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Deal to swap around 200 PoWs from each side comes after contested claim that Kyiv downed plane carrying Ukrainian soldiersRussia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has told military manufacturers to stop fooling around" and further increase the production of self-propelled artillery systems.Shoigu visited arms-producing factories in the Urals industrial city of Yekaterinburg on Tuesday and said Russia was increasing production of air defence missiles after a series of Ukrainian drone attacks that have targeted cities and energy infrastructure.Listen, stop fooling around here, guys. We got busy with this in 2022. We should have had these machines operating at full capacity in 2023.I'd like to receive within a week a specific proposal on how we'll reach the indicators set by the president (Vladimir Putin) ... this must be done, because all these orders are connected with the performance of very specific work on the battlefield. Continue reading...

Proposals that new rule requiring farmers to set aside up to 7% of land to boost biodiversity should not come into force until 2025We spoke to a young Belgian farmer, Sylvain Dardenne.He was sitting in his tractor in a street lined with parked tractors and flanked by police cars a few blocks away from the European parliament, when we approached him with questions. Continue reading...

Market value of Danish drugmaker behind Wegovy and Ozempic tops $500bn as demand soarsNovo Nordisk shares hit a record high after the Danish company reported soaring sales of its obesity and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, pushing its market value past $500bn and cementing its position as Europe's most valuable company.Runaway demand for the drugs, which are taken by celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Elon Musk, has left the company struggling to keep up with orders and scrambling to expand production sites. Continue reading...

Opposition leader rejects claims party is seeking to cause deterioration of monarchyThailand's constitutional court has ruled that the opposition party's pledge to reform the country's lese-majesty law is unlawful and that it must cease such efforts.The court ordered the Move Forward party and its leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, to stop all forms of communication aimed at bringing reforms to the law, under which criticism of the powerful royal family can lead to up to 15 years in prison on a single charge. Continue reading...

Overcrowding crisis in south Gaza only set to worsen in coming days as Israeli forces push deeper into Khan Younis

Japanese macaque spotted 300 metres from wildlife park's entrance after third night of freedomA monkey who escaped from a wildlife park in the Scottish Highlands has been spotted about 300 metres from the park's entrance, raising hopes he will return to his enclosure of his own volition after a third night of freedom.The drone footage was taken just as the light was fading on Tuesday evening by a conservation consultant, Ben Harrower, who is assisting a search team from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs the park. It shows the Japanese macaque moving on the ground under dense tree cover. Continue reading...

The now-defunct blog of New York's Jamaal Bowman cast doubt on what actually happened during the 2001 terrorist attacksProgressive US congressman Jamaal Bowman is seeking to distance himself from conspiracy theories about the deadly September 11 terrorist attacks which he published on a personal blog that he ran before his career in elected office.The New York representative was linked to the blog in question by the Daily Beast on Monday as he faces a substantial primary challenge from a fellow Democrat over his criticism of Israeli military strikes in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack. Continue reading...

Tech firm says it will wait for inquiry into Horizon fallout to near end before deciding on compensation

Shadow chancellor says party aims to be champion of a thriving financial sector if it wins election

Serious animal welfare concerns over exporter's plan to resume journey, MP says, with animals set to spend 60 days on a stinking hot ship'

Rev Steve Chalke says killing of Mason Rist and Max Dixon was devastating' and calls for earlier intervention on knife crimeBanning zombie" knives and machetes will not end the trauma of knife crime, the founder of an academy trust has warned, after two pupils at one of his schools were fatally stabbed over the weekend.The Rev Steve Chalke, of Oasis academies, said the killing of Mason Rist, 15, and his 16-year-old friend Max Dixon in south Bristol was absolutely devastating" for family and friends, their school and the wider community in Knowle West. Continue reading...

Treatment for ailments including sore throats, earaches and shingles to be offered without a GP appointmentPatients can now get treatment for seven common conditions without needing to see a GP under a shake-up of pharmacy services in England.From Wednesday, thousands of pharmacists will be able to assess and treat patients for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women under 65, without the need for a GP appointment or prescription. Continue reading...

Travel website says some accommodation partners targeted by phishing emails but its backend systems have not been breached

Six states and territories co-write letter calling for waving of Hecs debt for teachers, more supported university places and more scholarships for students

Rugby union star has pleaded not guilty and denies sexually assaulting woman at Beach Road Hotel in December 2022

Campaigners call for Norfolk and Suffolk trust to be disbanded after killings linked to man with mental health issuesThe families of people who have died in the care of Norfolk and Suffolk mental health services have said the tragic case of a man believed to have killed himself and his family underlines the need for a statutory inquiry into the NHS trust.Bartlomiej Kuczynski, 45, was found dead in his home in Costessey near Norwich along with his two daughters and their aunt, earlier this month. Just over an hour before he had made a 999 call expressing alarm about his mental state, and was told to seek medical help. Continue reading...

