Spanish figure skater Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté said Tuesday that he may be able to skate his Minions-themed program at the Olympics after all. He shared on Instagram that Universal is allowing him to use the music from its popular animated franchise for the “special occasion” and said he is working to clear the remaining hurdles.
“There are still a couple things to be tied up with the other 2 musics of the program but we are so close to accomplishing it!” Guarino Sabaté wrote in his update thanking his supporters. “I’m so happy to see that the minions hitting Olympic ice is becoming real again!! I’ll keep you posted!”
A six-time Spanish national champion, Guarino Sabaté said on Monday that he had been informed Friday — exactly a week before the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Games — that the medley of “Minions” music he had skated to, while dressed in blue overalls and a yellow shirt, through the entirety of the season could not be used at the Olympics due to copyright issues. This meant that Guarino Sabaté, who had been set to make his Olympics debut with his Minions-themed short program on Feb. 10, would need to change his plans last minute. How bananas.
The cheery yellow creatures are a signature of Universal and Illumination’s “Despicable Me” film franchise. NBCUniversal owns the U.S. media rights to the Olympics.
“Finding out about this … so close to the most important competition of my life, was incredibly disappointing,” Guarino Sabaté wrote in his post sharing the initial news. “This season I competed with my Minions short program to bring joy and playful style to the ice while still meeting every required element to show that skating as a male Olympic figure skater can be fun. … Nevertheless, I will face this challenge head on and do my best to make the best of it.”
The Olympian said then that he had followed the proper procedures and submitted his music through the International Skating Union’s recommended rights clearance system in August. The situation has brought to attention to the complexities of music licensing and how it affects artistic sports like figure skating. Contemporary music is not in the public domain and skaters are responsible for clearing their own music.
For now, fans will just have to remain hopeful that Guarino Sabaté’s dream of bringing joyous Minion mayhem to the Olympic ice will come true in the end.
1 of 2 | A bereaved family member places a name tag on the remains of a family member who was killed during the Jeju Massacre. Photo courtesy of Jeju Provincial Office
JEJU ISLAND, South Korea, Feb. 3 (UPI) — Seven sets of remains belonging to victims of an early Cold War massacre were returned to their families on South Korea’s resort island of Jeju on Tuesday, more than seven decades after they disappeared amid the government’s bloody crackdown on a communist revolt.
The remains of the seven Jeju Massacre victims arrived at Jeju International Airport from Gimpo at about 2 p.m. local time Tuesday, where they were received by Jeju Gov. Oh Young-hoon, heads of various Jeju Massacre-related organizations and representatives of the bereaved families.
“I pray for the repose of the seven victims who had to lie without names for so many years, and I offer my words of comfort to the families who endured time without knowing the fate of their loved ones,” Oh said in his memorial address.
An estimated 30,000 islanders were killed between 1947 and 1954 during South Korea’s bloody anti-communist eradication campaign that literally decimated the island’s population of 300,000 and razed hundreds of villages.
Thousands of people went missing during the massacre, symbolized by the Cemetery of the Missing within the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park, just south of Jeju City, where nearly 4,000 tombstones are etched with the names of islanders who disappeared during the seven-year period and are presumed dead.
Hundreds were executed and buried en masse at what is now known as Jeju International Airport following trumped-up court-martial trials, while more than 2,000 disappeared into the mainland prison system.
Since the mid-2000s, the Jeju government has spearheaded a program to find the bodies of those who went missing and identify them.
A total of 426 sets of remains have been exhumed, 387 from excavation sites at the Jeju International Airport, with the remainder found elsewhere on the island and on the mainland.
Three of the victims have been named as Kim Sa-rim, Yang Dal-hyo and Kang Du-nam, who were identified from remains excavated at the Golryeonggol, Daejeon, site, where roughly 1,400 sets of remains of civilians massacred during the Korean War have been recovered overall.
The remains of Im Tae-hoon and Song Du-seon were excavated from the Gyeongsan Cobalt Mine, where prisoners were executed when the Korean War began, marking the first time remains excavated at the Cobalt Mine have been identified.
Only one other body excavated from the Daejeon site has been confirmed as a victim of the Jeju Massacre — Kim Han-hong, who was returned to the island in 2023.
The final two sets of remains, excavated from Jeju International Airport, belonged to Song Tae-woo and Kang In-gyeong.
After arriving on Jeju, the remains were transported to the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park for an event to return them to the island, commemorate them and console their bereaved families, according to the Jeju provincial government. Some 200 people were in attendance.
“We have finally found our family member who was sacrificed without any crime,” Kang Jun-ho, the grandson of the late Song Du-seon, said.
“It is very late, but I am thankful that he has regained his name.”
In Jeju dialect, he said: “Grandfather, you’ve come home. Rest easy now.”
The Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation identified the remains in a statement, stating Kim Sa-rim, of Iho Village, Jeju City, was 25 when he was captured by government suppression forces in February 1949 while living as a refugee on Mt. Halla, after which his family only received rumors that he had been transferred to a prison.
Yang Dal-hyo, a 26-year-old farmer in Doryeon Village, went missing in June 1948. His family learned he was detained at the Jeju Distillery detention camp. After they were able to visit him once, they lost contact with Yang Dal-hyo.
Kang Du-nam, of Yeongdon Village, 24, was last heard of around October 1948 while he was living as a refugee on Mt. Halla, and then imprisoned at Daejeon Prison around July 1949.
Im Tae-hoon, 20, of Sogil Village, was detained by police in December 1948 and was imprisoned in Mokpo before being transferred to Daegu Prison and then executed at the cobalt mine.
Song Du-seon, 29, of Donghong Village, was arrested by police in the spring of 1949 and imprisoned at Daegu Prison in July of that year.
Song Tae-woo, 17, of Ora Village, was detained by suppression forces while living as a refugee on Mt. Halla in November 1948. After that, there were only accounts of him having been thrown into the sea or killed at the airport.
Kang In-gyeong, 46, of Sangmyeong Village, was detained by police in June 1950 with the outbreak of the Korean War. It was believed that he was killed at an ammunition depot in southern Moseulpo, though he was among those excavated from Jeju International Airport.
The identification process involves matching DNA from the excavated bones with that taken from blood samples of Jeju residents. The foundation has told UPI that some 2,600 people have donated blood samples.
Not only blood samples from direct descendants but from collateral relatives can be used to identify remains, the Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation said, as it encourages more people to participate in the program.
It said the blood samples from nephews were “decisive” in identifying victims Kim Sa-rim and Im Tae-hoon, as were blood samples from grandsons in identifying the other five victims.
“Jeju Province will continue to exert its utmost efforts to find even a single remaining victim and return them safely to the embrace of their families,” Gov. Oh said.
With the seven recently identified remains, a total of 154 Jeju victims have been identified from the 426 excavated sets of remains, including 147 within Jeju and seven on the mainland.
A new blood sampling drive is being held from Monday through Nov. 30 at Halla Hospital in Jeju City and Yeollin Hospital in Seogwipo City.
“I met my father yesterday for the first time in 79 years,” Yang Gye-chun, the son of the late Yang Dal-hyo said, according to a statement from the Jeju government.
The remains were cremated at Sejong Eunhasu Park on the mainland, before being returned to Jeju.
“I’ve lived without knowing where or how he died, and how glad I am to finally see his face today,” Yang said. “Now that he has come all the way back to his hometown of Jeju, I hope we may meet my mother in heaven and rest peacefully.”
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Video has emerged that is said to show a Russian-made Mi-28NE Havoc attack helicopter flying over the Iranian capital Tehran. Last week, pictures had also appeared online that looked to show at least one Mi-28NE in Iran. The arrival of Havocs in Iran might also point to the delivery of weapons and other materiel from Russia, or plans to do so soon, amid a new spike in geopolitical friction between the Middle Eastern country and the United States.
TWZ has not been able to independently confirm where and when the footage in question, seen in the social media post above, was taken. However, the pictures that began circulating online last week look to have taken at a hangar belonging to Iran’s Pars Aerospace Services Company (PASC). Situated at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, PASC is tied to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and is subject to sanctions in the United States and other Western countries.
