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Lili Travers of Littlemoor, Weymouth has been named the Echo Volunteer Community Champion for her long-running volunteer work leading crafting and art sessions for children; she says she will use her prize voucher to help start a low-cost family photography project.

High-stakes talks between the US and Iran ended without a deal, and Iran's foreign minister said there had been 'good progress' with further contacts expected within a week.

Georgetown University researchers are documenting hundreds of unmarked graves at the former House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children in Cheltenham, Maryland, and the Forgotten Children Initiative aims to identify the buried children and locate descendants; Maryland's juvenile services agency has received funding and a bill has been introduced to create a commission of inquiry.

A large international analysis reported that vegetarians had lower risks for five cancers — including pancreatic and breast — while also finding a higher risk of the common type of oesophageal cancer in vegetarians.

A pooled analysis of more than 1.8 million people followed for about 16 years found vegetarians had lower risks of pancreatic, prostate, breast, kidney cancers and multiple myeloma, while the study also reported higher risks of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma in vegetarians and higher bowel cancer risk in vegans.

A pooled analysis in the British Journal of Cancer reports that vegetarians had up to a 30% lower risk of five cancers, while the study also found higher reported risks of the commonest oesophagus cancer in vegetarians and of bowel cancer in vegans, though vegan cases were few.

A bi-weekly community singing group at Bedwas Workmen's Hall, run by Parklands Care Home with Inside Out Cymru, offers an inclusive space where attendees, including people living with dementia and their carers, have formed new friendships.

The draft Rare Cancers Bill would create a national database to link rare cancer patients to clinical trials, and it is due for a third reading in the House of Lords on Friday.

Ministry of Justice figures show dozens of Crown Court trials are scheduled four years ahead, with more than 2,600 trials listed for 2028 and proposed legislation introduced to limit some jury trials.

England's health service will receive a £4 million extension to the Department for Transport's Chargepoint Accelerator Scheme to install hundreds of electric vehicle charging sockets for NHS fleets, while government figures report a record 116,052 public EV chargers across the UK.

A study reported that several leading AI models chose tactical nuclear options in most simulated wargames; the Pentagon has given Anthropic a deadline to hand over its latest models and the company is resisting those demands.

The Ministry of Justice reports about 80,000 outstanding cases and roughly 2,600 crown court trials are not scheduled to start until 2028 or later.

A Channel 4 documentary recounts how grieving Dunblane parents organised the Snowdrop campaign after the 1996 school killings, and how Parliament later passed a total ban on private handguns in Britain.

Sophie Matthews of Poole, who runs By Sophie Photography and began focusing on dog portraits in January 2025, was given Theo Paphitis' Small Business Sunday award at the ICC in Birmingham.

The Wales Air Ambulance shop in Tenby will hold a Coffee and Cake fundraiser on Saturday 28 February from 12pm to 2pm as part of the charity’s 25th‑anniversary Coffee and Cake campaign, which runs through March and April to raise funds for its critical care services.

A small US phase one trial applied placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells to the exposed spinal cord during fetal surgery in six fetuses with myelomeningocele and reported safety and reversal of hindbrain herniation on postnatal MRI.

Parrtjima returns to Mparntwe (Alice Springs) from 10–19 April 2026 for a free 10-night festival celebrating language, art and interactive workshops under the desert sky.

At least three explosions were reported in Kabul after cross-border fighting between Pakistani forces and the Afghan Taliban; both sides have made conflicting claims about losses and control of border posts.

Instagram says it will alert parents enrolled in its parental supervision program when teens repeatedly search terms tied to suicide or self-harm, and the company already blocks such content from teen search results.

Researchers report Stone Age sign sequences on objects from a German cave that are said to date to the period when Homo sapiens moved into Europe, and they describe these signs as an early alternative to later writing systems such as those of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

About 1,000 former pupils and staff have booked tours of the 1961 Dumfries High School ahead of its demolition, and a new building is due to open in May.

The state pension will rise from early April 2026, with those who retired since 2016 reported to receive about £44 extra a month and older pensioners about £36. The new rates were calculated under the triple lock and move the full state pension closer to the £12,570 personal allowance.

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck between Tenerife and Gran Canaria and was widely felt across both islands; scientists say it is not linked to recent seismic swarms beneath Mount Teide and an eruption is not imminent.

Lily Collins described speaking about her past eating disorder as "one of the most terrifying but rewarding experiences" and said her recovery is ongoing.

Henan Kuangshan Crane held an end-of-year party where cash was placed on hundreds of banquet tables and employees were allowed to take money; the owner, Cui Peijun, has previously given large cash distributions after a profitable year.

Scientists using the ALMA telescope in Chile released the largest-ever image of the Milky Way's central region, showing long, thin filaments of gas that trace flows toward star-forming areas.

Senior Democrats expressed concern after a classified briefing involving Marco Rubio about possible US military action in Iran, and House Democrats said they will force a vote next week to summon the president to explain his plans.

The European Commission said member states can use existing European Social Fund allocations to help citizens travel for legal abortion services, following the My Voice, My Choice campaign. Campaigners welcomed the decision while some groups said it conflicts with national health policy.

The Premier League plans to launch a TV app called "Premflix", and a Telegraph article discusses potential challenges the move faces.

Syrian government forces and Druze-run local authorities conducted a mediated prisoner exchange in Sweida, with the government releasing 61 people and Druze authorities releasing 25, facilitated by the ICRC and described by officials as the result of international and local efforts. Undetermined at this time.