‘Women’s freedoms are at stake’: concern at rise of Islamist party before Bangladesh election 11. February 2026 (03:00) Jamaat e-Islami, oppressed under Sheikh Hasina’s rule, could take unprecedented share of the vote on ThursdayAs the clock hit midnight, the women held their flame torches aloft and marched into the Dhaka night. “The people have given their blood, now we want equality,” they shouted above the roar of the traffic.For many in Bangladesh, the past few weeks have been a cause for jubilation. The first free and fair elections in 17 years have been promised for Thursday, after the toppling of the regime of Sheikh Hasina in a bloody student-led uprising in August 2024 in which more than 1,000 people died. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Britney Spears sells rights to music catalog for undisclosed sum, say reports 11. February 2026 (01:33) Music publisher Primary Wave said to have bought rights to pop star’s music, including Toxic and Baby One More TimeBritney Spears has sold the rights to her music catalog, which includes hits such as Toxic, Baby One More Time and Gimme More, according to media reports.The music publisher Primary Wave is said to have purchased the pop star’s music rights on 30 December, TMZ reported on Tuesday, citing legal documents. An unnamed source “familiar with the deal” confirmed the sale to the New York Times. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Five bones, teeth and car key found in Tasmanian search for missing backpacker Celine Cremer 11. February 2026 (01:22) Police have been searching for Belgian tourist, 31, since she went missing near Cradle Mountain in June 2023Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastInvestigators are closer to uncovering the mystery of what happened to missing Belgian tourist Celine Cremer after a major discovery in the wilderness.Five bones, teeth and a Honda car key were found by Tasmania police after a two-day search of the Arthur River area, where Cremer is believed to have disappeared. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Unsustainable’ gaps in policing of franchise businesses must end, MPs say 11. February 2026 (01:01) House of Commons business and trade committee calls for changes after series of scandals in sectorThe UK government needs to eradicate “unsustainable” gaps in the policing of franchise businesses after a series of scandals to hit the sector, a parliamentary committee has found.The conclusion forms part of the business and trade committee’s small business strategy report and follows a Guardian investigation in December which revealed claims that Adrian Howe, a former Vodafone employee who had agreed to become a franchisee in 2018, drowned after becoming convinced his deal with the multinational company would prove financially disastrous. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Antisemitic incidents in UK spiked after Manchester synagogue terror attack 11. February 2026 (01:01) Community Security Trust, which provides security to British Jews, recorded total 3,700 incidents in 2025Antisemitic incidents increased sharply in the UK after the deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue on the holiest day of the Jewish year, according to an organisation that provides security to British Jews.Two people died and three were seriously injured at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation on 2 October last year, in the first fatal antisemitic terror attack since the Community Security Trust (CST) began recording incidents in 1984. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
English secondary schools must offer inclusion areas for neurodiverse and Send pupils 11. February 2026 (01:01) Special spaces are a key part of government’s planned overhaul of special educational needs supportSecondary schools in England must provide specially designed areas for neurodiverse children and pupils with special educational needs, ministers have said.Universal “inclusion bases” are spaces away from classrooms where children with additional needs can get support for some lessons. They are seen as a key part of government plans to overhaul special educational needs and disabilities (Send) support. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FDA declines to review Moderna application for new flu vaccine 11. February 2026 (00:52) Moderna requests meeting to discuss refusal as decision could have implications for all new and updated vaccinesUS regulators will not review Moderna’s request to license a new, potentially more effective flu shot – even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously gave the green light to the project – in a decision that could have implications for all new and updated vaccines in the US.It’s the latest move by the Trump administration against vaccines. Officials in January decided to stop fully recommending one-third of routine childhood vaccines, including flu vaccines. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Man convicted of first-degree murder is first to be executed by Florida in 2026 11. February 2026 (00:51) Ronald Palmer Heath killed a traveling salesman in 1989; last year the state had a record 19 executionsA man convicted of killing a traveling salesman he and his brother had met at a bar has become the first person executed in Florida this year.Ronald Palmer Heath, 64, was pronounced dead at 6.12pm on Tuesday after a three-drug injection at the Florida state prison near Starke. Heath was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery with a deadly weapon and other charges in the 1989 killing of Michael Sheridan. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Gray wolf appears in Los Angeles county for first time in more than 100 years 11. February 2026 (00:43) Three-year-old black coat female, known as BEY03F, crossed into LA county around 6am on 7 FebruaryA gray wolf wandered into Los Angeles county for the first time in more than a century on Saturday morning.“This is the most southern verified record of a gray wolf in modern times,” Axel Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for the California department of fish and wildlife, said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bitter taste: per-unit pricing of Australian supermarket fruit and veg leaving customers out of pocket 11. February 2026 (00:34) Consumer advocates call for more transparency as Woolworths, Coles and Aldi expand use of the practice without displaying per-kilogram pricingGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIf you go into Woolworths to buy a bunch of small “kids’ bananas” you may not realise you’re paying double the price of the larger cavendish bananas right next to them.At one Woolworths store, kids’ bananas have been sold in bunches of five and priced at $3.70 a bunch. At a glance, that seems more or less the same price as the loose cavendish bananas next to them on the shelf, priced at $3.50/kg. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
