UK’s biggest student housing provider hit by fall in international enrolment 24. February 2026 (13:54) Unite Group cuts rents at some universities and raises cash by selling London site to joint venture for £186mBusiness live – latest updatesA drop in the number of international students coming to the UK has hit the student housing provider Unite Group, which lowered its profit outlook for the third time in four months as weaker demand prompted it to cut rents in some cities.Shares in the FTSE 250-listed company – which says it is the UK’s biggest student housing provider – fell almost 10% to the lowest level since early 2015. It said it would not build any more student housing, after the completion of its first build-to-rent project in Stratford with 719 beds, expected in June. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Russia opens criminal case into Telegram founder Pavel Durov 24. February 2026 (13:49) Claim of ‘abetting terrorist activities’ comes as Kremlin attempts to steer users on to state-controlled appRussia has launched a criminal investigation into the Telegram founder, Pavel Durov, on suspicion of “abetting terrorist activities”, further escalating the Kremlin’s standoff with the widely used messaging app.The state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported on Tuesday that a case had been opened “based on materials from Russia’s federal security service”, which accused the app of being compromised by western and Ukrainian intelligence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Court backlog to grow until end of decade despite Lammy axing of jury trials, says MoJ 24. February 2026 (13:47) Justice secretary says only his measures will stop backlog in England and Wales from increasing exponentiallyThe backlog in criminal courts in England and Wales will continue to rise until the end of the decade before it falls despite radical changes including curtailing jury trials, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice.The justice secretary, David Lammy, said the government was determined to press ahead with the jury trial changes despite a potential rebellion from Labour MPs, warning that no other measures would stop the backlog from rising exponentially. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Amyl and the Sniffers embroiled in US legal battle after photographer countersues singer 24. February 2026 (12:45) The rock band’s Amy Taylor claimed copyright infringement over sales of prints but now faces counter action in Los Angeles courtRock band Amyl and the Sniffers have become embroiled in a legal battle over photoshoot rights between their lead singer and a photographer who has applied for the case to be thrown out.Amy Taylor, the band’s frontwoman, had taken the photographer, Jamie Nelson, to court for selling fine art prints based on photos of Taylor. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump to proclaim success of first year in lengthy State of the Union speech 24. February 2026 (12:00) President says ‘we have so much to talk about’ as polls show decline in Americans’ support for handling of key issuesDonald Trump will deliver the annual State of the Union address Tuesday evening, where he is set to proclaim the success of his first year in office before an American public that polls show has soured on his handling of the issues they care about most.The speech to a joint session of Congress will be a key moment ahead of the November midterm elections, in which Trump’s Republican allies are defending their slim control of the Senate and House of Representatives. It will take place amid a decline in Trump’s approval ratings fueled by discontent with his handling of the economy and immigration, both issues at the center of his successful re-election campaign in 2024. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Anthony Albanese evacuated from official Canberra residence due to security threat 24. February 2026 (11:57) Prime minister moved from The Lodge to another location while investigation under wayAnthony Albanese was evacuated from his official Canberra residence on Tuesday night as police responded to a security threat.The prime minister was moved from The Lodge to another location at about 6pm while an investigation was carried out. He was only able to return after 9pm after a search had been completed. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
New edition of Ferrara bible shows how persecuted Jews kept faith alive in Spanish 24. February 2026 (11:56) Exiled Spanish and Portuguese Jews who had fled to Italy translated Hebrew bible into their common languageIn 1553, a community of exiled Spanish and Portuguese Jews who had found refuge and patronage in the northern Italian city of Ferrara did something that would have been unthinkable, and very possibly fatal, in their former homelands.They printed their own Hebrew bible in Spanish. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Kremlin vows to press ahead with Ukraine war aims as Europe marks four years since invasion – Europe live 24. February 2026 (11:52) Four years ago today, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, hoping to take the country in a matter of daysZelenskyy says “we must be just as determined and strong as we were when the invasion began,” as “the threat hasn’t become smaller.”He says Europe can only respond to this war working together with the US, even as he remarks it “is not an easy task to maintain transatlantic unity and cooperation in the current conditions.”“So there must be no place in the free world for Russian oil, for Russian tankers, Russian banks, Russian sanctions …, schemes, or for any Russian war criminals. The time has come to fully ban all participants in Russia’s aggression from entire Europe.” Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Destitute survivors of south-east Asia’s cyberscam farms an ‘international crisis’ 24. February 2026 (11:40) Not enough support for freed victims, say aid agencies, with growing numbers sleeping on the streets, unable to travel home without passports or moneyCharities and aid workers have called for urgent international government support for victims of south-east Asia’s deadly scam compounds, following a damning report by Amnesty International.The numbers of survivors of cyberscam “farms” left destitute and abandoned on the city streets of Cambodia and Myanmar is an “international crisis”, according to the research published in January. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Minister signals government won’t stop MPs voting to publish Andrew trade envoy documents – UK politics live 24. February 2026 (11:22) MPs to debate the release of documents relating to the appointment of ex-prince Andrew as UK trade envoyKeir Starmer has paid tribute to the “the incredible resilience of the Ukrainians” and urged people to “defeat the falsehood that Russia is winning” the war it started four years ago.Addressing cabinet this morning, he said:I wanted also to pay tribute to the incredible resilience of the Ukrainians, and it is incredible resilience.When this conflict broke out four years ago, it was assumed it would be a matter of weeks before Putin took the whole of Ukraine. That’s what everybody believed.The second etched in my memory was last year when I went to one of the busiest hospitals in Kyiv and saw for myself the incredibly awful burns on some of those who had returned from the frontline. Burns the like of which I’d never seen in my life before.And at the same time, I went to a primary school and these children who were five, six, seven years old, had lost both their parents to the conflict. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
