Trump says US will take over and ‘own’ Gaza

Donald Trump has said the US will take over and level the Gaza Strip, adding that “the same people” should not be in charge of rebuilding and occupying the land.

The president said the US would take ownership of the Gaza Strip and redevelop it after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and turn the territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East” in which the “world’s people”— including Palestinians — would live.

Such a move would shatter decades of US policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Earlier the US president said he wants there to be a “beautiful area” where Palestinians can “resettle permanently”, as he described Gaza as a “living in hell” during a meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Why it matters: This is the first time Trump has publicly floated making the resettlement of Palestinians permanent, a call that has led to criticisms it would amount to ethnic cleansing. Trump also called on Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries to take in Palestinians from Gaza temporarily while reconstruction takes place after the 15-month conflict. Those countries have previously rejected the idea of relocating the two million Palestinians from Gaza elsewhere in the region.

US withdraw from UN bodies

Donald Trump has signed a document to stop US engagement with the United Nations Human Rights Council and continue a halt to funding for the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA.

Why this matters: Trump’s administration quit the council in the President’s first term over what it called chronic bias against Israel and a lack of reform. It came head of Trump’s meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Thursday blocked UNRWA from entering and distributing aid in the West Bank.

Emergency personnel and police officers at the scene of a shooting in Sweden (Photo: TT News Agency/Kicki Nilsson/AP)

Sweden shooting

At least 11 people, including the gunman, have been killed in what Sweden’s Prime Minister called the worst mass shooting in the country’s history. Police said they are not considering the attack at an adult education centre in the city of Orebro, 125 miles from Stockholm, as terror-related.

The context: Gun violence in Sweden has risen in recent years despite its strict gun laws. Deaths caused by shootings in Sweden are among the highest in the European Union.

Letby ‘new evidence’

An international panel of experts in the care of newborn babies have presented what they say is significant new medical evidence in the case of convicted child serial killer Lucy Letby.

Why it matters: Letby’s legal team has applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to investigate her case as a potential miscarriage of justice – a CCRC review is the only legal avenue left for her to appeal her convictions.

Lucy Letby is arrested by Cheshire Constabulary (Photo: Cheshire Constabulary/PA)

Stepping up jab safety

People wanting to buy weight loss jabs online will face more stringent checks as part of a shake-up of pharmacy rules, with a two-way consultation with the patient now required.

Why it matters: The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has flagged concerns about people with eating disorders, or whose body weight is already low, being wrongly prescribed the drugs

Aga Khan dead

The Aga Khan, who became the spiritual leader of the world’s millions of Ismaili Muslims at age 20 as a Harvard undergraduate, has died at the age of 88.

Why it matters: Prince Karim al-Hussaini, the 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, poured a material empire built on billions of dollars in tithes into building homes, hospitals and schools in developing countries.

The Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims, has died at the age of 88 (Photo: PA)

‘Pushing ahead’ on Chagos

The Prime Minister remains “confident” that a deal can be reached on the Chagos Islands, stressing that he intends to “push ahead” with the agreement reached between Mauritius and the UK, the island’s Prime Minister has told his parliament.

Why it matters: The prospect of a renegotiated deal has caused controversy in the UK and US, with Conservatives and senior Trump officials claiming that ceding control of the islands could weaken Western influence in the Indian Ocean and strengthen the reach of China.

Kate joins school trip

The Princess of Wales joins a group of school children to visit the National Portrait Gallery (Photo: Arthur Edwards/Reuters)

The Princess of Wales has joined a class of four and five-year-olds on a school trip to the National Portrait Gallery, where she opened an interactive gallery based on work by her Royal Foundation for Early Childhood.

Why it matters: Kate met museum executives during her visit who will be launching their own projects based on the Royal Foundation’s Shaping Us Framework, calling on society to “invest in humankind” and “build a more loving, empathetic and compassionate” world.

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