Cocaine City? Gang wars on the rise as drug dealers fight for territory in EU capital Brussels (apnews.com)
In Extraordinary Move, Venezuela Expels U.N. Human Rights Agency (www.nytimes.com)
The agency has 72 hours to leave the country, marking a “drastic hardening” of conditions inside the South American nation....
Egypt setting up area at Gaza border which could be used to shelter Palestinians, sources say (www.reuters.com)
Summary:...
Pressure builds on Israel to ditch Rafah offensive as ministers gather in Munich (www.theguardian.com)
Western leaders are hoping a round of meetings at a security conference in Munich will put overwhelming pressure on Israel not to press ahead with a ground offensive in Rafah....
Russian Black Sea commander 'sacked after Ukraine downs warship' (www.standard.co.uk)
Viktor Sokolov has been dismissed and succeeded by an unnamed chief of staff, according to reports...
Israel raids Nasser Hospital in Gaza; doctors describe gunfire (www.washingtonpost.com)
Israeli forces raided Nasser Hospital, the main hospital in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, on Thursday. The Israel Defense Forces said it was conducting an operation to recover the bodies of hostages, while the Gaza Health Ministry accused the IDF of storming the complex “after demolishing the southern wall,” and...
Gaza and the End of the Rules-Based Order (www.foreignaffairs.com)
Ukraine Russia war: US warns Avdiivka could fall (www.bbc.com)
The US has warned that Russia could seize Ukraine’s key eastern town of Avdiivka - the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in recent months....
99 journalists killed in 2023, 77 in Gaza war: report (www.al-monitor.com)
Energy firms face legal threat over Israeli licences to drill for gas off Gaza (www.middleeasteye.net)
China sides with Russia at UN, urges end to weapons for Ukraine (www.newsweek.com)
China has sided with Russia on the Ukraine issue at the United Nations while telling the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Kyiv....
Germany now world's third largest economy as Japan loses its spot (www.euronews.com)
Japan slips into recession, becoming the 4th-largest economy, behind the US, China and now Germany....
U.S. conducted cyberattack on suspected Iranian spy ship (www.nbcnews.com)
The covert operation was intended to inhibit the ship’s ability to share intelligence with Houthi rebels who have been attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea....
Venezuela closes UN human rights office citing ‘colonialist attitude’ (www.theguardian.com)
Putin urges Russians to have more kids, says ethnic survival at stake - Reuters (news.yahoo.com)
(Reuters) - Russian families must produce at least two children for the sake of the nation’s ethnic survival, and three or more if it is to develop and thrive, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday....
Tobago oil spill spreads to Grenada waters and could affect Venezuela (www.theguardian.com)
Fuel continues to leak from overturned and abandoned barge as stain spreads into the Caribbean Sea...
Toronto police increase presence along hospital row after pro-Palestinian protest (www.cbc.ca)
Protest swiftly condemned by all levels of government; organizing group denies hospital targeted...
Housing starts are down but don’t panic, say experts (www.ipolitics.ca)
Greece becomes first Orthodox Christian country to legalise same-sex marriage (www.theguardian.com)
Greece has become the first Orthodox Christian country to legalise same-sex civil marriage, despite opposition from church officials....
U.S. Disrupts Hacking Operation Led by Russian Intelligence (www.nytimes.com)
The F.B.I., working with other countries, disrupted a Russian hacking operation that infiltrated more than 1,000 home and small-business internet routers in the United States and around the world, the Justice Department announced on Thursday....
China set to lose 60 percent of population by century's end (www.newsweek.com)
Ukraine says frozen Russian assets should be used to rebuild war-hit economy (www.theguardian.com)
Ukraine has called for frozen Russian assets to be used to rebuild the country’s war-ravaged economy after a report showed the cost of reconstruction increasing to almost $500bn....
UN urges radical change to aid relief access in Gaza amid fresh famine fears (news.un.org)
Sea drones are being used to smash Russia's navy, and now they're being used to threaten a US carrier strike group too (www.businessinsider.com)
Houthi rebels are threatening US warships and shipping using naval drones, a new report said....
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners (www.theguardian.com)
Moscow has massively ramped up its industry, giving it advantages in Ukraine and leading to a redistribution of wealth...
