Israel to call up 60,000 reservists in plan to expand war, seize Gaza City
Israel will call up 60,000 reservists in the coming weeks as it pushes forward with a plan to seize Gaza City, the military has said, even as mediators pursue efforts to secure a ceasefire in the 22-month war.
The military said on Wednesday that Defence Minister Israel Katz approved plans to begin operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated areas, and that it would call up 60,000 reservists and lengthen the service of an additional 20,000 reservists.
Jimmy Lai has ‘unwavering intent’ to solicit foreign sanctions, Hong Kong court told
Wed 20 Aug 2025 13.54 BST
Prosecutors in Jimmy Lai’s marathon national security trial have wrapped up their closing arguments in Hong Kong, telling the court that the elderly media mogul and activist had “unwavering intent” to solicit foreign sanctions.
Lai has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiring to commit foreign collusion under the Beijing-designed national security law, and another charge under the colonial-era laws of conspiring to publish seditious materials. Prosecutors say Lai used his media outlet and foreign political connections to lobby for governments to impose sanctions and other punitive measures against Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.
Israel approves major settlement project that would divide West Bank
Israel gave final approval Wednesday for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut the territory in two, and that Palestinians and rights groups say could destroy hopes for a future Palestinian state.
Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to US pressure during previous administrations. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.
Asylum hotels latest: Councils vow to take legal action after Epping migrant site shut as Reform calls for protests
Chaos facing Starmer comes after Epping council granted temporary injunction blocking migrants from being housed at The Bell Hotel
More councils are now vowing to launch legal challenges over the government’s use of asylum hotels, sparking chaos for Sir Keir Starmer, as Reform UK calls for protests.
Councils have announced they are considering action to ban migrants from being housed in their areas after Epping Forest District Council won an interim High Court injunction to stop asylum seekers being housed at The Bell Hotel.
Firefighters battle flame on one of the world's oldest trees
Emergency services in the US state of Oregon were still working to save the Doerner Fir, believed to be one of the world's oldest trees, early on Wednesday after the famed pine caught alight over the weekend.
A coastal Douglas Fir, the tree is 325 feet (99 meters) tall and considered to be at least 450 years old.
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