Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that the Iranian regime and Vladimir Putin’s Russia are connected in hate amid reports that Putin is harbouring the injured Ayatollah in Moscow.

The Ukrainian president highlighted co-operation between Tehran and Moscow on Shahed kamikaze drones which had targeted Ukraine and countries across the Gulf.

Speaking in a Westminster committee room, Mr Zelensky said: ‘The regimes in Russia and Iran are brothers in hatred, and that is why they are brothers in weapons.

‘And we want regimes built on hatred, to never, never win in anything. And we want no such regime to threaten Europe or our partners.’

It comes after reports that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been secretly flown to Moscow for life-saving surgery after he was severely injured in an Israeli airstrike.

Khamenei was severely injured in the attack that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the outbreak of the Iran War.

Citing a ‘high-ranking source close to the new Iranian supreme leader, Kuwaiti paper Al-Jarida claimed that Vladimir Putin personally offered Khamenei medical treatment in the Russian capital during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday.

When asked about Al-Jarida’s claims during a press briefing in Moscow, a spokesperson said that the Kremlin did ‘not comment in any way on such reports’.

On Tuesday, Zelensky told MPs that his drone squads were far cheaper to counter Iranian or Russian strikes.

He said: ‘Together Europe is a global force – one that the world cannot do without and that no-one can stand against. We must grow this strength, and we must direct it, and we can. We must act now, so that future generations can say ‘these leaders acted when it mattered’.

‘Work with us as closely as possible so that neither Kyiv, nor London, will have to hide under drone nets or live under concrete without a safe sky.’

‘There has been no real peace while this regime has been in Iran,’ Zelensky says.

‘We are entering a time when such regimes are gaining new ways to kill, cheaply, over long distances, using AI, and simply because they want to destroy you and can force their own people to work for war.

‘One Iranian Shahed missile costs $150,000. To shoot it down pilots sometimes use missiles some costing up to $4m.’

But he says the Ukrainian approach is ‘far most cost effective’. With smaller missiles costing less than $10,000 dollars.

Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the UK for its support over the a ‘difficult winter’

The Ukrainian president said he would update Sir Keir on battlefield developments and energy security, saying: ‘Of course, we can’t sleep, we must move quickly.’

‘Also not to forget about our diplomatic efforts and negotiations and where we are with the Americans and with the Russians.’

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One of the couple also stole from Home Bargains, Waitrose, and Next while on bail

A couple worked together to steal hundreds of pounds worth of items from a Peterborough filling station. The Peterborough pair stole from the same place four times, and one continued to steal while on bail from the likes of Home Bargains and Next.

Lewis Howden, 40, and Charlotte Ritchie, 39, stole almost £500 of goods from the BP filling station, in Bretton, across four visits between February 5 and February 10. However Howden continued committing crimes after he was arrested.

The pair were arrested at their home in Tyesdale, Bretton, on February 11, and charged with the offences. Each was bailed by a court pending a further hearing, which Ritchie failed to attend.

While on court bail, Howden committed a further three thefts in Peterborough. He stole from Waitrose, in Mayors Walk, West Town, Peterborough, on February 23, Home Bargains, in Bourges Boulevard, on February 24, and Next, in Brotherhood Retail Park, on March 2.

The pair were arrested again on March 11 and appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court the following day. Howden was jailed for ten months and ordered to pay £207.99 in compensation after admitting seven thefts.

Ritchie was ordered to pay £234 in compensation and handed a two-year conditional discharge. It means that if she commits another crime during that period, she can be sentenced for the four thefts, which she also admitted.

PC Jack Jenkins, who investigated, said: “I would like to thank the businesses impacted by the pair’s offending for continually reporting incidents to us. This helps us to identify those involved and put them before the courts.”

Fans have been waiting three years to for the third season of the hit BBC drama

An EastEnders legend has joined David Tennant and Siobhan Finneran in a revamped BBC drama that’s set to air in the coming months.

It was announced last year that Jimmy McGovern’s BAFTA-winning hit drama Time would be coming back for a third season. Featuring a new cast every season, the first two seasons followed the lives of inmates and staff in His Majesty’s Prison Service.

