Hillary and Bill Clinton to testify in House’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation 26. February 2026 (12:00) Hillary Clinton to testify Thursday from their home in Chappaqua, while Bill Clinton will speak to panel fridayHillary Clinton will testify before congressional lawmakers investigating the ties of Jeffrey Epstein on Thursday in the first of two closed-door hearings that will also include her husband, Bill Clinton.Both have complained that they are being singled out unfairly to distract public attention from Donald Trump, who had a long friendship with Epstein before breaking with him. They also claim the testimony should occur in public. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Workers decry Whirlpool’s job cuts amid offshoring, praise of Trump’s tariffs 26. February 2026 (12:00) The US has lost factory jobs amid promises of a tariff-led renaissanceWorkers at Whirlpool, the US’s largest appliance manufacturer and a champion of Donald Trump’s tariff policies, are criticizing the company for cutting jobs at an Iowa plant while bolstering production in Mexico.The job cuts at Whirlpool come as the company has continued to support the Trump administration’s trade policies and claimed they will help bolster US manufacturing. Trump’s trade policies appear to have done little for US manufacturing so far. The US has lost 83,000 factory jobs since Trump took office in January 2025. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Sick, demented, extremely low IQ and cries like a child’: Donald Trump renews attack on Robert De Niro 26. February 2026 (11:56) After the star made a fresh denunciation of the US president at an alternative State of the Union event, Trump returned fire at length on Truth Social Donald Trump has responded to a recent podcast appearance by Robert De Niro, in which he called the president “an idiot”.Speaking on Monday’s episode of The Best People with Nicole Wallace, De Niro, who has long criticised the politics, morals and competence of Trump, said: “He’s an idiot. We gotta get rid of him. He’s gonna ruin the country.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Number of asylum seekers in UK hotels falls to 18-month low 26. February 2026 (11:48) Home Office figures also show a rise in asylum refusal rates, with government claiming tightening of rules is workingUK politics live – latest updatesThe number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in hotels has fallen to the lowest level for 18 months, Home Office figures show.The statistics released on Thursday also show a drop in asylum granting rates. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hillary Clinton to testify in House Oversight Committee’s Epstein investigation – US politics live 26. February 2026 (11:47) Deposition will be filmed but take place behind closed doors, with former president Bill Clinton scheduled to answer questions tomorrowSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxUS Secretary of state Marco Rubio has refused to speculate on what happened after Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and wounded six others aboard a Florida-registered speed boat that had entered Cuban waters and opened fire.He said that it could be a “wide range of things,” and that the US will not solely rely on what the Cuban authorities have provided thus far. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Starmer, Polanski and Farage in final pitch to voters as polls open in Gorton and Denton byelection – UK politics live 26. February 2026 (11:45) Voting begins in one of the most eagerly awaited and fiercely contested byelections of recent yearsA minister has confirmed that the government is pressing ahead with the deal to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.In an interview with Times Radio this morning, asked if the deal was going ahead “100%”, Alison McGovern, the communities minister, replied:Yes. My colleague the foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has been talking to Marco Rubio, her opposite number in the US, about it. Foreign policy is never easy. We will make progress on the Chagos deal. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sarwar gambles on break with Starmer as Labour support slumps 26. February 2026 (11:03) Scottish Labour leader hopes distancing himself from PM will shift focus to SNP’s record, but voters remain unconvincedUK politics live – latest updates“People look at Holyrood and think: ‘Lets give them all a bloody nose’,” says Alex, a betting shop manager. Speaking in a focus group of people who voted Labour at the 2024 general election, Alex captured the downbeat mood of a cohort bitterly disappointed with the Labour government’s early performance, frustrated by the record of the Scottish National party and wearied by what they described as “scandal after scandal” polluting public life.Organised by the public opinion researchers More in Common, the discussion took place last week in Glasgow’s southside, where the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, grew up and still lives with his family. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Rolls-Royce profits soar 40% amid booming demand for AI datacentre power 26. February 2026 (10:43) Engine maker promises to give up to £9bn to shareholders over next three years as turnaround gathers paceRolls-Royce’s profits soared by 40% last year as the engineering company’s turnaround gathered pace, helped by booming demand for power from datacentres.The company reported underlying profits of £3.5bn for 2025, up from £2.5bn the year before, as it also promised to give up to £9bn to shareholders over the next three years through share buybacks, its biggest return of cash to investors in a decade. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ocado to cut 1,000 jobs in £150m cost-saving drive 26. February 2026 (09:29) Retail technology business to reduce about 5% of global workforce, with two-thirds of job losses affecting UKBusiness live – latest updatesOcado is to cut 1,000 jobs as the retail technology business attempts to £150m in costs though a substantial restructuring programme.The company confirmed that about 5% of its global workforce will be affected, with roughly two-thirds of the job losses affecting its UK operations. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Palestinian solidarity in Britain ‘being silenced and criminalised’ 26. February 2026 (09:26) ‘Index of repression’ includes smears, harassment, job losses and arrests, legal advocacy group saysPalestinian solidarity is being “silenced, criminalised and sanctioned”, according to an advocacy group that says it has recorded more than 900 examples of repression across Britain in the last six years.People had been targeted with smears, disinformation, harassment, doxing (having private or identifying information published online), visa cancellations, financial blacklisting, loss of employment and arrest, according to the European Legal Support Center, which, along with the research group Forensic Architecture, has created the “index of repression”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
