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A mission is under way to rescue an Australian professor and three local researchers being held hostage by an armed group in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Police chief David Manning said security forces would use "whatever means necessary" up to and including lethal force to free the group. The team were on a field study trip in remote highlands when they were captured, on an unspecified date. A ransom has been demanded for their release, local officials say. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported that a larger group was initially kidnapped and some local guides have since been released. The four people who remain captive are the professor, an archaeologist from an Australian university, and three university students from PNG. The police chief said overnight the kidnappers were "opportunists" who had "obviously not thought this situation through". "We are offering the abductors a way out," he said. "They can release their captives and they will be treated fairly through the criminal justice system, but failure to comply and resisting arrest could cost these criminals their lives."

Congressman George Santos has admitted to having been "a terrible liar" when confronted with his embellished résumé in a new TV interview. The embattled Republican told TalkTV's Piers Morgan he had made mistakes under pressure but his lies were not about "tricking the people". Instead, he said, it was about "getting accepted by the party here locally". Mr Santos has faced fierce controversy since his election in November. He was initially lauded as the first openly gay Republican to win a seat in the House of Representatives as a non-incumbent when he won in New York's third district. But within weeks, the New York Times published a story that called into question large portions of his CV, including his education and work experience, triggering a wave of further reporting. He is alleged to have faced fraud charges in Brazil, presided over prolific campaign spending, lied about working for Goldman Sachs and about owning property - and even claimed to have produced the ill-fated Spider-Man musical on Broadway.

The global payment giants Mastercard and Visa are facing the latest in a string of multibillion-pound competition lawsuits with the launch of a potentially vast class action claim on behalf of British companies. Sky News has learnt that Harcus Parker, a London-based commercial litigation law firm, is close to filing what it believes will be among the biggest competition compensation claims in UK history. The filing, at the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), will allege that Mastercard and Visa overcharged businesses for so-called multilateral interchange fees (MIFs), which are paid by businesses to their banks to accept payment by credit or debit card.

A panel of the Japanese Justice Ministry has proposed raising the age of consent from 13 to 16. It forms part of a wider overhaul of Japan's laws on sex crimes, after multiple rape acquittals in 2019 caused outcry. The proposal also aims to criminalise the grooming of minors and expand the definition of rape. The statute of limitations for reporting rape will also be increased to 15 from 10 years. Currently, Japan has the lowest age of consent in developed countries, and the lowest in the G7 group. In Germany and Italy the age is 14, in Greece and France it is 15 and in the UK and many US states it is 16. The current law in Japan means victims of rape need to prove that there was "violence and intimidation" used during the rape and that it was "impossible to resist" to secure a conviction. The panel has not changed this wording but instead added other factors including intoxication, drugging, being caught off guard and psychological control into the definition.

Is China providing Russia with weapons? China has been expanding its military production capabilities and is now the world's fourth largest arms exporter. "China's weapons are getting more advanced now," says Siemon Wezeman from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. "Its drones, for example, are one area that Russia would be very interested in." The US says Chinese firms have already provided "non-lethal support" to Russia, and that it has new information suggesting Beijing could soon provide "lethal support". Maria Shagina, an expert in economic sanctions at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, says China has not overtly supplied Russia with weapons but may be secretly selling it hi-tech products which could be used for military purposes. "There is evidence that China is the biggest exporter of semiconductors - often through shell companies in Hong Kong and the UAE - to Russia," she says. "Some Chinese companies are also supplying civilian drones, exploiting the grey space between military and civilian purposes."

Israel has said it will pause building new settlements in the occupied West Bank for "the coming months". The move appears to be the fruit of behind-the-scenes talks by the US with Israeli and Palestinian officials. It comes as Palestinian leaders are being heavily criticised for agreeing to the withdrawal of a UN Security Council resolution on settlements. The council instead issued a symbolic statement expressing "deep concern and dismay" at recent developments. Last week, Israel announced the legalisation of nine unauthorised outposts and approved the planning and building of nearly 10,000 new housing units in existing settlements. These steps are not expected to be reversed. Washington had previously publicly warned Israel, its closest Middle Eastern ally, not to authorise new settlements. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

A group of Anglican leaders from around the world have rejected the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, as their leader after the Church of England backed prayers of blessing for same-sex couples. Archbishops representing 10 of the 42 provinces in the Anglican Communion have signed a statement saying they no longer consider Mr Welby "leader of the global communion". They added the Church of England was "disqualified" as their historic "Mother Church". It is the first time that the Archbishop of Canterbury's leadership has been rejected by such a large group of churches. Since its formation in 1867, the incumbent Archbishop of Canterbury has taken the role of spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, which is a global fellowship of 42 Anglican churches. He has no formal power - instead, he has moral authority and is seen as the "first among equals". Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, said no formal change to the Anglican Communion's structure could be made without approval from its four governing "instruments".

