want to give back to ‘amazing’ New ZealandWealthy Americans are dominating applications for New Zealand’s “golden visa”, driven by a love for the country’s natural beauty and entrepreneurial spirit, as well a desire to escape Trump’s administration.New rules for the Active Investor Plus visa came into effect in April 2025, lowering investment thresholds, removing English-language requirements and cutting the amount of time applicants must spend in the country to establish residency from three years to three weeks. Successful applicants can only purchase homes in New Zealand worth more than $5m. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Epstein files suggest acts that may amount to crimes against humanity, say UN experts 18. February 2026 (02:36) Independent experts appointed by human rights council speak of ‘grave’ nature regarding scale of atrocities against women and girlsMillions of files related to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein suggest the existence of a “global criminal enterprise” that carried out acts meeting the legal threshold of crimes against humanity, a panel of independent experts appointed by the United Nations human rights council has said.The experts said crimes outlined in documents released by the US justice department were committed against a backdrop of supremacist beliefs, racism, corruption and extreme misogyny. The crimes, they said, showed a commodification and dehumanisation of women and girls. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Canavan says Pauline Hanson ‘not fit to lead’ amid backlash against ‘reprehensible’ Muslim comments 18. February 2026 (02:35) One Nation leader’s statements about Muslims labelled ‘bigoted and wrong’ by NSW minister for multiculturalismOutspoken Nationals senator Matt Canavan has slammed Pauline Hanson for increasingly inflammatory comments about Australian Muslims, describing the One Nation leader as unfit to lead a political party.Hanson was on Sky News on Monday night, discussing the thwarted attempts by Australian women and children stuck in Syria to return home. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Judge declares mistrial in Texas ‘antifa’ protest case over attorney’s T-shirt 18. February 2026 (01:29) Lawyer for defendants accused of terrorism at ICE protest decried by Trump appointee over shirt’s potential for ‘bias’A federal judge in Texas declared a mistrial on Tuesday after a defense lawyer wore a shirt in court with images from the civil rights movement, delaying a closely watched case in which the Trump administration is accusing a group of protesters of being terrorists and says they are part of a “North-Texas antifa cell”.US district judge Mark Pittman, an appointee of Donald Trump, declared a mistrial only hours after jury selection began at the federal courthouse in downtown Fort Worth. He abruptly halted the proceedings after MarQuetta Clayton, an attorney for one of the defendants, had been questioning potential jurors for about 20 minutes, taking issue with a shirt she was wearing underneath a black blazer. The shirt contained images of civil rights movement leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr and Shirley Chisholm, as well as images of protests from that time. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
