Man guilty of murdering couple before dumping remains on bridge
A man has been found guilty of murdering a couple before dumping their remains in suitcases near Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.
Yostin Andres Mosquera, 35, was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of murdering civil partners Albert Alfonso, 62, and Paul Longworth, 71, in July last year in their flat in Scotts Road, Shepherd’s Bush, west London. He then dumped their remains in suitcases near Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol.
Mosquera, who was staying with the couple, “decapitated and dismembered” them, froze parts of their remains and put the rest in luggage, according to the prosecution.
He is alleged to have repeatedly stabbed Alfonso, who suffered injuries to his torso, face and neck. Longworth was attacked with a hammer to the back of his head and his skull was shattered, jurors heard.
Alfonso enjoyed “extreme sex”, and Mosquera, whom he met online years earlier, was part of that world, jurors heard.
The 62-year-old was stabbed to death during a filmed session. The court was shown footage of Mosquera singing and dancing in the aftermath of the attack.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said that Mosquera planned to hurl the suitcases over the bridge to dispose of the remains after the “calculated” and “premeditated” killings.
Mosquera admitted to killing Alfonso but claimed it was manslaughter by reason of loss of control. He pleaded not guilty to murdering the men and instead insisted Alfonso killed Longworth.
He alleged that he feared for his own life and believed he was going to be killed when he stabbed Alfonso. He claimed he thought that Alfonso would do to him what he claims he had already done to Longworth, adding he felt “intimidated” and threats had been made to his family in Colombia.
His defence counsel suggested his actions after stabbing Alfonso, including singing and dancing, could be an outburst as he was overwhelmed by what had happened.
The jury deliberated for five hours and three minutes before they unanimously found Mosquera guilty.
The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan KC, said he would sentence Mosquera on 24 October after ordering a psychiatric report.
“I am not going to pass sentence on you today, although the only one I can pass on you is one of life imprisonment,” he said.
“I am going to order a psychiatric report on you. It is in your interests to cooperate with the psychiatrist so that I can decide the minimum term you are going to serve.”
The judge then acknowledged the difficult nature of this case for jurors, thanking them personally: “We put serious demands on jurors, in this case more than most.
“It went on much longer than the two weeks you were expecting. In this case, you have had to look at a very tough video.
“They were terrible, brutal events, and to read about it is a dreadful thing – but to see it is really shocking. If you do want to seek help, then speak to the court staff – above all, thank you.”
Detective chief inspector Ollie Stride of the Metropolitan Police described it as “one of the most harrowing murder investigations” he had ever dealt with.
The senior investigating officer in the case told PA: “I think certainly this is probably one of the most traumatic, harrowing murder investigations I’ve dealt with by virtue of that video, and the fact that it took place during their sexual activity in their own home.”
Double decker bus crashes into bridge in Manchester
Emergency services declared a major incident after a double decker bus had its roof ripped off after crashing into a bridge in Manchester.
Greater Manchester Police said they were responding to a collision between a bus and a bridge at the junction of Barton Road and Trafford Road in Eccles around 3pm on Monday.
“Emergency services are currently on scene as part of the ongoing work. Please avoid the area as road closures are currently in place.”
At least 15 people were injured, North West Ambulance Service, who received a call around 3pm, declared a major incident shortly afterwards and treated people at the scene.
Footage circulated on social media appears to show a yellow double decker bus hitting a bridge with a 3.5m height limit signposted on it.
Some 10 emergency ambulances, advanced paramedics, the Hazard Area Response Team (HART) and colleagues from North West Air Ambulance attended the scene.
Patients were taken to Salford Royal and Manchester Royal Infirmary hospitals. The ambulance service stood down the major incident status around 4.22pm, but continue to remain on scene.
Transport for Greater Manchester confirmed the bus was a 100 service and was in operation at the time of the incident.
