The 10 most important things in the world right now

Good morning! Here’s what you need to know on Wednesday.

1. China’s central bank has announced further measures designed to support its housing market. The relaxed restrictions on home purchases is the latest attempt to clear mounting stockpiles of unsold property in smaller Chinese cities.

2. Julian Assange, whistleblowing icon and founder of WikiLeaks, is set to learn the outcome of a United Nations investigation that could potentially rule he is being illegally detained in the UK.

3. Japan has put its ballistic missile defence units on high alert following North Korea’s declaration it will launch a satellite. The move could advance Pyongyang’s long-range missile technology following its recent nuclear test.

4. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has warned, in an interview with German newspaper Bild, that the risk of “open war” with Russia is “more serious than last year.”

5. Donald Trump faced reporters’ questions on Tuesday night about his loss in the Iowa caucuses. He was upset by US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in Iowa despite a series of polls placing him in the lead.

6. A Canadian who said he fought alongside Kurdish forces against Islamic State in Syria has been detained while trying to enter Australia and told he will be deported,his father said on Wednesday.

7. Health experts are bracing for the Zika virus to spread to the US by April or May.The virus is borne by a mosquito that craves human blood, feeds during the day, and lives under beds and inside closets.

8. David Cameron will on Wednesday defend planned reforms to keep Britain in the EU before parliament,as European lawmakers begin negotiations in Strasbourg to avoid a “Brexit.”

9. Shares in Ocado, the online grocery delivery group, dropped dramatically on Tuesday after its CEO confirmed it is not in talks with Amazon over a possible takeover.

10. Yahoo said on Tuesday it is exploring strategic alternatives in addition to the continued pursuit of the reverse spin-off of its Internet business. Yahoo said it will simplify its product portfolio and that it had begun to explore divesting non-strategic assets.

And finally … How to make money from the UK’s crazy property market without buying a house.

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