Japan seizes Chinese fishing boat inside its economic waters amid rift with Beijing 13. February 2026 (05:19) Japan’s fisheries agency said the vessel failed to comply with an order to stop. The incident comes weeks after a row between China and Japan over TaiwanAuthorities in Japan have seized a Chinese fishing boat and arrested its captain in a move that is likely to inflame an ongoing diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing.The seizure, which occurred on Thursday about 170km from the south-western port city of Nagasaki, came after the skipper refused an order to stop for an onboard inspection, according to media reports. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US man linked to Wieambilla shooters sentenced to three years in prison 13. February 2026 (05:16) Donald Day discussed extreme conspiracies with Queensland family before they killed two police officers and a neighbour at rural propertyFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn American man who spent a year discussing extreme conspiracies with the Queensland family behind the Wieambilla shootings has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.Donald Day, 58, was arrested in the US after a year-long investigation into his contact with Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train before the trio killed two police officers and a neighbour at their rural Queensland property. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bangladesh election: BNP claims win in historic first election since overthrow of Hasina 13. February 2026 (03:51) Voting was largely peaceful in an election seen as a test of Bangladesh’s democracy after years of political turmoil under autocratic rulerThe Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP) led by Tarique Rahman has claimed a sweeping victory in the country’s first election since a gen-Z uprising toppled the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina.By Friday morning, results had shown a clear win for the party, returning them to power after 20 years. It had been seen as the first free and fair election held in Bangladesh for almost two decades and came after a period of significant political upheaval in the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Top lawyer at Goldman Sachs resigns after revelation of Epstein relationship 13. February 2026 (03:51) Emails show Kathy Ruemmler had close ties to convicted sexual abuser she called ‘Uncle Jeffrey’Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs and former White House counsel to Barack Obama, has announced her resignation in the wake of emails showing a close relationship between her and Jeffrey Epstein, whom she referred to as “Uncle Jeffrey”.Ruemmler said in a statement on Thursday that she would “step down as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs as of June 30, 2026”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pride flag reinstated at Stonewall after it was removed by Trump administration 13. February 2026 (03:50) New York City officials raise flag at site of rebellion once again after ‘act of erasure’ by administrationDays after the Trump administration oversaw the removal of a Pride flag from the Stonewall national monument, officials in New York City again raised the flag at the historic site.A large crowd gathered near the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village to see it return to the space where, in 1969, the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement was ignited. Nearly six decades ago, police raided the popular gay bar, and set off an uprising that, as the Library of Congress notes, would “fundamentally change the discourse surrounding LGBTQ+ activism” in the US. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump doubles down on racist video, saying no staffer has been disciplined 13. February 2026 (03:29) US president, who blamed aide for post depicting Obamas as apes, maintains video is not a problemDonald Trump on Thursday continued to brush off widespread backlash over a racist video posted to his social media account last week, and said no White House staffer had faced consequences for the offensive post.Asked by Weijia Jiang of CBS News on Thursday whether he had “fired or disciplined that staffer who posted the video from your account that included the Obamas”, Trump said that he had not. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW police watchdog to investigate alleged police brutality at Sydney protest against Isaac Herzog 13. February 2026 (02:34) Despite premier Chris Minns’s objection to an inquiry, Law Enforcement Conduct Commission says it is in public interest to investigate ‘alleged misconduct’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn independent inquiry into reports of police brutality at a Sydney protest against Isaac Herzog’s visit will examine “incidents of alleged misconduct on the part of officers”.The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (Lecc) said on Friday it would examine the police response after receiving “a significant number of complaints”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
In a pickle: couple charged with felony battery after pickleball brawl at Florida country club 13. February 2026 (02:00) Dispute about rules elevates from insults to fisticuffs, with as many as 20 players becoming involvedA dispute over a rule led to a brawl during a pickleball game at a central Florida country club, authorities said, with one player hitting his opponent in the face with a paddle and punching him on the ground before others got involved.A 63-year-old man was charged Sunday with two counts of felony battery on a person 65 or older, and his 51-year-old wife, who joined the fight in Port Orange, was charged with a single count of felony battery on a person 65 or older, according to an arrest affidavit. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump nominates hospitality executive to lead National Park Service 13. February 2026 (01:30) Scott Socha, whose company sued to claim trademark rights to Yosemite name, criticized by conservation groupsDonald Trump has nominated the hospitality executive Scott Socha – whose company once sued to claim trademark rights to the name “Yosemite National Park” – to lead the National Park Service.The nomination of an outsider with business ties to the agency he’d oversee comes at a pivotal moment for the service, which lost a quarter of its staff under Doge’s civil sector purge and which has been the subject of the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to erase mention of historical events from NPS sites that portray Americans in an unfavorable light, such as slavery. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sussan Ley to quit politics after being deposed as Liberal leader, triggering contentious byelection 13. February 2026 (01:30) Ley says she will step away ‘completely and comprehensively from public life’ after losing Liberal leadership ballot to Angus TaylorTaylor becomes opposition leader after defeating Ley in Liberal leadership ballotFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSussan Ley will soon quit politics, saying she plans on “stepping away completely and comprehensively from public life” after being defeated in a party room spill for the Liberal leadership.The decision sets up a byelection for Ley’s seat of Farrer, which could result in the opposition’s parliamentary numbers dwindling further. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