Vernon Everitt, Transport commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with everyone on board the bus. Our absolute focus has been on supporting emergency services in their response, with some people treated at the scene and some taken to hospital.
“An immediate and urgent investigation into the circumstances is underway and we are working closely with the investigation team at Greater Manchester Police and the bus operator, Stagecoach.
“This is clearly a distressing situation for everyone involved and we’d like to thank emergency services for their swift response.”
Road closures have been put in place and the area remains busy. An investigation is underway at the scene and the damaged bus has been removed from the scene.
The transport operator warned some local congestion might take place as diversions were put in place into the evening.
“In order to support people making journeys in the area, bus tickets are being accepted on the Eccles and Trafford Park Metrolink lines while road diversions are in place,” the operator said.
Police responded to a similar incident in which a double decker bus crashed into the bridge on Eccles Lane back in April 2023.
Wimbledon tennis site set to triple in size as campaigners lose high court battle
Plans to almost triple the size of the Wimbledon tennis site are set to proceed after a campaign group’s legal challenge against the decision to approve the proposals was dismissed by a High Court judge.
The proposals, submitted by the All England Club, would see the construction of 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on the grounds of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club, which would allow it to host Wimbledon qualifiers on site.
Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) took legal action against the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) decision to grant planning permission last year.
Barristers for SWP told the High Court earlier this month that the decision to approve the plans was “irrational” and should be quashed, as Wimbledon Park – a Grade II*-listed heritage site partly designed by Lancelot “Capability” Brown – was covered by restrictions on how it could be used.
The GLA and the All England Club defended the challenge, with the court told that the decision was a “planning judgment properly exercised” and that the restrictions were not “material”.
In a ruling on Monday, Mr Justice Saini dismissed the challenge.
He said: “In short, the defendant’s decision on the relevance of deliverability, applying to both the statutory trust and the restrictive covenants, was a planning judgment rationally exercised and having regard to appropriate and relevant factors.”
The proposals would see seven maintenance buildings, access points, and an area of parkland with permissive public access constructed, in addition to the courts and associated infrastructure.
They would also include work on Wimbledon Lake, which would involve building a boardwalk around and across it.
After Merton Council approved the plans, but Wandsworth Council rejected them, the Mayor of London’s office took charge of the application, but Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan recused himself from the process after previously expressing public support for the development.
Planning permission for the scheme was granted by Jules Pipe, London’s deputy mayor for planning, who said that the proposals “would facilitate very significant benefits” which “clearly outweigh the harm”.
Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said at the time that the proposals would deliver 27 acres of “newly accessible parkland for the community”, and would allow the qualifying tournament for Wimbledon – currently staged at Roehampton – to be held on site.
In written submissions, Sasha White KC said that the All England Club acquired the freehold for the golf course in 1993 and the leasehold in 2021.
The barrister told the two-day hearing in London that the land was subject to a “statutory trust requiring it to be kept available for public recreation use” and that when the freehold was acquired, the club entered into “restrictive covenants” governing its use.
He said this meant any plans could not “restrict its use so as not to impair the appreciation of the general public of the extent or openness of the golf course land”.
He continued that separate High Court proceedings were ongoing over whether a statutory trust existed, and that if it does, the All England Club has “accepted” that this is “incompatible with the development of the proposal”.
In court, he said: “You could not have a more protected piece of land within the planning system, frankly.”
Mark Westmoreland Smith KC, for the GLA, said in written submissions that Mr Pipe received “detailed advice” over the “relevance” of the “alleged” trust and covenants, and made his decision on the assumption that they existed.
The barrister said that the decision was a “planning judgment properly exercised and having regard to the appropriate and relevant factors”.
He said: “Officers advised that the alleged obstacle that they may present to delivery of the development was not itself a material consideration which should weigh against the grant of planning permission.”
In his written arguments, Russell Harris KC, for the All England Club, said that planning officers “acknowledged and had regard to” the trust and covenants, but deemed they were not “material”.
