The Guardian

January annual drop still leaves rate above Bank of England’s 2% targetBusiness live – latest updatesUK inflation tumbled to 3% in January, giving a boost to hopes of an early cut in interest rates by the Bank of England.The drop was in line with a majority of City economists’ forecasts and marks the lowest level since March 2025. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/feb/18/uk-inflation-falls-interest-rates-bank-of-england Author : Phillip Inman Publish date : 2026-02-18 07:01:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

CEO said services have restarted after termination of grants led to criticism that US was ceding ground to ChinaRadio Free Asia has resumed broadcasts to people in China, its chief executive said on Tuesday, after Trump administration cuts last year largely forced the US-funded outlet to cease operations.For years, RFA and its sister outlets, including Voice of America (VOA), had been financed with funding approved by the US Congress and overseen by the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/18/radio-free-asia-china-broadcasts Author : Reuters Publish date : 2026-02-18 03:55:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the

Group was skiing in snow-hit Sierra Nevadas, while winter storm brings heavy rain and floods to other parts of stateSix skiers have been found after a group of 16 went missing this morning as heavy snowfall blanketed California, prompting avalanche warnings in the Sierra Nevada mountains, closing coastal roads and causing flooding in Los Angeles.The 10 remaining skiers are still missing, according to the sheriff’s office in Nevada county, California. The group was in the Castle Peak area, where an avalanche was reported around 11.30am. According to the sheriff’s office, the group consisted of four ski guides and 12 clients.

Backlash follows One Nation leader’s statements on Sky News on Monday night. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson says people ‘warming to our policies’ amid frustrations with two major partiesThe One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, was just interviewed on the ABC after a surge in popularity in recent polls.I think people are looking at our policies, what we want to do for the country and for people … People are warming to our policies and I am pleased to see that they want to vote for One Nation now because they

Interim president José Jerí voted out by country’s congress amid scandal concerning secretive meetings Peru’s interim president has been forced out of office in an “express impeachment” after a political scandal over his secretive meetings with Chinese businessmen.Lawmakers voted by 75 votes to 24 to proceed with the impeachment of José Jerí, who had been at the helm for just four months. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/17/perus-president-ousted-in-express-impeachment-after-just-four-months Author : Dan Collyns in Lima Publish date : 2026-02-17 20:56:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Exclusive: ICE more than tripled the amount of data stored in Microsoft’s cloud at the same time that its arsenal of surveillance technology balloonedImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deepened its reliance on Microsoft’s cloud technology last year as the agency ramped up arrest and deportation operations, leaked documents reveal.ICE more than tripled the amount of data it stored in Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform in the six months leading up to January 2026, a period in which the agency’s budget swelled and its workforce rapidly expanded, according to the files. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/17/ice-microsoft-technology-immigration-crackdown Author : Harry Davies and

Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier called for ‘justice and strength’ in diplomacy after Russia hit Ukraine with 400 drones and 29 missiles hours before talksThe European Commission is just giving its daily midday press briefing, and it has confirmed plans to adopt the new, 20th, round of sanctions against Russia by 24 February, the fourth anniversary of the full-scale invasion on Ukraine.Foreign affairs spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said:“We keep on working on measures to deprive Russia of the funds, goods and technologies sustaining its war against Ukraine. This indeed includes the 20th package that you have mentioned, and indeed we aim to

Party leader tells FT journalist she should ‘write some silly story’ after press conference revealing roles for his top teamNigel Farage is speaking.He starts by saying that 4.6m voters will get the right to to vote in the local elections because of his party.I am writing a book on Nigel Farage for @headlinepg.No holds will be barred. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/feb/17/reform-farage-shadow-cabinet-local-council-elections-labour-starmer-latest-news-updates Author : Andrew Sparrow Publish date : 2026-02-17 13:27:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Ordained minister and activist who twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination had been living with progressive supranuclear palsyAs well as being a prominent civil rights campaigner, Jackson became a focal point of black political power after running twice for the Democratic nomination for president in 1984 and 1988.He was the first African American to make the giant leap from activism to major-party presidential politics, firmly cementing his place in the history books in doing so. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/feb/17/jesse-jackson-tributes-died-84-civil-rights-latest-news-updates Author : Yohannes Lowe Publish date : 2026-02-17 10:50:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

