Today's Newsletter

• Multiple sources report that the former Home Secretary has defended her decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group. Yvette Cooper, who has since been appointed as the Foreign Secretary, said: "I followed the clear advice and recommendations going through a serious process the Home Office goes through … which was very clear about the recommendation about proscription of this group." Judges ruled on Friday that a decision she made when Home Secretary was unlawful, but the ban remains in place in anticipation of an appeal against the High Court ruling at a later date.

• The Government will cut domestic spending to counter Russian threats by more than a fifth over the next three years, iNews reports. Despite both Sir Keir Starmer and his Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper recently warning of the growing danger posed by Russia in the coming years, ministers last week announced a shift in funding allocations for the Integrated Security Fund, a cross-government fund tackling the “highest priority threats to national security,” both in the UK and abroad. Responding to criticism, a government spokeswoman said: “We are focusing resources on the most direct threats to the UK, including from hostile states, terrorism and serious organised crime, to deliver maximum value for the taxpayer.”

• Multiple sources report that a man who is facing possible charges in a contested court case has been offered refugee status by the United States. A court overturned a decision to find Hamit Coskun guilty of a religiously aggravated public order after he set fire to a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish consulate in London, but the Crown Prosecution Service is contesting the decision at a hearing at the High Court this week. A senior US official said Mr Coskun’s case was “one of several” the administration had “made note of.”

• Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, was killed using a poison derived from an Ecuadorean frog on behalf of the Kremlin, it was widely reported. Britain and its allies blamed assassins for Navalny’s death at a Siberian penal colony two years ago, after the UK Foreign Office said there was “no innocent” explanation for the presence of epibatidine in samples taken from the dissident’s body. In a separate previous incident, the UK, Sweden, France, Germany, condemned the use of Novichok by Russia against Navalny in 2020, which had also been used in the death of a British woman, Dawn Sturgess, as part of a planned assassination of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

• Relatives of a man killed during Iran's protester crackdown have joined thousands in a march towards London's Iranian embassy. Many attendees were seen carrying Union Jacks, Israeli flags, and the Shahist flag of Iran as they gathered at Whitehall. Reza Pehlavi, the heir to the last Shah of Iran, has urged Iranians at home and abroad to continue demonstrations against the authorities, calling on them to chant slogans from their homes and rooftops to coincide with protests taking place outside the country.

• A Church of England primary school invited a Muslim speaker who allegedly compared the war in Gaza to the Holocaust to teach pupils how to pray to Allah, Daily Telegraph reports. Mark Khadim Jackson, spoke to pupils aged seven and eight at Chester-le-Street CE school, in County Durham on Thursday. A spokesman from the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: "Comparisons between events taking place in Gaza and the Holocaust are clear breaches of the international definition of antisemitism...They show a woeful ignorance of history, insult the victims of the Holocaust and their descendants and diminish and trivialise the genocide of the Jews."

• It was widely reported that Palestine Action's co-founder has won a legal challenge over the group's ban as a terrorist organisation. Judge Dame Victoria Sharp agreed Palestine Action "promotes its ⁠political cause through criminality," but said the ban was still disproportionate as it interfered with the Human Rights Act, specifically the freedom of ​expression and freedom of assembly. The group, which is co-founded by Huda Ammori, will remain outlawed for now as the government intends to take the case to the Court of Appeal.

• Two men who planned to target the Jewish community in Manchester in a Daesh-inspired-terror attack have been jailed for life, it was widely reported. Prosecutors at Preston Crown Court said Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein planned to launch a gun assault on a march against antisemitism by the end of summer 2024, and then head to north Manchester to carry on their killing spree, which police said could have been "the UK's most deadly terror attack." Saadaoui and Hussein were given minimum prison terms of 37 and 26 years respectively.

• Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has reportedly been forced to flee the UK after he was informed by police of calls in a Daesh publication to "commit violence" against him. Yaxley-Lennon posted a video on X of a phone call in which an officer told him he had been identified in a magazine called Yalghar, which is reportedly published by Daesh's Khorasan Province. In a statement he said he had since flown his home country "for my safety and the safety of my family.”

• At least 11 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, several sources report. The Israeli Defense Forces said the action was in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas, targeting a tent encampment in one strike and what was thought to be ​a commander of the Islamic Jihad group, in the Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza City, in another. An IDF official called the strikes "precise" and in accordance with international law.

• The Independent reports that President Donald Trump's “board of peace” has pledged more than £3.67 billion towards rebuilding Gaza. In a post on Truth Social, the President said that delegations from more than 20 countries would be meeting next week at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. to announce the pledge of money alongside thousands of personnel set to maintain security and peace in the Gaza strip. He added: "Very importantly, Hamas must uphold its commitment to Full and Immediate Demilitarization."

• According to Western intelligence officials, former Wagner Group recruiters and propagandists have emerged as a main conduit for Kremlin-organised attacks in Europe, Financial Times reports.

• Sky News reports that the US military has struck more than 30 Daesh targets in Syria earlier this month. Weapons, storage facilities and other Daesh infrastructure were targeted in 10 strikes starting from 3rd February, US Central Command said, in its campaign to maintain "relentless military pressure" on what remains of the terrorist network. The military action is part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched after Daesh fighters attacked and killed three Americans in Syria on 13th December.

• Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has halted "non-critical" medical activities at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, over the presence of armed men in the facility, Reuters reports. The Geneva-based medical charity said in a statement that the non-essential operations were suspended on 20th January over concerns with the "management of the structure, the safeguarding of its neutrality, and security breaches." The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said in a statement it was committed to preventing any armed presence inside hospitals, and that legal action would be taken against violators.

• Associated Press reports than more than 6,000 people were killed in over three days during an attack in Sudan’s Darfur region in late October, according to the United Nations. The U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report that the Rapid Support Forces and allied Arab militia's offensive to capture the city of el-Fasher included possible crimes against humanity and war crimes, which "underscore that persistent impunity fuels continued cycles of violence." The 29-page U.N. report detailed a set of alleged atrocities that ranged from mass killings and summary executions, sexual violence, abductions for ransom, torture and ill-treatment to detention and disappearances.

• A man has been shot dead by police after carrying out a knife attack on officers near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, it was widely reported. The attacker, named as Brahim Bahrir, had been convicted of a similar attack on police officers in Belgium. President Macron denounced a “terrorist attack targeting the Republican Guard” and paid tribute to the “courage and sangfroid” of the officers - one officer died from their injuries from the attack.

• Multiple sources report that an Indian man accused by US prosecutors of plotting to kill a prominent US-based activist has pled guilty to three criminal charges. Nikhil Gupta could receive a prison sentence of up to 40 years after pleading guilty to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money laundering, linked to a failed assassination attempt on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US resident advocating for a sovereign Sikh state in northern India. US attorney Jay Clayton said: “He thought that from outside this country he could kill someone in it without consequence, simply for exercising their American right to free speech. But he was wrong, and he will face justice."

• President Donald Trump said regime change in Iran is "the best thing that could happen," after US sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to add pressure on Iran to secure a nuclear deal, BBC News reports. Trump declined to specify who he wants to lead Iran, but noted "there are people" who could take over.  Speaking on Friday evening, Trump stated at Fort Bragg that Iran should provide a deal that they should have initially offered to avoid an attack.

Palestine Action wins High Court challenge over group's ban as terrorist organisation

Sky News, 13/02/2026

Palestine Action's co-founder has won a legal challenge over the group's ban as a terrorist organisation on two grounds. However, it will remain outlawed for now to allow further arguments and the home secretary has said the government will appeal. Huda Ammori launched the challenge after former home secretary Yvette Cooper's decision to proscribe the group, which came into force in July last year. It put Palestine Action on the same footing as Daesh and al Qa’ida, making membership or support for the group a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Even wearing a T-shirt or carrying a sign with the group's name on it can carry a six-month sentence.

Also: AFP, Associated Press, BBC News, CNN, Daily Express, Daily Mail, (£) Financial Times, GB News, The Guardian, (£) The Independent, ITV News, London Evening Standard, PA Media, (£) Reuters, (£) The Times

Met Police to stop arresting Palestine Action supporters holding signs

ITV News, 13/02/2026

The Metropolitan Police will stop arresting protesters who hold up signs declaring “I support Palestine Action” in the wake of the High Court ruling that the Government’s terrorism ban is unlawful. The force said it will continue to gather evidence of overt support for Palestine Action because the proscription order remains in place until a Government appeal has been dealt with. But it said in the “unusual” circumstances it will not carry out any more arrests for holding up signs and placards. the protest group Defend Our Juries said more than 2,700 people have been arrested for holding up signs supporting Palestine Action since the Government’s ban came into effect.

Also: Daily Express, (£) Daily Telegraph, GB News

High Court ruling delays Palestine protest case

BBC News, 13/02/2026

A court case involving four pro-Palestine protesters has been postponed, following a High Court ruling on the Palestine Action group. The four defendants had been due to enter a plea at the Old Bailey, accused of causing more than £1m damage to a defence manufacturer's factory. But the hearing on Friday came shortly after the High Court ruled a decision to ban Palestine Action as a terror group was unlawful. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb agreed to a request from the defendants' counsel to put off the plea hearing, allow them time to consider the ruling. Iain Evans, 32, Hisham Alkhamesi, 23, Bea Sherman, 23, and Hana Yun Stevens, 23, are each charged with a single count of criminal damage on 26 August 2025.

Ninth person denies £1m protest damage

BBC News, 13/02/2026

A ninth person has denied breaking into a factory and causing £1 million of damage during a protest supporting Palestine Action. Julija Brigadirova, from Manchester, pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey on Friday to criminal damage, burglary with intent and violent disorder. The 33-year-old and eight others allegedly filmed themselves breaking into Instro Precision in Sandwich, Kent early on 17 June 2024, before Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist group. The other defendants denied the same charges at a hearing in October. The group were accused of throwing stock to the ground and smashing computers with a crowbar after breaking into the premises at the Discovery Park industrial estate.

Labour MPs urge Government not to appeal ruling Palestine Action ban is unlawful

PA Media, 13/02/2026

Labour MPs have urged the Government not to appeal the High Court ruling that banning Palestine Action as a terror group was unlawful and “disproportionate”. The backbench MPs, as well as Labour peers in the House of Lords, also urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to withdraw her assertion she would fight the ruling, language they said was not “becoming your vital office of state and Labour values”. Friday’s judgement could have implications for thousands of people arrested for supporting the group at protests across the country. The ban remains in place for now and the Government plans to appeal the ruling.

How Palestine Action saga unfolded — and what happens next

(£) The Times, 13/02/2026

The red paint was still wet on two Voyager planes at RAF Brize Norton when Yvette Cooper announced that she would place Palestine Action alongside the likes of al-Qa'da, the IRA and the National Front. In the eyes of the-then home secretary, the protest group in the midst of a criminal campaign targeting Elbit Systems, an Israeli defence company, had long ago crossed the line into terrorism and earned its place on the government’s list of banned terrorist organisations. For years, calls had been building to curtail the group. In 2024, Lord Walney, the government’s then independent adviser on political violence and disruption, recommended that groups such as Palestine Action should face restrictions on their ability to raise funds and their right to assembly.

The senior Jewish judge who ruled in favour of Palestine Action

(£) Daily Telegraph, 13/02/2026

The decision to rule the ban on Palestine Action unlawful was made by one of the most senior female Jewish judges in the UK. Dame Victoria Sharp, sitting with Mr Justice Jonathan Swift and Mrs Justice Karen Steyn, ruled on Friday that the proscription of the group was “disproportionate”. She has been the president of the King’s Bench Division of the High Court since 2019, and is the first woman to hold the role. Prior to Friday’s ruling, pro-Palestinian groups had complained about the panel of three judges – including Dame Victoria – who replaced Mr Justice Martin Chamberlain, the judge who had overseen previous hearings.

