Taiwan shares a “rock solid” relationship with the United States, its president has insisted – despite talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping over the self-governed island’s future.

During a phone call on Wednesday, Mr Xi warned his American counterpart to be “prudent” about giving arms to Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed.

Last December, the US announced it would ship more than $11.1bn of weapons to the island – its largest package ever.

“The Taiwan-US relationship is rock solid, and all cooperation projects will continue uninterrupted,” Taiwan President Lai Ching-te told reporters during a visit to textile merchants in western Taiwan.

Taiwan is a self-governing island that China claims as its own and is willing to use force to reclaim, prompting fears of a future invasion.

Beijing even prohibits all countries with which it has diplomatic relations, including the US, from having formal ties with Taipei.

It means the US does not recognise Taiwan as a nation state – but still remains its biggest backer.

After Mr Trump and Mr Xi’s phone call, the Chinese foreign ministry shared a readout of the conversation.

It said: “President Xi emphasised that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China – US relations. Taiwan is China’s territory.

“China must safeguard its own sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow Taiwan to be separated.

“The US must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence.”

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For his own part, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate the successful call – but made no mention of China’s firm words on Taiwan.

He said: “The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realise how important it is to keep it that way.”

The $11.1bn arms shipment announced in December is not over the line yet, having still not been approved by Congress.

There has also been significant pushback to the deal from within China, which conducted military drills around Taiwan in response.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Fighting against Russia’s 4-year-old invasion has cost the lives of 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as a U.S. envoy described two days of talks between Moscow and Kyiv officials as “detailed and productive.”

Ukraine has also listed “a large number of people” as missing in the war, Zelenskyy added in an interview broadcast by French TV channel France 2 late Wednesday.

The last time the Ukrainian leader gave a figure for battlefield deaths, in early 2025, he said 46,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed.

The two sides are locked in a grinding war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line snaking along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, where the Russian army is trying to make the bigger size of its army tell. Both sides are also firing long-range drones and missiles at targets in the rear.

Zelenskyy’s figure for troop deaths is much lower than an estimate given last month by a U.S. think tank. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that up to 140,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed through the end of last year.

Its report said Russia suffered up to 325,000 troop deaths over the same time.

Neither Moscow nor Kyiv gives timely data on military losses. The Russian Defense Ministry has not released figures on battlefield deaths since a statement in September 2022 that said just under 6,000 Russian soldiers had been killed.

Ukrainian civilians have also reeled from the fighting. Last year saw a 31% increase in Ukrainian civilian casualties compared with 2024, the advocacy group Human Rights Watch said in a report published Wednesday.

Almost 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and just over 40,000 injured since the start of the war through last December, according to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

Peace efforts have dragged on, meanwhile, and negotiators from Moscow and Kyiv on Thursday held a second day of U.S.-brokered talks.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said the two sides agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, their first exchange in five months, though the meeting in Abu Dhabi delivered no major breakthrough.

“While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine,” Witkoff said on X.

The delegations from Moscow and Kyiv were joined in the capital of the United Arab Emirates by Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council chief, who was present at the meeting.

They were also at last month’s talks in the same place as the Trump administration tries to steer the two countries toward a settlement. At the time, Zelenskyy described the issue of who would control the Donbas industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine as “key.”

General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, was also present at the talks, according to a spokesman for the general who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in Kyiv on an official visit Thursday.

Two people were injured in the Ukrainian capital as a result of overnight Russian drone strikes, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. In the wider Kyiv region, a man suffered a shrapnel chest wound, authorities said.

Russia fired 183 drones and two ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Russian air defenses downed 95 Ukrainian drones overnight over several regions, the Azov Sea and Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

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Emma Burrows in London contributed to this report.

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This story corrects an earlier version that said Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2016. It should be 2014.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Special US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, held talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, for a second day on Thursday in an effort to try and thrash out the details of the US-proposed peace deal.

And which dish is most popular in your restaurants? Boris, North West

This is interesting. It’s an Indonesian seafood curry. The reason it’s so popular is the Indonesian spice mixture of galangal, ginger and garlic. It’s slightly scented with the flavours of the East and everyone loves it.

Most underrated fish and most overrated fish? Judith, Scotland

There is a fish called a megrim sole, which is now called Cornish sole to make it a bit more popular. But it’s a flat fish local to Cornwall, which I think is excellent.

