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Israel committed to ‘intensified’ Gaza operation despite US captive release
Israel has not agreed to any ceasefire or prisoner swap with Hamas ahead of the expected release of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander, but is continuing to prepare to intensify its military operations in Gaza, its prime minister has stated.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement released on Monday that ceasefire negotiations “will continue under fire, during preparations for an intensification of the fighting”. The Israeli leader insisted that military pressure had forced Hamas to make the release.
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Ex-UK Special Forces break silence on ‘war crimes’ by colleagues
Former members of UK Special Forces have broken years of silence to give BBC Panorama eyewitness accounts of alleged war crimes committed by colleagues in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Giving their accounts publicly for the first time, the veterans described seeing members of the SAS murder unarmed people in their sleep and execute handcuffed detainees, including children.
“They handcuffed a young boy and shot him,” recalled one veteran who served with the SAS in Afghanistan. ”He was clearly a child, not even close to fighting age.”
Killing of detainees “became routine”, the veteran said. “They’d search someone, handcuff them, then shoot them”, before cutting off the plastic handcuffs used to restrain people and “planting a pistol” by the body, he said.
The new testimony includes allegations of war crimes stretching over more than a decade, far longer than the three years currently being examined by a judge-led public inquiry in the UK.
The SBS, the Royal Navy’s elite special forces regiment, is also implicated for the first time in the most serious allegations – executions of unarmed and wounded people.
A veteran who served with the SBS said some troops had a “mob mentality”, describing their behaviour on operations as “barbaric”.
“I saw the quietest guys switch, show serious psychopathic traits,” he said. “They were lawless. They felt untouchable.”
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Ukraine says Russia fired barrage of drones amid calls for ceasefire
Ukraine has said Russia fired more than 100 drones overnight, despite attempts from Kyiv’s allies to get Moscow to begin a 30-day ceasefire.
Ukrainian air defences destroyed 55 of the 108 drones that Russia launched since 11pm (20:00 GMT) on Sunday, Ukraine’s air force said in a statement on Monday, the day to begin the ceasefire proposed by Kyiv and its European allies to Russia.
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First white South Africans flying to US under Trump refugee plan
The first set of 49 white South Africans to be granted refugee status by President Donald Trump’s administration are on their way to the US.
On Sunday they boarded a flight from Johannesburg which is due to land in Washington DC later on Monday.
This comes after a weekend of speculation about when the Afrikaners would leave for America, amid criticism from the South African government who described the US resettlement scheme as “politically motivated”.
Relations between South Africa and the US have been tense for months, after an executive order in February in which President Trump stated that Afrikaners were victims of “racial discrimination”.
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Diplomatic spat ignites as Poland accuses Russia of sabotage
Poland has summoned the Russian ambassador and shuttered the country’s consulate in Krakow as it accuses Moscow of “sabotage”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw announced the action on Monday as it reported that an investigation had found that Russian intelligence services had orchestrated a massive fire at a shopping centre in capital Warsaw in May 2024.
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Trump heads to Saudi Arabia eyeing more investment in US
With US President Donald Trump due to visit Gulf states this week, a key focus will be securing significant new investment for the US economy.
“President Trump wants the announcement [of more Gulf money for the US],” says economist Karen Young, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank.
“He wants to have a big poster in a meeting that describes where these investments might go. And some estimation of what they will do to the American economy in terms of job creation or his big push, of course, on domestic manufacturing.”
Trump is due to arrive in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Tuesday 13 May, to meet the country’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Trump is then expected to attend a summit of Gulf leaders in the city on 14 May, before travelling to Qatar that same day, and then ending his three-day trip in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 15 May.
The economic importance of the region to Trump is highlighted by the fact that the visit to Saudi Arabia was due to be the first overseas trip of his second term in the White House. That was before the death of Pope Francis necessitated Trump attending his funeral in Rome towards the end of April.
Saudi Arabia was also the first country that Trump visited during his first term of office, going against the modern practise of US presidents to start with the UK, Canada or Mexico.
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Anger in Israel as Netanyahu’s war choices threaten captives’ fate in Gaza
To prioritise the release of the captives in Gaza, or to continue fighting what critics are calling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “forever war” – that is the question increasingly dividing Israel.
Israel’s government, laser-focused on the idea of a total victory against Hamas in Gaza, appears to be opting for the latter.
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Canada’s Liberal Party one seat closer to majority after Quebec recount
A single vote in a Quebec riding has brought Canada’s Liberal Party one seat closer to holding a majority in parliament.
A judicial recount in the Terrebonne riding declared Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste the victor with 23,352 votes, ahead of Bloc Québécois incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, who received 23,351.
The result gives the Liberal Party 170 seats in the House of Commons, two seats shy of the 172 required for a majority.
In a statement on social media, Auguste thanked the citizens of Terrebonne for their trust and promised to “get to work”.
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White House and Qatar discuss transfer of luxury jet for Air Force One
The White House is in discussions with the royal family of Qatar to possibly receive a luxury jumbo jet, intended for use as an Air Force One presidential plane.
In a statement, Qatar denied that the plane would be a gift, but said the transfer of an aircraft for “temporary use” was under discussion between the two countries.
According to CBS News, the BBC’s news partner in America, the plane would be donated to Trump’s presidential library at the end of his term.
The news comes as Trump is set to visit Qatar this week as part of the first major foreign trip of his second term.
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Zelenskyy hopes for truce, says he’ll meet Putin ‘personally’ in Turkiye
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he hopes for a ceasefire with Russia starting on Monday and says “I will be waiting for Putin” in Turkiye personally, referring to the Russian president’s offer for direct peace talks in Istanbul.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Ukraine’s proposal of a ceasefire starting on Monday remained on the table and that Kyiv was still waiting for a response from Russia.
