The Metropolitan Police has apologised for an incident where volunteer officer Maya Hadzhipetkova confronted gospel singer Harmonie London, 20, telling her she could not perform Christian songs on Oxford Street. Claiming that Harmonie needed church authorisation to sing such songs outside church premises, she threatened to confiscate her keyboard and equipment. The encounter, which lasted over forty minutes, ended with Harmonie feeling compelled to leave. A video of the incident, viewed over 950,000 times, sparked criticism for appearing to limit religious freedom. Harmonie described the experience as humiliating and intimidating, feeling belittled and that her rights were disregarded. A police spokesperson apologised, admitting the officer's error and acknowledging the need to learn from this mistake. The incident is under investigation by Scotland Yard. Despite the ordeal, Harmonie has resumed singing gospel music on Oxford Street. The Christian Institute is offering guidance and free training for street evangelists, who can contact them for more information.

In 2023, a record-breaking 52,000 individuals contacted the National Gambling Helpline for assistance with gambling issues, a significant increase from the 42,000 in 2022. This surge included concerns about others' gambling habits, particularly noted during the Christmas season. Television viewing for some addicts has become challenging due to rampant gambling ads. Additionally, 7,000 people downloaded the Gamban app, which blocks online gambling access and offers addiction combat advice. Gamban criticised the targeting of self-excluded gamblers by unregulated casinos.The software is designed to be hard to uninstall to support recovery. Ciarán Kelly of the Christian Institute urged the government to tackle the root causes. Samantha Turton of GamCare noted a 'landmark climb' in people seeking early intervention for gambling addiction, indicating both concern and hope.

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhny has highlighted the use of drones as a way of countering Russia's military advantage and altering the course of the war. Russia has also continued to attack Ukraine with drones and missiles, but it has failed to capture new territory despite its superior resources. Recent Ukrainian successes which illustrate the potency of drones include sinking a Russian warship and strikes on airfields and an oil refinery. Ukraine expects to exploit this technological advantage by producing millions more drones. Meanwhile, although the EU finally approved a €50 billion aid package for Ukraine on 2 February, this is seen as only a small step: see

Novaya Urada, a village in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, has deep roots in livestock farming and each year draws tourists hoping to photograph a vibrant poppy field nearby. However, responding to an escalating rubbish crisis, the authorities have started work on a landfill site near the village, expected to receive 300 tons of non-recyclable rubbish a year - even though there will also be three new waste-processing facilities in the republic this year. Despite initial assurances that they had nothing to worry about, residents are fighting determinedly against the dump, citing lack of consultation and environmental impact assessment. They say that construction has already destroyed the beloved poppy field and is threatening the nearby Sarykum Dune, home to rare flora and fauna.