UK steps up action against Israel over Gaza offensive

The UK has suspended talks on a trade deal with Israel, summoned the country’s ambassador and imposed fresh sanctions on West Bank settlers, as Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the military escalation in Gaza as “monstrous”. The move follows warnings of starvation in Gaza after Israel launched a new military operation over the weekend. There … Read more

UK sanctions ‘godmother’ of Israel’s settler movement Daniella Weiss

The UK government has announced sanctions on Daniella Weiss, a far-right Israeli settler known as the “godmother” of the settler movement. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the move “demonstrates our determination to hold extremist settlers to account as Palestinian communities suffer violence and intimidation”. Weiss, 79, is the leader of a radical settler organisation called … Read more

French police launch prison hunt for Chinese-made miniature phones

Hugh Schofield Paris correspondent FRENCH PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE The contraband phones are the size of a cigarette lighter French authorities have launched a nationwide hunt for thousands of tiny Chinese-made telephones used by convicts to continue criminal activities from inside prison. The telephones, no bigger than a cigarette-lighter, are almost entirely plastic, and have a reputation … Read more

Spain clamps down on Airbnb as tourism backlash returns for summer

Getty Images Thousands of protesters took to the streets in the Canary Islands complaining of over-tourism The Spanish government has called for the removal of the listings of nearly 66,000 properties on rental platform Airbnb on the grounds that they breach regulations for tourist accommodation. The clampdown comes as protests against over-tourism have begun ahead … Read more

Zelensky accuses Russia of ‘buying time’ to stall truce talks

Getty Images Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of “trying to buy time” to continue its war in Ukraine, a day after Donald Trump said progress towards a ceasefire had been made in a call with Vladimir Putin. “If Russia continues to put forward unrealistic conditions and undermine progress, there must be tough consequences,” Ukraine’s president … Read more