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‘Whether there is war or ceasefire, our children will not come back’
For Maria Khan, the ceasefire this weekend between India and Pakistan came too late.
Maria, who lives in Indian-administered Kashmir, lost her nephew and niece – 12-year-old twins Zain Ali and Urwa Fatima – to cross-border shelling on 7 May. Their parents, her sister Urusa and brother-in-law Rameez Khan, were also injured and are still in hospital.
Hours earlier that day, India had launched a series of strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir in retaliation for an earlier militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists.
The strikes were followed by a series of military actions from Islamabad and Delhi that went on till Saturday, including heavy cross-border shelling and drone strikes.
People living along the Line of Control (LoC), the de-factor border between India and Pakistan, were the most vulnerable as shells fell near their homes.
Maria, who lives in Poonch, a town in Indian-administered Kashmir near the LoC, is among dozens of people who lost family members in the conflict.
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India-Pakistan top military officials to speak as ceasefire holds
Top military officials from India and Pakistan are due to speak on Monday to discuss finer details of the ceasefire agreed between them over the weekend.
The US-brokered ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbours appears to have held overnight after nearly four days of intense shelling and aerial incursions from both sides.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, saying “it was time to stop the current aggression that could have led to the death and destruction of so many, and so much”.
Both nations have ceased hostilities since then but say they remain vigilant, warning each other of the consequences of violating the ceasefire.
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Kurdish group PKK says it is laying down arms and disbanding
Outlawed Kurdish group the PKK, which has waged a 40-year insurgency against Turkey, has announced it is laying down its arms and disbanding.
The move followed a call in February by the group’s jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, for it to disband.
The PKK insurgency initially aimed to create an independent homeland for Kurds, who account for about 20% of Turkey’s population. But it has since moved away from its separatist goals, focusing instead on more autonomy and greater Kurdish rights.
More than 40,000 people have been killed since the insurgency began.
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Entire Gaza population at critical risk of famine, UN-backed assessment says
A UN-backed assessment has said that Gaza’s population of around 2.1 million Palestinians is at “critical risk” of famine and faces “extreme levels of food insecurity” as an Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid continues.
The latest report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said there had been a “major deterioration” since October 2024, but concluded famine was not currently occurring.
The two-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas “led to a temporary reprieve” in Gaza, the report said, but renewed hostilities and an Israeli blockade on aid – ongoing since early March – had “reversed” any improvements.
Some 244,000 people were currently experiencing the most severe, or “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity, it said, and called for urgent action to prevent the “increasingly likely” risk of famine.
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Burkina Faso military accused of killing over 100 civilians in ‘massacre’
At least 130 civilians were killed by Burkina Faso government forces and allied militia in March near the western town of Solenzo, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says in a new report.
It says the “massacre”, following an operation led by Burkinabè special forces, resulted in widespread civilian deaths and displacement of ethnic Fulanis.
The Fulani are a pastoralist, largely Muslim community who the government has often accused of backing Islamist militants – an allegation denied by community leaders.
About 40% of Burkina Faso is under the control of groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State operating in West Africa’s Sahel region.
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What is Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs charged with and how will his trial unfold?
The jury in the trial of American music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is accused of running a sprawling sex trafficking operation, will be sworn in on Monday before opening statements are delivered by lawyers for both sides.
The 55-year-old was arrested last September and faces charges including racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He could face life in prison if convicted.
Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations against him.
Dozens of prospective jurors were screened before being whittled down to 12 – and six alternates – ahead of Monday.
The first week of testimony will include two witnesses who are expected to speak briefly, prosecutors said, followed by a third witness who will see more time on the stand.
Mr Combs also faces dozens of civil lawsuits from individuals who accuse him of using his power to drug, assault, rape, intimidate and silence people. He has said the individual lawsuits are attempts “for a quick payday”.
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What is habeas corpus and why might Donald Trump want to suspend it?
US President Donald Trump’s administration is “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus, the principle that a person should be able to challenge their detention in court.
Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, says the legal principle is a “privilege” that could be suspended to make it easier to detain and deport immigrants.
Recent court challenges by migrants and dissenting students who have been held in immigration detention centres have cited habeas corpus as a reason for their release.
But what the legal procedure does – and what could happen if it were to be suspended – is complex.
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Along the Canada border, small-town America feels sting of Trump’s trade war
At the end of a waitressing shift, Kristina Lampert used to separate her tips in two piles: Canadian cash and American.
But it’s been weeks since she has done that.
Freighters, the restaurant where she works, is one of the first places people can grab a bite after crossing the US-Canada border between Sarnia, Ontario, and Port Huron, Michigan.
The Blue Water Bridge, which connects the US and Canada, is in full view from the restaurant’s windows.
“A lot of people used to come over and say ‘we’re here for the view’,” she says of Canadian diners. “I haven’t heard that at all recently.”
Border towns noticed almost instantly when US President Donald Trump began imposing tariffs on countries around the world and saying he wanted to make Canada the 51st US state – because the number of Canadians crossing the border plummeted.
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Crates full of Nazi documents found in Argentine court’s basement
Crates containing documents from Nazi Germany have been rediscovered in the basement of Argentina’s Supreme Court.
The unusual find was made as workers were clearing the building’s basement ahead of its archives being moved to a newly created museum.
The documents were sent by the German embassy in Tokyo and arrived in Argentina on 20 June 1941 inside 83 diplomatic pouches aboard a Japanese steamship, according to information gathered by court officials.
They ended up in the Supreme Court that same year after they were confiscated by Argentine customs officials who had opened five pouches at random and found Nazi propaganda material inside.