British Transport Police say hiring freeze and £8.5m shortfall in funding will lead to a ‘reduced presence’

Dozens of British Transport Police (BTP) stations across Britain face possible closure, leaving fewer officers protecting the railway at a time when assaults on passengers have reached record levels.

BTP officials have imposed a hiring freeze and warned that some bases will have to close, signalling possible job losses after failing to secure enough funding to meet current commitments.

Exclusive: Labour to announce delay to many of 40 planned projects as costs spiral to estimated £30bn

At least half of the 40 new hospitals pledged by Boris Johnson will not be built for many years, the Guardian has learned, in a move decried as “devastating” for staff and patients.

Labour is to announce that many of the crumbling NHS hospitals in England that were due to be replaced by 2030 will not be completed according to the original timeframe.

Israeli justice ministry says the Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be released as part of truce’s first phase, under which Hamas is to free 33 hostages

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The ceasefire agreement came despite an unexpected delay on Friday that had sparked fears that last-minute disagreements between Israel and Hamas might scuttle the deal, as Lorenzo Tondo and Bethan McKernan report.

Far-right members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government had threatened to vote against the deal or quit the government, potentially derailing months of work to end the conflict.

• Brit outclassed in 6-1, 6-0 loss to second seed
• Swiatek eases into fourth round at Melbourne Park

Over the past few years of professional tennis, the sight of Iga Swiatek annihilating another poor, defenceless opponent has become as sure as the sun will rise. When Swiatek’s game is flowing and her mind is clear, the combined quality of her violent ball-striking, athleticism and unrelenting focus is so great that, at some point or another, she has rendered nearly all of the best players in the world spectators in their own match.

On Saturday afternoon at Melbourne Park, it was Emma Raducanu’s turn to endure such an unpleasant experience. Raducanu cut a lonely, solemn figure on one of the biggest tennis stadiums in the world as she was completely helpless in the face of a supreme Swiatek, who ruthlessly opened up her bakery to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win.

Administration to send 100 to 200 officers to city on day two of new presidency, Wall Street Journal reports

Donald Trump’s incoming presidential administration plans to launch a large immigration raid in Chicago the day after he takes office, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing four people familiar with planning.

The raid, expected to start on Tuesday, would last all week, the newspaper said, adding that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) would send between 100 and 200 officers to carry out the operation.

Rare spherical egg could fetch in region of £200, with proceeds of sale going to charity

A farm worker in Devon has discovered what she believes to be a “one-in-a-billion” spherical egg.

Alison Greene, who has worked as an egg handler on Fenton Farm near the Somerset border for three years and handled more than 42m eggs, said she had never found a perfectly round one before.

Verdicts against trio suggest legal representatives are latest target of Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent

Russia has sentenced three lawyers who had defended Alexei Navalny to several years in prison for bringing messages from the late opposition leader from prison to the outside world.

The case, which comes amid a widespread crackdown on dissent during the Ukraine offensive, has alarmed rights groups that fear Moscow will ramp up trials against legal representatives in addition to jailing their clients.

• Striker was part of United’s much-fabled ‘Holy Trinity’
• Bryan Robson leads tributes to ‘one of football’s giants’

Great names from Manchester United and Scotland have paid tribute to Denis Law, a legendary figure for both club and country, following his death at the age of 84.

Law, who was diagnosed with dementia in August 2021, scored 237 goals in 404 appearances for United and was the last surviving member of Old Trafford’s “Holy Trinity”, following the passing of George Best in 2005 and Sir Bobby Charlton in 2023. As such, his own passing represents a hugely significant moment in the club’s history.

Starship test sent orange-glowing shards streaking over northern Caribbean and forced airlines to divert flights

The US Federal Aviation Administration and officials from the Turks and Caicos Islands have launched investigations into SpaceX’s explosive Starship rocket test that sent debris streaking over the northern Caribbean and forced airlines to divert dozens of flights.

“There are no reports of public injury, and the FAA is working with SpaceX and appropriate authorities to confirm reports of public property damage on Turks and Caicos,” said the FAA, which oversees private rocket launch activity.

Trump has pledged to broker peace in Ukraine and take tougher stance on Tehran; EU foreign policy chief urges bloc members to extend Russia sanctions. What we know on day 1,060

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