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- I played for Man City, but I’m praying Mikel Arteta wins the league
- Bullet hole discovered in American Airlines plane at Medellin airport
- Eurostat reports rise in job vacancy rates for manufacturing sector, 2023
- Lando Norris makes worrying admission ahead of Qatar Sprint and F1 title decider
- 500-year-old oak tree cut down near Toby Carvery ‘was healthy and safe’
- One hundred and five MEPs urge European Commission to fund abortion access
- Cuban Troops Clash with Florida Speedboat, Leaving Four Dead
- Is a Third Term Possible for Donald Trump?
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I played for Man City, but I’m praying Mikel Arteta wins the league
12:00 pm
I played for Man City, but I’m praying Mikel Arteta wins the league | Football
TL;DR – Two-minute read
Bacary Sagna expressed his support for Arsenal in their Premier League title race against Manchester City, highlighting the competition’s intensity as it neared its conclusion last month. Following a slip in form, Arsenal managed a commanding 4-1 win against Tottenham, reducing the gap to City, who have a game in hand, to five points.
Bacary Sagna insists his heart remains with Arsenal despite his divided loyalties and hopes the Gunners pip Manchester City to the Premier League title. The former Arsenal defender expressed his thoughts during a recent interview, highlighting the significance of the title race as the season approaches a critical phase.
Sagna observed that the battle for the championship is intensifying following a recent dip in form from Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who previously seemed poised to secure the title comfortably. With only five points separating Arsenal and Manchester City, the title race is particularly poignant, especially as City holds a game in hand.
Confidence in Mikel Arteta
Sagna, who made 213 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, remains optimistic about Arteta’s leadership. “Mikel Arteta is the man for the situation Arsenal are in right now,” Sagna told Ladbrokes at the launch of ‘Ladisfaction’. He acknowledged the challenges of competing at the top level, stating, “Anyone who has played in the Premier League knows how difficult it is to maintain that level and keep fighting for titles over such a long period.”
He noted the depth of Arsenal’s squad has improved significantly, enabling them to compete more effectively against Manchester City. Sagna expressed his belief that, regardless of the upcoming matches, Arteta will continue to lead the team.
Sagna’s Affection for Arsenal
Reflecting on his relationship with both clubs, Sagna said, “I have a lot of love and respect for both clubs… but I am more Arsenal orientated, because I played there for seven years.” He expressed a desire to see Arsenal win the league, acknowledging their hard work and dedication over recent years.
Sagna highlighted the resilience of Arsenal’s players, noting, “I saw a lot of leaders in that side. This is the mark of a big team… even when things are difficult and people are putting pressure on you, you can still deliver results.”
Arsenal’s next challenge will be crucial as the season progresses, with both internal and external pressures mounting in the chase for the Premier League title.
Bullet hole discovered in American Airlines plane at Medellin airport
11:53 am
Get you up to speed: Bullet hole discovered in American Airlines plane at Medellin airport
A Boeing 737 Max 8 has been pulled from service after a bullet hole was discovered in the exterior during a routine inspection at Colombia’s Medellin airport. The puncture was found on the plane’s right aileron, and American Airlines launched an investigation into the incident, repairing the aircraft before returning it to Dallas for further inspections.
A Boeing 737 Max 8 operated by American Airlines has been removed from service after a bullet hole was discovered in the right aileron during an inspection at Colombia’s Medellin airport. The airline stated, “We will work closely with all relevant authorities to investigate this incident,” and has already carried out repairs before returning the aircraft to Dallas for further assessment. According to Colombia’s Civil Aeronautical Authority, they are “attentive to any official communication from international agencies or the airline that may clarify the facts and determine the origin of the reported issues.”
A Boeing 737 Max 8 was taken out of service after airport workers discovered a bullet hole in its right aileron during a routine inspection at Medellin airport. American Airlines has launched an investigation into the incident and has repaired the aircraft before flying it back to Dallas for further inspections. Colombia’s Civil Aeronautical Authority remains attentive to any communications from relevant agencies to clarify the origin of the reported issues.
What we know so far
Mystery bullet hole found in American Airlines plane | News World
Staff saw the puncture on the plane’s right aileron (Picture: AP)
A Boeing 737 Max 8 has been pulled from service after airport workers found a bullet hole in the exterior.
