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UN Court orders Israel to stop Rafah offensive

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International Court of Justice (ICJ)

UN Court orders Israel to stop Rafah offensive

The UN’s top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has issued a dramatic ruling, ordering Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah”.

It acted in support of a South African application last week which sought a number of measures against Israel, accusing it of stepping up what it says is a genocide.

Presiding judge Nawaf Salam said the situation in Gaza had deteriorated since the court last ordered Israel to take steps to improve it.

Israel has vehemently denied the allegation and signalled it would ignore any order to halt its operation.

Reading the court’s ruling on Friday, Nawaf Salam said “Israel must immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate” which could bring about “the physical destruction” of the Palestinians – alluding to what constitutes genocide under international law.

Israel, he added, must also allow unimpeded access to Gaza to any UN body investigating allegations of genocide.

The ruling also reiterated a requirement for Israel to enable “unhindered provision at scale” of basic services and humanitarian aid for Gaza.

“The humanitarian situation [in Gaza] is now to be characterised as disastrous,” the ruling said.

Israel rejected the court’s ruling and said its military offensive in Gaza was in line with international law.

“Israel has not and will not carry out military operations in the Rafah area that create living conditions that could cause the destruction of the Palestinian civilian population, in whole or in part,” National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a joint statement with the foreign ministry.

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War cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Israel would continue its offensive “wherever and whenever necessary – including in Rafah”.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, hailed the ruling and called for Israel to abide by it.

“We expect that resolutions of the ICJ be implemented without hesitation,” he said. “That’s mandatory. And Israel is party to the convention.”

Following news of the ICJ ruling, the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said the bloc’s commitment to the rule of law and its support for Israel “are going to be quite difficult to make compatible”.

aid are reaching people in Gaza, which they say is facing famine.

The UN suspended food distribution in Rafah on Tuesday because of the perilous situation there. Israel says it has made “extensive efforts” to ensure that humanitarian aid is “flowing into Gaza”.

Judge Salam also said that the court found it “deeply troubling” that Israeli hostages were still being held by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, and called for “their immediate and unconditional release”.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticised the ruling, calling it an “abject moral failure” that the ICJ did not connect their bombardment of Rafah to the release of the hostages.

South Africa’s foreign ministry chief Zane Dangor called the ruling “groundbreaking”, alluding to it being the first time the court has made an explicit order to Israel to halt action in a part of Gaza.

Hamas said it welcomed the decision which it said “demands that the brutal Zionist entity [Israel] stop its aggression” in Rafah”.

Minutes after the ruling was delivered, Israel warplanes carried out a series of air strikes on the Shaboura camp in the centre of Rafah.

A local activist at nearby Kuwait Hospital told the BBC that rescue teams in the hospital were unable to reach the site of the raids due to their intensity.

Israel began a long-anticipated offensive in Rafah about three weeks ago, vowing to destroy the remaining Hamas battalions there. It says it believes Israeli hostages are also being held in the town.

The UN says more than 800,000 Palestinians have fled from Rafah since the offensive began. About 1.5 million had been sheltering there from the fighting elsewhere in Gaza.

The hearing is part of a case brought by South Africa to the ICJ in December, claiming Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. That case is ongoing.

Israel began its offensive in Gaza after gunmen from Hamas, the organisation which ruled the territory, attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 others back to Gaza as hostages.

At least 35,800 Palestinians have been killed in the war since then, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

UN Court orders Israel to stop Rafah offensive

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Job Seeker Steals Bugatti CEO’s £2m Car After Finding Keys Inside

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Job Seeker Steals Bugatti CEO’s £2m Car After Finding Keys Inside
Job Seeker Steals Bugatti CEO’s £2m Car After Finding Keys Inside

A man who reportedly visited the headquarters of luxury car manufacturer Bugatti in search of employment allegedly drove away in the company chief executive’s £2 million sports car after discovering that its keys had been left inside.

The incident involved Mate Rimac, the Croatian businessman and chief executive of Bugatti, whose personal Bugatti Chiron was stolen from the company’s production and technology campus near Zagreb, Croatia.

