Reuters: World

Putin urges Russians to have more kids, says ethnic survival at stake Russian families must produce at least two children for the sake of the nation's ethnic survival, and three or more if it is to develop and thrive, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. Russia has suffered heavy but undisclosed casualties since launching its war in Ukraine nearly two years ago, and hundreds of thousands of people have fled the country out of opposition to the conflict or fear of being called up to fight. Putin told employees at a tank factory in the Urals region that two children per family was the minimum number if the peoples of Russia were to preserve their identities. read more

Kansas City police detain three after mass shooting at Super Bowl rally Police in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday were questioning three people detained after a deadly mass shooting at a rally to celebrate the city's Super Bowl victory, hoping to find out what prompted the gunfire, which killed a beloved local DJ. In addition to the woman who was killed, at least 21 others suffered gunshot wounds on Wednesday outside the city's landmark Union Station, authorities said, where thousands of fans had gathered with the Kansas City Chiefs to celebrate the team's NFL championship triumph over the San Francisco 49ers. read more

Indonesia's Prabowo claims victory in presidential election Indonesia Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto declared victory in a presidential election on Wednesday after unofficial vote counts showed him with a huge lead that could see him win in a single round. Political veteran Prabowo, a former special forces commander, had about 58% of votes according to four pollsters, based on ballots counted in a sample of voting stations nationwide. The number of ballots tallied ranged from about 78% to 93% as of 1233 GMT. In a rousing speech before supporters that drew huge applause, Prabowo vowed to create a government consisting of "the best Indonesians" and said it was a victory for all of the people. read more

Exclusive: Putin's suggestion of Ukraine ceasefire rejected by United States, sources say Russian President Vladimir Putin's suggestion of a ceasefire in Ukraine to freeze the war was rejected by the United States after contacts between intermediaries, three Russian sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters. The failure of Putin's approach ushers in a third year of the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two and illustrates just how far apart the world's two largest nuclear powers remain. A U.S. source denied there had been any official contact and said Washington would not engage in talks that did not involve Ukraine. read more

Exclusive: France proposes Hezbollah withdrawal, border talks for Israel-Lebanon truce France has delivered a written proposal to Beirut aimed at ending hostilities with Israel and settling the disputed Lebanon-Israel frontier, according to a document seen by Reuters that calls for fighters including Hezbollah's elite unit to withdraw 10 km (6 miles) from the border. The plan aims to end fighting between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel at the border. The hostilities have run in parallel to the Gaza war and are fueling concern of a ruinous, all-out confrontation. read more

Israel frees two hostages, Gaza officials say airstrikes kill 67 An Israeli rescue operation freed two Israeli-Argentine hostages held by Hamas militants in Rafah on Monday, but supporting airstrikes killed nearly 70 Palestinians in the southern Gaza city where about one million displaced civilians have sought refuge from months of bombardments. The mission by the Israeli military, the Shin Bet security service and a special police unit freed Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Hare, 70, the military said. They were among 250 people seized during the Oct. 7 raid by Hamas militants that triggered Israel's war on Gaza. More than four months on, much of the densely-populated strip of land on the Mediterranean is in ruins, with 28,340 Palestinians dead and 67,984 wounded, according to Gaza health officials, with many others believed to be buried under rubble. read more

Republicans blast Trump over threat to abandon NATO allies Some of former President Donald Trump's fellow Republicans on Sunday lashed out at him for saying he would not want to protect NATO members from a future attack by Russia if those countries' contributions to the defense alliance were lagging. "This is why I've been saying for a long time that he's unfit to be president of the United States," former Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" program. read more

Hamas had command tunnel under U.N. Gaza headquarters, Israeli military says Israeli forces have discovered a tunnel network hundreds of metres (yards) long and running partly under UNRWA's Gaza headquarters, the military says, calling it new evidence of Hamas exploitation of the main relief agency for Palestinians. Army engineers took reporters for foreign news outlets through the passages at a time of crisis for UNRWA, which has launched an internal probe and seen a string of donor countries freeze funding over allegations last month by Israel that some of its staff doubled as Hamas operatives. read more

Pakistan election: Imran Khan's party wants to form government, threatens protests Candidates backed by the party of jailed Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan plan to form a government, a senior aide to the former prime minister said on Saturday, urging supporters to peacefully protest if final election results are not released. The South Asian nation of 241 million people voted on Thursday in a general election, as the country struggles to recover from an economic crisis and battles militant violence in a deeply polarised political environment. Both Khan and his main rival, three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, declared victory on Friday, increasing uncertainty over who will form the next government at a time when swift policy action is needed to address multiple challenges. read more

Palestinians brace for Rafah evacuation, Israeli assault plan Trapped in and around Rafah, more than 1 million Palestinians braced for Israel to complete a plan to evacuate them and launch a ground assault against Hamas fighters in the southern Gaza city. Aid agencies warned that large numbers of civilians could die in the Israeli offensive and the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency said it did not know how long it could work "in such a high risk operation." "There is a sense of growing anxiety, growing panic in Rafah," said Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UNRWA agency. "People have no idea where to go." read more

With over half the seats counted, Imran Khan's supporters lead in Pakistan polls Independents backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan won the most seats in Pakistan's election on Friday after results from over half the constituencies were announced, leaving political parties trailing. Almost 24 hours have passed since the close of polls and the results have been unusually delayed, which the government ascribed to the suspension of mobile phone services - a security measure ahead of Thursday's election. read more

Ex-Indonesia leader Megawati advises cabinet not to quit amid criticism of Jokowi A former Indonesian president and chief of its biggest party has advised ministers not to quit outgoing President Joko Widodo's cabinet, amid media reports of possible resignations over his perceived meddling in next week's presidential election. In a rare interview, Megawati Sukarnoputri, said she had advised the influential finance minister and her own party PDI-P's five ministers to stay put or risk destabilising the country. "If I told ministers to resign, who would be at a loss?" she told Kompas TV. "It would be the country, especially if we're talking about the finance minister." read more