Behind bullish statements officials have been examining potential scenarios for impending decision in case brought by South AfricaIsraeli officials are bracing for an expected interim ruling from the international court of justice on South Africa's allegation that the war in Gaza amounts to genocide against Palestinians, an emergency measure that could expose Israel to international sanctions.The UN's top court, which settles disputes between states, said on Wednesday that it would hand down its landmark ruling on Friday. The Hague-based body could order Israel to stop its three-month campaign in the Gaza Strip, sparked by the unprecedented attack by Hamas on 7 October. ICJ rulings are binding and cannot be appealed against, although the court has no power to enforce them. Continue reading...
Constitutional council says about half of articles in new law go against constitution and must be scrappedParts of a contested new French immigration law go against the constitution and must be scrapped, France's constitutional council has said.The council, a body that validates the constitutionality of laws, on Thursday annulled about half of the articles in the law, which was passed in December, including restrictions on family reunifications and student residency permits, and making residing in France illegally a crime. Continue reading...
Department for Education estimates 97,000 children were home educated in 2023 summer term, 11,000 more than previous termMore than one in 100 children in England were homeschooled last summer term, with many parents citing lifestyle or philosophical reasons" for abandoning traditional classrooms.New estimates by the Department for Education (DfE) show that 97,000 children were home educated in 2023's summer term, an increase of 11,000 compared with the 86,000 home educated at the start of 2023. Continue reading...
Jenna Moar and three cousins will be first female full members of Viking-dressed squad that will lead annual fire festivalJenna Moar will win a small place in history next week, marked by the sizzling sound and heat of her flare being lit in the darkness of a January night in Lerwick, Shetland. Moar, 16, wearing her handmade Viking warrior's uniform, will be among the first female participants, alongside three cousins, at the heart of one of Scotland's most famous cultural events, Lerwick's Up Helly Aa fire festival.After decades of quiet complaints, covert attempts at subversion and then open rebellion from feminist Shetlanders, she and her cousins are full members of the jarl squad, the axe-wielding Viking-dressed celebrants who will lead Up Helly Aa on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Infant never stood a chance' after her parents went off-grid in freezing conditions, Old Bailey jurors toldA newborn baby girl died due to the reckless, utterly selfish, callous, cruel, arrogant and ultimately grossly negligent conduct" of her parents, who went on the run and lived off-grid in a tent, a court heard.After the baby girl died, Constance Marten, 36, and Mark Gordon, 49, allegedly left her in an disused shed inside a shopping bag and covered in rubbish as if she was refuse", an Old Bailey jury was told. Continue reading...
by Amy Sedghi (now), Geneva Abdul and Helen Livingsto on (#6J446)
At least four senior figures from Houthis subject to asset freezes and travel bans, say reports; Gaza-run health ministry says situation in Khan Younis hospital extremely catastrophic'The Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, said the conflict in Gaza shows the UN and other world bodies have lost their effectiveness and called on Muslim countries and other nations to unite for a new fair world order", reports Al Jazeera.Reporting from Ankara on Wednesday, where Raisi met his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoan, Al Jazeera journalist Sinem Koseolu said the main agenda of the meeting had been Israel's war on Gaza. Continue reading...
UAE firm's increased investment prompts Cabinet Office order for security panel at telecoms companyThe stake in Vodafone held by a United Arab Emirates-backed telecoms group poses a national security risk to the UK, the government said.The Cabinet Office issued a notice late on Wednesday warning that the 14.6% stake held in Vodafone by Emirates Telecoms, which is also known as e&, amounted to a security concern given Vodafone's strategic role in the country's telecommunications services. Continue reading...
Ulf Kristersson says dialogue between countries is needed amid frustrations following Budapest's failure to ratify Sweden's Nato membershipPopulist battles are not the way to resolve the conflicts between farmers and environmental policy, the chair of the strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture group said today at the opening of the first meeting in Brussels.Peter Strohschneider told the meeting of farmers groups and academics that they had a responsibility to drive their arguments through facts and evidence and withstand the tensions arising from this". Continue reading...
