Top World News

Feb 16, 2026 - World

Ditching plans to delay votes in 30 English councils gives Nigel Farage chance to capitalise on Labour unpopularityKeir Starmer was challenged on Monday morning over the list of U-turns he has made since entering government less than two years ago, including on cuts to winter fuel payments, cuts to disability benefits and hikes in inheritance tax for farmers.“I am a pragmatist. I am a common-sense merchant,” he told the BBC presenter Jeremy Vine in his defence. Continue reading...

Feb 16, 2026 - World

Shock departure of Devyani Saltzman comes weeks after new CEO joined and before major refurbishmentDevyani Saltzman is leaving the Barbican, as the arts institution undergoes another significant leadership change just a few weeks after its new CEO joined.The shock departure of Saltzman, who became director of arts and participation at the Barbican in February 2024, comes two years after her arrival and months after she unveiled a five-year creative vision for the venue. Continue reading...

Feb 16, 2026 - World

Pair cleared of murdering Alexander Cashford, who they believed was a paedophile, but convicted of manslaughter Two teenagers have been found guilty of killing a man they believed was a paedophile by luring him to a beach where another teenager threw rocks at him.A 16-year-old girl and 15-year-old boy were cleared of murdering Alexander Cashford, 49, but convicted of the secondary charge of manslaughter at Woolwich crown court. Continue reading...

Feb 16, 2026 - World

Experts say the detention centres were a breeding ground for extremism and a new generation of IS membersHumanitarians warned for years that the camps in north-east Syria holding tens of thousands of family members of suspected Islamic State (IS) fighters would have to be dealt with. Calling them a “ticking time bomb”, relief groups said the women and children could not just be left to rot in squalid desert camps indefinitely, because eventually they would come home.Despite the warnings, most states ignored the problem, refusing to repatriate their citizens. At least 8,000 women and children from more than 40 countries have been stranded in the camps of north-east Syria since 2019. Continue reading...

Feb 16, 2026 - World

Peter Waddell is alleged to have made racist and sexist remarks that led to removal as CEO of Big Motoring WorldA multimillionaire used-car salesman was ousted from his £300m company as part of an orchestrated “coup” involving business rivals and private equity investors, the high court has heard.Peter Waddell, 59, claims he was forced out as the chief executive of the Kent-based dealership Big Motoring World by “conspirators” who designed a “plan” to ensure that an investigation into allegations of gross misconduct “reached the conclusion that one or more [sackable events] had occurred”. Continue reading...