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Hamas brushes off Trump's threat, says will only free hostages in return for lasting truce

The Hamas militant group on Thursday brushed off President Donald Trump's latest threat and reiterated that it will only free the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to back out of the ceasefire agreement they reached in January. The agreement calls for negotiations over a second phase in which the hostages would be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

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Real Madrid beats Atletico 2-1 in Champions League derby

A superb goal from Brahim Diaz helped Real Madrid maintain its dominance of the Madrid derby on Europe's biggest stage with a 2-1 victory over bitter rival Atletico in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Tuesday.

Atletico has been beaten by the record 15-time European champion in both Champions League final matchups and has won only three of 11 meetings with their city rivals in UEFA competitions.

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Teenagers shine as Arsenal earns record away win in Champions League

Arsenal is all but guaranteed to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League after recording the biggest-ever win away in the knockout stage of Europe's elite tournament, beating PSV Eindhoven 7-1 on Tuesday.

The Gunners were ruthless in the first leg of their last 16 tie and romped to an emphatic win despite injuries to key forwards including Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus.

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Coral reefs in Vietnam face collapse. Can conservation efforts turn the tide?

The gentle waves off the coast of central Vietnam's Nha Trang obscure an open secret: The life-giving coral reefs below are dying. The waters are eerily devoid of fish. The bounty of the ocean is coming to an end.

This is why Binh Van — who fished in these waters for over two decades — now charters his boat to Vietnamese tourists wanting to experience the thrill of fishing in the deep waters of the South China Sea. But there is only squid, which is flourishing in oceans warmed by climate change, to catch. His passengers don't mind as the boat moves away from Nha Trang's twinkling beach resorts. But Van is pensive.

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Piglets left to starve as part of controversial art exhibition in Denmark have been stolen

Three piglets which were being allowed to starve as part of a controversial art exhibition in Denmark that had drawn international attention have been stolen, the artist said on Wednesday.

Chilean-born Marco Evaristti said he had been aiming to raise awareness of the suffering caused by mass meat production with his art installation that opened last week in Copenhagen. The piglets were being denied food and water and would have been allowed to starve to death.

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It's that time of year in Rio de Janeiro: Carnival!

Carnival in the Brazilian city has two sides: the street parties, known as blocos, and the parades at the legendary Sambadrome.

Since Friday afternoon, hundreds of street parties have been roving through Rio's streets, each with its own aesthetic, theme or musical style. They're raucous, rambunctious romps with thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of partygoers.

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The Oscars get their biggest audience in 5 years

Smaller movies didn't mean smaller viewer numbers for the Oscars.

An estimated 19.7 million viewers watched Sunday night's 97th Academy Awards ceremony, the biggest audience in five years, according to figures released by ABC on Tuesday.

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Residents prepare for first cyclone in 51 years to hit Australian coast near Brisbane

Residents were stacking sandbags to protect low-lying properties Wednesday ahead of a tropical cyclone forecast to become the first in 51 years to hit the Australian east coast near Brisbane, the nation's third-most populous city.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is forecast to cross the coast between the Queensland state capital Brisbane and the tourist city of Gold Coast to the south late Thursday or early Friday, Bureau of Meteorology manager Matt Collopy said. Brisbane and Gold Coast are a continuous urban sprawl. Their centers are 80 kilometers (50 miles) apart.

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China sticks to economic growth target of 'around 5%' despite looming trade war

The Chinese government unveiled an annual economic growth target of "around 5%" on Wednesday, despite the possible negative impact of a looming trade war with the United States, and pledged to address what it called "inadequate" consumer spending at home.

The target, announced at the opening session of the annual meeting of China's legislature, is the same as the last two years but will likely be more difficult to achieve because of higher U.S. tariffs on Chinese products and other economic headwinds. The use of the modifier "around" gives the government some wiggle room if growth falls short of the target.

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Israel demolished 181 Palestinian homes in annexed east Jerusalem last year

Ir Amim, an Israeli rights group, said Israel demolished a record number of Palestinian homes — 181 — in annexed east Jerusalem last year.

It said that more recently, Israel appears to have dropped a longstanding policy against demolishing homes during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last weekend. It said a residential building and three apartments have been destroyed over the past week.

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