Mandelson arrested: Epstein files fallout intensifies – The Latest 24. February 2026 (17:50) Former US ambassador Peter Mandelson has been released on bail after his arrest over claims he committed misconduct in public office during his friendship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Police have been investigating allegations that he leaked Downing Street emails and market-sensitive information to the disgraced US financier during his time as business secretary. Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s head of national news, Archie Bland – watch on YouTube Continue reading...(The Guardian)
British dual nationals risk imminent refusal of travel to UK, Home Office affirms 24. February 2026 (17:32) Government ignores pleas for a grace period before new rules come into force on WednesdayBritish citizens with a second nationality risk being blocked from entering the UK from Wednesday, the Home Office has confirmed.The government has decided to ignore pleas from families, the Liberal Democrats and the former Conservative cabinet minister David Davies for a grace period to allow British dual nationals to adapt to the new rules they face. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senate Democrats investigate CBS over blocked Colbert interview 24. February 2026 (17:26) Richard Blumenthal seeks records from FCC and Paramount Global amid claims of political censorshipSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxUS Senate Democrats are launching an investigation into whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the CBS parent company, Paramount, prevented Stephen Colbert, the network’s talkshow host, from broadcasting an interview with the Texas Democratic candidate, James Talarico.Richard Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat on the Senate’s permanent subcommittee on investigations, has written to the FCC’s enforcement bureau and to the CEO of Paramount Skydance, David Ellison. The Democratic senator demands information and documents relating to the Colbert controversy, including any communications with Donald Trump’s White House. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Husband’s ‘physical and sexual violence’ caused wife to kill herself, UK court told 24. February 2026 (17:09) Christopher Trybus charged with manslaughter of Tarryn Baird, rape and coercive and controlling behaviourA woman who took her own life after being subjected to a campaign of “physical and sexual violence” by her husband told her family “I am so sorry but I just couldn’t take it any more”, a court has heard.Tarryn Baird, 34, was found dead at her home in Swindon, Wiltshire, on 28 November 2017. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Armed police flood Iran’s universities to crush student protests 24. February 2026 (17:06) Campus clashes provide uneasy backdrop to third round of talks on nuclear programme in GenevaPlainclothes police and security forces, many of them armed, have tried to flood Iran’s remaining open universities in an attempt to crush a fourth day of student protests against the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.Running battles were reported on some campuses, with videos showing fistfights between the Basji state-backed militia and students at the University of Science and Technology in Tehran. Pick-up trucks with machine-guns were photographed parked outside the University of Tehran, with demonstrations also in Mashhad. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Savannah Guthrie offers $1m reward for return of her mother: ‘We still believe in a miracle’ 24. February 2026 (16:39) Nancy Guthrie has been missing for three weeks and officials believe she was kidnapped from her Arizona homeSavannah Guthrie’s family has offered up to $1m for information leading to the return of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, who has been missing since 1 February.The NBC Today show host posted the offer in a video on Instagram Tuesday, more than three weeks after Nancy’s disappearance. “Someone out there knows something that can bring her home,” Guthrie says in the clip. “We are begging you to please come forward now. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia can keep fighting Ukraine war throughout 2026, says military thinktank 24. February 2026 (16:09) Little sign Moscow’s ability to continue waging war for a fifth year is diminished, analysis suggestsEurope live – latest updatesRussia will be able to sustain its invasion of Ukraine throughout 2026 even allowing for emerging economic and manpower pressures, while its missile and drone threat to Europe is growing, according to a leading military thinktank.Bastian Giegerich, the director general of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said there was “little indication” that “Russia’s ability to continue its war against Ukraine for a fifth year is diminished”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
NT environmentalists ‘gobsmacked’ at federal green light to bulldoze nearly 3,000 hectares of tropical savanna 24. February 2026 (15:00) Daly River region is home to threatened species such as the ghost bat, Gouldian finch, pig-nosed turtle and red goshawkGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe environment minister, Murray Watt, has given the green light for the bulldozing of nearly 3,000 hectares of tropical savanna in the Northern Territory without an assessment under Australia’s nature laws.Top End Pastoral Company’s development would clear 2,723 hectares of woodland – an area 10 times the size of Sydney’s CBD – on Claravale farm and station in the Daly River region for crops, including sorghum and cotton. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ban under-16s from riding ebikes and e-scooters then require a driver’s licence, Queensland inquiry to recommend 24. February 2026 (15:00) Exclusive: State parliament’s inquiry will propose a crackdown amid concerns over injuries and deathsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChildren should be banned from riding ebikes and e-scooters until they turn 16 and then require a driver’s licence to use one, a Queensland parliamentary inquiry will recommend.The state parliament’s inquiry into e-mobility safety and use is expected to finish its report this week, more than a month early. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Guardian Essential poll: more than half of Australians open to voting for One Nation despite Hanson’s Muslim comments 24. February 2026 (15:00) A quarter of all respondents say they would ‘definitely’ back the rightwing populist party at the next election while a third say they’re ‘open’ to itPauline Hanson’s populism is a front. But there are lessons for progressives in One Nation’s surging popularity | Peter LewisGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastNearly 60% of Australians say they’d be open to voting for One Nation at the next federal election, with nearly half of those currently backing Labor saying they’d consider backing Pauline Hanson, ringing alarm bells for both the government and Coalition about the march of the rightwing populist party.Meanwhile Angus Taylor’s appointment as Liberal leader has done little to boost the opposition’s electoral fortunes so far, with its primary vote virtually unchanged and voters split about whether his spill of Sussan Ley would make them more or less likely to vote for the Coalition. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
