UK

Paris (AFP) – An Israeli military offensive in Rafah could only result in “an unprecedented humanitarian disaster” and would be “a turning point” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, warns French President Emmanuel Macron. Nearly 1.5 million displaced Palestinians — more than half of Gaza’s population — are trapped in Rafah, seeking shelter in a sprawling makeshift encampment near the Egyptian border.

Moscow (AFP) – “Navalny is a symbol… of opposition, a symbol of hope for some brighter future for Russia,” says one Muscovite on the death of Kremlin critic and opposition leader Alexei Navlny. “There’s a feeling that with his death, this hope dies.”

Berlin (AFP) – Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, and NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg react to the news of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death in a Russian prison. Zelensky calls it “obvious” that Navalny was killed by the regime of President Vladimir Putin. Scholz praises his “courage”, which he “paid for with his life”. Stoltenberg calls Navalny a “strong voice” for freedom and democracy.

Harlow (United Kingdom) (AFP) – British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he backs the Conservative party’s vision for the UK after his party lost two more parliamentary seats to Labour in by-elections ahead of a full national vote. The British leader tells media that the circumstances of the two polls in Kingswood and Wellingborough were “particularly challenging,” but says he will tell voters to “stick with our plan”.

Vladimir (Russia) (AFP) – The Kremlin’s most prominent critic Alexei Navalny has died in an Arctic prison, say Russian authorities, announcing his death a month before an election poised to extend Vladimir Putin’s hold on power. Navalny’s death after three years in detention and a poisoning which he blamed on the Kremlin deprives Russia’s opposition of its figurehead at time of intense repression and Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine.

Tokyo (AFP) – Wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with delicious fillings, “onigiri” rice balls are shaking off their reputation as a cheap and uninspiring snack in Japan, and enticing hungry converts abroad.

Cairo (AFP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva calls to “stop the killing and collective punishment” of Palestinians in Gaza, in a speech delivered before a meeting of the Arab League in Cairo at the delegate level on the situation in the Strip. TO COMPLETE VID34JD67K_EN

Rafah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip warned this week of medicine shortage, saying 350,000 people in Gaza who have chronic diseases do not have medication amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Athens (AFP) – Greece’s parliament overwhelmingly adopts a bill legalising same-sex marriage and adoption in a landmark reform promoted by the conservative government despite opposition from the powerful Orthodox Church.

Athens (AFP) – Greece’s parliament overwhelmingly adopts a bill legalising same-sex marriage and adoption in a landmark reform promoted by the conservative government despite opposition from the powerful Orthodox Church.

Geneva (AFP) – Humanitarian chiefs at the United Nations in Geneva say they have run out of words to describe the horrors unfolding in Gaza, stressing that states and especially Israel cannot “offload” responsibility for the carnage onto aid workers. “It will not be our fault if people suffer, it will be the fault of those who decide to make them suffer,” Martin Griffiths, United Nations aid chief, says.

Lima (AFP) – A Lima police squad with an officer disguised as a bear paid a surprise visit with romantic gifts to capture two women members of a drug trafficking gang on the eve of Valentine’s Day. For some time now, local police have been tricking criminals with disguises and operations launched on special dates.