Putin has “three wins without having to negotiate anything”
A former US diplomat explains how Vladimir Putin has secured major gains in Ukraine without making concessions.
Share of €500,000 jackpot offered to men who bought scratchcard with stolen credit card
Winnings as yet unclaimed by thieves in Toulouse who bought scratchcard amid legal debate over who gets payout
Two homeless men who bought a winning lottery scratchcard with a stolen credit card have been offered a potentially lifechanging deal by their victim: a share of the €500,000 jackpot if they can produce the ticket.
The situation has left legal experts scratching their heads over who is the rightful owner of the so far unclaimed winnings: the person who bought the scratchcard, or the person who paid for it? And will the lottery operator pay out?
Continue reading...Woman in court over McCann family stalking charges
Julia Wandel, 23, had claimed she was the missing child prior to her arrest at Bristol Airport.
BBC pulls Gaza documentary featuring child whose father was Hamas minister
Show removed from iPlayer as ‘further due diligence’ carried out and critics ask if any Hamas members were paid for filming
A BBC documentary about Gaza has been pulled from its iPlayer service while the broadcaster deals with intensifying accusations that the film was biased because it failed to make clear the father of its child narrator was a Hamas deputy minister.
BBC sources indicated the intention was to make the documentary available to watch again once a “due diligence” exercise had taken place, but the decision reflects a frustration that the filmmakers did not inform the broadcaster of the situation before transmission.
Continue reading...Sweden investigates suspected sabotage of undersea telecoms cable
A Baltic Sea cable has been damaged for the third time in recent months, Finnish telecom operators say.
Sweden investigates suspected sabotage of undersea telecoms cable – BBC.com
- Sweden investigates suspected sabotage of undersea telecoms cable BBC.com
- Europe Vows to Step Up Baltic Sea Security After a New Cable Break The New York Times
- Video: Map shows extent of deep-sea cables, powering your internet CNN
- Putin’s secret weapon: The threat to the UK lurking on our sea beds BBC
- EU to spend nearly a billion euros to protect undersea cables Reuters
Sweden investigates suspected sabotage of undersea telecoms cable
A Baltic Sea cable has been damaged for the third time in recent months, Finnish telecom operators say.
Trudeau swipes at Trump as Canada revels in hockey win against US
Trudeau posted on social media "You can't take our country - and you can't take our game".
Argentina’s president gifts chainsaw to Trump adviser Elon Musk
See the moment President Trump’s billionaire adviser on government spending Elon Musk was given a chainsaw.
Real draw Madrid derby in Champions League; Liverpool face PSG
Defending champions Real Madrid face city rivals Atletico in the Champions League last 16, while Liverpool play PSG.
As Russia Talks Peace, Moscow Threatens New Ukraine Region – The New York Times
- As Russia Talks Peace, Moscow Threatens New Ukraine Region The New York Times
- Russian forces push south of Pokrovsk, approaching previously untouched Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Euromaidan Press
- Residents Flee Villages In Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Region As Front Line Approaches Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
- The Russians try to break through to Dnipropetrovsk region border - Ukrainian soldier reports ТСН English
- Russian troops advance, closing in on new Ukrainian province as peace talks get underway Báo Hải Dương
US President Trump’s claims about Zelenskyy and Ukraine fact-checked
Trump is engaged in an escalating war of words with Zelenskyy, but his comments on the Ukraine leader are not accurate.
First Thing: Shiri Bibas not among bodies returned from Gaza, Israel says
Benjamin Netanyahu accuses Hamas of a ‘serious violation’ and vows it will pay. Plus, Germans share their concerns about the far right’s rise before this weekend’s election
Good morning.
Shiri Bibas is not among the four bodies returned by Hamas to Israel during Thursday’s hostage handover, Israel’s military has said, calling it a “violation of utmost severity” of the already fragile ceasefire agreement.
What impact could this have? It risks upending the precarious truce. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would “ensure Hamas pays the full price” for the ceasefire violation.
Have the bodies of hostages been released before? No, Thursday’s release was the first time Hamas has returned the remains of dead hostages.
What did the unions state in their lawsuit? That White House efforts to purge the federal workforce violated separation-of-powers principles by undermining Congress’s authority to fund federal agencies.
Continue reading...Outcry as Trump withdraws support for research that mentions ‘climate’
US government stripping funds from domestic and overseas research amid warnings for health and public safety
The Trump administration is stripping away support for scientific research in the US and overseas that contains a word it finds particularly inconvenient: “climate.”
The US government is withdrawing grants and other support for research that even references the climate crisis, academics have said, amid Donald Trump’s blitzkrieg upon environmental regulations and clean-energy development.
Continue reading...Willingness to ease off ‘debt brake’ may decide the German election
Rule dating from 2009 that limits borrowing looks vulnerable as main political parties promise to revive stalled economy
Germany is used to running its economy with the brake on. Ever since the 2008 financial crisis Berlin has sought to burnish a reputation as the world capital of fiscal discipline, with a near-pious aversion to debt and pride in strong government finances.
Under a rule known as the “debt brake” – introduced in 2009 by Angela Merkel to show Germany was committed to balancing the books after the banking crash – the federal government is required to limit annual borrowing to 0.35% of GDP.
Continue reading...Trump ends deportation protection for 500,000 Haitians
The move comes amid deteriorating conditions in the Caribbean country.
St Pancras and Channel tunnel plan rail routes to Germany and Switzerland
Partnership comes as London station looks at ways to almost triple passenger numbers
St Pancras railway station in London and the Channel tunnel operator have agreed to work together to open up more trains from Britain to France, and routes to Germany and Switzerland.
The agreement is the latest sign of growing momentum for new passenger rail links from England across the Channel, after Great Britain’s only international station announced plans to triple the number of people who can travel through every hour.
Continue reading...Chinese Navy Drills in Tasman Sea Unnerve Australia and New Zealand – The New York Times
- Chinese Navy Drills in Tasman Sea Unnerve Australia and New Zealand The New York Times
- Chinese gave live fire warning with planes 'literally flying across the Tasman' ABC News
- Australia Says No Live Firing Seen Or Heard From Chinese Ships Barron's
- Commercial airlines warned as Chinese navy holds live fire exercise off Australia CNN
Sinn Féin St Patrick’s Day move over Trump policy a gamble
The snub risks damaging long-standing relationships with key political figures in the US.
International aid groups axe thousands of jobs in wake of Trump funding freeze
Fears that cuts will ‘decimate’ ability to react to crises as sector loses expertise and skills at every level, report finds
Some of the world’s largest aid organisations are axing thousands of jobs as a result of US president Donald Trump’s freeze on overseas aid, potentially “decimating” the sector’s ability to react to future crises.
Those that have already announced job cuts include the International Rescue Committee, Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council and war zone-focused Norwegian People’s Aid.
Continue reading...