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Israel has banned the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in the country - a move which could hamper its work in Gaza.UNRWA's chief Philippe Lazzarini has warned the ban "will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza". Source link

The oil price has dropped steeply as tensions in the Middle East appeared to ease.For the first time since the very start of the month, the cost of a barrel of the benchmark oil Brent crude is below $72 at $71.93. The oil price stood at $76 on Friday evening, before Monday morning's fall of more than 5%.It means the cost of oil is cheaper than it has been for the vast majority of the past two years. The cost of oil impacts the price of filling a tank with petrol or diesel and should trickle down to pump prices in about 10 days. It comes as the threat of further conflict escalation in the Middle East appeared to lessen.Iran and Israel have been exchanging missile strikes but the latest comments from Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei avoided directly threatening Israel in a spee...

Police in Shanghai have been targeting Halloween celebrations, seemingly due to costumes considered politically sensitive.At least half a dozen people in costumes in the city's Zhongshan Park were seen being led away by officers on Friday night. Although there has been no official notice banning Halloween, local officials appear to be trying to prevent a repeat of last year.Then China's financial capital saw some people dressed up in hazmat suits linked to COVID-19 and other outift related to social and economic issues Image: Last year in Shanghai, some wore Halloween costumes linked to sensitive topics like China's handling of COVID-19. Pic: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Others wore costumes made of blank sheets of pape...

The former president of the Philippines has admitted to having a "death squad" of gangsters while he was a city mayor.Rodrigo Duterte, 79, was giving evidence to a senate inquiry into drug-related killings during his presidency from 2016 to 2022. He denied authorising police to shoot thousands of suspects during a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs at that time - but commented on his time as mayor of the southern city of Davao instead.He told the senate on Monday: "I can make the confession now if you want. I had a death squad of seven, but they were not policemen, they were also gangsters."I'll ask a gangster to kill somebody. 'If you will not kill (that person), I will kill you now.'" The inquiry's chairman, senator Aquilino Pimentel III pressed Mr Duterte for more details, but he refused...

There is intense interest in the trial of Gerard Depardieu in Paris.Warning: This article contains details of alleged sexual assaults that some readers might find distressing. Members of the public queued to get access to the criminal court, despite the fact Depardieu's lawyer had said that the actor was too ill to attend on Monday.There wasn't a free seat in the courtroom as proceedings began.In the front row, flanked by their lawyers, were the women who allege the French film star sexually assaulted them on the set of a movie in 2021. To their left, the slick city legal team representing the 75-year-old actor.Depardieu is accused of two sexual assaults. If found guilty it could carry a sentence of five years in prison and a fine of €75,000 (£62,000).Both women allege that on separate oc...

Volkswagen is planning to shut at least three factories in Germany and lay off tens of thousands of staff.Its remaining plants in Germany are also set to be downsized, according to the head of the company's works council Daniela Cavallo. Europe's biggest carmaker has spent weeks negotiating with unions over its plans to revamp its business and cut costs, which have spiralled thanks to labour and energy prices.The German firm employs about 300,000 people in its home country and operates 10 plants, but has said a major restructuring is needed.Ms Cavallo told workers at VW's biggest plant in Wolfsburg that the company was "absolutely serious about all this" and the proposals were not "sabre-rattling". Image: Daniela Cavallo speaks to employees a...

Colin Farrell has helped raise nearly £600,000 for a charity supporting people with a rare genetic condition, completing the Dublin Marathon by pushing his friend over the finish line in her wheelchair.The Hollywood star said Emma Fogarty - who is Ireland's longest survivor with the genetic condition epidermolysis bullosa (EB) - is "what courage is all about". Image: Pic: PA Born with no skin on her left foot and right arm, Miss Fogarty experiences excruciating blisters from the slightest touch - a condition also known as butterfly skin.Farrell, 48, finished the 42km (26-mile) run in four hours, six minutes and 45 seconds.Each of the final four kilometres of the race represented a decade of Miss Fogarty's life. Now aged 40...

The small population of a village in Japan is now "outnumbered by puppets" - after using life-like mannequins to replace those who have left the area.Fewer than 60 people live in the southern village of Ichinono - with most of them past retirement age, as younger people have moved away for jobs or education. In an effort to heal feelings of loneliness that can come after the departure of neighbours or loved ones, the villagers have used old clothes, fabrics and mannequins to stitch together a new population of puppets.A mannequin girl wearing a beanie hat can be seen swaying gently on a wooden swing, while her friend, a boy with a big smile, stands on a scooter, ready to go.Another puppet girl in a red helmet is seen sitting on a bike nearby. Meanwhile, under leafless trees in another part...

A man has died after a boat carrying migrants deflated in the English Channel, officials say.French authorities said the man, who was Indian and around 40 years old, was on a boat that departed from Tardinghen, northern France, at 5.30am on Sunday.The boat quickly deflated after departing, and those onboard swam back to the beach, authorities said.Emergency services attempted to help the man, but he died at the scene.Authorities also said several other attempts were stopped by police on Sunday morning, including in Equihen-Plage, Calais and Sangatte.Read more:What Dover residents make of small boat crossingsMan charged after weeks-old baby dies in car crash ...

Global climate action plans are "falling miles short" of what is needed to stop climate change from "crippling" economies, the United Nations has warned.Current national climate plans submitted by 168 nations to the UN will see global emissions of greenhouse gases in 2030 just 2.6% lower than in 2019, a new report has found. This marks only "marginal progress" since the same annual "Synthesis" report last year, when 2030 emissions were forecast to be 2.0% lower than in 2019.And it is "only a fraction" of what is "urgently needed", it said, given emissions should plummet 43% by 2030 in order to stave off the worst impacts of climate change, as per the advice from UN climate science body the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).The UN's climate change chief Simon Stiell said: "Th...