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Exclusive: safety experts and a coroner made the request after a death in 1992, 30 years before Ukrainian refugee Albina Yevko diedRepeated calls 30 years ago from a coroner and safety experts for railings to be installed on a sea wall in Devon after a teenager lost his life were ignored, it has emerged, after the death last year of a young Ukrainian refugee in similar circumstances.Documents seen by the Guardian reveal that local authorities committed to painting a white line and installing warning signs - none of which remain today - after Brendon Burnage fell to his death at the age of 17 from Dawlish sea wall in Devon in 1992. Continue reading...

States say they will not take up co-funded deal, calling for commonwealth to unilaterally close funding gapA landmark" deal between the Albanese government and Western Australia to co-fund public school improvements has been rejected by all other states.The federal education minister, Jason Clare, on Wednesday announced the five-year deal in which the commonwealth and WA will jointly pay to lift the state's public schools to the schooling resource standard (SRS) by 2026 in return for the state implementing teacher quality and student wellbeing reforms. Continue reading...

Murderer Luay Sako has high risk of reoffending, forensic psychiatrist tells Victorian supreme court

As all Northern and TransPennine Express services stop, passengers in the region have been warned not to try to travel by rail on WednesdayRail passengers in the north of England face major disruption on Wednesday as strikes by train drivers stop all Northern and TransPennine Express (TPE) services.The 24-hour strike is the second in a series of rolling stoppages over a week by members of Aslef, the drivers' union, in the long-running pay dispute. Continue reading...

Taro Aso, vice-president of ruling LDP, said Yoko Kamikawa not that good looking', got her name wrong, used ageist jibe and mixed up her place in historyA Japanese former prime minister and vice-president of the ruling Liberal Democratic party has been accused of sexism after making insulting comments about the foreign minister's appearance and age.She's not that good looking," Taro Aso, who has a long history of inappropriate remarks, said of Yoko Kamikawa during a recent speech, before awkwardly praising her abilities as a politician. But she speaks with dignity, speaks properly in English and makes appointments with people she needs to see on her own, without help from diplomats." Continue reading...

Australia's aspirations to profit from global demand for electric vehicles are taking a hit thanks to a price crash for crucial battery minerals, such as lithium and nickel

UMG said it will remove all songs from TikTok after it accused the social media platform of trying to bully' them into a bad deal' over music rights feesUniversal Music Group's agreement with TikTok is set to expire in the next 24 hours after the companies failed to agree on issues including artist compensation and AI, meaning some of the world's most popular music - including Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and newly viral hit Murder on the Dancefloor - will be removed from TikTok's library.In a blistering open letter titled Why we must call Time Out on TikTok" published on Tuesday, UMG, the biggest music company in the world, accused TikTok of attempting to bully" and intimidate" them into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth". Continue reading...

Lawyer argues Walter Sofronoff's phone calls to Janet Albrechtsen show an apprehension of bias' against former ACT director of public prosecutions Shane Drumgold

Consumers advised to stop using seven supplements taken for sexual enhancement, including Tantra Jelly and Bullblood tablets

CPI came in at 4.1% in the December quarter, easing from the September quarter pace of 5.4%

Nature-based solutions such as parks and ponds are recommended - as is giving heatwaves namesThe UK urgently needs a plan to prevent thousands of heatwave deaths a year as the climate continues to warm, a cross-party committee of MPs has warned.More than 4,500 people died in heatwaves in 2022, the MPs' report said, and this number could rise to 10,000 a year by 2050 without action. Heatwaves are silent killers", the MPs said, pushing up heart rate and blood pressure, with those over 65 and with existing health problems most at risk. Continue reading...

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says national early warning score should be used to assess severity of illnessPeople who are severely ill with suspected sepsis should promptly be given life-saving access to antibiotics to prevent unnecessary deaths, according to updated guidance from a health watchdog.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has said that the national early warning score should be used to assess people with suspected sepsis aged 16 and over, who are not and have not recently been pregnant, and are in an acute hospital setting or ambulance. Continue reading...

Guild of Fine Food fears European suppliers of specialist produce will stop supplying UK because of red tapeThousands of delicatessens and other specialist food shops have said new border rules that come in from Wednesday are likely to mean reduced choice of products for consumers.The Guild of Fine Food (GFF), which represents 12,000 businesses, has raised fears that European suppliers of specialist foods such as cheeses and meats will stop supplying the UK as a result of the additional red tape for imported goods. Continue reading...

Internal emails reveal he also said his ethnicity and working-class background helped to make him a targetMartin Bashir blamed professional jealousy" and his background and ethnicity after allegations that he used deceit to secure an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, it has been revealed.The BBC has released about 3,000 internal emails relating to the scandal over the 1995 interview with Diana, following a court order issued last December. Continue reading...

Hungarian ambassador summoned amid national uproar at treatment of Ilaria Salis, accused of attacking neo-NazisItaly's government has said that authorities in Hungary went too far" in putting in chains an Italian woman who is awaiting trial for allegedly attacking neo-Nazis.Italian ministers summoned Budapest's ambassador in protest on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Constitutional change could face fight in Senate after national assembly approves measure by 493 votes to 30France's lower house of parliament has overwhelmingly approved a measure to inscribe abortion as a guaranteed freedom" in the constitution, a pledge made by the president, Emmanuel Macron, last year.But the controversial plan now goes to the upper-house Senate, where it faces resistance from the conservative Republicans and the far-right National Rally. Continue reading...