Clumsy responses to extremism will backfire

(£) Daily Telegraph, 12/02/2026

The editorial board writes: "There were good intentions behind the proscription of Palestine Action, but blanket measures made the ban look ridiculous."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Banning Palestine Action was excessive. Ministers should move on

(£) The Times, 13/02/2026

The editorial board writes: "Though the campaign group is disruptive, the case for proscribing it as a terrorist organisation, alongside the likes of al-Qa’ida and Hamas, does not stack up."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

The government has left itself almost powerless against Palestine Action

(£) The Independent, 13/02/2026

The editorial board writes: “While it was always absurd for the home secretary to categorise the direct-action group as a terrorist organisation – placing it in the same bracket as Isis and the Provisional IRA – there are better ways for its activists to win the argument than by using violence.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Dangerous Palestine Action cranks get a free pass as left-wing thugs and ECHR have judges over a barrel

The Sun, 13/02/2026

The editorial board writes: "The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is right to appeal against the court’s decision.  But she may ponder how much longer our justice system can be undermined by the European Convention on Human Rights."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

A grave threat to anti-terror laws

Daily Mail, 14/02/2026

The editorial board writes: "Judges in the High Court have delivered a Valentine's gift to every thug and antisemite who cheerleads for Palestine Action."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

The Palestine Action ruling vindicates the courageous – and shames the complicit

The Guardian, 13/02/2026

Owen Jones writes: ‘The home secretary has vowed to fight the judgment, but she and the government are on the wrong side of history’.

This is comment or editorial reporting.

A bad day for democracy and a good day for supporters of terror

(£) Daily Telegraph, 13/02/2026

Stephen Pollard writes: "The Palestine Action ruling means it is no longer politicians taking the ultimate decisions on national security; it is the judiciary."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Ruling against Palestine Action ban is embarrassing defeat for the government

The Guardian, 13/02/2026

Haroon Siddique writes in his analysis: “Proscription of British direct-action group has been fiercely controversial from moment it was proposed last June.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Palestine Action 'not a normal protest group' says Yvette Cooper as she defends decision to outlaw it as a terrorist organisation after courts blow

Daily Mail, 15/02/2026  

Yvette Cooper today defended her decision to ban Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, insisting it was 'not a normal protest group'. Judges ruled on Friday that a decision she made when home secretary was unlawful, with implications for thousands of people arrested for supporting the group at protests across the country. The ban remains in place ahead of an appeal against the High Court ruling but the Metropolitan Police has indicated officers were unlikely to arrest people simply for showing support for Palestine Action until the legal situation was clarified. Following the decision, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood swore to 'fight this judgment in the Court of Appeal', although a group of Labour backbenchers has urged her to drop the action.

Also: Daily Express, Daily Mirror, PA Media

Vital security fund to protect against Russian attacks is cut by Government

(£) iNews, 15/02/2026

The Government will slash “vital” domestic spending to counter Russian threats by more than a fifth over the next three years, despite major concerns over rising aggression from Moscow. Ministers last week announced a shift in funding allocations for the Integrated Security Fund (ISF), a cross-government fund tackling the “highest priority threats to national security”, both in the UK and abroad. It comes despite both Sir Keir Starmer and his Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper warning of the growing danger posed by Russia in the coming years, and follows criticism from former US officials over the level of UK defence spending. It also follows the claim that the Kremlin killed anti-Putin activist Alexei Navalny using a toxin from an Ecuadorian poison dart frog.

Russian whistleblower's sudden death in Surrey 'needs to be reopened' in the wake of revelations around Navalny's frog poison death, friends say

Daily Mail, 16/02/2026

British authorities are facing calls to reopen an investigation into the sudden death of a Russian whistleblower more than a decade ago amid fears he died of a poison similar to the one that killed Alexei Navalny. Businessman Alexander Perepilichny, who uncovered organised crime and corruption in Russia, collapsed and died while out jogging near his home in Weybridge, Surrey, in 2012. An inquest six years later found the 44-year-old died from natural causes, but said he may have been poisoned after suffering vomiting symptoms. Despite police ruling out foul play at the time, traces of a chemical that can be found in the ultra-rare poisonous plant gelsemium elegans were later discovered in his stomach. 

Also: (£) Daily Telegraph

Bangladesh will seek Tulip Siddiq's extradition after corruption conviction, PM-elect's top aide says

(£) The Independent, 15/02/2026  

Bangladesh's newly elected government will press for former UK minister Tulip Siddiq's extradition to serve jail time for alleged corruption, according to a top aide to prime minister-in-waiting Tarique Rahman. The Labour MP has been sentenced in Bangladesh to four and two years in prison in two separate corruption cases. “They're both convicted criminals now,” Humayun Kabir, touted to be the foreign minister under Mr Rahman, told The Independent, referring to the UK lawmaker and her aunt. “So the judicial process is transparently pursuing them.” “There are ethical boundaries, ethical considerations, and moral considerations. So, if a government is weak on its ethical and moral convictions, then in dealing with criminals, it doesn't send out a good message to the world,” Mr Kabir said.

The BBC is letting itself be used as a propaganda outlet for Iran’s regime

(£) Daily Telegraph, 15/02/2026

Danny Cohen writes: "One might have thought the Corporation would learn from its mistakes in Gaza. But Tehran’s clerics are playing it just like Hamas."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Alexei Navalny killed by Russia with dart frog poison, UK says

(£) The Times, 14/02/2026

Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, was killed in prison on behalf of the Kremlin with a poison derived from an Ecuadorean dart frog, western powers have said. Britain and its allies blamed assassins acting for President Putin for Navalny’s death at a Siberian penal colony two years ago. His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, accused the Russian leader of being a “murderer” after the UK Foreign Office said there was “no innocent” explanation for the presence of epibatidine in samples taken from the dissident’s body. The lethal poison attack has been reported to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons as a flagrant violation by Russia of 1997’s chemical weapons convention.

Also: Associated Press, BBC News, Daily Mirror,  Daily Record, (£) Daily Telegraph, GB News, The Guardian, (£) The Independent, London Evening Standard, PA Media, Sky News, The Sun

YVETTE COOPER: 'We've unleashed Britain's most powerful weapon in fight against Putin'

Daily Mirror, 14/02/2026

Yvette Cooper writes: “The most powerful tool we have against Russia is our unity, our partnerships abroad – including through NATO – make us stronger at home.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Starmer accused of failing to stop Palestinians handing salaries to terrorists

(£) Daily Telegraph, 14/02/2026

Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of failing to stop Palestinian officials from handing salaries to terrorists. Last year, the Prime Minister told leaders in the occupied territories that they had to stop paying the families of terrorists before Britain could open full diplomatic relations. He issued the demands to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which controls parts of the West Bank, amid a backlash against his decision to recognise Palestine as a state. Mahmoud Abbas, the PA president, previously said that the long-standing policy of granting stipends to the relatives of terrorists killed during violence towards Israelis, or those subsequently imprisoned, had been terminated.

Police spent ‘astonishing’ £10m tackling Palestine Action

(£) The Observer, 15/02/2026

Protests against the ban on Palestine Action, ruled unlawful by the high court, have cost police well over £10m. More than 2,000 arrests for holding signs in support of the group have been made across the UK since it was proscribed by the government in July last year, costing the Met police alone £8.73m across four days of protests. This figure does not include subsequent investigation and case work costs, which will run to many millions, police sources say. After a panel of high court judges ruled on Friday that the ban was unlawful and disproportionately affected the rights of peaceful protesters to freedom of speech and association, Scotland Yard confirmed that the arrests will now stop.

Why Navalny dart frog poison announcement was deliberately timed

Sky News, 14/02/2026

It is no coincidence that the UK and its allies chose a security conference in Munich to accuse the Kremlin of killing Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny with dart frog poison. The extraordinary announcement on Saturday seemed deliberately timed to grab global headlines in much the same way as the dissident's actual death did. The news that Mr Navalny, 47, had died in prison in Russia broke on the opening day of the same Munich Security Conference of global leaders almost exactly two years ago. Naming the person or government allegedly responsible for such a political assassination - if the claim of poisoning is substantiated - is a form of information attack.

Putin must answer for the gruesome death of Alexei Navalny

  (£) Daily Telegraph, 14/02/2026

The editorial board writes: "Russia’s actions should serve as a reminder that Britain must take security seriously."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Navalny's killing was a theatrical murder to sow fear in the West... this is why Europe has chosen to reveal it

Daily Mail, 14/02/2026

Bob Seely writes: "His frame was thin and his eyes hollow, but in the last images of Alexei Navalny, appearing in court via video link from his Arctic penal colony, the Russian opposition leader was in good spirits, even joking with the judge that he needed more money. Barely a day later, in February 2024, he died on the floor of his prison cell, vomiting as he did so. We now know what many suspected from the start: this was no ‘natural’ death as the Russian authorities reported."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Man who tried to kill army officer to be detained in hospital

(£) The Times, 13/02/2026

A delivery driver who viciously stabbed a serving British Army officer after researching the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby has been sentenced to life imprisonment but will be detained in hospital “for as long as necessary”, a judge has said. Anthony Esan, 25, repeatedly stabbed Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton yards away from the officer’s home near Brompton Barracks in Kent on July 23, 2024 in a “deliberate attack on a serving member of the armed forces”. Esan was due to stand trial for attempted murder and possession of two bladed weapons this month, but admitted the charges last month. Days before the attack, Esan, who unsuccessfully applied to the army several times, had searched TikTok for videos of knife attacks and “Woolwich soldier murdered”, an apparent reference to Rigby’s murder by Islamist terrorists in 2013 near the Royal Artillery barracks in Woolwich.

Also: BBC News, (£) Daily Telegraph, GB News, ITV News, Sky News

Primary pupils in 'lockdown drills'
for terror attacks

Daily Mail, 13/02/2026

Children as young as five are being asked to carry out lockdown drills in Scottish schools to prepare for intruders and potential threats. The American-style exercises are taking place in primary and secondary schools across the country as part of a new terrorism law being introduced across the UK. Aberdeen City Council is one of the first local authorities north of the Border to stage the drills city-wide after Westminster’s Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill 2025 was passed last year. Also known as Martyn’s Law, it is named after Manchester Arena bombing victim Martyn Hett, whose mother Figen has been campaigning for stricter laws since the attack killed 22 people – including 14-year-old Eilidh MacLeod from the Isle of Barra – on May 22, 2017.

Alleged far-right extremist in court on gun charge

BBC News, 13/02/2026

A suspected far-right extremist has appeared in court accused of having a pistol. Szymon Zgierski, 21, from Morecambe, Lancashire, is charged with possession of a firearm on 17 January. The Old Bailey was told police had searched his room and found an imitation firearm that could readily be converted and while there, officers also uncovered items associated with far right and neo-Nazi groups including flags, it was alleged. At a preliminary hearing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb remanded the defendant into custody and said the case would be next heard at Preston Crown Court on 15 May for a plea hearing.

Koran-burning man preparing to ‘flee’ UK for America if prosecutors bring charges in free speech row

The Sun, 15/02/2026

Donald Trump may offer refugee status to a man from Britain who burnt a Quran. The White House is preparing to help Hamit Coskun flee the UK if he loses a “blasphemy case” this week. Mr Coskun was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence and fined £240. But this was overturned after free speech campaigners aided his successful appeal against the conviction – described as an example of “de facto blasphemy laws“. Now the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is contesting the decision with a hearing at the High Court on Tuesday. A senior US official said Mr Coskun’s case was “one of several” the administration had “made note of”, The Telegraph reports.

Also: Daily Mail, (£) Daily Telegraph, GB News

Britain 'could have Muslim blasphemy laws by Tuesday' warns Free Speech Union chief ahead of crunch High Court ruling

GB News, 16/02/2026

Britain could have "Muslim blasphemy laws" by Tuesday, the founder of the Free Speech Union has warned, ahead of a major High Court ruling. Hamit Coskun, who burned a Quran outside a Turkish consulate in London, won an appeal against his religiously aggravated public order conviction in October. He now has to live in a safe house - but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is now attempting to reverse the decision, and will have its case heard at the High Court this Tuesday. Now, Tory peer Lord Young has told GB News a successful appeal would lead to Muslim blasphemy laws in Britain.

