UK’s gender pay gap ‘won’t close for 30 years’ at current rates 15. February 2026 (12:42) Trades Union Congress says women have worked a month and a half for free this year and legislation is neededWomen in the UK will not be paid the same as men until 2056 at the current rate of progress, according to a Trades Union Congress report.The gender pay gap, which stands at £2,548 a year, means that women have in effect worked for free so far this year, the TUC said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘I feel like a ghost’: new father deported by ICE to Bhutan that exiled his family 15. February 2026 (12:00) Mohan Karki – one of many people ICE has deported to countries with which they have little connection – leaves behind his wife and seven-month-old baby he has yet to holdTika Basnet sat facing the glow of her iPhone, a red tika pressed into the center of her forehead. Seven-month-old Briana slept on her lap, her breathing soft and uneven. On the other side of the screen was Mohan Karki, Basnet’s husband, who had yet to hold his daughter.For Karki, nearly 9,000 miles (14,500km) away, it was already morning. He was in hiding in south Asia, his exact location withheld for his safety, his face breaking into pixels as he watched his daughter sleep. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cooper defends Palestine Action ban despite court ruling it was unlawful – UK politics live 15. February 2026 (11:56) High court said the then home secretary had not followed her own policies when bringing in the ban last summerShadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, said she was “appalled” by the high court’s ruling on Friday that the proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful and supports the government’s intention to appeal against the decision (see post at 09.35 for more details).Speaking to Sky News this morning, Patel, a former home secretary between July 2019 and Septmeber 2022, said:I’m pretty appalled by that ruling, and clearly it’s now going to be subject to a legal appeal. And I think it’s right that it should be appealed …It is right that they feel the full force of our laws, including the proscription that has been put in place. They are on par with how terrorist organisations conduct themselves, and they plan their attacks.Four directors of communicationsTwo chiefs of staffTwo cabinet secretariesUS ambassador Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Woke Europe not facing civilisational erasure,’ says EU’s Kallas after Rubio’s Munich speech – Europe live 15. February 2026 (11:43) EU’s foreign policy chief says many countries still ‘want to join our club’EU’s Kallas appears to be slightly sceptical about the idea of appointing an EU envoy for talks on ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine.She earlier said that “what matters more than having a seat at the table is knowing what to ask [for] when you are sitting there.”“That’s why I proposed to the member states [a] concrete mandate [of] the asks that we would have to Russia. So whoever goes to that table, whether it’s individually or bilaterally, they should ask [for] these things from the Russians.We have a saying in Estonian that if you demand a lot, you get little; if you demand little, you get nothing, and if you demand nothing, you pay on top.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK private jet deportation flight cancelled after man swallows vape battery 15. February 2026 (11:37) Egyptian with history of disruptive behaviour was taken to hospital and then returned to detentionA Home Office private deportation flight for one man had to be cancelled on Thursday morning after he was able to swallow a lithium vape battery shortly before being taken to the plane.Officials are now investigating the circumstances around the incident. The man, an Egyptian foreign national offender with a history of being disruptive during removal attempts, was due to take a flight from the UK via Albania to Egypt. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tinsel to tidewall: discarded Christmas trees reused to protect Lancashire coastline 15. February 2026 (11:00) The trees morph into sand dunes to protect homes on the seafront against rising sea levels and serve as habitat for rare speciesBritain’s fight against climate breakdown may usually look like windfarms or solar energy. But on miles of Lancashire coast the frontline is rather more festive.Tens of thousands of discarded Christmas trees have been partially buried on beaches south of Blackpool as a frontier against rising sea levels. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Firm that went bust owing £650k to HMRC offers staff Las Vegas trip after being bought by ex-owner 15. February 2026 (09:00) Acquisition by Premier Group Recruitment boss Andrew Woosnam appears to be example of ‘phoenixism’A recruitment business that went bust owing the tax authorities and other creditors almost £3m has promised to send its staff on an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas after being repurchased by its former owner for an initial £10,000.Premier Group Recruitment went into administration in September with debts of £2.9m – including £647,000 owed to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which had commenced enforcement proceedings against the company. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senior police praised undercover officer who lied to court about identity, papers at spycops inquiry show 15. February 2026 (08:00) Jim Boyling gave evidence under his fake identity during prosecution of activists he had infiltratedSenior police officers praised an undercover officer who had lied to a court about his real identity during a prosecution of environmental activists, secret documents aired at the spycops public inquiry have revealed.Jim Boyling, an undercover officer, gave evidence under his fake identity when he was prosecuted while masquerading as an activist. He was prosecuted alongside six campaigners for public order offences, but senior officers decided not to tell the court that he was actually a police spy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New Zealand officials warn more flooding could hit north island as man killed after heavy rain 15. February 2026 (07:42) Worst weather forecast to hit late on Sunday, a day after floods caused power outages, road collapses and home evacuationsNew Zealand’s weather bureau has warned more flooding could hit the country’s North Island, a day after floods caused power outages, road collapses, home evacuations and caused the death of a man whose vehicle was submerged on a highway.There was “threat to life from dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and slips” as a deepening low-pressure system east of the North Island brought heavy rain and severe gales to several regions, the weather bureau said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Alleged cat burglar arrested after priceless Egyptian artefacts taken in Queensland museum heist 15. February 2026 (07:12) Man charged after 2,600-year-old cat sculpture, mummy mask and necklace stolen from Caboolture museumGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland police have arrested a man accused of staging a brazen cat burglary of priceless Egyptian artefacts from a museum in Caboolture, north of Brisbane.The man, 52, of no fixed address, was arrested on Russell Island in Moreton Bay on Saturday evening, after police allegedly found most of the stolen artefacts in a camper van parked at a ferry terminal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