I wouldn’t say there are any overrated fish. It’s just that some fish have been slightly ruined by their popularity. Fish like plaice, haddock or cod. They are beautiful fish but unfortunately because of the pressure of popularity, they are slightly under threat. But with new conservation methods, certainly cod is coming back.

What advice you would give to a younger version of yourself starting out? Tim, South West

When you’re young, you’re lacking in confidence in your own abilities. My advice would be don’t panic, relax. It will be alright and your qualities will come through as you get older.

What is your most used piece of kitchen equipment? Anonymous, London

Boringly, it’s my knives. I think a lot of the time you tend to pick up kitchen gadgets and end up putting them away, keeping them in the garage. Because actually, most things you can do with a knife, and it’s just a lot easier.

Air fryer or no air fryer? Kenneth, East of England

I’m not that keen on air fryers. I have one but I don’t use it much. An ordinary convection oven does the same job, albeit it uses up a bit more energy.

How has your time in Australia informed your menus in the UK? Kevin, London

Australia has been a great influence on me, right back to the early 80s when a revolution happened there with them suddenly realising cooking was a good thing to go into.

Because they had no big traditions of food, they just borrowed from all sorts of cultures that had arrived in Australia, like Greek, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai. The whole idea of fusion cooking became second nature and exciting.

Which country has impressed you the most with its food? Helmut, South West

It’s really difficult to answer that one. There are so many countries with great cuisine. India springs to mind, particularly as we filmed there for quite a long time and I love everything about Indian food.

I haven’t filmed extensively in China but I love Chinese cuisine. Japan, because of the philosophy behind their cooking.

Italy, of course, and Greece. Greece was a late arrival for me. Early in the 1970s when I started going to Greece, the food, certainly for tourists, wasn’t brilliant, but of late it’s just come into its own. Great ingredients, simply cooked.

At what age did you really consider you had made it? Justine, Wales

It’s difficult to say, really. For me, the most important thing in my life was actually my first book, called English Seafood Cookery. It won a prize called the Glenfiddich prize, in those days. Now it’s the Fortnum & Mason prize or the Observer prize. I won a Glenfiddich for my first book. I couldn’t believe it.

The drug dealer crashed his car just minutes before the start of his trial

A drug dealer suspected of staging a crash just moments before he was due to stand trial has now been jailed. Shazad Ahmad Shabir occupied a leading role in a multimillion-pound supply chain across Cambridgeshire, but crashed his car just minutes before the start of his court trial.

Shabir, 38, was initially arrested in November 2021 as part of an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU). Detectives linked him to a handle used on EncroChat, an encrypted messaging service operated to secretly communicate with other criminals, and which had been cracked the previous year by international law enforcement agencies.

Decoded EncroChat messages showed Shabir was part of a larger organised criminal gang involved in both the purchase and supply of heroin and cocaine, as well as the movement and collection of hundreds of thousands of pounds in criminal cash.

After being charged, a lengthy court process eventually led to a trial date in September 2025 at Cambridge Crown Court. On the morning when the trial was meant to start, Shabir was involved in a collision and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Enquiries revealed the incident had happened just minutes after the proposed start of the hearing, and his vehicle had been travelling in the opposite direction to the court. Despite Shabir’s complaints of serious injury, he wandered around the hospital without any medical issues. A warrant was issued by the court for his arrest and he was detained again and remanded in custody.

Shabir, of Fulbridge Road, Peterborough, later pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply 11kg of cocaine and four kilos of heroin with an estimated street value of around £2.2million. He also admitted to three counts of money laundering. On Friday (January 30 2026), Shabir was sentenced to 14 years and four months’ imprisonment.

ERSOU Detective Chief Inspector Rob Turner said: “Shabir played a leading role in a criminal network responsible for funnelling wholesale quantities of cocaine and heroin into our communities and laundering the profits. We don’t know for certain the true extent of this operation, and the amount of drugs Shabir was involved in supplying is likely to have been even greater than what he was convicted of.

“We welcome this sentence, though, which reflects the scale of Shabir’s offending, as well as the determination of our officers to follow the evidence, often through complex encrypted platforms, to bring organised criminals to justice. Our financial investigators will now be using the Proceeds of Crime Act to seek to recover cash and any other assets acquired, as a result of this criminal activity.”

