Two women arrested in Uganda for allegedly kissing in public could face life sentence 26. February 2026 (09:00) Wendy Faith and Alesi Diana Denise were taken into custody under laws that have outraged LGBTQ+ community and rights activistsTwo women have been arrested and detained in Uganda after allegedly kissing in public, an act of “same-sex activity” which can lead to a life sentence in the east African country..Wendy Faith, a 22-year-old musician known as Torrero Bae, and Alesi Diana Denise, 21, were taken into custody after police raided their rented room in Uganda’s north-west Arua City last week. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
WPP to merge ad agencies and cut jobs in radical shake-up to counter AI threat 26. February 2026 (08:58) Group aims to be ‘simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business’ and achieve £500m of annual savings by 2028The beleaguered advertising group WPP has announced a radical restructure to counter the threat posed by the AI revolution, including merging its ad agencies and cutting jobs.Aiming to be “a simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business”, the London-based company laid out plans to achieve £500m of annual savings by 2028, at a cost of £400m over two years. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mumsnet campaign demands ban on social media for under-16s 26. February 2026 (08:28) Resembling cigarette packet warnings, the ads highlight dangers and urge people to email MPs Mumsnet has launched a campaign to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s featuring health warnings in the style of those on cigarette packets.The deliberately provocative national advertising campaign calls for all social media to be banned for children under the age of 16. The images on billboards and social media make a number of stark statements related to health. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The most important part is the vibe’: Bate Bay named Australia’s best beach 26. February 2026 (08:10) Tourism Australia beach ambassador Brad Parker says the coastline south of Sydney airport ‘ticked pretty much every box’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Sutherland shire’s Bate Bay has been named best Australian beach for 2026. The annual list selects the top 10 beaches across the country, aiming to showcase Australia’s beauty domestically and abroad.Tourism Australia’s beach ambassador, Brad Parker, who compiled the list, described the coastline south of Sydney’s airport as “Sydney’s longest, least crowded and most beautiful stretch of sand”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘The world is still as bent and corrupt’: Our Friends in the North returns to the stage 26. February 2026 (08:00) Two Thatcher-years episodes of Peter Flannery’s award-winning TV series to be adapted for Newcastle stageIt is regarded as one of the greatest British television series ever made, exploring the decline of the Labour party, sleaze, social decay, dodgy developers, injustice and how idealism can so easily turn to disillusionment and cynicism.Our Friends in the North will return this year in a new guise and will be just as relevant, its writer believes, as it was 30 years ago. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Polls open in Gordon and Denton byelection amid three-way battle between Greens, Labour and Reform 26. February 2026 (08:00) Voters head to the polls in south-east Manchester in one of the most unpredictable byelections in recent yearsAnalysis: What a win would mean for Reform, Greens and LabourThe polls have opened in the three-way battle for Gorton and Denton in south-east Manchester in one of the most unpredictable byelections in years.The Green party leader Zack Polanski said his party was “neck and neck” with Reform UK to overturn Labour’s 13,000-vote majority, and that Labour will need to “search their conscience” if Reform UK wins.Keir Starmer’s party has targeted left-leaning voters in the Greater Manchester seat with claims that only Labour can see off Nigel Farage’s Reform, saying that a vote for the Greens was “in effect, a vote for Reform”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minns government undermined own goal with NSW protest restrictions, constitutional challenge hears 26. February 2026 (07:52) Lawyer for protest groups argues state needs to prove it was ‘rational to prevent all protests’ to achieve social cohesionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastLawyers for three protest groups have argued a Minns government law which effectively banned marches in Sydney’s CBD made its own objective of enhancing social cohesion “worse”.On Thursday the NSW court of appeal heard the constitutional challenge against the anti-protest law, which was passed in the wake of the Bondi terror. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
What a Gorton byelection win would mean for Reform, Greens and Labour 26. February 2026 (07:00) Polls put seat in three-way dead heat with Labour facing threats from Reform and Green party in once safe seatThe Gorton and Denton byelection is the biggest electoral test yet for Keir Starmer before what are expected to be disastrous results for Labour in the May local elections. Polls put the race in a three-way dead heat, making it nearly impossible to call.The vote is particularly symbolic because of the threat Labour faces from Reform UK and the Green party in a once safe seat. Should Labour lose, it will put the spotlight back on Starmer’s decision to block Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, from contesting the seat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘Magic beneath the surface’: pioneering geothermal plant launched in Cornwall 26. February 2026 (07:00) A new mini power station and lithium extraction facility near Redruth are set to bolster green energy and create jobsJust outside the perimeter fence stand the hulking remains of grand stone engine houses, a testament to Cornwall’s proud tin and copper mining history.But inside is a shiny new mini power station and lithium extraction plant that is once again accessing rich underground resources in the far south-west of Britain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Wieambilla police shootings property listed for sale for $190,000 26. February 2026 (06:54) Son of Nathaniel and Stacey Train says he is ‘hoping for a quick sale to someone who will be respectful of the property, considering its history’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe site of the Wieambilla ambush, Queensland’s worst police shooting, is up for sale.In 2022, conspiracy theorists Gareth, Stacey and Nathaniel Train killed constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow at their remote property at 251 Wains Road, about 300km west of Brisbane. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
