NGOs sound alarm as foreign families flee camp holding suspected IS members 13. February 2026 (18:06) Annexe holding 6,000 women and children is now mostly empty, raising security and humanitarian concernsMost of the foreign families of suspected Islamic State fighters have left al-Hawl camp since the Syrian government took control of the facility, prompting security and humanitarian concerns over their whereabouts.About 6,000 women and children from 42 different countries were previously held in the foreigners’ annexe of al-Hawl camp in north-east Syria, which housed some of the most radical former members of the extremist group. The foreigners’ annexe was separate from the part of the camp that contained about 20,000 Syrians and Iraqis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
AI is indeed coming – but there is also evidence to allay investor fears 13. February 2026 (18:00) Opinions are divided about the potential impact of artificial intelligence as the response to a recent viral essay showsUK ad agencies undergo their biggest exodus of staff as AI threatens industryThe message from investors to the software, wealth management, legal services and logistics industries this month has been clear: AI is coming for your business.The release of new, ever more powerful AI tools has coincided with a stock market slide, which has swept up sectors as diverse as drug distribution, commercial property and price comparison sites. Advances in the technology are giving increasing credulity to predictions that it may render millions of white collar jobs obsolete – or, at least, eat into the profits of established companies. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Calls mount for release of Palestinian protester held by ICE for nearly a year 13. February 2026 (18:00) Leqaa Kordia was taken into custody last March, nearly a year after being arrested at a protest at ColumbiaCalls are mounting for the release of a Palestinian woman who has been held in immigration detention for nearly a year following her arrest at a pro-Palestine protest last year, with several elected officials weighing in after a medical emergency renewed attention to her case.Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old originally from the West Bank, was arrested in April 2024 at a protest against Israel’s war in Gaza outside Columbia University. (She was not a student there.) The charges against her were dismissed the following day, but last March, nearly a year after the protest, she was taken into custody when she checked into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in New Jersey. She had a pending asylum application at the time, her attorney said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Owen Jones on Palestine Action high court win – The Latest 13. February 2026 (17:57) The co-founder of Palestine Action has won a legal challenge to the home secretary’s decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws. Palestine Action was the first direct action protest group to be proscribed.The decision was widely condemned and was defied by a civil disobedience campaign, during which more than 2,000 people have been arrested. From July last year, being a member of – or showing support for – the group became an offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian columnist Owen Jones - watch on YouTube Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘What word is there for this?’ Tumbler Ridge reaches for unity in storm of grief 13. February 2026 (17:54) In Canadian town stunned by shooting perpetrated by one of its own, there is anger, but also a prevailing sense of dutyResidents of the Canadian mining town Tumbler Ridge largely agree that Tuesday 10 February began like a normal day. The cloudy haze that settled over the valley was typical. So, too, was the chill of winter.There were no hints that the quiet and comfortable routine of daily life in the mountains would be irrevocably shattered in one of Canada’s worst ever acts of mass violence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
San Francisco teachers strike ends as tentative deal reached with district 13. February 2026 (17:32) School district says students will return next week after teachers demanded higher wages and more health benefitsSan Francisco teachers who have been on strike over wages and family health benefits have reached a tentative agreement with the school district.The San Francisco unified school district (SFUSD) says schools will reopen to staff on Friday and to students on Wednesday after two holidays. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Haiti’s Winter Olympics kit redesigned at last minute to fit IOC guidelines 13. February 2026 (17:00) Designer Stella Jean forced to paint over image of revolutionary on ski suits after being told it breached rulesWinter Olympics live – latest updatesThe designer behind the Haitian team’s uniform for the 2026 Winter Olympics has said she had to redesign their ski suits for the opening ceremony after being told they did not comply with the guidelines on athlete expression by the International Olympic Committee.The uniforms, designed by the Haitian-Italian designer Stella Jean, were based on a 2006 painting of the formerly enslaved revolutionary Toussaint Louverture riding a horse by the Haitian artist Edouard Duval-Carrié. Louverture, who led the successful revolt that established the world’s first Black republic in 1804, had been central to Jean’s initial design. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Two men jailed for life over plot to attack Greater Manchester’s Jewish community 13. February 2026 (17:00) An undercover operative stopped the pair from carrying out what could have been UK’s deadliest terrorist attackTwo men have been jailed for life after attempting to stage one of the UK’s deadliest terrorist attacks before it was thwarted by an undercover operative.Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, who had sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS), planned a marauding firearms attack targeting Greater Manchester’s Jewish community. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Beijing pastry shop overrun by shoppers after Xi Jinping’s visit 13. February 2026 (16:17) Customers flock to Daoxiangcun to pick up cakes selected by the president during lunar new year tour around cityA Beijing pastry shop visited by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, on a lunar new year tour this week has been swarmed by customers hoping to get their hands on Xi-approved sweet treats.Traffic was brought to a standstill in Beijing’s capital as the president took a tour around the city on Monday and Tuesday. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Showdown in the American west as Colorado River faces crucial deadline: ‘Mother nature isn’t going to bail us out’ 13. February 2026 (16:11) Seven states must make deal for sharing basin that supplies 40 million people, before US government steps in. With negotiations at an impasse, what’s at stake?The future of the American west hangs in balance this week, as seven states remained at a stalemate over who should bear the brunt of the enormous water cuts needed to pull the imperiled Colorado River back from the brink. Time is running short to reach a deal before a critical deadline, set for Saturday.In the region where water has long been the source of survival and conflict, the challenges hindering consensus are as steep as the stakes are high. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
