Bad Bunny gets first solo UK Top 10 hits thanks to Super Bowl boost 13. February 2026 (19:00) The Puerto Rican star’s album Debí Tirar Más Fotos jumps to No 2, while the song DTMF rises to No 4Despite being one of the most streamed musicians in the world, Bad Bunny had never had a solo UK Top 10 hit – until now.The Puerto Rican musician has attracted a huge number of curious new fans – and jubilant preexisting ones – after last week’s Super Bowl, where he performed in a half-time show described by many people as one of the greatest in NFL history. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
University expels student who called for accountability over Hong Kong fire 13. February 2026 (18:58) Discipline committee decides to terminate Miles Kwan from studies because of ‘multiple acts of misconduct’A Hong Kong university student who had called for accountability over a deadly fire at an apartment complex in the city has been expelled by the school for disciplinary offences.Miles Kwan, a politics student, was detained for two nights by the city’s national security police last year for “seditious intent” after handing out flyers calling for an independent investigation into a fire that killed 168 people in November. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bitter dispute between Trump and EU over Gaza’s future breaks out into the open 13. February 2026 (18:51) EU’s head of foreign policy claims ‘Board of Peace’ is vehicle for Trump with no accountability to Palestinians or UNA bitter dispute between Europe and the US over the future of Gaza has broken out into the open, with the EU’s head of foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, warning that Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” was a personal vehicle for the US president that removed any accountability to Palestinians or the United Nations.Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, also accused Trump of trying to bypass the original UN mandate for the board, and said Europe, one of the chief funders of the Palestinian Authority, had been excluded from the process. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump sends second aircraft carrier to Middle East in effort to increase pressure on Iran 13. February 2026 (18:46) USS Gerald R Ford will take about three weeks to sail to region, amid push for Iran to curb its nuclear ambitionsDonald Trump has ordered the world’s largest aircraft carrier to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East in an effort to increase pressure on Iran amid discussions over curbing its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.The USS Gerald R Ford and its supporting warships should take about three weeks to return to the region, where they will join the USS Abraham Lincoln, dramatically increasing the military firepower available to the US leader. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
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)
