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The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has documented at least 110 Palestinians killed by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement last month.

That means at least six victims per day, including both new ones who were killed directly by the Israeli army, along with those who succumbed to their prior wounds after Israel denied them the right to travel abroad for treatment.

More than 900 others have been injured since the ceasefire, averaging 47 injuries per day, the Geneva-based organisation said.

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Summary

Over 1,000 protesters, including Hongkongers and Uyghur activists, gathered outside the proposed Chinese "mega-embassy" site in London, fearing it could be used for surveillance and illegal detentions.

Tower Hamlets council previously rejected the plan, but Beijing resubmitted it under the new Labour government. The final decision rests with Deputy PM Angela Rayner.

Politicians like Tom Tugendhat warned approving the embassy would be a "grave mistake."

Demonstrators clashed with police, highlighting growing UK-China tensions over human rights and security concerns.

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Summary

China is rapidly surpassing the U.S. in nuclear energy, building more reactors at a faster pace and developing advanced technologies like small modular reactors and high-temperature gas-cooled units.

The U.S. struggles with costly, delayed projects, while China benefits from state-backed financing and streamlined construction.

This shift could make China the leading nuclear power producer within a decade, impacting global energy and geopolitical influence.

Meanwhile, the U.S. seeks to revive its nuclear industry, but trade restrictions and outdated infrastructure hinder progress.

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Summary

Air pollution is responsible for over 1,100 annual cases of adenocarcinoma, the most common form of lung cancer in the UK, according to new WHO data.

The UK's rates are higher than the US and Canada, with experts calling for urgent government action.

Lung cancer charities and health professionals warn of devastating consequences, urging stricter air quality regulations.

Despite a government pledge to improve air quality, critics argue that recent policies, such as Heathrow’s expansion, contradict efforts to reduce pollution-related health risks.

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Summary

The documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin exposes how Russian schools are being used for pro-war indoctrination.

Directed by former teacher Pavel Talankin, the film captures students forced to march, study propaganda-filled history books, and attend speeches by war veterans, including ex-Wagner fighters.

Some teachers embrace nationalism, while others feel trapped. Facing mounting threats, Talankin fled Russia in 2024 with footage documenting the militarization of youth.

He hopes the film, which won a Sundance award, will reveal the extent of Putin’s ideological control over education.

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Summary

Over 200,000 people marched in Munich against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, with organizers claiming 320,000 participants.

The protests, held under the slogan “democracy needs you,” warned against any party collaborating with the AfD, particularly the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), ahead of legislative elections.

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Summary

Kurdish officials warn that US aid cuts could trigger an Islamic State (IS) resurgence in north-east Syria, where thousands of suspected IS members and families are held in camps.

Blumont, a Virginia-based aid group managing the al-Hol and al-Roj IS detention camps, received a stop-work order on 24 January from the US state department, causing panic when aid workers failed to show up.

The US granted a temporary waiver, but future assistance remains uncertain.

Officials fear worsening conditions could lead to radicalization and IS sleeper cell attacks.

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Gambling companies are covertly tracking visitors to their websites and sending their data to Facebook’s parent company without consent in an apparent breach of data protection laws.

The information is then being used by Facebook’s owner, Meta, to profile people as gamblers and flood them with ads for casinos and betting sites, the Observer can reveal. A hidden tracking tool embedded in dozens of UK gambling websites has been extracting visitors’ data – including details of the webpages they view and the buttons they click – and sharing it with the social media company.

By law, data should only be used and shared for marketing purposes, with explicit permission obtained from users on the websites in which the tools are embedded. But testing by the Observer of 150 gambling sites – including virtual casinos, sports betting sites and online bingo – found widespread breaches of the rules.

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Summary

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s meeting with Donald Trump was surprisingly smooth, avoiding controversy or confrontation.

To prepare, Ishiba held study sessions and sought advice from predecessors. Ishiba's homework paid off.

The two leaders agreed on trade and defense cooperation, with Japan pledging $1 trillion in U.S. investments and boosting LNG imports.

Trump welcomed Nippon Steel’s planned investment in U.S. Steel. For Ishiba, the visit was a political win, bolstering his shaky leadership.

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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and France's Marine Le Pen headlined a rally in Madrid on Saturday by Europe's biggest far-right bloc, buoyed by Donald Trump's return to power and calling for "a 180-degree pivot".

Patriots for Europe has realigned extreme-right forces in the European Union. It became the European Parliament's third-largest force after Orban helped launch it last year to pull the bloc towards the far right.

"Yesterday we were the heretics. Today we are the mainstream... We are the future," proclaimed Orban, sharing the stage with other leading extreme-right nationalists including Dutch anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and former Czech premier Andrej Babis.

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JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, Feb 9 (Reuters) - A pregnant 23-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli security forces on Sunday in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Sundos Jamal Mohammed Shalabi, who was eight months pregnant, was struck by Israeli gunfire, the ministry said in a statement, adding that the foetus also did not survive and that Shalabi's husband was critically injured.

Details of Shalabi's death were not immediately clear. Israel's military had no immediate comment. The Palestinian state news agency cited eyewitnesses as saying that Shalabi and her husband were shot by Israeli forces as they were trying to leave their home.

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Five Thai farm workers released by Hamas in Gaza last month have arrived home in Bangkok, after spending nearly 500 days in captivity.