One of the pictures that began circulating online last week said to show an Mi-28 in Iran. via X
🇷🇺🇮🇷 It is believed that Iran has received the first batch of Mil Mi-28NE attack helicopters ordered in Russia.
Photos of a Mil Mi-28 helicopter in digital desert camo stationed in a hangar have emerged on social media.
— Status-6 (War & Military News) (@Archer83Able) January 28, 2026
Geo-Location of the warehouse where the recently delivered to Iran Mil-28 helicopter photo is taken. Pars Aerospace Services Company in Tehran. 35.69899, 51.29459 pic.twitter.com/VV7ruGVPWj
In addition, on January 3, Iranian journalist Mohamad Taheri wrote “Inshallah you have a good military service,” according to a machine translation of a Persian-language post on X, which included a stock picture of an Mi-28 wearing a two-tone desert camouflage scheme. Taheri has been associated with Iran’s quasi-official Tasnim News Agency. Tasnim was among the first to report on a possible Iranian acquisition of Havocs, as well as Su-35 Flanker fighters and Yak-130 jet trainers, all the way back in 2023. The Yak-130s appeared in Iran that same year. There had been talk of a batch of Su-35s originally built for Egypt, but that were never delivered, being sent instead to the Iranians. However, at least some of those jets appeared instead in Algeria last year.
The two-seat Mi-28 traces back to before the fall of the Soviet Union, with the original variant making its first flight in the 1980s. The project was shelved in the 1990s and then subsequently revived. The first version to enter actual operational service was the Mi-28N in the late 2000s. Russia subsequently introduced an NE export version, different subvariants of which have been delivered to foreign customers in the past. A further upgraded NM variant for the Russian military was also developed in the 2010s, but has been slow to enter operational service. You can read more about the Mi-28 family in this past TWZ feature.
An example of the latest Mi-2NM variant. Russian Ministry of DefenseMi-28NEs in Iraqi service. The nose of an Mi-24 Hind gunship is also seen at right. Iraqi Army
Mi-28s are armed with a 30mm automatic cannon in a turret under the nose and can carry various munitions, including anti-tank guided missiles and unguided rockets, on four pylons, two on each of a pair of stub wings on either side of the fuselage. The default sensor suite on the Mi-28N includes a mast radar and a turreted infrared video camera under the nose.
The exact configuration of any Mi-28s for Iran, and how many the country may have ordered in total, is unclear. The recently emerged video is too low quality to see any fine details, though it does appear to be fitted with a mast-mounted radar that has been lacking on certain other export versions of the Havoc. The still pictures show a partially disassembled helicopter, which also makes it very difficult to assess the overall configuration. The images do not offer a clear view of the nose, either, where various sensors, as well as the turreted main gun, are located.
Russian Helicopters, the main helicopter conglomerate in Russia today, also notably unveiled a further improved NE variation in 2018 that was said to incorporate lessons learned from the conflict in Syria. This included a directional infrared countermeasure system to provided add defense against incoming heat-seeking missiles, as well as other survivability improvements. It had new engine air filters, a particularly desirable feature for operations in desert environments, and a digital camouflage scheme, as well. The Mi-28 seen in the pictures that emerged last week looks to have the air filters, though they are covered by tarps, and has a digital paint job.
An image reportedly depicting an Mi-28NE attack helicopter recently delivered from Russia to Iran, featuring digital desert camouflage and lacking specialized screen-exhaust devices (SEDs), also known as infrared signature suppressors. https://t.co/e6AZK0g7OWpic.twitter.com/Etc5eo4RPo
New Mi-28s in any configuration would be a notable addition to the Iranian arsenal. The main attack helicopter in service in Iran today is the AH-1J International Cobra, which the country first acquired during the reign of the Shah. The Islamic Republic has made some upgrades to its AH-1 fleet since the 1970s, with the resulting helicopters variously referred to as Toufans or Panha 2091s. However, at their core, these are American-made helicopters that are increasingly difficult for the current regime in Tehran to sustain. The Havoc is more survivable overall and can carry a greater weapons load, as well.
IR Iran unveils Toufan 2 helicopter (upgraded Cobra)
If Iran’s Mi-28s feature the infrared sensor turret and the mast-mounted radar, the helicopters could offer an even greater boost in capability, even at night or in poor weather. That, in turn, could be valuable for responding to any kind of foreign ground incursion in the future, or to internal threats to the regime. At the same time, when an Iranian Havoc fleet might reach a level of real operational capability, and how well the country is able to sustain the helicopters going forward, remains to be seen. Moscow’s own demands in relation to the war in Ukraine have created additional challenges for foreign operators of Russian-made helicopters and other materiel.
As noted, the appearance of Mi-28s in Iran could also reflect larger deliveries of weapons and other materiel from Russia, or the potential for that to occur in the near future. In January, online flight tracking data showed at least five flights by Il-76 airlifters from Russia to Iran, which could have been carrying Havocs or other cargo. Those aircraft could also have been bringing cargo back to Russia from Iran, or carrying payloads both ways. Ties between Moscow and Tehran have grown, in general, in recent years, as Russia has found itself increasingly isolated globally over the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. There has been much talk of Iran receiving exchanges in kind for its support to the Russian war effort.
Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 shows at least five Russian Il-76 cargo aircraft flying to Tehran in the past 48 hours, pointing to a spike in undeclared Russian deliveries to Iran. pic.twitter.com/jLP8bz45iA
The Mi-28 imagery has come amid the backdrop of a new surge in geopolitical friction with the United States. Just today, American authorities announced that an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter flying from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea shot down an Iranian drone that had “aggressively approached” the ship. U.S. officials also accused the IRGC of harassing a U.S.-flagged merchant vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking earlier on Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirms the shoot down of an Iranian drone that was “acting aggressively” towards the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) today over the Arabian Sea, though states that President Trump remains committed to… pic.twitter.com/sVPzPjZIy8
When it comes to Mi-28s for Iran, evidence is growing that at least one of the helicopters has now been delivered, and more details may now continue to emerge.
The harrowing trial of Lucy Letby is explored in a new Netflix documentary, titled, The Investigation of Lucy Letby, which includes rare updates from her life in prison
Defiant Lucy Letby has insisted she will ‘not give up’ defending her innocence(Image: PA)
A letter sent by killer nurse Lucy Letby reveals a grave account of her life behind bars. The child murderer said ‘there are no words’ to convey her current ‘situation’ in a handwritten letter as she vowed to never give up on defending her ‘innocence’.
The new comments come via a letter to a friend shared as part of a chilling new Netflixdocumentary about her court case and ongoing appeals. Letby gives details of her prison conditions for the first time and speaks about how much she misses her pets, after she is seen on screen stroking a cat goodbye during her home arrests by police.
The friend, who has been anonymised in the programme, was given the onscreen name of Maisie. And in a letter she reads out, Letby said: “Maisie, there are no words to describe my situation, but knowing that I have your friendship regardless, is so important and special to me.”
She continues: “I have my own room and toilet. I’m able to shower each day and go outside for a walk. Getting outside is so important, even though it’s bit chilly. I miss Tigger and Smudge so much, it’s heartbreaking that they cannot understand why I’m no longer there. They must think I’m a terrible mummy.
“Mum and Dad are taking good care of them, though, and are, no doubt, spoiling them.” Poignantly, Letby added: “I’m trying to do all that I can to remain strong and positive. I’m determined to get through this. I will not give up.”
After sharing the note aloud, Letby’s friend Maisie then begins to cry on screen. She says that she no longer knows what to say to her friend who has been dubbed ‘The Angel of Death.’ “Up until the trial and verdict I would write to Lucy and she would write back. Now I don’t know what to say.”
Later in the film she says she still believes her friend even though there are some small doubts in her mind about her innocence.
Maisie said: “There’s always doubt, because as much as you know someone, you never know the whole of someone like they can still have things that you don’t know about them, but unless I saw actual evidence, I can’t believe it. I know that people think that I support a baby murderer, but she’s my friend and currently, in general, forever.”
Letby, 36, from Hereford, is serving 15 whole-life orders after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
She continues to plead her innocence and has a legal team working on a way to challenge her sentence.
In The Investigation Of Lucy Letby on Netflix viewers will see for the first time when she was first arrested in 2018, as police approached her whilst she was still in bed. She looks stunned as she is led away in a dressing gown after being told: “I’m arresting you on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.”
