Rock band critical of Putin is detained in Thailand, fearful of deportation to Russia (apnews.com)
Highly paid Sydney Metro contractors 'replaced' in wake of 'serious' allegations (www.abc.net.au)
Out of options, Rohingya are fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh by boat despite soaring death toll (apnews.com)
Exclusive: Iran's Guards pull officers from Syria after Israeli strikes (www.reuters.com)
Budget 2024 | India plans to expand EV ecosystem, pushes for greener public transport (www.cnbctv18.com)
Israeli army occupies Gaza homes – then burns them down (www.haaretz.com)
Israeli soldiers have begun in recent weeks to set fire to homes in the Gaza Strip, following direct orders from their commanders, without the necessary legal permission to do so, according to information obtained by Haaretz....
Israel’s Controlled Demolitions Are Razing Neighborhoods in Gaza (www.nytimes.com)
The damage caused by Israel’s aerial offensive in Gaza has been well documented. But Israeli ground forces have also carried out a wave of controlled explosions that has drastically changed the landscape in recent months....
Greece Marks 50th Anniversary of Polytechnic University Uprising Against Military Dictatorship (unicornriot.ninja)
Cyprus-led sting operation busts illegal European immigration ring that arranged sham marriages (apnews.com)
Cyprus officials said Wednesday they led a Europol-organized sting operation that dismantled an international criminal ring facilitating illegal immigration and residency in European Union countries using dozens of sham marriages on the east Mediterranean island nation.
Swedish police foil attack on Israeli Embassy in Stockholm (www.politico.eu)
An attempted attack on the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm was thwarted on Wednesday....
US warship had close call with Houthi missile in Red Sea (www.cnn.com)
A cruise missile launched by the Houthis into the Red Sea on Tuesday night came within a mile of a US destroyer before it was shot down, four US officials told CNN, the closest a Houthi attack has come to a US warship....
US charges Chinese nationals with smuggling US-made electronics to Iran (news.yahoo.com)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. authorities have charged four Chinese nationals with crimes related to the smuggling of U.S.-made electronic components, including some with possible military use, to Iran, the Justice Department said on Wednesday....
Men accused of pushing cyclists into ditches for fun go on trial in France (www.theguardian.com)
Two defendants could face up to five years in prison after spate of incidents in country’s rural south-west...
Ukrainian commander says Russian airbase in Crimea hit in attack (kyivindependent.com)
The Balbek airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea was hit in an attack, Air Force Commander General Mykola Oleshchuk said on Telegram on Jan. 31....
Huge and secretive prison expansion in Myanmar revealed by satellite images (www.theguardian.com)
Donor countries voice support for the U.N. agency for Palestinians despite Israel’s accusations. (www.nytimes.com)
Key donors to the United Nations agency that aids civilians in Gaza have signaled that they will continue to support the organization under the right conditions despite Israeli accusations that some of its employees were involved with terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7....
Armenia formally joins international criminal court in snub to Russia (www.theguardian.com)
Armenia has formally joined the international criminal court (ICC), officials said, a move which traditional ally Moscow has denounced as unfriendly....
Russia and Ukraine exchange PoWs after plane crash prevented last swap (www.theguardian.com)
Russia and Ukraine have conducted a major prisoner-of-war exchange a week after a previous swap was prevented when a Russian Il-76 transport plane was shot down and exploded near the border between the two countries....
Hervé Bopda: Cameroon socialite accused of sexual assaults (www.bbc.com)
Earlier this month, Mr Bopda and his acquaintances were accused by a popular activist of committing a number of crimes against roughly 200 victims....
Thai court orders election winners to abandon plan to change royal insults law (www.reuters.com)
Three years after coup, Myanmar junta chief under unprecedented pressure (www.reuters.com)
German domestic spy agency has its former head, now a hard-right politician, under scrutiny (www.independent.co.uk)
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has put its former head, who has become a hard-right politician since being removed from the job several years ago, under scrutiny....
EU aiming to launch Red Sea naval mission by mid-Feb (www.reuters.com)
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday he was hopeful it could be decided later in the day which member state could lead the upcoming EU mission to protect vessels in the Red Sea, adding this operation could de launched before mid-February....
‘We are dying slowly:’ Palestinians are eating grass and drinking polluted water as famine looms across Gaza (edition.cnn.com)
