US agriculture department says it accidentally fired bird flu officials

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Agency works to rehire employees shortly after touting plan to ‘optimize workforce’ by cutting staff with help of Musk

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it accidentally fired several employees working on the H5N1 avian influenza, or bird flu, outbreak and is now trying to rehire them.

The about-face came after the USDA touted its plans to “optimize its workforce” by firing workers and terminating contracts, actions aided by billionaire Elon Musk’s unofficial agency, the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), NBC News reported on Tuesday.

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Hamas offers handover of all hostages to Israel if next phase of ceasefire agreed

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Benjamin Netanyahu signals readiness for talks on second phase by appointing adviser Ron Dermer to lead delegation

Hamas has said it is ready to release all its remaining hostages in a single exchange if the ceasefire agreement with Israel moves forward to a second phase next month.

The offer came as the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, signalled his readiness to talk about a second phase of the Gaza ceasefire after an extended delay, by appointing one of his closest advisers, Ron Dermer, a US-born cabinet minister and former ambassador to Washington, to lead the Israeli delegation to the talks.

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British journalist missing in Brazil for 11 days

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Foreign correspondents’ association urges authorities to step up search for Charlotte Alice Peet, 32

A British journalist has been missing in Brazil for 11 days, a foreign correspondents’ association in the country said on Tuesday, urging authorities to step up their search efforts.

Charlotte Alice Peet, 32, last communicated with a friend on 8 February, according to a statement from the Rio de Janeiro-based Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (ACIE).

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Artists demand National Endowment for the Arts roll back Trump restrictions

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More than 400 artists sign letter urging organization to resist funding ban for projects focused on DEI and gender

Donald Trump’s efforts to influence US cultural institutions received more pushback on Tuesday, as a group of more than 400 artists sent a letter to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) calling on the organization to resist the president’s restrictions on funding for projects promoting diversity or “gender ideology”.

The letter, first reported by the New York Times, comes after the NEA declared that federal grant applicants – which include colleges and universities, non-profit groups, individual artists and more – must comply with regulations stipulated by Trump’s executive orders. The new measures bar federal funds from going toward programs focused on “diversity, equity and inclusion” or used to “promote gender ideology”.

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Climate change: World’s glaciers melting faster than ever recorded – BBC.com

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  1. Climate change: World's glaciers melting faster than ever recorded  BBC.com
  2. Glacier melt intensifying freshwater loss and accelerating sea-level rise  European Space Agency
  3. The world’s glaciers have shrunk more than 5 per cent since 2000  New Scientist
  4. European glaciers have shrunk 40% since 2000, study says  Financial Times
  5. Melting glaciers caused almost 2cm of sea level rise this century, study reveals  The Guardian
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Northumberland postal worker jailed for sexually assaulting women on rounds

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Michael Stewart abused his position to target women and subject them to ‘traumatic ordeals’, said police

A postal worker described as a “calculating and dangerous predator” has been jailed for six and a half years for sexually assaulting women when he was making deliveries on his rounds.

Police said that Michael Stewart abused his position to target his victims and subject them to “traumatic ordeals”. The family of one of his victims have blamed Stewart for her suicide.

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Thousands rescued from illegal scam compounds in Myanmar as Thailand launches huge crackdown – The Guardian

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  1. Thousands rescued from illegal scam compounds in Myanmar as Thailand launches huge crackdown  The Guardian
  2. A top Chinese official tours Thai-Myanmar border to highlight crackdown on scam centers  The Associated Press
  3. More Kenyans rescued from human trafficking in Myanmar amid growing concerns  Nation
  4. Japanese boy says he was forced to assist with phone scams fraud in Myanmar  The Japan Times
  5. More than 1,000 rescued from cyber scam centres near Thailand  Sky News
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Nigeria sues crypto giant Binance for $81.5bn in economic losses and back tax

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Authorities blame crypto exchange, already facing four counts of tax evasion in the country, for currency woes

Nigeria has filed a lawsuit seeking to compel Binance to pay $79.5bn for economic losses the country’s government says were caused by the cryptocurrency exchange’s operations there and $2bn in back taxes, court documents showed on Wednesday.

Authorities blame Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, for Nigeria’s currency woes and detained two of its executives in 2024 after crypto websites emerged as platforms of choice for trading the local naira currency.

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EU overhaul of farming strategy ignores vital green proposals, campaigners warn

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The report promises better pay and protections for farmers, but environmentalists say it will not help restore nature or assure food security

European farmers will face fewer rules and less foreign competition, a new vision for agriculture promises, as environmental campaigners warn that key green proposals have been ignored.

The EU’s new farming strategy will overhaul the sector with targeted financial support, stricter import standards and a shift from “conditions to incentives” in the green strings attached to its vast subsidy scheme, according to the report published on Wednesday.

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Pope ‘alert and joking’ says Italy’s PM after visit – BBC.com

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  1. Pope 'alert and joking' says Italy's PM after visit  BBC.com
  2. Pope Francis shows slight improvement, receives visit from Italian PM Giorgia Meloni  Fox News
  3. Pope's health shows a 'slight improvement,' says Vatican  Le Monde
  4. Ailing Pope's Obstinacy A Blessing Or A Curse?  Barron's
  5. Vatican authorities say the pope now has pneumonia in both lungs. How worrying is that?  The Associated Press
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