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Canadian prime minister says he has spoken to US president Joe Biden about the objectA US warplane shot down an unidentified object over North American airspace, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday. It was the second day in a row in which the US military shot down an unidentified airborne object.“I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace,” Trudeau tweeted on Saturday afternoon. A US F-22 fighter plane with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which protects Canadian and American airspace, shot down the object over Yukon, Canada. Continue reading...

Calls for a ban as health trusts award ‘insourcing’ contracts worth millions to tackle backlogsSome of the country’s most senior NHS clinicians are earning a lucrative sideline running private firms that offer to cut waiting lists at their own hospitals, the Observer can reveal.Top consultants in Manchester, Sheffield and London are among directors of “insourcing” agencies that charge the health service to treat patients at weekends and evenings and have won millions of pounds of work.Three senior consultants in Sheffield ran a private firm, Pioneer Healthcare, offering insourcing services to help the NHS cut backlogs. The company won a series of contracts with local hospitals before being sold to a major private healthcare provider in a £13m deal;At Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, three top surgeons including a clinical lead and a former clinical director are the owners of Fortify Clinic , a company offering “end to end” services to tackle waiting lists. The firm was paid £1.3m by the trust for work in 2022;Two senior consultants at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust trust set up Venture Health Group in December and began contracting with their own trust that month to help it meet “challenging backlog targets”. Continue reading...

Activist pleaded guilty on Friday to criminal damage. This blog is now closed

Labour to publish dossier of spending by government representatives on luxury hotels and chauffeur hireLabour is launching a campaign accusing government ministers and officials of spending taxpayer-funded credit cards on luxury travel and hotels, claiming they are using public money “like a cash machine”.In an attempt to inflict further damage to the Tory party’s credentials as sound managers of public finances, Keir Starmer’s party is deploying a social media blitz to highlight five-star hotel visits by the likes of Rishi Sunak and new Tory chairman Greg Hands. Continue reading...

Report commissioned by Health Services Union is scathing of failure to invest in community and preventative healthcare

The treasurer also noted ‘very encouraging’ signs on power prices falling, saying Labor’s energy price relief package was working

The chair’s future at the corporation is in doubt after a damning Commons report on his role in the Boris Johnson loan affairSenior figures within the BBC believe its chairman, Richard Sharp, has seriously undermined the corporation’s impartiality after a damning parliamentary report accused him of failing to publicly divulge his role in facilitating a loan for Boris Johnson.In findings that cast further doubt on Sharp’s future at the BBC, the cross-party committee said the chairman “should consider the impact his omissions will have on trust in him, the BBC and the public appointments process”. Continue reading...

Researchers have developed a model which uses changes in the socioeconomic status of an area to anticipate gentrification

Leading Brexiters and remainers, including Michael Gove and David Lammy, met for two-day ‘private discussion’ with diplomats and business leadersAn extraordinary cross-party summit bringing together leading leavers and remainers – including Michael Gove and senior members of Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet – has been held in high secrecy to address the failings of Brexit and how to remedy them in the national interest, the Observer can reveal.The two-day gathering of some of the country’s most senior Labour and Tory politicians from both sides of the Brexit debate, together with diplomats, defence experts and the heads of some of the biggest businesses and banks, was held at the historic Ditchley Park retreat in Oxfordshire on Thursday afternoon and evening, and on Friday. Continue reading...

Peter Faulding said Lancashire constabulary should have kept other lines of inquiry open for longerDetectives investigating the disappearance of Nicola Bulley made a mistake by declaring too “early” that she was in the River Wyre, a diving and forensics expert involved in the case has claimed.Peter Faulding, whose Specialist Internationalist Group firm searched a stretch of the river where Bulley was last seen, said Lancashire constabulary should initially have kept other lines of inquiry open for longer, as the search for the missing mother-of-two entered its 16th day. Continue reading...

