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Europe must 'ramp up' pressure on Russia, says No 10 after Coalition of the Willing meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Europe must "ramp up" pressure on Russia "to bring an end to this barbaric war", a Downing Street spokesperson said after Sir Keir Starmer chaired a meeting with the Coalition of the Willing.

Earlier, the prime minister met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Downing Street for crisis talks on the future of Ukraine.

After the Downing Street meeting, a spokesperson said Sir Keir "convened a call with other European allies alongside President Zelenskyy".

"The leaders all agreed that now is a critical moment and that we must continue to ramp up support to Ukraine and economic pressure on Putin to bring an end to this barbaric war."

Ukraine latest: 'Critical stage' in push for peace

During the earlier meeting, the Downing Street spokesperson said that the leaders "discussed the importance of the US-led peace talks for European security and supported the progress made".

All four "underscored the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which includes robust security guarantees," the spokesperson added.

"The leaders agreed that, while diplomatic efforts continue, Europe must stand with Ukraine, strengthening its ability to defend against relentless attacks that have left thousands without heat or light," they said.

"They also discussed positive progress made to use immobilised Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine's reconstruction."

After arriving in the UK, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram that "we are joining our efforts to end this war with a decent peace for Ukraine" and that "security must be guaranteed".

He later said: "We can't manage without Americans, we can't manage without Europe and that is why we need to make some important decisions."

The discussions come as US President Donald Trump accused Mr Zelenskyy of having failed to read the latest peace plan.

He said he was "a little disappointed" in the Ukrainian leader, while insisting Russia's Vladimir Putin was "fine with it".

Mr Trump's eldest son had earlier told Sky's lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim in an interview that his father may walk away from the Ukraine peace process.

When asked directly if he believed the US president would walk away from Ukraine, he answered: "I think he may, what's good about my father and what's unique about my father is you don't know what he's going to do. He's unpredictable."

Sir Keir had earlier insisted any ceasefire must be "just" and "lasting", adding: "We are at a critical stage in the push for peace.

"The principles remain the same. We stand with Ukraine, and if there is to be a ceasefire, it needs to be a just and lasting ceasefire."

Mr Macron had insisted Ukraine's allies have "a lot of cards" - but the main issue was to "finalise these peace negotiations" and find the "best possible conditions for Ukraine, for the Europeans, and for collective security".

Moments after arriving at Downing Street, Mr Merz said he was "sceptical about some of the details in documents coming from the US" but that was one of the reasons for Monday's talks.

The four European leaders emerged from Downing Street at around 2.20pm for a group photo - but declined to answer any questions from the media.

Sir Keir and Mr Zelenskyy then went back inside the prime minister's residence for further talks while Mr Macron and Mr Merz departed.

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The London meeting comes after Mr Zelenskyy's officials concluded three days of talks with US diplomats.

Over the weekend, Mr Zelenskyy said he had discussed "next steps" with Mr Trump's advisers and was "determined to keep working in good faith".


Nurse Sandie Peggie who complained about sharing changing room with transgender doctor wins part of employment tribunal
A nurse who complained about sharing a changing room with a transgender doctor has won part of her employment tribunal against NHS Fife, although several claims were dismissed.

Sandie Peggie took action against the health board after she was suspended from her job at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy following a row on Christmas Eve 2023 with transgender medic Dr Beth Upton - who was born male and now identifies as a female.

Ms Peggie, who has worked for the NHS for 30 years, was placed on special leave after Dr Upton made an allegation of bullying and harassment, and cited concerns about patient care.

The nurse lodged a claim against NHS Fife and Dr Upton, citing the Equality Act 2010, including sexual harassment, harassment related to a protected belief, indirect discrimination, and victimisation.

The employment tribunal hearings took place in Dundee before Judge Sandy Kemp earlier this year.

In a written judgment on Monday, the harassment claim was upheld against NHS Fife, but allegations of discrimination, indirect discrimination and victimisation were dismissed.

The claims against Dr Upton did not succeed and were dismissed.

Ms Peggie stated: "I am beyond relieved and delighted that the tribunal has found that my employer Fife Health Board harassed me after I complained about having to share a female-only changing room with a male colleague.

"The last two years have been agonising for me and my family.

"I will have much more to say in the coming days once I've been able to properly consider the lengthy judgment and discuss it with my legal team.