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First starring Game of Thrones’ Sean Bean and Stephen Graham in 2021’s first season, Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker picked up the reins two years later, with The Last of Us’ Bella Ramsey joining the cast. The latest edition of the BBC anthology series will be set in a young offenders’ institution.

Consisting of three episodes, Rivals; David Tennant is starring as Prison Officer Bailey with Happy Valley’s Siobhan Finneran reprises her role as Marie-Louise, a prison chaplain. The series will explore the impact of locking up teenagers and the effects on those who look after them.

Its synopsis reads: “Prison Chaplain Marie-Louise comes to the YOI having lost her faith. When tragedy strikes within the prison, Marie-Louise clashes with veteran officer Bailey, a man in the midst of his own crisis.

“Bailey knows more about the circumstances that led to this major incident – but will he come clean before the guilt gets too much? Meanwhile, two teenage young offenders, Peter and James, struggle through the terrifying first weeks and months of their incarceration.

“Can James ever face his broken parents after an unforgivable act of violence and will Peter tell the truth about the death of an innocent man, or does family loyalty mean more?

“An unlikely friendship between them looks to shift the trajectory of their futures, but in an increasingly unstable environment, is change ever possible?”

Series creator and writer Jimmy previously said: “Siobhan Finneran is back! And we’ve got a wonderful leading man in David Tennant. And a brilliant director in Paul Whittington. I think it’s going to be wonderful.”

On Tuesday (March 17), the BBC announced further additions to the cast as filming begins in Belfast. Leading the additions is Boiling Point and The Lazarus Project’s Vinette Robinson as Erica. If that wasn’t enough, Jo Joyner will play Nicola.

EastEnders fans will recognise Joyner from her time playing Tanya Branning on the BBC soap. Recent years have seen her appear in his series Little Disasters and Stay Close.

Also appearing in Time season three are The Bay’s Daniel Ryan as Custodial Manager Jennings, The Responder’s Warren Brown as Albie, Stranger Things: The First Shadow’s Louis McCartney as James, with Ollie McNulty and Chukwubuikem Molokwu making their screen debuts as Peter and Christopher, and Hollyoaks’ Ethaniel Davy playing Jayden.

Co-writer Samuel Bailey said: “It’s been an absolute honour to work with Jimmy on Time series 3, and with the brilliant cast put together by the team, I think this series will be just as impactful and devastating as Time 1 & 2.

“I’m particularly excited for audiences to meet the lads playing our young offenders, who are all remarkable actors that I know we’re going to be seeing a lot more of in the future.”

The BBC Radio 1 DJ has taken on his most enduring challenge yet: the Longest Ride, which will see him covering 1,000km from Weymouth to Edinburgh.

Starting on Friday (March 13), Greg has cycled the arduous route up north, arriving to a celebrating crowd at Central Hall on the University of York’s campus today (Tuesday, March 17).

He was joined by the Prince of Wales earlier this afternoon, who accompanied him on his tandem bike across the South Yorkshire countryside.

Prince William confirmed that Greg had smashed his fundraising targets for Comic Relief, which now exceed £1 million.

After a lengthy cycling journey, the pair parted ways before Greg arrived in York shortly before 5pm.

Upon making it to his final destination of the day, the DJ was greeted by hundreds of enthusiastic students and staff, many of whom adorned themselves in Long Boi masks – cheering Greg on with signs and kazoos.

The very tall, very special duck stole Greg’s heart after he revealed international attention for his disappearance in 2023.

In the years that followed, Greg has unveiled a bronze statue of Long Boi and officiated his funeral, which was attended by 700 people and listened to by 4.4 million Radio 1 listeners.

University official Gemma Vessey explained: “Greg has always been vocal about the importance of not taking life too seriously.

“Long Boi was a reminder of the beauty of this, and hence, York is a pivotal spot during Greg’s challenge.”

Student union representative Kaitlyn Beattie-Zarb added: “We can’t compete with Prince William, we can’t compete with the Red Arrows, but what we can do is bring out a student body of ducks and face masks, kazoos and lean into the silliness and the fun of it all.”

Stopping to speak to the media after his arrival, Greg praised the huge crowd that showed up to support him and Comic Relief.

He said: “There was a bit of a low this morning, then the sun came out.

“All it took was for the future king to turn up and I thought, you know what, maybe I can do this.”