Trump team bars WSJ from Scotland trip after Epstein report: Latest
The White House has removed a Wall Street Journal reporter from joining President Donald Trump on his visit to Scotland this week, following the paper’s report on his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein last week.
This follows the president’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the newspaper and the journalists who wrote the story, as well as right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch and parent companies News Corp and Dow Jones.
Meanwhile, an Epstein accuser twice told the FBI that Trump had ties to the disgraced financier, according to a new report.
Maria Farmer said she urged the bureau to investigate people in Epstein’s social circle, including Trump, in 1996 and again in 2006 after a “troubling encounter” at Epstein’s office in 1995, she told The New York Times. The White House denied that Trump ever visited Epstein’s office.
The report lands amid MAGA backlash over the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein case. Amid the fallout, Democrats have accused Trump of trying to “change the subject” by promoting Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’sconspiracy theory involving former President Barack Obama being linked to the origins of the Russia investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Pentagon to withdraw 700 Marines from Los Angeles
Seven hundred Marines sent to Los Angeles will leave the city, the Pentagon said Monday.
The Marines were sent to the city in June alongside 4,000 National Guard soldiers in response to protests over the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration raids around the city.
They primarily guarded federal buildings.
Last week, the Pentagon said the deployment would end for 2,000 National Guard troops. The rest remain.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the military presence “sent a clear message: lawlessness will not be tolerated.”
Trump threatens NFL stadium deal unless Washington Commanders change name back to Redskins
President Donald Trump is threatening to scuttle the Washington Commanders’ new Washington, D.C. stadium deal if the team refuses to change its name back to the “Redskins.”
After rebranding the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America earlier this year, the president is now calling for the Washington Commanders and the Cleveland Guardians to revert their names to the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians, respectively.
But his demands for the Commanders comes with a threat: go back to the Redskins, or lose your stadium.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Trump threatens stadium deal for Washington Commanders over Redskins name
ICE Barbie’ gets a challenger — a snake-hunting Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has a challenger in Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who took to X to show off a snake-hunting adventure in true ICE Barbie fashion.
Rollins shared photos from a python hunt in the Florida Everglades that she participated in on Sunday, with the caption, “Look what you made me do!” an apparent reference to Taylor Swift’s Reputation album.
Rachel Dobkin has the story.
AG Secretary Brooke Rollins takes to X to show off snake-hunting adventure
Exclusive: Don Jr. and Eric Trump’s Middle East jaunt cost US taxpayers over $40,000 in hotel rooms and rental cars
Amid wanton budget cuts by the Trump Administration that put thousands of government employees out of work, canceled school lunch programs for needy kids and zeroed out funding for crucial research into cancer, U.S. taxpayers shelled out for rental cars and hotel rooms as the president’s two eldest sons pursued private business deals in the Middle East.
Federal procurement data reviewed by The Independent shows more than $40,000 in disbursements by the Secret Service, whose agents accompanied Don Jr. and Eric Trump to Qatar and Saudi Arabia this spring, underwritten by the American public.
Justin Rohrlich reports.
Trump sons’ Mideast jaunt cost taxpayers over $40,000 in hotels and rental cars
Trump administration releases FBI records on Martin Luther King Jr, despite opposition from family
The Trump administration has released thousands of FBI records on Martin Luther King Jr., despite opposition from his family and the civil rights group King led until his 1968 assassination.
The estimated 200,000 pages detailing the slain Nobel laureate’s surveillance had been under a court-imposed seal since 1977, when the FBI first gathered and transferred them to the National Archives and Records Administration.
King’s two living children, Martin III and Bernice, received advance notice; their teams reviewed the documents before they were made public.
In a lengthy statement, they described their father’s case as a “captivating public curiosity for decades” but called for “empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.” They stressed the personal nature of the matter, urging that “these files must be viewed within their full historical context.”
