Democrats call for freeze on gas exports as energy prices soar for US households 26. February 2026 (18:00) Families are ‘struggling with cost of heating their homes’, letter says as Trump repeatedly pledges to slash utility billsAs energy prices for US households soar nationwide, Democratic and progressive lawmakers are calling on the energy department to stop increasing exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG).“The Trump administration’s LNG export policies are not putting America first: they have jacked up utility prices for families, leaving many Americans struggling with the cost of heating their homes this winter,” reads a letter to energy secretary Chris Wright, sent Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Independent senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and seven others. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Home Office urged to make it easier for mosques to apply for protection 26. February 2026 (17:28) British Muslim Trust says fund announced last week falls short as it requires mosques to prove they have been targetedMinisters are being urged to drop the requirement for mosques to prove they have faced a hate crime before they can apply for protective security.Last week, the Home Office announced up to £40m in funding for security staff, CCTV, fencing, alarms and floodlights for mosques, Muslim schools and community centres through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Record number of rough sleepers in England last year, official figures show 26. February 2026 (16:44) An estimated 4,793 people slept rough in tents, doorways or parks on single night in autumn – up 3% year on yearRecord numbers of people slept rough on the streets of England last year, according to the latest official statistics.An estimated 4,793 people spent the night in tents, doorways and parks on a single night in autumn 2025, up 3% year on year, and overtaking the previous peak of 4,751 in 2017, though charities believe these figures underestimate the scale of the nation’s homelessness crisis. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Italian woman awarded compensation after breaking ankle while working from home 26. February 2026 (16:04) University of Padua employee fractured ankle when getting up to fetch documents during video meetingAn Italian woman who fell and broke her ankle while working from home has obtained compensation in an unprecedented court ruling hailed a victory for workers’ rights.In April 2022, the woman, an employee in the University of Padua’s law department, fractured her ankle in two places. The injury, which happened during a Zoom meeting where she fell after she got up from her desk to fetch documents, required surgery and treatment lasting more than four months. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mafia accused of using Naples hospital for fraud and illegal transport of corpses 26. February 2026 (15:57) Four arrests over Camorra’s alleged infiltration of San Giovanni Bosco to carry out lucrative criminal activityItalian police on Wednesday arrested four people over an alleged Camorra plot to infiltrate a Naples hospital, stage fake crashes for insurance payouts and spirit corpses away on oxygen-masked stretchers to profit from private ambulance transfers.The investigation, prompted by the testimony of a state witness, uncovered a web of lucrative criminal activity allegedly carried out by members of the Contini clan of the Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia, inside San Giovanni Bosco hospital. Prosecutors said the “operations were made possible by the organisation’s capacity for intimidation, a force that bent public officials and private citizens alike to its will”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British-Danish couple say new UK passport rules may separate them from children 26. February 2026 (15:52) Family learned of change while abroad, and fear dual-national children will have to stay with relatives while they return to apply for passportsA British man and a Danish woman fear they will be separated from their young children in Copenhagen airport because of new border control rules on British dual nationals.James Scrivens and his wife, Sara, who live in Wales, were visiting relatives in Norway and Denmark during the school holidays, and learned about the new Home Office rules only while they were abroad. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pauline Hanson’s daughter employed in taxpayer-funded job with NSW One Nation senator 26. February 2026 (15:00) Exclusive: Tasmanian Lee Hanson employed as senior adviser to Sean Bell in role worth as much as $180,000Australian Politics podcast: One Nation woos progressive votersGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne Nation has employed Pauline Hanson’s Tasmanian-based daughter as a senior adviser to a New South Wales senator, in a taxpayer-funded role worth as much as $180,000 a year.Guardian Australia can reveal that Lee Hanson, who lives just outside Hobart, was appointed as the senior adviser to Senator Sean Bell in October last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
An oil refinery defined life in this quaint California city. What happens when it’s gone? 26. February 2026 (15:00) For decades, the Valero refinery shaped Benicia’s economy, politics and health. Now the city has become a reluctant test case of whether an oil town can reinvent itselfLess than 40 miles north of San Francisco, the city of Benicia has the quaint ambience of an American small town, where a white gazebo and sign for a community crab bake mark the approach to a vibrant downtown stretch of restaurants, cafes and antique shops.From many vantage points, it’s easy to forget the city is home to a massive 900-acre oil refinery, its imposing sprawl of stacks, holding tanks and billowing steam hidden from view. But for nearly 60 years, the refinery has loomed over every aspect of life in Benicia, exerting outsized influence on its economy and politics, while posing serious risks to public health. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Albanese should demand reparations from Israel, say families of Australian soldiers whose graves were bulldozed 26. February 2026 (15:00) A third family says the Australian government must do more to hold Israel and the Israeli Defence Force to account, including demanding an apologyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe families of dead Australian soldiers whose graves were bulldozed by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza have called for reparations and urged the Albanese government to hold Israel accountable.Earlier this month, the Guardian revealed that the IDF had bulldozed parts of the Gaza War Cemetery – the resting place of Australian, British and Canadian soldiers who served in the first and second world wars. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Unbelievably dangerous’: experts sound alarm after ChatGPT Health fails to recognise medical emergencies 26. February 2026 (15:00) Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of casesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChatGPT Health regularly misses the need for medical urgent care and frequently fails to detect suicidal ideation, a study of the AI platform has found, which experts worry could “feasibly lead to unnecessary harm and death”.OpenAI launched the “Health” feature of ChatGPTto limited audiences in January, which it promotes as a way for users to “securely connect medical records and wellness apps” to generate health advice and responses. More than 40 million people reportedly ask ChatGPT for health-related advice every day. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