Reform candidate criticised jail term for man who said: 'burn asylum hotels'

(£) iNews, 15/02/2026

Reform UK’s candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election has been criticised for saying it was “insane” a man was jailed for 18 months for posting social media posts calling for people to “start the slaughter” of migrants. Matthew Goodwin made the remark after Luke Yarwood, of Christchurch, Dorset, was jailed for inciting racial hatred. Goodwin, who has risen in prominence online for his increasingly controversial stance on immigration, described the sentence as “insane” at the time of the conviction in December. Responding to a terror attack at a Christmas market in Mardeburg, Germany in 2024, Yarwood called for hotels housing migrants to be set on fire, stating on X that British people should “head for the hotels housing them and burn them to the ground”.

Adverts urge boys to avoid sexist content, warning it is ‘never harmless’

PA Media, 16/02/2026

A new advertising campaign from the Scottish Government will urge boys not to share misogynistic content online, telling them “sexist content is never harmless”. The online adverts will encourage boys and young men to think before sharing or interacting with such content. One of the short video clips shows a boy sitting on a couch, watching a video on his phone of a character speaking into a podcaster-style microphone. A voiceover says “sexist content is never harmless, it hurts girls in real life – including the ones you know”, as the emojis on the boy’s phone all change to become the face of an upset girl, resembling the person sitting next to him on the couch.

Labour call on Reform's Matt Goodwin to reject ‘racist content' shared by team members

The Guardian, 15/02/2026  

Reform UK’s candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection must distance himself from “racist content” shared by members of his campaign team, the Labour party has said. In a letter to Matt Goodwin, Lucy Powell, Labour’s deputy leader, said an investigation by the Manchester Mill revealed five separate members who had campaigned with Goodwin had shared racist content online and had expressed support for far-right groups. Goodwin is hoping to become Reform UK’s ninth MP as he runs for the seat in Manchester, where Labour’s 13,000-vote majority could be overturned by a Reform or Green candidate. The report, which referenced research from Hope Not Hate, highlighted social media posts by Goodwin’s interim campaign manager in Tameside, Adam Mitula.

Moment pro-Palestine activist follows and pesters Little Britain star Matt Lucas at a London Tube station

Daily Mail, 16/02/2026

Matt Lucas has been praised online for his cool demeanour after being accosted by a pro-Palestinian activist on the London Underground.   The British comedian, 51, was followed and filmed by Thomas Abdullah Bourne, a convert to Islam who uses the social media handle “White British Muslim.”  The clip begins by showing Mr Lucas, wearing a black jacket, red jumper and white cap, riding an escalator in a tube station. As he realises he is being filmed, the Little Britain star attempts to block his face with his right hand.  Mr Bourne then shouts “Free Palestine. Free Palestine, Matt Lucas” to the celebrity comic.

Also: Daily Express

Relatives of Iranian regime victim join London march calling for overthrow of the state - as shah's son says: 'It is time to end the Islamic republic'

Daily Mail, 14/02/2026

Grieving relatives of a man killed during Iran's violent protester crackdown joined thousands marching through London supporting the overthrow of the state - as the last shah's son called on the US to help 'bury' the Islamic regime. Mehdi Hosseini was 28 when he was killed as he tried to take a wounded friend to hospital, his family revealed.  They had been caught up in the deadly repression enacted by Iranian forces against demonstrators, who have been taking to the streets across the country in unprecedented numbers since January. His aunt, Farah, who wouldn't give her name out of fear for family still living in the country, told the Daily Mail '[Hosseini] was fighting for freedom and democracy against the terrorist regime.'

Also: Daily Express

Speaker who compared Gaza to Holocaust teaches CofE primary pupils Muslim prayer

(£) Daily Telegraph, 14/02/2026

A Church of England primary school invited a Muslim speaker who compared the war in Gaza to the Holocaust to teach pupils how to pray to Allah. Mark Khadim Jackson, a white Muslim convert, spoke to pupils aged seven and eight at Chester-le-Street CE school, in County Durham, on Thursday. The school published photographs of the visit on Facebook that showed Mr Jackson and the children kneeling as if in prayer and a girl trying on a hijab. Mr Jackson, who visits schools in the North East to teach children about Islam, has previously compared the war in Gaza to the Holocaust. In a social media post in April 2024, he quoted remarks by Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, about Gaza.

Former Oxfam chief claims charity is ‘toxic and anti-Semitic’

(£) Daily Telegraph, 14/02/2026

Oxfam’s former chief executive has accused the charity of being toxic and antisemitic during her tenure. Halima Begum resigned as the chief executive of Oxfam GB in December amid allegations that she was bullying staff. Now she has accused the charity of having a disproportionate focus on Gaza compared with other world crises, and said it was too quick to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide. Ms Begum, who is taking Oxfam to an employment tribunal over her departure, also accused the charity of racism and sexism from “board members” at “two board meetings”. In her tribunal claim, she accuses the organisation of having a “toxic antisemitic culture”.

Labour’s Islamophobia definition to be delayed over risk to Muslim vote

(£) Daily Telegraph, 14/02/2026

Ministers are set to delay publication of a controversial anti-Muslim prejudice definition until after the Gorton and Denton by-election because they are “worried about the Muslim fallout”. A well-placed Labour source said it made “political sense” to postpone the announcement until after Feb 26, given that the Greater Manchester constituency carries a substantial Muslim vote. The Gorton and Denton by-election was triggered last month by the resignation of Andrew Gwynne, a former Labour MP who faced sanction from the Commons over the release of his abusive WhatsApp messages. A Labour source told The Telegraph the Government is “worried about the Muslim fallout. They also don’t want a fight with Reform over it. There is a big Muslim population [in Gorton and Denton].”

Green Party activists say Zionism is a form of racism

(£) Daily Telegraph, 14/02/2026

Green Party activists have said Zionism should be treated as a form of racism, a leaked dossier has revealed. Grassroots members of Zack Polanski’s party are calling for the belief in the right of Jews to self-determination to be classed as a “racist ideology”, in a motion put forward for discussion by the party. The dossier suggests that Israel should not exist because the “only viable solution” is a “single” Palestinian state and argues that the term “antisemitism” should not be used because it discriminates against Arabs. Other motions put forward by members include drastically reducing investment in the police and prisons, leaving Nato and allowing transgender people to take part in women’s sport.

Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate outside RNLI HQ saying lifeboat charity should stop acting as 'taxi service' for asylum seekers

Daily Mail, 14/02/2026

An anti-immigration demonstration has been held outside the RNLI headquarters to demand the service stop acting as a 'taxi service' for asylum seekers crossing the Channel. Dozens of campaigners gathered at the charity's gates at their premise in Poole, Dorset, claiming its lifeboats are 'facilitating' illegal immigration.  They argued it should not rest on RNLI volunteers to 'ferry' asylum seekers in small boats across the English Channel.  The protesters, many of whom were draped in Union and St George's flags, also said the RNLI could lose donations from the British public if they continued to facilitate crossings.

Also: Daily Express, (£) Daily Telegraph

British Museum removes ‘Palestine’ from ancient Middle East displays

(£) Daily Telegraph, 14/02/2026

The British Museum has removed the word Palestine from displays about the ancient Middle East following complaints. Maps and information boards about ancient Egypt and the seafaring Phoenicians labelled the eastern coast of the Mediterranean as Palestine, and some peoples were described as being “of Palestinian descent”. However, the museum received complaints that it was using the term “retroactively” to describe regions and civilisations that had existed before it was coined. Curators conceded that the word was not “meaningful” as a historical geographic term, a decision that comes amid ongoing debate about ancestral claims to land in the region.

A vital tool for exposing grooming gangs is being shut down

(£) The Times, 14/02/2026

Nick Timothy writes: "Courtsdesk helped campaigners and journalists spot patterns in criminal activity, but the government has ordered its deletion."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Greenism has turned Brighton from a seaside paradise into a hive of extremism

(£) Daily Telegraph, 14/02/2026

Zoe Strimpel writes: "Activists going door to door on an anti-Israel mission reveal how the city has descended."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

UK antisemitism soars – and I'm pretty sure Express readers can fill in the blanks

Daily Express, 14/02/2026

Nick Ferrari writes: “One only needs to point out a couple of separate facts.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

'As a Jew - I no longer feel safe in the UK'

BBC News, 14/02/2026

A survivor of the Manchester synagogue attack has said he does not feel safe in the UK after discovering he could have been caught up in another plot to kill. Yoni Finlay was shot by a stray police bullet as he barricaded the doors of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue during a deadly attack in which two people were killed in October 2025. The 40-year-old had feared for some time that an attack like this could unfold on the streets where he had grown up. "You fear somebody is going to attack us and that's why we have the security that we do and they do a great job but there's always a chance of something happening," he said. But unbeknownst to him, Finlay could have been caught up in an earlier attack if the plot had not been foiled by an undercover police operative.

Man behind satire website who was jailed for racially abusing MP says he is 'sorry'

Devon Live, 13/02/2026

The anonymous man who runs a political satire website has been named by Channel 4 as the far-right figure who was jailed for multiple hate crimes against Jewish people - Joshua Bonehill-Paine. Bonehill-Paine, 33, who once described himself as a "proud antisemite" was sentenced to more than five years in prison for inciting racial hatred and racially aggravated harassment against the Labour MP Luciana Berger in the 2010s - who is Jewish, reported Somerset Live. Channel 4 revealed that Bonehill-Paine is behind the political satire website, The Crewkerne Gazette. The website has produced several viral videos including ones featuring Angela Rayner and Kemi Badenoch.

Forget Jim Ratcliffe’s half-apology: to speak of immigrants ‘colonising’ Britain crosses a line and he must fix that

The Guardian, 13/02/2026

Sunder Katwala writes: "He fused an echo of Enoch Powell with the spirit of the far right’s great replacement theory. This is no way to progress a humane migration debate."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is right – and sleazy tactics from apoplectic Hard Left won't work

Daily Express, 13/02/2026

Carole Malone writes: "The Man United boss is being branded "out of touch" for demonstrating that his finger is very much on the pulse."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Yes, Sir Jim's language was cack-handed - but isn't there some truth in what he said?

Daily Mail, 15/02/2026

Sarah Vine writes: "A 12-year-old girl is snatched from a park and brutally raped by a 23-year-old small-boat criminal – and what is the Prime Minister most concerned about?"

This is comment or editorial reporting.

US military used Anthropic’s AI model Claude in Venezuela raid, report says

The Guardian, 14/02/2026

Claude, the AI model developed by Anthropic, was used by the US military during its operation to kidnap Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Saturday, a high-profile example of how the US defence department is using artificial intelligence in its operations. The US raid on Venezuela involved bombing across the capital, Caracas, and the killing of 83 people, according to Venezuela’s defence ministry. The US and other militaries increasingly deploy AI as part of their arsenals. Israel’s military has used drones with autonomous capabilities in Gaza and has extensively used AI to fill its targeting bank in Gaza. The US military has used AI targeting for strikes in Iraq and Syria in recent years.

Given the toxicity of social media, a moral question now faces all of us: is it still ethical to use it?

The Guardian, 14/02/2026

Frances Ryan writes: "With so many platforms rife with racism, misogyny and far-right rhetoric, there must be a point where decent people walk away."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Bondi Beach terror attack suspect appears in court via video link

Sky News, 16/02/2026

A man accused of killing 15 people by opening fire on a Hanukkah celebration at Australia's Bondi Beach has appeared in court via video link from prison for the first time. Naveed Akram spoke briefly during the short hearing at a Sydney court on Monday, which he joined remotely from high-security prison Goulburn Correctional Centre, Australian media reports. The 24-year-old faces 59 charges ​over the shooting on 14 December, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder ​and a terror offence. Police allege he carried ‌out the mass shooting with his father Sajid, 50, who was shot dead during the attack.

