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According to a report, israeli airstrikes have hit an unrwa facility sheltering displaced families, and atleast 19 people have died, including 9 children. Reportedly, the Israeli military said they were targeting hamas operatives who were hiding inside a centre that was used to coordinate activity and as a meeting point. According to the report, the u.n. said they were reducing their operations in Gaza.

Reportedly, Israel’s defence ministry said they would expand their offensive in Gaza, holding areas as security zones aimed at clearing the area of terrorists. According to the report, Israeli tanks and ground forces advanced in the southern city of Rafah where 140,000 people have been told to leave, evacuation orders have also been issued for parts of northern Gaza, and the situation around the 700 metre security buffer zone that separates Israel from Gaza remains tense.

Reportedly, 12 people died during israeli airstrikes in the Khan Younis area and there were strikes along the egyptian border.

According to the report, Israel launched a new offensive in March when hamas rejected a u.s. proposal to extend the ceasefire and free the 59 hostages still in captivity, they have refused to let aid into Gaza since March 2 and have asked the people of Gaza to act to remove hamas.

According to a report, Marine Le Pen, best known for her anti-immigration agenda says she and her colleagues are innocent of the charge of embezzlement of €2.9 million of european funds and are appealing against the verdict. Reportedly Geert Wilders, leader of the dutch Party for freedom who is known for his policies on immigration, opposition to islam and euro-scepticism has supported her on the social media platform X, as has the prime ministers of Hungary and Italy.

According to reports, Ms Le Pen said that the judgment was a political decision aimed at preventing her competing in the presidential election, but France has denied their courts are politicised and 57% of french people believe that justice was served without bias.

According to a report, the u.s. president said the president of Ukraine was trying to renegotiate a deal that will give the u.s. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. Reportedly, the deal gives Ukraine no future security guarantees but requires them to contribute all income from natural resources to a joint investment fund.

According to the report, the leader of Russia’s wealth fund said Russia and the u.s. were beginning to discuss jointly exploiting Russia’s rare earth minerals. Reportedly, a spokesperson for Russia said they were continuing to work with the u.s. on bilateral relations and on peace in Ukraine. Progresss on peace is seemingly slow. According to the report, work is ongoing and the russian president remains open to contact with the president of the u.s., who says comments calling for a transitional government in Ukraine that would oust the ukrainian president were not going in the right direction.

Reportedly, 2 people have been injured following the second night of russian airstrikes on the north eastern ukrainian city of Kharkiv. According to the report, the ukrainian airforce said they had intercepted 57 of 131 drones.

According to a report, Marion Anne Perrine, known as Marine Le Pen, a member of the french National Rally party (previously the National Front) and president from 2011-2021 has been found guilty of embezzlement of european funds in order to finance her party.

Reportedly, she has been sentenced to 4 years imprisonment, 2 of which will be suspended, but it is unclear whether she will spend time in jail or will have restrictions such as wearing an electronic tag. According to the report, she has been banned from public office for 5 years which means she cannot run in the 2027 presidential election.

According to a report, Russia have agreed to a Black Sea ceasefire agreement if some sanctions are lifted. Reportedly, the u.s. who are committed to helping return forcibly removed ukrainian children said they were looking in to the russian request to lift sanctions and have agreed to help to restore their access to global markets for farm products, lower maritime insurance costs and increase access to ports and payments systems for transactions. According to the report, sanctions possibly lifted include russian trade ships and under the Black Sea ceasefire, Russia will again be able to export agricultural products.

Reportedly, Ukraine’s defence minister said any movement by russian military vessels outside the eastern part of the Black Sea will constitute a violation of the spirit of the agreement.

According to a report, european leaders are meeting in Paris (Thursday) for a summit on Ukraine, also present is the secretary of nato and the president of the european commission.

Reportedly, they are to discuss military assistance to Ukraine, satellite technology to monitor the border and the presence of a reassurance force to support Ukraine for if or when a ceasefire comes to pass. According to the report, the reassurance force, still in its planning stage would not be a substitute for peacekeeping forces and would not be on the contact line but deployed to strategic areas.

According to a report, the ukrainian president has welcomed the possibility of a Black Sea ceasefire brokered by the u.s. in separate talks towards a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reportedly, the ceasefire will reopen a significant trade route, and Russia say they will agree if some sanctions are lifted against russian banks, chiefly the state owned Rosselhozbank (including reinstating access to the Swift international payment system); and lifting sanctions against the food and fertiliser trade.

According to reports, Russia say Kyiv launched an overnight drone attack on the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv. Reportedly, the new russian ambassador to the u.s. will travel there today.

According to reports, the phone call between the u.s. president and the president of Russia discussed the dividing up of certain assets but Ukraine say they do not want to to lose their independence and sovereignty by ceding land, or forgo the possibility of nato membership.

Reportedly, the ukrainian president said that Russia had continued to target energy plants though the president of Russia said they would stop targeting energy infrastructure for 30 days. According to the report, for over a year the two have been targeting each other’s energy sites. Reportedly, the Kyiv school of economics estimated the damage to Ukraine’s energy sector to be $14.6 billion. According to a report, in February Russia launched a drone attack on Chernobyl causing fires in the confinement structure, a serious incident in terms of nuclear safety.

Reportedly, there was a prisoner swap of 175 ukrainian prisoners plus 23 injured for 175 russian prisoners. According to a report, It was agreed that talks towards a more complete ceasefire would begin in Saudi Arabia. Reportedly, the possible acquisition of ukrainian power stations has been refused by the ukrainian president, discussions regarding the u.s. purchase of minerals is ongoing.

According to reports, the peace process discussed in Saudi Arabia between u.s. and Ukrainian officials was the topic of conversation between the president of the u.s. and the russian president in their more than 2 hour phone call on Wednesday. Reportedly, the 30 day ceasefire plan wasn’t fully accepted but the russian president said a full ceasefire would work if the west stopped giving military aid and sharing intelligence, and he has given the order to stop attacks on energy plants. According to the report, about 80% of Ukraine’s energy facilities have been destroyed by Russia, and Kyiv have attacked Russia’s oil and gas facilities.

Reportedly, russian officials say any peace deal must prevent Ukraine from joining nato. According to the report, discussions on the war in Ukraine are scheduled for Sunday in Saudi Arabia.

Reportedly, Russia launched drone attacks on Ukraine overnight, including on a hospital in Sumy, and Ukraine launched 57 drones, including over the Kursk border region. According to a report, Ukrainian troops attempted a ground assault on the russian city of Belgorod but were defeated.

According to a report, u.s. strikes against houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday/Sunday were a response to attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Reportedly, houthis have targeted merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023 which the u.s. president said will not be tolerated. According to the report, he said that it had been more than a year since a u.s. flagged ship had sailed safely through the Suez Canal, which leads to the Red Sea. Reportedly, the Suez Canal is important for the transportation of oil and liquefied natural gas. Some say gold.

Houthis say they are acting in support of palestinians in Gaza but they have not confined their targets to israeli ships. According to reports, major shipping companies have been forced to stop using the Red Sea and use a much longer route