Police also set out in the documentary how they found evidence and used it to successfully prosecute Letby. She has failed twice in appeal.
The film may also show a more human side to Letby as she is also shown stroking her pet cat and in a police cell.
Mark McDonald who took over as Letby’s barrister in September 2024, also explains in the film why he thinks she should be freed. He was approached by Letby’s parents to help her and is now fighting to try to get her a retrial.
He tells the documentary: “We have to remember, no one saw her do anything wrong. There’s no CCTV. There was no motive.
“This was a unit in crisis. Nurses were crying at the end of this shift because of the stress, because of them being overworked, because of having so many babies on the unit and not having the staff or the resources to run it.”
* The Investigation Of Lucy Letby will be released globally on Netflix on February 4.
Feb. 3 (UPI) — Sen. Mitch McConnell was hospitalized Monday night after experiencing what his spokesperson said were “flu-like symptoms” over the weekend.
The 83-year-old Republican of Kentucky checked himself into a local hospital out of “an abundance of caution,” his spokesperson, David Popp, told Axios in a statement on Tuesday.
“His prognosis is positive and he is grateful for the excellent care he is receiving,” Popp said. “He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business.”
Popp issued the statement after McConnell missed Senate votes on Monday and Tuesday.
The longtime Republican leader, a polio survivor who turns 84 later this month, announced nearly a year ago that he would not seek re-election in 2026 and would retire at the end of his term.
The health of McConnell has raised concerns about his future in the Senate following a series of falls and hospitalizations over the last few years.
Prior to announcing his retirement, McConnell froze twice during press conferences, leading to concerns about him suffering from possible medical issues. He has not frozen in such a public manner since, but Politico reported that he is often seen needing assistance moving about the Capitol.
Thousands of people marched through Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, exactly one month since US forces abducted the couple in a bloody nighttime raid.
“Venezuela needs Nicolas!” the crowd chanted in Tuesday’s demonstration, titled “Gran Marcha” (The Great March).
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Thousands carried signs in support of the abducted president, and many wore shirts calling for the couple’s return from detention in a US prison.
“The empire kidnapped them. We want them back,” declared one banner carried by marchers.
Nicolas Maduro Guerra, the detained president’s son and a member of Venezuela’s National Assembly, addressed the crowds from a stage, stating that the US military’s abduction of his father on January 3 “will remain marked like a scar on our face, forever”.
“Our homeland’s soil was desecrated by a foreign army”, Maduro Guerra said of the night US forces abducted his father.
The march, called by the government and involving many public sector workers, stretched for several hundred metres, accompanied by trucks blaring music.
A demonstrator holds a placard during a rally to demand the US releases abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas, Venezuela [Maxwell Briceno/Reuters]
Local media outlet Venezuela News said the march was part of a “global day of action” to demand the couple’s release. Protesters showed their solidarity around the world, demonstrating under banners with slogans like “Bring them back” and “Hands off Venezuela”.
The international event united voices “from diverse ideological trends”, who agreed “that the detention of President Maduro and Cilia Flores represents a flagrant violation of international law and a dangerous precedent for the sovereignty of nations”, the news outlet said.
“We feel confused, sad, angry. There are a lot of emotions,” said Jose Perdomo, a 58-year-old municipal employee, who marched in Caracas.
Rodriguez has been walking a thin line since taking over as acting president, trying to appease Maduro’s supporters in government and accommodating the demands being placed on Caracas by US President Donald Trump.
Trump has said he is willing to work with Rodriguez, as long as Caracas falls in line with his demands, particularly on the US taking control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
Striking a conciliatory tone with Washington, and promising reform and reconciliation at home, Rodriguez has already freed hundreds of political prisoners and opened Venezuela’s nationalised hydrocarbons sector to private investment.
Earlier on Tuesday, hundreds of university students and relatives of political prisoners also marched in the capital, calling for the quick approval of an amnesty law promised by Rodriguez that would free prisoners from the country’s jails.
Legislation on the amnesty has not yet come before parliament.
MARGOT Robbie sparkles again at a Wuthering Heights premiere — with a diamond necklace and matching ring.
She wore a red Chanel velvet ballgown in Paris, then changed into a black corset dress for the after-party.
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Margot Robbie sparkles again at a Wuthering Heights premiere — with a diamond necklace and matching ringCredit: GettyMargot wore a red Chanel velvet ballgown in Paris, then changed into a black corset dress for the after-partyCredit: EPAMargot was seen warmly greeting fans despite the rainCredit: Splash
He even filled his married co-star’s dressing room with roses for Valentine’s Day while shooting the tragic love story.
His fellow Aussie Margot, who posed in a minidress for the latest cover of Vogue Australia, said she was bowled over by the romantic gesture — despite having only had her first son with husband Tom Ackerley, 35, four months earlier.
Interviewing each other for the magazine, Margot said: “You made my day and, as Heathcliff, filled my room with roses. It was so cute.
“I remember thinking on Valentine’s Day, ‘Oh he’s probably a very good boyfriend, ’cause there’s a lot of thoughtfulness in this’.
“You did a lot of very thoughtful things — it wasn’t just the gesture of the roses.”
Margot strikes a pose in her red Chanel velvet ballgown in ParisCredit: GettyMargot plays Cathy in upcoming Wuthering HeightsCredit: Getty
Palestinian women tell of harrowing experience at hands of Israeli military at reopened Rafah border crossing in Gaza.
Palestinian women have described a “journey of horror” as they passed through the Rafah border crossing on their way home to Gaza from Egypt, with the few allowed to enter the war-torn territory being separated from their children, handcuffed, blindfolded, and interrogated “under threat” for hours.
For the 12 Palestinian women and children allowed to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing on Monday, the journey back home was “long and exhausting, marked by waiting, fear and uncertainty”, Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Al Khalili said, reporting from Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
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The small group of returnees was subjected to harsh security procedures by Israeli forces who hold the power at the Rafah crossing to determine “when and if” people will be allowed to return to their homes in the Palestinian territory, Al Khalili said.
“They took everything from us. Food, drinks, everything. Allowing us to keep only one bag,” said one of the returnees, speaking to Al Jazeera about her ordeal at the hands of the Israeli military on Monday.
“The Israeli army called my mother first and took her. Then they called me, and took me,” the woman said.
“They blindfolded me and covered my eyes. They interrogated me in the first tent, asking why I wanted to enter Gaza. I told them I wanted to see my children and return to my country. They tried to pressure me psychologically, wanted to separate me from my children and force me into exile,” she said.
“After questioning me there, they took me to a second tent and asked political questions, which had nothing to do with [the journey]… They told me I could be detained if I didn’t answer. After three hours of interrogation under threat, we finally went on the bus. The UN received us; then we headed to Nasser Hospital. Thank God we were reunited with our loved ones,” she added.
Another member of the group, Huda Abu Abed, 56, told the Reuters news agency that passing through the Rafah border “was a journey of horror, humiliation and oppression”.
Accounts of being blindfolded, handcuffed and interrogated for hours by Israeli forces were given to reporters by three women, Reuters said.
Some 50 Palestinians had been expected to enter the enclave on Monday, but by nightfall, only 12 – three women and nine children – had been allowed through the reopened crossing by Israeli authorities, Reuters said, citing Palestinian and Egyptian sources.
Worse still, of the 50 people waiting to leave Gaza on Monday, mostly for critical medical treatment, only five patients with seven relatives escorting them managed to clear the Israeli inspections and cross into Egypt.
On Tuesday, just 16 more Palestinian patients were allowed to cross into Egypt via Rafah, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said, reporting from Khan Younis.
The numbers being allowed to cross at Rafah are far below the 50 Palestinians who Israeli officials said would be allowed to travel in each direction via the crossing every day, Khoudary said.
“There is no explanation as to why crossings are being delayed at Rafah,” Khoudary said. “The process is taking an extremely long time.”
“There are about 20,000 people waiting [in Gaza] for urgent medical attention abroad,” she added.
Survivors, including a seriously injured child, taken to hospital as state governor declares three days of mourning.
