Putin Says Ukraine Peace Talks Possible, But Not With Zelensky – The Moscow Times

  1. Putin Says Ukraine Peace Talks Possible, But Not With Zelensky  The Moscow Times
  2. Ukraine war briefing: Putin refuses direct talks with Zelenskyy  The Guardian
  3. Ukraine-Russia war live: Putin rejects Zelensky talks as North Korean cannon deployed  The Independent
  4. Zelenskyy accuses Putin of being 'afraid' of peace talks  NBC News
  5. Ukraine war latest: Putin claims Zelensky doesn't have a right to sign any potential peace deal  Kyiv Independent
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14 members of an Australian religious group are convicted over diabetic girl’s death – ABC News

  1. 14 members of an Australian religious group are convicted over diabetic girl's death  ABC News
  2. 14 Convicted in Death of Girl for Depriving Her of Insulin  The New York Times
  3. Elizabeth Struhs: Australian sect members guilty of killing girl  BBC.com
  4. Instead of giving her life-saving insulin, Elizabeth Struhs's parents prayed over her dying body  ABC News
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Tyres burned, embassies attacked in DR Congo’s Kinshasa protests – Al Jazeera English

  1. Tyres burned, embassies attacked in DR Congo’s Kinshasa protests  Al Jazeera English
  2. Rwanda does a Putin in Congo  The Economist
  3. M23 rebels expand their control in east Congo as Rwanda’s Kagame joins calls for ceasefire  The Hill
  4. Congo's M23 rebels take control of Goma airport, embassies attacked in capital  Reuters
  5. The situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo - Security Council, 9853rd meeting  Welcome to the United Nations
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Wednesday briefing: The problems, perils and precedent of ‘cleaning out’ Gaza

In today’s newsletter: After Donald Trump’s remarks, renewed alarm about what will follow the first phase of the ceasefire

Good morning. Donald Trump presented his proposal as one rooted in a concern for the safety of Palestinians: it was time to find many of the residents of Gaza somewhere else to live. “I’d rather get involved with some of the Arab nations and build housing at a different location where they can maybe live in peace for a change,” he said. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say: ‘You know, it’s over.’”

That was more than stream of consciousness: Trump doubled down on his comments on Monday. But the idea of “cleaning out” Gaza is not welcomed by the Palestinians who live there – or the countries that Trump has in mind as their new home. And if they were to be forced to leave after Gaza was devastated by the Israeli military, it would appear to be a clear case of ethnic cleansing.

Kumbh Mela festival | Dozens of people are feared to have died in crowd crushes at India’s Kumbh Mela festival, local officials have said, as vast crowds went to bathe at one of the holiest sites of the Hindu gathering. People were crushed in the early hours of Wednesday as tens of millions flocked to immerse themselves in the sacred confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.

UK economy | Rachel Reeves is unveiling plans to create “Europe’s Silicon Valley” between Oxford and Cambridge as she stakes the government’s success on kickstarting economic growth. The chancellor will announce a blueprint to improve infrastructure across the region in the hope of adding £78bn to the UK economy within a decade.

Extremism | Yvette Cooper will reject internal Home Office advice to widen the definition of extremism to include violent misogyny and conspiracy theorists, the Guardian understands. The home secretary is expected to reject a report saying that authorities should adopt an “ideologically agnostic” approach in favour of focusing on Islamist and far-right violence.

Tax | Roman Abramovich, the billionaire Russian oligarch, may owe British tax authorities as much as £1bn, according to analysis of documents that suggests his companies failed to pay tax on profits made through an elaborate offshore investment scheme.

Technology | US tech stocks tentatively recovered on Tuesday after the emergence of the Chinese DeepSeek app wiped $1tn (£800bn) in value from the leading US tech index. Nvidia recovered somewhat from Monday’s 17% drop, rising 9%.

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Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight than ever before, marking unprecedented danger – WKRC TV Cincinnati

  1. Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight than ever before, marking unprecedented danger  WKRC TV Cincinnati
  2. The Doomsday Clock has never been closer to metaphorical midnight. What does it mean?  NPR
  3. Scientists update their prediction of how close we are to the end of the world  CNN
  4. The Doomsday Clock is running out of time  Vox.com
  5. 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self-annihilation, scientists say  ABC News
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Elizabeth Struhs: Australian sect members guilty of killing girl – BBC.com

  1. Elizabeth Struhs: Australian sect members guilty of killing girl  BBC.com
  2. Religious sect followers prayed and sang as an 8-year-old died. All 14 have been found guilty of manslaughter  CNN
  3. Religious group members found guilty of manslaughter of eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs  ABC News
  4. Elizabeth Rose Struhs's parents and members of religious sect guilty of her manslaughter  Sky News
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Picture prefect: Japanese city deploys guards to control unruly tourists seeking perfect shot

Overseas tourists are blocking roads or walking onto railway tracks in Otaru to capture its views, stoking local resentment and complaints of overtourism

Authorities in Japan are stepping up measures to deter crowds of overseas visitors from taking risks in their quest for the perfect photo, in another attempt to address the negative impact of a record surge in inbound tourism.

Tourism officials in Otaru, a small city in the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, deployed security guards this week to prevent people congregating on Funami-za, a steep street and the perfect spot for photos of the port and sea in the distance.

