Top World News

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Tech CEOs are locked in an artificial intelligence "arms race" that risks wiping out humanity, top computer science researcher Stuart Russell told AFP on Tuesday, calling for governments to pull the brakes.

Feb 17, 2026 - World

A total of 2.1GW of wind and solar power came on to the grid in the three months to December. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson says people ‘warming to our policies’ amid frustrations with two major partiesThe One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, was just interviewed on the ABC after a surge in popularity in recent polls.I think people are looking at our policies, what we want to do for the country and for people … People are warming to our policies and I am pleased to see that they want to vote for One Nation now because they don’t trust the two major political parties.You don’t have a former deputy prime minister to come across to a party, with his credentials, and it doesn’t enhance the party.People are drawn to Barnaby. He is just an average bloke out there fighting for the Australian people and he is so pleased to be on board with One Nation now. Continue reading...

Feb 17, 2026 - World

‘Eight-figure agreement’ made to supply new line between Ankara and İzmir – but questions over plant’s future remainBritish Steel has secured an order worth tens of millions of pounds to supply rail for a high-speed electric railway in Turkey, amid continuing uncertainty over the long-term future of the government-controlled steelworks in Scunthorpe.The site will supply 36,000 tonnes of rail to ERG International Group, the company announced, in what it called an “eight-figure agreement”. Continue reading...

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Havana Syndrome refers to unexplained health incidents affecting US diplomats and officials worldwide, characterized by symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and memory problems, with theories ranging from stress to directed energy, but the cause remai

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Move comes after Gordon Brown’s claim that files show sex offender used airport in Essex to ‘fly in girls’Police are assessing information about private flights to and from Stansted airport following the publication of files relating to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It comes after the former prime minister Gordon Brown claimed the documents showed in “graphic detail” how Epstein was able to use the Essex-based hub to “fly in girls from Latvia, Lithuania and Russia”. In an article for the New Statesman, Brown wrote that the Epstein files showed the financier’s jet making 90 flights to or from UK airports, including 15 after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a child. He said Epstein “boasted” about how cheap the airport charges were in Stansted compared with Paris. Brown said Stansted airport was where “women were transferred from one Epstein plane to another”, adding that “women arriving on private planes into Britain would not need British visas”. He said it seemed as though authorities “never knew what was happening”, referring to evidence uncovered by the BBC which showed “incomplete flight logs, with unnamed passengers simply labelled as ‘female’”. On Tuesday, an Essex police spokesperson said: “We are assessing the information that has emerged in relation to private flights into and out of Stansted Airport following the publication of the US DoJ (Department of Justice) Epstein files.” A Stansted airport spokesperson said: “All private aircraft at London Stansted operate through independent Fixed Base Operators, which handle all aspects of private and corporate aviation in line with regulatory requirements. “All immigration and customs checks for passengers arriving on private aircraft are carried out directly by Border Force. “They use entirely independent terminals not operated by London Stansted and no private jet passengers enter the main airport terminal. “The airport does not manage or have any visibility of passenger arrangements on privately operated aircraft.” In December, a BBC investigation found 87 flights linked to Epstein had arrived at or departed from UK airports between the early 1990s and 2018. The statement from Essex police comes after the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said a national group had been set up to support UK police forces that are “assessing allegations” following the publication of the Epstein files, which can be accessed via whenyouareready.co.uk A spokesperson for the NPCC said: “A national coordination group has been set up to support a small number of forces assessing allegations that have emerged following the publication of the US DoJ Epstein files. “We continue to work collaboratively to assess the details being made public to allow us to understand any potential impact arising from the millions of documents that have been published. “We continue to support our partners and contribute in any way we can to help secure justice for victims and survivors, and urge anyone who needs support to visit whenyouareready.co.uk.” Continue reading...