Ukraine’s president says Oval Office meltdown best ‘left to history’, adding minerals deal is ready to sign

• Ukraine war: live updates

A defiant but tactful Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to apologise to Donald Trump after Friday’s spat in the White House, and declared that the row in the Oval Office “did not bring anything positive” to peace for Ukraine.

Speaking to journalists only in Ukrainian at the end of a two-day visit to the UK, the Ukrainian president said that when such delicate negotiations are held in public “foes can take advantage of them” though he said he hoped the row would eventually pass.

Exclusive: Housing minister says overhaul of feudal-era system would take place before end of this parliament

The housing minister has promised to abolish the centuries-old leasehold system in England and Wales before the end of this parliament, as the government takes the next steps towards an outright ban on new leasehold developments.

Matthew Pennycook said he was committed to ending the feudal-era system – which applies to 5m homes in England – after years of complaints from leaseholders about crippling service charges and crumbling buildings.

Sean Baker’s film picks up five awards including best picture while Israel-Palestine documentary No Other Land also gets major win

• How Anora swept the Oscars – and the complete list of winners
• The red carpet and Oscars ceremony – in pictures

Low-budget comedy Anora has triumphed at this year’s Oscars winning five Oscars, including best picture and best actress while Adrien Brody took home best actor.

Anora, which follows Mikey Madison’s sex worker who gets married to the son of a Russian oligarch, premiered at the Cannes film festival last year and has become the fourth Palme d’Or winner to be named best picture.

Workers earning under £123 a week to get 80% of salary in sick pay, keeping more people off benefits

More than 1 million of the lowest-paid UK workers are to be guaranteed sick pay worth up to 80% of their weekly salary from the first day of sickness, under changes intended to boost living standards.

The UK has one of the stingiest rates of statutory sick pay in the developed world, according to the Resolution Foundation, with those earning less than £123 a week not entitled to anything. For the rest, the rate is set at just £116.75 a week at present, rising to £118.75 – or £3 an hour – for full-time workers from April, but that only kicks in after three days of sickness.

Egypt and Qatar condemn Israel’s decision to block goods and supplies from entering Gaza, saying it violates the ceasefire deal

Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East as Israel is widely condemned for blocking the entry of all humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said yesterday that it was imposing a blockade on Gaza because Hamas would not accept a plan which it claimed had been put forward by the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to extend phase one of the ceasefire and continue to release hostages, and postpone phase two, which should, in theory, see Israel completely withdraw its forces from Gaza, in effect ending the war.

Exclusive: Medics more sleep deprived now than during Covid crisis amid staff shortages and surging demand

One in three doctors in the NHS are so tired that their ability to treat patients is impaired, according to a report that reveals medics are more sleep deprived now than during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Longer hours, staff shortages and soaring demand for care on top of the backlog that worsened during the Covid crisis are causing extreme tiredness among doctors, leading to memory blanks, problems concentrating and patient harm.

TUC says proposals on copyright and AI framework must go further to stop exploitation by ‘rapacious tech bosses’

Action is needed to protect workers in creative industries amid huge changes in technology and artificial intelligence, unions have urged.

The TUC said there was an urgent need to put in place “proper guardrails” for workers ranging from artists, writers and journalists to teachers and academics.

Employers lobby group says business activity is falling with most firms expecting worse to come

Business activity across the UK private sector declined in the last three months, a survey has found, as weak consumer spending hits companies.

The latest growth indicator produced by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) shows that UK private sector activity fell again in the three months to February, at a faster rate than in the quarter to January.

Scottish Wildlife Trust plans to create rainforest, restore peatland and end deer stalking on Highland sporting estate

Scottish conservationists hope to convert a Highland sporting estate into a rewilding showcase after a mystery benefactor gave them more than £17.5m to buy it.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT), best known for its small nature reserves, has bought Inverbroom estate near Ullapool in north-west Scotland, complete with an 11-bedroom lodge that boasts an indoor swimming pool.

Outrage over targeting of one of New Zealand’s alleged ‘green fairies’ who provide cheaper medicinal cannabis without prescription

Police have shut down the alleged medicinal cannabis operation of one of New Zealand’s most renowned “green fairies”, prompting an outpouring of support from a prominent politician and the hundreds of people who rely on such products to ease their pain.

Police raided the rural Northland property of 66-year-old Paul Smith – more widely known as “Gandalf” – last week, destroying plants and greenhouses and seizing cannabis products. Smith was charged with cultivating, possessing for supply and selling cannabis – which could carry an eight-year jail sentence – and was summonsed to court.