The suspect, a Croatian man in his mid-30s, reportedly entered the facility looking for a job before spotting the high-performance vehicle with its keys inside and driving away.

Rimac disclosed the incident in a series of posts on Instagram, explaining that he had routinely left the keys inside his vehicles because he considered Croatia a safe place.

He admitted that the habit had continued for years without any incident until the Chiron disappeared.

The theft was discovered after an employee alerted colleagues that an unfamiliar person had driven away in the expensive vehicle.

Rimac immediately contacted the police and used the car’s built-in tracking and telemetry system to monitor its movements.

The tracking technology provided information about the vehicle’s location, speed and fuel level, allowing the Bugatti team to follow its journey and share updates with law enforcement officers.

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After discovering that the stolen vehicle was heading towards Slovenia, Rimac jumped into a Porsche 911 and pursued it.

The pursuit continued across borders, with the Chiron eventually reaching Austria. Rimac and his team maintained communication with the police through a group chat, providing updates that helped Austrian officers locate and intercept the vehicle.

The suspect was subsequently arrested in Austria, where Rimac later met him at a police station.

According to the Bugatti boss, the man explained that he had initially visited the company’s premises to seek employment but decided to take the car after noticing that its keys were inside.

Rimac said he was not planning to press charges against the suspect. However, he acknowledged that the man could still face prosecution because of the high value of the stolen vehicle.

The CEO also revealed that he had considered giving the suspect a lift home to his family but police officers did not allow him to do so.

The recovered Chiron sustained some damage during the incident, although Rimac said it could be repaired.

The businessman thanked the Austrian police for their intervention, saying he was relieved that nobody was injured during the incident.

He also admitted that the experience had taught him an expensive lesson, promising never again to leave the keys inside his vehicles.

The Bugatti Chiron, unveiled in 2016, is one of the world’s most powerful luxury hypercars. The model has a starting price of about €2.4 million, equivalent to approximately £2 million, and a manufacturer-limited top speed of 420 kilometres per hour.

Bugatti operates under Bugatti Rimac, a joint venture in which Rimac Group holds a majority stake.

The unusual theft has attracted international attention because of the vehicle’s value, the suspect’s reported reason for visiting the facility and the extraordinary cross-border pursuit involving the Bugatti chief executive.

Job Seeker Steals Bugatti CEO’s £2m Car After Finding Keys Inside

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Netanyahu Faces Political Setback as Israeli President Picks Rival to Form Government

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Netanyahu Faces Political Setback as Israeli President Picks Rival to Form Government
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Netanyahu Faces Political Setback as Israeli President Picks Rival to Form Government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has given opposition leader and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot the first opportunity to form the country’s next government, dealing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a major political setback after a closely contested general election.

Herzog announced his decision on Saturday, November 7, 2026, following consultations with political parties elected to the 26th Knesset, Israel’s parliament.

Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, emerged with the highest number of recommendations from lawmakers, receiving the backing of representatives from factions controlling 67 seats, compared with 46 seats for Netanyahu. Representatives of another faction controlling seven seats did not recommend either candidate.

The decision followed the October 27 general election, which left neither Netanyahu’s governing bloc nor the opposition grouping with the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority in the 120-member Knesset.

Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition secured 53 seats, while the four-party opposition alliance led by Eisenkot won 48. The two Arab-led parties made significant gains, securing a combined 19 seats, placing them in a potentially decisive position in negotiations over the next government.

Eisenkot is expected to receive the formal mandate from Herzog at a ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on Sunday, November 8.

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Under the Israeli government-formation process, he will have 28 days to negotiate a coalition, with the possibility of a further 14-day extension.

The former military chief will face difficult negotiations because his opposition alliance does not have enough seats to govern independently. Although the Arab-led parties have endorsed him, Eisenkot has previously expressed reservations about forming a coalition with them.

