First Thing: Trump describes ‘productive’ talks with Iran but Tehran denies contact

Iran has dismissed the US president’s claim of talks, saying there had been none since Washington began bombing the country. Plus, how sleeping 11 minutes more can cut your risk of heart attack

Good morning.

Donald Trump said there had been talks between the US and Iran over the past day in which the two sides had “major points of agreement” – but Tehran denied the claim, saying there had been no talks since the US began bombing Iran 24 days ago.

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At least five killed in massive wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine, officials say – BBC

  1. At least five killed in massive wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine, officials say  BBC
  2. Russia launches 948 drones at Ukraine in largest attack over a 24-hour period  BBC
  3. Russia fires 948 drones at Ukraine as new offensive begins  Al Jazeera
  4. Russian drones attack downtown Lviv in broad daylight  NBC News
  5. Russia fires nearly 1,000 drones in one of its largest aerial attacks on Ukraine  The Guardian
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Kim vows to ‘irreversibly’ cement North Korea’s nuclear status – NPR

  1. Kim vows to 'irreversibly' cement North Korea's nuclear status  NPR
  2. How North Korea’s Kim Jong-un Is Using the Iran War to Justify His Nuclear Arsenal  The New York Times
  3. North Korean dictator says government will keep cementing nation's 'irreversible status as a nuclear power'  Fox News
  4. Kim Jong Un touts North Korea’s ‘nuclear shield’ amid US ‘aggression’  Financial Times
  5. Kim Jong Un says North Korea’s nuclear status is irreversible, threatens South  Reuters
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‘The threat is here’: searing US heatwave bad news for wildfire season and water supply

Experts say brutal temperatures in west threaten to melt sparse snowpack – and warn hot, dry conditions here to stay

A stunning heatwave that shattered records in the US west is threatening to rapidly melt the sparse snowpack and ramp up wildfire risks in the seasons ahead.

March has already been historically hot, but the early onset of summer weather across the region may be here to stay. There’s little reprieve in forecasts, which show more heat records may fall this spring.

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Iran names hardline ex-Revolutionary Guards commander to replace slain security chief – Reuters

  1. Iran names hardline ex-Revolutionary Guards commander to replace slain security chief  Reuters
  2. Iran’s New Security Chief Is a Hard-Line Former Guards Commander  The New York Times
  3. Israel killed another Iranian leader, but experts say that doesn't mean it's winning the war  NBC News
  4. With top figures dead, who is now running Iran?  Reuters
  5. Iran names successor to security chief killed in US-Israeli attack  Al Jazeera
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Russia Curbs Some Nitrogen Fertilizer Exports as War Hits Supply – Bloomberg.com

  1. Russia Curbs Some Nitrogen Fertilizer Exports as War Hits Supply  Bloomberg.com
  2. Russia stops ammonium nitrate exports for one month amid global supply crunch  Reuters
  3. Next! Another global crisis is on the way due to the Strait of Hormuz  EADaily
  4. Russia, Brazil's largest supplier of fertilizers, has just suspended exports of ammonium nitrate for a month amidst the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, and Brazilian agriculture, which imports 95% of its nitrogen, could be severely affected.  CPG Click Petróleo e Gás
  5. Russia: Give Me Your Poor, Your Starving Masses  Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
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Iran launches waves of missiles towards Israel – Al Jazeera

  1. Iran launches waves of missiles towards Israel  Al Jazeera
  2. Live - Trump says war won, hints at possible deal with Iran  ایران اینترنشنال
  3. Iranian Missiles Sow Panic, Destruction In Israeli Towns  Barron's
  4. Iran Strikes Persist Even as Trump Claims Talks to End Conflict  Yahoo Finance
  5. Israeli Air Force investigating failure to shoot down missile that struck Tel Aviv  The Times of Israel
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China Says Japan Self-Defense Member Broke Into Tokyo Embassy – Bloomberg.com

  1. China Says Japan Self-Defense Member Broke Into Tokyo Embassy  Bloomberg.com
  2. China protests to Japan about Tokyo embassy break-in  Reuters
  3. GSDF officer arrested over alleged entry into Chinese Embassy in Tokyo  Japan Wire by Kyodo News
  4. Japanese ‘military officer’ forces way into Chinese embassy in Tokyo  South China Morning Post
  5. Japanese ‘soldier’ breaks into Chinese embassy and threatens to kill diplomats  The Independent
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Fate of Argentina’s disappeared remains ‘open wound’ as more victims identified – The Guardian

  1. Fate of Argentina’s disappeared remains ‘open wound’ as more victims identified  The Guardian
  2. Argentina was the model of how to survive a dictatorship. Javier Milei is changing that | Jordana Timerman  The Guardian
  3. Government Cuts Gut the Memory of Argentina’s Dirty War  The New York Times
  4. Argentina's 'Dirty War' still on trial 50 years later  DW.com
  5. Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo reflect on 50th anniversary of Argentina coup  Al Jazeera
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What Are We Waiting For? – Haaretz

  1. What Are We Waiting For?  Haaretz
  2. Israeli public opinion on Iran war; what is moving through the Strait of Hormuz?  NPR
  3. The cost of war for Israel is rising, but so is Iran’s isolation  The Jerusalem Post
  4. War on Iran: How Israel is demolishing the myth that once shielded it  Middle East Eye
  5. Why Israeli support for the battle with Iran has stayed so high even as missiles fly  The Times of Israel
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