‘Betrayed’: 21 Hartlepool councillors threaten to quit Labour over care budget 17. February 2026 (12:48) Exclusive: Council in one of England’s poorest areas says it needs urgent help with ballooning children’s social care billKeir Starmer is facing a mass resignation of Labour councillors in one of England’s poorest areas over a “betrayal” of funding for children in care.Labour councillors in Hartlepool, County Durham, said they were “between despair and open revolt” over an “unfair” cash settlement that would leave them unable to balance the books. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Boohoo and Debenhams owner raises £35m, risking Mike Ashley clash 17. February 2026 (12:29) Company, which also owns Oasis, Warehouse and Karen Millen, to use cash to cut debts and fund turnaroundBusiness live – latest updatesThe owner of Boohoo and Debenhams is raising £35m from shareholders in a move that could open a fresh conflict with Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley.The company, which also owns Oasis, Warehouse, Pretty Little Thing and Karen Millen, said on Tuesday that the new cash would help reduce debts and fund its turnaround plans. These involve slashing costs, selling off a distribution centre and operating Debenhams as an online marketplace for other brands. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Medics in UK and US say they have been barred from Gaza after speaking out 17. February 2026 (12:15) Israel accused of denying doctors re-entry into territory after they gave first-hand testimony on conflictMedics in the UK and US believe they have been denied re-entry to Gaza after speaking out on the conflict.Following reports of rising refusal rates, medical workers and organisationswho have provided humanitarian aid in Gaza have described what they see as arbitrary denials. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK shelves £110m frictionless post-Brexit trade border project 17. February 2026 (12:04) Programme launched by last Tory government was worked on by Deloitte and IBM but was paused in 2024Business live – latest updatesThe UK government has shelved a project to simplify trade border processes post-Brexit after spending £110m on a contract with Deloitte and IBM for it, according to reports.The last Conservative government promised in 2020 to create the “world’s most effective border” by 2025 as part of its plan for a new trade system after Britain left the EU. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hyatt chair Thomas Pritzker steps down over Epstein links 17. February 2026 (12:02) Billionaire says he exercised ‘terrible judgment’ in maintaining contact with sex offender and Ghislaine MaxwellThe billionaire Thomas Pritzker has stepped down as executive chair of the hotel chain Hyatt, after revelations over his ties with the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Pritzker said he had exercised “terrible judgment” in maintaining contact with the sex offender and Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 for her role in recruiting and grooming underage girls. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia launches 400 drones and 29 missiles at Ukraine hours before peace talks in Geneva – Europe live 17. February 2026 (12:02) Zelenskyy calls for allies to ‘respond to all these strikes against life’ as US-brokered talks between senior Russian and Ukrainian officials beginMeanwhile, over in Hungary, the country’s embattled prime minister Viktor Orbán is trying to make the most from yesterday’s visit by the US secretary of state Marco Rubio as he hopes to shore up his support ahead of a key parliamentary election in April.In a social media edit set to over-the-top cinematic music, Orbán highlighted Rubio’s lengthy endorsement of the current Hungarian regime, praising “a golden era of relations between our countries and the PM’s relationship with Donald Trump. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kenyan authorities used Israeli tech to crack activist’s phone, report claims 17. February 2026 (12:01) Citizen Lab report suggests Cellebrite software was used to break into Boniface Mwangi’s phone while he was under arrestWhen Boniface Mwangi, the prominent Kenyan pro-democracy activist who plans to run for president in 2027, had his phones returned to him by Kenyan authorities after his controversial arrest last July, he immediately noticed a problem: one of the phones was no longer password protected and could be opened without one.It was Mwangi’s personal phone, which he used to communicate with friends and mentors, and contained photos of private family moments with his wife and children. Knowing that its contents could be in the hands of the Kenyan government made Mwangi – who has described harassment and even torture – feel unsafe and “exposed”, he told the Guardian. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU to investigate Shein over sale of childlike sex dolls and weapons 17. February 2026 (12:00) Bloc also examines ‘addictive design’ of shopping site, including rewards, and its recommender systemsBusiness live – latest updatesThe EU is to open a formal investigation into the Chinese retailer Shein over multiple suspected breaches of European laws including the sale of childlike sex dolls and weapons.The European Commission said on Tuesday it had launched the inquiry after demanding information from the fast-growing company last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘I feel like I’m in a financial prison’: Trump Wall Street plan puts ‘mom and pop’ investors at risk, advocates say 17. February 2026 (12:00) Trump says everyday Americans deserve a chance to buy higher-risk ‘alternative’ investments. Critics say this could lead to big losses for small investorsOn a summer day in 2018, Cathy Shubert, then 58, hopped in her Toyota Rav 4 and drove to the Jacksonville, Florida, office of Mario Payne, an investment adviser at the financial services firm Raymond James. She had a lot on her mind. She was not happy with her job at a local bank branch and wanted to see if Payne thought she had saved enough to retire.“He said what I was retiring with would carry me and everything would be wonderful,” she remembered. “I went home and told my husband, ‘Oh my God, I want you to go meet him.’” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights’: family of Jesse Jackson pay tribute to civil rights champion – live 17. February 2026 (11:50) Ordained minister and activist who twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination had been living with progressive supranuclear palsyAs well as being a prominent civil rights campaigner, Jackson became a focal point of black political power after running twice for the Democratic nomination for president in 1984 and 1988.He was the first African American to make the giant leap from activism to major-party presidential politics, firmly cementing his place in the history books in doing so. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