Also: AFP, Associated Press, Australian Associated Press, Daily Mail, (£) The Independent, (£) Reuters

Nigerian Muslims look to Ramadan for peace after US strikes

AFP, 16/02/2026

The northern Nigerian state where the United States staged Christmas Day air strikes targeting Islamist militants is preparing for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and trying to banish thoughts of the violence that has plagued the region. Sokoto state is home to Sultan Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, the spiritual head of Muslims in Nigeria, who typically announces the start of Ramadan in the west African country, during which Muslims fast for 29 to 30 days. Largely spared insurgency and banditry, unlike other states, Muslim-majority Sokoto was the site of surprise US air strikes on December 25, which Nigerian authorities said targeted two major Daesh terrorist enclaves in the state's Tangaza district. The Abu Hurairah central mosque in the state capital was packed on Friday when AFP visited.

The UN says al-Hol camp population has dropped sharply as Syria moves to relocate remaining families

Associated Press, 15/02/2026  

The U.N. refugee agency said Sunday that a large number of residents of a camp housing family members of suspected Daesh group militants have left and the Syrian government plans to relocate those who remain. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR's representative in Syria, said in a statement that the agency "has observed a significant decrease in the number of residents in Al-Hol camp in recent weeks." "Syrian authorities have informed UNHCR of their plan to relocate the remaining families to Akhtarin camp in Aleppo Governorate (province) and have requested UNHCR's support to assist the population in the new camp, which we stand ready to provide," he said.

US strikes dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for deadly ambush

Sky News, 14/02/2026

The US military has said it attacked more than 30 Daesh targets in Syria earlier this month in retaliation for the deaths of two US soldiers and an American civilian interpreter in an Daesh ambush two months ago. Weapons storage facilities and other Daesh infrastructure were targeted in 10 strikes between 3 February and Thursday, US Central Command said, in its campaign to maintain "relentless military pressure" on what remains of the terrorist network. "Precision munitions [were] delivered by fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and unmanned aircraft [drones]," CENTCOM said in a statement on Saturday.

Also: Associated Press, The Guardian

ISIS brides apply for Australian passports in desperate bid to leave Syrian camps and return home

Daily Mail, 15/02/2026

The wives of Daesh fighters currently held in camps in northern Syria have applied for Australian passports in a bid to return home. At least ten women and children have lodged applications with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) recently, the Australian Sunday Telegraph reported. A Home Affairs spokesman said the federal government 'does not comment on the circumstances of individuals due to privacy considerations'. It comes as a senior government source warned that granting the passports could expose Australians to a 'detrimental security risk', with the Syrian camps considered hotbeds of extremism.

Before Bondi: inside Australia’s year of antisemitic terror

(£) Sunday Times, 14/02/2026

Alex Ryvchin was at a bat mitzvah for his daughter’s friend in the eastern suburbs of Sydney on December 14 when news of the shootings in Bondi broke. Ryvchin’s phone lit up at 7pm. “Are you at Bondi?” asked a string of messages, while his 11-year-old daughter pulled on his sleeve to get his attention. It was “only but for the grace of God”, Ryvchin tells me, that he was at the bat mitzvah rather than attending the Chanukkah by the Sea event in Bondi, which that day became the site of a massacre. Every year Rabbi Eli Schlanger invited him to speak at the event. “I’d talk about bleak topics such as rising antisemitism,” says Ryvchin, 42, a Ukrainian-born Australian author, lawyer and co-leader of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

Men jailed over plot to attack Jewish community

BBC News, 13/02/2026

Two men who planned to target the Jewish community in Manchester in what police said could have been "the UK's most deadly terror attack" have been jailed for life. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, arranged for guns to be smuggled into the UK as part of an "Isis-inspired plot", Preston Crown Court heard. They were caught by an undercover operative who played a "crucial role" in foiling their plans, Greater Manchester Police said. Saadaoui and Hussein were given minimum prison terms of 37 and 26 years respectively. Walid Saadaoui, of Abram, Wigan, aimed to smuggle four AK-47 assault rifles, two handguns and 900 rounds of ammunition into the UK.

Also: Daily Express, Daily Mirror, (£) Daily Telegraph, GB News, The Guardian, (£) The Independent, ITV News, PA Media, (£) Reuters, Sky News, (£) The Times

Far-right thug Tommy Robinson flees UK after police warning over terror threat

Daily Mirror, 13/02/2026

Far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has been forced to flee the UK after he was informed by police of calls in a Daesh publication for people to "commit violence" against him. Yaxley-Lennon posted a clip of a phone call from police to his X account in which an officer told him he had been identified in a magazine called Yalghar, which is reportedly published by Daesh Khorasan Province. The clip captures the officer saying officials had received intelligence calling for people "to commit violence against yourself". The activist said he has now fled his home country, following in the footsteps of the immigrants he has long demonised, "for my safety and the safety of my family", he said in a statement.

Also: Daily Record

Chief Constable says 'we have to do something' to protect Jewish communities following sentencing of terrorists

Manchester Evening News, 13/02/2026

Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson has said “we have to do something” to protect Jewish communities from extremists - but he talked down the suggestion of having routine armed patrols outside synagogues. Greater Manchester’s top cop spoke out after Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein were handed life sentences for plotting a Daesh attack on Jews communities in Manchester in the summer of 2024. He described them as “committed terrorists” who would have carried out an attack similar to the terror attack on Bondi Beach in Australia which claimed the lives of 15 people had they not been stopped.

Keir Starmer welcomes life jail terms for two ISIS supporting migrants who plotted UK's 'worst ever' terror attack as police chief warns 'Britain's jews are under threat'

Daily Mail, 13/02/2026

Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the life jail terms for two men who planned a “horrifying” Daesh-inspired gun attack on a mass gathering of Jews in Manchester. Two men who plotted the “worst ever” terror attack on British Jews were today jailed for a total of 63 years. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were thwarted when they unknowingly laid bare their scheme to an undercover operative. Their terrorist preparations were unconnected to the October attack at the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, where two worshippers, Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed.

Police interview shows terrorist Amar Hussein openly admit he’s an Islamic State fanatic

Manchester Evening News, 13/02/2026

Convicted terrorist Amar Hussein barely concealed his extremist views, openly admitting he was an Daesh fanatic. After he was sentenced for plotting the mass murder of Jewish people in Manchester, counter terrorism police released a small part of his interview in which he candidly admitted he was an Daesh supporter. He barely attempted to conceal his hatred of Jewish people - a self-confessed terrorist “soldier of god” from Kurdish Iraq who once fought for Sadam Hussein before coming to work in a furniture shop in Bolton. He stated Daesh were authentic Muslims who wanted Sharia law, while other Muslims were “hypocrites.”

The huge secret police op to protect brave undercover agent who thwarted terror plot

Manchester Evening News, 13/02/2026

As they plotted the mass murder of Jewish people in Manchester, the terrorists were oblivious. A huge surveillance operation backed by armed cops had been set up to stop them committing what, according to one senior cop, could have been the most deadly UK terror attack in history. For five months the main plotter, Daesh supporter Walid Saadaoui, was unaware his plan and unvarnished antisemitism was being recorded by an undercover operative. Each time they met, surveillance teams were taking pictures and armed cops were on hand to pounce. The pair met in person for the first time in Queens Park in Bolton on February 10, 2024. The undercover agent, named Farouk in court, told trial the defendant appeared 'nervous' and 'unpredictable' at first.

Iraq says about 3,000 Islamic State prisoners transferred from Syria

(£) Reuters, 13/02/2026

About 3,000 Daesh detainees have so far been transferred from Syrian prisons to Iraq and the process is continuing, Iraq's foreign minister said on Friday, adding that Baghdad was in discussions with some countries to repatriate them soon. Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Fuad Hussein said Baghdad would need more financial assistance to deal with the influx, and warned that there had been a recent uptick in Daesh activity in Syria. He said that, while Baghdad took the United States' signals seriously, the nomination of former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki to take up the role again was an internal issue.

Also: Sky News

Risk of missteps hangs over US-backed ceasefire deal in northeast Syria

(£) Reuters, 13/02/2026

A U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement in north-eastern Syria leaves thorny questions unresolved, as Kurds seek to retain some authority despite a much-weakened hand following the rapid advance of central government forces. The progress of the deal tests the ability of Syria's new leaders to stabilise a nation fractured by 14 years of war, following several bouts of violence pitting it against minority groups who are suspicious of the Islamist-led government. The struggle for Syria's north-east has brought the biggest shift in control since former leader Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.

Iran must abandon enriched uranium and not produce more, Netanyahu says

BBC News, 16/02/2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the US must require Iran to relinquish all of its enriched uranium and be barred from enriching more, as part of any nuclear deal with Tehran. In a speech in Jerusalem on Sunday, he outlined several conditions he wanted, including that "all enriched material has to leave Iran" and that "there should be no enrichment capability". His comments come as Iranian and US officials prepare for a second round of talks in Switzerland on Tuesday. Iran will consider compromises to reach a nuclear deal if the US is willing to discuss lifting sanctions, Iranian deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC in Tehran. However, Iran regards zero enrichment as a red line and a violation of its rights under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Also: (£) Reuters

Family of Iranian protester forced to 'pay for the bullet that killed their son'

Sky News, 16/02/2026

"They had to pay for the bullet that killed their son," Nasrin says with a mix of anger and disbelief. She's telling me the painful details of the day her nephew, Hooman, was killed during recent protests in Iran. The 37-year-old had joined demonstrations against the regime in Lahijan, in the north of the country, when his family says he was fatally shot by government forces in early January. "Hooman took to the streets without a weapon. He didn't even have a small rock in his pockets to defend himself, but he was shot with a military bullet," his aunt says. Her distress is palpable. Throughout the interview she oscillates between heartbreak and utter exhaustion at her powerlessness.

Iran has chosen its protest scapegoats. Now they face execution

(£) Daily Telegraph, 14/02/2026

The phone calls, when they came, lasted three minutes. In those minutes, a young woman told her mother she was alive. A son told his parents he was exhausted, and said that if the security forces wanted to execute him, they should, for at least then he’d be free. It has been nearly a month since Venus Hossein-Nejad, 28, and Peyvand Naeimi, 30, were marched out of their workplaces by Iranian agents and held prisoner as part of the regime’s crackdown against the widespread protests threatening the Islamic Republic. For days, their families had heard nothing from them. But then Ms Hossein-Nejad and Mr Naeimi, both from Iran’s Baha’i religious minority, appeared on a prime-time state television programme.

Son of Iran's last shah urges US military intervention in Iran

(£) Reuters, 14/02/206

Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi on Saturday said U.S. military intervention in Iran could save lives and urged President Donald Trump's administration not to spend too long negotiating with Tehran's clerical rulers on a nuclear deal. The exiled son of Iran's toppled shah told Reuters in an interview that there were signs that the Iranian government was on the brink of collapse and that an attack could weaken it or accelerate its fall. Pahlavi was speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, where officials from the Iranian government are banned. "It's a matter of time.

Iranian security use dragnet spanning the entire country to arrest protesters

Associated Press, 14/02/2026

The Iranian security agents came at 2 a.m., pulling up in a half-dozen cars outside the home of the Nakhii family. They woke up the sleeping sisters, Nyusha and Mona, and forced them to give the passwords for their phones. Then they took the two away. The women were accused of participating in the nationwide protests that shook Iran a week earlier, a friend of the pair told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity for her security as she described the Jan. 16 arrests. Such arrests have been happening for weeks following the government crackdown last month that crushed the protests calling for the end of the country’s theocratic rule.

