Politics

Authorities say a Hindu man was killed in December and the interim government ordered an investigation; rights groups report a wider rise in attacks on Hindus as Bangladesh prepares for a Feb. 12 national election.

Sir Brian Leveson's final review warns the England and Wales court system is "on the brink of collapse" as Crown Court backlogs reached 79,619 cases and are projected to approach 100,000 by next November; the report recommends 130 efficiency changes.

A U.S. district judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order limiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using chemical or projectile munitions at protests outside the Portland ICE building unless there is an imminent threat of physical harm.

Donald Trump said on a conservative podcast that Republican officials should 'take over' and 'nationalize' elections in 15 states; Democrats and other officials criticised the remarks and said they would oppose efforts to nationalize election administration.

Senator Mitch McConnell, 83, checked himself into a local hospital after experiencing flu-like symptoms and his office said his prognosis is positive.

Human Rights Watch says the world is in a 'democratic recession' with about 72% of people living under autocratic rule, and it reports that actions by the Trump administration, Russia and China are straining the rules-based international order.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told parliament that Eritrean troops were involved in the Tigray war and accused them of mass killings; Eritrea denied the allegation. Renewed clashes in Tigray have been reported and flights to the region were canceled.

Health Secretary Neil Gray announced an independent oversight group for the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital to boost public confidence; prosecutors are investigating seven deaths for possible links to the hospital environment.

A US release on 30 January added millions of Epstein-related pages, images and videos and listed additional prominent figures; appearing in the documents is not evidence of wrongdoing. Some lawmakers say further documents may still be withheld.

Letters say the new Rainbow Way council homes show council housing can transform lives, and note the government funds 18,000 social rent homes a year while about 1.3 million households remain on waiting lists.

A French investigating magistrate has issued summonses to Nili Kupfer‑Naouri and Rachel Touitou over alleged complicity in genocide linked to attempts to block humanitarian aid to Gaza. The summonses reportedly require both to appear before a magistrate but do not at this stage require arrest.

ExxonMobil’s Fife Ethylene Plant at Mossmorran stopped production on February 2, and Unite says the plant was closed earlier than planned; the company says decommissioning will continue with work expected to finish by early 2028.

As of September 2025, 10,480 children and 18,092 households were living in temporary accommodation in Scotland, the highest recorded levels; open homeless cases and reports of rough sleeping also rose.

Scottish Government figures show 10,480 children were in temporary accommodation on 30 September 2025, a record high. Housing Secretary Mairi McAllan has sought an urgent meeting with the UK immigration minister and Glasgow City Council.

Russian forces launched a large aerial attack on Ukrainian power plants and energy infrastructure during extreme cold, leaving over 1,000 residential buildings in Kyiv without heating; negotiators from Russia and Ukraine are due to meet in Abu Dhabi later this week.

DTEK's CEO Maxim Timchenko said the company needs a break from months of attacks to restore damaged power facilities; President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had largely observed a ceasefire on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

Taylor Rehmet, a U.S. Air Force veteran and union machinist, defeated Republican activist Leigh Wambsganss in a Texas Senate special election on Feb. 1, marking the first Democratic win in that seat in decades.

President Masoud Pezeshkian instructed his foreign minister to pursue "fair and equitable" negotiations with the United States, saying talks should occur in a suitable environment free from threats. The U.S. has not publicly confirmed such talks, while a U.S. envoy is traveling in the region and expected to meet Israeli officials this week.

A federal judge issued a temporary stay blocking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's decision to end Temporary Protected Status for up to 350,000 Haitians, and the judge said the termination is null and void while the stay remains in place.

Officials said Russian forces struck Kyiv with missiles early on Tuesday, damaging several buildings; attacks were also reported in Kharkiv and parts of south‑east Ukraine.

President Donald Trump announced the Kennedy Center will close on 4 July for a two-year renovation, and the article reports the venue was recently renamed and faced several performer cancellations.

A coalition of immigration groups, lawyers and US citizens filed a federal lawsuit in New York challenging a State Department order that paused immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, saying the move is discriminatory and lacks legal authority.

Reforms coming into force in April will make unpaid additional maternity, shared parental and adoption leave automatically pensionable and will require statutory reporting of gender pension gap data for the Local Government Pension Scheme, affecting nearly seven million members.

Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment naming journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort over reporting on a January 18 protest at a St. Paul church; a federal magistrate judge had previously declined to sign an arrest warrant for Lemon and a judge said there was no evidence he engaged in criminal behavior.

Officials said multiple suicide and gun attacks across Balochistan left at least 33 people dead while security forces reported killing 92 assailants; the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility.

London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway transferred to public ownership on 1 February, marking the halfway point toward the planned launch of Great British Railways; they join c2c, South Western Railways and Greater Anglia.

New polling finds 45% of parents prioritise primary schools that offer free breakfast clubs, and over 300,000 children are set to benefit from the Best Start programme in April.

Five-year-old Liam Ramos was seized by ICE on January 20, 2026 as he left school; a federal judge later ruled the detention unconstitutional and he and his father were released.

Egyptian and Israeli officials said the Rafah crossing reopened on Monday for a small number of passengers, with about 50 Palestinians allowed to cross in each direction on the first day and no goods permitted to enter.

Thousands of immigrant parents in Minneapolis say they are staying home and arranging Delegations of Parental Authority after federal immigration officers were deployed; a judge ordered the release of a detained five-year-old boy.