Igor Girkin has been critical of war effort; Darya Trepova delivered bomb that killed pro-war bloggerRussian courts have jailed a prominent ultra-nationalist critic of Vladimir Putin and, separately, a woman convicted over a blast that killed a pro-war blogger.In Moscow, a court sentenced Igor Girkin, a former battlefield commander of Russian proxy forces in east Ukraine who was convicted by a Dutch court over the shooting down of flight MH17, to four years in jail on extremism charges prompted by his criticism of the Russian war effort in Ukraine. Continue reading...
The comedy series' originators Charlie Higson and Paul Whitehouse will lead a 30th anniversary live show due to begin in MarchSwiss Toni, Competitive Dad and a pair of unsuitably smutty tailors were among the comic creations introduced by BBC sketch series The Fast Show which first aired in 1994. To mark the catchphrase-packed programme's 30th birthday, they will reunite for a UK stage tour that brings together other memorable characters to ask Where's me washboard?", Anyone fancy a pint?" and Does my bum look big in this?"The series' originators, Charlie Higson and Paul Whitehouse, will appear alongside Simon Day, John Thomson, Arabella Weir and Mark Williams for 13 shows, starting on 18 March at Stoke-on-Trent's Regent theatre and ending on 31 March at Brighton Dome. The production, An Evening with the Fast Show, will revive popular sketches and songs from the series and include a cast discussion bringing together their memories. There will also be a tribute to their former co-star, Caroline Aherne, whose characters included an ebullient TV meteorologist constantly predicting scorchio!" conditions. Aherne died aged 52 of cancer in 2016. Continue reading...
Disabled actors respond to the announcement that Michelle Terry, the Globe's artistic director, will be taking up the roleThe announcement of a summer production of Richard III at Shakespeare's Globe in London has created wintry discontent for the casting of an able-bodied actor in the lead role.In May, Michelle Terry, the Globe's artistic director, will play the role of Shakespeare's scheming king who describes himself as deformed, unfinish'd". In recent years, the character has been played in several major productions by disabled actors, including Mat Fraser for Northern Broadsides and Hull Truck in 2017, Kate Mulvany for Australia's Bell Shakespeare in the same year and, in 2022, Arthur Hughes for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Such portrayals have reclaimed" the character, who in real life had scoliosis, as revealed when his skeleton was discovered beneath a Leicester car park in 2012. The part has also continued to be played on stage and screen by able-bodied actors including Benedict Cumberbatch and Ralph Fiennes. Continue reading...
Sandra Sully and Majida Abboud-Saab also among 1,042 honoured alongside a plastic surgeon, a former politician and a musical directorChildren's author Pamela Allen has written more than 50 works that have found homes in bookshelves across the world, and now she has been recognised in this year's Australia Day honours.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...
Decision paves way for release to a nursing home 15 years after conviction for rape and imprisonment of his daughterJosef Fritzl, the Austrian who raped and incarcerated his daughter in a purpose-built prison beneath his home for 24 years, will be transferred to a regular prison from a prison psychiatric unit, his lawyer has said - paving the way for his release to a nursing home.Earlier this month his lawyer, Astrid Wagner, announced he was applying for early release from jail on the grounds of old age and dementia. Continue reading...