Published On 4 Feb 20264 Feb 2026
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A bus returning from a religious festival in northeast Brazil has veered off the road on a curve and overturned, killing at least 16 people, including four children, officials said.
The bus had been carrying about 60 people when it tipped over in the rural interior of Alagoas state on Tuesday, ejecting some passengers while others were trapped beneath the wreckage.
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The Alagoas regional government said in a statement that seven women, five men and four children were among those killed. The accident remains under investigation and was described as “highly complex”.
Brazilian media reported that the bus had been returning from celebrations for Our Lady of Candelaria, a religious festival in the state of Ceara that attracts thousands of devotees every February 2.
“The bus went off the road on a curve, overturned, and some people were thrown out,” said Colonel Andre Madeiro, director of the Alagoas Aviation Department, which took part in the rescue operation.
“Some were trapped under the vehicle. It was a very bad accident, even atypical,” he told a news conference.
Images posted on the X social media platform of the reported crash site featured a severely-mangled bus lying on its side as injured passengers sat nearby waiting for help.
Survivors of the crash, including a seriously injured child, were taken to hospital, where they remain under medical care.
Brazilian media reported that the bus had been returning from a religious festival when the accident occurred on Tuesday [Handout/Alagoas State government via AFP]
“I express my solidarity with the families and friends at this time of such great pain,” Governor Paulo Dantas wrote on social media. Three days of mourning will be observed in the state, he said.
Deadly road accidents are common in Brazil.
In October, 17 people died in the northeastern state of Pernambuco when a driver lost control of a bus.
More than 10,000 people died in traffic accidents in Brazil in 2024, according to the Ministry of Transportation, including in December 2024, when at least 32 people were killed when a passenger bus and a truck collided on a highway in southeastern Brazil’s state of Minas Gerais.
Also in 2024, a bus carrying a football team flipped on a road, killing three people.
Love Island All Stars has descended into chaos after Belle Hassan confronted Lucinda Strafford in a heated villa clash
Love Island’s Lucinda and Sean branded ‘fake’ in explosive All Stars row(Image: ITV)
Love Island stars Lucinda Strafford and Sean Stone have been branded “fake” in an explosive All Stars row.
The third instalment of the popular spin-off returned to ITV2 last month, bringing back familiar faces from previous series for another shot at romance.
Over recent weeks, audiences have been treated to explosive rows, surprising eliminations and numerous bombshell entrances. The latest shake-up saw six American contestants arrive, alongside the unveiling of villa USA.
However, conflict wasn’t far away as Belle Hassan and Sean found themselves at loggerheads after Sean opted to pursue Lucinda whilst Belle was in the other villa. Tensions reached boiling point on Monday (February 2), when Sean and Lucinda shared their first kiss in the secret garden, reports OK!.
During Tuesday’s (February 3) instalment, an angry Belle confronted Lucinda as she attempted to make amends. Belle interjected, stating: “I don’t want to hear that because it’s not true, is it? You’re not sorry.”
Lucinda responded: “I feel like what’s happened with me and Sean, when I came in, he was my top pick and there’s no doubt about that.”
Belle wasn’t convinced, particularly given Lucinda’s decision to couple up with Ciaran Diaries when she first arrived, after she wanted to “throw the girls off” regarding her preferences.
Challenging her directly, Belle demanded: “What’s real, Lucinda? What is real?” to which a taken-aback Lucinda replied: “Don’t start coming at me.”
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Belle didn’t hold back, saying: “What’s real? If we’re going to have a conversation, let’s be open and honest. What’s real? And let me get one thing straight, you’ve not once gave a f*** about my feelings or [made] me feel comfortable in this, so don’t expect that same thing from me cause that isn’t gonna happen.”
She added: “So, if this conversation you’ve wanted to have all day was for me to validate your s*** behaviour, that’s not gonna happen… This nice girl image just doesn’t wash, I see through it.”
Lucinda hit back, responding: “I don’t really respect you talking to me like that.”
Undeterred, Belle went on: “I don’t respect the way you’ve behaved since the first day you got here, so evidently we’re not going to be on the same page ever… I don’t need to know you for any longer… All you think about is yourself and that has been evident.”
Hinting at her suspicions about Lucinda’s romance with Sean being disingenuous, Belle wrapped up: “We aren’t going to be cool… You do want you need to do, I’ll keep out of your way and that’s where we’re at. I think the whole situation is very fake.”
Viewers flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to applaud Belle’s no-nonsense approach, with one fan posting: “I wish I could handle conversations the way Belle does. I’m actually in awe watching her say it how it is with Lucinda.”
Another viewer observed: “Belle has officially clocked Lucinda’s behaviour and Lucinda couldn’t even defend herself,” whilst a third declared: “Belle calling out Lucinda for her nice girl act finaalllyy someone has had the courage to say it all to her face.”
Meanwhile, one confused fan commented: “What has Lucinda done wrong. I’m still trying to understand.” Will Belle and Lucinda be able to patch things up?
Love Island All Stars airs Sunday to Friday on ITV2 and ITVX at 9pm
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with his senior secretaries at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, South Korea, 29 January 2026. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Feb. 3 (Asia Today) — Senior aides at South Korea’s presidential office have begun selling real estate holdings as President Lee Jae-myung intensifies his campaign to eradicate housing speculation.
Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong has listed her apartment in Giheung, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, while Kim Sang-ho, head of the presidential press office, is selling six multi-unit houses in Seoul’s Daechi-dong neighborhood of Gangnam, a Blue House official said Tuesday.
Kang owns an apartment in Banpo-dong, Seocho District, under her spouse’s name, as well as the Yongin property under her own name. Kim jointly owns an apartment in Gui-dong, Gwangjin District, with his wife in addition to the Daechi-dong properties.
A Blue House official said Kang listed the Yongin apartment, where her parents live, and added that Kim had placed his Gangnam properties on the market some time ago.
As the two senior aides move to dispose of homes they do not reside in, attention is turning to whether similar action will follow among other high-ranking officials. Asset disclosures released earlier showed that 12 of 56 Blue House aides at the secretary level or higher own two or more properties.
President Lee has repeatedly emphasized his determination to stamp out real estate speculation since the start of the year. He has issued warnings on social media for four consecutive days, criticizing opposition parties and parts of the media while vowing to crack down on what he called “ruinous” speculative behavior.
Despite the recent sales, officials said Lee has not directly instructed aides to sell their properties.
During a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Lee addressed criticism surrounding calls for public officials with multiple homes to sell first.
“I also think this is problematic,” Lee said. “If I tell them to sell and they do, it means the policy itself is ineffective.”
He added that the government’s goal is to create conditions that make holding multiple homes economically irrational. “We must make them conclude on their own that resolving multiple home ownership is in their interest,” he said.
Opposition pressure has also mounted. Reform New Party leader Lee Jun-seok said Monday he would directly ask ruling party lawmakers and government officials whether they plan to sell their properties by May 9.
“If they do not sell by then, the market will conclude that even policymakers themselves do not believe the policy will work,” he said.
For months, United States President Donald Trump has called him a “sick man” and an “illegal drug leader”.
But on Tuesday, Trump welcomed his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, to the White House for their first face-to-face meeting in Washington, DC.
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Both leaders hailed the meeting as productive, while acknowledging the lingering tensions that divide them.
At a news conference after their meeting, Petro waved away questions about his rocky history with Trump, whom he has publicly accused of human rights violations.
Instead, he called the interaction “ a meeting between two equals who have different ways of thinking”.
“He didn’t change his way of his thinking. Neither did I. But how do you do an agreement, a pact? It’s not as between twin brothers. It’s between opponents,” Petro said.
Separately, Trump told reporters from the Oval Office that he felt good about the meeting. “I thought it was terrific,” he said.
On the agenda for the two leaders were issues including the fight against transnational drug trafficking and security in Latin America.
Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s meeting.
A White House charm offensive
Over the past year, Trump has invited the media to participate in his meetings with foreign leaders, often holding news conferences with the visiting dignitaries in the Oval Office.
Not this time, however. The meeting between Trump and Petro lasted nearly two hours, all of it behind closed doors.
But the two leaders emerged with largely positive things to say about one another.
In a post on social media, Petro revealed that Trump had gifted him several items, including a commemorative photograph of their meeting accompanied by a signed note.
