Europe’s rescue mission on Ukraine: keep Trump engaged – Financial Times

  1. Europe’s rescue mission on Ukraine: keep Trump engaged  Financial Times
  2. Europe Take Steps to Respond to Ukraine’s US Rejection  Bloomberg
  3. Europe Is Left With Hard Choices as Trump Sours on Ukraine  The New York Times
  4. Europe swiftly responds to shifts in US foreign policy  DW (English)
  5. Europe should hijack Trump’s revolutionary plans for the world  Financial Times
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Pope’s condition stable, mechanical ventilation discontinued – Vatican News – English

  1. Pope's condition stable, mechanical ventilation discontinued  Vatican News - English
  2. Pope Francis off mechanical ventilator, has no fever or signs of infection: Vatican  Fox News
  3. Pope Francis' condition remains 'stable' after 'quiet' night in hospital, Vatican says  ABC News
  4. Would Pope Francis resign? Experts say it’s unlikely – but the pontiff often springs surprises  CNN
  5. Pope Francis suffers 'sudden worsening' of respiratory issues, given mechanical ventilation  Yahoo
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Israeli block on aid raises health fears for Gaza’s undernourished population

Agencies say health situation is a ‘catastrophe’ and recent aid deliveries were a fraction of what is needed

Briefing the Israeli press after Benjamin Netanyahu’s order to turn off the aid supply to Gaza, government officials claimed that the Palestinian territory had several months’ worth of food stockpiled from earlier deliveries. However, the announcement led to an immediate jump in prices of basic necessities in Gaza, with residents saying they had doubled.

Aid agencies say the population of Gaza remains highly vulnerable and that the blockade of humanitarian supplies to a civilian population is unacceptable in any circumstances.

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Chinese manufacturing surges despite threat of higher Trump tariffs

Fastest expansion in three months as Chinese factories return to growth as new orders rise

China’s manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in three months in February, despite the looming threat that Donald Trump will impose tariffs this week.

Production at China’s factories returned to growth last month, an official survey showed, thanks to higher new orders and purchase volumes.

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Pay soars at Barclays and HSBC after end of UK banker bonus cap

One HSBC banker was paid up to £16.6m in 2024 while figure at Barclays was £14.8m after loosening of pay rules

The demise of the UK banker bonus cap has sent pay soaring at Barclays and HSBC where the highest paid bankers have received their biggest payouts since at least 2014.

Analysis of pay documents released this month shows payouts for their most expensive staff surged more than 50% to nearly €20m (£16.6m) last year, after the banks took advantage of looser pay rules and allowed staff to be paid bonuses worth 10 times their salary.

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Egypt says Gaza reconstruction plan ready, will intensify efforts for phase two – The Times of Israel

  1. Egypt says Gaza reconstruction plan ready, will intensify efforts for phase two  The Times of Israel
  2. Egypt says Gaza reconstruction plan ready, pushes efforts for ceasefire's second phase  Reuters
  3. Arab League to try to counter Trump's 'Gaza Riviera' plan  DW (English)
  4. Feeling heat from Trump to ‘solve’ Gaza, Arab states losing patience with PA’s Abbas  The Times of Israel
  5. Egypt to train Palestinian police for deployment in Gaza - report  The Jerusalem Post
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‘Worse than the Tories’: cultural figures question Labour plans for arts in schools

Government must scrap English baccalaureate to make arts more accessible to working-class children, critics say

Leading cultural figures have expressed doubts about the government’s commitment to restoring the creative arts in English schools, with one warning that Labour has “lost the plot” and “the current signs are they are worse than the Tories”.

When Labour won the election, it promised to expand opportunities for working-class children by broadening the school curriculum to include more drama, art, music and sport alongside the core academic subjects.

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Uncertainty over Trump’s plans for U.S. troops in Europe fuels anxiety – The Washington Post

  1. Uncertainty over Trump’s plans for U.S. troops in Europe fuels anxiety  The Washington Post
  2. European leaders on edge as prospect looms of Trump pulling 20K troops from continent  Fox News
  3. EU expects US to withdraw 20,000 troops from Europe  Militarnyi
  4. ‘Tell them to pack up and go.’ Letter to the editor  West Country Voices
  5. US senator calls for NATO withdrawal as Trump weighs troop reduction  AzerNews.Az
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‘We’re taking it seriously’: how police in Manchester cut burglaries by third

Officers in Operation Castle attend every reported break-in and no longer treat such crimes as ‘low level’

When Sean Edwards found his car and his neighbours’ houses had been broken into in Longsight, Greater Manchester, in 2022, he was not expecting much from the police based on previous experiences.

“I expected them to dust for prints and take statements, then give us a crime reference number and nothing else happen,” he said.

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Multiple wildfires in North and South Carolina force evacuations

Emergency unfolds amid warnings throughout south-east over dry and windy conditions that exacerbate wildfires

Several wildfires were reported on Saturday in North and South Carolina, forcing evacuations.

The emergency unfolded amid warnings throughout the south-east over dry and windy conditions that exacerbate wildfires.

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Kremlin says US foreign policy pivot ‘largely coincides with our vision’

Russia’s foreign minister also praises Donald Trump for his ‘commonsense’ aim to end the war in Ukraine

The Kremlin said on Sunday that the dramatic pivot in the foreign policy of the US “largely” coincides with its own vision, with Donald Trump described as having “common sense”.

The US president, who has often said he respects his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, has worked to build ties with Moscow since taking office in January, including twice siding with Russia in UN votes.

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