G7 to use Russian assets for $50bn Ukraine loan: How will it work? – Al Jazeera English

  1. G7 to use Russian assets for $50bn Ukraine loan: How will it work?  Al Jazeera English
  2. 'Russia has to pay': G7 taps Moscow's frozen assets in support of Ukraine  CNBC
  3. The West and Russia's Frozen Assets - WSJ  The Wall Street Journal
  4. Will Biden's Help for Ukraine Come Fast Enough and Last Long Enough?  The New York Times
  5. Explainer: What is the G7's $50 billion loan plan for Ukraine?  Reuters
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Australia’s south-east to endure more wintry weather after Melbourne records coldest day in five years

BoM says south-east can expect cold days and frosty nights with below-average temperatures continuing into the coming week

Wintry conditions across south eastern Australia will continue into the weekend, with rain expected in parts of Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia.

Melbourne recovered slightly from a high of only 10.1C on Thursday, its coldest day in five years, reaching a maximum of 13C on Friday. The Bureau of Meteorology issued a frost warning for Victoria’s north-east and a strong wind warning for the East Gippsland coast.

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Australian War Memorial allegedly defaced with pro-Palestine graffiti, police say

ACT police say man allegedly graffitied the outside of building and the ground with ‘pro-Palestine slogans’

The Australian War Memorial has been allegedly defaced with pro-Palestine graffiti, ACT police have said.

The police said a man allegedly graffitied three areas on the outside of the Canberra building and on the ground in a publicly accessible area about 1am on Friday morning. Police would not say what the graffiti said, only that it was “pro-Palestine slogans”.

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Hamas official says ‘no one has any idea’ how many Israeli hostages are still alive – CNN

  1. Hamas official says ‘no one has any idea’ how many Israeli hostages are still alive  CNN
  2. Hamas admits they don't know how many hostages are still alive  The Telegraph
  3. Israel-Hamas War: Live Updates  The New York Times
  4. Yahya Sinwar's aims in rejecting and amending Biden's hostage deal  The Jerusalem Post
  5. US intel was secondary to Israeli info gathered in Gaza for hostage rescue — report  The Times of Israel
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Weather tracker: State of emergency in Florida as heavy rain causes flooding

Emergency services conduct at least 40 rescues and schools, courts and railways closed in some counties

Significant amounts of rain in the past two days have led the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, to declare a state of emergency for the counties of Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota, while the mayors of Miami-Dade, Miami and Fort Lauderdale also declared a state of emergency.

This has resulted in a number of closures for public schools, courts and Dania Beach’s city hall, where there were at least 40 rescues by emergency services. Rail routes across Miami and the surrounding area were also suspended. The flooding occurred after more than 380mm (15in) of rain fell on several southern Florida cities in just two days.

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In the search for hostages, U.S. is Israel’s key intelligence partner – The Washington Post

  1. In the search for hostages, U.S. is Israel's key intelligence partner  The Washington Post
  2. The US intelligence capabilities that Israel has been using since Oct. 7  The Jerusalem Post
  3. Israeli agents posed as Gaza families to gain intel on hostages  New York Post
  4. Israeli Hostages Rescued From Gaza Detail Life in Hamas Captivity  The New York Times
  5. Mother of rescued Hamas hostage says son described 'strange rules' while in captivity  Yahoo! Voices
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University of Sydney orders students protesting in support of Gaza to leave after almost two months

Spokesperson says ‘the encampment has taken over this shared space to the exclusion of others’

The University of Sydney has ordered students protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza to leave a controversial encampment that has been on the campus since April.

A university spokesperson said on Friday that it had told the encampment’s leadership “we require them to vacate the encampment to allow other students to use the space”.

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Seoul Says North Korea Sent Almost 5 Million Artillery Shells to Russia – Kyiv Post

  1. Seoul Says North Korea Sent Almost 5 Million Artillery Shells to Russia  Kyiv Post
  2. Kim Sent Russia Millions of Artillery Shells, South Korea Says  Bloomberg
  3. US and South Korea sound warning amid reports Putin is headed to North Korea  The Guardian
  4. Brace for Kim Jong Un's Dazzling Date Night With Putin  The Daily Beast
  5. South Korea, US sound alarm over North Korea-Russia ties ahead of Putin visit  Reuters
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Missile strike from Yemen’s Houthi rebels sets cargo ship on fire and injures sailor – NBC News

  1. Missile strike from Yemen's Houthi rebels sets cargo ship on fire and injures sailor  NBC News
  2. How an Iranian-Backed Militia Ties Down U.S. Naval Forces in the Red Sea  The Wall Street Journal
  3. Houthi Attacks on Red Sea Disrupt Global Trade, US Spies Say  Bloomberg
  4. Ship hit twice in apparent Houthi cruise missile attack off Yemeni coast  Fox News
  5. Houthi missile strikes set ship ablaze, injure one crew, US military says  Reuters
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Police investigate after pro-Palestinian slogans graffitied on Canberra war memorial – as it happened

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The education minister, Jason Clare, has said stricter regulations on social media for teenagers had bipartisan support.

Speaking to Channel 7’s Sunrise, Clare called social media a “cesspit”, and added that Labor’s age verification trial would be the first step to protecting young people.

I think we all agree that social media’s a cesspit. We all agree we don’t want our kids on it. It’s about how do you do it?

This should be something where the Labor party and the Liberal party can work together.

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Prominent China #MeToo journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin sentenced to five years in jail, supporters say

Sophia Huang Xueqin, who reported on #MeToo movement and Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, sentenced along with labour activist Wang Jianbing

A Chinese court has sentenced the prominent #MeToo journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin to five years in jail and the labour activist Wang Jianbing to three and a half years, almost 1,000 days after they were detained on allegations of inciting state subversion, according to supporters.

On Friday, supporters of the pair said the court had found them guilty and given Huang the maximum sentence. The jail terms would take into account the time they had already spent in detention. A copy of the verdict said Huang was also deprived of political rights for four years and fined $100,000 RMB (£10,800). Wang faced three years of deprivation of political rights and was fined $50,000 RMB.

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