“Gustavo – a great honor. I love Colombia,” it read, followed by Trump’s signature.
In another post, Petro showed off a signed copy of Trump’s book, The Art of the Deal. On its title page, Trump had scrawled another note to Petro: “You are great.”
“Can someone tell me what Trump said in this dedication?” Petro wrote jokingly in Spanish on social media. “I don’t understand much English.”
A turning point in a tense relationship?
Petro’s joke appeared to be a cheeky nod to his notoriously rocky relationship with Trump.
It was only six days into Trump’s second term, on January 26, 2025, that he and Petro began their feud, trading threats on social media over the fate of two US deportation flights.
Petro objected to the reported human rights violations facing the deportees. Trump, meanwhile, took Petro’s initial refusal to accept the flights as a threat to US “national security”. Petro ultimately backed down after Trump threatened steep sanctions on imported Colombian goods.
They continued to trade barbs in the months since. Petro, for instance, has condemned the deadly US attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, comparing the strikes with murder.
He has also criticised Trump for carrying out a US military offensive in Venezuela to abduct then-President Nicolas Maduro. That attack, Petro said, was tantamount to “kidnapping”.
Trump, meanwhile, stripped Petro of his US visa following the Colombian leader’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, where he criticised the US and briefly joined a pro-Palestinian protest.
The Trump administration also sanctioned Petro in October, blaming the left-wing leader for allowing “drug cartels to flourish”.
After removing Maduro from power on January 3, Trump offered a warning to Petro: he had better “watch his a**”. The statement was widely interpreted to be a threat of military action against Colombia.
But Trump and Petro appeared to have reached a turning point last month. On January 7, the two leaders held their first call together. Tuesday’s in-person meeting marked another first in their relationship.
Agreeing to disagree
Despite the easing tensions, the two leaders used their public statements after the meeting to reaffirm their differences.
Trump was the first to speak, holding a news conference in the Oval Office as he signed legislation to end a government shutdown.
The US president, a member of the right-wing Republican Party, used the appearance to reflect on the political tensions the two leaders had in the lead-up to the meeting.
“He and I weren’t exactly the best of friends, but I wasn’t insulted, because I’d never met him,” Trump told reporters.
He added that Tuesday’s meeting was nevertheless pleasant. “I didn’t know him at all, and we got along very well.”
Petro, meanwhile, held a longer news conference at the Colombian Embassy in Washington, DC, where he raised some points of divergence he had with Trump.
Among the topics he mentioned was Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which the US has supported, and sustainable energy initiatives designed to be carbon neutral. Trump, in the past, has called the so-called green energy programmes a “scam”.
Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing leader, also reflected on his region’s history with colonialism and foreign intervention. He told reporters it was important that Latin America make decisions for itself, free from any outside “coercion”.
“ We don’t operate under blackmail,” he said at one point, in an apparent reference to Trump’s pressure campaigns.
Differing approach to combating drug trafficking
One of the primary points of contention, however, was Petro’s approach to combating drug trafficking.
Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, responsible for 68 percent of the global supply.
The Trump administration has used the fight against global drug trafficking as a justification for carrying out lethal military strikes in international waters and in Venezuela, despite experts condemning the attacks as illegal under international law.
It has also stripped Colombia of its certification as an ally in its global counter-narcotics operations.
Trump’s White House has said it will consider reversing that decision if Petro takes “more aggressive action to eradicate coca and reduce cocaine production and trafficking”.
But Petro has rejected any attempt to label him as soft on drug trafficking, instead touting the historic drug busts his government has overseen.
He made this argument yet again after Tuesday’s meeting, claiming that no other Colombian administration had done as much as his to fight cocaine trafficking.
Rather than take a militarised approach to destroying crops of coca, the raw ingredient for cocaine, Petro argued that he has had more success with voluntary eradication programmes.
This push, he said, succeeded in “getting thousands of peasant farmers to uproot the plant themselves”.
“These are two different methods, two different ways of understanding how to fight drug trafficking,” Petro said. “One that is brutal and self-interested, and what it ends up doing is promoting mafia powers and drug traffickers, and another approach, which is intelligent, which is effective.”
Petro maintained it was more strategic to go after top drug-ring leaders than to punish impoverished rural farmers by forcibly ripping up their crops.
“I told President Trump, if you want an ally in fighting drug trafficking, it’s going after the top kingpins,” he said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during a news conference at the Colombian Embassy in Washington, DC, on February 3 [Jose Luis Magana/AP]
A Trumpian note
Tuesday’s meeting ultimately marked yet another high-profile reversal for Trump, who has a history of shifting his relationships with world leaders.
Last year, for instance, he lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a public Oval Office clash, only to warm to the wartime leader several months later.
But Colombia is quickly approaching a pivotal presidential election in May, which will see Petro’s left-wing coalition, the Historic Pact, seek to defend the presidency against an ascendant far right.
Petro himself cannot run for consecutive terms under Colombian law. But there is speculation that Tuesday’s detente with Trump may help Petro’s coalition avoid US condemnation ahead of the vote.
Colombia, after all, was until recently the largest recipient of US aid in South America, and it has long harboured close ties with the North American superpower. Straining those ties could therefore be seen as an election liability.
While Petro acknowledged his differences with Trump during his remarks, at times he expressed certain views that overlapped with the US president’s.
Like Trump has in the past, Petro used part of his speech on Tuesday to question the role of the UN in maintaining global security.
“ Did it not show incapacity? Isn’t a reform needed?” Petro asked, wondering aloud if there was “something superior to the United Nations that would bring humanity together better in a better way”.
But when it came to donning Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, Petro drew a line – or rather, a squiggle.
On social media, he shared an adjustment he made to the cap’s slogan. A jagged, Sharpie-inked “S” amended the phrase to include the entire Western Hemisphere: “Make Americas Great Again.”
JESY Nelson has described the terrifying moment her mum raised the alarm about her twins’ SMA struggle.
The pop star secretly moved to Cornwall after giving birth to the two little girls following a high-risk pregnancy.
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Jesy Nelson with her mum Janice WhiteOcean and Story have been diagnosed with SMACredit: Instagram
She says her mum Janice noticed Ocean and Story’s lack of leg movement on a trip to visit them.
Speaking on Jamie Laing’s podcast Great Company with Jesy Nelson, the former Little Mix star said: “Me and Zion decided we wanted to move to Cornwall because our babies had been through all this trauma, and we just wanted them to grow up in a peaceful setting and just be around the sea and live like a kid.
“I honestly was not even taking notice of their legs because they’re my first set of children, so I don’t know how they should be moving their legs, or what they should and shouldn’t be doing anyway.
“Because we had just moved six hours away, my mum wasn’t with me every day.
“I think she noticed how much it had deteriorated, and she said, ‘Jesy, they don’t move their legs very much. Have you noticed that?’
“She kept comparing them to my nephew, but I said George was a full time baby and because the twins were premature you can’t compare them.
“She said, ‘I know Jesy, but something’s not right’.
“My mum is such a such a worrier. She worries about everything – a bit like me, she thinks the worst in every situation.
“And so I just thought that was her over-worrying then a week went by, and I remember changing their nappy and just thinking ‘oh, god, they actually don’t move their legs at all’.
“For some reason they just stopped.”
Jesy with her now ex-partner Zion gave birth in May 2025Credit: jesynelson/Instagram
Fearing her mum was right, Jesy booked to see a paediatrician straight away.
After being told the babies needed blood tests and a brain scan, Jesy left the doctors in tears.
She was later told the identical twins have Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1— the most severe form of a rare disease affecting muscle strength and movement.
Jesy is now working tirelessly to raise awareness ofSMAandcampaigning for the conditionto be added to the NHS newborn heel-prick test, which currently screens for ten other conditions.
She spoke to The Sun about the diagnosis and her new new six-part docuseries on Prime Video, which follows her journey intomotherhoodas she reflects back on her time inLittle Mix.
It’s the first time she’s opened up about quitting the band in 2020.
Read our full interview with Jesy about hope of reconciling with her former Little Mix friends and mending her relationship with Simon Cowellhere.
Jesy Nelson: Life After Little Mix will be aired on Prime Video from February 13.
