Qld coalmine expansion approved by Albanese government will clear habitat and fuel climate crisis, scientists say 13. February 2026 (08:03) Conservationists estimate coal exported from expanded mine to release CO2 equivalent of about half Australia’s annual carbon footprintFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Albanese government has approved the expansion of a Queensland coalmine that will clear habitat for threatened koalas and greater gliders and add further fuel to the climate crisis, conservationists say.The extension of the Middlemount mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin – jointly owned by US company Peabody and China-owned Yancoal – would see about 85m tonnes of coal exported over 24 years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Israeli journalists fear for press freedom if UK billionaire sells TV channel stake 13. February 2026 (08:00) Union urges Leonard Blavatnik to scrap Channel 13 deal, saying it is part of Netanyahu plan ‘to capture the media’Israeli journalists have appealed to a British billionaire not to proceed with the sale of a stake in an Israeli television channel, which they warn would represent a severe blow to the independence of the country’s media.Sir Leonard Blavatnik, listed by the Sunday Times as the UK’s third richest person, is selling a nearly 15% share in Channel 13, a commercial channel that has run critical news coverage of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in recent years, including investigations into the prime minister’s financial dealings. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
First-time buyers enjoy biggest choice of low-deposit mortgages in UK since 2008 13. February 2026 (08:00) More than 500 deals now offer 95% loans as banks and building societies loosen their borrowing rulesWould-be first-time buyers have the biggest choice of low-deposit mortgages for at least 18 years, new data shows, suggesting that 2026 is looking positive for those trying to get a foot on the property ladder.In recent months many banks and building societies have been loosening their affordability rules or launching deals that let people borrow 95% of the property’s value, and in some cases more than that. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
River Thames spot among 13 sites shortlisted for swimming status 13. February 2026 (08:00) Choice could prove difficult for Thames Water, which is trying to push through a water recycling scheme nearbyThe first designated bathing water area on the River Thames in London has been proposed as one of 13 new monitored swimming areas across the country.The Thames at Ham, in south-west London, was shortlisted as a new river bathing water after campaigners gathered evidence to show thousands of people use the river for swimming throughout the year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘We are hopeful’: small signs of recovery for Scotland’s rare capercaillie bird 13. February 2026 (07:00) Number of males at RSPB Abernethy rises to 30, after ‘huge amount of work’ by conservationists in Highlands forestsAfter decades of decline, there are signs of hope for the capercaillie, one of Britain’s most endangered birds.Populations of the charismatic grouse, which is found only in the Caledonian pine forests of the Scottish Highlands, have increased by 50%, from 20 males in 2020 to 30 in 2025 at RSPB Abernethy. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Democrats at Munich security summit to urge Europe to stand up to Trump 13. February 2026 (07:00) European leaders divided over how far to accommodate Trump’s ‘wrecking ball’ politics and foreign policyUS Democrats will use a security summit this weekend to urge European leaders to stand up to Donald Trump, with the continent divided over how to keep the unpredictable US president on side.Democrats at the annual Munich Security Conference will include some of Trump’s most outspoken critics, such as the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, the New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Arizona senator Ruben Gallego and the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Everything is frozen’: bitter winter drags on for Kyiv residents as Russia wipes out power 13. February 2026 (06:00) Kremlin’s repeated targeting of infrastructure has left thousands without heating, reliant on shelters and desperate home hacksNatalya Pavlovna watched her two-year-old son, Danylo, play with Lego. “We are taking a break from the cold,” she said as children made drawings inside a warm tent. Adults sipped tea and chatted while their phones charged. The emergency facility is located in Kyiv’s Troieshchina district, on the left bank of the Dnipro River. Outside it was -18C. There was bright sunshine and snow.“Russia is trying to break us. It’s deliberate genocide against the Ukrainian people. Putin wants us to capitulate so we give up the Donbas region,” Natalya said. “Kyiv didn’t use to feel like a frontline city. Now it does. People are dying of cold in their homes in the 21st century. The idea is to make us leave and to create a new refugee crisis for Europe.”Natalia and Danylo near the ‘resilience point’ in Troyeshchyna district Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Invisible’ children born in the brothels of Bangladesh finally get birth certificates 13. February 2026 (06:00) Destined to a perilous life with no right to an education or to vote, state recognition ‘gives them hope’, campaigners sayThrough the decades that the Daulatdia brothel in Bangladesh has existed, children born there have been invisible, unable to be registered because their mothers were sex workers and their fathers unknown. Now, for the first time, all 400 of them in the brothel village have their own birth certificates.That milestone was reached after a push by campaigners who have spent decades working with Bangladesh’s undocumented children born in brothels or on the street. It means they can finally access the rights afforded to other citizens: the ability to go to school, to be issued a passport or to vote. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Welcome to 1920s Sydney’: shuttle bus bans passengers in swimwear, citing ‘cleanliness’ 13. February 2026 (05:37) A sign for the northern beaches Hop, Skip and Jump bus says ‘clothing must be worn over swimwear’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney’s Northern Beaches council has banned bikini-clad and shirtless passengers from riding its free community bus service after receiving feedback from passengers.The Hop, Skip and Jump is a daily 30-seat shuttle bus that services the coastal suburbs of Manly, Fairlight and Balgowlah and is frequented by beachgoers. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The tears just keep flowing’: child victims of Tumbler Ridge shooting remembered as Carney heads to join vigil 13. February 2026 (05:34) Prime minister to meet mourners in mining town as families speak of their loss in one of Canada’s deadliest mass shootingsCanadian prime minister Mark Carney is to join mourners in Tumbler Ridge on Friday, as authorities and relatives released details of the six children and assistant teacher killed by a shooter in the remote mining town’s high school.Carney will attend a vigil in Tumbler Ridge in memory of the victims, and he invited leaders from all political parties to join him in the town, the site of the country’s deadliest mass shooting in years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