"For now, I am looking forward to spending a quiet few days with my family."

Ms Peggie paid tribute to her "incredible" legal team, which included lead counsel Naomi Cunningham, junior counsel Dr Charlotte Elves, and solicitor Margaret Gribbon.

She added: "There are many others I would like to thank and will do so in the coming days."

Ms Gribbon also said: "The tribunal's findings that Fife Health Board harassed Sandie Peggie is a huge win for a tenacious and courageous woman standing up for her sex-based rights.

"This has been an extraordinarily lengthy and complex legal case."

The solicitor said the team would not be in a position to make substantive comments on the ruling until later this week.

But added that "our preliminary thoughts are that aspects of the judgment are hugely problematic for women, leaving the onus on them to object when their privacy, dignity and safety are violated when men are given access to single-sex spaces".

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The tribunal found that NHS Fife had harassed Ms Peggie by failing to revoke the grant of permission to Dr Upton on an interim basis after the nurse complained, for the period until different work rotas took effect so that they would not work together and said that, as a result, Dr Upton was in the changing room when the claimant was present on two occasions.

It also found the board had harassed Ms Peggie by taking an unreasonable length of time to investigate the allegations against her; by making reference to patient care allegations against her on 28 March 2024; and giving an instruction to her not to discuss the case, until a further message a little over two weeks later which confirmed that applied only to the investigation.

A separate hearing on remedy - which could see Ms Peggie receive financial compensation - will take place at a later date.

NHS Fife said it had been a "complex and lengthy process".

The health board added: "The employment tribunal unanimously dismissed all of the claimant's allegations against Dr Upton and all of the allegations against the board apart from four specific aspects of the harassment complaint.

"We will now take time to work through the detail of the judgment alongside our legal team to understand fully what it means for the organisation.

"We want to recognise how difficult this tribunal has been for everyone directly and indirectly involved.

"Our focus now is to ensure that NHS Fife remains a supportive and inclusive environment for all employees and our patients and to deliver health and care to the population of Fife."


Storm Bram: 'Danger to life' warning as strong winds, heavy rain and flooding forecast for parts of UK and Ireland
Heavy rain and flooding, bringing possible "danger to life," have been forecast for parts of Wales and England on Tuesday as Storm Bram hits the UK.

Amber warnings have been issued by the Met Office for large areas of South Wales and Cornwall from midnight to 10am on Tuesday.

Heavy rain will build from Monday evening, continuing through the night and into Tuesday morning, with between 50mm (two inches) and 75mm (three inches) falling over around nine hours.

Check the forecast for your area

As much as 100mm (four inches) may fall in a few exposed locations, forecasters said.

Deep or fast-flowing floodwaters are possible, causing damage to buildings and flooding homes and businesses, with roads cut off and travel disrupted.

Parts of northwest Scotland were already under an amber warning on Tuesday for "very strong" winds reaching as high as 90mph (145kmh) from 4pm until the end of the day.

Flying debris "could result in a danger to life" - and there could be damage to buildings and homes along with the risk of roofs being "blown off" due to the "very strong and disruptive winds", the Met Office warned.

Forecasters added there was the potential for large waves and beach material "being thrown" across sea fronts, roads and properties.

Storm Bram, named by the Irish weather service Met Eireann, could bring more than half a month's rainfall to some parts of the UK in just a 24-hour period, the agency said.

Yellow warnings for rain have also been issued for most of Wales, the South West and the central belt of Scotland, the Met Office said.

Yellow and orange warnings are in place across Ireland on Monday and Tuesday, with "very strong to gale force" winds forecast on Tuesday.

The Met Office said strong winds forecast from Monday evening through until Wednesday could cause disruption, with gusts of 50-60mph (80-97kmh) predicted widely and 70-80mph (113-129kmh) in some places.

A yellow weather warning for rain comes into force from 6pm on Monday, and will be in place until 2pm on Tuesday, covering parts of southwest England and Wales, and stretching to parts of Herefordshire and Hampshire.

The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning for high winds from Dorset to Cornwall and up to North Wales, in place from 10pm on Monday until 4pm on Tuesday.

It said transport networks could face disruption, with delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges, and coastal roads and seafronts affected by spray and large waves. Power outages are also possible.

Strong winds and rain can also cause delays to air and ferry transport, alongside road and train journeys.