With reporting from the AP
Jon Stewart shares fears for Daily Show’s future
Jon Stewart gave an ominous warning about the future of his show just hours before Stephen Colbert’s Late Show was canceled as Stewart had expressed uncertainty about the future of his own program.
CBS confirmed last week it was bringing the long-running Late Show to an end in 2026, blaming “financial decisions.” But the move comes amid ongoing concerns about the impact of the looming Skydance-Paramount merger, that will require the approval of the Trump administration. Stewart was asked about the merger on his Thursday podcast.
“They may sell the whole f******* place for parts. I just don’t know,” the Stewart said on The Weekly Show. “We’ll deal with it when we do.”
Madeline Sherratt reports.
Jon Stewart shares fears for Daily Show’s future after Colbert’s Late Show axed
Harvard lawyers tell judge Trump team ‘cooked up’ legal basis to go after university funding
Attorneys for Harvard University have accused Donald Trump’s administration of having “cooked up” a bogus legal basis to pull $2.6 billion in federal funding from the nation’s oldest university.
In a court hearing on Monday, the university’s legal team accused the administration of “blatant, unrepentant” First Amendment violations with its list of demands to “address bias, improve viewpoint diversity, and end ideological capture,” including reviewing departments that “fuel antisemitic harassment.”
“It’s the constitutional third rail, or it should be, for the government to insist it can engage in viewpoint discrimination,” said Harvard’s attorney Steven Lehotsky, arguing that the administration is threatening the university’s independence.
Alex Woodward is following the case.
Trump team ‘cooked up’ legal basis to go after Harvard funding, judge hearz
Marjorie Taylor Greene says Trump will lose his MAGA base if Epstein files are not released
Marjorie Taylor Greene hinted that if the Department of Justice does not release more information about convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the president’s MAGA base will turn on him.
Without naming Epstein, the Georgia Republican Representative seemed to issue a warning to Trump, who has recently attempted to dismiss the so-called Epstein files as a Democratic “hoax,” drawing criticism from his supporters, many of whom believe the government is hiding information about Epstein’s associates.
Isabel Keane reports.
MTG says Trump will lose MAGA base if Epstein files are not released
Wall Street Journal booted from White House press trip to Scotland after Epstein report
A Wall Street Journal reporter was slated to be part of the travel pool this weekend when President Donald Trump travels to Scotland but was removed from the list after the paper’s Epstein story last week.
Here’s Alex Woodward with the latest:
WSJ booted from White House press trip after Epstein report
Biographer says Laura Loomer kept around because she hits the ‘trifecta’ in Trump’s loyalty test
The seamlessness with which far-right activist Laura Loomer fits in with President Donald Trump’s inner circle has made her an easy ally to keep around, a former Trump biographer says.
Loomer, 32, has created controversy with her Islamophobic claims but her abiding devotion to the president has led to her having an apparent sway in the firing of some senior officials.
It’s been widely reported that many of Trump’s closest officials are not fans of Loomer, who they see as unpredictable, and aides have attempted to keep Loomer at arms-length from the president.
But Michael Wolff, the author of four books about Trump’s presidency, says Loomer has the “trifecta” of what the president wants in an ally.
Ariana Baio has the story.
Laura Loomer hits the ‘trifecta’ in Trump’s loyalty test, biographer says
The Observer apologises for ‘racist’ cartoon of Zarah Sultana
The Observer has apologised and taken down a cartoon portraying Zarah Sultana after the former Labour MP accused the publication of racism.
The newspaper’s cartoon of the week depicted Ms Sultana on the front of a box of raisins in the style of the brand Sun-Maid as part of a mock invite to a Jeremy Corbyn party following news that the two were forming their own political party.
Ms Sultana said of the caricature: “Brownfacing a box of raisins and mocking my surname. Exactly what you’d expect from a right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP” in reference to cartoonist Saffron Swire, daughter of Sir Hugo Swire.
She later called the cartoon “racist trash” in a separate post.