US, Iran to hold new round of nuclear talks in Geneva this week, Swiss government says

Associated Press, 14/02/2026

Iran and the United States will hold a second round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear program next week, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said Saturday. Oman, which welcomed the first round of indirect talks on Feb. 6, will host the talks in Geneva, the Swiss ministry said, without specifying which days. After the first discussions, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran that failure to reach an agreement with his administration would be “very traumatic.” Similar talks last year broke down in June as Israel launched what became a 12-day war on Iran that included the U.S. bombing Iranian nuclear sites. Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to agree to constrain its nuclear program. Iran has said it would respond with an attack of its own.

Nobody knows what would follow regime change in Iran – but what happened in 1979 offers some pointers

The Guardian, 15/02/2026

Jason Burke writes: "The similarities between now and events preceding the shah’s exile are striking. The radical clerics benefited then, but who would prevail this time?"

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Trump says Iran regime change is 'best thing that could happen'

BBC News, 14/02/2026

US President Donald Trump says regime change in Iran is "the best thing that could happen", signifying one of his clearest endorsements for replacing the clerical establishment. "For 47 years, they've been talking and talking and talking. In the meantime, we've lost a lot of lives," he said on Friday. Trump declined to specify who he wants to lead Iran, but noted "there are people" who could take over. Iran's clerical ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has not yet responded to Trump's latest remarks. Meanwhile, the US sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to add pressure on Iran to secure a nuclear deal. The USS Gerald R Ford, the world's largest warship and the newest US aircraft carrier, is set to relocate "very soon" from the Caribbean to the Middle East, Trump said.

Also: Associated Press,  (£) Financial Times, (£) Reuters, (£) The Times

Iran accused of targeting Christians in brutal protest crackdown - as worshippers plead with Donald Trump to intervene

GB News, 14/02/2026

Iran has been accused of targeting Christians in its violent protest crackdown - with worshippers pleading with Donald Trump to intervene. Security forces reportedly killed at least 19 Iranian Christians as unrest spread across the Islamic Republic earlier this year, according to Article 18, an organisation promoting religious freedom in Iran. Article 18 said Iran's "brutal response to last month's mass demonstrations" resulted in the deaths of Christian Nader Mohammadi, 35, and Zahra Arjomandi, 51, both shot dead on January 8 in separate protests. Mr Mohammadi died in Babol in the country's far north, while Mrs Arjomandi died on the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm in the far south, 1,000 miles apart.

Widespread arrests roil Iran weeks after security forces crushed protests

Associated Press, 14/02/2026

The Iranian security agents came at 2 a.m., pulling up in a half-dozen cars outside the home of the Nakhii family. They woke up the sleeping sisters, Nyusha and Mona, and forced them to give the passwords for their phones. Then they took the two away. The women were accused of participating in the nationwide protests that shook Iran a week earlier, a friend of the pair told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity for her security as she described the Jan. 16 arrests. Such arrests have been happening for weeks following the government crackdown last month that crushed the protests calling for the end of the country’s theocratic rule.

Torment grows for Britons jailed in Iran after protest crackdown

(£) The Times, 13/02/2026  

A British couple who have been imprisoned in Iran for more than 400 days are living in worse conditions than ever after last month’s protests, their son has said, as he pleaded with the British authorities to do more to secure their release. Lindsay and Craig Foreman, from East Sussex, are being held in Evin prison in Tehran, where they share their cell with rats and sleep on concrete or metal blocks. It has become more overcrowded and unsanitary since the mass arrest of demonstrators in January. The couple were detained by the Iranian authorities in January last year during a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world and charged with espionage, an accusation the family denies.

Also: Daily Mail

US military preparing for potentially weeks-long Iran operations

(£) Reuters, 13/02/2026

The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters, in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries. The disclosure by the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning, raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran. U.S. and Iranian diplomats held talks in Oman last week in an effort to revive diplomacy over Tehran's nuclear program, after Trump amassed military forces in the region, raising fears of new military action.

Fury in Iran as grieving relatives of killed protesters 'offered £28 gift card'

Daily Express, 13/02/2026

Grieving relatives of people killed in the protests across Iran have reportedly been offered a mere £28 gift card in compensation. According to messages seen by the news outlet Iran International, commanders from the Revolutionary Guards and provincial officials visited homes in the country's northern Golestan province. They reportedly travel in groups of six to 10, warning the families of the deceased about publicising their stories and giving the government's account of how the protests unfolded. Before leaving the homes, they hand over a folder containing a certificate of appreciation, and one or two gift cards to the value of 50 million rial (£28), witnesses claimed to the outlet.

Iran’s military degraded by 12-day war with Israel, but still has significant capabilities

Associated Press, 13/02/2026

With one American carrier strike group already in the Middle East and another apparently on its way as U.S. President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear program, fears are rising of the outbreak of another war that could spread into a regional conflict. The 12-day Israel-Iran war last year appeared to cripple key elements of Iran’s military, yet left its capabilities far from neutralised — a distinction that looms large as tensions rise again. If hostilities erupt again, the risk of a broader protracted conflict returns, especially if Iran’s leadership sees the fight as one for its existence. The June 13-24 war started when Israel launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program and top military officials.

India rallies around Hindu gym owner facing death threats for protecting Muslim shopkeeper

(£) The Independent, 13/02/2026

A 42-year-old gym owner who stepped in to defend an elderly Muslim shopkeeper allegedly being harassed in a northern Indian state has been hailed as a beacon of religious unity in a country “divided” by hate. On 26 January, Deepak Kumar witnessed a group of men allegedly pressuring a 70-year-old Muslim trader in Uttarakhand to change his shop’s name because of his religious identity. Mr Kumar questioned the crowd and argued that everyone should be treated equally in India regardless of their religion – a right that’s enshrined in the country’s constitution.

New Taliban penal code puts husbands on par with ‘slave masters’ and legalises domestic violence

(£) The Independent, 15/02/2026

The Afghan Taliban has published a new penal code enshrining some of its most backward practices into the law of the land in Afghanistan, with women in particular set to suffer at the hands of the courts. Signed by the Islamist group’s supreme leader Hiabatullah Akhundzada, the 90-page criminal code includes anachronistic stipulations harking back to Islamic scripture, such as different levels of punishment depending on whether the offender is “free” or “a slave”. It effectively creates a new caste system of upper and lower members of Afghan society, allowing religious leaders or mullahs at the top virtual immunity from criminal prosecution and setting out the harshest punishments for those of the working class.

British couple held by Taliban describe 'culture shock' returning to UK

BBC News, 13/02/2026

A British couple detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan for seven-and-a-half months have described a "huge culture shock" after returning to the UK. Peter, 80, and his wife Barbie Reynolds, 76, said they were never told why they were being held, nor why they were released in September. The couple, who have run a charity programme in Afghanistan for almost two decades, told BBC Newsnight the last five months in the UK have been "totally different". "What we've been through changes us. What we've been through in the last, well decades, but also obviously last year, it reshapes you," said Barbie. "You think differently and you see things differently than we did when we used to live here before."

Airstrikes in Gaza kill 11 people, locals say, as Israel claims Hamas violated ceasefire

Sky News, 15/02/2026  

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 11 people in Gaza, local officials say, including in a blast at a tent encampment housing displaced families. The IDF said the action was in response to ceasefire violations by Hamas. The latest strikes come just days before the first meeting of President Donald Trump's controversial Board of Peace. Medics in Gaza said an Israeli strike on a tent encampment killed at least four people. Meanwhile, health officials said another strike killed five people in Khan Younis in the southern part of the territory.

Also: AFP, BBC News, The Guardian, ITV News, (£) Reuters

Trump claims Board of Peace will give $5bn in aid to rebuild Gaza

(£) The Independent, 15/02/2026  

Donald Trump has claimed that the Board of Peace has pledged more than $5 billion dollars towards rebuilding Gaza. The US president's Board of Peace was originally envisioned as a small group of world leaders to oversee the Gaza ceasefire plan, but the Trump administration has since suggested it could play a role as a global conflict mediator after inviting dozens of nations, including Ukraine and Russia to join. In a post on Truth Social, he said that member states would be meeting next week at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. where they would announce the billion dollar pledge alongside thousands of personnel set to maintain security and peace in the war-torn strip.

Also: Associated Press, (£) Reuters

Conscription plans cause riots in the streets of major city with soldiers attacked

Daily Express, 15/02/2026

Violent clashes erupted in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, just east of Tel Aviv, as thousands of protesters took to the streets to oppose proposed conscription laws. Video footage from the scene shows two female IDF soldiers being hurried away by police as crowds of men chased them through the city. Authorities reported that 26 individuals, including the soldiers and responding officers, were directly caught in the initial surge of the mob. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attacks, describing the rioters as an “extreme minority.” Posting on X, Netanyahu said: “I strongly condemn the violent riots in Bnei Brak against female IDF soldiers and Israel police officers. This is an extreme minority that does not represent the entire haredi community. This is a grave and unacceptable matter.”

Israel will begin contentious West Bank land registration in new step to deepen control

Associated Press, 15/02/2026  

Israel will begin a contentious land regulation process in a large part of the occupied West Bank , which could result in Israel gaining control over wide swaths of the area for future development, according to a government decision on Sunday. The decision paves the way for the resumption of "settlement of land title" processes, which had been frozen in the West Bank since the Mideast War in 1967. It means that when Israel begins the land registration process for a certain area, anyone with a claim to the land must submit documents proving ownership. "This move is very dramatic and allows the state to gain control of almost all of Area C," said Hagit Ofran, the director of Israeli anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now.

Also: (£) Reuters

Gaza's Nasser Hospital condemns move by MSF to suspend most services

Associated Press, 15/02/2026  

One of Gaza's last functioning large hospitals condemned the move by an international organisation to pull out of operations over concerns about armed men, claiming on Sunday that the hospital had installed civil police for security. The move comes as at least 10 Palestinians were killed in clashes with the Israeli military in Gaza. Doctors Without Borders, also known by its acronym MSF, said in a statement Saturday that all its noncritical medical operations at Nasser Hospital were suspended due to security breaches that posed “serious” threats to its teams and patients. MSF said there had been an increase in patients and staff seeing armed men in parts of the compound since the U.S.-brokered October ceasefire was reached.

MSF suspends some Gaza hospital work over presence of gunmen, suspected weapons transfers, group says

(£) Reuters, 14/02/2026

Medecins Sans Frontieres has halted "non-critical" medical activities at a major hospital in southern Gaza following reports from patients and its own staff of armed men inside the facility and concerns over the movement of weapons within it. MSF's statement appeared to mark the first time that an international humanitarian group in Gaza has publicly reported the presence of armed men in a hospital or the possible use of such a facility for moving weapons. The Geneva-based medical charity said non-essential operations at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis were suspended on January 20 over concerns with the "management of the structure, the safeguarding of its neutrality, and security breaches."

Also: Associated Press

A killing a day: How a crime epidemic is spotlighting inequality in Israeli society

CNN, 15/02/2026

A mother shot dead outside a supermarket. A man killed after leaving a mosque. A doctor gunned down while treating patients. These shocking cases are no longer anomalies: they are the toll of a violent crime epidemic sweeping across Israel. The victims are all Palestinian citizens of Israel. Homicides in their community have risen so dramatically that one person has been killed every day on average this year. Palestinian citizens make up 20% of the country’s population, and many say the Israeli government has not only failed to curb the crime wave, but that its inaction has helped spur a cycle of violence largely perpetrated by Arab organized crime groups.

Diplomat overseeing Gaza ceasefire says violations threaten transitional governance

Associated Press, 13/02/2026

The top diplomat overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza said Friday that continued violations of the agreement pose major obstacles to the Palestinian committee expected to oversee postwar governance and reconstruction. Nickolay Mladenov, who serves as high representative for Gaza for the U.S.-established Board of Peace, spoke during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference. The international board, established by U.S. President Donald Trump, is set to meet next week. The transitional committee, made up of Palestinian administrators, has met in Egypt but has not yet entered Gaza.

