Lib Dems call for ‘anti-growth’ Treasury to be split up – UK politics live 11. February 2026 (11:38) Liberal Democrats call for Treasury to be replaced with big growth department, and smaller spending departmentFamilies of nurses and carers have said they fear being torn apart under an immigration crackdown condemned as “an act of economic vandalism”, Josh Halliday reports.Q: You are here being hosted by UK Finance. But the financial services sector does not like your plans for a windfall tax on banks. Have you dropped your support for that? Continue reading...(The Guardian)
France makes international appeal over ex-teacher accused of raping 89 children 11. February 2026 (11:35) Police search for more possible victims of Jacques Leveugle, whose alleged crimes span many countries and date back to 1960sFrench police have made a rare international appeal for victims and witnesses in the case of a 79-year-old former teacher accused of raping and sexually assaulting 89 children across five continents from the 1960s until 2022.Police in Grenoble said Jacques Leveugle, who has been in pretrial detention in France since April 2025, was a “textbook example” of a serial sexual offender in an unusually sprawling case spanning many countries from Germany to India over more than five decades. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Palestine Action activist says jury verdicts were vindication of cause 11. February 2026 (11:28) Fatema Rajwani’s comments come after she and five others were cleared of aggravated burglary over break-in at Israeli defence firm The youngest of six Palestine Action activists cleared of aggravated burglary over a break-in at an Israeli defence firm’s UK site has said the verdicts were a vindication of their cause.After 18 months in jail, Fatema Rajwani, 21, was released on bail last Wednesday, having also been acquitted by a jury at Woolwich crown court of violent disorder in relation to the raid on the Elbit Systems factory in Filton, near Bristol, on 6 August 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK wealth manager and price comparison site shares fall amid AI fears 11. February 2026 (11:03) Drop comes as AI firm Altruist launches service that helps advisers create personalised tax strategiesBusiness live – latest updatesWealth managers and price comparison sites have become the latest companies to be hit by fears that their businesses will be disrupted by new artificial intelligence innovations.Shares in UK wealth management firms tumbled on Wednesday morning, after the AI company Altruist Corp launched a service that it said helps advisers create personalised tax strategies by reading clients’ pay stubs, account statements and other documents. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Angus Taylor resigns from shadow cabinet ahead of expected Liberal leadership challenge 11. February 2026 (10:39) Taylor says party in ‘worst position’ since formation and says he doesn’t believe Sussan Ley is in position to lead Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAngus Taylor has resigned from shadow cabinet and is expected to challenge Sussan Ley for the Liberal leadership, declaring the party is in the “worst position” since its formation in 1944.Taylor announced Wednesday evening he was resigning from shadow cabinet, the first step in an expected bid to depose the party’s first female leader after just nine months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
No 10 ‘did not know’ of aide’s links to paedophile when he was given peerage 11. February 2026 (10:31) Downing Street not aware of Matthew Doyle’s support for Sean Morton when peerage was granted, minister saysUK politics live – latest updatesDowning Street was not aware that Keir Starmer’s longstanding communications chief had campaigned for a paedophile when his peerage was announced, a minister has said.Matthew Doyle, who stepped down as the No 10 head of communications last March, was suspended on Monday from the Labour whip in his new role in the Lords after it emerged that he had campaigned on behalf of a friend who had been charged with possessing indecent images of children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘We need a helicopter to go find them’: 13-year-old’s emergency call to save family stranded off WA coast revealed 11. February 2026 (09:27) Austin Appelbee told authorities he was ‘really scared’ after swimming 4km in rough seas to get help for mum and two siblingsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast“We got lost out there,” 13-year-old Austin Appelbee tells the triple-zero operator, after swimming 4km (2.5 miles) in the rough, open ocean and running 2km (1.25 miles) to save his family.The operator asks how long it is since he set off. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Some of world’s oldest trees hit by climate-fuelled wildfires in Patagonia 11. February 2026 (09:00) Wildfires that left 23 people dead were made about three times more likely by global heating, researchers sayThe climate crisis inflamed deadly wildfires that left 23 people dead in Chile and devastated forests in Argentina that host some of the world’s oldest trees, scientists have found.The hot, dry and windy conditions that enabled the fires to blaze across huge areas in January were made about three times more likely by global heating, researchers from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) consortium found. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Commonwealth Bank posts record half-year cash profit as investors pile into housing market 11. February 2026 (08:47) CBA shares surge by 7% after bumper $5.45bn result while data shows owner-occupiers’ share of lending has decreased in tight property marketFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Commonwealth Bank has delivered a record $5.45bn half-year cash profit, as investors pile into the housing market and take market share from owner-occupiers.Australia’s biggest lender said on Wednesday it was settling more than 3,000 housing loans on average every week, with property prices now at or near record highs across large parts of the country. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NSW police commissioner urged to apologise to ‘entire Muslim community’ after officers disrupted prayer at Sydney protest 11. February 2026 (08:39) Mal Lanyon says police were ‘required’ to disperse crowd, while Mehreen Faruqi accused them of ‘assaulting Muslims’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Muslim group has urged the New South Wales police commissioner to apologise to the entire Muslim community after police disrupted a group of people praying at a protest against the visit by Israel’s president in Sydney on Monday.Australian National Imams Council (Anic) confirmed it had received an apology from Mal Lanyon about the incident, but two other major Muslim groups Guardian Australia spoke to said they had not. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
