BBC -The British government has not given permission for the US to use UK military bases to support potential US strikes on Iran, the BBC understands.

The US has in the past used RAF Fairford, in Gloucestershire, and the UK overseas territory of Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, to carry out strikes in the Middle East region.

The Times reports that US President Donald Trump’s latest criticism of Sir Keir Starmer’s deal to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius and lease back a joint UK-US military base was prompted by the UK withholding permission to use bases.

A UK government spokesperson said: “As routine, we do not comment on operational matters.”

The US has been pressuring Iran to agree to curb its nuclear programme.

It has threatened possible strikes if it fails to do so and has moved warships, aircraft and other military assets to the region in preparation for a possible strike.

At the same time, some progress has been reported at talks between American and Iranian negotiators in Switzerland.

On Thursday, Trump said the world would find out “over the next, probably, 10 days” whether the US would reach a deal with Iran or take military action.

A UK government spokesperson said: “There is a political process ongoing between the US and Iran, which the UK supports.

“Iran must never be able to develop a nuclear weapon, and our priority is security in the region.”

Sir Keir spoke to Trump over the phone on Tuesday, after the US government gave its formal support for the Chagos deal.

The Times reports that the pair discussed Trump’s ultimatum to Iran over its nuclear programme, and Trump made his statement attacking the Chagos deal the next day.

Insiders believe the Pentagon’s preparations for possible strikes on Iran – which could potentially be launched from Diego Garcia – may have shifted the president’s understanding of the significance of the island, the largest in the Chagos archipelago.

Trump referenced this in his Truth Social post, saying: “Should Iran decide not to make a deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the [RAF] Airfield location in Fairford [Gloucestershire], in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime.”

Neither RAF Fairford nor Diego Garcia were used in the US strikes carried out last year on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

At the time a senior UK defence source said Washington had not sought permission.

RAF Fairford and other UK military bases were most recently used by the US in support of a military operation to seize the registered tanker known as Bella 1 earlier this year.

But that operation was carried out with the full support of the UK. At the time ministers said the operation was justified under international law.

Questions of international law would likely be applied by the UK government in justifying support for any US military action in Iran.

Under a long-held agreement, the US would have to first request to use any UK sovereign military bases before conducting military operations.

Under international law, there is no distinction between a state carrying out the attack and those which have supported that state, if the latter has “knowledge of the circumstances of the internationally wrongful act”.

In January, the BBC’s political editor Chris Mason asked Sir Keir whether he supported a potential US strike on Iran.

At the time, the prime minister replied he was talking to allies about how to prevent Iran from developing nuclear activities and killing protesters.

“The aim here is that Iran shouldn’t be able to develop nuclear weapons. That’s hugely important,” he said.

“And of course we need to deal with the fact that they are repressing protesters, killing protesters. It’s grotesque what is happening. And so that’s where our focus is and we’re working with allies to that end.”

Reacting to the latest developments, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, a long-standing Trump critic, said: “It’s now clear Donald Trump is trying to bully the government into letting the US use UK bases like Diego Garcia to pursue unilateral military action.

“Keir Starmer needs to stand strong and give Parliament a vote on the use of UK bases by US forces.”

An Austrian climber has been found guilty of gross negligent manslaughter after his girlfriend froze to death on Austria’s highest mountain last year.

The man, named only as Thomas P in line with Austrian privacy laws, has been given a five-month suspended sentence and fined €9,600 (£8,400).

His girlfriend, Kerstin G, died of hypothermia during a climbing trip on the Grossglockner mountain in January 2025.

In a statement sent to the media, the court said it considered Thomas P’s previous clean record and the loss of a person close to him “to be mitigating factors”.

It said it also took into account “the public discussion on social media, which was incriminating for the defendant”.

The judge, Norbert Hofer, himself an experienced climber who works with mountain and helicopter rescue teams in Tyrol, said Thomas P was an excellent Alpinist, but that his girlfriend was light-years behind him in terms of her climbing abilities.

He said the couple should have turned back as Kerstin G did not have enough experience in winter conditions.

The court also heard from Andrea B, a former girlfriend of Thomas P, who described how he had left her alone on a previous tour on the Grossglockner in 2023.

She said she had been at the end of her tether, feeling dizzy and her headlight had gone out.

She said she was crying and screaming when he suddenly disappeared, walking ahead and leaving her behind.

According to reports in the Austrian media, the court heard how the mountain rescue team found Kerstin’s body hanging upside down from a rock face.

“We were amazed that she remained in that position,” one of the rescuers told the court. If the wind had been any stronger, “she would have fallen over the south face”.

The prosecution said there were strong winds of up to 74 km/h (45 mph), and was very cold. It was -8C, with a windchill temperature of -20C, they said.

They argued that as the more experienced climber, Thomas P was “the responsible guide for the tour”.

They said he failed to turn back or call for help in time to help his girlfriend.

Thomas P should never have allowed himself to get into this situation, the prosecutor said.