Listen to Great Company with Jesy Nelson whereever you get your podcasts.
Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Signs and symptoms
Spinal muscular atrophy is a disease which takes away a person’s strength and it causes problems by disrupting the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord.
This causes an individual to lose the ability to walk, eat and breathe.
There are four types of SMA – which are based on age.
Type 1 is diagnosed within the first six months of life and is usually fatal.
Type 2 is diagnosed after six months of age.
Type 3 is diagnosed after 18 months of age and may require the individual to use a wheelchair.
Type 4 is the rarest form of SMA and usually only surfaces in adulthood.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of SMA will depend on which type of condition you have.
But the following are the most common symptoms:
• Floppy or weak arms and legs
• Movement problems – such as difficulty sitting up, crawling or walking
• Twitching or shaking muscles
• Bone and joint problems – such as an unusually curved spine
• Swallowing problems
• Breathing difficulties
However, SMA does not affect a person’s intelligence and it does not cause learning disabilities.
How common is it?
The majority of the time a child can only be born with the condition if both of their parents have a faulty gene which causes SMA.
Usually, the parent would not have the condition themselves – they would only act as a carrier.
Statistics show around 1 in every 40 to 60 people is a carrier of the gene which can cause SMA.
If two parents carry the faulty gene there is a 1 in 4 (25 per cent) chance their child will get spinal muscular atrophy.
These are the key developments from day 1,441 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Published On 4 Feb 20264 Feb 2026
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Here is where things stand on Wednesday, February 4:
Fighting
At least two teenagers were killed, and nine other people were injured following a Russian strike targeting the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, regional Governor Ivan Fedorov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
A 24-hour air raid alert was issued in the Zaporizhia region following the attack, which damaged four high-rise apartment buildings.
Three people were killed in Ukrainian shelling of the Moscow-occupied southern Ukrainian town of Nova Kakhovka, in the Kherson region, Kremlin-installed authorities said.
Russia launched an overnight attack described as the “most powerful” this year on Ukraine’s battered energy facilities, officials in Kyiv said, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without heating amid glacial winter temperatures and in advance of talks to end the four-year war.
The latest Russian operation against Ukraine’s energy sector was the biggest since the start of 2026, Ukraine’s leading private energy company DTEK said on Telegram.
A power plant in Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv was also badly damaged in the Russian attack, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. The attack on Kharkiv also injured at least five people, according to officials.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Russia deployed 450 attack drones and more than 60 missiles during the onslaught and accused Moscow of waiting for temperatures to drop before carrying out the strikes.
A power plant in Kyiv’s eastern Darnytskyi district was seriously damaged in the Russian attack, Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Telegram, prompting officials to redirect resources to restoring heating to thousands of residents in the city.
At least 1,142 high-rise apartment blocks have been left without heating in the Ukrainian capital following the Russian attacks, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of launching “a deliberate attack against energy infrastructure”, which he said involved “a record number of ballistic missiles”.
Zelenskyy also said that Russia had exploited the recent brief United States-backed truce on attacks against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to stockpile weapons, which had been used in the latest attacks. The latest Russian strikes came a day before the next scheduled trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Part of the gigantic Motherland monument in Kyiv, an iconic Soviet-era World War II memorial featuring a woman holding a sword and a shield, was damaged during the latest Russian attack, with Ukrainian Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna describing the damage inflicted as “both symbolic and cynical”.
Ukrainian national flag flies at half-mast near the Ukrainian Motherland Monument in Kyiv, Ukraine, in June 2025 [Thomas Peter/Reuters]
In remarks following the Tuesday attacks, US President Donald Trump defended Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that he “kept his word” and had stuck to a short-term deal halting strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure until Sunday.
Trump’s spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, had said earlier that the US president was not surprised by the attacks.
NATO chief Mark Rutte, during a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, said that Russia’s overnight attacks did not suggest Moscow was serious about making peace.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, centre, shows NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte (front left) a power plant damaged by Russian air attacks in an undisclosed location in the capital, Kyiv, on Tuesday [Handout: Denys_Smyhal via AFP]
Military aid
Sweden and Denmark will jointly procure and supply Ukraine with air defence systems worth 2.6 billion Swedish crowns ($290m) to help it defend against Russian attacks, Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson and his Danish counterpart, Troels Lund Poulsen, announced.
Politics and diplomacy
Ukraine has agreed with Western partners that any persistent Russian violations of a future ceasefire agreement would trigger a coordinated military response from Europe and the US, the Financial Times reported, citing people briefed on the discussions.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was preparing to resume dialogue with Putin nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but he stressed that Moscow was not showing any “real willingness” to negotiate a ceasefire.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to Trump and discussed the situation in Ukraine, including the overnight Russian attacks on the country, the United Kingdom government said.
Reaching a peace deal to end Russia’s war will require tough choices, NATO’s Rutte said in an address to Ukraine’s parliament during his Kyiv visit.
Economy
The Kremlin said it had heard no statements from India about halting purchases of sanctioned Russian oil after Trump announced that New Delhi had agreed to stop such purchases as part of a trade accord with Washington.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was carefully analysing Trump’s remarks on the trade deal with India. He added that despite the recent announcement, Moscow intends “to further develop our bilateral relations with Delhi”.
Russia’s economy grew by 1 percent in 2025, Putin said, marking a much slower expansion compared with the 2024 figure, as the country stutters under the burden of its war on Ukraine and international sanctions. Putin acknowledged during a government meeting that growth is “lower” than the two previous years.
Sport
Russia welcomed remarks by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who said he wanted Russia’s four-year ban from international football tournaments lifted because it had “achieved nothing”, Peskov said, describing Infantino’s comments as “very good”.
Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi called Infantino’s comments “irresponsible” and “infantile”, noting that Russia’s invasion had killed more than 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches.
Ukrainian athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych said the International Olympic Committee’s allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, despite their links to occupied territories or expressions of support for Moscow’s war on Ukraine, undermined the principle of neutrality. He said he intends to use the Winter Olympic Games to draw attention to the war in Ukraine.
All the papers lead with the police investigation into Lord Peter Mandelson and former Prince Andrew’s relocation from the Royal Lodge, all flowing from the fallout of the Epstein files revelations. “Cops probe Mandelson” is the Daily Star’s headline, noting it comes “hours after he quit the Lords”. In the lead up to Lord Mandelson’s resignation, the prime minister “had said he’d change the law to boot him out”, the paper reports. The BBC has contacted Lord Mandelson for comment and understands that his position is that he denies engaging in criminal behaviour.
New Netflix documentary, The Investigation of Lucy Letby, airs unseen footage of the former nurse’s arrest before she was charged with the murder of seven infants
00:01, 04 Feb 2026Updated 00:21, 04 Feb 2026
An explosive new Lucy Letby documentary by Netflix features unseen police footage(Image: Courtesy of Netflix)
An explosive new Lucy Letby documentary by Netflix features unseen police footage and new evidence which will make some viewers question her conviction.
The former nurse, 36, has been dubbed the Angel of Death, after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016. But not everyone is convinced of her guilt and there will be more debate with the release of this film. Here are the most shocking moments of the film…
Lucy Letby’s six-word comment to crying parents on arrest
The documentary starts with a hugely emotional scene showing Letty’s arrest by police as she tells her parents: “You know I didn’t do it.”
Letby’s mum Susan wailed in pain as police entered the family home in Hereford in June 2019. It is Letty’s second arrest and her mum says: “Please no, not again no!”
Police ignore her though and continue up the stairs to arrest Letby in her bedroom where she is in a dressing gown.
Letby then walks down the stairs with officers and begs “Please can I see my cat?” and is allowed to stroke the cat before she is handcuffed.
Off camera Letby is picked up by a mic and tells her parents: “You know I didn’t do it.”
And her mum replies: “I know you didn’t. We know that!” Her dad John’s voice can also be heard agreeing.
Letby then refers to her cats when she walks out the front door and says: “It’s alright, look after the boys.”
As Letby leaves the house in a dressing gown her mum can be heard starting to sob at the front door again.
“Just go in mum,” Letby tells her. “Don’t look mum just go. Mum just go in.” The car then drives her to the police station where she faced further questioning.
