12,000 bodies under Gaza rubble amid Israel’s ban on heavy equipment
- Hamas will not be able to honour its promise to hand over the remains of Israeli captives because they are among more than 12,000 bodies under the rubble in Gaza and Israel is preventing heavy equipment from entering the enclave, according to the head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, Salama Maarouf.
- Israel has allowed 8,500 aid trucks into Gaza over the past 20 days “far from the minimum required” by the Hamas-Israel ceasefire of 12,000, the Government Media Office says.
- US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order authorising economic and travel sanctions against people who work on International Criminal Court (ICC) investigations of US citizens or US allies, such as Israel.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed a confirmed 47,583 people and injured 111,633, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry. The Government Media Office has updated the death toll to at least 61,709 people, saying thousands of people who were missing under the rubble are now presumed dead. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
Sudanese army says it is close to retaking Khartoum from paramilitaries
Army making rapid advances across the country and closing in on RSF-held Republican Palace in Khartoum
Fri 7 Feb 2025 14.44 GMT
Sudanese army says it is close to retaking Khartoum from paramilitaries
Army making rapid advances across the country and closing in on RSF-held Republican Palace in Khartoum
Sudan’s brutal civil war appears to be approaching a decisive phase as the country’s military reported sweeping gains in the symbolic battle for the capital.
As a ruinous conflict, often characterised by bloody stalemate, nears its two-year anniversary, the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) declared a string of rapid advances across the country against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Most notable were developments in the capital, Khartoum, where military forces are closing in on the RSF-held Republican Palace.
Taliban tell Trump they want to reset relationship with US – but don’t expect to get Humvees back
Taliban denies wanting to make a deal with Trump administration on leftover military aid
The Taliban have signalled their willingness to start afresh with the US administration of Donald Trump but claimed ownership of the military equipment and vehicles the American and Nato forces left behind.
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the Taliban’s spokesperson for the foreign ministry, spoke to CBS News on Wednesday and said that the group controlling Afghanistan was ready to establish a new diplomatic chapter on engagement with the US.
"We would like to close the chapter of warfare and open a new chapter," Mr Balkhi.
UN rights chief warns against 'escalating' DR Congo conflict
The UN Human Rights Council is considering whether to launch an investigation into alleged abuses committed in eastern Congo on Kinshasa's request. Rwanda alleged it was responding to an "imminent" threat from Congo.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk on Friday said that he was disturbed by the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and warned that violence could spread throughout the region.
The UN Human Rights Council is considering whether to launch an international investigation into alleged abuses committed in eastern Congo. The urgent meeting was requested by Kinshasa.
Last week, Rwandan-backed M23 fighters seized the crucial eastern Congolese city of Goma.
Hong Kong, law and order: Inside the rebel city now under Chinese control
Ten years after the so-called "Umbrella movement" that saw tens of thousands of Hong Kongers take to the streets demanding more democracy, and just five years after record protests during the summer of 2019, Hong Kong – the rebel city – has been crushed.
In June 2020, the National Security Law imposed by China gave Beijing the upper hand. Freedoms have been stripped away and opposition silenced in the former British colony, which had enjoyed a high degree of autonomy since the UK handed it back to China in 1997. Now, a shifting red line has been drawn and the slightest misstep can land people in prison. With the 2020 law, denounced as oppressive by Western capitals and human rights NGOs, Beijing’s control is now almost total. Political opponents are jailed or forced into exile, while media outlets are either closed down of forced to follow the Chinese editorial line. School programmes have been reviewed to train a new generation of "patriots".
Sweden plans tighter gun laws after Orebro school shooting
Joel Gunter
Sweden's government has announced plans to tighten its gun laws, days after the worst mass shooting in the country's history.
A gunman who killed 10 people and himself at an adult education centre in Orebro on Tuesday had four legally-owned rifles, three of which were found at the school, police said.
Sweden's centre-right coalition said it would seek to increase vetting for gun licenses and restrict access to semi-automatic weapons.
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