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Brighton and Hove City Council will host a free bi-monthly business surgery on 17 February at the Jubilee Library's Business and Intellectual Property Centre where entrepreneurs can meet the council's small business ambassador; the programme links attendees to council services, the Brighton and Hove Growth Hub and BIPC support.

A 15-year-old has pleaded guilty to the murder of 12-year-old Leo Ross, who died after an attack while walking home from school in Birmingham on 21 January 2025.

A three-year Neighbourhood Early Diagnosis Fund, included in ring-fenced cancer funding for 2026-27, will support local NHS partnerships to reduce screening inequalities and promote earlier cancer diagnosis in deprived and underserved areas.

Neath College held its first Culture Day last week with performances, food stalls and community partners, and organisers say the event will be delivered across the NPTC Group of Colleges.

A charity dog walk to raise funds for German Shepherd Rescue South will meet at the middle car park by the Armed Forces Community Hub at Tedworth House Polo Grounds in Tidworth at 9.45am for a 10am start on Sunday, February 1.

Basingstoke Neighbourcare has partnered with Basingstoke Citizens Advice to offer free, confidential advice sessions at Hill Rise Hall Café in Brighton Hill and the Community Hub at Popley Fields, with sessions running from February through late May and early June.

Vast plans to launch Haven-1 in 2026 and says it would be the world's first commercial space station if successful; the BBC Tech Life episode includes an interview with CEO Max Haot.

This Morning presenter Dr Zoe Williams posted that she is home and comfortable after a major lumbar decompression to treat severe spinal stenosis, and her surgeon said the operation went well.

Zuckerberg told investors he expects AI-enabled glasses to become common, while Meta's Reality Labs reported a $6 billion loss for the last quarter.

At the OSCE the UK said Russia's victory in Ukraine is far from inevitable, citing substantial Russian military losses, economic strain and growing European support for Ukraine.

A 13-year-old from Oldham received Casgevy (exa-cel), a one-time CRISPR-based gene-editing treatment for beta-thalassaemia in November 2024 and has returned to Royal Manchester Children's Hospital to thank the staff who cared for him.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service figures show deliberate fires in Inverclyde fell from 55 to 16 in the third quarter of 2025/26, and overall incidents attended dropped from 215 to 146 in the same period.

The UK told the OSCE that Holocaust Memorial Day honours victims, including six million Jewish lives and other persecuted groups, and warned of rising antisemitism while reaffirming support for IHRA tools and global guidelines.

The Office for National Statistics reports 499 victims of murder and manslaughter in the year to September, the lowest figure since 1977, with knife-related homicides down 23%.

Cheryl Fergison said she is recovering slowly eight months after a May 2025 stroke and is undergoing rehabilitation for movement and speech.

A North Carolina man was arrested on Oct. 28 and charged with four counts of first-degree murder; prosecutors said on Dec. 18 they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.

On Good Morning Britain, Richard Madeley fought back tears as he paid tribute to his friend Stuart Prebble, whom he said he had known for 50 years; the article reports Prebble, a television executive, died in August last year after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology commissioned a June 2025 survey to map how AI is used in the UK's engineering biology community and to identify tools, barriers and views on utility, accessibility and risks.

Scotty's Castle in Death Valley National Park is offering limited flood-recovery tours after about 10 years of repairs; full reopening is expected in a few years and restoration work will continue.

China has added the UK to its visa-free entry policy, allowing British visitors to stay up to 30 days without a visa; the change was announced during Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit and follows his meeting with President Xi Jinping.

The UK Government named North Lanarkshire its latest AI Growth Zone, and proposals involving Chapelhall-based DataVita with AI firm CoreWeave are reported to include up to £8.2 billion of investment and up to 7,000 jobs, subject to the full statutory planning process.

Santander will close 44 UK branches, putting about 291 branch-based workers at risk, and says the move follows a shift to digital banking while it awaits regulatory approval for its £2.6bn takeover of TSB.

The UK government has announced Lanarkshire as the latest AI Growth Zone, led by DataVita with support from CoreWeave, and the proposal is expected to create more than 3,400 jobs and a community fund of up to £543 million over 15 years.

The Woolf Institute has launched a Commission on Interfaith Relations, chaired by Dr Ed Kessler with the Area Bishop of Willesden as vice-chair, to examine how global conflicts affect faith relations in the UK; it will meet six times this year.

A City of London Corporation consultation of more than 38,000 people found strong support—around 86–90%—for retaining trans‑inclusive access at Hampstead Heath bathing ponds, and current admission rules will remain while committees review the findings.

Two Upper Tribunal judges ruled that severe hair loss in women can constitute a disability in a VAT dispute over specialist wigs, and the tribunal reversed a previous First Tier ruling in a case tied to a £277,083.10 tax demand.

Family and friends say Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old Minneapolis VA intensive-care nurse who was fatally shot by federal immigration agents, was generous and patriotic; bystander video and witnesses reported he was filming and not holding a gun.

Gatwick Gaming meets weekly at Ifield West Community Centre and draws up to about 40 people; the author played Cockroach Poker and Flip 7 and notes a Flip 7 tournament scheduled for February 18.

The Great Leeds Walk 2026 will start at The Leodiensian Rugby Club in Alwoodley at 7am and offers 10-, 18- and 25-mile routes to raise funds for Sue Ryder Wheatfields Hospice; early-bird registration is available until 1 April.

US officials say President Trump is considering targeted strikes on Iranian security leaders and institutions to try to influence domestic unrest; no final decision has been announced and additional US naval forces have arrived in the region.