The warning comes into effect at 3pm on Thursday (February 5)

Parts of Greater Manchester are set to be hit with snow today, as the Met Office issues a new 12-hour weather warning affecting north west England, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and north east England.

Coming into effect at 3pm on Thursday (February 5), the yellow snow warning covers parts of Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside for 12 hours until 3am on Friday (February 6).

The Met Office’s warning reads: “Rain will turn increasingly to snow over hills through this afternoon and evening and may lead to some travel disruption.”

Further description warns of accumulating snow at higher levels. The Met Office description of the warning reads: “Rain moving north across England today is expected to increasingly turn to snow over higher ground through the afternoon and evening.

“The snow will continue overnight and into Friday morning, although the altitude at which snow settles should steadily rise above that of most major trans-Pennine routes during the early hours of Friday.”

It continues: “While some sleet or snow is possible to lower levels for a time this evening, accumulating snow is mostly likely above 250 to 300 m with up to 5 cm possible. Much of this melting during Friday morning after the warning ends. Some places above 500 m may see 5-15 cm.”

The Met Office issues severe weather warnings when there is expected to be danger or disruption caused by the conditions. There are three severities – yellow, amber and red – and can be issued for a range of phenomena including snow, hail, rain, wind, and fog among others.

It comes as two yellow warnings for rain are in place in Northern Ireland and parts of southern England and Wales. The warning in Northern Ireland will remain in place until the end of the day on Friday, and the warning across parts of England will be lifted at 9pm on Friday.

Full list of UK areas affected by 12-hour snow warning

East Midlands

North East England

North West England

• Cheshire East
• Cumbria
• Greater Manchester
• Lancashire

Yorkshire & Humber

• North Yorkshire
• South Yorkshire
• West Yorkshire

If so, The Bolton News wants to hear from you! Our Best Hairdresser competition is underway, and nominations are now open.

Following a fantastic response to last year’s competition, we are once more asking readers to shout about the salons and stylists who leave them looking and feeling their best.

A good hairdresser is more than just a stylist; over the years, they become a good friend and a confidante as well as, of course, helping you feel a million quid.

Our search for Bolton’s Best Hairdresser 2026 forms part of our series to shine a light and celebrate local businesses with your help.

Thomas Herbert in Wigan Road, Westhoughton, won Bolton’s Best Hairdresser 2025 competition.

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Now it is time to decide who should follow in their footsteps. Whether your favourite salon is a long‑established fixture on the high street or a hidden gem you are desperate to tell the world about, we want your nominations.

You can put forward any hairdresser or salon you believe deserves the title as long as they are based in Bolton.

Tell us who they are, where they are based and why they should be named The Bolton News‘ Best Hairdresser 2026.

Simply head to www.surveymonkey.com/r/BNBEST or scan the QR code.

Once the week-long voting period closes, we will unveil the top 10 who will be featured in the paper each day.

Voting slips will be in the newspaper from Monday, February 17, until Saturday, March 1.

Farage has moaned about accusations that Reform is becoming ” bunch of Tories” saying he just can’t “win”.

Nigel Farage has revealed another sacked Tory as his latest recruit to Reform UK. James Evans – a former senior Welsh Conservative – was let go from the party last month over speculation he was going to join Reform.

Farage announced him as the latest defector at a press conference in Wales. The party leader also confirmed that Dan Thomas, a former Tory who defected to Reform last year, will be Reform’s new leader in Wales.

During a Q&A, Mr Farage complained about accusations that Reform is becoming a “bunch of Tories” and said he just can’t “win,” reports the Mirror.

He said: “On the national level, I’m told: ‘Well, you’ve got no track record. You’ve got no one has been in Cabinet.’ So Robert Jenrick joins us and: ‘Oh, you’re just a bunch of Tories.’ But I can’t really win can I?”

Asked if there were “one too many Tories in Reform now”, Farage said if five to eight per cent of candidates at the local elections are ex-Tories then there wouldn’t be. He added that he believes in “Christian forgiveness” in allowing former Conservatives into his party.

He said: “We welcome former Conservatives who’ve seen the light. We welcome former Labour people. We welcome people, despite their political pasts. We believe in Christian forgiveness. And we’re very happy to welcome them to the bright side.”