From 6pm on Monday, up to 40mm of rain could fall in some areas, with 60-80mm of rain over Dartmoor and high ground in South Wales, which would amount to more than half the average monthly rainfall in December.

The predicted rainfall across southwest England and South Wales is expected to hit already saturated ground and could lead to difficult travel conditions.

There are also further yellow warnings for wind and rain on Tuesday across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and northern England.

Yellow warnings for wind have been issued for Scotland and parts of northern England on Wednesday.

Met Office chief forecaster Dan Suri said the storm "will bring a very wet and windy spell of weather, with very strong winds and further heavy rain which falling over saturated ground, could cause flooding impacts".

He said gusts of "up to 90mph could be recorded" within the amber wind warning over northwest Scotland, while "gusts of 50-60 mph, and perhaps 70mph in a few spots, are expected across Wales, southwest England and Northern Ireland".

The Met Office said it is possible 100mm [of rain will fall] over higher ground in the south of Wales and parts of Devon.

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Sky News meteorologist Dr Christopher England warned many areas could face disruption from "damaging gusts".

"There could also be ferry disruption and that even outside the warning areas, potentially damaging gusts of over 50mph are possible," he said.

"It only takes one tree falling in the wrong place at the wrong time to have a significant impact."

The Met Office said the rest of the month remained unsettled, with further periods of low pressure predicted.

It said it is too early to provide an accurate forecast for the Christmas period.


Arne Slot has 'no clue' whether Mohamed Salah has played last game for Liverpool
Arne Slot has said he has "no clue" whether Mohamed Salah has played his last game for Liverpool.

The 33-year-old forward told journalists after Saturday's 3-3 Premier League draw at Leeds - his third game not starting for Liverpool this season - that he has been "thrown under the bus" by the club, and his relationship with head coach Slot had broken down.

Since then, Salah has been left out of the Champions League squad to face Inter Milan on Tuesday. He will not face any disciplinary action over his comments.

When asked at a press conference on Monday whether Salah has played his last game for the club, Slot said: "I have no clue. I cannot answer that question at this moment in time."

Slot did add that "I'm a firm believer there's always a possibility to return for a player", but told reporters: "It was a surprise to me when I heard he gave the comments he gave."

The Liverpool boss was asked whether Salah could come back into contention for Saturday's Premier League game with Brighton at Anfield and the Dutchman says that is a decision which would be taken after the Inter game on Tuesday night.

Slot also said that "I would have to find out why he said what he said" when asked whether the row could have been avoided.

"I have to guess a little bit. Is it because he doesn't play? Is it about me not playing him? What could I do differently? Playing him. Maybe that is not the reason he thinks and feels this way.

"He has the right to feel what he feels but he doesn't have the right to share it with the media. He does, but then it is up to us to react on it."

Slot became the club's head coach last year and won the Premier League title in his first season in charge, while Salah joined Liverpool in June 2017 and has been one of the Premier League's best players.

The forward is due to travel to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Egypt on 15 December and has been linked with a January move to the Saudi Pro League.


More arrests after 'pepper spray' incident at Heathrow Airport
Two more people have been arrested following a "pepper spray" incident at London's Heathrow Airport

The incident took place shortly after 8am on Sunday, when two women were allegedly robbed of their suitcases after leaving the car park lift within the airport's Terminal 3 building.

The alleged robbers then sprayed them with what is believed to be pepper spray, which affected others nearby.

Armed police responded and arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of robbery and assault close to the scene on Sunday. He was released under investigation while enquiries continue.

Now, a 24-year-old man in Lambeth has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault and a 23-year-old woman on suspicion of conspiracy to commit robbery, the Metropolitan Police said.

The pair remain in custody.

London Ambulance Service attended the scene and treated 21 people, including a three-year-old girl, who had been hit with the noxious spray in a multi-storey car park.

Five people were taken to hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.

They have all since been discharged.

The London Fire Brigade also attended, a spokesperson said.

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The incident caused delays and difficulties for passengers trying to get into the airport.

Some passengers said they were forced to wait three hours for a shuttle bus to the long-stay car park after their flight.

The service usually runs every 15 minutes.

There was also disruption to train and London Underground services, with some delays on the Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines and queues for drivers coming from the M4, with police searching vehicles.


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