World News: 08 March 2023

Thousands protest in Georgia over ‘foreign agent’ bill
The law, very similar to the one used in Russia since 2012 to crack down on the opposition, would require media and NGOs with foreign ties to register as "foreign agents." The bill passed on first reading in a vote held several days before it had been previously scheduled, driving nearly 10,000 demonstrators to the parliament building. Videos circulating on social media showed them throwing Molotov cocktails and clashing with riot police.

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Ukraine denies involvement in Nord Stream pipeline blasts
The US newspaper claimed that the US officials it cited declined to disclose the nature of the intelligence, how it was obtained or "any details of the strength of the evidence it contains".
"Officials who have reviewed the intelligence said they believed the saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or some combination of the two,” it reported.

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Hopes fade as Afghan universities reopen without women
There have been a lot of endings for Afghan women as the Taliban steadily rolls back their rights and freedoms, squeezing them out of public space.
Girls had already been excluded from secondary schools last year before the government applied the same ban to university students.

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Europe in race to secure raw materials critical for energy transition
Critical raw materials including lithium and rare earths are likely to soon be more important than oil and gas, as Europe aims for a zero-carbon future.
When it comes to lithium, as well as rare earths, Europe is dependent on other countries - notably Australia, China and South America - yet it is an essential component in the batteries of electric vehicles.

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Kenya to expand use of world’s first malaria vaccine
Malaria is an acute febrile illness caused by parasites, which are spread to people through the bites of infected mosquitoes.
According to the World Health Organisation, the RTS,S vaccine acts against Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite globally and the most prevalent in Africa.

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Dozens of bushfires spread as heat grips Australia's east
After two years of rains and floods, a return to warmer conditions has sparked the country's worst fires since the 2019/2020 'Black Summer' season.
A blaze 250km (155 miles) north-west of Sydney triggered the region's first emergency fire warning in two years.

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