Brandi Carlile concert raises over $600,000 for families affected by ICE 23. February 2026 (20:46) Singer criticizes Trump administration’s ‘violent theater’ as she supports people caught up in Minneapolis crackdownBrandi Carlile’s weekend concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota, raised over half a million dollars for families affected by the disruptive presence of US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol agents in the city.Carlile, a Grammy-winning Americana artist from Washington state, livestreamed her show Be Human: A Concert for Minneapolis from the Target Center on 21 February. The show, played for over 12,000 people, raised more than $600,000 for the Minnesota-based Advocates for Human Rights organization, “so that they can help and represent thousands of families who desperately need it”, the singer announced on Instagram. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Inquiry into Andrew’s links to Jeffrey Epstein is matter for MPs, says No 10 23. February 2026 (20:22) Anthony Albanese says Australia would not object to his removal from royal succession lineA parliamentary inquiry into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to Jeffrey Epstein is a matter for MPs, Downing Street has said, as ministers faced a new push to uncover details about the former prince’s role as a trade envoy.It comes as the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, wrote to Keir Starmer to say his country would have no objection to Mountbatten-Windsor being removed from the royal line of succession. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
US evacuates staff from Lebanon embassy amid tensions with Iran 23. February 2026 (20:10) US state department official says it’s ‘prudent’ to reduce their footprint to essential personnelWashington has evacuated dozens of non-essential personnel from its embassy in Lebanon as US ships and warplanes have been positioned in the region for a potential strike against Iran in the coming days.The diplomatic drawdown followed reports that dozens of US personnel had been evacuated through Lebanon’s Beirut-Rafic Hariri international airport to protect them from a possible Iranian counterattack if tensions between the US and Iran escalate into war. Roughly 30-50 US embassy personnel have left the country, estimates suggest. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Jeremy Hunt urges medics to do more to improve detection of rare childbirth condition 23. February 2026 (20:06) Exclusive: Former health secretary throws weight behind campaign to boost diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrumJeremy Hunt has urged leading doctors to do more to help maternity specialists detect a rare complication of childbirth that can lead to a women bleeding to death within minutes.The former health secretary has thrown his weight behind a new campaign, aimed at improving the NHS’s identification of placenta accreta spectrum. The campaign was set up by Amisha Adhia and her husband, Nik, after five hospitals failed to spot that she had PAS. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Nottingham killer was not sectioned because of his race, inquiry told 23. February 2026 (19:58) Valdo Calocane released in 2020 after mental health staff considered research on over-representation of young black men in detentionMental health professionals decided not to detain the Nottingham triple killer Valdo Calocane despite a violent incident in 2020, after they considered research that addressed the over-representation of young black men in custody, a public inquiry has been told.Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia, fatally stabbed 19-year-old students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, and 65-year-old Ian Coates, and severely injured three others on 13 June 2023. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than 600 migrants die trying to cross Mediterranean so far in 2026, UN says 23. February 2026 (19:50) Deadliest start to a year in more than a decade, according to the International Organization for Migration A least 606 people trying to reach Europe in search of refugee have been reported dead or missing in the Mediterranean since the beginning of 2026, marking the “deadliest start to a year” in more than a decade, the UN’s migration agency said on Monday.The figure includes at least 30 people who are feared dead or missing after their boat capsized in severe weather off the coast of Greece on Saturday. Authorities rescued 20 people, including four minors, and recovered the bodies of three men and one woman, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Major changes to the Send system - can the government win over MPs and parents? – podcast 23. February 2026 (18:04) Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the government’s long-awaited plans for the special educational needs and disabilities system. Can the controversial overhaul convince parents and MPs? Plus, the latest on the Gorton and Denton byelectionTo read Jonthan Liew’s Sunday Read on the Gorton and Denton byelection, click here Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Lovejoy episode helps antiques dealer identify stolen Napoleon III artefacts 23. February 2026 (17:58) Repeat of BBC series gave clue to Paul Gostelow about 19th-century altar cards taken from crypt in HampshireTwo priceless artefacts stolen more than a decade ago from the crypt of Napoleon III in England have been recovered after an antiques dealer realised he had them while watching a repeat of the comedy drama Lovejoy.The wooden 19th-century altar cards were taken in a burglary at St Michael’s Abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire in February 2014 and were feared lost for ever. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Could Farage bring ICE to the UK? – The Latest 23. February 2026 (17:47) Reform UK has promised to create an ICE-style agency dedicated to mass deportations if the party came to power. Nigel Farage and his party’s home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, have pledged to start a ‘UK Deportation Command’ to remove thousands of people, under plans that Labour has condemned as ‘divisive’. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s deputy political editor Jessica Elgot – watch on YouTube Continue reading...(The Guardian)
FBI head Kash Patel defends ‘frat bro’ hijinks with US hockey team in Milan 23. February 2026 (17:47) As multiple investigations unfold back at home footage emerged of Patel whooping it up with team in locker room The FBI director, Kash Patel, has a lot on his plate just now. There’s the shooting death of the armed man who entered Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home; the weeks-old search for missing Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today co-host Savannah Guthrie; not to mention the ongoing furor around the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files.So eyebrows were raised on Sunday when phone footage emerged of Patel whooping it up with the men’s USA hockey team in Milan after their gold medal victory against Canada at the Winter Olympics. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
