Russia lacks 'numbers for strategic breakthrough' in Ukraine: NATO (www.euronews.com)
Moscow says it will keep pushing its offensive in Ukraine, though NATO doubts Russia has the resources to make a significant breakthrough....
Israeli minister vows to quit war cabinet if PM fails to agree new Gaza plan (www.theguardian.com)
The Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has threatened to resign if Benjamin Netanyahu fails to adopt an agreed plan for Gaza, calling into question the future of the Israeli government....
Afghanistan: Three Spanish tourists killed in shootout (www.dw.com)
The attack on foreign nationals took place in Bamyan province of Afghanistan. Some foreigners visit the site with the remnants of massive Buddhist statues mostly destroyed by the Taliban in 2001....
Turkey simply relabels Russian oil products and exports them to Europe, research indicates (www.intellinews.com)
More evidence that Turkey simply relabels Russian oil products and re-exports them to Europe as Turkish emerges from a new study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD)....
Kim's sister denies North Korea has supplied weapons to Russia (apnews.com)
Georgian president vetoes ‘foreign influence’ law (www.theguardian.com)
Georgia’s president has vetoed a “foreign agents” bill that has split the country and appealed to the government not to overrule her over a law she said was “Russian in sprit and essence”....
Germany: Money-laundering probe into far-right AfD lawmaker (www.dw.com)
Bavarian prosecutors are investigating suspected money-laundering activities by a far-right politician. The German parliament says it has lifted the political immunity of the AfD member Petr Bystron....
Israel troops continue posting abuse footage despite pledge to act (www.bbc.com)
High levels of weedkiller (glyphosate/e.g. Roundup) found in more than half of sperm samples, study finds (www.theguardian.com)
The levels (of glyphosate that the) French researchers found in sperm were four times higher than in the men’s blood...
Zelensky calls for three-point action plan at upcoming peace summit (kyivindependent.com)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he anticipates the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland will yield an action plan addressing three key areas: free navigation to protect port infrastructure, global food security, and Ukraine’s economic development....
Slovak Prime Minister Is Improving After Second Operation, Official Says (www.nytimes.com)
Israel Has Blocked Medical Supplies From Gaza for 10 Days, WHO Says (truthout.org)
"Portal" Between Dublin and NYC Shut Down After OnlyFans Model Flashes It (ca.news.yahoo.com)
New York City said 'no injuries' at Columbia arrests; students' medical records say otherwise (www.reuters.com)
Pro-Israel billionaires urged New York crackdown on Gaza protests: Report (aje.io)
Gunmen kill 3 Western tourists, translator in central Afghanistan (www.voanews.com)
New Caledonia: Two dead as riots escalate after French vote (www.bbc.com)
[US] Rep. Robert Garcia calls out Peru for classifying trans, intersex & nonbinary people as mentally ill (www.advocate.com)
US military pier starts moving towards Gaza (www.reuters.com)
The U.S. military has started moving a pier towards the Gaza coast, a U.S. official said on Wednesday, one of the last steps before the launch of a maritime port promised by President Joe Biden to speed the flow of humanitarian aid to Palestinians....
Under Israeli Bombs, a Wartime Economy Emerges in Gaza (www.nytimes.com)
In the seven months since Israel started bombarding Gaza and imposed a siege in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack, the enclave’s economy has been crushed. People have been forced to flee their homes and jobs. Markets, factories and infrastructure have been bombed and flattened. Farmland has been scorched by airstrikes or...
The controversy over Gaza’s death toll, explained (www.vox.com)
Canada sanctions Israeli settlers as attacks on Palestinians skyrocket (aje.io)
As Russia Advances, NATO Considers Sending Trainers Into Ukraine (www.nytimes.com)
NATO allies are inching closer to sending troops into Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces, a move that would be another blurring of a previous red line and could draw the United States and Europe more directly into the war....
'My ex took my children': Hope for divorced parents as Japan to allow joint child custody (www.bbc.com)
The Japanese parliament has approved a change to a decades-old law, which will allow divorced couples to share custody of their children from 2026....
Israel Resists Grand Bargain as U.S. and Saudis Work on Security Pact (www.nytimes.com)
Two years into President Biden’s term, his aides began negotiating with Saudi leaders to have the kingdom establish diplomatic relations with Israel. But when the Israel-Hamas war began last October, the talks withered....
