More than 40 fostering agencies providing homes for vulnerable children in England bought up by private equity firms since 2015, with many passed from one equity firm to another in hunt for profits. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Private equity owns lion’s share of children’s foster services in England, ‘bleeding the sector of money’. Profits margins of 19%. Money extracted in interest payments, intragroup charges. Children suffer. Ban profit-taking entities from foster services.

Civil war at Oxfam: board trustee files whistleblowing complaint with Charity Commission over "brutal" ousting of chief executive. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Extraordinary story of the Yorkshire laundromat, with Observer confirming three of those convicted are on the run. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Private schools charging councils £250k for each Send pupil, writes Jon Ungoed Thomas https://bit.ly/4pD6l49

The tenants forced to pay for their richer neighbours’ gyms. Residents in affordable flats in south London were barred from the premium facilities their costly service charges were paying for, writes @jonungoedthomas.bsky.social https://bit.ly/44LAdCN

Victory for residents in property tribunal over claims service charges of up to £7k a year on “affordable” flats were helping to fund exclusive facilities in development that they were barred from using, including concierge service and gym. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

The Observer is no longer just a Sunday paper; you can now get a little bit of Sunday every day. Our new website and app are live, and we’re publishing daily for the first time in 233 years. Sign up today: https://bit.ly/3M6Okw3 Download our app here: https://bit.ly/4oE3ZAR

“There is no climate crisis,” Sean Matthews, leader of Lincolnshire council, posted on X last year. “We are all paying for these idiots to escalate their fantasies.” By my colleague @jonungoedthomas.bsky.social observer.co.uk/news/politic...

Unite created phoney job to prevent challenge to leaders, says whistleblower Union gave a Heathrow baggage handler a ‘ghost post’ and let him keep his first job, according to claim ✍️@JonUngoedThomas https://bit.ly/4nX84A8

What's gone wrong with our honey? My latest investigation in the Observer. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

"I lived through the Troubles...I know what a terrorist organisation is." Interview with former magistrate Deborah Hinton, 81, OBE, arrested under Terrorism Act and held in cell for seven hours over Palestine Action vigil. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

‘The most damaging thing for the sea’ … and 300 trawlers are at it in Europe Conservationists call for action after tracking hundreds of vessels they suspect of harmful deep-sea fishing

More than 3,000 species are caught by bottom trawlers and at least 10% are critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable, including hawksbill turtle and Patagonian seahorse, reveals new research. In today's Observer.

Issue #12,183 Deep Trouble Buy your copy of The Observer, available across the country, tomorrow morning. Get the newspaper delivered to your door every Sunday: bit.ly/4jFwQCW #TomorrowsPapersToday

Incineration plants for refuse undermine recycling and have been branded the country's dirtiest form of generating power - so why is England now burning more than half its rubbish? (Ed Miliband approved a new plant in March against planning inspectors' advice.) observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

"There are bits of the environment being destroyed all along their supply chain." Food giant Cargill challenged over its soy supply chain from one of richest ecosystems in the world in South America to the catchment of the now blighted River Wye. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

The gambling watchdog has put 38 failing betting firms into special measures in the past five years under a secretive regime that prevents the companies being identified. ✒️ ‪@jonungoedthomas.bsky.social‬ Read more:

The Firm: Trump Inc. and the new age of corruption. Buy your copy of The Observer, available across the country, tomorrow morning. Get the newspaper delivered to your door every Sunday: bit.ly/4jFwQCW

How millions of consumers are misled over scale of 'dead zones' in UK's mobile network coverage. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

One of the most toxic pesticides ever produced is banned for use in more than 50 countries. Still made in Britain (where it use is also banned) for export. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

New: Gambling companies are secretly tracking visitors to their websites and sending their data to Facebook without consent. We visited 150 sites and found a third breaking the rules. In the days after the testing, we were flooded with gambling ads. With @jonungoedthomas.bsky.social

‘Unwilling’ coroners failed us, say families of gambling addicts who took their own lives

Clean water campaigners claim victory in Windermere sewage case

Labour under fire over plans for 40 more ‘greenwashing’ waste incinerators

"Net zero farce": Labour under fire over plans to build more than 40 new incinerators to help burn more than half of household and commercial rubbish in England. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Pensions turning to "rust": US multinationals accused of exploiting pensions law loophole to freeze increases in payouts to former UK employees. www.theguardian.com/money/2024/d...

‘Heartless’ multinationals exploiting pensions loophole for UK workers

Just 2% or fewer of trains on some of the busiest Avanti West Coast services between London and Manchester are leaving and arriving on time. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

Just 2% of busiest trains on key London to Manchester line run on time

Labour condemned for allowing ‘new generation of slum homes’ in England

Labour warned over new generation of "slum" tower blocks in drive to build 1.5m homes in England by 2029. www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

I am today joining my colleagues at the Guardian and Observer who are on strike for 48 hours over the sale of the Observer. I will be back at work on Friday. For more information please follow @GoNUJ93 and @NUJofficial or visit nuj.org.uk/savetheobserver

New: the true scale of 'dark money' flowing into UK politics Cash from firms that have never made a profit, from unincorporated associations that don't declare their funders & banned donations from abroad are all entering the system www.theguardian.com/politics/202... @transparencyuk.bsky.social

Beekeepers halt honey awards over ‘huge fraud’ in global supply chain

Honey to be withdrawn as a category in World Beekeeping Awards in 2025 after warnings of widespread fraud in supply chain. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

British Olympic sailors threaten to quit Dorset base over plans for waste incinerator

Olympic sailors threaten to quit south coast base after government approves waste incinerator on their doorstep. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

KFC drops pledge to stop using ‘Frankenchickens’ in the UK

🚨 Breaking News 🚨 In today’s Guardian you will see more work from Save Windermere and Professor Peter Hammond from Windrush Against Sewage Pollution. Analysis from Prof. Hammond shows over 500 days with illegal spilling in and around Windermere in 6 years ⬇️ www.savewindermere.com/news/500-day...

New report by @windrushwasp.bsky.social reveals that United Utilities has presided over suspected illegal sewage spills for more than 500 days over a period from 2018 to 2023 in Windermere and the surrounding area. @savewindermere.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

One of UK's biggest water firms in legal battle to block release of environmental information on treated sewage being discharged into Windermere in Lake District. www.theguardian.com/environment/...