Thomas P pleaded not guilty. He told the court he was deeply sorry. He said he had loved his girlfriend, who was very sporty and that they had planned the trip together.

His lawyer Kurt Jelinek said the couple had found themselves in a really difficult and stressful situation.

He said Kerstin was not inexperienced and knew what she was getting into.

Prosecutors say the couple got stuck on the mountain and that the man failed to call the police and did not send any distress signals when a police helicopter flew overhead at around 22:30.

Video footage from the helicopter showed the couple still climbing. The judge noted that no distress signals were sent.

The defence argued that at that point Thomas P and girlfriend still felt fine and did not call for help as they were close to the summit.

Webcam images show lights from their torches as they scaled the mountain.

But shortly afterwards, the defence said the situation changed dramatically, when Kerstin became exhausted close to the summit.

The defence said that she told Thomas P to go to get help.

At 00:35 on 19 January, he called the mountain police. The content of the conversation is disputed. Rescuers said it wasn’t an emergency call but the lawyer says he denies telling police that everything was fine.

He scaled the summit and descended on the other side, leaving Kerstin behind. Prosecutors say he left her at 02:00 am.

Webcam images show his torchlit figure coming down from the summit.

The trial sparked interest and debate, not just in Austria but in mountain climbing communities far beyond its borders, raising questions about when personal judgement and risk-taking become a matter of criminal liability.

The case is subject to appeal.

Eric Dane, the actor best known for his roles on Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria, has died less than a year after revealing he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 53. 

Dane starred as family patriarch Cal Jacobs on hit HBO teen drama show Euphoria. Before that, he was perhaps best known as Dr Mark Sloan, or ‘Dr McSteamy’, on medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.

The California-born actor was diagnosed last year with ALS and spent the last few months raising awareness for the most common form of motor neurone disease (MND).

“With heavy hearts, we share that Eric Dane passed on Thursday afternoon following a courageous battle with ALS,” reads a statement from his family.

He was married to fellow actress and model Rebecca Gayheart, with whom he had two children.

The written statement said he spent his final days surrounded by friends and his devoted wife, and his two daughters, Billie and Georgia, “who were the center of his world”. 

“He will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered always. Eric adored his fans and is forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support he’s received,” it said. 

Dane also played Jason Dean in fantasy drama series Charmed, and Captain Tom Chandler in action drama show The Last Ship, while appearing in films such as Marley & Me, Valentine’s Day and Burlesque.

By Anthony Solly

Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has suggested that Ugandans who marry women he described as nyashless should be fined.

In a statement on Thursday, February 19, 2026, Muhoozi said that authorities should identify such women nationwide and proposed that any man who chooses to marry one should pay a penalty to the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).

This comes a few days after Muhoozi stated that women wearing red dresses on Valentine’s Day could face arrest in the future.

In a statement on Saturday, February 14, 2026, Muhoozi said he observed women walking around Kampala in red attire and suggested that such actions may be linked to suspected communists.

“I saw women walking around Kampala today in red dresses. In the future, we shall arrest them as suspected communists,” he wrote.

The US Commission of Fine Arts overwhelmingly approved design plans for President Donald Trump’s ballroom project at the White House.

The panel made up of Trump appointees signed off on the design after architects made changes in response to commission concerns.

“We have to protect the country and the country’s guests, and this is a facility that is definitely needed for over 150 years,” Chairman Rodney Mims Cook Jr said.

The East Wing of the White House was demolished last autumn to make way for the ballroom.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a nonprofit, sued to halt ballroom construction, saying plans for the project did not comply with the legally mandated review processes.

Trump has argued the White House needs a ballroom because present facilities are inadequate to host important national events and foreign dignitaries.

He has said the building will be “the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world” and will be paid for with money donated from private sources. The ballroom was initially expected to have capacity of 500 people but it has since been expanded to 1350.

The ballroom project has faced stiff opposition from historic preservation groups and sections of the public.

“No president is legally allowed to tear down portions of the White House without any review whatsoever – not President Trump, not President Biden, and not anyone else,” the National Trust for Historic Preservation said in its federal lawsuit.

“And no president is legally allowed to construct a ballroom on public property without giving the public the opportunity to weigh in.” The case is still in litigation.

The commission’s Secretary Thomas Luebke said the panel had received over 2,000 comments from the public and that they were “overwhelmingly in opposition – over 99% to this project”.

Commission Vice Chairman James McCrery abstained from discussions and the vote at Thursday’s meeting. His architecture firm was initially selected by Trump to handle the ballroom, but the administration switched architects on the project to Shalom Baranes.

Two new Trump-appointed members of the commission were sworn in at the start of the meeting, including Chamberlain Harris, a White House aide.

The ballroom project still needs approval from the 12-member panel of the National Capital Planning Commission, whose next meeting to discuss the ballroom is in early March.

Six of its members are Trump-appointees and two others are Republicans from the US Congress.

The ballroom is not the only major construction Trump is pursuing in the US capital. He has also announced plans to build a triumphal arch as part of plans to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary.