PSA Airlines regional jet collided midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Reagan Washington National Airport, aviation agency says

Multiple media including the New York Times, Reuters and CNN are saying the Black Hawk helicopter was carrying three soldiers. No senior army officials were onboard, they reported, citing US defence officials.

Multiple sources are now saying that about 60 people were onboard the American Airlines plane that collided with the helicopter.

‘Covid baby’ explanation starting to feel like an excuse, say some teachers, as quarter of children begin reception in nappies

Some children are starting reception school “unable to climb a staircase”, while others use Americanisms in their speech because of too much screen time, according to a survey of teachers.

The pandemic has been blamed for a decline in school readiness among reception-aged children, but some teachers who took part in the annual poll said the “Covid baby” explanation was starting to feel like an excuse.

Emission targets could derail project as campaigners say net zero commitment cannot be met if expansion happens

• Reeves urged to rethink plans for airports and roads
• Heathrow third runway: promises, protest and U-turns

Rachel Reeves caused a furious backlash as she insisted a third runway at Heathrow was “set up for success”, despite scepticism in Whitehall that the plan can be reconciled with the UK’s climate obligations.

The chancellor made throwing the government’s weight behind Heathrow expansion the centrepiece of a major speech on growth on Wednesday.

Settlement originates from lawsuit by president against the platform, one of several filed after 6 January violence

Meta has agreed to pay $25m to settle a lawsuit with Donald Trump. The suit originated in 2021 when Trump sued the social media company for suspending his accounts after the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. The settlement was first reported by the Wall Street Journal and has been confirmed by a Meta spokesperson.

The majority of the settlement, $22m, will go toward a fund to pay for Trump’s presidential library, according to the Wall Street Journal. The remainder will pay for legal fees and go to other plaintiffs listed in the case. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mary Grimes, Avril Monaghan, Maura Monaghan and Avril’s unborn twins died in 1998 attack, inquiry hears

A family from which women of three generations were killed in the Omagh bombing have spoken about the immeasurable pain caused by the atrocity and said they hope no other family suffers as they have.

They were speaking at a public inquiry established to determine whether the attack, the worst in the Troubles in Northern Ireland, could have been prevented.

Number of people covered by a private medical insurance policy hit a record high of 4.68 million at the end of 2023

Almost one in eight Britons now has medical insurance – the highest proportion since 2008 – with NHS care delays driving a rise in people using private healthcare.

The number of people covered by a private medical insurance policy hit a record high of 4.68 million at the end of 2023, according to private healthcare analysts LaingBuisson.

Removal follows batches being pulled from shelves across continental Europe

A “small number” of cans of Coca-Cola and Appletiser have been recalled in the UK after testing abroad revealed elevated levels of the chemical chlorate.

The recall includes imported multipacks of 250ml Appletiser cans, which were sent only to UK supermarkets, and imported cans of Coca-Cola Original Taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke and Sprite Zero, which were sent to cafes and restaurants during a limited time period.

Four Norwegians and one Swiss person died in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie regions

An avalanche in the French Alps has killed four Norwegian skiers who were swept away by an off-piste torrent of snow and ice in the southeastern Savoie region.

Also on Wednesday, a separate avalanche near Chamonix, in the Haute-Savoie region, killed a Swiss skier, according to the public prosecutor’s office in Bonneville.

Judge rejects attempt to strike out publisher’s defences after hearing application was ‘absolutely hopeless’

Noel Clarke has suffered a blow in his legal action against the Guardian after a high court judge rejected his attempt to strike out the publisher’s defences in the case.

In central London on Wednesday the actor and producer sought to prevent the Guardian relying on the defences of truth and public interest at a trial for defamation and data protection, but Mrs Justice Steyn rejected the application after hearing that it was “absolutely hopeless”.

Georgia Venables, who allegedly had sticker on her car featuring C-word, has pleaded not guilty to single charge

A woman is to stand trial after pleading not guilty to displaying a threatening bumper sticker on her car.

Georgia Venables, of Prenton Place in Chester, allegedly had a sticker on her car that read: “Don’t be a cunt.”