School phone policies in England a ‘huge drain’ on staff resources – study 11. February 2026 (00:30) Teachers and admin teams spend 100 hours a week enforcing rules, Birmingham University research findsSmartphone policies in English secondary schools are a “huge drain” on resources, with staff spending on average more than 100 hours a week enforcing restrictions, according to research.Teachers, teaching assistants, caretakers and receptionists are involved with helping to police pupils’ smartphone use in school, researchers said, with multiple staff recording incidents, overseeing detentions and communicating with parents. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump to repeal key ruling allowing regulation of planet-heating gases 10. February 2026 (23:17) Climate groups vow to fight rollback of 2009 finding determining CO2 and other greenhouse gases harm healthIn what is set to be its most audacious anti-environment move yet, the Trump administration on Thursday will roll back the mechanism allowing the government to regulate planet-heating pollution, the White House press secretary has told reporters.“President Trump will be joined by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to formalize the recession of the 2009 Obama-era endangerment finding,” Karoline Leavitt said at a press conference on Tuesday. “This will be the largest deregulatory action in American history.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Epstein engineered intimate relationship for Tesla’s Kimbal Musk, emails show 10. February 2026 (22:57) Elon Musk’s younger brother and the woman were involved for about six months between 2012 and 2013Jeffrey Epstein engineered an intimate relationship between a woman in his network and Kimbal Musk, who is the brother of Elon Musk and on the board of directors at Tesla, according to emails from the Department of Justice’s recent release of documents involving the convicted sex offender. The younger Musk and the woman were involved for around six months between 2012 and 2013, with Kimbal Musk describing them as “dating”.In the lead-up to Musk and the woman’s first meeting, Epstein and his longtime associate Boris Nikolic labored to set them up and bring her to a birthday party Musk was throwing – with Nikolic telling Epstein: “please prepare [the woman] —;)” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Debunked claims from election deniers influenced FBI raid in Georgia, affidavit reveals 10. February 2026 (22:53) The 28 January raid of the Fulton county election office also came after a referral from a White House lawyerThe FBI’s rationale behind raiding the Fulton county election office in Georgia last month was based on debunked claims from election deniers and came after a referral from a White House lawyer who tried to overturn the 2020 election, a search warrant affidavit unsealed on Tuesday reveals.The warrant offers the first insight for the basis for the FBI’s 28 January raid on the Fulton county election office. FBI officials seized nearly 700 boxes of election materials in the raid. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump administration removes LGBTQ+ Pride flag from Stonewall national monument 10. February 2026 (22:50) ‘They cannot erase our history. Our Pride flag will be raised again,’ says Manhattan borough presidentThe Trump administration has removed a large pride flag from the Stonewall national monument in New York City, marking the latest move by the federal government to end diversity initiatives and sanitize the history shared in national parks.The monument commemorates the June 1969 riots that followed a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. The six days of protests against the police action were a key moment in sparking the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and the site has since become a national symbol of LGBTQ+ Pride. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Streeting still ready to challenge Starmer despite show of unity, allies say 10. February 2026 (21:46) Health secretary poised to make leadership bid after May local elections to pre-empt a potential challenge from rival Rayner, MPs close to him sayAllies of Wes Streeting expect him to try to challenge Keir Starmer within weeks, despite the health secretary insisting he backs the prime minister and is not intending to move against him, the Guardian has been told.Starmer attempted to regain authority over his party on Tuesday after a tumultuous day in Westminster during which he was denounced by the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and lost his director of communications. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Former senior aide to Starmer loses whip over friendship with sex offender 10. February 2026 (21:28) Labour peer Matthew Doyle has apologised for links to Sean Morton who was convicted of possession of indecent images of childrenKeir Starmer’s longstanding communications chief has been suspended 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.Matthew Doyle, who stepped down as the No 10 head of communications last March and was made a peer in December, said in a statement that he apologised for his links to Sean Morton, a former Labour councillor in Scotland who was convicted in 2018 of possessing the images. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
No 10 confident Sarwar acted alone in call for Starmer to go 10. February 2026 (21:17) Downing Street initially feared Scottish Labour leader’s move was part of a wider leadership challenge Downing Street is increasingly confident that Anas Sarwar’s call for Keir Starmer to stand down was not part of a coordinated plot by a leadership rival to bring down the prime minister, the Guardian understands.The Scottish Labour leader spoke to several cabinet ministers including Wes Streeting, as well as former deputy leader Angela Rayner, ahead of his explosive intervention on Monday, but sources said he had not revealed his plans. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Children in England ‘bombarded’ with online ads for harmful products 10. February 2026 (21:00) Teenagers routinely see content promoting weight-loss drugs, steroids and skin-whitening creams, research finds Children are being “bombarded” with harmful products online, including weight-loss drugs, steroids and skin-whitening chemicals, a study has found.Research conducted for the children’s commissioner for England found that teenagers were routinely exposed to harmful products on social media, video games and apps. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Actor Noel Clarke arrested over allegation of attempted rape in 2007 10. February 2026 (20:54) Former Doctor Who star is also facing allegations of exposure and sexual assault by touchingThe actor Noel Clarke has been arrested over an attempted rape, which allegedly took place in 2007.The former Doctor Who star is also facing allegations of exposure and sexual assault by touching. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
