1. The US has warned allies in Europe about new intelligence related to Russian nuclear capabilities that could pose an international threat, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters. The new capabilities do not pose an urgent threat to the US, the source said.

2. Israeli forces raided the biggest functioning hospital in Gaza, as video posted online showed chaos, shouting and the sound of shooting in darkened corridors that were filled with dust and smoke. Separately, Hezbollah said Israel would pay "the price" for killing 10 people including five children in southern Lebanon.

3. Iran will reciprocate if its ships are seized, the legal adviser to Iran's President told state media. This month, the US Department of Justice issued a statement announcing the seizure of more than 500,000 barrels of Iranian fuel to clamp down on the "Revolutionary Guards' financing network".

4. Indonesia's President Joko Widodo said he had congratulated Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto after unofficial counts showed him winning this week's presidential election in a single round of voting.

5. India's Supreme Court scrapped a seven-year-old election funding system that allows individuals and companies to donate money to political parties anonymously and without any limits, calling it "unconstitutional". The decision is seen as a setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.

6. Britain's economy fell into a recession in the second half of 2023, a tough backdrop for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who has promised to boost growth ahead of an election expected later this year. The GDP contracted by a worse-than-expected 0.3% in the three months to December, official data showed.

7. Japan also slipped into a recession at the end of last year, losing its title as the world's third-biggest economy to Germany and raising doubts about when the central bank would begin to exit its ultra-loose monetary policy. The GDP fell an annualized 0.4% in the October-December period.

Source: Reuters
=FRESH NEWS