Amazon reveals plans to spend $200bn in one year the day after Bezos guts Washington Post 06. February 2026 (00:36) Tech giant reports $213bn in revenue after its founder, who owns the Post, lays off a third of newspaper’s employeesAmazon announced plans to spend $200bn on artificial intelligence and robotics this year, the latest tech giant to vow fresh enormous investments in the artificial intelligence arms race.The news of the investment comes one day after the Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced it was cutting approximately a third of employees. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Most statin side-effects not caused by the drugs, study finds 06. February 2026 (00:30) While labels list dozens of possible risks only four are supported by evidence, say researchers Almost all side-effects listed for statins are not caused by the drugs, according to the world’s most comprehensive review of evidence.Other than the well-known risks around muscle pain and diabetes, only four of 66 other statin side-effects listed on labels – liver test changes, minor liver abnormalities, urine changes and tissue swelling – are supported by evidence. And the risks are very small, according to the systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Lancet. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Oregon must dismiss more than 1,400 cases due to attorney shortage, court rules 05. February 2026 (23:29) Severe lack of public defenders has meant people charged with crimes have been routinely unable to fight their casesThe Oregon supreme court has ruled that a large number of criminal cases across the state must be dismissed due to a severe shortage of public defenders, a major decision that attorneys say will impact more than 1,400 pending cases.The problem has been years in the making and has become a significant constitutional crisis, as people charged with crimes are routinely unable to fight their cases as they wait weeks, months or sometimes years for the state to appoint them lawyers. The attorney shortage – due in part to the increasing difficulty of recruiting attorneys for the low-salary, high-caseload jobs – has meant that people have had cases hanging over them for extended periods of time, impacting their housing, employment and families, advocates say. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Home Office says nearly 60,000 people deported from UK or left voluntarily since 2024 election 05. February 2026 (23:00) Shabana Mahmood insists deportations will rise, as Labour government is accused of promoting ‘harmful stereotypes’ of migrantsNearly 60,000 unauthorised migrants and convicted criminals have been removed or deported from the UK since Labour took office, the Home Office has said.The announcement came amid claims that the government was promoting “harmful stereotypes” by equating migration with criminality. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Republicans dismiss whistleblower complaint against Tulsi Gabbard 05. February 2026 (22:57) Anonymous insider alleges director of national intelligence withheld classified information for political reasonsThe Republican leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees have rejected a top-secret complaint from an anonymous government insider alleging that Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, withheld classified information for political reasons.The responses this week from Senator Tom Cotton and Congressman Rick Crawford mean the complaint is unlikely to proceed further, though Democratic lawmakers who also have seen the document said they continue to question why it took Gabbard’s office eight months to refer the complaint to Congress as required by law. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ex-priest indicted for allegedly raping disabled child while ministering in New Orleans 05. February 2026 (22:49) Mark Francis Ford has been held without bail for five months after authorities arrested him in IndianaA man accused of molesting a disabled boy whom he met while working as a Roman Catholic priest in New Orleans has been indicted on child rape charges, according to authorities.Grand jurors seated in New Orleans’ state criminal courthouse on Thursday handed up a nine-count indictment against Mark Francis Ford, nearly five months after authorities arrested him and jailed him without bail. The document charges Ford, 64, with aggravated rape of a child; raping a person suffering from a physical disability preventing resistance; two counts of molesting a juvenile; another three of indecent behavior with a minor; and kidnapping. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Arizona officials confirm blood found at Nancy Guthrie’s home was hers 05. February 2026 (21:33) Pima county sheriff says police do not yet have a suspect in apparent kidnapping of Savannah Guthrie’s motherLaw enforcement chiefs in Arizona on Thursday confirmed that they found blood belonging to Nancy Guthrie, the mother of the TV anchor Savannah Guthrie, on the 84-year-old’s porch after she was reported missing from home at the weekend.The sheriff of Pima county, Chris Nanos, said during a press conference authorities did not yet have a suspect in the apparent kidnapping. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
No 10 defies calls to sack Morgan McSweeney over Mandelson appointment 05. February 2026 (21:11) Amid warnings McSweeney’s survival would leave his position ‘untenable’, PM apologises to Epstein’s victims for appointing Mandelson as US ambassadorDowning Street has defied calls to remove Keir Starmer’s most senior aide, insisting Morgan McSweeney retains the prime minister’s confidence, as frustration grows over a wait for documents on Peter Mandelson, which some fear could last for weeks.Amid warnings from Labour backbenchers that McSweeney’s survival would leave Starmer’s position “untenable”, Starmer apologised to victims of Jeffrey Epstein for appointing Mandelson, a close friend of the convicted child sex offender, as US ambassador. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump waters down criticism of UK’s Chagos Islands deal after call with Starmer 05. February 2026 (20:48) US president says deal, which he previously described as act of ‘great stupidity’, was ‘best’ PM could makeDonald Trump has watered down his criticism of the UK’s plan to hand the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius, saying the deal was the “best” Keir Starmer could make.The US president had described ceding sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes the Diego Garcia military base, as an “act of great stupidity” only last month. He also claimed the deal was one of many “national security reasons” why the US should acquire Greenland. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