Push for ‘anti-Israel’ UN official to resign, Cooper urged

(£) Daily Telegraph, 13/02/2026

Yvette Cooper is facing calls from peers to demand the resignation of a senior UN official who is said to have called Israel “the common enemy of humanity”. More than 40 peers have written to the Foreign Secretary in response to comments made by Francesca Albanese, the UN’s Special Rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories. She criticised what she described as the international community’s complicity in Israel’s war in Gaza and referred to a “common enemy of humanity”. “And this is a challenge – the fact that instead of stopping Israel, most of the world has armed, given Israel political excuses, political sheltering, economic and financial support,” she said, accusing governments and western media of enabling “genocide” in Gaza.

Israeli hostage reveals how she survived being tortured and sexually assaulted 'almost every single day' during 482 days in Gaza - with only the thought of her kidnapped boyfriend keeping her going

Daily Mail, 13/02/2026

Over a year has passed since the world saw the terrified face of Arbel Yehoud forced to walk through a baying mob of Hamas militants to freedom. Only now does the 30-year-old feel strong enough to reveal that this sickening spectacle was just the last act in a monstrous campaign of abuse unleashed throughout her 482 days held in Gaza. Motivated to talk after seeing fellow captive Romi Gonen, 25, bravely reveal how she was sexually assaulted by her captors, Arbel tells me this is what she endured “almost every single day in captivity.” Held alone, it was so bad she tried to die by suicide on multiple occasions. “I tried to end it three times,” Arbel says. “I felt like I couldn’t go on.”

Bitter dispute between Trump and EU over Gaza’s future breaks out into the open

The Guardian, 13/02/2026

A bitter dispute between Europe and the US over the future of Gaza has broken out into the open, with the EU’s head of foreign policy, Kaja Kallas, warning that Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” was a personal vehicle for the US president that removed any accountability to Palestinians or the United Nations. Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, also accused Trump of trying to bypass the original UN mandate for the board, and said Europe, one of the chief funders of the Palestinian Authority, had been excluded from the process. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, Kallas said the original purpose of the UN resolution and mandate had been to help Gaza through a Board of Peace, but this had been subverted since the board’s charter now made no reference to Gaza or to the UN.

Ocasio-Cortez says US military aid to Israel ‘enabled a genocide in Gaza’

The Guardian, 14/02/2026

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said during a Munich security conference panel on Friday on the future of foreign policy that the Democratic party’s next presidential nominee should reconsider the country’s military aid to Israel. Hagar Shezaf of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz asked the US congresswoman if she thought “the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2028 elections should re-evaluate military aid to Israel”. “To me this isn’t just about a presidential election,” Ocasio-Cortez replied, “personally, I think that the United States has an obligation to uphold its own laws, particularly the Leahy laws.

'We are not protected' says Hebron mayor as Israel expands West Bank control

BBC News, 13/02/2026

A Palestinian official in the occupied West Bank has described Israel's latest expansion of control there as "the end of the road" for negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Asma al-Sharabati, acting mayor of Hebron, said new legal changes recently announced by Israeli cabinet ministers would leave Palestinian authorities shut out of decisions on urban planning and development, even in areas under Palestinian control. Hebron is a regular flashpoint in the West Bank - a divided city, where soldiers guard hundreds of Israeli settlers living alongside Palestinians in an Israeli military garrison.

UN defends expert on Palestinian rights after European criticism

(£) Reuters, 13/02/2026

A U.N. human rights spokesperson expressed concern on Friday about attacks on independent U.N. experts after several European governments criticised the organisation's special rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese, and called for her resignation. This follows condemnation from Germany, France and Italy this week of Albanese's alleged criticism of Israel. Albanese, an Italian lawyer, denies making the remarks. "We are very worried. We are concerned that U.N. officials, independent experts and judicial officials, are increasingly subjected to personal attacks, threats and misinformation that distracts from the serious human rights issues," U.N. human rights office spokesperson Marta Hurtado told a press briefing when asked about the criticism.

There's no hiding the schism that now lies between Trump and Israel

Sky News, 13/02/2026

Adam Parson writes in his analysis: “Israel, desperate for action against Iran, worries the US could go soft on the Islamic Republic and end up trying to cut a deal.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

A year after border agent’s killing, 7 Zizians fight criminal charges in 3 states

Associated Press, 14/02/2026

The violent deaths linked to the group known as Zizians stopped at six a year ago, after a U.S. border agent was killed and three members were arrested on trespassing and gun charges in the woods of western Maryland. Seven of the group’s members are jailed in three states, all awaiting trial. Police in Maryland quickly connected Jack “Ziz” LaSota, Michelle Zajko and Daniel Blank to homicide investigations in California, Pennsylvania and Vermont after a landowner found them living in box trucks at the end of a snow covered dirt road last February, according to court documents and pre-trial testimony.

Indian man admits plot to kill US-based Sikh separatist leader

BBC News, 14/02/2026

An Indian man accused of plotting to kill a Sikh separatist leader in New York City has pleaded guilty to three criminal charges in a federal court. Nikhil Gupta, 54, admitted to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He faces up to 40 years in prison. The target of the alleged plot, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, is an American citizen who advocates for Khalistan - a proposed independent Sikh state to be carved out of India. Prosecutors allege Gupta was directed by an Indian government official to carry out the plot. India denies having anything to do with the alleged plot to kill Pannun.

Also: AFP, Associated Press, The Guardian, (£) Reuters

Palestinian protester, detained for nearly a year, says 'inhumane' jail conditions prompted seizure

Associated Press, 13/02/2026

A Palestinian woman who has been held in an immigration jail for nearly a year after she attended a protest in New York City said she suffered a seizure after fainting and hitting her head last week, an episode she linked to “filthy” and “inhumane” conditions inside the privately run detention facility. Leqaa Kordia, 33, was hospitalised for three days following the seizure, which she said was the first of her life. She has since returned to the Prairieland Detention Facility in Texas, where she has been held since March. In a statement released through her lawyers on Thursday, Kordia said she was shackled the entire time she was hospitalized and prevented from calling family or meeting with her lawyers.

Trump administration sues Harvard, accuses it of defying admissions probe

(£) Reuters, 14/02/2026

The Trump administration sued Harvard University on Friday, accusing it of failing to comply with a federal investigation and seeking documents to determine whether the university had illegally considered race in its admissions process. The move comes less than two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration was seeking $1 billion from Harvard to settle probes into school policies, after a news report that said Trump had dropped his demand for a payment from the Ivy League school. A Harvard spokesperson said the university is committed to following the law and has been responding to the government’s inquiries in good faith.

US strikes second alleged drug boat in a week, bringing death toll to 133

The Guardian, 14/02/2026

The US military’s Southern Command, which oversees operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, said it had carried out its second deadly boat strike this week. The command said the latest strike killed three suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean on Friday. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the Southern Command said in a statement. The command included a video of the strike with its announcement, which shows a boat traveling through the water as it explodes into flames after being hit with what looks like a missile. The Southern Command and the Pentagon did not immediately return requests for additional information.

Also: Daily Mail

Russia’s Wagner Group pivots to European sabotage, say western officials

(£) Financial Times, 15/02/2026

Recruiters and propagandists who previously worked for Russia's Wagner Group have emerged as a main conduit for Kremlin-organised sabotage attacks in Europe, according to western intelligence officials.

Hiam Abbass says 'cinema is a political act' after Berlin row

AFP, 15/02/2026  

The start of this year's Berlin Film Festival was marked by a row over how far film should venture into politics but for prominent French-Palestinian actor Hiam Abbass, "everything we do is a political act". Abbass is starring in two films being presented at this year's Berlinale festival and in an AFP interview she emphasised the importance of a politically engaged approach to cinema. At Thursday's opening press conference jury president Wim Wenders sparked controversy by saying "we cannot really enter the field of politics", in response to a question about Germany's support for Gaza. "I don't agree," Abbass told AFP.

250,000 at rally in Germany demand 'game over' for Iran's leaders

AFP, 14/02/2026

Cheered by a massive crowd under a sea of flags, the son of Iran's toppled monarch told a mass rally in Munich on Saturday he wants to lead the country into a democratic future. Police said some 250,000 pro-monarchist opponents of the Islamic republic's leadership travelled from across Europe to take part in the demonstration held while world leaders met nearby at the Munich Security Conference. Anger has grown at Tehran's leaders after the bloody crackdown on protesters last month, while US President Donald Trump has been massing warships in the Middle East and declared Friday that a change of government in Iran would be the "best thing that could happen".

Conservative activist dies after 'being beaten by masked far-left mob' in France

GB News, 15/02/2026

A conservative activist has died after being beaten by a group of rioters during a protest in France. The activist, known only as 23-year-old Quentin, suffered multiple severe blows to the head in Lyon on Thursday. In footage from the scene obtained by French broadcaster TF1, three young men can be seen lying on the pavement being beaten by several individuals, while a cry of terror can be heard. Two of them escape - but the third, identified as Quentin, remains motionless on the ground. Further videos show several more of the attackers walking past the victim, leaving him on the ground. He was declared dead by traumatic brain injury on Saturday, with Lyon prosecutors adding that an investigation had been opened into suspected aggravated manslaughter.

Alleged terrorist shot dead after knife attack at Arc de Triomphe

(£) The Times, 13/02/2026

An alleged extremist was shot dead by police on Friday after carrying out a knife attack on officers near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The attacker, named as Brahim Bahrir by French media outlets, had been released from prison less than two months ago after being convicted of a similar attack on police officers in Belgium. Prosecutors in Paris said that Bahrir, 48, a French national, tried to stab a Republican Guard musician during the daily ceremony to revive the flame of the unknown soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe. The Republican Guard is a unit of the gendarmerie, one of two national police forces.

Also: Associated Press, Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, (£) Daily Telegraph, GB News, PA Media, (£) Reuters, The Sun

German spy chief calls for more operational freedom to counter threats

(£) Reuters, 13/02/2026

Germany should beef up its intelligence services and allow them more freedom to act in the face of a range of hybrid threats from Russia, the head of the country's foreign intelligence service said on Friday. After decades of self-imposed caution over state spying and surveillance following World War Two, German politicians and security officials have been pressing to allow its foreign and domestic intelligence agencies greater leeway to act in the face of what they see as an increased threat from Russia. "The threat emanating from hybrid warfare has been recognised," Martin Jaeger, head of the BND, Germany's foreign intelligence service, told a panel at the Munich Security Conference.

Nazi Olympics T-shirts sell out

(£) Daily Telegraph, 13/02/2026

T-shirts displaying the poster of the Olympic games hosted in Nazi Germany have sold out on the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) website. The 1936 Berlin Olympics, which took place when Hitler was in power, were used as a propaganda tool to promote the idea of Aryan supremacy and the Third Reich. Figures in Germany have called on the IOC to stop selling the T-shirts on its website. The committee has defended the sale, however, saying the T-shirt is part of its heritage collection. The IOC also faced criticism this week for disqualifying a Ukrainian athlete who wore a helmet commemorating his fellow athletes killed since the Russian invasion, under rules that restrict political statements during the games.

'Dragged out and set on fire' - the Bangladesh mob killing that shocked the world

BBC News, 16/02/2026

The morning before he died, Dipu Chandra Das left home at first light, stepping out of his tin-sheet house in Bangladesh's Mymensingh city, overlooking a warren of lanes off the highway from Dhaka. The 28-year-old woke up his father, said goodbye to his wife, cradled his 18-month-old daughter. Then he boarded a bus for the 60km (37-mile) journey to the garment factory where he worked as a junior quality inspector, checking sweaters bound for global high-street brands such as H&M and Next. His family would not see him again. Twenty-four hours later, on 18 December, Das, a Hindu, was dead - lynched and burned by a mob after being accused of blasphemy.