During a routine inspection of the American Airlines jet that had landed from Miami, staff at Colombia’s Medellin airport noticed the puncture.
Upon closer inspection, they found a small round hole with an exit point – consistent with what could be a bullet strike on the aircraft.
American Airlines launched an investigation into the puncture and repaired it before flying it back to Dallas for further inspections.
The flight to Medellin had no issues and no injuries from the bullet hole, with Colombia’s Civil Aeronautical Authority issuing a statement after.
‘The Civil Aeronautics Authority remains attentive to any official communication from international agencies or the airline that may clarify the facts and determine the origin of the reported issues,’ it said.
It’s unclear when the plane was struck by the bullet (Picture: Getty)
American Airlines said: ‘The aircraft was immediately removed from service for further inspection and repair. We will work closely with all relevant authorities to investigate this incident.’
The puncture marks were found on the plane’s right aileron, which is used to control the aircraft’s roll and lateral balance.
Authorities aren’t quite sure when the plane was struck by the bullet, but believe it may have happened while landing in Colombia.
A week ago, Gatwick Airport’s train station was cordoned off after reports of a man carrying firearms on board a train.
The services on the Gatwick railway line ground to a halt after the alarm was raised, with eyewitnesses saying a man on board a train from Brighton was carrying a firearm.
Emergency services descended on the station, including officers from British Transport Police and Sussex Police.
Officers discovered a man carrying two imitation firearms, and he was detained.
A British Transport Police spokesperson told WTX News: ‘We received a report at 12.45pm on 20 February of a man on board a train from Brighton with a firearm.
‘Sussex Police officers met the train at Gatwick Airport and arrested a man in possession of two imitation firearms.
‘BTP officers are investigating.’
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Eurostat reports rise in job vacancy rates for manufacturing sector, 2023
10:00 am
Get you up to speed: Eurostat reports rise in job vacancy rates for manufacturing sector, 2023
EUROSTAT LABOUR INSIGHTS
Eurostat reports a significant rise in job vacancy rates, particularly in manufacturing, highlighting ongoing recruitment challenges in Europe’s job market.
EU ECONOMY
According to Eurostat, the manufacturing sector’s job vacancy rate rose by 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, highlighting significant recruitment challenges post-pandemic.
CURRENT STATUS
Europe’s job market remains strong with record-high employment, but manufacturing and several other sectors face significant labour shortages as of February 2026.
What we know so far
By James Thomas video by Loredana Dumitru
Published on
Europe’s job market is standing fairly strong as of early 2026, with record-high employment rates in the face of economic slowdowns and global volatility.
Yet despite the overall market’s resilience, certain sectors are crying out for workers and are struggling to fill the gaps left in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New figures released by Eurostat show that between 2019 — before the pandemic — and 2023, manufacturing labourers recorded the largest increase in their job vacancy rate, up by 4.2%.
The rise suggests that the sector had more difficulties recruiting staff during that time. The lockdowns enacted during the pandemic led to huge supply chain disruptions and an exodus of workers from the manufacturing industry.
Once things began returning to normal, the industry experienced a rapid rebound to accelerate production and meet rising demand — and needed workers to achieve these goals.
The next biggest vacancy rates were seen in sales, marketing and development manager roles (3%), sales workers (2.8%), transport and storage labourers (2.5%) and other clerical support workers (2.4%), according to Eurostat.
It’s not the same story for every type of profession, though — several sectors’ vacancy rates shrank during the same period.
The biggest drops were seen among life science technicians (-2.6%), database and network professionals (-1.7%), and software developers and analysts (-1.5%).
Some experts have put the falling rates in these sectors down in part to the rise in automation and AI. While demand remains high for specialised roles in data science or gene therapy, for example, the same is not necessarily true for manual or purely research-focused jobs.
Nevertheless, while the falling rates likely mean that these fields had fewer difficulties recruiting staff, it doesn’t mean that these occupations are shrinking, according to Eurostat.
For example, even though database and network professionals saw a decrease in their job vacancy rate (dropping to 5.1%), it remained well above the average across all occupations, which sat at 2.4%.
In fact, the share of database and network employees actually went up by 0.2% between 2019 and 2023.
