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Former EU chief says Rishi Sunak’s deal gives Europe more authority than it seems and says, though he liked Johnson, he could not be categorisedIn an interview with Times Radio this morning Isabel Oakeshott said that she wanted to maintain “the moral high ground” in her dispute with Matt Hancock. Echoing what she told Today about not wanting to engage in a “slanging match” with him (see 9.09am), she told Times Radio:I would prefer to maintain the moral high ground. If Matt Hancock wants to enter into an ugly fight with me, then that would be an interesting judgment on his part. I wouldn’t advise it. Continue reading...

Flight from Austin to Frankfurt, Germany, forced to land at airport in Virginia after encountering severe turbulence at 37,000ftA Lufthansa flight from Texas to Frankfurt that experienced “significant turbulence” was diverted to Washington Dulles international airport and seven people on board were taken to area hospitals, officials said.Flight 469 from Austin, Texas, landed safely on Wednesday evening at the airport in Virginia, a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman, Michael Cabbage, said. Continue reading...

Writer who handed more than 100,000 of ex-health secretary’s messages to newspaper defends her actions

Parents’ extremist views and civil war in the country of their birth set Salman Abedi on path to terrorism

Conte, ex-health minister and 17 others placed under investigation on suspicion of ‘aggravated culpable epidemic’ and manslaughterItalian prosecutors have placed the former prime minister Giuseppe Conte, the former health minister Roberto Speranza and 17 others under investigation on suspicion of “aggravated culpable epidemic” and manslaughter in connection with the government’s response at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.The investigation, launched by prosecutors in Bergamo, the Lombardy province worst hit during the first wave of the virus, follows a preliminary inquiry that began in mid-2020 and was driven by relatives of Covid-19 victims. Continue reading...

Situation for Bakhmut’s defenders now almost untenable as seven-month assault may be nearing end

Sarah Merker’s goal to eat a scone at all 244 sites with a tearoom or restaurant was spurred by death of her husband in 2018A woman from London has completed a decade-long mission to sample a scone at every National Trust location with a tearoom or restaurant.Sarah Merker, 49, from Isleworth, west London, tasted scones at 244 National Trust sites across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Merker ranked and reviewed each scone on her blog, nationaltrustscones.com. Continue reading...

Report into atrocity concludes failure to act on intelligence means ‘realistic possibility’ to stop plot was missedThe failure of MI5 to act swiftly on crucial intelligence was a “significant missed opportunity” to take action that might have prevented the Manchester Arena attack, a long-awaited report on the atrocity has concluded.Sir John Saunders, the chair of the Manchester Arena inquiry, said there was a “realistic possibility” that investigators could have thwarted the plot had they acted more decisively on two key pieces of evidence in the run-up to the bomb.Abedi’s return from Libya four days before the blast would have been taken “extremely seriously” by MI5 had key pieces of intelligence been taken more seriously in the months before the blast.The spy agency could have found Abedi’s homemade device, stored in a car in Manchester, if an investigation begun at this stage. The attack “might have been prevented” if MI5 had found the vehicle.MI5 failed to share two significant pieces of intelligence with counter-terrorism police in the run-up to the blast, amid what Saunders described as a “communication breakdown” between the agencies.Abedi’s family holds “significant responsibility” for his extremist beliefs but he should have been referred to the anti-radicalisation scheme, Prevent, up to two years before the attack. Continue reading...

Western sanctions are causing serious pressure, with budget deficit forecast to jumpThe oligarch Oleg Deripaska has said Russia could run out of money by next year unless the country secures investment from “friendly” countries as western sanctions bite.Deripaska, an energy and metals tycoon who was once Russia’s richest person, told an investment conference in Siberia on Thursday: “There will be no money already next year. We will need foreign investors.” Continue reading...

Decision by CRH a set back for PM’s hope of making City a more attractive place for companies to listThe FTSE 100 will lose one of its biggest companies after the building materials group CRH said it plans to move its primary stock market listing to the US, in a further blow to Rishi Sunak’s ambitions for London as a global financial centre.CRH, which has its headquarters in Dublin, said it will aim for “US equity index inclusion as soon as possible” in a statement to the stock market. Continue reading...

