Girl, 17, who died after three-car crash in Cwmbran was ‘funny, kind and caring’ 14. February 2026 (20:23) Family pay tribute to Demi Edmunds, from Caldicot, saying she ‘loved her friends, and she was loved by all’A 17-year-old girl who died in a collision involving three cars in Wales was “funny, kind and caring”, her brother said.Demi Edmunds was the sole pedestrian in the incident on the A4042 in Cwmbran, Torfaen, Wales, which occurred at about 12.25pm on Thursday afternoon, Gwent police said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rental ebike programs booming in Australian cities as e-scooter ‘moral panic’ sees take-up stall 14. February 2026 (20:00) After a fast kick-off in Australia, e-scooter hire crackdowns fuelled by safety concerns have seen shared ebikes pull ahead Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRental ebikes are booming in popularity as e-scooter hire operations decline across Australia amid what some have labelled a “moral panic” over safety.The ebike boom has been led by Sydney, where the number of vehicles on streets nearly doubled in 2025 as US operator Lime deployed thousands more. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Did you buy a coffee machine with a tax refund? It may have affected Australia’s interest rate 14. February 2026 (20:00) Policymakers didn’t think people had the financial capacity to purchase ‘durable’ goods – but a rise in spending contributed to inflationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne of the first things many Australians did last year after receiving a tax refund or a lower mortgage rate was to buy an armchair, an air fryer or a coffee machine.The purchases, evident in company earnings published this week, came after households had endured years of high living costs – and consumption had been weak up until that point. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ukraine wants 20-year US security guarantee to sign peace deal 14. February 2026 (19:44) Speaking in Munich, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called for a clear date for his country to be allowed to join the EUUkraine wants security guarantees for a minimum of 20 years from the US before it can sign a peace deal with dignity, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of talks next week with Russia and the US.He was speaking in Munich on Saturday where he also called for a clear date for Ukraine to be allowed to join the EU. Some EU officials have put the date as early as 2027. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Assailants kill at least 30 in north-west Nigerian villages, residents say 14. February 2026 (19:02) Residents who escaped violence tell of bandits riding in on motorbikes and shooting indiscriminatelyArmed assailants on motorbikes killed at least 30 people and burned houses and shops during raids on three villages in north-west Nigeria’s Niger state early on Saturday, residents who escaped the violence told Reuters.The attacks on villages in the Borgu local government area, near the border with Benin Republic, are part of a surge in attacks blamed on “bandits” who have carried out deadly assaults, abductions for ransom, and displaced communities across northern Nigeria. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New archbishop of Westminster urges greater understanding of struggles of ‘the vulnerable’ 14. February 2026 (18:23) At his official installation, Archbishop Richard Moth recognised the Catholic church’s failures but insists it’s a time of ‘opportunity’The new leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales has said the church has failed vulnerable people, urging more work to be done to address the struggle of refugees and learn from victims of abuse.At a ceremony where he was officially installed in his new role as archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth said: “Here, I am most aware of every occasion on which members of the church, or the church as a whole, have failed – most especially when the vulnerable have been abused. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Barack Obama publicly states support for anti-ICE demonstrators in Minneapolis 14. February 2026 (18:15) Speaking with progressive YouTuber, former US president stressed ‘unprecedented nature’ of agency’s actionsBarack Obama publicly gave his support to demonstrators in Minneapolis for standing up to the “unprecedented nature” of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minnesota.Speaking in an interview with progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen on Saturday, the former president discussed the power that US citizens hold when standing up for the values they believe in and his hopes for the next generation of American leaders. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democratic senators launch inquiry into EPA’s repeal of key air pollution enforcement measure 14. February 2026 (17:32) Senators said repeal was ‘particularly troubling’ and was counter to EPA’s mandate to protect human healthMore than three dozen Democratic senators have begun an independent inquiry into the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following a huge change in how the agency measures the health benefits of reducing air pollution that is widely seen as a major setback to US efforts to combat the climate crisis.In a regulatory impact analysis, the EPA said it would stop assigning a monetary value to the health benefits associated with regulations on fine particulate matter and ozone. The agency argued that the estimates contain too much uncertainty. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US military used Anthropic’s AI model Claude in Venezuela raid, report says 14. February 2026 (17:15) Wall Street Journal says Claude used in operation via Anthropic’s partnership with Palantir TechnologiesClaude, the AI model developed by Anthropic, was used by the US military during its operation to kidnap Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Saturday, a high-profile example of how the US defence department is using artificial intelligence in its operations.The US raid on Venezuela involved bombing across the capital, Caracas, and the killing of 83 people, according to Venezuela’s defence ministry. Anthropic’s terms of use prohibit the use of Claude for violent ends, for the development of weapons or for conducting surveillance. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Chief mouser Palmerston dies after swapping Foreign Office for Bermuda 14. February 2026 (17:08) Social media account for Palmerston, who retired in 2020, announces death of ‘Diplocat extraordinaire’Palmerston, a rescue cat who became the chief mouser of the Foreign Office, has died in Bermuda.The cat, adopted from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, retired in 2020 after four years of service in Whitehall. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
