‘Plainly wrong’: London flat dwellers fight shock £200,000 heating bill 07. February 2026 (08:00) Almost 1m UK households are hooked up to heat networks. None had protection from poor service or price hikes … until last month‘If I could move, I would – to a place without a heat network. But I can’t while this debt is hanging over me,” says Anja Georgiou.The mother lives with her family in a rented flat in the River Gardens development in Greenwich in south-east London where, three years ago, residents were shocked to be presented with a surprise £200,000 bill for heating and hot water. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Storm-battered Portugal heads to polls as rivals unite to keep out far right 07. February 2026 (07:00) Socialist António José Seguro on course for victory but gains by André Ventura’s Chega could herald watershedPortuguese voters will return to the polls on Sunday for the final round of a presidential election that has been marked by a push to keep the far-right candidate at bay and overshadowed by deadly storms that have lashed the country in recent days.The moderate leftwing candidate António José Seguro won the first round of the election, which was held on 18 January, taking 31.1% of the vote. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BBC Persian journalists say Iran monitoring them and targeting their families 07. February 2026 (07:00) Reporters say relatives in Iran have been questioned and persecuted in an effort to curb coverage of unrestExiled Iranian journalists working for the BBC have been warned their movements are being closely monitored by the state, as they said their families in Iran were being interrogated and persecuted for their reporting.Journalists said family members had been threatened with arrest and the seizure of their assets unless their loved ones stopped reporting on Iranian unrest. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Bermuda snail thought to be extinct now thrives after a decade’s effort 07. February 2026 (07:00) Special pods at Chester zoo helped conservationists breed and release more than 100,000 greater Bermuda snailsA button-sized snail once feared extinct in its Bermudian home is thriving again after conservationists bred and released more than 100,000 of the molluscs.The greater Bermuda snail (Poecilozonites bermudensis) was found in the fossil record but believed to have vanished from the North Atlantic archipelago, until a remnant population was discovered in a damp and overgrown alleyway in Hamilton, the island capital, in 2014. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sex and snacks, but no seat at the table: the role of women in Epstein’s sordid men’s club 07. February 2026 (07:00) Files reveal a world of flattery and fratboy tones, where rich men are cultivated and women provide servicesPluck an email at random from the millions in the Department of Justice’s Epstein Library. It is a Saturday evening in February 2013, and Jeffrey Epstein is messaging Bill Gates’s assistant about guests for a dinner he wants to organise.“People for Bill,” the email begins. Epstein starts listing possible candidates: the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, the film director Woody Allen, the prime minister of Qatar, a couple of Harvard academics, the billionaire CEO of Hyatt hotels, a White House communications director, a former US secretary of defence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
China overturns death sentence of Canadian in sign of diplomatic thaw 07. February 2026 (06:09) Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was detained on drug charges in 2014 before Canada-China ties nosedived in 2018China has overturned the death sentence of Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, a Canadian official said on Friday, in a possible sign of a diplomatic thaw as prime minister Mark Carney seeks to boost trade ties with Beijing.Schellenberg’s lawyer Zhang Dongshuo, reached in Beijing on Saturday, confirmed the decision was announced on Friday by China’s highest court. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cyclone intensifies as towns in north-west WA brace for winds, flooding 07. February 2026 (05:30) Cyclone Mitchell was expected to become a category three system before it hit the Pilbara coast on SundayGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA tropical cyclone off northern Western Australia is expected to intensify into a severe category three system.Cyclone Mitchell was offshore of Port Hedland and moving south-west towards the coast off Karratha late Saturday morning. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Colorado funeral home owner sentenced to 40 years for abusing 189 bodies 07. February 2026 (03:51) Jon Hallford, condemned in court as ‘monster’, stashed decaying bodies and gave grieving families fake ashesA Colorado funeral home owner who stashed 189 decomposing bodies in a building over four years and gave grieving families fake ashes was sentenced to 40 years in state prison Friday.During the sentencing hearing, family members told Judge Eric Bentley they have had recurring nightmares about decomposing flesh and maggots since learning what happened to their loved ones. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US social media personality Sur Ronster fined after swarm of ebike riders converges on Sydney Harbour Bridge 07. February 2026 (03:50) YouTuber Sur Ronster issued with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving in relation to the bridge ride-outGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNew South Wales police have fined an American social media personality and issued two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving after a swarm of ebike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.A group of about 40 people riding ebikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The group then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minns invokes special powers for NSW police to restrict protests during Israeli president’s visit 07. February 2026 (03:26) Thirteen state and federal NSW MPs appeal to police to allow planned march protesting against the visitGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe NSW government has invoked special powers ahead of the Israeli president’s visit next week with the premier, Chris Minns, warning would-be protesters that police will not allow “conflict on Sydney streets”.But 13 state and federal NSW MPs have written to the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, appealing for him to work with protest organisers to facilitate a planned assembly and march from Town Hall to state parliament. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