Paying tribute to Long Boi, he said: “He is forever in our hearts, obviously, but thanks so much to everyone for turning up – it means so much.”

Greg will continue his journey up north tomorrow, passing through Wigginton, Sutton-on-the-Forest and Stillington before reaching the North York Moors National Park.

You can track him and keep up-to-date with his challenge by heading to www.comicrelief.com/rednoseday/challenges/greg/.

The transplant list is at a record high, with more than 8,000 people waiting for organs

Two hospitals in Cambridge are at the heart of a trial that could see hundreds more lives saved each year. Hundreds more organs could be saved for transplant every year thanks to preservation techniques being trialled by NHS doctors at hospitals including Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth in Cambridge.

Several major hospitals in England are running a pilot to keep donor organs preserved for longer so checks can be carried out to see whether they are suitable for transplant. There is not always enough time to carry out tests on organs before they need to be used, meaning doctors are not always confident about accepting them for operations.

If successful, the pilot would lead to the first full national network in the world for reconditioning organs. Under the scheme, up to 750 more organ transplants could be carried out every year – a 19% rise on current figures. This could include up to 202 more liver transplants being carried out, up to 202 more lung transplants, and up to 345 additional kidney transplants.

Perfusion is a technique for circulating oxygenated blood or nutrient-rich fluids through organs, preserving their function and enabling more time for them to be assessed. The first lung pilot centre has opened at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, and will be followed by lung pilot sites at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle and Harefield Hospital in London.

A dedicated perfusion suite at Addenbrooke’s opened last year and is the first of its kind in the UK. Some 12 liver and kidney pilot centres will also open in the coming months.

Addenbrooke’s multi-visceral transplant lead, Mr Andrew Butler, welcomed the trial, explaining that perfusion machines provide a greater opportunity accept multiple organs and match them to recipients. An example was a liver that was perfused for 32 hours before half of it was successfully used to assist a 15-year-old patient.

Mr Butler, who helped pioneer the perfusion technique, said: “Our greatest wish is to honour the gift from the donor by using it to save the life of another person. We are proud to have played a key role in the development of the perfusion machine, since it greatly improves the odds of achieving that goal and we are delighted to be selected as one of the ARC pilot sites.”

Transplant list at record high

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) says changes are needed to save more organs owing to the record high transplant waiting list, which is consistently over 8,000 people. The potential donor pool is also falling as people live longer and have long-term health conditions.

Derek Manas, medical director for organ and tissue donation and transplantation at NHSBT, told the Press Association the aim is to create “centres of excellence” that benefit patients across the country. Some trusts already have perfusion techniques but the aim is to standardise practice and create a network.

“There are two aims of perfusion,” he said. “One is to extend the preservation time – the standard currently is to put all organs in a box of ice. What the perfusion machines will do is give us more time to keep the organs viable… So you can keep organs on a machine until the theatre is available, until surgeons are available, until anaesthetic staff are available and so on.

“The length of time will depend on each organ. The heart still probably has the least extended time. At the moment, in a box of ice, you’ve got about three hours at the most, but with machine perfusion you’ve got eight hours and probably longer. For livers, you can probably extend the time to 12 to 24 hours.

“We’re not sure exactly how long we can extend the time for, but it certainly will make a significant difference to transplants. The other value of perfusion is assessing the functionality of the organs. Most organ donors now are older… so putting organs on a machine allows you to assess their function.”

He said several hospitals do perfusion “but the pilot is about trying to find where the best location should be”. He added: “It’s hugely inequitable at the moment, because some patients are getting the benefit and others are not. The pilot will hopefully change that.”

Programme could save hundreds of lives

With perfusion, organs are connected to a device by tubes going into the arteries. Organs are then fed blood or an oxygenated substance, plus nutrients. Waste products such as bile are removed. With a full reconditioning network, organs could also receive additional reconditioning treatments, such as surgical repairs, medications, blood group changing or cell therapies.

Dr Zubir Ahmed, the Government’s health innovation and safety minister, said: “Every person waiting for a transplant deserves the best possible chance of receiving one. We are committed to funding this crucial programme because, as part of our plans to build an NHS fit for the future, we want to use the latest technology to give clinicians more time and better tools to assess organs safely, honouring the extraordinary generosity of donors and their families.

