What the Albanese government did on the environment amid the Liberals’ turmoil: threatened species, a new coal project and carbon leakage 16. February 2026 (15:00) Labor chose a day when attention was focused on the opposition to slip out a handful of announcementsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereOn Friday, as Angus Taylor ascended to the leadership of a riven and defeated political party, the Albanese government slipped out a handful of announcements on contentious climate and environment issues.Here is what you may have missed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Scientists to track 10,000 moths across Australia, using little more than eyelash glue and confetti-like tags 16. February 2026 (15:00) First-of-its-kind project will see bogong moths tagged in the Australian Alps and monitored as they reach breeding groundsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastResearchers and citizen scientists will, for the first time, tag and track 10,000 bogong moths as they travel hundreds of kilometres, from the Australian Alps to breeding grounds across the country’s south-east.The massive moth tagging project was modelled on monarch watch, a citizen science program that has traced the migration of monarch butterflies across North America over decades. Both species undertake long-distance journeys, with butterflies travelling by day and bogong moths by night. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Moderate Liberals warn Angus Taylor against adopting Trump-style immigration policies 16. February 2026 (15:00) Paul Scarr, the shadow immigration minister under Sussan Ley and South Australian senator Andrew McLachlan expressed concernGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLiberal MPs have warned their new leader, Angus Taylor, against lurching further to the right, and imposing “blanket bans” on immigration after a proposal was leaked to adopt hardline Trump-like policies to ban immigrants from specific regions under terrorist control – including Gaza and Lebanon.Guardian Australia reported on Monday an immigration plan drafted under the former leader Sussan Ley, proposing to ban migrants from 37 regions of 13 countries where listed terrorist organisations have territorial control. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British Museum removes word ‘Palestine’ from some displays 16. February 2026 (14:37) Museum revises labelling on maps and panels, saying term used inaccurately and no longer historically neutralThe British Museum has removed the word “Palestine” from some of its displays, saying the term was used inaccurately and is no longer historically neutral.Maps and information panels in the museum’s ancient Middle East galleries had referred to the eastern Mediterranean coast as Palestine, with some people described as being “of Palestinian descent”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cyprus appeals to residents to cut water use amid once-in-a-century drought 16. February 2026 (14:21) Island’s reservoirs hit record lows even before tourist season starts as Cypriots are warned ‘every drop counts’Europe live – latest updatesAuthorities in Cyprus have urged residents to reduce their water intake by 10% – the equivalent of two minutes’ use of running water each day – as Europe’s most south-easterly nation grapples with a once-in-a century drought.The appeal, announced alongside a €31m (£27m) package of emergency measures, comes as reservoirs hit record lows with little prospect of replenishment before the tourist season starts. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Train derails in Switzerland amid fatal avalanches across the Alps 16. February 2026 (14:15) Swiss police say derailment near Goppenstein injured five as large areas of western Alps remain under category 5 avalanche riskAvalanches from heavy snowfall in the European Alps claimed more lives over the weekend, as a train was derailed by a snow slide in Switzerland on Monday and roads and villages around Mont Blanc were closed or placed under evacuation orders.As large areas of the western Alps remained under a high risk of avalanche – following a week in which alerts reached category 5, the highest level – Swiss police said a train derailment caused by an avalanche injured five people near the town of Goppenstein. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New UK border rules for dual nationals are discriminatory against women, campaigners say 16. February 2026 (14:00) British women in Spain and Greece face ‘huge problems’ entering UK because of differing surname rulesNew rules requiring British dual nationals to show a UK passport when entering Britain are “discriminatory” against women, campaigners claim.From 25 February, British dual nationals are required to present a British passport when boarding a plane, ferry or train to the UK, or attach a new document, a “certificate of entitlement”, which costs nearly £600, to their second passport. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump donor who criticized offshoring to close Ohio plant and move work to China 16. February 2026 (14:00) Workers decried John Paulson’s plan after billionaire painted himself as advocate for domestic manufacturingJohn Paulson, a hedge fund billionaire and one of Donald Trump’s earliest Wall Street backers, is planning to offshore an Ohio manufacturing plant to China despite heavy pushback from employees.Workers at the plant call the move “a slap in our face”, after Paulson vocally defended domestic manufacturing, and are fighting to keep the plan open. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Disappearances in Mexico surge by 200% over 10 years 16. February 2026 (14:00) More than 130,000 people considered missing or disappeared in Mexico as drug cartels expandIt was a bright morning in August 2022 when Ángel Montenegro was taken. A 31-year-old construction worker, Montenegro had been out all night drinking with some work buddies in the city of Cuautla and was waiting for a bus back to nearby Cuernavaca where lived.At about 10am, a white van pulled up: several men jumped out and dragged Montenegro and a co-worker inside before speeding off. Montenegro’s co-worker was released a few hundred meters down the street, but Montenegro was driven away. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine and Russia to meet for second round of talks as fourth anniversary of war looms 16. February 2026 (13:56) Hopes of success remain low after Trump points finger at Zelenskyy and as Russia keeps up hardline demands Europe live – latest updatesSenior Ukrainian and Russian officials are to meet this week in Switzerland for a second round of talks brokered by the Trump administration, days before the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The two-day meeting, kicking off on Tuesday, is expected to mirror negotiations held earlier this month in Abu Dhabi, with representatives from Washington, Kyiv and Moscow in attendance. Despite renewed US efforts to revive diplomacy, hopes for any sudden breakthrough remain low, with Russia continuing to press maximalist demands on Ukraine. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