France and UK also agree to deploy more drones and sea barriers to stop small boats crossing ChannelUK security experts will help France to protect the Paris Olympics in a sign of closer cooperation, the Home Office has said.Both governments also plan to deploy more drones and sea barriers to prevent small boats carrying asylum seekers from crossing the Channel. Continue reading...

Officers allegedly joked about sex with wrongly arrested woman, while student officer claims he was dismissed for reporting misconduct

Government plans for fishery closures are window dressing' in face of appalling record' on meeting targets, experts warnMinisters are window dressing" with nature policies announced to cover up" the government's failings on environmental targets, wildlife groups have said.The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) found earlier this month that nature in England is at risk of falling into an irreversible spiral of decline" because of the government's failures to meet its legally binding targets on species abundance and water quality. Continue reading...

Tehran warns Washington but regime unsure of degree of support for interventionist foreign policy

Tory peer Kulveer Ranger incorrectly identified as Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh DhesiA Conservative peer and a Labour MP have criticised GB News after the rightwing television channel confused the two Sikh politicians in a social media post.In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, to promote an interview with the Tory peer Kulveer Ranger on the government's Rwanda bill, the peer was incorrectly identified as the Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi. Continue reading...

French president says future security architecture of Europe could no longer be settled by the US and RussiaThe European Union has to make bold decisions to defend Ukraine, pre-empting any US decision to withhold or reduce its military support, Emmanuel Macron has said.In a speech in Sweden, which hopes to be the next country to join Nato, the French president also said the future security architecture of Europe, including arms control agreements covering European territory, could no longer be settled simply by the US and Russia, and Europe had to have a right to determine its own future. Continue reading...

Report shows Labour move to scrap many rules and processes as party denies plan will dilute consumer protections

Videos reveal fear and chaos after officers responded to reports of man trying to force entry to a homeVideos captured scenes of fear and chaos as a man clad in body armour and armed with two crossbows, a sword and a knife burst into a property in south London before being shot dead by police.The Metropolitan police said they were called by people inside the home at 4.55am to reports of a man trying to break in, at Bywater Place, Southwark. Continue reading...

The highly transmissible disease was found in north-east states in recent weeks and is likely to spread to the midwest and west coastThough measles had been eradicated in the US in 2000, the disease is expected to continue a nationwide spread primarily because of vaccine skepticism, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said.Measles, one of the most transmissible diseases, has been found in recent weeks in some north-eastern US states, according to the CDC. Continue reading...

Redundancies will come mainly from workers who install equipment in homesSky is to cut about 1,000 jobs as customers move away from traditional satellite pay-TV to streaming-based services, in the latest round of redundancies to hit the UK media industry.The company, which employs about 26,000 staff in the UK, is seeking to reduce its workforce by about 4% this year. Continue reading...

Party prepares to claim Northern Ireland first minister post for first time with power sharing set to resumeSinn Fein has said a united Ireland is within touching distance" as the party prepares to claim the post of Northern Ireland first minister for the first time.Mary Lou McDonald said on Tuesday the expected restoration of power sharing in the wake of a deal between the Democratic Unionist party and the UK government came amid a historical turning of the wheel" that would unite the island. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story herePeople with close connections" to the UK and their local area are to be favoured for social housing in England under a new government consultation, PA Media reports. PA says:Applicants will be required to demonstrate a connection to the UK for at least 10 years and their local area for at least two years in an overhaul" of the system.Those with unspent criminal convictions or certain civil sanctions for antisocial behaviour could be banned from social housing for up to five years.Social housing is designed to support those in the greatest need. Government data shows that 90% of new social housing lettings go to UK nationals, with long waiting lists in all areas. Imposing extended qualification periods before people can even get on the housing register is likely to force more people into homelessness. If the government's main concern is to increase the availability of social lettings, it could achieve this far more effectively by building more social housing. Continue reading...

Counter-terrorism officers enter Jenin's Ibn Sina hospital wearing doctors' scrubs and women's clothes

Judge refuses application after considering case documents relating to the murders of seven babiesThe child serial killer Lucy Letby has had an initial attempt to challenge her convictions refused by the court of appeal.The nurse lodged an application for permission to appeal against all of her convictions in September. Continue reading...

West Yorkshire police say mother of baby, thought to have been stillborn, has been identifiedThe mother of a newborn girl found dead in a pub toilet has been identified and is receiving care and support, police have said.The baby girl, believed by authorities to have been stillborn in a toilet cubicle, was found on Sunday afternoon at the Three Horse Shoes pub in Oulton, Leeds. Continue reading...

Michael Allen, 32, died while trying to act as peacemaker' when fight broke out outside Bodmin nightclubA man fatally stabbed a peacemaker" who was trying to break up fighting and injured five other people when he went on a knife rampage outside a Cornish nightclub, a jury has been told.Jake Hill, 24, had hidden a hunting knife with a serrated edge in a hedge before he went into the club and used it when disorder broke out as the nightspot shut, the court was told. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Critics warn of a fire sale' of public assets under plans being explored by levelling up department