Pongsak Thaenna, Sathian Suwannakham, Watchara Sriaoun, Bannawat Saethao and Surasak Lamnao had all been working in southern Israel when they were kidnapped during the attacks by Hamas on 7 October 2023.

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Summary

Leaders at an unprecedented joint summit of Eastern and Southern African blocs aimed at defusing the crisis in Eastern Congo urged all parties to hold direct talks, including with Rwanda-backed rebels whose advance has fanned fears of a wider war.

In late January, the M23 rebels captured Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo - the worst escalation of fighting in more than a decade that has left thousands dead. Despite announcing a unilateral ceasefire, they have continued to march south towards the city of Bukavu.

For context

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Summary

Trump proposed offering refugee status and U.S. resettlement for white South Africans amid alleged oppression and rights abuses, claiming protection for Afrikaners.

Leading Afrikaner organizations, including Solidarity and AfriForum, rejected Trump’s offer, stating their commitment to remain in South Africa and build a future locally.

The U.S. executive order cut aid to South Africa and accused its government of enabling attacks and enforcing a law seizing white-owned farmland.

South Africa’s officials dismissed Trump’s claims as misinformation, noting that Afrikaners remain economically privileged and integral to the nation’s recovery from apartheid.

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Channel 12 Israel has aired a video showing an Israeli military officer issuing instructions to his soldiers to withdraw from the Netzarim Corridor.

“We are preparing for the final exit from the Netzarim. The order of exit is the same as the entry,” the Israeli army officer says.

“We will return here, do not worry. Hamas is preparing, but we are also preparing. We will return and we will recover all the kidnapped. God willing, the Trump plan will go into effect and we will return to settlement here and build all the settlements. Please confirm receipt.”

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Israeli troops were ordered to shoot and kill captive Israeli civilians on 7 October 2023, Israel’s then defence minister admitted this week. The order to carry out Israel’s so-called Hannibal Directive was issued “tactically” and “in various places” next to Gaza, Yoav Gallant told Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday. “In other places it was not given, and that is a problem,” he continued.

Contrary to Gallant’s statement that the Hannibal Directive was unevenly applied in different areas, Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported in January 2024 that at midday on 7 October, an unambiguous order was given from the high command of the Israeli military to invoke the Hannibal Directive across the entire region.

In July, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the order “not a single vehicle can return to Gaza” was issued to the Gaza Division of the Israeli military at 11:22 am that day. But Gallant’s new statement is highly significant, as the first public admission by a contemporary Israeli minister that their troops were ordered to fire on their own people on 7 October.

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  • In interview, Ukraine's Zelenskiy offers mineral partnership to US

Zelenskiy emphasizes need for security guarantees in any deal

Ukrainian president keen to speak to Trump before Putin does Ukraine proposes using its gas storage for U.S. LNG supplies

KYIV, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pored over a once-classified map of vast deposits of rare earths and other critical minerals during an interview with Reuters on Friday, part of a push to appeal to Donald Trump's penchant for a deal.

The U.S. president, whose administration is pressing for a rapid end to Ukraine's war with Russia, said on Monday he wanted Ukraine to supply the U.S. with rare earths and other minerals in return for financially supporting its war effort.

"If we are talking about a deal, then let's do a deal, we are only for it," Zelenskiy said, emphasising Ukraine's need for security guarantees from its allies as part of any settlement.----

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Summary

Mexican environmental regulators found 30,000 tons of improperly stored hazardous material at the Zinc Nacional plant, which recycles toxic waste from the U.S.

The investigation followed a report by The Guardian and Quinto Elemento Lab, revealing potential contamination. Authorities ordered the material moved within 15 days and shut down unauthorized equipment.

Tests found high lead, cadmium, and arsenic levels near the plant. Officials are assessing community risks, while Zinc Nacional claims compliance.

Experts stress independent testing to evaluate health threats from the toxic waste.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will try to strengthen Canada's trade and security ties over the next five days with European allies also facing threats from U.S. President Donald Trump over their economy and sovereignty.

Trudeau is heading to Paris and Brussels starting Saturday — just days after Trump agreed to pause tariffs on Canada until March 4.

Roland Paris, a former adviser to Trudeau, says it's important for Canada and the European Union (EU) to share notes about how to deal with Trump during this time of great uncertainty and co-ordinate if he does unleash punishing tariffs against them.

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Summary

A German court ruled that Elon Musk’s X must immediately provide researchers with data on politically related content ahead of Germany’s Feb. 23 election.

The lawsuit, filed by Democracy Reporting International and the Society for Civil Rights, accused X of blocking efforts to track election interference.

The ruling enforces the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), requiring major platforms to grant researcher access. It also orders X to pay legal costs and imposes a €6,000 procedural fine.

The decision sets a legal precedent, but it remains unclear if X will appeal.

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Summary

Trump’s 90-day freeze on foreign aid, announced on January 20, has disrupted life-saving programs worldwide.

Despite waivers for “core life-saving” aid, confusion and lack of communication from U.S. officials have left malaria, HIV, and famine relief efforts stalled in countries like Ghana, Haiti, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.

USAID, the primary aid agency, is in turmoil, with mass firings and restrictions on external communication.

Aid workers fear critical funding may not be restored, jeopardizing millions of lives dependent on humanitarian support.

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