In response, a spokesperson from The Observer said on Monday: “We are genuinely sorry for any offence caused and we are in the process of removing the cartoon.”
Ms Swire’s cartoon depicted Mr Corbyn dressed in a bright red jumpsuit with hammer and sickle decorations, in which the former labour leader said from a speech bubble: “Let’s paint the town red!”
As well as the depiction of Ms Sultana on the raisin box, there was a picture of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital in the cartoon, with the slogan “with goodie bags for the many (not the few)”.
Ms Sultana responded to The Observer’s apology, calling it “mealy-mouthed.” She added it “refuses to call it what it is: racism.
“It doesn’t even have the decency to name me, let alone offer a direct apology,” she continued. “Supine journalism from The Observer, but sadly that’s what we’ve come to expect from the mainstream media.”
Ms Sultana resigned from Labour earlier this month to form a political party with Mr Corbyn, which still has no name. Rumours suggested early on that the Islington North MP had not fully committed to join after he was initially quiet.
Mr Corbyn broke his silence to declare: “Real change is coming.
“One year on from the election, this Labour government has refused to deliver the change people expected and deserved. Poverty, inequality and war are not inevitable. Our country needs to change direction, now.
“Congratulations to Zarah Sultana on her principled decision to leave the Labour Party. I am delighted that she will help us build a real alternative.”
He added: “The democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape. Discussions are ongoing – and I am excited to work alongside all communities to fight for the future people deserve.
“Together, we can create something that is desperately missing from our broken political system: hope.”
Ms Sultana had the whip removed from her while she was a Labour MP last year after voting to scrap the two child benefit cap.
When my friends were facing cancer, a community of people stepped up
When I was younger, I used to worry incessantly about my parents getting cancer. I’d lay awake at night, ruminating on what would happen to my brother and I if they did. Who would support us? Thankfully, both are still cancer-free, well into their seventies.
However, now that I’m a parent myself, I worry about my children. Many people believe that cancer only really happens to people in old age, but that’s just not true. One beloved friend’s daughter died of leukaemia in 2020, aged just five; an unthinkable horror that changed the lives of everyone who knew her and her family.
And with Macmillan Cancer Support reporting that almost 3.5 million people in the UK are living with cancer, I also worry about my friends – parents themselves, their lives touched by cancer. One friend sat me down in our favourite local café, our toddlers playing at our feet, to break the news that she was about to undergo a double mastectomy. We cried together.
Another friend, Sarah, a single parent to two teenage girls, was diagnosed with breast cancer the day before we heard that King Charles had cancer, and a month before the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, announced her own diagnosis in March last year. It seemed like cancer was everywhere.
As a result, Sarah put 2024 on hold – she missed her daughter’s last sports day and last concert at primary school and had to find a whole new way of co-ordinating family life.
“I’m lucky in some ways that my children are teenagers, so they are able to look after themselves to some degree – but I’m also a single parent, so there are some things that they can’t do, or struggle with, due to their age,” she tells me.
“I have even set up multiple alarms on our Alexa reminding them to put their packed lunches in their bags or leave for school, just in case I can’t get up.”
Sarah says she thought she knew quite a lot about cancer prior to her diagnosis, but now admits she “really didn’t”. She explains: “There are so many terms and procedures to understand – stages and grades, not to mention over 100 different chemotherapy drugs.”
Sarah tells me about the exhausting cumulative effect of chemotherapy, which she endured every three weeks during her cancer treatment: “After the very first lot, I slept for a few hours and felt much better pretty quickly. For my last rounds, I slept for 48 hours solid and even days later, I needed to have a nap in the middle of the day and was in bed by 8pm.”
Sarah’s now finished chemotherapy and, a year on from her diagnosis, is turning 50. She’s throwing a huge party to celebrate not only the birthday milestone, but getting over this “annus horriblis” – a year she couldn’t have gotten through without the people around her.
