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Israel has ended an agreement that facilitated the work of the main United Nations relief organisation for Palestinian refugees.UNRWA, which is the biggest aid provider in Gaza, has been infiltrated by Hamas, according to Israel which has accused some of the agency's staff of participating in the 7 October attack in the south of the country. It denies the allegations and says it is a neutral organisation.The Israelis have now officially told the UN they were cancelling the agreement. Image: Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Pic: Reuters/Mohammed Salem The latest move appears to be a step towards severing ties with UNRWA and preventing it from operating in Israel. It has been the main UN relief organisation delivering ...

Dozens of migrants living in "abhorrent" conditions on the Chagos Islands may now be offered the chance to be transferred to the UK following legal action.Some 61 Tamil Sri Lankan asylum seekers, including 16 children, have been living on Diego Garcia - the largest of the islands in the Indian Ocean - since October 2021 after being rescued at sea by Royal Navy personnel. In March, some of the migrants brought legal action against the Foreign Office, claiming there had been an "unlawful delay" in arranging their relocation to a safe third country.The High Court in London was previously told that they had faced "inhumane" conditions on the island, including overcrowding and rat infestations. Image: Map: OpenStreetMap In a let...

We are driving through the beleaguered town of Algemesi and Sam Borras Garcia is at the wheel, guiding us through a landscape of destruction and desperation.You can't miss our car - big, muscular, bright yellow and red. Sam is a firefighter, a son of this town. He wants the world to see what Algemesi has suffered. We are waved through a police roadblock and drive into the town. The only other vehicles here are either emergency services, or else they're smashed cars. "It's incredible," he mutters as we enter. "This is my town, my family, my friends."As he edges round the roads, the car can barely squeeze between the growing piles of rubbish on either side. We have to avoid large, gaping holes in the road where drain covers were washed away. Periodically, he stops to comfort locals, to greet...