MPs clash in Commons as government urged to back instant Gaza ceasefire

Lib Dem MP Layla Moran describes desperate plight of relatives in Gaza after she was granted urgent question on situation

The Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran has made an impassioned plea in the House of Commons for the government to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as she told of the desperate plight of relatives who had taken refuge in a church there.

Those inside the Holy Family parish in Gaza City were down to their last can of corn, she told the development minister, Andrew Mitchell, who will meet her on Wednesday. Two women were allegedly killed by an Israeli military sniper in the church on Saturday.

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China rights activist goes on trial for ‘inciting subversion of state power’

US congressional commission has called for Li Qiaochu’s release, citing reports she needs urgent medical treatment

Li Qiaochu, a human rights activist detained for nearly three years in China, has gone on trial in Shandong province charged with “inciting subversion of state power”.

On the eve of the trial, the chairs of the US congressional commission on China called for Li’s unconditional release, citing reports that the labour rights and feminist activist needed urgent medical treatment.

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Tuesday briefing: Will the accidental shooting of three Israeli hostages be a ‘sea change’ moment?

In today’s newsletter: The fallout in Israel after the IDF killed Alon Shamriz, Samer Al-Talalka and Yotam Haim on Friday

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Good morning. On Friday morning, in broad daylight, three young Israeli men who had been taken hostage by Hamas emerged near an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) position in Gaza, waving a white flag. They were unarmed, and shirtless, to show that they were not carrying explosives. An IDF sniper shot two of them dead, and wounded the third.

The survivor fled to a nearby building. He was heard shouting for help in Hebrew. When he reemerged from cover, he too was shot dead. A search of the building was carried out, revealing banners bearing the messages “Help, 3 hostages” and “SOS”.

PPE Medpro | A furious row has broken out between the disgraced Conservative peer Michelle Mone and the government over how much they knew about her links to a company that won lucrative deals during the pandemic. On Monday, as Rishi Sunak said he was taking the case “incredibly seriously”, Mone claimed the government “knew about my involvement from the very beginning”.

China | At least 118 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in an earthquake in China’s north-west Gansu and Qinghai provinces, state media has reported. The strong shallow earthquake struck shortly before midnight on Monday, with the toll rising on Tuesday as rescuers reached affected areas.

Technology | TikTok has given special status to certain high-profile accounts, with moderators in Europe encouraged to be more lenient with content posted by people including Russell Brand, according to internal messages seen by the Guardian. TikTok said it was inaccurate to say that staff had been asked to be less stringent with certain accounts and its guidelines are applied to everyone who uses the app.

Iceland | A volcano in southwest Iceland has erupted after weeks of intense earthquake activity. Fearing a significant outbreak on the Reykjanes peninsula, authorities had evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik and closed the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.

Assisted dying | The ChildLine founder and broadcaster Esther Rantzen has said she has considered the option of assisted dying if her ongoing lung cancer treatment does not improve her condition. She told the BBC that there should be a free vote on the subject so that family members of people in her position do not face prosecution if they provide support.

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US launches Red Sea protection force after Houthi attacks – as it happened

This blog is now closed. See all our Israel-Gaza war coverage here

The US defence secretary has invited dozens of countries to take steps to address Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping as he spoke at a defence ministerial to tout a new military operation to secure commerce in the waterway.

“We’re all here because many countries can directly contribute to our common efforts to keep strategic waterways safe,” Lloyd Austin said, according to prepared remarks.

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Egypt’s Sisi wins third term as president after amending constitution

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi wins Egypt election with 89.6% of vote after facing no serious challengers

The president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, was voted in for a third term on Monday after an election where he faced no serious challengers, calling the vote a rejection of the “inhumane war” in neighbouring Gaza.

The president was able to claim the top job after Egypt’s constitution was amended in 2019, extending the presidential term to six years from four, and allowing Sisi to stand for a third term.

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Ukraine’s fight for funds to keep Russia at bay – podcast

As the Ukraine war heads into a new calendar year, the country is battling not just the Russian army but also on the diplomatic front, to secure further aid from its allies. Luke Harding and Dan Sabbagh report

On the face of it, support for Ukraine from its allies in Europe and the US has been unwavering: ministers and officials fly in and out of Kyiv to back Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his government’s grinding fight to keep Russian troops at bay.

But that moral support is more solid than the financial backing. As Dan Sabbagh tells Hannah Moore, funding packages worth tens of billions of pounds have been held up in the US Congress by Republican politicians, and in the EU by Hungary’s prime minister, Victor Orbán.

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China earthquake: rescue efforts hampered by cold weather

Officials say at least 126 killed and more than 500 injured after 6.2-magnitude quake in Gansu and Qinghai provinces

Cold weather is hampering rescue efforts after an earthquake in China’s Gansu and Qinghai provinces that killed at least 126 people and injured more than 500.

The strong shallow earthquake struck shortly before midnight on Monday, sending residents fleeing outside into below-freezing temperatures. Thousands of houses have been reported damaged, and state media said public infrastructure had been damaged “to varying degrees”.

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Classes in character do little to narrow gap in pupil outcomes, says study

Focusing on poorer children’s social and emotional learning barely helps their results catch up with those of better-off peers

Teaching character, grit and resilience in schools is valuable to children but is unlikely to play a major part in eradicating the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their wealthier peers, according to research.

In recent years, policymakers in England and elsewhere in the world have focused on social and emotional learning, and the importance of developing character, determination and self-belief as a way of improving learning, particularly among children from lower income backgrounds.

