Good morning.
Civilian casualties in Ukraine caused by Russian strikes surged by 26% in 2025, reflecting increased Russian targeting of cities and infrastructure in the country, according to a global conflict monitoring group.
Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) said 2,248 civilians were reported killed and 12,493 injured by explosives violence in Ukraine, according to English-language reports – with the number of casualties per attack rising significantly.
An average of 4.8 civilians were reported killed or injured in each strike, 33% more than in 2024, with the worst attack taking place in Dnipro on 24 June. Russian missiles hit a passenger train, apartments and schools, killing 21 and injuring 314, including 38 children.
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What did the AOAV say about the figures? Iain Overton, executive director of AOAV, said the figures showed “Ukraine fits a wider collapse of restraint that is now visible across multiple wars”, and respect for the distinction of proportionality in war “has broken”.
US teen who pushed for her father’s release from ICE custody dies of cancer
A Chicago teenager, whose father was detained by immigration authorities while she navigated cancer, died on Friday, a family spokesperson said.
Ofelia Torres, a 16-year-old in Chicago, had been undergoing treatment for an aggressive and rare form of cancer since late 2024. As she and her family struggled with the medical procedures, her father, Ruben Torres Maldonado, was detained by immigration authorities while at a Home Depot in October, leading to a contentious and public case that highlighted the human effects of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown.
The family challenged Torres Maldonado’s detention, saying he was instrumental to helping their family and caring for Ofelia’s four-year-old brother, Nathan. A judge later ruled in late October that Torres Maldonado’s arrest and detention was illegal. He was released from custody on 30 October.
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Does her father still face deportation? Days before Ofelia died, a judge ruled that Torres Maldonado’s deportation would be blocked, due to the hardship it would bring his family, opening the door to a potential pathway to permanent residence and eventual citizenship.
Kim Jong-un unveils housing for families of North Koreans killed in Ukraine war
North Korea has said it completed a new housing district in Pyongyang for families of North Korean soldiers killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, the latest effort by leader Kim Jong-un to honour the war dead.
State media photos showed Kim walking through the new street – called Saeppyol Street – and visiting the homes of some of the families with his increasingly prominent daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju-ae, as he pledged to repay the “young martyrs” who “sacrificed all to their motherland”.
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How much support has North Korea provided Russia? Kim has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of military equipment, including artillery and missiles, in recent months to fuel Russian president Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, as the leaders align in the face of their separate conflicts with Washington.
In other news …
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Searchers recently discovered the wreck of one of the “most sought-after missing ships” in Lake Michigan, that had sunk to the bottom of the lake more than 150 years ago.
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Google is putting people at risk of harm by downplaying safety warnings that its AI-generated medical advice may be wrong. Google only issues a warning if users choose to request additional health information and click on a button called “Show more”.
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Lindsey Vonn is preparing to fly back to America after she fractured her tibia in the Olympic downhill last week, according to the CEO of the US Ski and Snowboard Association.
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The famous arch of the sea stacks at Sant’Andrea in Melendugno, Puglia, Italy, popularly known as Lovers’ Arch, collapsed on Valentine’s Day after strong storm surges and heavy rain swept across southern Italy.
Stat of the day: Wuthering Heights rakes in $77m at global box office on opening weekend
Wuthering Heights has ravished the global box office in its opening weekend, with the new Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie adaptation taking US$76.8m. Emerald Fennell’s reimagining of Emily Brontë’s novel made US$34.8m in the North American box office from 3,682 locations, making it the year’s biggest opening so far.
Building Power: Top US medical body to review vaccine effectiveness as government ‘abdicates’ responsibility
The largest medical organization in the US will help conduct a review on the safety and effectiveness of respiratory vaccines as federal health agencies and advisers end vaccine recommendations based on no new information. The US government had “abdicated” this responsibility under Robert F Kennedy Jr, said Ezekiel Emanuel, vice-provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania.
Don’t miss this: No fuel, no tourists, no cash – this was the week the Cuban crisis got real
Cuba is in crisis. Already reeling from a four-year economic slump, worsened by hyper-inflation and the migration of nearly 20% of the population, the 67-year-old communist government is at its weakest. Diplomats in Havana are preparing for an alternative Trump tactic: the country being starved until people take to the streets and the US can step in.
… or this: ‘From misfits to bullies’ – how America’s Next Top Model became toxic
The re-assessment of America’s Next Top Model, from revolutionary reality show to hotbed of toxicity, had slowly been taking place in the years since it ended. It was the reality show that aimed to disrupt the fashion industry but, as a shocking Netflix docuseries details, it also became part of the problem.
Climate check: Trump touts climate savings but new rule set to push up US prices
The Trump administration claims its latest move to gut climate regulations and end all greenhouse gas standards for vehicles will save Americans money. But its own analysis indicates that the new rule will push up gas prices, and that the benefits of the rollback are unlikely to outweigh the costs.
Last Thing: No evidence aliens have made contact, says Obama after podcast comments cause frenzy
Hours after Barack Obama caused a frenzy by saying aliens were real on a podcast, the former US president has posted a statement clarifying that he has not seen any evidence of them. In a conversation with the American podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen over the weekend, Obama was asked “Are aliens real?”, he replied: “They’re real but I haven’t seen them.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
