Good morning.
Law enforcement were still searching on Thursday for a suspect in the shooting of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk, hours after the close ally of Donald Trump was killed at a Utah university, triggering bipartisan condemnation.
“This shooting is still an active investigation,” the Utah department of public safety said in a statement, adding that it was working with the FBI and local police departments.
Two suspects had been taken into custody, but subsequently released. The governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, called it a “political assassination”, despite the motive and identity of the shooter remaining unclear. Kirk was shot while addressing a crowd of an estimated 3,000 people at Utah Valley University in Orem, near Salt Lake City.
How did it unfold? Local officials said the shooting was “believed to be a targeted attack” by a shooter from the roof of a building.
Poland ‘closer to military conflict than at any time since WW2’ as Nato allies weigh response to Russian drones
Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, on Wednesday said the country was closer to military conflict “than at any time since the second world war” as Warsaw and Nato allies considered a response to an incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace.
Polish and Nato air defenses shot down at least three drones, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine spread to Nato territory early on Wednesday in the most significant way since the war’s beginning. There were at least 19 violations of Polish airspace overnight, Tusk said on Wednesday, and some of them had entered Poland from Belarusian territory.
What’s happening in response? Warsaw said Nato allies had made concrete proposals to boost its air defenses, with the UK considering deploying Typhoon jets as part of an enhanced air policing mission to protect Nato’s eastern flank.
Why might Russia send drones into Poland? The Guardian’s defense and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, dissects this question in his analysis, suggesting that a desire to create fear, assess Nato’s air defenses and test the US’s commitment to the alliance may all be factors.
Israeli airstrikes ‘killed any hope’ for hostages in Gaza, says Qatari prime minister
Qatar’s prime minister has said that Benjamin Netanyahu “killed any hope” for the remaining hostages in Gaza through Israel’s extraordinary strike on Hamas negotiators in Doha on Tuesday.
In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani described the deadly strike in the Qatari capital an act of “state terror” and called for Netanyahu to “be brought to justice”.
Qatar has played a key role as a meditator since Israel’s war in Gaza began, and Sheikh Mohammed accused Netanyahu of “wasting” the country’s time in hosting negotiations between Israel and Hamas, adding that Qatar would be reassessing “everything” about its role.
What has Netanyahu said about the strikes? Despite international condemnation, he was defiant, accusing Qatar of harbouring terrorists. He appeared not to rule out attacks in the future. “I say to Qatar and all nations who harbour terrorists: you either expel them or you bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will.”
In other news …
Politicians in at least 51 countries used anti-LGBT+ rhetoric during elections last year, according to a new study of 60 countries and the EU.
At least 15 people have died in flash flooding in two Indonesian provinces, while authorities said 10 others were missing.
A 58-year-old Irish woman who has lived in the US since 1977 and holds a green card is facing deportation because she wrote a bad check for $25 in 2015.
The Puerto Rican musician Bad Bunny says he left the US off his forthcoming world tour over fears that immigration authorities would target his fans.
Stat of the day: The top 1% of OnlyFans creators make 33% of the money, according to industry analysts
How much money adult content creators make on the OnlyFans platform appears vastly unequal: industry analysts say that while the most successful creators can make more than $100,000 a month, the median account brings in just $180. The top 10% of creators make 73% of the money, while the top 1% make 33%. (The company says this analysis is speculative, because the company does not release breakdowns of creator earnings.)
Don’t miss this: US singer-songwriter King Princess: ‘I thought love was pain … then I began to ask why’
Mikaela Strauss, the songwriter and producer also known as King Princess, describes her latest album as a “guidebook” for people trying to understand “different iterations of girl violence”. After a stint of partying in Los Angeles, she’s back in her native New York and says therapy and self-reflection helped her realize that she had been “dating the same type of girl” since she was a teenager. “I have been a chaotic lesbian since I was 14 years old. My worst moments? There’s too many to count.”
Climate check: How not to lose hope in the fight against ecological disaster
It can often feel that we are hurtling toward climate doom without an exit ramp in sight. But the climate scientist Kate Marvel argues that destruction is not inevitable – and that humanity has come back from the brink on several environmental issues before. From the International Whaling Commission’s ban on whaling to the Clean Air Act of 1970, here is why hope is vital to fixing the biggest crisis of our lifetimes.
Last Thing: I boiled my wooden spoons – and what emerged from them will haunt me for ever
In a moment of procrastination, the Guardian columnist Adrian Chiles decided to boil his wooden spoons after seeing someone recommend doing so online. What emerged from the implements after 20 minutes in hot water will never leave him …
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