Putin challenger Boris Nadezhdin barred from Russia's election (www.bbc.com)
Mr Nadezhdin has been relatively critical of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale war in Ukraine when few dissenting voices have been tolerated in Russia....
Biden criticises Israel military campaign in Gaza as ‘over the top’ (www.theguardian.com)
US President Joe Biden has suggested that Israel’s military response in Gaza has been “over the top” and said he is seeking a “sustained pause in the fighting” to help ailing Palestinian civilians....
Irish unification referendum by 2030, Sinn Fein leader tells Sky News (news.sky.com)
Mary Lou McDonald had previously said unification was within “touching distance” after the return of power-sharing government to Northern Ireland, led by her Sinn Fein colleague Michelle O’Neill. But she acknowledges there is “an awful lot of work to be done”....
Crowded Gazan City Bombed as Negotiators Try to Revive Cease-Fire Talks (www.nytimes.com)
Airstrikes hit a southern Gaza border city crowded with civilians on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced a cease-fire proposal by Hamas and signaled that the Israeli military was preparing to move into the area....
Data of half the population of France stolen in its largest ever cyberattack. This is what we know (www.euronews.com)
One in two French people’s data was stolen in a major cybersecurity breach - the largest ever in France - leaving 33 million at risk....
Killer whale pod trapped by sea ice in Japan has seemingly escaped, local official says (abcnews.go.com)
A pod of orcas that appeared to be trapped by drift sea ice off Japan’s main northern island of Hokkaido has seemingly escaped the icy enclosure, according to a local official....
State of emergency declared in Iceland after volcanic eruption (www.bbc.com)
A state of emergency has been declared in Iceland after lava from a volcanic eruption damaged key hot water pipes....
Haiti: Five killed as protest against prime minister spreads (www.dw.com)
Protests have swept through Haiti as increasingly violent demonstrations demand the resignation of Ariel Henry. According to a 2022 accord, Henry was to cede power on February 7, 2024....
Beijing empties out as migrants head home for first ‘real’ CNY after Covid-19 pandemic (www.straitstimes.com)
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander (www.theguardian.com)
Volodymyr Zelenskiy has fired his top army commander, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and replaced him with Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s land forces....
India: Violence erupts in Uttarakhand's Haldwani after madrasa demolition; shoot-at-sight ordered (www.hindustantimes.com)
Exxon plan for Guyana oil exploration risks raising tensions with Venezuela (www.theguardian.com)
China named as hypothetical enemy for 1st time in Japan-U.S. exercise (english.kyodonews.net)
Brazil police seizing Bolsonaro passport, arresting close aides (www.reuters.com)
BRASILIA, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Brazil’s federal police on Thursday sought to confiscate former President Jair Bolsonaro’s passport and arrest some of his closest aides, sources said, as part of an investigation into an alleged coup attempt after he lost the 2022 election....
Russians freeze as Putin’s war and aging pipes reveal cracks at home (www.nbcnews.com)
Across Russia, creaking infrastructure and a wave of accidents have plunged households into the cold in the depth of winter, fueling rare showings of public frustration....
Del Monte Kenya representatives accused of seeking to cover up circumstances of men’s deaths (www.theguardian.com)
Representatives of Del Monte Kenya have been accused of offering bribes in an attempt to cover up the circumstances in which four men died after going to steal pineapples from its farm in December....
US funding failure will have serious battlefield consequences, says Ukraine (www.theguardian.com)
As the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine approaches, Ukrainian officials say the delay in US support has already had a clear impact on the battlefield, where Kyiv’s exhausted troops have a severe hardware deficit in comparison to the Russians
China promises ‘heavy price’ for blocking reunification as US, Japan hold drills (www.scmp.com)
South Korea’s foreign worker plan put on hold as Philippines suspends labour deployment (www.straitstimes.com)
SEOUL – A moratorium set by the Philippine government on sending the country’s workers to South Korea has put the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plan to bring in foreign domestic workers on hold, while also leaving some local farms with a shortage of workers as they will have fewer seasonal workers from the Philippines...
Russian anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin says he is barred from election (www.theguardian.com)
Russian anti-war presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin says he has been banned from running against Vladimir Putin in the carefully managed presidential elections in March....
Ethiopia: UK warns of food crisis triggered by war and drought (www.bbc.com)
James Landale travels with the UK Africa minister to northern Ethiopia, where the situation is deteriorating.
Myanmar’s Military Driven Out of Township in Northern Rakhine, Reports Say (www.irrawaddy.com)
The Arakan Army (AA) has taken control of Rakhine State’s Minbya Township after capturing the last two military battalion headquarters in the township on Tuesday, according to Rakhine media reports....
Irish athletes boycott women's basketball tournament against Israel next month due to war in Gaza (allisrael.com)
Spain suspends arms exports to Israel; reiterates need for Palestine statehood (www.middleeastmonitor.com)
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public (www.irrawaddy.com)
Two anti-junta fighters in their 20s were executed in public in a village in Magwe Region and a video of the crime, which occurred about three months ago, was uploaded to social media on Tuesday and is circulating there....
