French President Emmanuel Macron has told reporters that President Vladimir Putin assured him that Russian forces would not ramp up the crisis near Ukraine’s borders. “I secured an assurance there would be no deterioration or escalation,” he said before meeting Ukraine’s leader. However, Russia said any suggestion of a guarantee was “not right”. Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine, but it has assembled more than 100,000 troops near its borders. US officials believe Russia has assembled 70 % of military forces needed for a full-scale invasion. Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? The tensions between Russia, Ukraine and the West come nearly eight years after Russia annexed Ukraine’s southern Crimea peninsula and backed a rebellion in the eastern Donbas region.(BBC)…[+]

Australian PM Scott Morrison has made a formal apology to a former political staffer who says she was raped by colleague in Parliament House in 2019. Brittany Higgins’ case sparked a sweeping review that identified a “boys club” culture in parliament in which sexual harassment is rife. The apology in parliament on Tuesday was also for others who have suffered sexual misconduct or bullying there. Mr Morrison has previously faced criticism over his responses. Ms Higgins, a former staffer for two ministers, was seated in the House of Representatives public gallery to watch the apologies by the prime minister, the opposition leader and others. “I am sorry, we are sorry. I am sorry to Ms Higgins for the terrible things that took place here. The place that should have been a place for safety, that turned out to be a nightmare,” Mr Morrison said. “I am sorry for far more than that. All those that came before Ms Higgins … but she had the courage to speak, and so here we are.”(NU)…[+]

Australia has announced the reopening of its borders to vaccinated tourists and other visa holders for the first time in almost two years. “If you’re double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. The reopening, on 21 February, will be welcome news for many sectors including international education. Australia has had some of the world’s strictest border controls throughout the coronavirus pandemic. In March 2020, the government closed the borders. It barred most foreigners from entering the country and put caps on total arrivals to help combat Covid. Some international students and skilled migrants have been permitted to enter the country since last December.(BBC)…[+]

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he thinks a deal to avoid full scale war in Ukraine is possible and that it is legitimate for Russia to raise its own security concerns. Before talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, he called for a “new balance” to protect European states and appease Russia. He restated that the sovereignty of Ukraine was not up for discussion. Russia has massed troops on Ukraine’s border but denies planning to invade. Moscow has made a string of demands, including that the Nato defence alliance rule out Ukraine becoming a member, and that it reduce its military presence in eastern Europe. Western countries have rejected this, instead suggesting other areas of negotiation, for example talks on cutting back nuclear weaponry.(BBC)…[+]

Nine people have died following a wave of avalanches in a popular skiing region of Austria. Between Friday and Sunday, more than 100 avalanches have hit the western region of Tyrol, prompting the country’s danger level to be raised. Local authorities said the situation was “unprecedented”, and warned there could be more avalanches to come. There were also two deaths in neighbouring Switzerland, and many people needed to be rescued. With further snowfall and strong winds predicted in Tyrol, Austria’s avalanche warning level, which has a scale from one to five, was increased to level four, meaning “very large avalanches are likely”.

Canada’s prime minister has said sending in troops to clear protesters from the nation’s capital is “not in the cards right now”. The city’s police chief had earlier refused to rule out military intervention to remove demonstrators. Thousands arrived in the city last weekend to protest vaccine mandates, gridlocking downtown Ottawa. Police Chief Peter Sloly warned that protests could grow again this weekend. “There may not be a policing solution” to resolve the impasse, he said on Wednesday. Though many protesters have left over the course of the week, some 250 remain who are “a highly determined and highly volatile group of unlawful individuals”, Chief Sloly has said. On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government had received no formal request for military assistance to remove this core group of protesters who have been camped out in and around parliament.(BBC)…[+]

Scientists in South Africa have made a copy of the Moderna Covid vaccine, a move which they say could help boost vaccination rates across Africa. The continent currently has the lowest uptake of Covid shots in the world. The company behind the new vaccine – Afrigen Biologics – says it hopes to start clinical trials in November. Moderna previously said it would not enforce the patents on its vaccine, allowing scientists in Cape Town to make their own version of it. The researchers were backed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Petro Terblanche, director of Afrigen Biologics, said they were starting small, but had ambitions to scale up quickly.

Rescuers are still desperately trying to reach a five-year-old boy who fell into a well near the Moroccan city of Chefchaouen on Tuesday. The boy, named by local media as Rayan, was reportedly playing near the well in the northern town of Tamorot, 100km (62 miles) from Chefchaouen. He is believed to have fallen about 32m (104ft) through a narrow opening. After days of digging there are just three metres to go, but there is the risk of a landslide. So as a precaution, a “parallel shaft” is being dug next to the well to reach Rayan that is so far proving successful, says Moroccan government spokesman Mustapha Baitas. Rescue operations, led by Morocco’s Civil Protection Directorate, have been ongoing since Tuesday evening, even going through the night. “The child’s rescue is approaching,” Mr Baitas said on Thursday evening. “Our hearts are with the family, and we are praying that he will back with them as soon as possible.”(BBC)…[+]

At least 13 people have been killed in a major US special forces raid in opposition-held north-western Syria, first responders and activists say. The Pentagon said the mission was “successful” and that there were no US casualties, but gave no other details. The White Helmets rescue service said it had found the bodies of six children and four women at a house in Atmeh. The target of the raid has not been identified, but jihadists linked to al-Qaeda are thought to live in the area. The US has accused al-Qaeda of using Syria, which has been devastated by almost 11 years of civil war, as a safe haven to rebuild, co-ordinate with its foreign affiliates, and plan external attacks. Several US helicopters reportedly landed in Atmeh, a town in Idlib province that is close to the border with Turkey and home to tens of thousands of displaced people, around midnight on Thursday (22:00 GMT on Wednesday). The special forces used loud speakers to warn women and children in Arabic to evacuate the area, according to an audio recording posted online. Local sources said the troops faced stiff resistance on the ground, and that they came under fire from heavy anti-aircraft guns mounted on vehicles.(BBC)…[+]

Rotterdam has confirmed it will dismantle a historic bridge to allow a superyacht built for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to fit through. The luxury yacht linked to the world’s richest man is being built by Dutch firm Oceanco. The vessel is reported to be 417ft (127m) long and too tall to fit through the Koningshaven Bridge. A spokesman for the mayor confirmed the plan to reporters, with Mr Bezos set to foot the bill through Oceanco. Reports emerged in Dutch media on Tuesday that the middle section of the Dutch city’s bridge, known locally as De Hef, would be temporarily removed to allow the 130ft (40m) high boat to sail through. The move is controversial because the steel bridge has a long history, and is now a national monument. It previously went through a major renovation which saw it out of action from 2014 to 2017, when officials said it would not be dismantled again.(BBC)…[+]