Rightwing demonstrators outside gallery met by counterprotesters including trans-rights campaignersOne person has been arrested amid a protest outside Tate Britain, where a drag queen storytelling event for children was being hosted.The Metropolitan police said one person was arrested on suspicion of making a racially aggravated comment towards a police officer outside the art gallery near Westminster. Continue reading...

‘New information’ includes claims that Downing Street staff corroborated stories and destroyed evidenceThe Metropolitan Police has been urged to reopen its investigation into the Downing Street “Partygate” scandal following the release of a podcast that raised questions about the force’s initial inquiry.The deputy chair of the London Assembly’s police and crime committee has written to the Met commissioner, Mark Rowley, asking if he was “taking new information into account when making a decision regarding the reopening of the investigation” into the Downing Street lockdown parties. Continue reading...

First of new chain called Brightside gives nostalgic nod to 20th-century glory days of car travelA packet of sad sandwiches and a tepid cup of tea: for years, roadside dining in the UK has offered little for motorists to write home about.Seasoned travellers may yearn for the heyday of the 1980s and 1990s in Britain, when few long car journeys came without a scheduled refuel at a branch of Little Chef – the now defunct chain famed for its stacks of pancakes. Continue reading...

Critics claim her career is ‘over,’ while trans Scots worry about sensationalised coverage after trans rapist put in women’s prisonFew can be anticipating Holyrood’s recess next week as keenly as Nicola Sturgeon.She has endured a fortnight of relentless and increasingly personal criticism, punishing headlines and lacklustre polling. Meanwhile, her critics in the media have declared her career is “over”. Continue reading...

The UK’s workhorse fighters have never been busier, and older ones lack the necessary ground attack capabilitiesVolodymyr Zelenskiy’s call this week for “powerful English planes” was something of a surprise. The demand for western fast jets may have been predictable, but not the apparent request for Typhoons, the workhorse fighter of an increasingly stretched RAF.Prior to the president’s attention-grabbing European trip, Ukrainian lobbying for Nato-standard combat aircraft had been focused almost entirely on US-made F-16s, of which there are 3,000 in service worldwide. “It is the most widespread fighter jet in the world and many Nato members have it,” Yuriy Ihnat, the spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, had said the weekend before. Continue reading...

Black Mountains College in Wales aims to prepare students for life during a planetary emergencyThe lecture theatre was once a cowshed, the study centre is an old farmhouse living room and the classrooms are mostly outdoors: welcome to the newest higher educational college in Britain.The former farm that is Black Mountains College campus is a core part of an insurgent institution that is the first entirely dedicated to adapting to the climate emergency. Continue reading...

Authorities prepare emergency shelter for residents and tourists with fears of significant damage from gale-force winds and dangerous surf

Prime minister likens upcoming Indigenous voice referendum to the successful 2017 marriage equality vote

Minns pledged to put an end to the ‘dangerous and damaging’ practice after Alex Greenwich said he would introduce bill to ban it

Sydney is gearing up for a massive, global party — but it’s also an important reminder of the work still to be done on LGBTQ+ rights

Assad regime still insists on handling all aid shipments to war-torn and quake-ravaged country that has been all but cut off from helpThe US has temporarily eased its sanctions on Syria in a bid to speed up aid deliveries to the country’s north-west, where almost no humanitarian assistance has arrived despite the deaths of thousands in this week’s earthquake.The tremor that has killed nearly 23,000 people there and in neighboring Turkey added to the devastation suffered in Syria’s north, which was already badly damaged by the civil war and is now mostly under opposition control, with Bashar al-Assad’s government present only in some areas. Continue reading...

