The weekend byelection results were close to Labor and the Greens’ worst case scenario – but it’s not all good news for the Liberals

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One federal Labor MP said his party’s brand has ‘taken a dive’ in Victoria – but others at the state level believe time is on their side

Counting in the Werribee byelection is still under way. But even if Labor manages to scrape through, the Victorian government is just a few hundred disgruntled votes away from losing its grip on this heartland seat.

That is a problem Jacinta Allan knows cannot be ignored.

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North Korea’s Kim slams US-South Korea-Japan partnership and vows to boost his nuclear program – The Associated Press

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  1. North Korea's Kim slams US-South Korea-Japan partnership and vows to boost his nuclear program  The Associated Press
  2. Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says he’s spoken to Putin about ending war as North Korea backs ‘just cause’  The Independent
  3. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vows to further develop nuclear forces  Reuters
  4. North Korea's Kim Vows Continued Support For Russia's Military Amid Heavy Losses  Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
  5. Ukraine war briefing: Kim Jong-un vows ongoing support for Russia’s ‘just cause’  The Guardian
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New look Middle East had started to draw investors… and then came Trump – Reuters

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  1. New look Middle East had started to draw investors... and then came Trump  Reuters
  2. A Paradigm Shift for the Middle East: How Trump Can Build on Israel’s Success and Keep Iran Off Balance  Foreign Affairs Magazine
  3. Security in the Middle East – SITREP  European Security & Defence
  4. A Paradigm Shift for the Middle East  AllSides
  5. Middle East peace parliament: A Trump legacy for humanity  The Jerusalem Post
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‘This time, we stay’: the Palestinian families vowing not to leave Gaza

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Defiant Gazans reject Trump’s resettlement plan after enduring 15 months of conflict

Saaed Salem’s eyes filled with tears as he surveyed the remains of his north Gaza neighbourhood on a freezing February morning. He was resting in a chair that had somehow survived the war, surrounded by grandchildren and rubble, his hope for the future and the ruins of his past.

His family had lost one home in 1948, when they fled Hirbiya village, now the site of Zikim kibbutz inside Israel, to escape shelling and reports of atrocities by Israeli forces.

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Sam Nujoma, Namibia’s first president, dies aged 95

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Charismatic father of the nation led the fight for independence from South Africa and ruled for 15 years as the country’s first president

Sam Nujoma, the fiery freedom fighter who led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as its first president for 15 years, has died aged 95.

Nujoma’s death was announced Sunday by current Namibian president Nangolo Mbumba. Mbumba said Nujoma died on Saturday night after being hospitalised in the capital, Windhoek.

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‘We never gave up’: tears and elation as freed Thai hostages return home from Gaza

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The group of five workers were greeted at Bangkok airport by overjoyed family members and officials after being held for over a year in Gaza

The families of five Thai farm workers held hostage in Gaza for over a year wept with joy and hugged their loved ones as they arrived in Bangkok on Sunday.

The group smiled as they walked into the arrivals hall at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport after being freed on 30 January as part of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Israel-Gaza war.

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Powerful earthquake in Caribbean triggers brief tsunami alerts, no reports of significant damage – CBS News

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  1. Powerful earthquake in Caribbean triggers brief tsunami alerts, no reports of significant damage  CBS News
  2. Caribbean Earthquake Sparks Tsunami Warning  Newsweek
  3. Magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes in the western Caribbean  NBC News
  4. Major earthquake shakes Caribbean, tsunami threat subsides for islands  Fox Weather
  5. Map: Tracking a Potential Tsunami in the Caribbean  The New York Times
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Woman dies after lightning bolt explodes tree in town near Sydney

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One woman killed and another taken to hospital with injuries to hands and face, paramedics say

A woman has died after being hit by debris from a tree which exploded when it was struck by lightning in a town south-west of Sydney on Saturday afternoon.

Paramedics and a medical team rushed to the address in Cawdor about 5.30pm Saturday. New South Wales Ambulance said one woman had been fatally injured by shrapnel from the tree.

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7.6 magnitude earthquake hits southwest of Cayman Islands: USGS – The Independent

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  1. 7.6 magnitude earthquake hits southwest of Cayman Islands: USGS  The Independent
  2. Powerful earthquake in Caribbean triggers brief tsunami alerts  Yahoo
  3. 7.6 magnitude earthquake shakes the Caribbean southwest of Cayman Islands, USGS says  ABC News
  4. Magnitude 7.6 earthquake strikes offshore fault near the Cayman Islands  temblor
  5. Magnitude-7.6 earthquake strikes in the western Caribbean  NBC News
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Towns cut off by Queensland floods warned against panic-buying as premier vows ‘resilient’ rebuild

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David Crisafulli says infrastructure to be replaced after floods needs ‘greater ability’ to withstand natural disasters

Queensland’s premier has vowed to rebuild “more resilient” infrastructure after devastating floods in the state’s north, as Queenslanders were warned not to panic-buy while they are cut off.

David Crisafulli said his government was here “for the long haul” of recovery, in an update on the state’s flooding on Sunday.

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