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The US has called on Hamas to agree to a bridging proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza after it gained the backing of Israel.

Speaking after a meeting with Israel’s prime minister, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed with the proposal – which would lead to a ceasefire and see the return of Israeli hostages.

The US politician did not say whether the so-called bridging proposal addressed Israel’s demands for control over two strategic corridors inside Gaza – a condition Hamas has previously called a non-starter – or other issues that have long bedevilled the negotiations.

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Mr Blinken said there were still “complex issues” requiring “hard decisions by the leaders,” without offering specifics.

“There is a real sense of urgency here, across the region, on the need to get this over the finish line and to do it as soon as possible. The United States is deeply committed to getting this job done,” Mr Blinken said.

“[The proposal] is the single best way not only to get the hostages home [and] to ease the suffering of people in Gaza, it is also the best way to make sure that conflict doesn’t spread, that we don’t see escalation, that we can actually defuse some of the pressure points that we see throughout the region, and then open prospects for trying to build a more enduring peace and security for everyone throughout the Middle East.”

In what Mr Blinken described as a “very constructive” meeting with Mr Netanyahu, he said the violence committed by settlers in the West Bank came up in discussions – but the secretary of state did not elaborate.

Mr Blinken added that he would also be travelling to Egypt and Qatar soon and that Israel had committed to sending an expert team to the two countries.

The US, Egypt, and Qatar have spent months trying to broker an agreement, with the talks repeatedly stalling.

The key sticking point which could collapse bridging proposal for Gaza ceasefire

Antony Blinken’s announcement is an optimistic end to a day that began with serious doubts about the potential ceasefire.

Although the details haven’t been revealed, it concerns the presence of Israeli forces in strategic parts of Gaza in the event of a deal.

Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) remain along the Philidelphi Corridor, the border between Gaza and Egypt.

This was a valuable smuggling route for Hamas for years, and Netanyahu says he cannot allow Hamas a chance to re-arm if the IDF withdraws.

Israeli officials are insisting that remains their position, and so whatever the US workaround is, is intriguing, although it might involve a partial or phased pull-back and security cooperation with Egypt and a third party.

Hamas has repeatedly rejected any continued presence of the Israeli military in Gaza, even reiterating that position to Sky News in recent days.

The US, one of three mediators in the talks, is unlikely to have put forward a proposal without believing it has at least a chance of receiving approval from Hamas, but if the group sticks to its demand for a full Israeli withdrawal then the bridging proposal will quickly collapse.

The high-stakes negotiations have gained speed in recent days as diplomats hope an agreement will deter Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah from avenging the targeted killings of two top militants, that Tehran has blamed on Israel.

The escalating tensions have raised fears of an even more destructive regional war.

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Mother and her six children killed in Gaza

The secretary of state had earlier said the latest push for a deal was probably the best and possibly last opportunity, urging both sides towards agreement.

Despite US expressions of optimism and Mr Netanyahu’s office describing the meeting as positive, both Israel and Hamas have signalled that any deal will be difficult.

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Hamas accused Mr Netanyahu on Sunday of “thwarting the mediators’ efforts” and Turkey said Hamas envoys had told it that US officials were “painting an overly optimistic picture”.

The current conflict in Gaza began in the wake of 7 October last year when Hamas gunmen stormed across the border into Israel, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s military campaign has since levelled swathes of Gaza, displacing the majority of its 2.1 million population, and killing at least 40,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

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Ukraine and NATO to hold emergency talks as Russia vows to increase production of ‘unstoppable’ missile

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Ukraine and NATO to hold emergency talks as Russia vows to increase production of 'unstoppable' missile

NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks on Tuesday after Vladimir Putin said Russia will ramp up the production of a new, hypersonic ballistic missile.

Ukraine‘s parliament cancelled a session as security was tightened following a Russian strike on Thursday on a military facility in Dnipro, a central city with a population of around one million. No fatalities were reported.

In a nationally-televised speech, Mr Putin said the attack – carried out with an intermediate-range Oreshnik missile – was in retaliation for Ukraine’s use of US and British missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory.

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Putin’s warning to the West

Russia war latest: Long-awaited US air defences arrive in Ukraine

“No one in the world has such weapons,” the Russian president said. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development.”

He added: “We have this system now. And this is important.”

Detailing the missile’s alleged capabilities, Mr Putin claimed it is so powerful that using several fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with nuclear weapons.

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General Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s strategic missile forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with either nuclear or conventional warheads – while Mr Putin alleged Western air defence systems will not be able to stop the missiles.

Mr Putin said of the Oreshnik: “There is no countermeasure to such a missile, no means of intercepting it, in the world today. And I will emphasise once again that we will continue testing this newest system. It is necessary to establish serial production.”