“People can do so much for us when we are unwell – and I am forever grateful,” she says. “I’ve been really overwhelmed by the support that my friends have given me; from ferrying around my children to and from after-school events and sleepovers when things get bad, to my 75-year-old neighbour mowing the lawn. One friend popped round with a huge pot of pasta sauce and I even had a gift box from a recruiter at work.”
What talking to my strong, resilient friends about their cancer journeys has made me realise most, is the power of community: for when we receive the worst news imaginable, what we need is people around us to see us through. A community of other women: friends, school mums, neighbours.
They had people willing to make them food, pick up their children, go shopping for them or to just sit with them and listen. They had support when they decided to raise money for cancer support charities, when they did fundraisers such as hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning.
It takes a village to raise a child – and that village will be with you every step of the way when you need them most.
Find out how you can help raise vital funds by hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning. Sign up now on the Macmillan website
Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.
Ukraine latest: Moscow opens door to Trump-Putin meeting in China
Europe has promised more air defence systems and ammunition for Ukraine hours after Kyiv was hit by another barrage of Russian drones and missiles overnight.
Speaking at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on Monday, UK defence secretary John Healey said Ukraine and its allies stand at a moment of “maximum opportunity” to bolster Kyiv for negotiations to end the war. He called on the UK and other allies to use Donald Trump’s 50-day ultimatum to Vladimir Putin to start a “50-day drive” to arm Ukraine ahead of any talks.
Politico reported London and Berlin confirmed that Germany will spend €170 million in UK-led procurement of air defence ammunition for Kyiv.
The announcement comes only hours after Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months, launching 450 drones and missiles, according to Ukraine’s air force.
The hours-long attack killed two people and wounded 15, including a 12-year-old, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The heaviest strikes hit Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, where a kindergarten, supermarket and warehouse facilities caught fire. In Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, a drone struck the entrance to a subway station where people had taken cover.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Vladimir Putin would visit Beijing for events to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two in September, and said there could be a meeting with Donald Trump if he is there too.
Italy cancels concert with pro-Putin conductor Gergiev
Italian authorities have cancelled a classical concert scheduled for Sunday following criticism over the attendance of a top Russian conductor shunned in the West since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Valery Gergiev, who is widely regarded as close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, had been expected to lead an Italian orchestra and soloists from St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, which he heads, on 27 July.
The Reggia di Caserta, a grand 18th-century palace near Naples which had been due to host the concert, said in a short statement on Monday that the event had been called off. It gave no reason.
The performance had drawn criticism last week from Italian politicians and international activists, including the wife of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who called Gergiev an “accomplice” of Putin.
The cancellation is “good news. Not joyful, but good. No artist who supports the current dictatorship in Russia should be welcomed in Europe,” Yulia Navalnaya wrote on X.
Gergiev, 72, received “no information” about the cancellation, Russian state-run news agency TASS quoted him as saying. The conductor did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The Russian ambassador to Italy, Alexei Paramonov, lamented on Facebook that Italy had caved in to the pro-Ukraine “lobby”, adding: “Those who think that the cancellation of Gergiev’s concert will harm Russia are deeply mistaken.”
Watch: Inside Russia’s suicide drone factories as Putin ramps up weapon production to pound Ukraine
Russian TV shows teenagers at ‘world’s biggest drone factory’ making arms to hit Ukraine
A Russian factory, described by its director as the world’s biggest maker of strike drones, has been shown on the Russian army’s TV channel with teenagers helping make kamikaze drones to attack Ukraine.
The footage, in a documentary film broadcast by the Zvezda channel on Sunday, showed hundreds of large black completed Geran-2 suicide drones in rows inside the secretive facility, which has been targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones.
Ukraine says Russia has used the Geran drones to terrorise and kill civilians in locations including the capital Kyiv, where residents often shelter in metro stations during attacks.