No one hurt in ‘unplanned’ explosion of 250kg device found in Norfolk town, police sayA 250kg second world war bomb has exploded unexpectedly in Great Yarmouth, police have said.Emergency services and agencies declared a major incident following the discovery of the large unexploded device at a river crossing in the Norfolk town on Tuesday, and had been working to disarm it. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more of our Russia-Ukraine war coverage hereThe latest inteligence briefing on the situation in Ukraine from the UK’s Ministry of Defence suggests that “Russian forces have likely made tactical gains in two key sectors” since 7 February. It states:On the northern outskirts of the Donbas town of Bakhmut, Wagner Group forces have pushed 2-3km further west, controlling countryside near the M-03 main route into the town. Russian forces increasingly dominate the northern approaches to Bakhmut.To the south, Russian units have made advances around the western edge of the town of Vuhledar, where they re-launched offensive operations in late January 2023.At 4am, the enemy launched rocket attacks on the city of Kharkiv and the region with S-300 missiles. Critical and infrastructure facilities were targeted. Fires broke out, which the rescuers managed to quickly put out. However, some areas of the city remain without electricity. Specialists are working to eliminate the consequences of the impact. Fortunately, there were no casualties. Continue reading...

Oscar-nominated film-maker died on Friday at a London hospital after a short illness, his family saidFilm director Hugh Hudson, who directed best picture Oscar winner Chariots of Fire, has died aged 86 following a short illness.A statement released on behalf of his family said: “Hugh Hudson, 86, beloved husband and father, died at Charing Cross hospital on 10 February after a short illness.” Continue reading...

Five released on bail conditions including county ban after black girl assaulted outside Thomas Knyvett college in AshfordFive suspects arrested in connection with what police say was a racially motivated attack on a 15-year-old black girl have been banned from Surrey, while officers have urged a further teenage suspect to turn herself in.The attack, which took place outside Thomas Knyvett college in Ashford, has sent shock waves through the community and led to demands for an inquiry by MPs. Continue reading...

Exclusive: plan for one- and two-year-olds would cost billions and is among options being looked atThe Treasury is considering a proposal to massively expand free childcare to one- and two-year-olds in England in a move that would cost billions at the spring budget.Department for Education officials have submitted a plan for a free 30-hours-a-week entitlement for working parents of children aged nine months to three years, after being asked to work up options by the Treasury. Continue reading...

Sam Grigg, 36, forced 23-year-old woman to believe she was about to be raped during ‘10 minutes of terror’A former Metropolitan police officer has been jailed for four years after restraining his flatmate with duct tape, forcing her to believe she was about to be raped.Sam Grigg, 36, who was sacked from the Met last month after being charged, previously pleaded guilty at Kingston crown court to false imprisonment and assault against the 23-year-old. Continue reading...

One of Spain’s most prolific auteurs continued to work until the end – his last film, Walls Can Talk, was released last weekVeteran Spanish film-maker Carlos Saura, director of award-winning films such as Peppermint Frappé, ¡Ay Carmela! and Tango, has died aged 91, the day before he was due to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Goyas, Spain’s version of the Oscars.Spain’s Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences, the body that hands out the Goya awards, confirmed his death on social media, saying: “Saura, one of the essential film-makers in the history of Spanish cinema, has died at home today at the age of 91, surrounded by his loved ones. His final film, Walls Can Talk, came out last week and demonstrated his tireless activity and his love for his work until the very last moment.” Continue reading...

Police concluded no one else was involved in injury of Raheem Bailey, 11, at school in AbertilleryPolice have dropped an investigation into an alleged assault of an 11-year-old boy who lost a finger and received an outpouring of support from sports stars last year.Raheem Bailey, a pupil at Abertillery learning community in south Wales, was attacked and beaten by a group of children on 17 May 2022, according to his mother, Shantal, who said he was pushed to the ground and repeatedly kicked. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereGordon Brown, the former Labour PM, has urged the UK and Scottish governments to work together to make cities like Glasgow realise their economic “superpower” potential.In a speech to a conference on Friday jointly organised by Our Scottish Future, a thinktank set up by Brown, and the Glasgow Chambers of Commerce, Brown said the two governments should commit to making Glasgow a global centre for precision medicine. He said:As a country, we are divided on so many things, whether it’s culture or whether it’s about how to respond to the present inflationary crisis.We are divided on the constitutional question, but we can all unite around the mission to make Glasgow and Scotland one of the big centres for a new cluster that could change the lives of millions medically, but also create some of the best new jobs of the future. Continue reading...