The charity was taken to court for its work in the Middle East by the US body, whose director justifies litigation against NGOs that ‘cross the line’A leading NGO has broken its silence on a bruising legal battle with a pro-Israeli advocacy group, describing it as an act of “lawfare” aimed at inflicting financial and reputational damage on organisations that do charitable work with Palestinians.Christian Aid, the UK-based charity, was forced to spend about £700,000 defending itself against accusations that it had provided “material support” to terrorists, chief executive Patrick Watt has said. Continue reading...

Auriol Grey shouted and waved at Celia Ward to get off the pavement in Huntingdon, CambridgeshireA pedestrian who shouted and waved her arm aggressively at a cyclist on the pavement, causing her to fall into the path of an oncoming car, has been jailed for three years for her manslaughter.CCTV footage shows Auriol Grey, 49, shout at Celia Ward to “get off the fucking pavement” in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, causing the retired midwife to fall into the road. Continue reading...

Select committee accuses government of wilfully obscuring facts around ‘unsustainable’ trendAs much as a third of the heavily cut UK overseas aid budget is now being spent on housing refugees in the UK, the international development select committee says in a report today.Describing the trend as unsustainable and unprecedented, the committee also finds UK aid spending per refugee has almost tripled, increasing from £6,700 in 2019 to £21,700 in 2021, according to the most recent three years of figures. Continue reading...

Breathing tube found to be in wrong position hours before Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, diedA misplaced medical tube contributed to the death of the first child in the UK to die after contracting Covid, a coroner has found.Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, 13, of Brixton, south London, died of acute respiratory distress syndrome, caused by Covid-19 pneumonia, on 30 March 2020, three days after testing positive for coronavirus. He had a cardiac arrest before he died. Continue reading...

Rideau has not turned into world’s long ice rink as usual, laying bare unpredictable realities of climate crisisEvery winter for more than two decades, Chris Macknie has laced up boots, clipped on skis or slipped on running shoes to compete in Ottawa’s Winterlude triathlon.The event, held in dead of winter, has hundreds skate along the frozen Rideau canal, swapping out their blades for nordic skis and then finish with a run. Continue reading...

Emma Pattison is believed to have been murdered by husband along with daughter Lettie, sevenThe headteacher of Epsom college and her seven-year-old daughter died of shotgun wounds, an inquest has heard.Emma Pattison, 45, who is believed to have been murdered by her husband, George Pattison, died of shock, haemorrhage and shotgun wounds to the chest and abdomen, while their daughter, Lettie, died of a shotgun wound to the head, the inquest at Surrey coroner’s court was told. Continue reading...

Copenhagen police open investigation into statue’s defacement seen as support for Moscow in war in Ukraine

Analysis for Friends of the Earth also finds lower-income areas have far fewer trees than wealthier onesNearly half of English neighbourhoods have less than 10% tree cover, with lower-income areas having far fewer trees than wealthier ones, analysis has found.England’s tree cover is just 12.8%, according to the research by Friends of the Earth, with only 10% made up by woodland – paling in comparison with the EU, where woodland cover stands at 38%. Continue reading...

Mid Vermont Christian school’s girls’ team forfeit basketball tournament rather than face team with transgender playerA Christian school in Vermont has decided to forfeit a basketball tournament due to its refusal to play against a transgender athlete.On 21 February, Mid Vermont Christian school’s girls basketball team was scheduled to play an out-of-state tournament against Long Trail school. However, MVCS chose to forfeit the game due to a transgender player on Long Trail’s team. Continue reading...

Four Gazprombank executives accused of ‘due diligence’ failure in helping Sergey Roldugin deposit millions of Swiss francsFour bankers will stand trial in Zurich next week accused of helping a man known as “Vladimir Putin’s wallet” deposit millions of Swiss francs in Switzerland.The four men, who worked at Gazprombank, will appear at Zurich district court on 8 March accused of lacking diligence in financial transactions. Continue reading...