A similar thing happened for software developers and analysts, a sector which registered a decrease to 6.9% in 2023, but whose share of employees rose by 0.5% during that time, according to Eurostat.
On the flipside, other sectors whose job vacancy rate increased experienced a decrease in their share of employees. This was the case for transport and storage labourers (-0.2%) and sales workers (-0.1%) between 2019 and 2023.
Lando Norris makes worrying admission ahead of Qatar Sprint and F1 title decider
9:00 am
Lando Norris makes worrying admission ahead of Qatar sprint and F1 title-decider
Two-minute read
Oscar Piastri secured pole position for the Qatar sprint, ahead of George Russell and Lando Norris, who lined up third following a challenging qualifying session. Max Verstappen qualified sixth after facing difficulties. With both McLarens disqualified from the previous race, Norris maintained a 24-point lead in the championship with two grands prix remaining.
Source: Original report
Lando Norris says he does not expect to win the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race, which could significantly impact his formula 1 title aspirations. The McLaren driver made his comments after qualifying on Saturday, where he will start from P3, just behind his teammate Oscar Piastri and George Russell of Mercedes. Despite being 24 points ahead in the championship standings with only two races remaining, Norris acknowledged the challenge ahead.
Norris stated to Sky Sports: “The pace was there but I made a mistake in the last corner. I just didn’t put it together.” He added, “I would be stupid not to try and win but it is impossible to overtake so I think I will probably finish P3. Getting past George Russell on the line is probably the best I can hope for.” This sentiment underscores the difficulty of overtaking at the Losail International Circuit.
Oscar Piastri, who secured pole position for the sprint race, expressed his satisfaction following a strong qualifying performance. “It has been a good day, which is nice for a change. Things clicked from the start, so thanks to the team,” he remarked. Piastri also noted the adjustments made prior to qualifying: “The pace was there all day.”
Norris requires a lead of at least 26 points over Piastri and Max Verstappen to clinch the championship in Qatar. Currently, with his 24-point lead, he needs to outscore both rivals. Points awarded during the sprint race are limited, making it challenging for Norris to achieve his goal this weekend.
As a result, Norris will not be able to secure the title during the Sprint race. However, he retains the possibility of clinching it during the main event scheduled for Sunday. If he does not succeed in Qatar, the championship outcome will be decided at the season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend.
The Qatar Grand Prix sprint race is set to commence at 2pm UK time on Saturday, with qualifying for the main race scheduled at 6pm, followed by the race itself at 4pm on Sunday.
500-year-old oak tree cut down near Toby Carvery ‘was healthy and safe’
8:00 am
Get you up to speed: 500-year-old oak tree cut down near Toby Carvery ‘was healthy and safe’
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROVERSY
The Forestry Commission revealed that the ancient oak felled by Toby Carvery was largely healthy, igniting calls for investigation and accountability.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN
Tim Leaver, deputy leader of Enfield Council, stated that the tree was ‘irreplaceable’ and demanded an apology from Mitchells & Butlers for the unapproved felling.
INVESTIGATION STATUS
Enfield Council’s deputy leader Tim Leaver confirmed an investigation is ongoing into the removal of the ancient oak tree by Toby Carvery.
What we know so far
A Toby Carvery in north London felled an ancient tree next to the restaurant, but experts have now found there was nothing wrong with it.
The restaurant in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, has come under fire after it chopped down the iconic tree without permission.
The oak, thought to be 450 to 500 years old, was felled in April last year after the owner, Mitchells & Butlers, was advised that the tree was dying and posed a risk to the public.
However, now the Forestry Commission has said there was very little evidence that the tree had to be taken down.
A survey last year carried out before the felling described it as a ‘fine specimen,’ and aerial photographs showed none of its branches was hanging over a car park.
The tree showed no sign of major diseases and the trunk was largely intact, with a cavity suggesting wildlife was living inside, according to inspectors.
Mitchells & Butlers, who are leasing the land from the council, initially said they were told the tree posed a ‘serious health and safety risk’ before a contractor carried out the work.
The oak has been reduced to a stump, sparking outrage among locals and campaigners, who likened the incident to the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian’s Wall.
Dr Ed Pyne, a senior conservation adviser at the Woodland Trust, warned that the chances of it surviving are now ‘so slim’.
