Top World News

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Many voice hope that moment will mark move away from repression and unrest and a chance to revive economyBangladesh’s new prime minister has been sworn in, sealing a dramatic comeback for the Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP) and formally closing the turbulent chapter that toppled Sheikh Hasina in 2024.The swearing-in of Tarique Rahman restored an elected government after 18 months of caretaker rule led by the Nobel peace prize laureate Muhammad Yunus. Continue reading...

Feb 17, 2026 - World

The World Health Organisation and Donald Trump's administration still maintains contact despite the United States leaving the organization this year. While the WHO is less dependent on U.S. financing, it has made it clear that it believes the world is less safe without its involvement. Insiders and admin officials told The Guardian columnist Devi Sridhar that, even though the U.S. had severed ties with the health body, it was still in touch with it. Sridhar wrote, "We have China and Russia increasing their bilateral ties to low-income countries, tying together global health aid with their influence. And we have health threats such as the H5N1 variant of bird flu, antimicrobial resistance and continual disease outbreaks requiring rapid information-sharing and coordinated response."The U.S. government knows this. I am told that in all practical ways, Trump’s leadership team is still engaging with the agency privately, while lambasting it publicly."Sridhar suggested the reason for opening private channels and yet blasting the organization publicly is to play up the MAGA voter base ahead of the midterm elections. She wrote, "This plays to his MAGA base who need a foreign enemy to attack, while also ensuring the U.S. has the necessary global intel on health risks that the WHO holds. Yet again, Trump says one thing publicly while doing the opposite privately. "In another 'emperor has no clothes' moment, the real story is that the U.S. government is more dependent on the WHO than vice versa." Professor Sridhar, a chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, also claimed the World Health Organisation had nearly buckled under MAGA pressure in the past. "A senior WHO staff member told me that it had been pressed to align with the MAGA talking points on the links between vaccines and autism, and paracetamol in pregnancy and autism, as well as climate-change denialism," she wrote. "When the agency pushed back that this wasn’t scientifically accurate, it was reprimanded."Having studied the WHO (and co-written a book on it), it is bizarre to watch the U.S. government attacking the very agency it has been the architect and champion of for years. The entire UN system was premised on the idea that cooperation across countries could prevent collective catastrophes like the Second World War. "U.S. leadership has been central to global campaigns against smallpox, polio, HIV/Aids and reducing child mortality. Financially, too, the U.S. has been the single largest contributor to the WHO, through assessed contributions and voluntary funding tied to specific programmes."

Feb 17, 2026 - World

Citizen Lab report suggests Cellebrite software was used to break into Boniface Mwangi’s phone while he was under arrestWhen Boniface Mwangi, the prominent Kenyan pro-democracy activist who plans to run for president in 2027, had his phones returned to him by Kenyan authorities after his controversial arrest last July, he immediately noticed a problem: one of the phones was no longer password protected and could be opened without one.It was Mwangi’s personal phone, which he used to communicate with friends and mentors, and contained photos of private family moments with his wife and children. Knowing that its contents could be in the hands of the Kenyan government made Mwangi – who has described harassment and even torture – feel unsafe and “exposed”, he told the Guardian. Continue reading...

Feb 16, 2026 - World

An economic plan from world leaders could reduce the impact of Donald Trump's tariff policy worldwide, insiders say. The president's economic plan, which he implemented during his second term, has caused disruptions domestically and internationally. World leaders are now seeking a way through the economic spiral, and Canadian PM Mark Carney is believed to be at the helm of this plan. Insiders, speaking to Politico, confirmed there are nearly 40 countries interested in the talks. A Canadian government official said, "The work is definitely coming along. We’ve had very fruitful discussions on it with other partners around the world."Both the European Union and members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, including Canada, Mexico, and Australia, are keen to stand against Trump's economic policies and their effects on the wider world. A Japanese trade official said, "We see a lot of value in increasing trade among the EU and CPTPP parties, which would also contribute to enhancing supply chain resilience."Another diplomat from an unnamed nation spoke positively of the possible alliance between the EU and CPTPP. They said, "If the EU is up for the conversation, then of course it would make things very interesting indeed."Klemens Kober, director of trade policy, EU customs and transatlantic relations at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also confirmed relevant parties were looking into an agreement which, if signed, could hinder Trump and his administration's hold on world economics.All relevant actors are looking at it," Kober said. "If there can be a focus on having these rules as harmonized and simple as possible, as part of these negotiations, that could prove advantageous for German companies."Having the possibility of cumulating origin between different FTAs is very useful. We hope that if that’s a success, if you can see tangible benefits in different areas, that could also entice other countries to join in and team up in a positive sense. So the more the merrier."

Feb 16, 2026 - World

The Guardian’s community affairs correspondent, Chris Osuh, reports on the plot by two IS terrorists to massacre Jews in Manchester, and how it was thwarted by an undercover stingWalid Saadaoui had once worked as a holiday entertainer, organising dance shows and quizzes at a resort in his native Tunisia. After moving to the UK and marrying a British woman, he became a restaurateur and an avid keeper of birds.All the while, however – as the Guardian’s community affairs correspondent, Chris Osuh, explains – he was hiding a secret: he had pledged allegiance to Islamic State. Continue reading...