Parents have criticised the decision for footage of their home to be given to Netflix by Cheshire police, calling it a “complete invasion of privacy”.
The couple raised concerns the documentary might make their home “become a tourist attraction”.
In a statement to The Sunday Times, the couple said: “The previous programmes made about Lucy, including Panorama and the almost nightly news showing her being brought out handcuffed in a blue tracksuit are heartbreaking for us.
“However, this Netflix documentary is on another level. We had no idea they were using footage in our house. We will not watch it – it would likely kill us if we did.
“We have, however, stumbled on pictures of her being arrested in her bedroom in our house and her saying goodbye to one of her beloved cats, which are even more distressing.
“Heaven knows how much more they have to show. All this taking place in the home where we have lived for 40 years. It is in a small cul-de-sac in a small town where everyone knows everyone.
“It is a complete invasion of privacy of which we would have known nothing if Lucy’s barrister had not told us.”
Letby speaks out on Post It note “confession”
For much of the documentary when Letby is shown in police custody she is seen saying “no comment” to questions and looking emotionless. That changes when she is shown post it notes and paper and asked about comments she has made on them.
Letby says: “I just wrote it because everything had got on top of me. It was not long after I had been removed from the unit.
“I felt like I might have hurt them without knowing. That made me feel guilty.
“I felt like in my practice I might have hurt them without knowing through my practice. And that made me feel guilty.
“I was blaming myself. But not because I had done something, because of the way people were making me feel. I felt like I had only done my best for the babies, trying to say that my practice wasn’t good or I had done something, I just couldn’t cope.
“I did just not want to be here anymore. I felt It was all spiralling out of control. And I didn’t know how to deal with it all.
“He was trying to imply it was something I had done.
“It crossed my mind at time whether they were trying to blame me for something somebody else had done.”
Mother of victim speaks for first time
The mum of one of the babies attacked by killer nurse Letby speaks for the first time in the documentary. It tells how Zoe (not her real name) was born on June 20, 2015, but died two days later.
Her mum, given the name ‘Sarah’ in the doc, revealed she watched helplessly as doctors desperately tried to save her daughter.
She says: “It was hard looking at her in the incubator. I couldn’t take her out, but I was able to hold her hand. She was so fragile, small and precious, I became a mummy.
“The doctors were telling us that she was responding very well, that she was responding as expected, and there were no concerns.”
But she tells the documentary of the hoor which followed: “I was fast asleep when a nurse turned a light on. She said, ‘You need to come right now’. I asked, ‘what’s going on?’ And she said, ‘there’s no time we need to go’.
“I remember being wheeled down the long corridor thinking, what’s going on. I felt the panic in the room.
“The doctor was trying everything to keep her heart pumping. He wasn’t giving up. I wanted him to keep fighting. But the other doctor put her hand on his shoulder and said, ‘You need to stop, you need to let her go’.
“The doctor was still holding Zoe, but he stopped what he was doing. That was it. It was finished. It was over.”
Zoe’s mum later tells the show how she later received a call from the police telling her someone had been arrested in connection with the baby’s death: “All of a sudden I realised someone could have purposely targeted my child. We were just completely lost for words.”
When she saw Letby’s picture on the news, she said: “As soon as I saw her face I recognised the nurse straight away. When I visited Zoe for the last time she had a clipboard but she wasn’t really doing any jobs. She was just there, watching us.”
She tells the show: “Preparing for the trial was very challenging. There wasn’t a day I wasn’t thinking about Zoe. I wanted to do her justice, but I didn’t want to go to trial and be biased. I knew Lusy Letby was going to take the stand so I needed to face her.
“For the first time since Zoe’s death I was seeing Lucy Letby. I sat three metres away from her. She looked at me a dozen times, staring. Every time she looked at me I’d have to look down.”
When she appeared in court Letby recalled details of almost all of the 17 children she was accused of harming – except baby Zoe.
Sarah ends the doc saying: “There’s no getting over any of this, there’s the sorrow but there’s the hope and love we have for her.
“Ultimately we’re still here and I want to count my blessings and appreciate what I have. I was strong enough to try again. My husband and I have a beautiful son. He is our reason for everything.
“I have always talked to him about Zoe. He knows she died when she was a baby. He knows she’s in heaven. It’s been storm after storm and it’s not over. But I want to make it through.”
Letby reveals her prison conditions and plans for future
In the doc her friend Maisie reads from a letter she has received from Letby whilst she is in prison.
Letby said: “Maisie, there are no words to describe my situation, but knowing that I have your friendship regardless, is so important and special to me.
“I have my own room and toilet. I’m able to shower each day and go outside for a walk. Getting outside is so important, even though it’s bit chilly. I miss Tigger and Smudge so much, it’s heartbreaking that they cannot understand why I’m no longer there. They must think I’m a terrible mummy. Mum and Dad are taking good care of them, though, and are, no doubt, spoiling them. Poignantly, Letby added: “I’m trying to do all that I can to remain strong and positive. I’m determined to get through this. I will not give up.”
Friend Maisie then begins to cry on screen. Just before reading the letter aloud she had admitted: “Up until the trial and verdict I would write to Lucy and she would write back. Now I don’t know what to say.”
Doctor admits “tiny, tiny guilt” they have got wrong person
Dr John Gibbs was a consultant paediatrician was working at the Countess of Chester Hospital when the baby deaths occurred and suspicion grew around Letty’s involvement.
He concludes his interview in the doc by saying: “Some people are claiming that we consultants had a vendetta against Lucy Letby. Where’s your evidence for that?
“I have been accused online of killing babies, which is shocking.
“I live with two guilts, guilt we let the babies down and tiny, tiny, tiny guilt did we get the wrong person? Just in case.
“I don’t think there was a miscarriage of justice, but you worry that no one actually saw her do it.”
By contrast Letby’s friend Maisie is standing by her even though she has some small concerns she might not be innocent.
Maisie says: “Over the last few years, I’ve got through questioning has she presented one side to me and a different side to other people.
“There’s always doubt, because as much as you know someone, you never know the whole of someone. They can still have things that you don’t know about them. But unless I saw actual evidence, I can’t believe it.
“I know that people think that I support a baby murderer, but she’s my friend and currently, in jail, forever.”
Letby barrister continues to fight for “last chance” retrial
The final twenty minutes of the documentary are given over to how Mark McDonald joined Letby’s legal team after she was convicted of murdering seven infants and attempting to murder seven others, with two attempts on one of her victims, between June 2015 and June 2016.
He insists she has “no motive” and that the evidence used to prosecute her is flawed.
One academic paper co-written by Dr Shoo Lee was used as part of Letty’s conviction. But Dr Lee, a Canadian neonatal care expert, said there were alternative explanations for each of Letby’s convictions for murder or attempted murder.
He tells the documentary: “A young woman could be in prison for crimes that she didn’t commit,” and describes work he has been doing as her “last chance”.
Dr Lee and a panel of international medical experts reviewed the case and McDonald is hoping to use this as new evidence. McDonald says: “I put it into the criminal cases Review Commission, the CCRC, who, with any hope, will send it back to the Court of Appeal, to push for retrial.”
The Investigation Of Lucy Letby is out now on Netflix.
We’re talking to educators with decades of experience and seeing why nobody is reading books any more. Is it fair to blame everything on technology? Are parents being present enough with their children, and what does that mean for our collective future?
Presenter: Stefanie Dekker
Guests: Beth Gaskill – Founder of Big City Readers
This longing is shared by Angelica Angel, a 24-year-old student activist in exile.
She had grown up with tear gas and police beatings in Venezuela. After all, she had started protesting at age 15.
“They’ve pointed their guns at me, beaten me and almost arrested me. That’s when you realise that these people have no limits: They target the elderly, women and even young girls,” Angel said.
But the increasing political repression ultimately made her life in Merida, a college town in western Venezuela, untenable.
After 2024’s disputed presidential election, Angel decided to voice her outrage on social media.
Maduro had claimed a third term in office, despite evidence that he had lost in a landslide. The opposition coalition obtained copies of more than 80 percent of the country’s voter tallies, showing that its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had won the race.
Protests again broke out, and again, Maduro’s government responded with force.
Military and security officers detained nearly 2,000 people, including opposition leaders, journalists and human rights lawyers.