Mr Evans – the current Senedd member for Brecon and Radnorshire – conceded on stage that he has criticised Reform UK in the past but said he has “done it publicly, and I’m not hiding away from it.”

He said he has reassessed and now believes Reform is the only party dealing with the “truth” that Britain and Wales are broken.

He also launched a scathing attack on the media, suggesting it was driven “by left wing activists who pass themselves off as journalists”.

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Mr Evans was sacked by the Tories over suspicions he was planning to defect to Reform. Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, dismissed Mr Evans as shadow cabinet secretary for health and social care and withdrew the party whip. Since then Mr Evans, who was first elected in 2021, has sat as an independent.

At the time, Mr Farage insisted he had not spoken to Mr Evans. He said: “This is not true. I have not spoken to Mr Evans for a couple of years.”

Welsh-born former London council leader Mr Thomas was also unveiled by Farage as the leader of Reform UK in Wales before the Senedd elections in May.

Mr Thomas, who grew up in Wales, was the Tory leader of Barnet Council from 2019 to 2022 and joined Reform UK last year. In December he quit as a councillor for Finchley Church End after returning to Wales with his family.

Reform had one Member of the Senedd after former Conservative Laura Anne Jones defected to join the party in July, and now have a second, after Mr Evans’s defection.

Keir Starmer has said sorry to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein for having believed the ‘lies’ of the paedophile’s friend Peter Mandelson before appointing him as ambassador to the US.

The Prime Minister is under enormous pressure from his own MPs as the full extent of Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted sex offender emerges from files released at the weekend.

At yesterday’s PMQs, Starmer revealed he knew that relationship continued beyond Epstein’s conviction on child sex offences when Mandelson was hired last year.

The controversy has thrown a spotlight on the PM’s Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney, who was close with the former business secretary.

Speaking in East Sussex today, Starmer said: ‘The victims of Epstein have lived with trauma that most of us can barely comprehend, and they’ve had to live it again and again.

‘They have seen accountability delayed and too often denied.

‘To them, I want to say this: I am sorry. Sorry for what was done to you. Sorry that so many people with power failed you. Sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him.

‘Sorry that even now, you’re forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.’

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MORE: How the Mandelson scandal spiralled into an existential threat for Keir Starmer

MORE: How did Jeffrey Epstein make his money and what happened to his fortune after he died?

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s replacements are yet to be announced

Alan Carr has dismissed the possibility that he could present Strictly Come Dancing. The 49-year-old comedian and his pal Amanda Holden have both been tipped to take over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman on the Saturday night favourite.

However, Alan, who won the first series of The Celebrity Traitors last year, claims that the job should be given to somebody who “really loves” the show. Speaking to Best magazine, Alan said: “I like watching the show, I don’t love it.

“I think it would be better for someone who really, really loves it. I just think, wouldn’t it be great to get someone fresh and new? That show is so adored and you want someone in there who’s like, ‘This Paso Doble is amazing’ – and I don’t give a s***! So give it to someone else.”

Alan had recently quashed hopes that he and Amanda – who have starred together on shows such as Amanda and Alan’s Greek Job – could present Strictly together as he revealed that the pair had turned down the opportunity “ages ago”. Speaking as the duo appeared on the Table Manners podcast recently, he said of the job: “No, we said no ages ago.”

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Amanda has also rejected speculation that the pair will be replacing Tess and Claudia. Speaking on her Heart Radio show in December, the 54-year-old star said: “I want to say now that me and Alan are 100 per cent not doing Strictly. We are so flattered to be in that mix. We both are not doing it.”

As Strictly fans know, Tess and Claudia announced in October last year that they would be stepping down from fronting the show at the end of the 2025 series, which at that time was at the mid-way point.

They issued a joint statement confirming their plans to depart the popular show together, saying it was the “right time” for them to bow out of the beloved programme, before hosting they were later seen hosting their last show live on December 20.

The 2025 series final, which saw Karen Carney and Carlos Gu crowned Strictly champions, featured a number of tributes to Tess and Claudia, including from the Queen, as well as fans of the show. They were greeted by a standing ovation from the audience, which included Tess’ husband Vernon Kay, as they opened the episode.