WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Trump threatens Putin, Netflix delivers huge growth, and life after being a hostage

 
today's international story

Trump threatens Putin over Ukraine war

What happened
Donald Trump warned Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine quickly, or else face "high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions".

Who said what
"Let's get this war, which never would have started if I were president, over with!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social website. "We can do it the easy way, or the hard way – and the easy way is always better."

The statement "marks Trump's most detailed effort yet to end the war in Ukraine", said The Guardian. During the presidential campaign he claimed he would end the war "in 24 hours" if elected. Trump has "escalated his rhetoric" since Monday's inauguration, said Politico, telling reporters on Tuesday that Putin is in "big trouble", and urging him to do a deal.

Responding to the ultimatum, Russia's deputy envoy to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said the Kremlin would need to see what Trump thinks a deal comprises before proceeding.

"It's not merely the question of ending the war," Polyanskiy told Reuters. "It's first and foremost the question of addressing the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis."

What next?
Russia and Ukraine have continued to exchange aerial barrages despite Donald Trump's intervention. Neither Kyiv nor Moscow has "shown signs of de-escalating" the drone and missile strikes they have been launching in recent months, said Al Jazeera. Both launched fresh attacks overnight.

 
 
today's crime story

Crossbow killer changes plea to guilty

What happened
The man known as the "Crossbow killer", Londoner Kyle Clifford, admitted to murdering his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt – along with her sister and mother – in an attack at their home last July.

Who said what
Clifford pleaded guilty yesterday, having denied murdering the three women during a previous hearing. But he still denies raping Louise on 9 July, the same day the trio was killed.

The victims were the wife and daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt, who was told of the attack as he returned from work at Lingfield Park. Hunt and his other daughter Amy previously issued a statement saying: "The devastation we are experiencing cannot be put into words."

Clifford is a former British Army soldier who, despite passing out, quit three years later after "struggling to adapt to the disciplined lifestyle", said The Telegraph. Neighbours described him to the paper as "pretty normal" and "unremarkable".

What next?
Clifford has been remanded in custody ahead of a trial on the rape charge on 3 March.

 
 
Today's business story

Netflix delivers record subscriber growth

What happened
Netflix reported adding a record 41 million new subscribers last year – nearly 19 million of them in the Christmas quarter alone – thanks to live sports events and the return of its hit South Korean series "Squid Game". Its share price rose nearly 12% in late trading on Wall Street, increasing its stock market value by about $40 billion.

Who said what
"We enter 2025 with strong momentum," Netflix told its investors after achieving an annual income exceeding $10 billion for the first time. The streaming giant has also announced that it will be raising subscription prices in the US, Canada, Portugal and Argentina.

Netflix "continues to be king of the streaming platforms", Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell, told The Independent. "Customers love its content, so strike while the iron is hot and get them to pay more."

What next?
Netflix did not confirm whether there would be a similar price increase for UK subscribers.

 
 

It's not all bad

Europe generated more electricity from solar power than coal last year, with the former providing 11% and the latter just 10%, according to a new report. Wind and solar combined accounted for 29% of the EU's electricity mix, while coal use fell in 16 of the 17 coal-burning countries, said the report by climate think tank Ember. Fossil gas use also declined, reflecting a broader shift towards renewables. Analysts hailed the milestone, citing Europe's rapid clean energy growth and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.

 
 
under the radar

Life after being a hostage

Israel developed detailed plans for medical care and psychological support in readiness for the release of hostages from Gaza, drawing on lessons learned from Holocaust survivors.

Returning home after being held hostage is "often not the end of your journey", said support group Hostage International. Instead a "new period of recovery and reintegration" begins, a process that can take years.

Six hospitals are ready to receive the Gaza hostages, according to Israeli government officials. Staff will "try to limit the number of people who interact with them", said The Times of Israel, and they'll "lessen their sensory stimulation" by "stripping down the hospital rooms" and altering the lighting.

An immediate challenge when hostages are released is known as "refeeding syndrome", when exposure to certain foods or too much food can cause major health issues or even death, said Dr Hagar Mizrahi of the Ministry of Health.

The "negative or confusing emotions" that former hostages can feel include "survivor's guilt" if you were "held with others who were not released", a feeling of "empathy towards some of those who had held you captive" and "still feeling captive when looked after by authorities or when you return home", added Hostage International.

For the released Israelis, the society they are being reintroduced to could also represent a new challenge. There's been a "searing political division" in Israel that, "like everything else about this war", has "gotten ugly", said Haaretz, with some Israelis wanting to prioritise the safe return of hostages and others wanting to sacrifice them and simply "smash Hamas". So the hostages are released into a society in which their plight has become an "intractable schism".

 
 
on this day

23 January 1950

Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital, an ancient city considered holy by Christians, Jews and Muslins – and also claimed by Palestine. In 2017 then US President Donald Trump also recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital and controversially moved the American embassy there from Tel Aviv, which many officials warned could provoke violence.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Metro leads on the Russian "spy ship" spotted by the Royal Navy "loitering" in UK waters. The Royal Navy has been deployed to "protect undersea cables off Cornwall" in the wake of the Russian ship's movements, says the Daily Mail. The Guardian says Prince Harry scored a "monumental victory" with the "historic admission" that The Sun had engaged in "illegal practices" while compiling reports about him. Meanwhile, The Telegraph leads on a report that estimates that between 390,000 and 585,000 undocumented migrants are living in London.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Burning with shame

Last month Brighton and Hove City Council launched a campaign to highlight the pollution caused by wood-burning stoves – with unintentionally fiery consequences. The subsequent "stigma" attached to the stoves is making residents ask chimney sweeps to park away from their home for fear of incurring neighbourly judgement, according to one local. "Ironically, these individuals are doing a good thing by having their chimneys swept regularly, which helps reduce emissions and ensures safer operation," Sussex-based sweep Rob Whittington, who trades as The Purple Sweep, told The Times.

 
 

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

Image credits, from top: Jim Watson and Emmanuel Dunand / AFP / Getty Images; Leon Neal / Getty Images; Chesnot / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.