Shop will be open only to non-Muslim diplomats - but some fear it is first step to wider availability of alcohol in teetotal kingdomThe news that Saudi Arabia will allow its first alcohol shop has citizens and foreigners alike mulling one question: is this a minor policy tweak, or a major upheaval?Sources familiar with preparations for the store disclosed details of the plan on Wednesday, as a document circulated indicating just how carefully leaders of the teetotal Gulf kingdom will manage its operations. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Former minister Simon Clarke has called for the prime minister to walk before the next election - here's why Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.Betrayal, treachery and drama: combined together these elements make for great reality TV. They do not work quite as well in government.Middle East | Thousands of people sheltering in hospitals in Khan Younis are now trapped after the Israeli army said it had encircled" Gaza's second largest city after two days of heavy fighting, in what officials have described as the last large ground assault in the three-month-old war.Prisons | A prisoner who repeatedly self-harmed spent more than 800 days in segregation, according to a damning report that reveals that jails are using isolation to manage severe mental health needs. The inmate is one of dozens with severe psychological issues who have been held for months at a time in isolation.Russia | Russia has accused Kyiv of downing a large military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, after a crash in the Belgorod region that killed everyone onboard. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied that it hit the plane.Housing | The government wants to give British citizens higher priority for social housing in a controversial scheme that will be badged as British homes for British workers". Housing experts say it is likely to be either illegal or unworkable, or both.Post Office | Kuldeep Kaur Atwal, a former post office operator, has come forward claiming she was told British Asian women were often pushed into theft as auditors urged her to confess to stealing 30,000 - a charge of which she was later cleared. Continue reading...
Japan media reported Shinji Aoba held a grudge against the studio when he doused the entrance in petrol and set it ablaze in 2019A court in Japan has sentenced to death a man convicted of murdering 36 people in an arson attack on an animation studio in 2019.The attack on Kyoto Animation, better known as KyoAni, sent shock waves through Japan, where violent crime is rare, and stunned fans of the studio's output around the world. Continue reading...
US navy shoots down two missiles and a third lands in sea as Iran-aligned group continues strikes against Red Sea shippingTwo ships sailing close to the Gulf of Aden were forced to seek the support of the US navy after explosions were heard nearby, as the Houthi group kept up their assault on commercial shipping off the coast of Yemen.The Houthis have said their attacks are in solidarity with the Palestinians as Israel bombards Gaza. The ships belonging to the US subsidiary of Danish shipping company Maersk were carrying US military supplies when they came under attack from three anti-ship missiles near the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The US central command (Centcom) said two missiles were shot down, and a third landed in the sea. No damage was caused either to the Maersk Detroit or the Maersk Chesapeake and no injuries were reported, Centcom said. Continue reading...
Women will take part in the hadaka matsuri in Inazawa, in which thousands of men dressed in next to nothing drive away evil spiritsWomen in Japan have been permitted to take part in an ancient ceremony, known as the naked festival, for the first time in the event's history, albeit with modifications.Every February, thousands of men dressed in next to nothing take part in the hadaka matsuri at a Shinto shrine in Inazawa, a town in central Japan, to drive away evil spirits over the coming year. Continue reading...
Lifesavers said the drownings were Victoria's worst such tragedy in almost 20 yearsA fourth person has died in hospital after being pulled from the water at an unpatrolled beach on Victoria's Phillip Island.The tragedy is the worst in Victorian waters in almost 20 years, Life Saving Victoria said.Sign up for Guardian Australia's free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup Continue reading...
Will Dry, who quit his No 10 role last November after becoming dispirited, says his party is heading for most almighty of defeats'Rishi Sunak's former special adviser is working with a group of rebels trying to oust the prime minister and helped commission polling which predicted a landslide Labour victory, according to reports.Will Dry, who worked as an adviser at Downing Street, quit in November last year after becoming dispirited" by the direction being taken by Sunak, the Times reported. Continue reading...
by Pjotr Sauer, Luke Harding in Kyiv and Andrew Roth on (#6J390)
Moscow says aircraft that went down in border region of Belgorod was carrying prisoners who were to be swappedRussia has accused Kyiv of downing a large military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war to an exchange on Wednesday, after a crash in the Belgorod region that killed everyone onboard.Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied that it hit the plane but said Moscow had created a deliberate threat to the life and safety" of its PoWs by failing to warn Kyiv to deconflict the airspace before the swap. Continue reading...