“This programme could mean saving and transforming hundreds of lives that might otherwise have been lost. As a transplant surgeon, I know first-hand what that can mean for patients and families, and I am proud that the UK is leading the world in this approach.”

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Iran war has not ‘occurred in a vacuum of no provocation’ says reader

Anna Romano’s letter against the war in Iran (MetroTalk, Fri) misses the point on so many levels.

Regardless of the fact that there are other countries in the region with repressive regimes – Anna names Saudi Arabia – Iran is the only country in the region killing tens of thousands of its own people, as well as backing terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis who continue to cause violence and create instability across the Middle East. Also, although anti-war sentiment doesn’t necessarily equate to support for Iran, it does lead to such a brutally repressive and terrorist-supporting regime acting with impunity.

As for previous failed military interventions such as in Afghanistan –these in themselves do not negate the fact that, rightly or wrongly, there are also successful military ones.

Finally, Anna’s quote from Judge Robert Jackson about the Nazis starting World War II being in itself a crime is not comparable here, as this is neither a widespread war (even its Arab neighbours don’t support Iran) nor has it occurred in a vacuum of no provocation. Paul, London

Will Iran war change migration habits?

An ironic thought, came to me. We have a lot of ‘illegal migrants’ coming to our shores to escape countries involved in wars – yet here we are, by implication, involved in a war with Iran. Will this see a change in the numbers seeking refuge? Paul Billson, Baldock

We should platform more kindness in response to hate, reader says

Thank you for running the story ‘Face of UK meets hate with dates’ (Metro, Wed).

This was about British-born London market trader Syed Usman Shah, who shamed trolls into apologising after he was racially abused when his image was used to welcome visitors to Heathrow.

He responded by inviting abusers to his Date Sultan stall in Borough Market for a free feed. Some took him up on the offer.

There is a lot of this sort of thing going on and it rarely gets a mention. More please. Bryan, Watford

‘Politicians at all levels need to hear how much we care about the climate’

It was great to read your interview with Chris Packham about his YouTube video Greenwashed, a ‘public-service resource’ relating to the environmental crisis (Metro, Mar 4). One way to tackle the horrors he describes is through how we vote – politicians at all levels need to hear how much we care about the climate and nature so that they take more urgent action. The next opportunity for many to do this is in the local elections on May 7.

Anyone joining voteclimate.uk will get a recommendation in April for how to vote tactically to help tackle climate change. Peter Moore, Shipbourne

Reader enjoyed Mother’s Day tribute

Thank you to Simon Gage for his lovely tribute to mothers for Mother’s Day (Metro, Wed). Sadly my mum has passed away but it felt like he was writing about her. Lizzie, Liverpool

Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments

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Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments

US is ‘determined to reassert US dominance in a world China and Russia seek to control’, says reader

Your contributors all seem to think the war on Iran is crazy but show little understanding of contemporary history or political realities (MetroTalk, Fri).

Donald Trump’s administration is a neo-con update of George W Bush’s government two decades ago – it is determined to reassert US dominance in a world China and Russia seek to control.

The war on the Iranian regime makes good sense – the mullahs are Nazi nihilists, determined to make a nuclear weapon and destroy Israel with it, whatever the cost – it is as simple as that.

Barack Obama may be far more articulate than Trump but he never had a plan to deal with these various threats to western values and world peace.

Britain, sadly, no longer has military capabilities that the US needs beyond our ports and airbases and we in return rely almost entirely on the US for our defence, as does all of Europe.

As an example, the entire British army would be wiped out in a matter of months of conventional warfare in Ukraine. Sir Keir Starmer knows all of this and did try to support Trump but was initially – and humiliatingly – blocked by his own cabinet.

The Iranian government has flooded Britain with agents determined to intimidate or kill Jewish people, infiltrate college campuses and subvert Palestinian campaigns to their own ends. The Green Party, wittingly or otherwise, plays straight into their hands.

Supporting the destruction of the Iranian leadership and its replacement with more compliant leaders who disavow nuclear ambitions will certainly require boots on the ground.

The difference with Iraq is that the majority of the lranian populace profoundly want this change and all we in Britain have to do is support it. Chris Shepherd, London

‘I have a long-standing dislike of the US’

I have a long-standing dislike of the US and all it stands for, so I applauded Sir Keir Starmer’s initial decision to stay out of the illegal American and Israeli attacks on Iran.

