Albanese government to sell off $3bn worth of historic defence sites amid push to free up space for new homes 04. February 2026 (02:26) Richard Marles has decided to sell more than 60 properties, including Victoria Barracks in Sydney, Melbourne and BrisbaneFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government will sell off $3bn in defence properties around the country, after a major audit of land holdings found they served no useful strategic value.Defence sites – including Victoria Barracks in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – will be sold after the multi-year audit, tasked with identifying surplus and costly property holdings, often costing millions to maintain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Elon Musk calls Spanish PM a ‘tyrant’ over plan to ban under-16s from social media and curb hateful content 04. February 2026 (02:05) Pedro Sánchez says urgent action needed to protect children from ‘digital wild west’, drawing anger from owner of XSpain has proposed a ban on social media use by teenagers as attitudes hardened in Europe against the technology, drawing personal insults against the prime minister from Elon Musk.The government is preparing a series of measures including a social media ban for under-16s, the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said, promising to protect children from the “digital wild west” and hold tech companies responsible for hateful and harmful content. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump-led abuses amid ‘democratic recession’ put human rights in peril, HRW report says 04. February 2026 (01:01) Rights group says growing authoritarianism and abuses in US, Russia and China threaten global rules-based orderThe world is in a “democratic recession” with almost three-quarters of the global population now living under autocratic rulers – levels not seen since the 1980s, according to a new report.The system underpinning human rights was “in peril”, said Philippe Bolopion, executive director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), with a growing authoritarian wave becoming “the challenge of a generation”, he said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One in six autistic pupils in UK have not attended school at all since September 04. February 2026 (01:01) Data comes as government prepares to publish plans to overhaul Send system in EnglandOne in six autistic pupils have not been to school at all since the start of this academic year, according to a new survey which found that mental health issues were often behind high levels of school absence.Nearly half (45%) of the parents and children who responded to the UK-wide survey by the Ambitious About Autism charity said they felt “blamed” by the government for the absences. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Review calls for more remote hearings to save courts system from ‘collapse’ 04. February 2026 (01:01) Report to tackle courts’ backlog also recommends new criminal justice adviser to oversee courts, prisons and policingA new post of prime minister’s criminal justice adviser and the widespread use of remote hearings are among the recommendations of a government-commissioned independent review on tackling the courts’ backlog in England and Wales.The second part of Sir Brian Leveson’s review – unlike the first part, which recommended slashing jury trials – focuses on efficiencies that can be achieved without legislation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Women in tech and finance at higher risk from AI job losses, report says 04. February 2026 (01:01) ‘Mid-career’ females also being sidelined by rigid hiring processes, says City of London CorporationWomen working in tech and financial services are at greater risk of losing their jobs to increased use of AI and automation than their male peers, according to a report that found experienced females were also being sidelined as a result of “rigid hiring processes”.“Mid-career” women – with at least five years’ experience – are being overlooked for digital roles in the tech and financial and professional services sectors, where they are traditionally underrepresented, according to the report by the City of London Corporation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ministers to crackdown on profiteering in care sector and make renewed fostering push 04. February 2026 (01:00) Josh MacAlister issues warning as government launches £88m ‘call to arms’ to recruit 10,000 new foster carersPrivate providers of child social care in England will be pushed out of the system if they are found to be profiteering, the children’s minister has said.Josh MacAlister, who is in charge of overhauling the care system for children, also called for a fostering equivalent of the Homes for Ukraine scheme to provide homes for tens of thousands of children. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Colombian president and Trump put aside insults for amicable White House meeting 04. February 2026 (00:21) Leaders had been trading hostile remarks for months but Gustavo Petro’s visit ended with warm words from US counterpartAfter months of trading insults – from “sick man” and “drug trafficking leader” on one side, to “accomplice to genocide” with a “senile brain” on the other – the first meeting between Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro ended with pleasantries, autographs and a Maga cap.The Colombian president was received by his US counterpart for a closed-door meeting at the White House, with no press access. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California officials move forward with plans to exterminate mule deer from island 04. February 2026 (00:05) Conservancy sees nonnative species as major threat to local biodiversity, while residents rally to preserve local identity California wildlife officials moved forward last week with a plan to eradicate a mule deer herd from Santa Catalina Island: extermination.The plan has long pitted locals from the island off the coast of Los Angeles against the Catalina Island Conservancy, an environmental non-profit that manages 88% of the island’s terrain. The conservancy sees mule deer, which are not native to the island, as a major threat to local biodiversity, water quality and fire resilience. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
One Nation has been surging in the polls. Next month’s South Australian election may reveal whether that’s a load of hot air 04. February 2026 (00:00) One Nation says it will ‘contest every seat’ in March state election, with newest recruit Cory Bernardi among the former Liberals in playGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe crowd, clad in orange One Nation T-shirts and flying Australian flags, appear certain they’re in the winners’ circle, with cries of “prime minister” sounding in the rabble.The pack greeted Pauline Hanson and her newest recruit, former Liberal turned Sky News commentator Cory Bernardi, in Adelaide on Tuesday high on news of a surge in the polls. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