ONS figures will hopes of further interest rate cut by Bank of England in the springBusiness live – latest updatesUnemployment in the UK has risen to 5.2%, the highest level in nearly five years, while wage growth continues to slow, raising the prospect of another cut to interest rates in the spring.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the rate of unemployment was 5.2% in the three months to the end of December, the highest rate since the quarter to January 2021. This was in line with what economists had been expecting and was up from 5.1% in the three

Liam Alexander Hall is the first person to be charged with terrorism offences in Western AustraliaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Perth magistrate has lifted a suppression order on the identity of Liam Alexander Hall, a 32-year-old man accused of attempting to bomb an Invasion Day rally in Perth.Magistrate Lynette Dias told the court on Tuesday that openness of the court is fundamental in the administration of justice. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/17/perth-man-accused-of-attempted-invasion-day-bombing-appears-in-court-on-terror-charges-ntwnfb Author : Narelle Towie Publish date : 2026-02-17 06:01:00 Copyright for syndicated content

Recognised with an honorary Academy Award in 2016, Wiseman directed and produced almost 50 films with a lifelong commitment to curiosity and naturalismFrederick Wiseman, the prolific film-maker whose documentaries primarily explored US public institutions and communities, has died aged 96.His death on Monday was announced in a joint statement from the Wiseman family and his production company, Zipporah Films. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/17/frederick-wiseman-dies-documentary-film-maker-dead-aged-96 Author : Dee Jefferson Publish date : 2026-02-17 01:44:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Three people stabbed in attack near Merrylands train stationA man is in custody after three people were stabbed near a train station in western Sydney, leaving one of them dead.Police responded to reports of the stabbing in Merrylands, about 10am on Tuesday. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/17/merrylands-stabbing-western-sydney-ntwnfb Author : Australian Associated Press Publish date : 2026-02-17 01:00:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Police confirm suspect is one of dead in incident at boys’ hockey game that injured four in PawtucketAt least three people are dead and three more hospitalized in critical condition in a mass shooting at an indoor ice rink in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, during a high school hockey match on Monday afternoon, the police said.The Pawtucket police chief, Tina Goncalves, told reporters at a news conference that the suspect is one of the dead. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/16/rhode-island-ice-rink-shooting-pawtucket Author : Sara Braun Publish date : 2026-02-16 22:23:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Seven in 10 experienced indirect racism, rising to nine in 10 Palestinian and Jewish students and staff, report finds. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Refugee Council of Australia has condemned a leaked proposal by the Liberal party to ban migrants from regions controlled by declared terrorist groups, describing the plan as an “appalling idea straight out of Donald Trump’s playbook”.Details of the leaked plan drafted under Sussan Ley emerged on Monday signalling a hardline approach to immigration as the party hemorrhages votes to One Nation.Any person applying to visit or migrate

Competing domestic priorities, Treasury borrowing limits and already nervous lenders are among the many obstaclesKeir Starmer has few options if he wants to increase annual defence spending by up to £14bn before the end of this parliament.In last summer’s spending review, the government set out plans to increase defence spending from 2.3% of national income, or gross domestic product (GDP), in 2024-25 – about £66bn, to 2.6% in 2028-29. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/16/keir-starmer-limited-options-further-defence-spending-rise Author : Phillip Inman Publish date : 2026-02-16 17:21:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

The government was warned by its lawyers that such a move could be illegalIn his Q&A with journalists, Keir Starmer was also asked to respond to a report by the BBC’s James Landale saying he is looking at plans to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP by the end of this parliament. In the past Starmer has just said that he would like to do this at some point in the next parliament.In his reply, Starmer said that at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend he was arguing that the UK, and Europe as a whole, needs to