Russia says its drone and missile strikes target only military or military-related targets and denies deliberately targeting civilians, more than 13,000 of whom have been killed in Ukraine since the war began in 2022, the United Nations says.
Zvezda said the Alabuga factory, in Russia’s Tatarstan region, invited school pupils to study at a college the factory runs nearby once they had completed ninth grade (aged 14-15) so that they could study drone manufacturing there and then work at the factory when they had finished college.
Young workers, including teenagers, were shown with their faces blurred out, studying computer screens or making and testing individual components, or assembling drones.
Timur Shagivaleyev, the factory’s general director, did not disclose detailed production figures. But he told Zvezda the initial plan had been to produce “several thousand Geran-2 drones” and that the factory was now producing nine times more than that. He did not say what period the figures referred to.
Next set of Ukraine-Russia peace talks planned for Wednesday in Turkey, Zelensky says
The next set of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia is planned for Wednesday in Turkey, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky quoted the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council as saying on Monday.
“Today I discussed with Rustem Umerov the preparation for a prisoner exchange and another meeting with the Russian side in Turkey,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “Umerov reported that the meeting is planned for Wednesday. More details will follow tomorrow.”
Umerov, now secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, headed the first two rounds of talks with Russia.
Russian Orthodox Church official to meet Pope Leo in Vatican, state news agency reports
Metropolitan Anthony, a senior cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church, was quoted by state news agency RIA as saying he would meet Pope Leo on Saturday.
The agency added, citing a source, that the meeting will take place in the Vatican.
Relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican have come under strain because of the war in Ukraine. Anthony is the chairman of the church’s department of external church relations.
Ukraine conducts widespread searches and arrests of anti-corruption officials
Ukrainian security services arrested officials from the country’s main anti-corruption agency on Monday and conducted dozens of searches, in a crackdown that the agency said went too far and had effectively shut down its entire mission.
The SBU security body said it had arrested one official at the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine as a suspected Russian spy and another over suspected business ties to Russia. Other NABU officials had ties to a fugitive Ukrainian politician’s banned party, the SBU said.
But NABU, which has embarrassed senior government officials with corruption allegations, said the crackdown went beyond state security issues to cover unrelated allegations such as years-old traffic accidents.
Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International said the searches showed that the authorities were exerting “massive pressure” on Ukraine’s corruption fighters.
NABU said at least 70 searches had been conducted by various Ukrainian law enforcement and security agencies in connection with 15 of its employees, and that these had taken place without the approval of a court.
“In the vast majority of cases, the grounds for these actions are the involvement of individuals in road traffic accidents,” the statement said, although it also added that some of the cases were about links to Russia.
Although the risk of Russian infiltration “remained relevant,” this could not be a justification to “halt the work of the entire institution”, NABU said in a statement.
Norway ready to fund more Ukraine air defences, PM says
Norway stands ready to help fund Patriot missile systems for Ukraine’s air defences, Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told reporters in Berlin on Monday.
Stoere spoke at a joint press conference with German chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Netherlands to make ‘substantial contribution’ to delivery of Patriots to Ukraine, according to reports
The Netherlands will make a “substantial contribution” to the delivery of US Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Monday, quoting Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans following consultations with other countries supporting Ukraine.
De Telegraaf added that what exactly the Netherlands will do remained unclear.
Zelensky names new ambassadors during Ukraine political shakeup
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed over a dozen new ambassadors on Monday, during a big shakeup that has seen him replace top cabinet officials and envoys to shore up relations with Washington and isolate Russia internationally.
The new envoys named on Monday include ambassadors to NATO members Belgium, Canada, Estonia and Spain, as well as major donor Japan and regional heavyweights South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
Zelensky launched a major government reshuffle last week, promoting Yulia Svyrydenko, 39, who had served as economy minister and is well known in Washington, to head the cabinet as prime minister.
Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna is set to become Ukraine’s new envoy to the United States, as Ukraine seeks to mend ties with the Trump administration.