A vast trove of Cambodia's Angkorian crown jewellery, some dating back to the 7th Century, resurfaced in London last summer, it has been revealed. The stolen items belonged to British antiquities smuggler Douglas Latchford. Experts say they have never seen most of the jewellery before and are stunned by its existence. The collection has been secretly returned to Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, and is due to go on display there in the country's national museum. Latchford died in 2020 while awaiting trial in the US. His family promised to return his stolen collection to Cambodia after he died, but the authorities did not know what exactly would be handed over or how it would happen. Brad Gordon, the head of Cambodia's investigative team, became the first representative of the nation to see the jewellery when he visited London last summer. He told the BBC: "I was driven by a representative of the Latchford family to an undisclosed location. In the parking lot was a vehicle with four boxes inside.

Sexual exploitation has been uncovered on tea farms that supply some of the UK's most popular brands, including PG Tips, Lipton and Sainsbury's Red Label. More than 70 women on Kenyan tea farms, owned for years by two British companies, told the BBC they had been sexually abused by their supervisors. Secret filming showed local bosses, on plantations owned by Unilever and James Finlay & Co, pressuring an undercover reporter for sex. Three managers have now been suspended. Unilever faced similar allegations more than 10 years ago and launched a "zero tolerance" approach to sexual harassment as well as a reporting system and other measures, but a joint investigation for BBC Africa Eye and Panorama found evidence that allegations of sexual harassment were not being acted on. The BBC's Tom Odula spoke to women who worked on tea farms run by both companies. A number told him that because work is so scarce, they are left with no choice but to give in to the sexual demands of their bosses or face having no income. "I can't lose my job because I have kids," said one woman. Another woman said a divisional manager stopped her job until she agreed to have sex with him.

Summary US President Joe Biden has made a surprise visit to Kyiv – his first visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded almost a year ago It comes as the anniversary of Russia's invasion approaches on 24 February Biden is expected to visit neighbouring Poland next Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels will discuss how to make sure Ukrainian forces have enough ammunition Russian forces have sustained "very high losses" in their assault on the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, according to UK intelligence Moscow's troops have been battling to break through Ukrainian defences around in the town in the Donbas region Ukraine's President Zelensky has described the situation as "very difficult" but says "we are breaking the invader

International atomic inspectors last week discovered that Iran has accumulated uranium enriched to levels just shy of what is needed for a nuclear weapon, according to a new report. Unnamed senior diplomats told Bloomberg that Iran has accumulated uranium enriched to 84% purity and a concentration to 6% below what’s needed for a weapon, marking the highest levels found by inspectors in Iran to date.

Sonic boom heard as meteor crashes into ground near McAllen, Texas A sonic boom was captured on a home video camera as a meteor crashed into the ground near McAllen, Texas. CREDIT: Fox 4 A nearly 1,000-pound meteor measuring two feet wide crashed into South Texas on Wednesday, according to reports. Fox station KDFW in Dallas reported that NASA confirmed the meteor broke apart as it fell through the atmosphere to its resting place near McAllen, Texas at about 6 p.m.

Nicola Bulley's partner Paul Ansell has told Sky News of his "agony" after police searching for the mother-of-two recovered an unidentified body from the river near to where she went missing. In a message sent to Sky News correspondent Inzamam Rashid, who has been in contact with the family throughout the three-week search, Mr Ansell said: "No words right now, just agony." "We're all together, we have to be strong", he added. The body was found around a mile from where Ms Bulley was last seen walking her dog, beside the River Wyre, in St Michael's on Wyre, after she dropped her daughters at school on 27 January. It is understood that a man and a woman walking their dog near to the river called the police to report seeing a person in the water, with officers then launching a search.

On the eve of the anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine there are ominous warnings the Ukraine conflict could widen and draw in other countries. America says China is considering entering the conflict as an active partner of Russia and will start sending weapons. And there are very real fears Vladimir Putin is stepping up efforts to destabilise countries from Moldova to the Western Balkans.

North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, officials said – the latest missile launch in recent days by the country. Japan’s Defense Ministry said officials were still analyzing the data but estimated both missiles were fired at around 7:00 a.m. local time on Monday and fell into the Sea of Japan “to the east of the Korean Peninsula, outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone,” its statement said. North Korea acknowledged the incident, calling it a “super-large multiple rocket launcher exercise, which is a means of tactical nuclear attack.” The country said the exercise was a response to the combined air force forces of the United States and South Korea.

Instagram and Facebook users will now be able to pay for a blue tick verification, parent company Meta has announced. Meta Verified will cost $11.99 (£9.96) a month on web, or $14.99 for iPhone users. It will be available in Australia and New Zealand this week. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta chief executive, said the move will improve security and authenticity on the social media apps. The move comes after Elon Musk, owner of Twitter, implemented the premium Twitter Blue subscription in November 2022. Meta's paid subscription service is not yet available for businesses, but any individual can pay for verification. Badges - or "blue ticks"- have been used as verification tools for high-profile accounts to signify their authenticity. The subscription would give paying users a blue badge, increased visibility of their posts, protection from impersonators and easier access to customer service, Meta said in a post on their website.