Migrants from Gaza and Somalia among those to be banned from Australia under unreleased Liberal plan

The Guardian, 16/02/2026

Migrants from specific regions of 13 countries – including from Gaza, Afghanistan and Somalia – would be banned from entering Australia under a leaked hardline Liberal immigration plan. Guardian Australia understands the banned regions, outlined in the policy designed before Sussan Ley was ousted as party leader on Friday, were based on areas where listed terrorist organisations have territorial control. The 37 specific regions under the proposed ban are in Afghanistan, Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine, the Philippines, Somalia and Yemen. Guardian Australia has been told the new opposition leader, Angus Taylor, had not seen the plan.

Also: Daily Mail

Rightwing thinktank joins backlash to Queensland’s ‘vague’ proposed hate speech laws

The Guardian, 16/02/2026

There is growing backlash to Queensland’s antisemitism laws on all sides of politics, with right-wing thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) the latest group to raise free speech concerns about the “vague” bill. Margaret Chambers, a research fellow at the IPA, said the bill would confer extraordinary power on a single minister to “engage in censorship and the criminalising of opinions and debate” on the basis of a subjective standard, without oversight by the courts. The constitutional scholar Anne Twomey said the laws were being “unduly rushed”, with a seven-day public comment period expiring on Tuesday.

At least 6,000 killed over 3 days during RSF attack on Sudan’s el-Fasher, UN says

Associated Press, 14/02/2026

More than 6,000 people were killed in over three days when a Sudanese paramilitary group unleashed “a wave of intense violence … shocking in its scale and brutality” in Sudan’s Darfur region in late October, according to the United Nations. The Rapid Support Forces’ offensive to capture the city of el-Fasher included widespread atrocities that amount to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, the U.N. Human Rights Office said in a report released on Friday. “The wanton violations that were perpetrated by the RSF and allied Arab militia in the final offensive on el-Fasher underscore that persistent impunity fuels continued cycles of violence,” said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

Motorbike raids on villages kill at least 30 in Nigeria

BBC News, 15/02/2026

Gunmen on motorcycles have killed dozens of people in dawn raids across three villages in north-western Nigeria. Armed men shot dead or cut the throats of their victims, lit homes on fire and abducted an "undetermined" number of people in Niger state, according to local reports seen by the AFP news agency. The attacks on Saturday morning occurred near the site of a suspected jihadi massacre earlier this month, in which more than 100 people were killed in a similar style of attack. Armed criminal gangs, known as bandits, have carried out attacks and kidnappings in Nigeria for years, but reports in western and central regions have risen sharply recently.

Also: Associated Press, The Guardian

Trump’s endless, opaque bombing obliterates all hope of a free Somalia

(£) The Observer, 15/02/2026

Since he returned to power just over a year ago, Donald Trump, the self-styled “president of peace”, has bombed Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Nigeria and numerous boats in the Caribbean, not to mention launching an attack on Venezuela to capture the country’s president. But by far and away the largest military campaign has been in Somalia. Over the past 13 months, the US has carried out 157 airstrikes, drone strikes and ground raids in the east African country. The rate has dramatically increased since the start of the year – an airstrike on Friday in the Golsp mountains was the 31st attack in 2026. The Somali campaign is not just the most intense, it is also the most opaque.

Tough police powers to target 'hate-promoting' protests

Australian Associated Press, 15/02/2026

Police could unmask protesters under beefed-up state laws that would also ban the public display of symbols linked to designated terror organisations. Police would also be empowered to reject protest applications the force believes are likely to promote hate under proposed laws to be introduced to the West Australian parliament on Tuesday. "Over the summer, we've seen multiple threats across Australia which my government has committed to responding to, including the Bondi Beach anti-Semitic terrorist attack," Premier Roger Cook told reporters on Sunday. "What has been targeted by these laws today is behaviour that crosses the line through violence, harassment or intimidation."

How Canada school shooter 'tried to kill mum and stepbrother in house fire'

Daily Mirror, 14/02/2026

A teenager who murdered eight people in a horror school shooting in Canada had previously tried to kill her family by starting a house fire, a neighbour has said. Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old who identified as female, killed her 11-year-old stepbrother and mum Jennifer Strang, 39, on Tuesday before opening fire at pupils at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia. Five students and a teacher were killed, while another 25 were injured. Van Rootselaar was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Detectives continue to piece together the motive for the shooting. One neighbour living a few doors down from the troubled teen has now revealed that Van Rootselaar once deliberately set fire to the family home in a sick bid to kill her parents - and sat emotionless in the front garden as she waited for emergency services to arrive.

Australia police watchdog to investigate complaints of brutality at protests against Israeli president

(£) The Independent, 13/02/2026  

A police watchdog in Australia has said it will investigate how the protests in Sydney over Israeli president Isaac Herzog's visit were handled, after it received multiple complaints accusing officers of using excessive force. The Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) – an independent police oversight body – said in a statement released on Friday that it was “in public interest” to examine the violent confrontations between police and demonstrators at the Sydney Town Hall this week. Police in Sydney clashed with people protesting against the visit of the Israeli president, who is accused of inciting a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, allegations he denies.

Churches burned, fields destroyed and families slaughtered... the Nigerian Christians brutalised by jihadists – and the horrors I saw on the frontlines

Daily Mail, 14/02/2026

Driving through the vast, scorched landscape, I hear the words that have followed me all day. “They roasted the pastor and his wife alive in the church. We heard their screams.” Plateau State stretches to the horizon. Rich black soil that once grew cassava and sugar cane is now ash. Trees are encrusted with soot. Fields of maize that shone gold in the sun are grey and lifeless, stalk after stalk standing in formation like an army frozen in defeat. Bricks lie scattered in the scrub. Concrete blocks jut from the earth like jagged teeth. Roofs have collapsed inward. And then come the churches. Burned-out shell after burned-out shell. Crosses broken.

'Canadians are with you,' says PM at Tumbler Ridge vigil

BBC News, 14/02/2026

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has attended a vigil in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, where hundreds gathered to mourn the eight victims killed in a mass shooting there this week. Carney visited the small town on Friday, along with other federal leaders across the political aisle, as well as Canada's Governor-General Mary Simon, in a show of national unity. "Canadians are with you, we will always be with you," Carney told the crowd in a speech that paid tribute to the victims, which included six young school children. Residents in the town are still reeling from the attack, with some visibly in tears and comforting one another as Carney and other leaders addressed their grief.

Also: Associated Press, The Guardian

Isaac Herzog’s four days in Australia left him ‘energised’. For the Jewish community, some saw solidarity while others felt ‘serious angst’

The Guardian, 14/02/2026

This week’s visit to Australia by the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, has lived up to its controversial billing as police in Sydney clashed with protesters and Muslims praying in the street with such violence it sparked an independent investigation, and the guest of honour went from place to place in secrecy and high security. Anthony Albanese said the visit would help to foster unity in Australia and that the Israeli president came “to offer sympathy and solidarity to people who are mourning and offer his support to members of Australia’s Jewish community” following the Bondi beach terror attack where 15 people attending a Hanukah celebration were killed.

Closed-door apologies are not enough for a community confronted by images of worshippers being seized by NSW police

The Guardian, 13/02/2026

Aftab Malik writes: “Long-term trust depends on demonstrating that state power can be corrected as well as asserted.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

This summary is not a statement of Home Office policy or opinion. Note that these outlets have a local or regional UK focus and/or a daily reach of less than 100k, and a minority may be funded by foreign governments.

Son of IRA victim’s warning after ‘enormous hurt’ from advert for Wolfe Tones Belfast gig: ‘I followed trail of blood to my daddy lying dead’

(£) Belfast Telegraph, 15/02/2026  

A man whose father was murdered by the IRA when he was 12 has said music from bands such as The Wolfe Tones is “conditioning young people that terrorism was normal”.

Iran's top diplomat to attend indirect talks with US in Geneva, state-run news agency says

Politico, 15/02/2026  

Iran's top diplomat was traveling Sunday from Tehran to Geneva, where the second round of nuclear negotiations with the U.S. will take place, Iranian state media reported.

Israel kills 10 Palestinians in Gaza bombing ahead of 'Board of Peace' meeting

Middle East Eye, 15/02/2026  

Israeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinians in air strikes across the Gaza Strip late on Saturday and into Sunday, according to the health ministry.

Also: LBC News

Ramadan under fire: Israel readies tear gas drones as West Bank raids and Gaza strikes intensify

The Muslim News, 15/02/2026  

Israel is preparing to deploy drones capable of firing tear gas at Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as part of heightened security measures ahead of Ramadan, according to Israel's Channel 12.

Russia hits back at claims opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed by frog poison, calling it a 'mockery of the dead'

(£) LBC News, 14/02/2026

Russia has hit back at claims made by the UK that its opposition leader Alexei Navalny was killed by poison developed from a dart frog toxin.

Epstein files: Why Israel's Mizrahim face an existential battle

Middle East Eye, 14/02/2026

Orly Noy writes: “Ehud Barak's expressed fears of an 'Arab majority' should ring alarm bells not just for Palestinians, but also for the Jews he deems inferior.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

EU leaders condemn Trump’s Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ at Munich conference

Middle East Eye, 14/02/2026

European leaders criticised US President Donald Trump’s Gaza “Board of Peace” for bypassing the UN mandate that supported its creation on Friday.

Decision to ban Palestine Action as terror group was unlawful, High Court rules

(£) LBC News, 13/02/2026

The government’s decision to ban Palestine Action under anti-terror laws has been ruled unlawful in a landmark legal ruling.

Also: Middle East Eye, Politico

UK Home Office graph reveals shocking scale of Palestine Action arrests

Middle East Eye, 13/02/2026

A Home Office graph reveals the spike in terrorism arrests since the proscription of Palestine Action in July.

If this isn’t extremism, what is? The High Court’s Palestine Action judgment defies common sense

 (£) LBC News, 13/02/2026

Richard Pater writes: “No organisation should be allowed to engage in vandalism, harassment, or intimidation with impunity.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

What drives people to celebrate the death of Jews?

(£) LBC News, 13/02/2026

The Community Security Trust (CST) recorded 3,700 anti-Jewish hate incidents in the UK in 2025; the second-highest annual total ever recorded by CST and a four per cent rise on the year before.

Two men who plotted mass attack on Jewish community in Manchester jailed for life

(£) LBC News, 13/02/2026

Two men have been given life sentences for planning a Daesh-inspired gun attack on a mass gathering of Jews in the Manchester area.

Tommy Robinson says he has left UK after being named in Islamic State publication

LBC News, 13/02/2026

Police have warned right-wing activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon after they received intelligence that he was named in a Daesh publication, which encouraged others “to commit violence” against him.

Also: (£) The National

AI amplifies anti-Muslim hate in UK: Study

Eastern Eye, 13/02/2026

Foreign extremists are using artificial intelligence and social media manipulation to fuel anti-Muslim hatred in Britain, with online incitement rapidly translating into real-world attacks on mosques and communities, new research revealed on Tuesday (10).

France concerned about the risk of foreign interference ahead of elections

Middle East Eye, 13/02/2026

In his New Year's wishes to the French people, President Emmanuel Macron assured the country that he would do everything possible to ensure that the 2027 presidential election in France would take place free from any foreign interference.

Palestinian paramedic from Gaza dies in Israeli custody

Middle East Eye, 13/02/2026

A Palestinian paramedic from Gaza has died in Israeli detention, amid mounting allegations of torture, starvation and medical neglect behind prison walls.

French foreign minister faces criminal complaint over misquoting Francesca Albanese

Middle East Eye, 13/02/2026

A French group of international lawyers has filed a report with the Paris public prosecutor accusing the country's top diplomat of disseminating false information about the United Nations' special rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese.

Gaza is not a natural disaster zone. It is the victim of a political crime

Middle East Eye, 13/02/2026

Asem Alnabih writes: ‘Treating the besieged and battered enclave as a 'humanitarian crisis' serves only to shield Israel from accountability’.