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Italy’s Meloni says she is under investigation for release of Libyan official – The Washington Post

  1. Italy’s Meloni says she is under investigation for release of Libyan official  The Washington Post
  2. Victims of Libyan war crimes suspect express dismay, fear after Italy frees him  Reuters
  3. From Israel to Libya, Italy is Protecting Alleged War Criminals  Human Rights Watch
  4. Giorgia Meloni says she is under investigation for repatriation of Libyan warlord  The Guardian
  5. Situation in Libya: ICC arrest warrant against Osama Elmasry Njeem for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes  the International Criminal Court
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Palestinians Report 10 Killed in West Bank Attack; IDF Says It Targeted Militants in Airstrike – Haaretz

  1. Palestinians Report 10 Killed in West Bank Attack; IDF Says It Targeted Militants in Airstrike  Haaretz
  2. Middle East latest: Israeli strike kills at least 10 people in the West Bank, officials say  The Associated Press
  3. Palestinian Militant Group Releases Video of Civilian Hostage in Gaza  The New York Times
  4. Israeli airstrike kills 10, including top terrorist commander, in northern West Bank  Ynetnews
  5. Two Palestinians killed as Israeli army expands deadly raids in West Bank  Al Jazeera English
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Scoop: White House envoy met senior Palestinian official in Saudi Arabia – Axios

  1. Scoop: White House envoy met senior Palestinian official in Saudi Arabia  Axios
  2. As Trump envoy pushes Gaza ceasefire, Persian Gulf states eye postwar role  The Washington Post
  3. Israel, Trump, and the Gaza Deal  Foreign Affairs Magazine
  4. Trump Invites Netanyahu to White House as U.S. Envoy Heads to Israel  The New York Times
  5. Report: Trump envoy told Netanyahu US will delay rebuilding north Gaza until buffer zone is secured  The Times of Israel
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A defiant Hamas displays its authority in Gaza, posing a challenge to Netanyahu – Yahoo! Voices

  1. A defiant Hamas displays its authority in Gaza, posing a challenge to Netanyahu  Yahoo! Voices
  2. Analysis: Hamas has been hit hard by Israel, but is not out in Gaza  Al Jazeera English
  3. Hamas May Be Cheering, But It Is Writhing in Pain  The Washington Institute
  4. Here’s what happens next during the ceasefire in Gaza  The Associated Press
  5. The fight for justice in Gaza is far from over  The Hill
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Lunar New Year: Family, food and colour as millions celebrate Year of the Snake – BBC.com

  1. Lunar New Year: Family, food and colour as millions celebrate Year of the Snake  BBC.com
  2. In pictures: Welcoming the Lunar New Year  BBC.com
  3. Today’s New Moon Kicks-Off Chinese Lunar New Year And Sets-Up Ramadan  Forbes
  4. Chinese zodiac predictions: What’s in store for 2025 as we enter the Year of the Snake  CNN
  5. Lunar New Year 2025 Photos: See Year of the Snake Celebrations Across Asia  The New York Times
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Across Asia, hundreds of millions gather to mark lunar new year

From China to Indonesia, the year of the snake symbolises wisdom and vitality and is marked by family gatherings and festive red banners across many parts of East and Southeast Asia

Hundreds of millions of people across Asia will celebrate the lunar new year with their families on Wednesday, as they bid farewell to the year of the dragon and usher in the year of the snake.

In China, people will enjoy eight days of consecutive public holidays for the 2025 Spring festival, an opportunity to share meals, attend traditional performances, and set off firecrackers and fireworks.

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Australia news live: Angus Taylor says cost-of-living pain ‘far from over’ despite inflation falling to three-year low

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Labor adds homelessness focus to disability strategy

Australians with disabilities experiencing homelessness will be prioritised as the government commits to disability reforms, months after a scathing royal commission into the sector, AAP reports.

For the first time, they also include a number of national actions that all governments will work on together, with the disability community, to ensure people with disability right across Australia experience the benefits.

Some students, especially those in our cities, can see a career in agriculture as something that’s only for those who live in the regions or for those whose family own land that can be used to operate an agribusiness.

AgConnections aims to break down these misconceptions and build on the diversity of the industry, by highlighting and encouraging women and Indigenous Australians wanting to pursue a career in agriculture.

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India crowd crushes: dozens feared dead at Kumbh Mela religious festival – latest updates

Pilgrims are desperately searching for missing loved ones after deadly crushes in Prayagraj where world’s largest religious gathering is taking place

Wednesday is when the sadhus (holy people), all 13 sects of them, take their holy baths in the Ganges.

The holy bathing time is at 4am and that is around the time that the crowd crushes are thought to have started. It appears three separate crushes took place, as people surged forward, into groups of people who were sitting or lying on the ground on the banks of the river.

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Oklahoma schools plan to require proof of students’ immigration status

Proposal from state board of education condemned by teachers and rights groups, as parents and students protest

Parents enrolling children in Oklahoma public schools will be required to provide proof of their child’s US citizenship or legal immigration status under a proposed rule approved Tuesday by the state board of education.

The board voted unanimously to approve the rule aimed at helping Donald Trump’s immigration policies. It still needs to be approved by the legislature and the governor.

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