Rapper is alleged to have punched sound engineer during a DJ set, and caused $12,000 worth of damage to equipmentChart-topping US rapper Travis Scott is being sought for questioning by New York City police following reports of an assault and criminal damage in a city nightclub.A sound engineer at Club Nebula alleges that Scott punched him in the face following a verbal altercation early on Wednesday morning. It is alleged that Scott also caused $12,000 (£10,000) worth of damage to a speaker and video screen. Police officers attended the scene. Continue reading...

Former health secretary says he is ‘hugely disappointed’ with journalist who gave messages to Telegraph

Being ‘croc-wise’ is essential as they may have travelled with rising waters and local MP says ‘we don’t know’ where they are

Move comes after parliamentary probe hears claims party operative sought to unseat Sussan Ley

Singh, 38, is expected to face court on Friday over the alleged 2018 killing on a Queensland beach

Federal court told original trial, where the Sky News broadcaster was awarded $150,000, did not hear all evidence

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A court has heard that a young woman was ‘distraught’ when she told social worker that her school principal had abused her

Final submissions heard in federal court case after school’s leadership and teachers deny claims of bullying

Greg Marshall blocked from standing in Broxtowe despite backing from eight unions and various Labour factionsKeir Starmer has been urged to intervene in the selection process for a Labour target “red wall” seat, after a leading candidate who had the support of eight trade unions was blocked from standing.Greg Marshall, a Broxtowe borough councillor for Beeston West in Nottinghamshire, who previously stood as a candidate for Broxtowe in 2017 and 2019, was barred from contesting the seat on Monday, prompting the entire executive committee of Broxtowe constituency Labour party (CLP) to resign. Continue reading...

Independent MP has rejected the claim but Rugg’s lawyers say it could be a test case that has implications for other white-collar employees

Exclusive: leading no campaigner Warren Mundine attacks social media giant after Institute of Public Affairs posts are taken down

Home Office data shows 566 people were categorised as missing between 2020 and 2022Hundreds of trafficking victims in the UK have gone missing after being referred to the government’s scheme to protect them, the Guardian has learned.The news comes after the immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, admitted in January that since 2021 about 200 child asylum seekers had gone missing from hotels where they had been in the care of the Home Office and its contractors. Continue reading...

Year-long study finds China leads in 37 of 44 areas it tracked, with potential for a monopoly in areas such as nanoscale materials and synthetic biologyThe United States and other western countries are losing the race with China to develop advanced technologies and retain talent, with Beijing potentially establishing a monopoly in some areas, a new report has said.China leads in 37 of 44 technologies tracked in a year-long project by thinktank the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. The fields include electric batteries, hypersonics and advanced radio-frequency communications such as 5G and 6G. Continue reading...

Shane Patton reveals 17 officers were dismissed in 2022, and says it is the ‘type of offending’ that is concerning

Held by Cambridge University for more than 250 years, the spears mark ‘first point in shared history’

Police say assailants shot man multiple times in chest as his son sat in passenger seat of car outside martial arts gym in ‘egregious, violent act’

Bolivian man says it helped that he knew survival techniques after becoming separated from friends on hunting trip in JanuaryA Bolivian man who claimed to have been missing in the Amazon alone for a month has recounted eating insects and worms, collecting water in his boots and drinking his own urine to stay alive.If confirmed, this could make Jhonatan Acosta, 30, one of the longest-ever lone Amazon survivors. Continue reading...

The 1.6-metre statue has been described as ‘full-bodied with recognisable features but no clear definition’A new moai – one of Easter Island’s iconic monolithic statues – has been found in the bed of a dry lake in a volcano crater, the Indigenous community that administers the site on the Chilean island has said.The statue was found on 21 February by a team of scientific volunteers from three Chilean universities who were collaborating on a project to restore the marshland in the crater inside the Rano Raraku volcano. Continue reading...

