Climate change forces African migrants into dangerous treks by sea, desert (abcnews.go.com)
“We rely on the sea but there is nothing left in this sea.”...
Panama Canal Drought Slows Cargo Traffic (www.nytimes.com)
I’ll note that the Washington Post is also running an opinion piece titled A dry Panama Canal shows how climate change will scramble globalization...
Ecuador police destroy over 20 metric tons of cocaine (news.yahoo.com)
QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuadorean Police on Thursday destroyed some 21.5 metric tons of cocaine which they seized over the weekend as part of a military offensive declared by the government to combat organized crime....
China warns citizens against 'exotic beauty' traps of foreign spies (www.bbc.com)
China has warned its citizens against “exotic beauties” seeking to lure them into the hands of foreign spy agencies....
EU threatens to silence Hungary if it blocks Ukrainian funds (www.politico.eu)
Leaders may consider invoking the “nuclear option” of kicking Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán out of the EU voting process....
Only five bodies delivered to Belgorod morgue after mysterious Russian plane crash, Ukrainian intelligence suggests (www.cnn.com)
Ukraine says it has intelligence suggesting only five bodies were delivered from the crash site of a Russian military transport plane to a nearby morgue, a Ukraine military intelligence official told CNN, casting doubt on Moscow’s claim that dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in the explosion....
State Dept. pauses funding for UN agency amid allegations employees involved in Israel attack: Any UNRWA employee involved will be prosecuted, the agency warned. (abcnews.go.com)
UN agency investigates staff suspected of role in 7 October attack on Israel (www.theguardian.com)
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Friday it had opened an investigation into several employees suspected of involvement in the 7 October attacks in Israel by Hamas, and that it had severed ties with those staff members....
Putin Sends US Signal on Ukraine Talks, Sensing Advantage in War (www.bloomberg.com)
"Vladimir Putin is testing the waters on whether the U.S. is ready to engage in talks for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine,” Bloomberg reports....
Thai woman charged over lion cub filmed cruising resort in Bentley (www.theguardian.com)
Sawangjit Kosoognern charged with illegal possession after video showing animal being driven around Pattaya gains 2.6m views...
Israel Builds Buffer Zone Along Gaza Border, Risking New Rift With U.S. (archive.ph)
Beginning last November, an Israeli soldier and members of his reserve unit worked day after day in a northern section of the Gaza Strip to create a wasteland....
Over 2,200 people victim of sexual abuse by German church staff (www.euronews.com)
The authors of the report estimate that at least 3,500 people have committed sexual abuse and say that the figures are only “the tip of the tip of the iceberg”....
U.N. agency probes staff suspected of role in Oct. 7 attacks on Israel (www.reuters.com)
Russian forces employing new poison gas grenades, says armament research centre (www.pravda.com.ua)
Thousands across Austria to take part in protests against far right (www.theguardian.com)
Germany to supply Ukraine with 80 tanks in 2024 (news.yahoo.com)
Berlin plans to provide Ukraine with additional IRIS-T air defense systems and more than 80 Leopard-1A5 main battle tanks in 2024, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced on Jan. 24....
Gaza health ministry says 20 Palestinians killed in strike on food aid queue (www.reuters.com)
Exclusive: China presses Iran to rein in Houthi attacks in Red Sea, sources say (www.reuters.com)
Runner in China who chain-smoked throughout marathon banned for two years (www.independent.co.uk)
Philippines, Vietnam Set to Sign Coast Guard Pact Amid Competing Sea Claims (www.bloomberg.com)
The Philippines and Vietnam are set to sign a cooperation agreement between their coast guards as Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. boosts partnerships in the region amid lingering tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea....
NATO Has Been Underestimating Russia’s War Machine, Estonia Says (www.bloomberg.com)
Estonia’s top military commander said fresh intelligence on Russia’s ability to produce ammunition and recruit troops has prompted a re-evaluation among NATO allies and a spate of warnings to prepare for a long-term conflict....
Damage From Cyber Attack on Sweden May Take Weeks to Recover (www.bloomberg.com)
Computer systems of Swedish government agencies made inoperable by an attack on a Tietoevry Oyj data center may be down for weeks, the country’s civil defense minister said....
UK halts trade negotiations with Canada over hormones in beef ban (www.bbc.com)
The UK has stopped its trade talks with Canada, after nearly two years of negotiations on a post-Brexit agreement....
Military intelligence: Senior Russian officials were supposed to be on Il-76 flight but did not board (kyivindependent.com)
High-ranking Russian officials were supposed to be on board the Il-76 aircraft that crashed in Belogorod Oblast on Jan. 24, but the Federal Security Service (FSB) did not allow them to board at “the last moment,” Andrii Yusov, Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesperson, told RFE/RL on Jan. 25....
Cheap but lethally accurate: how drones froze Ukraine’s frontlines (www.theguardian.com)
For four months, Russian troops have been trying to seize the eastern Ukrainian village of Synkivka. On a map, this looks easy. Their forward position is on the edge of a forest. It is a mere 500 metres away from the Ukrainian frontline and a shattered collection of cottages....