In remarks to the diplomatic corps released by his office, Zelensky said envoys needed to support “everything that causes Russia pain for its war”.
“While the content of our relationship with America has transformed following the change in administration, the goal remains unchanged: Ukraine must withstand Russia’s strikes,” Zelensky said.
‘Putin wants us to panic’: How Russia has amped up its aerial strikes on Ukraine
‘Putin wants us to panic’: How Russia has amped up its aerial strikes on Ukraine
HRT supplier sanctioned after whistleblowers raise safety concerns
A major UK supplier of menopause drug HRT has been sanctioned after whistleblowers claimed patients were being put at risk, it has emerged.
A group of employees from Theramex, which supplies HRT treatments to millions of patients in the UK, wrote a letter to the pharmaceutical regulator Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry over allegations the company was not following regulatory standards and may “jeopardise” patient safety.
The whistleblowers claimed some products featured inaccurate prescribing information and failed to highlight common side effects. They claimed they had been forced to contact the regulator after their attempts to raise issues internally were brushed off.
The company has now admitted it breached regulatory codes, amounting to “bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in the pharmaceutical industry”, according to an interim case report from the ABPI. It also failed to maintain high standards and provide accurate and up-to-date prescribing information, the report said.
Theramex is a global pharmaceutical company specialising in women’s health products, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and fertility treatments. Theramex UK is its London-based arm.
It supplies common HRT therapies including Evorel, Bijuve and Intrarosa. From April to June 2025, there were 760,000 prescriptions of Evorel and 2,748 prescriptions of Bijuve, according to data from the NHS Business Services Authority. In 2023-24, there were 2.8 million prescriptions of Evorel.
One employee wrote the complaint on behalf of a group, according to the complaint published by the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority, which is part of the ABPI.
The complaint, filed in October 2024, said: “We are a group of employees from various cross-functional teams at Theramex, and we are writing to express our growing concerns regarding the company’s adherence to regulatory standards and the accountability of its leadership.
“While we have attempted to escalate these issues internally on numerous occasions, there has been a consistent lack of action or meaningful response, which leaves us with no choice but to seek external guidance and support.”
The complaint alleged that some of Theramex’s products, such as Intrarosa and Evorel, had not had their prescribing information updated. In the case of Evorel, information for health professionals was “incomplete” and did not include information on common side effects such as uterine spasms and vaginal infection, the letter claimed.
For another drug, the letter alleged that prescribing information had not been updated for five years.
The complaint warned: “This oversight can lead to healthcare professionals (HCPs) not being fully informed of potential risks, which could jeopardise patient safety.”
The PMCPA panel found Theramix’s “failure to provide accurate and complete prescribing information was unacceptable”.
The employees also alleged the company failed to comply with regulators for clinical trial compliance warning. “The lack of resources within Theramex’s global headquarters to ensure compliance with these standards is alarming,” it said.
Finally, the letter alleged the company has a “blame culture” that was “deeply concerning.”
In response to the complaint, Theramex UK said it took its obligations under the ABPI code of practice “very seriously” and launched an internal investigation.
It said that, although it had a process to update prescribing information, this was not sufficiently robust to ensure prescribing information was immediately updated.
The pharma company acknowledged it did not meet standards concerning this allegation and admitted that, at the time of the complaint, it did not have a process in place for clinical studies.
The employees’ letter claimed it had tried to escalate matters to senior leaders within Theramex. The company claimed it was not aware of any of the matters having been escalated internally prior to them being reported to the regulator.
As part of the sanction, Theramex must provide written confirmation that it will cease practices that breach codes, pay a charge and advertise details of the case.
Theramex UK said it “absolutely acknowledges” the recent ruling and “respects the [regulator’s] decision”. “Of course, we remain fully committed to ensuring our practices align with the highest ethical standards and necessary steps and corrective measures have been taken,” it said.