This week saw US and Russian officials meet in Riyadh to discuss ending the Ukraine war as President Donald Trump attended an investor conference in Miami for Saudi's sovereign wealth fund. It appears Saudi Arabia is flexing its diplomatic muscles. On this weekend podcast, our journalists covering the Gulf, foreign policy and oil discuss how the kingdom and Crown Prince got to this point.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will make Hamas pay for failing to release the body of hostage Shiri Bibas as agreed. U.S. President Donald Trump this week tightens his grip on U.S. government agencies that for years have taken pride in their independence, overseeing such matters as elections, stock markets and labor relations. Kenya aims to send 1 million workers abroad annually to countries with aging populations. And Microsoft says quantum computing is "years, not decades" away.

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Donald Trump has denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a "dictator", deepening a feud between the two leaders. Hamas has handed over the bodies of the two youngest captives taken in their October 7, 2023 attack. The judge in Brazil who is overseeing the coup plot case against former president Jair Bolsonaro is accused of illegal censorship in a U.S. lawsuit. A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows a majority of Americans are worried that Elon Musk's efforts to reduce the federal government could hurt services. 

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Donald Trump says he might meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this month and has dismissed Ukraine's concern about being left out of talks in Saudi Arabia. A legal bid to temporary block Elon Musk's government efficiency department from directing firings of federal workers or accessing databases, has been blocked. In Argentina, President Javier Milei's role in promoting a cryptocurrency that then crashed is being investigated. And a federal judge has ordered U.S. prosecutors to appear in court this week to address why they are seeking to dismiss criminal charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Find our recommended read on NASA's latest images of a supermassive black hole here.

Ahead of Germany's election this weekend, listen to our weekend episode here on how the far-right is shaping the vote.

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U.S. and Russian officials meet in Riyadh for the highest-level talks to date between the two former Cold War foes on ending the war in Ukraine. European leaders, worried about being sidelined, met in Paris to talk security guarantees from their side. Plus, several are injured as a Delta plane flips upside down in Toronto.

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of expected talks with Russian officials aimed at ending Moscow's nearly three-year war in Ukraine. At the same time, Europe’s leaders are holding an emergency meeting to discuss the developments. The U.S. has looked to Argentina over President Javier Milei’s cuts to federal government. And how Donald Trump's executive order taking aim at a little-known trade rule called "de minimis" caused chaos at New York’s JFK airport.

Find our recommended read on how a failing economy is driving German voters to call for change here.

And ahead of Germany's election this weekend, listen to our weekend episode here on how the far-right is shaping the vote.

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Germany is holding snap elections on February 23. A stagnating economy and tensions over migration have fueled the rise of a far-right party, which is polling in second place. This resurgence of political extremism was once considered impossible - but the firewalls put in place after World War Two are now being tested. On this weekend episode, our correspondents lay out the stakes in this election.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference as he tries to convince the U.S. to provide a strong backing for Kyiv’s war effort. As Elon Musk expands his influence over more than a dozen U.S. federal agencies, frustration is growing among some of Donald Trump’s top aides. Robert F. Kennedy Jr has clinched the top U.S. health job despite his anti-vaccine views. And Trump’s Department

of Justice order to drop the case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams triggers mass resignations.

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President Donald Trump has discussed ending the war with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in separate phone calls. U.S. consumer prices

increased by the most in nearly one and a half years in January, reinforcing the Fed’s message that it’s in no rush to resume interest rate cuts. And Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Donald Trump hoping for concessions on tariffs and fresh business deals. 

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Donald Trump has ordered U.S. agencies to work closely with top adviser Elon Musk's effort to shrink the federal workforce. As the president’s advisers finalize plans for more tariffs, some targets have been quick to offer concessions. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is questioned about tariffs and Musk on the Hill. And China has forged nearly two-dozen pacts with African nations in its bid to surpass the U.S. in space.

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U.S. President Donald Trump says Hamas should free all hostages by midday Saturday or "let hell break out." An Elon Musk-led group has made a $97.4 billion bid to buy the non-profit that controls OpenAI. And protesters gathered outside the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau after the watchdog’s newly installed boss told staff to stop work. 

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