Gus Lamont’s parents appeal to public for information and say ‘every moment without him is unbearable’ 24. February 2026 (07:18) Four-year-old’s parents say ‘even the smallest detail could give us the answers we so desperately need’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe parents of missing four-year-old Gus Lamont say their “lives have been shattered” as they appeal to the public for any information that could help find him.Gus – also known as Angus – went missing from his family’s sheep station in outback South Australia on 27 September last year. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
High-speed train ticket between Newcastle and Sydney to cost $31 for one-hour journey from 2039 24. February 2026 (07:05) Rail line projected to cost taxpayers $61.2bn, with further line to Western Sydney international airport to cost extra $32.4bnFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralians would pay $31 for a 60-minute high-speed train between Newcastle and central Sydney from 2039, costing taxpayers $61.2bn, according to a business case provided to the government.The next stage of the project, which would see the rail line go to Parramatta and Western Sydney international airport, would cost an extra $32.4bn and open by 2043. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Criminals ‘systematically’ targeting UK shops, costing £400m last year, say retailers 24. February 2026 (07:00) British Retail Consortium warns over ‘endemic’ violence towards shop workers and says theft is causing anxietyCriminal gangs are “systematically” targeting shops, retailers have warned, with 5.5m incidents of shoplifting detected last year, costing the industry an estimated £400m.The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned over “endemic” violence towards shop workers – who faced an average 36 incidents of violence involving a weapon every day last year – and said high levels of theft was causing “anxiety” among retail staff. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Reform mayor courted US oil and gas executive about fracking in UK 24. February 2026 (07:00) Exclusive: Documents show Andrea Jenkyns asked how she could help firm after major gas find in LincolnshireLincolnshire’s Reform party mayor, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, has courted the head of an American oil and gas dynasty in the hope of bringing fracking to the county, the Guardian can reveal.Egdon Resources, a British subsidiary of the US fracker Heyco Energy, announced a major gas discovery in Lincolnshire’s Gainsborough Trough last year. Jenkyns, who became the first mayor of Greater Lincolnshire in May, reached out personally to the company asking how she “could help with your recent gas find in my county”, according to records released by the mayoral authority in response to a freedom of information request. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Robert Carradine, Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire actor, dies aged 71 24. February 2026 (06:29) The actor killed himself, his family said in a statement that aimed to raise awareness of ‘his nearly two-decade battle with bipolar disorder’Robert Carradine, a member of the famed acting family who was known for his roles in Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire, has died aged 71.Carradine killed himself after years of living with bipolar disorder, his family said in a statement which they said they hoped would raise awareness. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Full details of Bondi attack won’t be heard by royal commission, inquiry head says at first public hearing 24. February 2026 (05:48) Virginia Bell says scope of inquiry will be reduced to avoid prejudicing criminal proceedingsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe royal commission into antisemitism in Australia will not examine key parts of how the Bondi beach terror attack unfolded because of ongoing criminal proceedings.The first public hearing of the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion was held in Sydney on Tuesday, 10 weeks after 15 people were killed and 40 injured at the 14 December Hanukah event. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian women held in Syrian camps say they would accept children returning home separately 24. February 2026 (05:25) Exclusive: Some of the 11 mothers detained in Kurdish-controlled al-Roj camp say they want Australian government to repatriate children at any costFamilies in convoy from Syrian camp warned they would be attacked unless they turned aroundFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian women detained in north-east Syria over ties to Islamic State fighters said they would accept separation from their children if it meant the children could return to Australia.Some of the 11 women held in Kurdish-controlled al-Roj camp said on Monday that they wanted the Australian government to repatriate their children at any cost, even if it meant placing children in the hands of relatives at home while they stayed behind in the camp. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
BTS comeback show sells out immediately as 260,000 fans set to descend on Seoul 24. February 2026 (05:10) Booking system freezes and screens crash amid rush of fans trying to secure tickets to 21 March free concertTickets for BTS’s comeback concert in central Seoul were snapped up almost immediately on Monday night, with authorities expecting an estimated 260,000 fans to descend for the K-pop group’s first full performance in nearly four years.At one point, more than 100,000 people flooded the booking website when sales opened at 8pm for the free concert at Gwanghwamun square on 21 March, causing screens to crash and booking systems to freeze. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Tax expert worried Australia on path to neo-feudal society as housing wealth drives inequality 24. February 2026 (04:33) Real inequality is between those who have assets and those without in same generation, not young versus old, says ANU academicFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne of the country’s leading tax experts says the explosion in housing wealth has put Australia on the path towards a neo-feudal society where your prosperity depends in large part whether your parents own land or property.The director of the Australian National University’s Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Bob Breunig, said “that’s the trajectory we’re on”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump’s scramble to fix his crumbling tariff strategy sows global chaos and confusion 24. February 2026 (03:37) Economies such as the UK, India, Japan and the EU raced to hammer out agreements, but the blanket rate has left them wondering where they stand“America is WINNING again,” Donald Trump declared last week, unveiling the first batch of Japanese-backed projects under a mooted $550bn investment surge into the US as part of his trade pact with Tokyo.After the US president tore up the global economic order in 2025, Japan was one among the countries scrambling to strike a deal. They pledged to dramatically increase investment in the US in exchange for lower US tariffs on Japanese exports. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