This is comment or editorial reporting

This summary is not a statement of Home Office policy or opinion. Note that some of these outlets have lower reach with UK audiences and/or may be state/government funded. Please also note that foreign media outlets may not have equivalent editorial standards to UK-based outlets.

US says over 5,700 suspected ISIL detainees relocated from Syria to Iraq

Al Jazeera, 15/02/2026  

The United States has announced the completion of the transfer of more than 5,700 suspected Daesh detainees from Syria to Iraq.

Syrian Foreign Minister Al Shibani claims 'no violence' against minorities despite widespread killings

National Newspaper, 15/02/2026  

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani denied that the country's minority groups had been subjected to violence, stating that their rights were protected, despite violent episodes involving the Druze, Alawites and Kurds over the past year.

Syrian army takes control of Shaddadi base from US forces

National Newspaper, 15/02/2026  

​The ​Syrian ​army has taken control of ​the Shaddadi ⁠military base in the north-east of the country after an agreement with ​US forces, state news agency Sana reported on Sunday.

Also: Al Jazeera

US satisfied with overall ‘trajectory’ in Syria, Rubio says

Al Arabiya, 15/02/2026

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Washington is pleased with the “trajectory” in Syria, which has launched talks with Kurdish minority groups, despite troubles.

US warning on Iranian waters puts global shipping on edge in Strait of Hormuz

National Newspaper, 15/02/2026  

The US issued an advisory last Monday to American-flagged ships, asking them to avoid Iranian territory when passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump and Netanyahu align on Iran pressure but split on endgame

Al Jazeera, 15/02/2026  

United States President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have solidified a strategy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, targeting the country's vital oil exports to China, even as deep rifts emerge regarding the ultimate goal of the escalation.

At least 12 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, including at displacement camp. EPA

National Newspaper, 15/02/2026  

Twelve Palestinians were killed in ⁠Israeli air strikes in the northern and southern Gaza Strip ⁠on Sunday, Palestinian civil defence and health ​officials said.

Thousands of Western nationals fought Israel's war on Gaza: What to know

Al Jazeera, 15/02/2026  

Thousands of Western nationals joined the Israeli military amid its genocidal war in Gaza, raising questions over international legal accountability for foreign nationals implicated in alleged war crimes against Palestinians.

Israel approves proposal to register West Bank lands as ‘state property'

Al Jazeera, 15/02/2026  

The Israeli government has approved a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property,” for the first time since the Israeli occupation of the territory in 1967.

Also: National Newspaper

Israel’s move to register land ‘systematises dispossession’ of Palestinians

Al Jazeera, 16/02/2026

Israel’s decision to resume the land registration processes in the occupied West Bank for the first time since 1967 will facilitate the dispossession and displacement of Palestinians in violation of international law, Israeli rights groups say.

Gaza's Nasser Hospital slams MSF's ‘unsubstantiated' armed men allegation

Al Jazeera, 15/02/2026  

The Nasser Hospital Complex has condemned aid group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, for pulling out of operations, alleging the presence of armed men and weapons at the facility.

Pakistan at the Board of Peace

Geo News, 16/02/2026

When US President Donald Trump announced the formation of the Board of Peace (BoP) in January 2026, it immediately triggered intense global debate.

The Palestinian cause cannot speak only to the left

Al Jazeera, 15/02/2026  

Ahmed Najar writes: “Moral clarity has not shifted Western policy; persuasion must extend into the arenas where power actually sits.”

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Lebanon says 4 dead in Israeli strike as Israel says targeted Palestinian group

AFP, 16/02/2026

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on Sunday near the Syrian border in the country’s east killed four people, as Israel said it had targeted operatives from Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.

Also: Al Jazeera

Former Sudanese leader Hamdok says Islamist factions obstacle to ending civil war

National Newspaper, 16/02/2026

Former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok said Islamists and the National Congress Party, the former ruling party of ousted Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir, are major obstacles to peace efforts in war-torn Sudan.

UK's Yvette Cooper denies UAE sent British arms to Sudan's RSF with more than a 'dozen countries' fueling war

National Newspaper, 14/02/2026

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Saturday that more than a dozen countries are involved in arms flows to Sudan’s warring parties, a view echoed by US envoy Massad Boulos, who said both sides are receiving counterproductive external support.

US military says strikes hit 30 ISIS targets in Syria as detainees are transferred to Iraq

National Newspaper, 15/02/2026

The US Central Command on Saturday said it conducted 10 retaliatory strikes against more than 30 Daesh targets in Syria between February 3 and 12.

Also: Al Jazeera

Syria FM says talks with Israel exclude broader Golan Heights issue

AFP, 15/02/2026

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said on Saturday that negotiations on a security deal with Israel were focused on areas Israel has recently occupied and excluded the broader issue of the Golan Heights.

Israel FM Saar to attend Trump’s first Board of Peace meeting this week

Al Arabiya, 15/02/2026

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will attend US President Donald Trump’s first formal Board of Peace meeting on February 19, two Israeli officials said on Saturday.

Over 100 artists for Palestine back UN’s Albanese after resignation calls

Al Jazeera, 14/02/2026

More than 100 prominent artists – including musicians, actors and writers – have signed an open letter in support of the United Nations special rapporteur for occupied Palestinian territory who faces international calls to step down.

Iran, US spar as diaspora organises rallies abroad calling for action

Al Jazeera, 14/02/2026

Iran and the United States are presenting clashing views before expected talks as diaspora Iranians rally across the world to demand action after thousands were killed during last month’s nationwide protests.

UAE deepens Africa investment push with focus on renewables and logistics

National Newspaper, 14/02/2026

The UAE has committed more than $110 billion in investments across Africa since 2019, with much of that targeting renewable energy and logistics infrastructure to support industrial growth and trade integration, an Emirati minister has said.

UK's Palestine Action ban is unlawful, High Court rules

National Newspaper, 13/02/2026

Palestine Action has won a UK High Court challenge over its ban in the UK as a terror group.

Also: Al Jazeera

More than 5,000 ISIL detainees transferred from Syria, says Iraqi ministry

Al Jazeera, 13/02/2026

More than 5,000 Daesh detainees have been transferred from Syrian jails to a prison in neighbouring Iraq so far, according to Iraq’s Ministry of Justice.

'Game-changing': Syria's new US alliance faces crucial ISIS test

National Newspaper, 14/02/2026

The National visits areas where Syrian forces are dismantling Daesh hideouts, as Damascus seeks closer security ties with Washington.

UNSC slams terror attack on Islamabad imambargah, calls it 'heinous and cowardly'

Geo News, 14/02/2026

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has strongly condemned the suicide bombing that tore through an imambargah in Islamabad, calling it “heinous and cowardly,” and said it was deeply shocking that civilians were targeted in a place of worship.

Syria’s FM and SDF commander meet Rubio to discuss integration agreement

National Newspaper, 13/02/2026

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces Mazloum Abdi met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Munich on Friday.

Solving Syria's Kurdish question remains a work in progress

National Newspaper, 13/02/2026

Lina Sinjab writes: "...even as the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces is expected to proceed, their agreement with Damascus doesn’t necessarily settle the question regarding the future of the two million Kurds in the country."

This is comment or editorial reporting.

Trump says Iran regime change ‘best thing that could happen’

Al Arabiya, 13/02/2026

US President Donald Trump said Friday that regime change in Iran would be the “best thing that could happen,” as he ordered a second aircraft carrier to head to the Middle East.

US says it caused dollar shortage to trigger Iran protests: What that means

Al Jazeera, 13/02/2026

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has claimed that Washington engineered a dollar shortage in Iran to send the rial into freefall and cause protests on the streets.

British woman detained with husband in Iran ‘ignorantly thought we would be OK’

National Newspaper, 13/02/2026  

A British woman detained with her husband in Iran has admitted they made “naive” mistakes when deciding to travel to the country during a motorbike world tour.

Israeli settlers injure dozens of Palestinians in wave of West Bank attacks

Al Jazeera, 13/02/2026

Dozens of Palestinians have been injured as Israeli settlers carried out a wave of attacks across the occupied West Bank, destroying olive trees and vandalising property.

Arundhati Roy ‘shocked’ by jury’s Gaza remarks, quits Berlin film festival

Al Jazeera, 14/02/2026

Indian author Arundhati Roy has announced that she is withdrawing from the Berlin International Film Festival after what she described as “unconscionable statements” by its jury members about Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Sudan protecting Africa from foreign interference in war with RSF, says FM

Al Jazeera, 13/02/2026

Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mohieldin Salem has said his government is protecting Africa from external plots by confronting foreign interference in his country’s brutal civil war, deep into its third year, as he called on the African Union (AU) for support in its efforts to stabilise the country.

US remains dominant external power in the Middle East, says Prince Turki Al Faisal

National Newspaper, 13/02/2026  

The US remains the dominant external power in the Middle East despite increasing Chinese and Russian influence in the region, Prince Turki Al Faisal has said.

Al Jazeera (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• Israel’s move to register land ‘systematises dispossession’ of Palestinians; US forces board tanker in Indian Ocean that fled Trump’s Venezuela blockade; A pardon for a price?; Ramadan 2026: Fasting hours, suhoor and iftar times around the world

Al Arabiya (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• Board of Peace members have pledged more than $5 billion for Gaza, Trump says; Iran’s foreign minister heads to Geneva for second round of nuclear talks with US; Lebanon says 4 dead in Israeli strike as Israel says targeted Palestinian group; Netanyahu says all enriched uranium ‘has to leave Iran’; US satisfied with overall ‘trajectory’ in Syria, Rubio says

Geo TV (Pakistan, Urdu and English)

• Opposition vows to continue sit-in until Imran shifted to Al-Shifa Hospital; Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds; Govt hikes petrol, diesel prices for next fortnight; Alleged Bondi Beach gunman makes first court appearance

Al Jazeera (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• Iran, US spar as diaspora organises rallies abroad calling for action; Gunmen kill at least 32 people in northern Nigeria, residents say; Over 100 artists for Palestine back UN’s Albanese after resignation calls; Russia’s Alexey Navalny killed by dart frog poison, European nations allege

Al Arabiya (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• US, Iran to hold talks in Geneva this week hosted by Oman; Trump, Netanyahu agreed US should press Iran to cut oil sales to China: Report; Israel FM Saar to attend Trump’s first Board of Peace meeting this week; Canada wants Iran government change, increases sanctions; Syria FM says talks with Israel exclude broader Golan Heights issue

Geo TV (Pakistan, Urdu and English)

• All set for Pakistan-India high-voltage clash at ICC Men's T20 World Cup; Opposition sit-in enters third day despite govt's decision to shift Imran Khan to hospital; Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds; At least 11 killed, including driver and conductor, in Khairpur bus crash

Al Jazeera (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• BNP wins Bangladesh polls, Tarique Rahman set to be prime minister: Reports; Arundhati Roy ‘shocked’ by jury’s Gaza remarks, quits Berlin film festival; UK’s Mandelson asked to cooperate in Epstein probe by US Congress; Could BNP’s landslide win open a new geopolitical chapter for Bangladesh?

Al Arabiya (Middle East, Arabic Language)

• Trump says Iran regime change ‘best thing that could happen’; SDF chief joins official Syrian delegation during meeting with top US diplomat Rubio; At Fort Bragg, Trump says Maduro raid showed ‘full military might’ of US; Main donor US unclear on UNRWA future, jettisoning it would leave black hole: Agency chief; US President Trump expected to attend Saudi FII conference in Miami, sources say

Geo TV (Pakistan, Urdu and English)

• IMF says Pakistan's power tariff changes must not hurt middle and lower-income families; Updates: Hamas-Israel ceasefire holds; SOEs witness 300% surge in FY25 net losses; 25 post Rs832bn in aggregate losses; UNSC slams terror attack on Islamabad imambargah, calls it 'heinous and cowardly'