Israel's assault on Gaza's second-largest city continues as Hamas delegation travels to Egypt for ceasefire and hostage-release talksThousands of people sheltering in hospitals in Khan Younis are now trapped by Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip's second largest city, even as a delegation from Hamas travelled to Egypt for the latest round of talks aimed at another ceasefire and hostage-release deal.The Israeli army said on Wednesday that it had encircled" the southern city of Khan Younis after two days of heavy fighting, in what Israeli officials have described as the last large ground assault in the three-month-old war before a shift to lower intensity" operations aimed at eradicating the Palestinian militant group. Continue reading...
Muhammad Hassam Ali died in hospital after being found with stab wounds in Victoria SquareWest Midlands police have charged a 15-year-old boy with murder after a teenager was stabbed in Birmingham city centre.The suspect is accused of murdering 17-year-old Muhammad Hassam Ali, who was found seriously injured in Victoria Square, Birmingham, shortly before 3.30pm on Saturday. He was taken to hospital but died later the same day. Continue reading...
Analysis of more than 1m children reveals alarming' effects of pandemicAlmost one in four children aged 10 and 11 in England are obese, according to the largest study of its kind - a finding that experts say exposes the profound" and alarming" long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic.Obesity rates increased by 45% in four-to-five-year-olds and by 21% in 10-to-11-year-olds during the first year of lockdowns, the analysis involving more than 1 million children reveals. Continue reading...
by Lili Bayer in Brussels and Miranda Bryant in Stock on (#6J3KS)
Hungarian parliament yet to sign off on application despite repeated promises not to hold up process aloneViktor Orban has said he will urge the Hungarian parliament to sign off on Sweden's Nato bid at the first possible opportunity", as diplomats said Hungary's allies were exasperated" by the country's foot-dragging.Sweden applied to join Nato in May 2022, but its accession was delayed as Turkey and Hungary strung out the ratification process. Continue reading...
Adam Barnard, 40, remanded into custody after Tara Kershaw, 33, found dead at property in early hours of SaturdayThe family of a woman found dead in a property in Great Yarmouth on Saturday have said they are struggling to come to terms" with her passing, after a man was charged with her murder.Tara Kershaw, 33, was discovered at Princes Road during the early hours of Saturday. An initial postmortem examination found Kershaw's injuries were consistent with compression to the neck. Continue reading...
The 3.5 metre high puppet highlights the plight of millions of refugees especially displaced children fleeing war zonesShe has met the pope, held hands with the Young Pope (Jude Law) and has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram. In the past two years Little Amal has become a global symbol for human rights - and she is only 10 years old.At 3.5 metres tall, the partly animatronic giant rod puppet representing a young Syrian refugee girl has traversed 15 countries and visited 90 cities. In March she will mark her first visit to the southern hemisphere, with funding from the South Australian and federal governments bringing her to the 2024 Adelaide festival. Continue reading...
Pita Limjaroenrat's party was blocked from taking power last year after complaints led to his suspensionThailand's constitutional court has ruled that an anti-establishment opposition figure whose party was blocked from taking power last year did not violate election law and can be reinstated as an MP.The court rejected a complaint brought against Pita Limjaroenrat by conservative politicians that he had violated election law by owning shares in a media company. Continue reading...
Rights of lone minors were not protected, with some deported and others left homeless for monthsSpain, Greece and Hungary have been rebuked by courts for failing to protect the rights of children.It adds to a string of recent rulings that have reprimanded countries across Europe over the treatment of lone minors who are seeking asylum. Continue reading...
