Plus: The science that suggests racoons could be our future pets ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. US President Donald Trump's growing impatience over his inability to quickly end Russia's war in Ukraine means the draft peace plan heavily reflects many of Moscow's demands, writes defence correspondent Jonathan Beale. We also report on the thwarted auction of one of the earliest-known calculators, and why racoons may one day be our pets. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | What the US draft peace plan could mean for Ukraine |
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|  | Before being elected president, Trump said he could end the Ukraine war in one day. Credit: EPA | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a guarded response to the draft peace plan, saying he is ready to work with the US on "their vision" for peace. Under the widely leaked proposals, Kyiv would cede significant areas of the Donetsk region that it still controls, cut the size of its army and pledge not to join Nato - proposals it has previously ruled out. Recent events in the conflict may have weakened Ukraine's position, Jonathan Beale notes. One MP told the Kyiv Independent that Washington wants a "quick peace at the expense of one side, which they consider weaker". Trump, writes Jonathan, "seems to be running out of patience. He just wants the two sides to sign up to a deal". |
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| | | - Kirill Dmitriev: Who is the Russian envoy who spent three days in Miami with his US counterpart Steve Witkoff ahead of the draft's publication?
- Teen saboteurs: Russia is using Telegram to recruit Ukrainian children and teenagers to carry out sabotage and bombings, according to Kyiv.
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| Venezula makes new threat to Nobel winner | The opposition leader will be considered a "fugitive" if she travels to Norway to collect her award, the attorney general said. | What it means > |
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| Ex-federal worker accused of staging own attack | A former Republican congressional staffer is accused of faking a political attack that included hiring someone to cut her. | More on the case > |
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| | - Nathan Gill: The ex-leader of Nigel Farage's Reform party in Wales is being sentenced for taking bribes as part of a Russian influence campaign.
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| BEYOND THE HEADLINES | Raccoons may be on their way to becoming America's next pet |
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| |  | The changes are taking place due to racoons' proximity to humans, scientists say. Credit: Getty Images | Would you fancy a racoon as a pet? In the future, that could become a reality. Scientists have found that racoons living in urban areas are developing shorter snouts than their rural cousins, making them appear cuter to us, in an early indication that they are becoming more comfortable around humans. It's also consistent with the early stages of domestication seen in cats and dogs. |
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