GOOD MORNING.

Here’s all the news you need to know as you start your day.

Alexei Navalny

1. Rusian police have detained more than 100 people at spontaneous memorials for deceased opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the OVD-Info rights group today said.

Reaction to Navalny’s death

2. Joe Biden said Putin is “responsible” for Navalny’s death, David Cameron said Putin “should be held accountable”, and here at home Tánaiste Micheál Martin said it is a “reminder of the repressive” nature of Putin’s regime.

Ukraine

3. Ukraine’s military chief said early today that he is withdrawing troops from Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, where they have battled a Russian assault for four months.

Zelenskyy

4. Meanwhile, Volodmyr Zelenskyy yesterday signed a security pact with France, after earlier in the day securing a similar deal with Germany hailed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a “historic step” anchoring support for Kyiv in its raging battle against Russia.

Referendums

5. Three weeks out, our political reporters have a roundup of where the politicians fall on the family and care referendums.

Trump

6. A US judge ordered Donald Trump to pay nearly $355 million after finding him liable for fraud and banned him from running businesses in New York state for three years.

Gaza

7. The UN’s top court rejected South Africa’s request to put more legal pressure on Israel to halt a threatened offensive against the Gaza city of Rafah, saying it was “bound to comply” with existing measures.

Virginia

8. One firefighter has died and at least 11 others were injured following a housing explosion in the US state of Virginia.

League of Ireland

9. The SSE Airtricity League got underway last night, with Shamrock Rovers beginning the defence of their title at home with a hard fought 1-1 draw against a new-look Dundalk.

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The 9 at 9 100 detained at Navalny memorials, Ukraine withdraw from eastern city, and where politicians stand on upcoming referendums

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.