When Angel denounced the arbitrary detentions on TikTok, she began receiving daily threats.
By day, anonymous phone calls warned her of her impending arrest. By night, she heard pro-government gangs on motorcycles circling her home.
Fearing detention, she fled to Colombia in August 2024, leaving her family and friends behind.
But living outside Venezuela gave her a new perspective. She came to realise that the threats, persecution and violence she had learned to live with were not normal in a democratic country.
“When you leave, you realise that it isn’t normal to be afraid of the police, of unknown phone calls,” said Angel, her voice trembling. “I’m afraid to go back to my country and to be in that reality again.”
For exiled Venezuelans to return safely, Angel believes certain benchmarks must be met. The interim government must end arbitrary detention and allow opposition members, many of whom fled Venezuela, to return.
Only then, she explained, will Venezuela have moved past Maduro’s legacy.
“Exiles being able to return is a real test of whether a new country is taking shape,” she said.
Netflix Inc. Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos pledged to maintain a 45-day theatrical window for Warner Bros. films during a Senate subcommittee hearing Tuesday.
Sarandos also tried to dampen concerns about potential job losses and U.S. production declines related to the companies’ proposed multibillion-dollar deal.
During a two-hour hearing before the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights, Sarandos told lawmakers the proposed merger would not run afoul of antitrust concerns and would, instead, “strengthen the American entertainment industry.”
About 80% of HBO Max subscribers also have Netflix subscriptions, which he said showed the two services were “complementary.” Netflix also plans to increase its film and television production spending to $26 billion this year, with a majority of that happening in the U.S., he said.
“We are doubling down, even as much of the industry has pulled back,” Sarandos said, according to a written transcript of his opening remarks. “With this deal, we’re going to increase, not reduce, production investments going forward, supported by a stronger combined business and balance sheet.”
Sarandos was joined at the hearing by Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell.
When asked by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) whether senators should expect a “round of layoffs” or consumer price increases as a result of the deal, Campbell said no. He pointed to Netflix’s lack of comparable film and TV studios, or the distribution infrastructure that Warner Bros. has.
“We believe, based on our discussions with them in the negotiation process, that they’re not only going to keep those operations intact, in fact, they’re going to invest in those operations and invest in continued production, including on our lots in Burbank and elsewhere,” Campbell said.
Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison was also invited to appear as a witness, but declined because he did not believe it would be useful or helpful since the company’s bid for Warner had been rejected, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said during the hearing. Ellison did, however, meet with him and other senators privately to answer questions, Booker said.
Sarandos also tried to assuage concerns about the deal’s potential effect on theatrical distribution.
“I know I’ve earned some skepticism over there over the years on this because I was talking a lot about Netflix’s business model, which was different from that,” he said. “We didn’t own a theatrical distributor before. We do now, and a great one.”
When asked if the 45-day window would be “self-enforced,” Sarandos agreed, saying that was an industry standard. He did, however, note the general caveat that “routinely, movies that underperform, the window moves a little bit” but is still referred to as a 45-day window.
And in a sign of the growing role politics has played in the perception of the deal, Sarandos tried to sidestep questions from Republican senators about perceived “woke” content on the streaming platform, as well as inquiries from Booker about President Trump’s involvement in the merger. Trump previously said he “would be involved” in his administration’s decision to approve any deal.
The hearing comes just two months after Netflix prevailed in a hotly contested bidding war for Warner Bros. The $72-billion deal would dramatically reshape the Hollywood landscape and give the streamer control over Warner Bros.’ storied Burbank film and TV studios, its lot, HBO and HBO Max.
Netflix also agreed to take on more than $10 billion in Warner Bros. debt, pushing the enterprise value of the transaction to $82.7 billion.
But Paramount has continued to pursue the company, fighting to acquire all of Warner Bros. Discovery, including its cable networks.
The company, led by Ellison, has made a direct appeal to Warner shareholders to tender their shares in support of a Paramount deal. A deadline for that offer was recently extended to Feb. 20.
Paramount has also filed proxy materials to ask Warner shareholders to reject the Netflix deal at an upcoming shareholders meeting.
Anthony Kazmierczak, the accused attacker of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., must stay jailed while awaiting a trial for allegedly assaulting and interfering with the congresswoman’s Minneapolis town hall on Jan. 27 in Minneapolis, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Feb. 3 (UPI) — A federal judge denied bail for Anthony Kazmierczak, who is accused of disrupting a town hall by Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., in Minneapolis on Jan. 27 by spraying her with water and vinegar.
U.S. District Court of Minnesota Magistrate Judge David Schultz on Tuesday denied a motion by Kazmierczak, 55, to be released from custody while his case is active.
He is charged with assaulting and interfering with a member of Congress when he approached Omar, 43, while she stood at a lectern and used a plastic syringe to spray her midsection with what later was determined to be a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water.
He could be sentenced to a year in prison if he is convicted.
Kazmierczak interrupted Omar after she called for Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem to resign and accused the congresswoman of “splitting Minnesotans apart.”
Omar’s security staff tackled Kazmierczak and kept him detained until local police arrived to arrest him.
An FBI affidavit indicates that Kazmierczak has a history of making threatening comments toward Omar and years ago allegedly suggested “somebody should kill her.”
He also has been arrested many times during the past 40 years and was convicted in 1989 on a felony charge for vehicle theft.
Omar was born in Somalia and spent part of her childhood in a refugee camp in Kenya before her family migrated to the United States in the 1990s.
The congresswoman is a central figure in allegations of widespread fraud among the Somali community in Minneapolis and other parts of Minnesota.
President Donald Trump has accused Omar of profiting from the fraud and suggested that she have her citizenship status revoked.
He also wants Omar to be jailed and deported for alleged fraud after she recently reported her family has up to $30 million in assets, despite reporting a much lower amount two years ago.
On Tuesday, the president on social media posted a photo of U.S. forces striking ISIS and Somali leaders in a cave in Somalia in February 2025.
He prefaced the photo with the question: “Was Ilhan Omar there to protect her corrupt ‘homeland?'”
Omar also is a prominent opponent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection efforts to remove “undocumented migrants” from the United States.
Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 and is the first Somali-American to be elected to Congress.
Greece’s coastguard says 26 other people have been rescued from Aegean Sea as search-and-rescue operations continue.
Published On 3 Feb 20263 Feb 2026
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A boat carrying migrants and asylum seekers has collided with a Greek coastguard vessel in the Aegean Sea near the island of Chios, killing at least 14 people, the coastguard says.
The incident occurred around 9pm local time on Tuesday (19:00 GMT) off the coast of Chios’s Mersinidi area, Greece’s Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA) reported.
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The coastguard said 26 people were rescued and brought to a hospital in Chios, including 24 migrants and two coastguard officers.
It said it was not immediately clear how many others had been on the speedboat.
Seven children and a pregnant woman were among the injured, Greek media reported.
A search-and-rescue operation involving patrol boats, a helicopter and divers was under way in the area, AMNA said.
Footage shared by Greece’s Ta Nea newspaper appeared to show at least one person being brought from a boat docked next to a jetty into a vehicle with blue flashing lights.
An unnamed coastguard official told the Reuters news agency that the collision occurred after the migrant boat “manoeuvred toward” a coastguard vessel that had instructed it to turn back.
Greece has long been a key transit point for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia trying to reach Europe.
In 2015 and 2016, Greece was on the front line of a migration crisis, with nearly one million people landing on its islands, including in Chios, from nearby Turkiye.
The country has come under scrutiny for its treatment of migrants and asylum seekers approaching by sea, including after a shipwreck in 2023 in which hundreds of migrants and refugees died after what witnesses said was the coastguard’s attempt to tow their trawler.
The European Union’s border agency said last year that it was reviewing 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece, including some allegations that people seeking asylum were pushed back from Greece’s frontiers.
Greece has denied carrying out human rights violations or pushing asylum seekers from its shores.
“Israel, as the occupying power, has the obligation to ensure the needs of people are met in Gaza.” As he prepared to leave Gaza, the Red Cross’s Patrick Griffiths is hopeful the Rafah crossing’s “opening” will give Palestinians a chance to heal, but says more must be done.