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Testing the Oreshnik will happen “in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia“, the president added, stating there is “a stockpile of such systems ready for use”.

EU leaders condemn Russia’s ‘heinous attacks’

Numerous EU leaders have addressed Russia’s escalation of the conflict with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk saying the war is “entering a decisive phase [and] taking on very dramatic dimensions”.

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Russia’s new missile – what does it mean?

Speaking in Kyiv, Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavsky called Moscow’s strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe”.

At a news conference, Mr Lipavsky gave his full support for delivering the additional air defence systems needed to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks”.

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Israel hits central Beirut with series of airstrikes – reports

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Israel hits central Beirut with series of airstrikes - reports

Israel has targeted central Beirut with at least four airstrikes, according to security sources cited by Reuters news agency.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the attack “completely destroyed” an eight-storey residential building in the Basta neighbourhood early on Saturday.

It is not immediately clear how many have been killed or injured and the Israeli military did not warn residents to evacuate before the attack, the fourth targeting the centre this week.

The blasts happened at about 4am (2am UK time) and came after a day of bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs, which Israel had warned residents of in advance.

Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

Heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is ongoing in southern Lebanon, as Israeli forces push deeper into the country since launching a major offensive in September.

US envoy Amos Hochstein was in the region this week to try to end the more than 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, ignited last October by the Gaza war.

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‘Dozens’ of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike

According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israel has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon and wounded more than 15,000.

It has displaced about 1.2 million people – a quarter of Lebanon’s population – while Israel says about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed in northern Israel.

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Woman who accused Conor McGregor of rape wins civil assault case – and is awarded damages

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Woman who accused Conor McGregor of rape wins civil assault case - and is awarded damages

A woman who accused Conor McGregor of raping her has said “justice has been served” after she won her civil case against the Irish mixed martial arts fighter.

Nikita Hand has been awarded €248,603 (£206,000) in damages after a jury at Dublin’s High Court found McGregor assaulted her in a Dublin hotel in 2018.

McGregor, 36, made no comment as he swiftly left court following the decision on Friday evening.

He later said in a statement that he had instructed his legal team to appeal the civil court’s decision, adding he was “disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the director of public prosecutions reviewed”.

He ended the statement saying: “I am with my family, focused on my future.”

McGregor had previously told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel in December 2018.

‘No matter who the person is, justice will be served’

Speaking outside court after the decision, an emotional Ms Hand said the last two weeks of her civil case against the fighter have been a “nightmare” and has impacted not only her life but her daughter’s, friends and loved ones.

“I would like to start off by saying I’m overwhelmed and touched by the support I have received from everybody,” the mother-of-one said.

“It’s something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.

“Now that justice has been served, I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends and daughter.”

Ms Hand continued: “I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be: Speak up, you have a voice and keep on fighting for justice.

“You can stand up for yourself if something happens to you – no matter who the person is – and justice will be served.”

Ms Hand told the civil court McGregor pinned her to a bed, choked her three times and “brutally raped and battered” her.

The jury was told she was left with extensive injuries, including purple and blue bruising along her hands and wrists, a bloodied scratch to her breast and tenderness to her neck.

McGregor no longer known for just his sporting abilities

There was not an inch to move in this tiny civil courtroom in centre Dublin.

The jury sat for six hours and 10 minutes, determining the future of one of Ireland’s biggest stars.

You could cut the tension with a knife.

McGregor sat stoney faced taking intermittent, deep heavy breaths as the clerk of the court declared the jury had reached their decision.

The judge sternly told the public gallery he would “jail” anyone who caused a scene when the news came out.

It was a sign of the high stakes in this case.

Within 40 seconds, the judge read out the news that McGregor was dreading, and Nikita Hand was determined to get.

“Did Conor McGregor assault Nikita Hand?”

“Yes” came the reply.

The blood drained from McGregor’s face. His head in his hands.

As the MMA star stepped out of court, he entered a new era. He walked straight to his Bentley, ignoring questions from reporters about whether he feels remorse.

He is no longer just a household name for his sporting abilities.

But lawyers for the fighter contested the lawsuit and accused her of attempted “extortion”.

They pointed to CCTV footage of Ms Hand arriving at and leaving the hotel with McGregor and a second man, James Lawrence, whom she also accused of assault.

Both McGregor and Lawrence denied any wrongdoing. While Ms Hand won her case against McGregor, she lost her claim against Lawrence.

On Monday, McGregor’s legal team told jurors it did not matter if they did not like or even loathed the famous fighter, urging them to look at the evidence and not his character.

McGregor and Ms Hand knew each other and had occasionally been in contact on social media, the civil trial heard.

Before the assault, Ms Hand had contacted the fighter, who picked up her and a friend in his car.

McGregor “came on to her”, but she did not want to have sexual intercourse with him as she was on her period, the court heard.

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