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Iceland volcano: eruption begins on Reykjanes peninsula after weeks of activity

Fearing a significant event, authorities had evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik

A volcano in southwest Iceland has erupted, spewing lava and smoke across a large area after weeks of intense earthquake activity, the country’s Meteorological Office has said.

Fearing a significant outbreak on the Reykjanes peninsula, authorities had evacuated the nearly 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing town of Grindavik in November after the area was hit by a “seismic swarm” of more than 1,000 earthquakes in 24 hours.

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US defence secretary reasserts support but urges Israel to change tactics in Gaza

Lloyd Austin discusses focus on precise targeting of Hamas leaders; however, UN delays vote calling for cessation of hostilities

The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has held talks with Israeli officials about shifting away from large-scale aerial and ground operations in the Gaza Strip to a new phrase in the war focused on the precise targeting of Hamas leaders.

“Hamas should never again be able to project terror from Gaza into Israel. This is Israel’s operation; I’m not here to dictate timelines or terms,” Austin told reporters after meeting with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his defence counterpart, Yoav Gallant, in Tel Aviv on Monday. He added that protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza was “both a moral duty and a strategic imperative”.

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Keir Starmer joins Rishi Sunak in calling for sustainable ceasefire in Gaza

Labour leader also reiterates support for ‘two-stage solution’ as ‘the only way this is going to be resolved’

Keir Starmer has joined Rishi Sunak in calling for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, as the political rhetoric continues to shift away from unqualified support for Israel’s assault in line with moves from the US and others.

Some senior Conservatives were even more explicit. Ben Wallace, a former defence secretary, said Israel’s “killing rage” risked it losing international support, and Alicia Kearns, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, said she believed Israel had broken international humanitarian law.

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Serbia’s elections held under ‘unjust conditions’, say international observers

Aleksandar Vučić’s populist ruling party declared victory but concerns include ‘serious irregularities’ in polling places

Serbia’s elections took place under “unjust conditions”, international observers said on Monday, one day after Aleksandar Vučić’s populist ruling party declared victory.

The country held a snap parliamentary election, along with local elections, on Sunday. Preliminary results showed Vučić’s Serbian Progressive party (SNS) won about 46%, while the opposition coalition Serbia Against Violence took 23%.

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US announces creation of multinational operation in Red Sea after attacks from Yemen’s Houthis – as it happened

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The UN security council is to be asked to support a new call for an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities that allows the delivery of humanitarian aid by land sea and air.

The resolution places pressure on the US not to protect Israel again by using its veto as one of the five permanent members of the 15-member security council.

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French museum removes Gérard Depardieu waxwork after assault claims

Likeness on display at Grévin Museum since 1981 is removed as allegations against actor are back in spotlight

A French museum has removed a wax likeness of Gérard Depardieu, the latest measure taken against the actor since he faced allegations of sexual assault.

The Grévin Museum in Paris said on Monday it had taken away the waxwork “following the negative reactions of visitors” passing in front of it, as well as comments on social media.

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Iceland volcano: Blue Lagoon spa reopens despite eruption fears

About 230 earthquakes reported near Reykjanes peninsula overnight as police alert remains at danger level

One of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions has reopened for the first time in more than a month – despite fears of a potential volcanic eruption.

The Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa south-west of the capital, Reykjavík, closed on 9 November after the Reykjanes peninsula was hit by a “seismic swarm” of more than 1,000 earthquakes in 24 hours that reportedly led to dozens of guests fleeing the resort in taxis.

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Judge throws out Kabwe lead-poisoning case against Anglo American mining

South African court dismisses huge class-action lawsuit over toxic legacy of mining at Broken Hill in Zambia between 1925 and 1974

A South African court has thrown out a case brought against the multinational mining company Anglo American on behalf of 140,000 Zambian women and children, who allege they have suffered lead poisoning from one of its mines.

The lawsuit, one of Africa’s largest class-action cases, was filed in October 2020, accused Anglo American of negligence over its alleged failure to prevent widespread lead poisoning in the Zambian town of Kabwe, where its South African subsidiary is alleged to have played a key role in running a large mine from 1925 until 1974.

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Irish government condemns burning of hotel set to house asylum seekers

Suspected arson attack at Ross Lake House hotel in Galway called a sinister attempt at intimidation

A suspected arson attack has wrecked a hotel in County Galway that was being prepared to host 70 asylum seekers, in the latest sign of a backlash against refugees in Ireland.

The Irish government on Monday condemned the burning of the Ross Lake House hotel in Rosscahill as a sinister attempt at intimidation.

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AfD ally wins mayoral election in east Germany

Result in Pirna is party’s second mayoral win in east in six months and first time it has taken a lord mayor post

The far-right populist Alternative für Deutschland had another electoral success at the weekend when its candidate was elected as mayor of a town in east Germany, securing the party its second top municipal position in six months.

Tim Lochner, who is not a member of the AfD but ran with the party’s backing, in effect as its representative, secured 38.5% of the vote in the second round of a three-way runoff in the Saxon town of Pirna, near Dresden and close to the Czech border.

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Gaza diary, part 34: ‘I just wish to go back to spending a day in bed, reading’

Ziad, a 35-year-old Palestinian, describes the extra hardship that winter rain brings and a friend reminisces about a cappuccino

8am
I have never been a fan of the sun nor the sunny weather. I am a lover of the rain, winter and tree leaves falling. I remember at high school – my English language teacher would always ask me and other students during the recess to stand in the sun. “Hug the sun, feel its warmth. It is full of vitamin D.” I did what she asked but never liked it.

On the other hand, this teacher opened the door for me to learn about literature, which I loved. In class, we would read summarised classics like Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice and A Tale of Two Cities.

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