WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
A mass shooting in Sweden, Trump wades into Gaza, and the ex-MP fighting in Ukraine

 
today's europe story

At least 11 dead in Swedish campus attack

What happened
Police have said 11 people were killed and six others wounded in a campus shooting in the southern Swedish city of Örebro.

The attack happened soon after 12.30pm local time at a centre housing an adult education facility and other learning establishments. It is believed the gunman acted alone.

The campus is for students over the age of 20, according to its website, and offers primary and upper secondary school courses, as well as Swedish classes for immigrants, vocational training and programmes for people with intellectual disabilities.

Who said what
Local police chief Roberto Eid Forest said authorities had "no prior warning signs" of the attack, but believed the “primary perpetrator" to be among the dead. Police also said they did not know the motive, but didn't think it was terrorism.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the "terrible act of violence" was the "worst mass shooting in Swedish history".

"Fatal attacks at educational establishments in Sweden are rare," said Sky News. According to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, 10 people were killed in seven incidents between 2010 and 2022.

But while Sweden used to be associated with "high living standards, equality and welcoming asylum policies", it has recently been "grappling with a steadily swelling epidemic of gun violence and one of the highest per capita rates of gun violence in the European Union", said The New York Times.

What next? 
As investigations into the attack continue, Kristersson has urged people not to speculate about the motive.

 
 
today's middle east story

Trump calls for permanent 'resettlement' of Gazans

What happened
Donald Trump has said Palestinians have "no alternative" but to "permanently" leave Gaza because the devastated enclave is uninhabitable due to Israel's war on Hamas.

Who said what
Ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House yesterday, the US president described Gaza as a "demolition site" and said "I think we need another location … if we can get a beautiful area to resettle people permanently".

Throughout the day Trump "stoked controversy", said Al Jazeera, by suggesting that Palestinians would "love to leave" Gaza. His remarks "in effect endorsed ethnic cleansing" of the territory, said The Guardian.

The suggestion is a "provocative stance that will endear him to Israel’s most conservative politicians", said CNN, but is "generally a non-starter for Israel’s neighbours", who have said they are unwilling to accept new Palestinian refugees from Gaza.

What next?
The meeting comes at a "critical juncture" for the Gaza ceasefire, said the BBC. The president's mass relocation plan "seems destined, at the very least, to complicate the next round of ceasefire negotiations".

 
 
Today's war story

Ex-Tory MP Lopresti joins Ukrainian army

What happened
A former Tory MP who lost his seat in last year's election has signed up for the Ukrainian armed forces.

After losing his seat of Filton and Bradley Stoke, Jack Lopresti (pictured above left with Rishi Sunak) joined the Ukrainian International Legion in November, a ground forces unit made up of foreign volunteers.

Who said what
Lopresti, who previously served in the UK Army Reserve as a corporal, told The Telegraph he would be willing to fight on the frontline for Ukraine. "I am a soldier. It would be very strange for me to serve in the Ukrainian military and not say this. I am here and I will do my best," he said.

Lopresti’s ex-wife, Andrea Jenkyns, said on X that she and her son were not aware of his decision to join the unit.

What next?
Lopresti told The Telegraph he was currently working in a "bespoke position". This utilises the skills he built up as an MP to "help with weapons procurement, international relations and veterans and charities".

 
 

It's not all bad

Scientists have developed a new strain of rice that emits up to 70% less methane, a major contributor to climate change. After identifying the root compounds that influence methane production, researchers from China and Sweden bred a high-yield, low-emission variety using traditional methods. Field trials in China confirmed its effectiveness. The team is now working to register the variety and explore adding methane-reducing compounds to fertilisers. Experts say government support will be key to encouraging farmers to adopt the eco-friendly rice.

 
 
under the radar

How were so many Thais held hostage by Hamas?

Five Thai nationals held by Hamas were released last week, meaning that nearly all the Thai hostages seized during the attack on 7 October have now been freed.

These hostages were part of a community of tens of thousands of Thai agricultural labourers working in Israel, where they can earn up to five times more than they can at home – but not without running a number of risks.

Thai workers started arriving in Israel during the late 1980s. Previously, Israel had "relied heavily" on labour from Palestinian workers, but it began "bringing in large numbers of migrant workers" after the start of the Palestinian uprising known as the first Intifada, said AP.

In the face of the Palestinian violence, it was a "strategic decision" to replace Palestinian workers with migrant ones so that Israel "wouldn't have this dependence", research anthropologist Matan Kaminer told Nikkei Asia. By 1992 there were thousands of Thai agricultural "trainees" and "volunteers" in Israel, according to Kaminer. 

In the aftermath of 7 October, some 7,000 Thais returned home, "primarily on Thai government evacuation flights", said AP. In the face of this new labour shortage, Israel's agriculture ministry has announced new incentives, including extended work visas and pay bonuses of about $500 (£400) a month.

The perks promise is working: last year Thailand's Labour Ministry granted 3,966 Thais permission to work in Israel. And last week Thailand's ambassador to Israel announced that there were now more than 38,000 Thai workers in the country, said AP.

 
 
on this day

5 February 1869

The world's largest alluvial gold nugget, the Welcome Stranger, was found by Cornish miners John Deason and Richard Oates in Moliagul, Australia. The hefty nugget, which weighed 97kg, still holds the record today. Last year a study was published in Nature Geoscience explaining the mystery of how gold nuggets are made. Scientists found that seismic waves from earthquakes produced a strong enough electric voltage in quartz to extract dissolved gold from the fluids.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Metro reports on the finding by a "dream team" of experts investigating former nurse Lucy Letby that there is "no medical evidence of murder". British security chiefs hope "Russia apologist" Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's choice for US director of national intelligence, "is blocked", reports The Telegraph. Meanwhile, Europe's Brexit reset chief, Sandro Gozi, is urging Keir Starmer to "choose between the EU and Trump", says The i Paper.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Isn't it AI-ronic?

In a turn-of-events straight out of an Alanis Morissette song, Anthropic, a leading developer of artificial intelligence models, is asking candidates for its open job roles to certify that they will not use AI in the application process. "For all the bluster and spin about how great AI chatbots have become," said Gizmodo, it appears Anthropic "apparently does not think it is good enough to entirely substitute for a human."

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Jamie Timson, Ross Couzens, and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP / Getty Images; Avi Ohayon (GPO) / Handout / Anadolu / Getty Images; Leon Neal / Getty Images; Narong Sangnak / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock.