Morning Mail : Australians sent back to Syrian camps , the messy rise in inheritance fights , T20 World Cup woe

theguardian.com · Feb 16, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Morning everyone. A group of 34 Australian women and children released from years of detention in Syria were released from their camp only to have their hopes of repatriation to Australia dashed at the last minute with their fate again in the balance.The latest of our Age of Inheritance series looks at how families are increasingly being drawn into bitter disputes over wills in the fight for a share of inter-generational wealth.Plus: Hollywood legend Robert Duvall has died aged 95, and Australia need a miracle if they are to stay in the T20 World Cup after they lost to co-hosts Sri Lanka in Kandy.AustraliaFamilies are facing more disputes over wills. Composite: Getty / Guardian Design Succession strife | The latest part of our series on the great wealth transfer looks at how a growing number of legal disputes over wills are tearing families apart as siblings fight siblings for what they see as their rightful share. Moth track | Researchers and citizen scientists will, for the first time, tag and track 10,000 bogong moths as they travel hundreds of kilometres from the Australian Alps to breeding grounds across the country’s south-east. Detainees sent back | Australian women and children released from a squalid detention camp in north-east Syria have been sent back to the camp after an intervention by the government in Damascus. The group, who are the wives and children of Islamic State members, had hoped to return to Australia. Taylor warned | Liberal MPs have warned their new leader, Angus Taylor, against lurching further to the right and imposing “blanket bans” on immigration after a proposal was leaked to adopt hardline Trump-like policies to ban immigrants from specific regions under terrorist control – including Gaza and Lebanon. Taylor is also likely to drop moderates such as Alex Hawke, Anne Ruston and Andrew Wallace from the frontbench and reinstate conservatives such as Andrew Hastie and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Victoria | The Victorian premier will face mounting pressure in parliament this week over allegations that corruption involving the CFMEU cost taxpayers up to $15bn. Benita Kolovos considers the evidence. WorldRobert Duvall in Apocalypse Now. Photograph: Maximum Film/Alamy ‘He gave everything’ | Robert Duvall, the veteran actor who had a string of roles in classic American films including Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, MASH and To Kill a Mockingbird, has died aged 95. “Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit,” his wife said. Avalanche alarm | Avalanches from heavy snowfall in the European Alps claimed more lives as a train was derailed by a snow slide in Switzerland. Epstein ‘sympathy’ | Jeffrey Epstein sympathised with Brett Kavanaugh during the then-supreme court nominee’s contentious 2018 confirmation. Activist murdered | French police have launched a murder inquiry after a far-right activist died in hospital, having been beaten up in an attack that has fuelled political tensions in France. Guthrie appeal | The TV news anchor Savannah Guthrie issued a fresh appeal to anyone who knows the whereabouts of her missing mother, saying “it is never too late to do the right thing”. Full Story Composite: Ian Waldie/Getty ImagesThe link between ICE and Australian detention centresReged Ahmad talks to our chief investigations correspondent, Christopher Knaus, and investigations reporter Ariel Bogle about the growing scrutiny over the Albanese government’s decision to put US private prison company MTC in charge of Australia’s detention regime.Full StoryThe link between ICE and Australian detention centresSorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $https://audio.guim.co.uk/2026/02/16-12951-FS_MTC_ICE.mp300:00:0000:19:22In-depthThe Maugean skate has not been deemed to be critically endangered. Photograph: Jane Ruckert/PR IMAGEOur own Adam Morton has been paying attention to the Albanese’s latest decisions on the environment, made while the political lens was firmly focused elsewhere. He finds a proposal on carbon tariffs, a ruling that the Maugean skate is not critically endangered, 34 new species on the endangered list, and the green light for another coal project.Not the newsNew year preparations at the Pagoda Cafe in Burleigh Heads. Composite: Ruby LeeChinese restaurants are a mainstay of country towns where you’re sure to find a lemon chicken on the menu. At this time of year, there’s also the chance of something special as owners go to great lengths to bring the colour and joy of lunar new year to their customers. Jennifer Wong reports.SportAustralia’s captain, Mitchell Marsh, looks on after his team’s loss against Sri Lanka. Photograph: Ishara S Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images Cricket | Australia could be out of the T20 World Cup before they even play their final first round group match after a stunning fightback by Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Winter Olympics | Students at a Sydney high school are set for a late night tonight as they stay up to watch their classmate Ally Hickman go for gold in the women’s snowboard slopestyle final in Italy. Follow all the Olympics action in our live blog. Football | Non-league Macclesfield try for their second Premier League scalp as they take on Brentford in the FA Cup. A poll in the Nine newspapers shows voters back a hit to the capital gains tax concession and negative gearing assistance in return for income tax cuts. Whooping cough rates are at their highest for three decades as the number of children being vaccinated drops to a decade-long low, the Telegraph reports. Victoria’s opposition leader has refused to rule out a preference deal with One Nation in this year’s state election, the Herald Sun reports. Australia could get its first female defence chief in a shake-up of the top brass, according to the Australian.What’s happening today Consumer | ACCC v Coles in court case alleging misleading conduct over inflating prices then reducing them. Business | News Corp chair Lachlan Murdoch and chief executive Robert Thomson brief investors at 8am. Sign upIf you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.Brain teaserAnd finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword