Met accidentally reveals names of alleged Westminster ‘honeytrap’ victims

Police officer inadvertently disclosed identities and contact details in email update to alleged victims

The Metropolitan police revealed the names of alleged victims of the Westminster “honeytrap” scandal in an accidentally sent email, it has emerged.

A police officer emailed some alleged victims updating them on the case, which is due to be heard in court, but inadvertently revealed their names and contact details to each other.

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Syrian rebels enter Aleppo for first time in eight years during shock offensive – CNN

  1. Syrian rebels enter Aleppo for first time in eight years during shock offensive  CNN
  2. Russian Military Says Bombing 'Extremist' Anti-government Forces In Syria  Barron's
  3. Rebel groups launch attacks on Syria’s Aleppo city  Al Jazeera English
  4. Russia and Syria bomb Syrian Islamist rebels after surprise incursion  Fox News
  5. Rebels in Syria Reach Outskirts of Aleppo, in Biggest Advance in Years, Monitor Says  The New York Times
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MPs back landmark bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales

Terminally ill adults with less than six months to live will be given right to die under proposed legislation

MPs have taken a historic step toward legalising assisted dying in England and Wales by backing a bill that would give some terminally ill people the right to end their own lives.

Campaigners in favour of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill said it was a significant move towards giving people more choice over the way they die, after the Commons backed the bill by 330 votes for to 275 against.

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British lawmakers push forward a divisive bill to legalize assisted dying – NPR

  1. British lawmakers push forward a divisive bill to legalize assisted dying  NPR
  2. UK Lawmakers Vote to Legalize Assisted Dying After Emotional Debate  The New York Times
  3. Assisted dying bill: Terminally ill people react after MPs vote  BBC.com
  4. Good palliative care can alleviate the pain of dying – this bill means Labour must fund it  The Guardian
  5. Tears and relief as MPs back assisted dying: 'I can die in peace now'  Sky News
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UAE Official Flies to Israel to Comfort Family of Rabbi Kogan – COLlive

  1. UAE Official Flies to Israel to Comfort Family of Rabbi Kogan  COLlive
  2. Senior UAE official flies to Israel to attend shiva for slain Chabad Rabbi Zvi Kogan  The Times of Israel
  3. Turkey reportedly arrested suspects in Israeli-Moldovan rabbi's killing in UAE as they left airport  The Associated Press
  4. U.A.E. Arrests 3 Uzbeks Linked to Murder of Israeli Rabbi  The New York Times
  5. NYT changes headline about murdered Dubai rabbi following public outcry: 'Call it for what it is'  Fox News
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Band Aid 40 fails to reach UK Top 40 in opening week

All-star version of Do They Know It’s Christmas?, spliced together from previous versions, falls short of the No 1 success of those earlier hits

The 40th anniversary version of Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? has failed to enter this week’s Top 40, reaching No 45.

The new version of the song was made up of performances spliced together from three previous versions, in an arrangement by producer Trevor Horn. But despite featuring the unusual A-list juxtaposition of George Michael, Sinead O’Connor, Chris Martin, One Direction and more, the new version has not yet matched the success of its predecessors, which each went straight to No 1 in 1984, 2004 and 2014.

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Romania: The specter of a hard-right majority looms large – DW (English)

  1. Romania: The specter of a hard-right majority looms large  DW (English)
  2. Belgium’s Romanians poised to propel the far right into power  POLITICO Europe
  3. Romania’s parliamentary vote risks being overshadowed by presidential race chaos  The Associated Press
  4. Romania Court Orders a Recount After Surprise Election Result  The New York Times
  5. Romanian Election Body To Recount Ballots From First Round Of Presidential Vote  Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
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UK ministers support bill to crack down on puppy smuggling

Bill aims to strengthen animal welfare by closing legal loopholes around imports of dogs, cats and ferrets

The government has thrown its weight behind a bill to crack down on puppy smuggling as part of a commitment to strengthening animal welfare.

Ministers announced on Friday that they were supporting a private member’s bill sponsored by Danny Chambers, a Liberal Democrat MP and veterinary surgeon, to crack down on the pet-smuggling trade.

