Plus: Second Russian region declares state of emergency, and the mystery of North Korean women's football ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Today we're focusing on the Western diplomatic efforts aiming to ease tensions in the Middle East, with ceasefire talks expected to resume on Thursday. In India, female doctors and nurses tell Soutik Biswas of their shock after the rape and murder of a 31-year-old hospital trainee. Also in your newsletter: Spanish beaches, North Korean football, and Norwegian dullness. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | US says it aims to 'lower temperature' in Middle East | | Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, shown here on a billboard in Tehran, was killed during a visit to Iran. Credit: EPA. | Diplomatic efforts are still under way to avoid a dramatic escalation in the Middle East, as continuing fears of Iranian retaliation after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil are compounding low prospects of success for a truce deal in Gaza. On Tuesday, the US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the UN Security Council her country was seeking "to turn the temperature down" in the region - the US has built up its military presence in the Middle East since Haniyeh's killing. Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian said retaliation was Tehran's "legal right", according to Iranian state media, dismissing Western diplomatic calls to refrain from a military response. US President Joe Biden believes a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas could help deter Iran from attacking Israel. A new round of truce talks is scheduled to take place in either Doha or Cairo on Thursday, but Hamas official Ahmad Abdul Hadi has reportedly said the Islamist group will not take part in the talks.
In Gaza: Newborn twins were reportedly killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza while their father was at a local government office to register their birth.
In Jerusalem: Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has led hundreds of Jewish Israelis into the city's most contested holy site, with many defying the Israeli government’s long-standing ban on Jewish prayer there.
In the West Bank: Khaled Ifranji's equestrian center was demolished by Israeli authorities in January. Woody Morris meets him as he vows to rebuild it. | |
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| Rape and murder of doctor shocks profession | The rape and murder of a 31-year-old female trainee doctor has cast a spotlight on the violence against healthcare workers in India, especially women. Female doctors in government hospitals have become resigned to working in conditions that compromise their security. |
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| | Soutik Biswas, India correspondent |
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| | At junior doctor Madhuparna Nandi's hospital in Kolkata, there are no designated rest rooms and separate toilets for female doctors. “When I work late, I sometimes sleep in an empty patient bed in the ward or in a cramped waiting room with a bed and basin,” Dr Nandi told me. One night in 2021, some men barged into her room and woke her by touching her, demanding, “Get up, get up. See our patient.” “I was completely shaken by the incident. But we never imagined it would come to a point where a doctor could be raped and murdered in the hospital,” she said. |
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BEYOND THE HEADLINES | The rise and fall of North Korean women's football |
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| | | North Korea's women's team have featured in the regime's domestic propaganda. Credit: Koryo Tours | Despite living standards being well behind most other nations, North Korea has been at the forefront of women's football - sometimes rivalling the mighty US national team. But a doping scandal and Covid restrictions in the totalitarian state have affected the squad's level on the world stage. Mike Henson pierces through the team's mystery. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | Understated charm | A Visit Oslo advertisement downplaying the city's attractiveness has gone viral. | |
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And finally... | Adieu Paris, hello Los Angeles! The countdown for LA 2028 has begun as the Olympic flag arrived in the city to mark its preparations. In this video, California governor Gavin Newsom and gold medallist Amit Elor discuss the excitement over the city's turn to host the games. | |
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Football Extra | Get all the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays to your inbox. | |
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