One possible route is to establish a minority government with support from Arab-led lawmakers on confidence votes and key legislation. Another option would involve reaching an agreement with ultra-Orthodox parties that have traditionally aligned with Netanyahu.

However, both options could create tensions within Eisenkot’s own political alliance, particularly among members who oppose relying on Arab parties or making concessions to religious parties.

A broader national unity government involving Netanyahu’s Likud party is another possibility, although the two leaders have significant disagreements over key political and security issues.

Eisenkot has previously ruled out serving in a government alongside Netanyahu, while criticising the prime minister’s handling of the war in Gaza and his reliance on far-right political partners.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, had sought to prevent an opposition-led government from emerging with the support of Arab-led parties.

Shortly before Herzog announced his decision, Netanyahu called for a national unity government and warned against the formation of an administration dependent on what he described as supporters of terrorism, referring to the Arab-led parties.

His comments drew criticism from Eisenkot’s political camp, which accused the prime minister of using divisive language to undermine the opposition’s efforts to form a government.

The Arab-led parties, which represent a significant section of Israel’s Palestinian citizens, have indicated their willingness to support efforts to end Netanyahu’s long tenure in office.

Their combined 19 seats could provide Eisenkot with the parliamentary backing needed to overcome the deadlock, although securing a workable arrangement remains uncertain.

Eisenkot, 66, served as chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces from 2015 to 2019 before entering politics in 2022. He later served as an observer in Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

He subsequently became one of Netanyahu’s most prominent critics, particularly over the conduct of the war in Gaza, the government’s security decisions and the influence of far-right politicians.

If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the stipulated period, Herzog may give another candidate the opportunity to try. If the process remains unsuccessful, Israel could be forced into another general election.

Netanyahu will remain prime minister in a caretaker capacity until a new government is sworn in.

Herzog’s decision therefore represents an important development in Israel’s political transition, but the final outcome will depend on whether Eisenkot can overcome divisions among opposition parties and secure sufficient parliamentary support.

Netanyahu Faces Political Setback as Israeli President Picks Rival to Form Government

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White House Reaffirms US Policy Recognising Only Two Genders

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White House Reaffirms US Policy Recognising Only Two Genders
U.S. President Donald Trump
White House Reaffirms US Policy Recognising Only Two Genders

The White House has reaffirmed the United States government’s policy recognising only two sexes, male and female, under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The administration restated its position in a message published on its official X account on Friday, November 6, 2026, declaring that the United States government officially recognises only two genders.

“It is the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male & female,” the White House stated.

The latest declaration reinforces Trump’s position on gender identity and his administration’s efforts to make biological sex the basis for federal government policies, official documents and administrative procedures.

Trump formally established the policy on January 20, 2025, through an executive order titled Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.

Under Section Two of the executive order, the President declared that it was the policy of the United States to recognise two sexes, male and female.

The directive defined sex as an individual’s unchangeable biological classification as either male or female, distinguishing it from gender identity.

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It also instructed federal agencies to adopt the definitions when interpreting and implementing federal laws, regulations and government policies.

Among other measures, the executive order directed government agencies to review and remove official statements, policies, regulations and communications considered inconsistent with the administration’s position.

It further required federal agencies to ensure that official forms requesting information about an individual’s sex provided only male and female options.

The policy marked a significant departure from measures introduced under former President Joe Biden, whose administration expanded federal recognition of gender identity in several areas of government operations.

In 2022, the Biden administration introduced an X gender marker option on US passports, allowing applicants who did not identify as male or female to select the alternative designation.

Trump’s executive order sought to reverse such measures and restore biological sex as the basis for federal government recognition.

The administration has maintained that the policy is intended to protect sex-based rights and ensure consistency in the interpretation of federal laws.

However, the policy has generated considerable debate over transgender rights, gender identity, discrimination and the legal recognition of transgender and non-binary people in the United States.

The White House’s latest declaration did not announce a new executive order or additional regulatory measures but reaffirmed the administration’s existing position on an issue that continues to attract political, legal and social debate.

 

White House Reaffirms US Policy Recognising Only Two Genders

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