Children among at least 28 hurt as incident expected to inflame tensions ahead of this month’s election

A 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker has driven a car into a trade union demonstration in Munich, injuring at least 28 people, German police said, in a suspected attack that is expected to inflame tensions ahead of this month’s election.

The car, a Mini Cooper, accelerated and ploughed into the back of a rally by the Verdi union at about 10.30am during a strike by public sector workers. Employees of daycare centres, hospitals, sanitation facilities and public swimming pools had joined the work stoppage calling for higher pay and longer holidays. More than 1,000 people were reportedly at the scene.

Group says it will stick to agreed timeframe to release hostages following threats from Israel it would resume war if they were not freed

Hamas has confirmed its commitment to continue implementing the Gaza ceasefire deal according to an agreed timeframe, Reuters is reporting in a breaking news line.

More details soon …

France also criticises Trump’s approach to ending war, resting on Kyiv forfeiting territory and Nato membership

The US should not have made concessions to Russia in advance of peace negotiations by ruling out Nato membership for Ukraine and accepting the country would have to forfeit some of its territory, Germany’s defence minister has said.

Boris Pistorius, arriving at a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels, echoed European frustrations in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s declaration on Wednesday that he was ready to negotiate with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.

Archaeologists hail discovery of near-2,000-year-old structure as one of most significant recent finds in the city

The remains of London’s earliest Roman basilica have been discovered under an office block, in what archaeologists have described as one of the most significant recent discoveries in the capital.

The almost 2,000-year-old structure was part of the forum, the Roman capital’s social and administrative centre, and built around the late 70s or early 80s AD, just a few decades after the Romans invaded Britain and 20 years after Boudicca sacked and burned the city in AD60.

Social media driving demand for US products containing banned additives linked to cancer and behaviour issues

Illegal imported sweets that contain banned additives linked to cancer and behavioural problems are “flooding UK high streets”, councils have said.

The warning first came from the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), which said that demand for American confectionery was being driven by influencers on social media platforms.

Deputy prime minister reportedly told separately by two councillors about lewd messages about her on group

Angela Rayner was told nearly three years ago that the sacked minister Andrew Gwynne had made a “derogatory” joke about her on an offensive WhatsApp group, the Guardian has been told.

The deputy prime minister was told separately by two local councillors about the lewd message about her by Gwynne, her neighbouring MP in Greater Manchester.

Farmers sounded tractor horns while prime minister was speaking to workers during visit to housing development to promote government’s plans for new towns

Keir Starmer has been forced to cut short a visit to a housing development after a protest by farmers, PA Media reports. PA says:

A group of tractor-driving protesters staged a noisy demonstration as Keir Starmer visited a housing development in Buckinghamshire.

The vehicles could be heard sounding musical horns while the prime minister spoke to workers at the site.

ONS data showing British national output rose in final quarter of 2024 confounds forecasts of 0.1% decline

• Business live – latest updates

Britain’s economy unexpectedly picked up in the final three months of 2024, official figures have shown, easing pressure on Rachel Reeves after flatlining during the summer.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show gross domestic product rose by 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2024 – after zero growth in the previous three months – to beat the forecasts of City economists and the Bank of England for a decline of 0.1%.

Exclusive: Rupert Lowe recently fitted panels on his farm, it emerges, as Reform claims renewables are more expensive

• UK politics live – latest updates

The Reform MP Rupert Lowe installed solar panels on his farm to save money on energy bills, despite his party pledging to tax solar energy and claiming renewables are more expensive.

The Nigel Farage-led party has been accused of hypocrisy as Lowe also runs a company that installs batteries for renewables projects, which has described solar energy as a good way to reduce electricity bills.

• Attempt at 800m short-track record at Keely Klassic
• BBC has rights but will not show race on terrestrial TV

The BBC has snubbed a world record attempt by the Olympic star Keely Hodgkinson on its main terrestrial channels in favour of showing a film it aired as recently in October 2024 and a repeat of Flog It!

It had been hoped in athletics circles that the BBC would grant prime time to Hodgkinson’s attempt on the 800m world indoor record on Saturday – especially after she attracted 9.1 million viewers when winning gold in Paris and went on to win the Sports Personality of the Year award in December.