EUROPE

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Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is introducing paid subscriptions in the UK for users who prefer an ad-free experience. The company announced that it will begin notifying users in the coming weeks, allowing them to opt for a subscription to access the platforms without advertisements. While EU users can already subscribe starting at €5.99 (£5) per month for an ad-free experience, UK subscriptions will begin at a lower price of £2.99 per month.

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Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, has been handed a five-year prison sentence after being convicted of criminal conspiracy related to illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The Paris court acquitted him of other charges, including passive corruption and illegal campaign financing. Sarkozy has announced plans to appeal, but the sentence requires him to start serving time immediately.

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A new statue of Queen Elizabeth II will be the centrepiece of a national memorial in London’s St James’s Park, with the sculptor behind the work pledging to capture the “grandeur and dignity” of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.

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A man in his forties has been arrested in West Sussex in connection with a cyber-attack that disrupted operations at multiple European airports, including Heathrow. The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed the arrest as part of an investigation into a cyber incident affecting Collins Aerospace. The attack caused widespread failures in Collins Aerospace’s baggage and check-in software, leading to hundreds of flight delays and forcing some airlines to board passengers using pen and paper.

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The Estonian foreign ministry has issued a strong condemnation of what it called a "brazen" incursion by Russian warplanes into Estonian airspace. Officials stated that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets, flying over the Gulf of Finland, entered Estonian airspace without authorization on Friday and remained there for a total of 12 minutes.

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In an effort to preserve nuclear arms control, Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed to U.S. President Donald Trump a one-year extension of the New START treaty. The treaty, which is due to expire on February 5, limits each country to 1,550 deployed warheads. Without an extension or a new agreement, Russia and the United States, who possess by far the world's largest nuclear arsenals, will likely exceed this limit. The treaty concerns strategic nuclear weapons intended for use against centers of military, economic, and political authority.