Shooting at Rhode Island ice rink leaves at least two people dead 16. February 2026 (23:23) Police confirm suspect is one of dead in incident at boys’ hockey game that injured four in PawtucketAt least three people are dead and three more hospitalized in critical condition in a mass shooting at an indoor ice rink in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, during a high school hockey match on Monday afternoon, the police said.The Pawtucket police chief, Tina Goncalves, told reporters at a news conference that the suspect is one of the dead. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FBI won’t share Alex Pretti shooting evidence, Minnesota authorities say 16. February 2026 (21:19) State’s governor had demanded impartial inquiry into the shooting of the VA nurse by federal immigration agentsMinnesota law enforcement authorities have said the FBI is refusing to share any evidence on its investigation into the death of Alex Pretti, the man killed by federal immigration authorities in late January.Pretti was shot on 24 January by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials in Minneapolis during the Trump administration’s surge of immigration enforcement operations in the city. His killing came just two weeks after an immigration official shot and killed Renee Good and 10 days after the shooting of Julio C Sosa-Celis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
The patience and the poker face: Iran’s wily diplomat set to face the US in nuclear talks 16. February 2026 (21:10) Abbas Araghchi is steeped in more than a decade of nuclear dealmaking with a book on the art of negotiationsIf the US and Iran are to avoid a regional war, both sides need to start to make concessions at talks in Geneva on Tuesday, and also to accommodate one another’s very different bargaining styles.The Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, steeped in almost 15 years of Iranian nuclear talks, is a near lifelong diplomat who has written a book on the art of negotiations that reveals the secrets of the Iranian diplomatic trade – the feints, the patience, the poker faces. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NHS ’clearly failing’ to ensure children get MMR vaccine amid measles risk, experts warn 16. February 2026 (20:54) Calls grow for reform of England’s vaccination system including delivery of jabs in pharmacies as take-up fallsChildren are at risk of measles because the NHS is “clearly failing” to ensure they get the MMR vaccine and its system needs an urgent overhaul, MPs and health experts have warned.Calls for major reform of how MMR jabs are delivered are growing as it emerged that vaccination rates in some parts of England are now on a par with those in Afghanistan and Malawi. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Fertility patients win high court battle to save embryos after consent error 16. February 2026 (20:54) Judge says people should not lose chance of parenthood ‘by the ticking of a clock’ after 10-year deadline missedMore than a dozen fertility patients have won a high court battle to save their embryos, eggs and sperm from destruction after errors meant they did not renew consent to store them within the 10-year window required by law.Ruling that the material could be kept, the judge said they should not “have the possibility of parenthood … removed by the ticking of a clock”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
English councils face ‘unnecessary race against time’ to organise elections, leaders say 16. February 2026 (20:30) Government drops plans to delay 7 May ballots for 30 councils undergoing reorganisation, leaving 11 weeks to prepareCouncils are experiencing “whiplash” and face an “unnecessary race against time” to organise ballots after the government abandoned plans to delay 30 council elections in England, local authority leaders have said.Ministers had wanted to delay elections at councils undergoing major reorganisation, with many set to be merged or subsumed into others, but faced a legal challenge from Reform UK, which argued it was undemocratic. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump lashes out at California governor’s green energy deal with UK 16. February 2026 (20:23) President says it is inappropriate for UK to be dealing with Gavin Newsom after Ed Miliband meets governor in LondonDonald Trump has vented his fury against a green energy deal between the British government and California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, a likely future Democratic presidential candidate.“The UK’s got enough trouble without getting involved with Gavin Newscum,” Trump said in an interview with Politico, using the derogatory nickname he reserves for Newsom. “Gavin is a loser. Everything he’s touched turns to garbage. His state has gone to hell, and his environmental work is a disaster.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Why Starmer’s latest U-turn over local elections could be a gift for Reform 16. February 2026 (20:01) Ditching plans to delay votes in 30 English councils gives Nigel Farage chance to capitalise on Labour unpopularityStarmer abandons plans to delay local elections in England in latest U-turnKeir Starmer was challenged on Monday morning over the list of U-turns he has made since entering government less than two years ago, including on cuts to winter fuel payments, cuts to disability benefits and hikes in inheritance tax for farmers.“I am a pragmatist. I am a common-sense merchant,” he told the BBC presenter Jeremy Vine in his defence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
What is happening to Syria’s IS camps and their former residents? 16. February 2026 (19:49) Experts say the detention centres were a breeding ground for extremism and a new generation of IS membersHumanitarians warned for years that the camps in north-east Syria holding tens of thousands of family members of suspected Islamic State (IS) fighters would have to be dealt with. Calling them a “ticking time bomb”, relief groups said the women and children could not just be left to rot in squalid desert camps indefinitely, because eventually they would come home.Despite the warnings, most states ignored the problem, refusing to repatriate their citizens. At least 8,000 women and children from more than 40 countries have been stranded in the camps of north-east Syria since 2019. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Producer of Israeli spy thriller found dead in Athens hotel room 16. February 2026 (19:43) Dana Eden, 52, co-creator of hit TV series Tehran, reported by Greek police to have taken her own life on SundayThe co-creator of an Israeli hit TV series has been found dead in a hotel room in Athens where the fourth season of the spy thriller is being filmed.Dana Eden, 52, was discovered by her brother late on Sunday, Greek police said, attributing her death to suicide.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...(The Guardian)