He told BBC News: ‘If I had to put like a gut feeling on it, I would say like less than one percent chance.
‘I visited the tree in the aftermath and there was absolutely no doubt in my mind the tree was very much alive.’
Campaigners have demanded a full investigation and protection of other significant trees in the area.
Ed Allnutt, from the Guardians of Whitewebbs group, told Metro last year that the tree was invaluable.
He added: ‘These are incredibly rare she can be home to thousands of species.
‘It was one of the top 100 ancient oaks in London.’
Meanwhile, the deputy leader of Enfield Council, Tim Leaver, said the tree was ‘irreplaceable’ and that the company should apologise.
He said previously: ‘This centuries-old tree, sometimes known as the Guy Fawkes Oak, was an irreplaceable part of Enfield’s natural heritage and was felled without the council’s knowledge or consent, in clear breach of the lease governing the site.’
Two weeks after the felling, Toby Carvery’s chief executive, Phil Urban, insisted the company ‘acted in good faith’ when it greenlit the works.
He continued: ‘Clearly, the felling of a beautiful old tree is a very emotive subject and is not something that any of us would undertake lightly.
‘I can only apologise for all the upset that it has caused.’
Last October, the council reportedly served a notice to the restaurant to start eviction.
Metro has contacted Mitchells & Butlers for a comment.
One hundred and five MEPs urge European Commission to fund abortion access
6:00 am
Get you up to speed: One hundred and five MEPs urge European Commission to fund abortion access
EFFECTIVE ABORTION ACCESS
One hundred and five MEPs urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to establish a European fund for safe abortion access across member states.
EU INITIATIVE
One hundred five MEPs urged Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to create a financial mechanism for safe abortion access, estimating costs between three and seven million euros annually.
EU INITIATIVE
The European Commission is expected to announce its decision regarding the “My Voice, My Choice” initiative on Thursday, 26 February 2026.
What we know so far
Published on
One hundred and five Members of the European Parliament sent a letter on Wednesday to the Commission’s President Ursula von der Leyen, asking for a European-funded pathway that ensures real and effective access to abortions.
The letter aims to put pressure on the Commission, the day before the decision on the European Citizens’ Initiative “My Voice, My Choice”, which collected 1,124,513 signatures across all 27 countries and asked to improve access to safe abortion in Europe.
This initiative calls to establish financial support to perform safe termination of pregnancies for women abroad their countries, claiming that the lack of access to abortion in some EU member states puts women at risk of physical harm and mental stress and leads them to seek unsafe abortions.
EU institutions are obliged to assess any initiative that gets the support of at least 1 million people across at least seven EU countries.
The European Commission has a timeframe to either set out legislative measures or provide justification for not doing so, and its answer is expected on Thursday.
The European Parliament has the obligation to discuss the initiative, and so did last year, leading to a non-binding resolution approved last December, which calls for an EU fund to help women without access to safe and legal abortion in their countries.
The Parliament’s text envisages a solidarity mechanism enabling EU states to provide access to the termination of pregnancies for any woman who is legally barred from doing so in her home country.
Some of the MEPs who supported the resolution now want the Commission to act. The letter was signed mostly by lawmakers from Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Greens/EFA, and The Left groups, with a few from Renew Europe and one European People’s Party member joining the call.
“We want the Commission to establish a financial mechanism that allows women to have the same treatment, regardless of which country they are coming from,” Slovenian S&D MEP Matjaž Nemec, who promoted the letter, told EU News.
His office estimates that an amount between three and seven million euros per year would be enough to set up this fund, which would cover the costs for EU countries’ medical systems to perform abortions for European women living in other countries.
“The inequalities between Member States continue to create unjust differences and expose individuals to unsafe and discriminatory conditions,” reads the letter. Signing MEPs also say that they are “ready to examine further political and legal avenues” if the Commission does not meet the initiative supporters’ expectations.
Other MEPs do not agree with this push. The Spanish far-right party Vox also sent a letter to von der Leyen and EU Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib, asking them to refrain from “financing cross-border abortions with public money” and calling the European Citizens’ Initiative “politically influenced”.
According to the European Abortion Policies Atlas 2025, several EU countries have taken steps to guarantee the right to safe abortions, while others have recorded new restrictions, increased harassment of abortion providers, and the spread of disinformation on the topic.
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