This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Valerie Sanderson, and at 1400 hours GMT on Thursday the 13th of March, these are our main stories.

A Russian aide to President Putin says the U.S. ceasefire deal is only a temporary help to Ukraine.

It comes as President Putin is told his forces are in the final stages of driving

Ukrainian troops from Russia's Kursk region. A new UN report details accusations of widespread

sexual violence in Gaza and on the West Bank. Also in this podcast, you don't try as hard

when you're in a relationship and you've met the person that you want to be with.

So you do tend to become a bit complacent. So I can see that happening.

New research suggests marriage triples the risk of obesity in men. We ask people in London if they agree.

Let's start with the latest on the war in Ukraine. U.S. officials are in Moscow to discuss proposals backed by Ukraine for a 30-day ceasefire. We'll have more on that shortly.

Meanwhile, President Putin has been told his forces are successfully driving out Ukrainian troops

from the Russian border region of Kursk.

On Wednesday, the president made a surprise visit there for the first time since Ukraine seized territory in the region.

Earlier, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said its troops had recaptured the quidown of Sujia.

Speaking to reporters by phone, the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov,

said he was confident that a Russian victory in the region was imminent.

The president said that this must be done as soon as possible, as long as it takes to preserve the lives of our military

and civilians. There is no doubt that the Kursk region will be liberated quite soon.

I heard more from our Europe regional editor, Danny Eberhardt. Ukraine has held territory in Kurs,

since August when it launched that surprise incursion.

It made rapid advances.

Russia was unprepared.

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