France, Poland and Austria among nine countries where radical rightwing parties predicted to finish firstPopulist anti-European" parties are heading for big gains in June's European elections that could shift the parliament's balance sharply to the right and jeopardise key pillars of the EU's agenda including climate action, polling suggests.Polling in all 27 EU member states, combined with modelling of how national parties performed in past European parliament elections, shows radical right parties are on course to finish first in nine countries including Austria, France and Poland. Continue reading...
by Reged Ahmad (now); Tom Ambrose, Joanna Walters, Yo on (#6J20F)
US official says it was a response to a weekend attack on an Iraqi air base that wounded US forcesReged Ahmad here picking up the blog from Jem BartholomewUS Central Command (Centcom) has posted some of the latest video and images of their airstrikes against Yemen's Houthis.The US undertook its eighth round of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Monday at 11.59pm local time. A Pentagon statement said the bombing was proportionate and necessary.US military officials said the strikes were successful and had good impacts" in all eight locations. US Central Command said the strikes were to respond to increased Houthi destabilizing and illegal activities".The UK joined the airstrikes for the second time in ten days. Defence secretary Grant Shapps said the attacks were in self-defence" and in the interests of degrading Houthi capabilities.A Houthi spokesman responded on X/Twitter to say the airstrikes will only increase the Yemeni people's determination." Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti accused the UK and US of protecting perpetrators" to genocide" in Gaza.UK prime minister Rishi Sunak did not brief Labour leader Keir Starmer or House of Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle ahead of the strikes. Sunak recieved flak ten days ago for not informing parliament beforehand and this time did not brief Labour's top team either.The Pentagon said the operation targeted a Houthi underground storage site as well as missile and air surveillance sites. The UK ministry of defence added that it was involved in hitting multiple targets at two military sites with guided precision bombs in the vicinity of Sana'a airfield.The Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have disrupted the global commercial shipping route in the Red Sea and forced ships to go around the Cape of Good Hope. The Houthis say they are acting to support Palestine amid Israel's bombardment of Gaza, in which officials say 25,000 people have been killed, but Houthi attacks have also targeted ships with no connection to Israel.The action followed a call on Monday between Sunak and US president Joe Biden. The leaders discussed further disrupting and degrading Houthi capabilities," a US spokesperson said.The UK involvement on Monday appears to have been smaller than 11 January's strikes. Ten days ago, US and UK warships and jets hit more than 60 targets in 28 locations. This time, it was eight strikes, according to a joint Pentagon statement with Australia, Bahrain, Canada, the UK and Netherlands, which supported the latest military action. Continue reading...
by Tom Ambrose, Robyn Vinter and Mark Brown on (#6J2Y2)
Second storm in days is expected to build as trains suspended and drivers advised not to travel in ScotlandStorm Jocelyn has hit the UK with 71mph gusts, with major disruption to transport services expected.The storm is expected to be at its worst in the early hours of Wednesday - with a possibility that weather warnings are extended, the Met Office said. Continue reading...
Senior official told Yousaf, then health secretary, that having a drink in his hand at dinners made him exempt'Humza Yousaf was allegedly advised on how to avoid wearing a face mask in public by one of Scotland's most senior health officials at the height of the Covid crisis, a public inquiry has been told.Private text messages show Jason Leitch, Scotland's national clinical director, told Yousaf he only had to hold a glass in his hand to avoid having to use a mask while he was standing and talking to people at a dinner. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#6J2CY)
Records of 307,000 officers, staff and volunteers checked against national intelligence database after recent scandalsPolice chiefs have said a mass screening of more than 300,000 UK police officers, staff and volunteers has led to nine criminal investigations.The records of 307,000 police employees were checked against a national intelligence database in an exercise after the cases of Wayne Couzens, the officer who kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, and David Carrick, who became one of Britain's worst convicted serial rapists, despite repeated concerns being raised about him. Continue reading...
People forced to bring overdose-reversal drug naloxone from US, as critics accuse Mexican government of creating shortageEvery day, people cross the US-Mexico border with drugs - but not all of them are going north. Some head in the opposite direction with a hidden cargo of naloxone, a life-saving medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose but is so restricted as to be practically inaccessible in Mexico.This humanitarian contraband is necessary because Mexico's border cities have their own problems with opioid use - problems that activists and researchers say are being made more deadly by government policy. Continue reading...
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