Attendance rates remain lower than before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, research findsA third of 15-year-olds have been persistently absent from classrooms in England during the current school year, according to research that shows absence rates remain stubbornly higher than before the coronavirus pandemic.The analysis of attendance rates at more than 7,000 state schools in England found that 14- and 15-year-olds – pupils in years 9 and 10 – have been worst affected, closely followed by those in year 11. Continue reading...

Dr Peter Dupont, who refused to approve kidney transplant, said ‘wealth disparity’ between alleged victim and accused created cause for concernA London doctor who refused to approve a kidney transplant of an alleged victim of organ trafficking said he was worried that the man was being “financially coerced” into the donation, the Old Bailey has heard.Dr Peter Dupont, a kidney specialist at the Royal Free hospital, was giving evidence at the trial of a Nigerian senator, Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, daughter Sonia, 25, and Dr Obinna Obeta, 51, who are accused of conspiring to arrange or facilitate the travel of the young man to Britain with a view to his exploitation. Continue reading...

Determination to get donations to stricken areas is galvanising people haunted by fears for family and friends

Union boss Mick Lynch says message from members was ‘loud and clear’, as TSSA prepares to put offer to voteThe RMT union has rejected “dreadful” pay offers from Network Rail and train operators, prolonging the long-running dispute on the railway.The union’s general secretary, Mick Lynch, said it had consulted in-depth with its 40,000 rail members, and the “loud and clear” message was to reject the offers. Continue reading...

Rescue teams say death tolls will continue to rise if UN does not speed up ‘overly cautious’ delivery of aid into rebel-held region

An all-female team will be at the controls for the military flyover before the football game for the first timeFor the first time, an all-female team will be at the controls this year for the traditional military flyover beforethe Super Bowl, the apex of the football year.The trailblazing moment at the sport showcase event will commemorate 50 years of female US navy aviators. Continue reading...

Tatian Brandão and Raquel Moreira, originally from Portugal, died on holiday close to the Grand CanyonTributes have been paid to two “‘kind and talented” NHS nurses who died in a car crash while visiting the Grand Canyon.Tatiana Brandão, 30, and Raquel Moreira, 28, were said to have been killed instantly when their vehicle collided with a bus at the entrance to the US landmark. Continue reading...

Former Russian TV editor, who was under house arrest, described her journey across Europe last OctoberMarina Ovsyannikova, the former Russian state TV editor who famously interrupted a live news broadcast to protest against the start of the Ukraine war, has described her “chaotic” escape from house arrest in Moscow and how she fled across Europe to seek asylum in France.“I didn’t want to emigrate until the very last moment,” Ovsyannikova said at a Paris press conference with the journalists’ organisation Reporters without Borders. “Russia is still my country, even if war criminals have power there. But I had no choice – it was either prison or exile. I’m very grateful to France, a free country, to have welcomed me.” Continue reading...

Politician from governing FDP says skilled foreign workers are being put off by unwieldy bureaucratic GermanEnglish should become a second official language at administrative offices in Germany, one of the country’s governing parties has argued, saying unwieldy bureaucratic German is proving too much of a deterrent for much-needed skilled workers from abroad.The three-party government of the chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in which the FDP is a junior coalition partner, last autumn unveiled its own version of a “green card” – called Chancenkarte or “opportunity card” – designed to address a critical shortage of skilled labour. Continue reading...

Funding pledged for cameras, drones and watchtowers, in move criticised by aid agencies and LuxembourgEU leaders have agreed to toughen up border controls to keep out people trying to enter, with more funds pledged for cameras, drones and watchtowers at the bloc’s external borders.The decision was published in the early hours of Friday after the 27 leaders met to discuss tighter control of the EU’s external frontier, in response to the highest number of people filing asylum applications since 2016. Continue reading...

