3 h. ago Lush boss says people who oppose his views on Gaza shouldn’t shop at his stores

Mark Constantine OBE led a shutdown of Lush stores earlier this year in solidarity with people in Gaza

Economics

4 h. ago ‘I can’t forget the horror’: a young mother on giving birth twice during the Gaza war

Hadeel Al Gherbawi survived her two pregnancies despite extreme hunger and painChildbirth under attack: how women and babies became targets in conflicts around the worldHadeel Al Gherbawi was seven months pregnant when the war started in October 2023. Up until that point the 26-year-old had meticulously prepared for her son’s arrival. She visited her doctor twice a month because the pregnancy was high risk, had regular ultrasounds and took vitamins. “I love the details,” she says.Living on the east side of Gaza City, close to the border with Israel, and knowing that being pregnant would make moving fast difficult, she decided to go to her parents in the west of Gaza City that first day. “I thought it was just going to be a few days and I would go back.” Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Lush boss says shoppers who oppose his views on Gaza shouldn’t shop at his stores

Mark Constantine OBE led a shutdown of Lush stores earlier this year in solidarity with people in Gaza

Economics

3 d. ago Europe has lost all credibility in the Middle East. The way to regain it lies in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon | Nathalie Tocci

Sidelined by Trump, preoccupied with Ukraine and damaged by its immoral stance on Gaza, Europe can still help stabilise its eastern Mediterranean neighbours A year after the overthrow of Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, the former jihadi fighter turned Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed the Doha Forum earlier this month, deftly parrying questions about his controversial past and outlining his country’s complex journey toward a participatory, rules-based system. As I listened, it struck me that, while Europe’s role in the Middle East has been severely damaged by its immoral stance on the Gaza war and its self-inflicted exclusion from Iran nuclear diplomacy, Europeans still have a role to play when it comes to its neighbours in the eastern Mediterranean.Europe’s world has been turned upside down by Washington’s alignment with Moscow in the Ukraine war and the transatlantic rift as the Trump administration treats Europe as an adversary. Another dimension of this upheaval is E...

Politics

1 week ago Winter storm rips through Gaza, exposing failure to deliver enough aid to territory

Storm Byron has hit Gaza, worsening the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn area

Events

1 week ago Tony Blair left out of Gaza ‘board of peace’ due to Iraq war history

Former UK Prime Minister had eyed a leading role on Trump’s council after working on the Israel-Hamas peace process

Events

2 w. ago Christmas celebrations return to Bethlehem after 2 years of war in Gaza

Christmas celebrations are returning to Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank after two years of war in Gaza

Events

2 w. ago Bethlehem lights up Christmas tree for first time since 2022

The Palestinian city is revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus

Politics

2 w. ago Gravel, rotten wood and no bricks: Palestinians struggle to rebuild homes in the ruins of Gaza City

With tents collapsing and infrastructure in ruins, ordinary Gazans are leading a grassroots push to restore their homes as winter approaches, Ezz Al Din Abu Eisha reports

Politics

2 w. ago Gravel, rotten wood and no bricks: Palestinians struggle to rebuild home in the ruins of Gaza City

With tents collapsing and infrastructure in ruins, ordinary Gazans are leading a grassroots push to restore their homes as winter approaches, Ezz Al Din Abu Eisha reports

Politics

2 w. ago BBC backs decision to let Israel join Eurovision as four countries boycott event

Ireland, Spain, Netherlands and Slovenia lead action protesting against Israeli conduct in Gaza war

Politics

2 w. ago BBC backs decision to let Israel join Eurovision 2026 as four countries pledge to boycott event

Ireland, Spain and Netherlands lead action protesting at Israeli conduct in war with Gaza

Politics

2 w. ago Four countries to boycott Eurovision 2026 as Israel cleared to compete

Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands pull out after decision not to hold vote on Israel’s participationIreland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision after Israel was given the all-clear to compete in the 2026 song contest despite calls by several participating broadcasters for its exclusion over the war in Gaza.No vote on Israel’s participation was held on Thursday at the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body that organises the competition. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Ireland among countries boycotting Eurovision Song Contest 2026 over Israel

In September, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia threatened to withdraw unless Israel was excluded over the war in Gaza.

Politics

2 w. ago Ireland, Holland and Spain vow to boycott Eurovision after contest refuses to ban Israel

European Broadcasting Union members decided on Thursday not to call a vote on Israel's participation, amid protests over the way its government conducted its war in Gaza .

Politics

2 w. ago Multiple countries boycott Eurovision after Israel allowed to compete next year

The announcements came after European Broadcasting Union met to discuss concerns about Israel's role in the contest amid its conduct of the war in Gaza

Politics

2 w. ago Mother charged with enabling sexual abuse of daughter, 11, who gave birth at home

Cherie Walker, 33, and her partner Dustin Walker, 34, were arrested after an 11-year-old girl gave birth in their Oklahoma home. DNA tests showed Dustin was a 99.9% match as the baby's father, court documents state.

Events

2 w. ago Death of Irish mother in ‘free birth’ reveals how poor maternity care is pushing women towards extreme influencers

Women in Ireland and the UK linked to Free Birth Society among scores around world to have suffered loss or serious harm after birthsFull story: How the FBS is linked to baby deaths around the worldOver a weekend in late June 2024, Emilee Saldaya, the leader of the Free Birth Society, hosted a festival on her 21-hectare (53-acre) property in North Carolina. It was a celebratory gathering for FBS, a multimillion-dollar business that promotes a radical approach to giving birth without medical support.Promotional footage from the Matriarch Rising festival shows Saldaya dancing beside her private lake, wearing a crown. That same weekend, more than 3,000 miles away, in Dundalk, a town on the east coast of Ireland, Naomi James, bled to death after freebirthing her son. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Mass wedding in Gaza celebrates new life after years of war and tragedy

Dressed in traditional Palestinian prints and a suit, Eman Hassan Lawwa and Hikmat Lawwa walked hand-in-hand past the crumbled buildings of southern Gaza in a line of couples dressed exactly the same as them

Events

3 w. ago Israel hands over remains of 15 hostages as Gaza 'ceasefire' holds

Grim body swaps take place between Israel and Hamas and the stricken region is on a nervous knife-edge as the next stage of the ceasefiere process approaches war-battered Gaza

Events