Russia-Ukraine war: Zelenskyy says Ukraine ‘victory plan’ depends on decisions by allies this year – as it happened

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Ukrainian president tells press conference with Ursula von der Leyen that Ukraine plans to use EU loan for air defence, energy and weapons purchases

Ukraine’s “victory plan” in the war against Russia depends on quick decisions being taken by allies this year, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday during a visit by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Zelenskyy told a joint press conference with von der Leyen that Ukraine planned to use a proposed multi-billion dollar European Union loan for air defence, energy and domestic weapons purchases.

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Russian prisoner freed in swap urges UK not to let hundreds more ‘die off’

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Vladimir Kara-Murza tells Keir Starmer that further exchanges are a matter of ‘life and death’

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Russian dissident freed in the biggest prisoner swap since the cold war, has appealed to Keir Starmer during a meeting in Downing Street to not let hundreds of political prisoners in Russia and Belarus quietly “die off”.

Kara-Murza, who was released last month two years into a 25-year sentence after speaking out against the war in Ukraine, said he had told the prime minister on Friday that organising further such swaps was a matter of “life and death”.

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David Lammy examines plans to evacuate Britons from Lebanon

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Officials trying to avoid repeat of Afghan chaos as Israel strikes and foreign secretary tells UK nationals to leave

David Lammy chaired a Cobra meeting to discuss preparations to evacuate remaining Britons from Lebanon, having already urged UK nationals to leave the country amid hostilities with Israel.

The foreign secretary led meetings in Whitehall on Friday as officials try to avoid a repeat of the chaos in which British people scrambled to leave Afghanistan when the Taliban took over in 2021.

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Far-right AfD looking to make German history in Brandenburg state election

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Attention is focused on regional vote this Sunday that could determine the fate of the national government

Björn Höcke shielded his eyes from the bright lights as he peered from the stage into the crowds gathered on a square in front of a gothic church in central Cottbus.

Flanked by the slogans “It’s time for real change” and “It’s time to save our country,” the leader of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Thuringia swept into Cottbus, the second largest city in the state of Brandenburg, for the party’s final rally before a regional election on Sunday that could determine the fate of Germany’s government.

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Europe has questions to answer over migrant abuse in Tunisia, say MEPs and activists

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EU Commission says it will be sending independent observers to the country to investigate allegations of human rights violations

The European Commission can no longer ignore mounting evidence of the gross human rights violations against migrants and refugees in Tunisia, say MEPs and activists.

The EU has given millions of pounds to Tunisia to reduce migration from north Africa into Europe in a deal that pledges “respect for human rights” and piqued the interest of the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer.

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How the Elon Perry fabrication scandal shook the Jewish Chronicle

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A run of scoops from a writer who came ‘out of nowhere’ has led to intensified questions about the paper’s ownership

Elon Perry gave the impression he was a mover and a shaker.

There are the photos of him alongside Michael Gove – and taking selfies in Downing Street. And there are interviews too.

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With $39 Billion Loan for Ukraine, Europe Moves Ahead Without U.S. – The New York Times

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  1. With $39 Billion Loan for Ukraine, Europe Moves Ahead Without U.S.  The New York Times
  2. European Commission president says she has arrived in Kyiv to discuss support for Ukraine  Reuters
  3. Europe will loan war-torn Ukraine up to $39 billion as part of G7 pledge  CNN
  4. EU unveils plan to lend Ukraine $39B in frozen Russian assets  VOA Asia
  5. Ukraine updates: Von der Leyen in Kyiv announces €35bn loan  DW (English)
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Israeli soldiers filmed pushing bodies of Palestinians off West Bank roof

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IDF says its is reviewing the incident, which took place during a raid in the town of Qabatiya

Israeli soldiers have been filmed pushing three apparently lifeless bodies from a rooftop during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, in the latest in a series of suspected violations by Israeli forces since the start of the Israel-Hamas war that rights groups say show a pattern of excessive force toward Palestinians.

The incident took place in the town of Qabatiya in the northern West Bank, where the Israeli military has been carrying out large-scale raids since late August that the Palestinian health ministry says have killed dozens of people.

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