Boston Conservatory at Berklee students able to take dance class taught by a Rockette on their meticulously precise techniqueRhapsody Stiggers has been dancing since she was two, but the 20-year-old college junior has never taken a dance class quite as challenging as the one she’s in now.She is one of 38 students at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee enrolled in the first for-credit college dance class taught by the Radio City Rockettes, the precision dance team famous for its annual high-kicking Christmas Spectacular show in New York, seen by more than 69 million people since 1933. Continue reading...

Government’s new commitment to remove devices made by Hikvision and Dahua from buildings sweeps 2021 advice aside

Labour inspectors say Javier Marcos’s shop assistant job ad discriminated on grounds of both sex and ageA Barcelona shopkeeper has been fined €7,501 (£6,600) for placing an advertisement for a shop assistant stating that the applicant should be “a woman over 40”.Javier Marcos, who runs a small curtain-making business in the Fort Pienc area of the city, said he wanted to replace his only female employee, who is retiring, with someone with a similar profile. Continue reading...

Humanitarian groups urge foreign secretary to issue correction to a recent report, amid fears it could provide cover for repression in the Gulf stateThe British foreign secretary, James Cleverly, has been urged by humanitarian organisations to issue a correction over a “misleading” Foreign Office (FCDO) report on Bahrain, as they say it represents a “dangerous whitewash” on human rights that risks emboldening abusers in the Gulf state.A letter to the foreign secretary, signed by Human Rights Watch (HRW), Reprieve and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (Bird), said the report is “fraught with inaccuracies” and amounts to disinformation that could be used as propaganda by the government of Bahrain. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Estranged parent, 67, suggests account of neglect, drinking and abuse by stepfather probably aimed at reducing rape sentenceThe mother of the rapist Metropolitan police officer David Carrick has said it is possible he overplayed his childhood trauma to reduce his sentence.Carrick, 48, pleaded guilty to 85 serious offences including 48 rapes against 12 women. He was given 36 life sentences at Southwark crown court on Tuesday and will spend at least the next 30 years in prison for his 17-year crime spree. Continue reading...

Police search Marc Tarabella’s safe deposit box and offices as part of anti-corruption investigationA second MEP has been arrested as part of a criminal investigation into alleged bribery, corruption and money laundering at the European parliament.Marc Tarabella of Belgium was taken in for questioning after police arrived at his home at about 6am on Friday, according to Belgian press reports. Tarabella has previously declared his innocence. Continue reading...

Ashley Dalton retains constituency for Labour after resignation of Rosie Cooper last autumnLabour has retained the West Lancashire constituency in a byelection called after its MP, Rosie Cooper, resigned last autumn.Ashley Dalton, a part-time charity worker, won with 14,068 votes. Her comfortable win, securing a 10.2% swing from the Tories, marks Labour’s third byelection victory since Rishi Sunak became prime minister. Continue reading...

FBU raised concerns at meeting discussing review that found service to be institutionally misogynistLondon fire brigade is reviewing its relationship with the Freemasons after concerns were raised by the Fire Brigades Union, the Guardian has learned.The concerns were raised at a recent London assembly meeting to discuss a damning independent review that found LFB to be institutionally racist and misogynist. Continue reading...

Subsidence has caused flooding, while hillsides are at risk of landslip, which mean roads may need to be rerouted and people rehomedMore than 17,000 people are now known to have died after the huge earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the focus right now is on supporting survivors.But there are wider geological implications to the quake that may have consequences in the longer term slowly coming into focus. In the coastal city of İskenderun, there appears to have been significant subsidence, which has resulted in flooding, while the quake has left many hillsides around the country at a serious risk of landslip. This may result in roads and pipelines having to be rerouted and communities rehomed. Continue reading...