However the prime minister’s recent decisions to aid the United States by allowing them access to some of our airfields makes him a collaborator with international law-breakers.

By not upholding the principals of international law, our world will descend into the completely lawless, free-for-all, anything-goes state that much of the US has been in since its creation almost 250 years ago. A country where even an insane psychopath can become president.

Any abandonment of international law will soon have repercussions domestically, with a breakdown in law and order that will effect everyone of us.

So, please, do not let us go down the American route, that would be a BIG mistake! RA Skett, Tamworth

Would it be a ‘big mistake’ to go down the ‘American route’?

Will (MetroTalk, Thu) says the current war on Iran is comparable with the West ovethrowing the democratically elected government in 1951 and installing the dictatorial Shah.

The writer fails to mention that, for the past half century, since Ayatollah Khomeni came to power, Iran has been ruled by a fanatical Islamic regime, which is even more repressive and brutal than he alleges the Shah ever was. One only has to see what happened earlier this year, with thousands of peaceful protesters being massacred on the streets.

Although there were great disparities of wealth under the Shah, people were free to lead a Western life – without the restrictions imposed by Sharia law – and were probably better off then than they are now.

Unfortunately the bombing raids carried out by the US and Israel seem more aimed at reducing Iran to rubble (as they have done in Gaza) than bringing about meaningful regime change.

One can only hope that once it is over, Iran can recover and the people there can have the freedom and happiness they deserve. Julie, Bath

‘The bombing raids carried out by the US and Israel seem more aimed at reducing Iran to rubble than bringing about meaningful regime change’

Tony Blair loves being the centre of attention and has waded in, supporting Trump and his illegal war to try and make himself relevant again (Metro, Mon).

That’s good to know, because we’ve seen how badly wrong Blair was before about the Middle East with his disastrous war in Iraq – and we must therefore do the exact opposite of whatever he suggests and distance ourselves from Trump and the US, or risk suffering years of upheaval again. Sally Wilton, Bournemouth

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“Isolated” James Thomas Baker was found with more than 3,000 indecent images of children on his phone, including 668 in the most serious category, plus five extreme porn images portraying scenes of bestiality.

Durham Crown Court heard that Barker made no comment when interviewed by police but later offered a potential defence that he only bought the phone in 2019 and claimed he did not download the images.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said the phone in question was only manufactured two years later, and the images would have been accessed by the defendant after that date.

Mr Dodds said the images portrayed the abuse of children as young as three.

Barker, 27, of Acton Dene, Stanley, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children, plus one of possession of extreme pornography, but only after changes of pleas, on January 30.

The court was told he has no relevant previous convictions.

Reports on the defendant by the Probation Service, a psychologist and a speech and language team, were presented to the court.

The court heard that since admitting the offences, the defendant has attended his first session with the agency Stop It, aimed at curbing online paedophilic behaviour.

Judge Jo Kidd said she considered the offences “pass the custodial threshold” due to the number of images downloaded.

But she said the public would be “best served” by allowing work to continue to address the defendant’s issues as part of a suspended sentence.

She told Barker: “It’s clear to me that over a period of time when you were socially isolated you began to spend far too much time online, looking at pornography, and that developed into looking at images of children.

“I have read with care all the reports about you, and I have to consider whether or not to send you to prison.

“These are serious offences with children being raped.

“They were real children suffering real consequences of being raped.

“Anyone looking at these images is supporting the abuse of those children.

“You need to work hard with probation and the Stop It team to ensure you don’t look at images like that again.

“I think the best way forward is to pass a suspended prison sentence.

“If you come back to this court, you will serve a prison sentence.

“You need to understand how serious this case is.”

Judge Kidd passed a ten-month prison sentence suspended for two years, during which Barker must attend 35 rehabilitation activity days overseen by the Probation Service and complete 100 hours’ unpaid work.

She also made the defendant subject to registration as a sex offender and restrictions relating to his internet use, as part of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both for ten years.

Read next … more court stories from The Northern Echo, by clicking here

The Judge told Barker: “I think the best thing for you is to get out of the house more often.

“You need to stop looking at this stuff.

“Don’t let me down.”