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as Japan misses growth forecasts for the final three months of 2025UK consumer sentiment continued to sink this month, as households grow more worried about debt levels.A poll of consumer confidence from data firm S&P Global has found that morale continued to drop in February, although not as quickly as in January.Consumers signal stronger rise in debt alongside a quicker deterioration in loan availabilityAppetite for major spending recedes to weakest in ten monthsSentiment regarding labour market conditions at lowest since last June“The mood among UK households matches the dismal weather seen

Rubio visits Orbán, who has a warm relationship with the Trump administration, ahead of Hungarian elections in April with the two countries expected to sign civilian nuclear deal later todayWe have some images come through from the newswires of Marco Rubio in Budapest:Hungary’s 12 April election is set to be one of the year’s most consequential in the EU. Voters will choose a new 199-seat national assembly under the country’s mixed electoral system, with Viktor Orbán facing his biggest electoral challenge after 16 years of uninterrupted power. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/feb/16/marco-rubio-viktor-orban-hungary-ukraine-europe-france-germany-europe-live-news-updates Author : Yohannes Lowe Publish date :

ACCC alleges the supermarket breached the law by offering ‘illusory’ discounts on many products with ‘Down Down’ promotionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastColes disguised price increases on at least 245 products by offering discounts that were “literally true” but also “utterly misleading”, the competition regulator has argued at the beginning of a high-profile court case.A federal court battle between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Coles began on Monday, testing allegations the supermarket breached the law by offering “illusory” discounts on many everyday products. Continue

Leader vows to repay the ‘young martyrs’ who died as North Korea intensifies propaganda glorifying troops deployed to fight for RussiaNorth Korea has said it completed a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of North Korean soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, the latest effort by leader Kim Jong-un to honour the war dead.State media photos showed Kim walking through the new street – called Saeppyol Street – and visiting the homes of some of the families with his increasingly prominent daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju-ae, as he pledged to repay the “young martyrs”

Police decided there was ‘no tangible benefit’ to conducting disciplinary action against the officer and opted not to investigateFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Queensland police service refused to pursue disciplinary action against an officer accused of multiple acts of serious domestic violence against his heavily pregnant partner and “interfering with the course of justice” to weaken the terms of her protection order.The circumstances of the case, revealed in a Queensland tribunal judgment this month, prompted a legal challenge by state’s Crime and Corruption Commission. Continue reading...

Chris Baghsarian was alone in his North Ryde home on Friday when he was taken and bundled into an SUV allegedly by underworld figuresThe search continues for an 85-year-old Sydney man who police say was abducted by mistake in a botched underworld kidnapping.Chris Baghsarian was alone in his North Ryde home when he was taken and bundled into a dark-coloured SUV on Friday morning. Continue reading... Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/16/chris-baghsarian-search-sydney-man-abducted-nsw-police Author : Australian Associated Press Publish date : 2026-02-15 23:45:00 Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Retailers face penalties if they profited from promotions that breached consumer law. Follow today’s news liveIMF finds Australia managing ‘soft-landing’ on economic recoveryThe International Monetary Fund released a report on Sunday saying the Australian economy was managing a “soft landing” but said inflationary pressures had “re-emerged” in recent months.Executive directors welcomed Australia’s progress toward a soft landing and internal balance, notwithstanding uncertainties regarding residual excess demand and supply capacity in the context of weak productivity growth.It was a very positive report about Australia and about the government’s economic plan, it was a powerful endorsement. … It described our budget management

Ofelia Torres, 16, spotlighted her dad Ruben’s illegal detention last fall during Trump’s crackdown in ChicagoA Chicago teenager, whose father was detained by immigration authorities while she navigated cancer, died on Friday, a family spokesperson said.Ofelia Torres, a 16-year-old in Chicago, had been undergoing treatment for an aggressive and rare form of cancer since late 2024. As she and her family struggled with the medical procedures, her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was detained by immigration authorities while at a Home Depot in October, leading to a contentious and public case that highlighted the human effects of the Trump administration’s aggressive