Forget the Board of Peace, Trump may be closer than thought to attacking Iran

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Tehran may claim it will not negotiate under duress, but that is precisely what it is being required to do

Although much attention will be given to the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, it is the “arsenal of war” that Donald Trump has assembled in the Middle East, and what it implies for the stately pace of Washington’s negotiations with Iran, that deserves more.

The well-connected Axios reporter Barak Ravid is hated in Iran – one news site on Thursday described him as a one-man psychological war operation against Tehran. But he is widely read, as was his report that the US viewed the talks in Geneva on Tuesday as a “nothing burger”, and that a full-scale attack on Iran was far closer than most Americans realised. The story led to a spike in oil prices and front-page pieces in US newspapers saying Trump’s military preparations would be complete by the weekend, with the president hinting a decision would be made “probably over the next 10 days”.

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RSF siege of El Fasher in Sudan has ‘hallmarks of genocide’, UN mission finds

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Report details harrowing 18-month occupation of North Darfur capital, showing destruction aimed at ethnic communities

The siege and capture of the Sudanese city of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group last October bore “the hallmarks of genocide”, a UN-mandated fact-finding mission has said.

In a report detailing the harrowing 18-month occupation of the capital of North Darfur, investigators concluded that the RSF and allied militias deliberately inflicted conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the Zaghawa and Fur ethnic communities.

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Live Updates: Former Prince Andrew Arrested in Britain Over Epstein Ties – The New York Times

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  1. Live Updates: Former Prince Andrew Arrested in Britain Over Epstein Ties  The New York Times
  2. Andrew arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office as King says 'law must take its course'  BBC
  3. Timeline: How Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor fell from grace over his ties to Epstein  CNN
  4. For the Royals, No Playbook Exists for the Arrest of a Former Prince  The New York Times
  5. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over ties to Epstein  Associated Press News
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Accenture ‘links staff promotions to use of AI tools’

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Consulting firm keen to increase uptake of technology and is reportedly monitoring adoption by workforce

Accenture has reportedly started tracking staff use of its AI tools and will take this into consideration when deciding on top promotions, as the consulting company tries to increase uptake of the technology by its workforce.

The company told senior managers and associate directors that being promoted to leadership roles would require “regular adoption” of artificial intelligence, according to an internal email seen by the Financial Times.

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Trump gathers members of Board of Peace for first meeting, with some U.S. allies wary – NPR

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  1. Trump gathers members of Board of Peace for first meeting, with some U.S. allies wary  NPR
  2. Live Updates: Trump Says U.S. Will Commit $10 Billion to Board of Peace for Gaza Redevelopment  The New York Times
  3. Countries That Attended Trump's First Board of Peace Meeting in Washington  U.S. News & World Report
  4. Trump launches his ‘Board of Peace’ with billions pledged for Gaza, but many allies are wary  CNN
  5. Authoritarians, strongmen and dictators: who is on Trump’s Board of Peace?  The Guardian
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Hosts Italy voice ‘absolute opposition’ to Russia flag flying at Winter Paralympics

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  • Italian government urges IPC to reconsider its stance

  • Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under flags

Italy, the Winter Olympic hosts, has called for a reversal of the decision to let 10 Russian and Belarusian athletes compete with national flags and anthems at next month’s Paralympic Games.

The foreign minister Antonio Tajani and sports minister Andrea Abodi urged the International Paralympic Committee to reconsider its stance due to Russia’s four-year-old invasion of Ukraine, saying it contradicted the Olympic spirit.

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Austrian mountaineer ‘endlessly sorry’ for girlfriend’s death but denies criminal wrongdoing

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Thomas P gives evidence on first day of trial in case that could shape standards for mountain sports

An Austrian mountaineer has said he is “endlessly sorry” his girlfriend froze to death on a joint climb to the country’s highest peak, but denied criminal wrongdoing as his trial began in Innsbruck.

The 37-year-old defendant, identified only as Thomas P, gave evidence on the first day of the high-profile proceedings over the tragedy on Großglockner, in a case that could shape international standards for liability in mountain sports.

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Leftist who defended child marriage elected as Peru’s interim president

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José María Balcázar, who argued for marriage at 14 and above, replaces José Jerí who was voted out after a scandal

Peru’s congress has elected José María Balcázar, an octogenarian leftist lawmaker who has defended child marriage, as the country’s interim president ahead of general elections in April.

Balcázar is Peru’s ninth president since 2016. The surprise election, in which Balcázar beat the favourite, María del Carmen Alva, a conservative, came after lawmakers voted to remove José Jerí as president on Tuesday after just four months in office, due to a scandal over secretive meetings with Chinese businessmen.

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Over 1,000 Kenyans enlisted to fight in Russia-Ukraine war, report says – BBC

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  1. Over 1,000 Kenyans enlisted to fight in Russia-Ukraine war, report says  BBC
  2. 1,000 Kenyans were recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine, intelligence report says  NPR
  3. Kenya Says 1,000 of Its Citizens Are Fighting For Russia  Bloomberg.com
  4. Intelligence report reveals how many Kenyans are fighting in Russia-Ukraine war  Daily Nation
  5. More than 1,000 Kenyans lured to fight for Russia in Ukraine war, report says  The Guardian
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Amid Epstein fallout, Bill Gates becomes point of controversy at India AI summit – CNBC

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  1. Amid Epstein fallout, Bill Gates becomes point of controversy at India AI summit  CNBC
  2. Bill Gates cancels AI summit keynote address amid fresh scrutiny over Epstein links  CNN
  3. Gates cancels high-profile AI speech amid Epstein backlash  The Hill
  4. Bill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit over Epstein files controversy  BBC
  5. Bill Gates pulls out of India AI summit amid Epstein scrutiny  Reuters
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