Nicolae Ciuca says bot named Ion is a world first and that using artificial intelligence is ‘an obligation’ to make better decisionsRomania’s prime minister has presented his “new honorary adviser” – an artificial intelligence assistant named “Ion” that Nicolae Ciuca hailed as the first of its type.Developed by Romanian researchers, Ion’s main task will be to scan social networks to inform the government “in real time of Romanians’ proposals and wishes”, Ciuca said on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Investigators say sites set up during occupation of Ukrainian city were part of ‘calculated plan to terrorise’ localsEvidence collected from Kherson in southern Ukraine shows Russian torture centres were not “random” but instead planned and directly financed by the Russian state, according to a team of Ukrainian and international lawyers headed by a UK barrister.The city was under Russian control for eight months, from 2 March last year until Ukrainian forces entered the city on 11 November. Continue reading...

Effects of ‘devastating and punishing’ Home Office system introduced in 2012 now being felt, experts sayMore than half the people trying to secure permanent residency in the UK through the Home Office’s “devastating and punishing” 10-year route struggle to afford food and pay bills, a survey has indicated.The 10-year route to settling permanently in the UK was one of a series of deliberately tough measures introduced in 2012 by Theresa May when she was home secretary, as part of drive to cut net migration. Researchers say the full effects of the policy are only now starting to be felt. Continue reading...

Official figures show £9,982 was spent per 1,000 people on libraries by central and local government in England, Scotland and Wales last year, down from £11,970 the year beforeSpending on libraries in Britain has fallen by 17%, according to new statistics, despite in-person visits increasing by 68% since the pandemic.Figures released by CIPFA, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, show that in 2021/22 £9,982 was spent per 1,000 people on libraries by central and local government in England, Scotland and Wales. This was down from £11,970 in 2020/21 and £12,646 in 2018/19. Continue reading...

Minister for finance says she would ‘like to do it now’ but concedes pressures on the budget are intensifying

Government seeks to bolster confidence in public investigation amid claims process will take too longMinisters are battling to maintain confidence in the official Covid inquiry after it emerged that Matt Hancock entrusted more than 100,000 official WhatsApp messages to a journalist renowned as an outspoken critic of lockdown.The messages, given by the former health secretary to Isabel Oakeshott, who then passed them to the Daily Telegraph, prompted calls from bereaved families’ groups and Labour for the inquiry to be given more teeth and be completed swiftly. Continue reading...

Sir Stephen House, one of UK’s most senior officers, is under investigation by police watchdogOne of Britain’s most senior police officers is being investigated over allegations he described the “bulk” of rape complaints as “regretful sex”.Sir Stephen House, a former deputy commissioner and acting commissioner of the Metropolitan police, was referred to the independent police watchdog over the accusation. Continue reading...

Bid to move Harry and Meghan out of Frogmore Cottage reportedly sanctioned by King CharlesThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been asked by the royal family to vacate their UK home, Frogmore Cottage.A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said a request was made for the couple to give up the 17th-century country house, which is close to Windsor Castle in Berkshire. Continue reading...

Johnson backing campaign by family of Joanna Simpson against proposed release of her killer Robert BrownCarrie Johnson has spoken of her fear about the release of the serial rapist John Worboys as she made a personal plea to the justice secretary to keep Robert Brown, the killer of Joanna Simpson, behind bars.Johnson, one of Worboy’s victims, said she understood her loved ones’ feeling of being “like sitting ducks”, ahead of Brown’s proposed release in November after serving half of a 24-year sentence. Continue reading...

Max Woosey, 13, to go back indoors after raising more than £700,000 for North Devon hospiceMost 13-year-olds might have spent those three years preoccupied with schoolwork or hanging out with mates. One teenager however, spent his nights sleeping in a tent to raise money for the hospice that looked after his friend.Now, Max Woosey – who became known as the Boy in the Tent during his years-long fundraising campaign – has decided to go back indoors after three years and more than £700,000 in charitable donations. Continue reading...