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Girl, two, who drowned in bin in London was failed by council, coroner finds

Social workers declined to provide short-term foster care for Mazeedat Adeoye whose mother had overstayed visa

A two-year-old girl who drowned in a bin containing 9cm of water in a back garden in east London was a victim of “gross failures” largely by social workers, a coroner has concluded at an inquest.

At the time of her death, Mazeedat Adeoye was being cared for in Dagenham by an acquaintance of her mother, Balikis Adeoye, who had to stay in hospital with Mazeedat’s baby brother when he required urgent heart surgery.

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UK intelligence chief accuses Russia of ‘staggeringly reckless’ sabotage campaign – The Associated Press

  1. UK intelligence chief accuses Russia of ‘staggeringly reckless’ sabotage campaign  The Associated Press
  2. Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow behind ‘staggeringly reckless’ sabotage in Europe, MI6 chief says – as it happened  The Guardian
  3. UK spy chief says Russia behind 'staggeringly reckless' sabotage in Europe  Reuters
  4. Ukraine war latest: Make unoccupied Ukraine part of NATO to stop 'hot phase' of war, Zelenskyy says  Sky News
  5. Abandoning Ukraine means ‘infinitely higher’ long-term security costs, MI6 chief says  The Guardian
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Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem declares victory against Israel in televised speech – The Jerusalem Post

  1. Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem declares victory against Israel in televised speech  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Hezbollah chief says terror group ready to help build Lebanese Army’s capabilities  The Times of Israel
  3. Hizbollah chief vows to implement ceasefire with Israel in group’s heartland  Financial Times
  4. Hezbollah chief pledges to coordinate with army to implement truce  Reuters
  5. Hezbollah Says To Help Army Build Lebanon's Defensive Capacities  Barron's
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Irish election exit poll predicts even split between three main parties

Sinn Féin and Fine Gael both scored 21% in the poll, slightly ahead of Fianna Fáil on 19%

An exit poll in Ireland suggests a dead heat between Sinn Féin and the taoiseach’s party Fine Gael in the general election, with Fianna Fáil only slightly behind.

The survey of first preference votes is the first real indication of how Ireland voted after three weeks of canvassing in the snap election called by Simon Harris.

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Russia Moves to Cut Off Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants – The New York Times

  1. Russia Moves to Cut Off Ukraine’s Nuclear Power Plants  The New York Times
  2. Videos appear to show latest Russian aerial assault on Ukraine  CNN
  3. Biden reiterates US support for Ukraine after ‘horrific’ Russian attack  The Hill
  4. Russia rains missiles on Ukraine after Trump names new envoy to conflict  The Washington Post
  5. In pictures: Energy workers battling to keep the lights on in Ukraine  Reuters
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Romanian court defers decision on annulling presidential vote

Court has ordered recount of vote won by far-right candidate and will decide whether it needs to be rerun

Romania’s constitutional court has deferred a decision on whether to annul the first-round vote in the country’s presidential election until Monday, a day after parliamentary elections in which far-right parties are forecast to post major gains.

The court, which had already ordered a recount, considered for two hours on Friday a request to annul the 24 November vote, which was won by Călin Georgescu, a far-right, Moscow-friendly independent who had previously been polling at barely 5%.

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Leader of Ireland’s Social Democrats gives birth to baby girl on polling day

Holly Cairns announces birth of daughter on day of Ireland’s general election
Ireland’s election: the parties, the issues and the voting

The leader of Ireland’s Social Democrats party has announced the birth of a baby daughter on the day of the country’s general election.

Holly Cairns, who is standing for re-election in the Cork South-West constituency, posted on Instagram: “She’s here. We are completely in love with her.”

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Australian-style social media ban for under-16s ‘a retrograde step’, say UK charities

Child safety experts say similar move in Britain would penalise young people for the failings of tech companies

Child safety experts have warned the UK government against enacting an Australian-style social media ban for children under 16, which they called a “retrograde step” that would “do more harm than good”.

On Thursday, Australia became the first country in the world to ban under-16s from using social media platforms. The move was supported by a large majority of the Australian public – but academics, politicians and child rights groups said it could backfire, driving teenagers to the dark web, or make them feel more isolated.

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