BBC News (World)

Israel says South Africa distorting the truth in ICJ genocide case Israel has said South Africa has distorted the truth in its case to the International Court of Justice, where it is accusing Israel of genocide. South Africa had presented "a sweeping counter-factual description" of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Israeli lawyer Tal Becker told the ICJ. South Africa says Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in its war in Gaza. It is also asking the court to order Israel to halt its military activity. read more

Israel officials support Gaza destruction, court hears Israel's plan to "destroy" Gaza comes from "the highest level of state", the UN's top court has heard. The claims were made by South African lawyers as it presented its case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice. South Africa also called on the court to order Israel to cease military operations in Gaza. read more

Ecuador declares war on armed gangs after TV station attacked on air Ecuador's president has ordered that criminal gangs be "neutralised" after days of violence culminated in an attack on a television studio. Masked gunmen broke into public television channel TC's live studio during a broadcast, forcing staff to the floor. Police made 13 arrests following the attack, which injured two employees. At least 10 people have been killed since a 60-day state of emergency began in Ecuador on Monday. read more

Gabriel Attal: Macron's pick for PM is France's youngest at 34 Gabriel Attal has been named France's next prime minister, as Emmanuel Macron aims to revive his presidency with a new government. At 34, he is the youngest PM in modern French history, outranking even Socialist Laurent Fabius who was 37 when he was appointed by François Mitterrand in 1984. Mr Attal replaces Élisabeth Borne, who resigned after 20 months in office. Throughout that time she struggled with a lack of a majority in parliament. Gabriel Attal, who is currently education minister, certainly makes an eye-catching appointment. read more

Hamas command in north Gaza destroyed, Israel says The Israeli army says it has "completed the dismantling" of Hamas's command structure in the northern Gaza Strip. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters that Palestinian militants are now operating in the area only sporadically and "without commanders". He said Israel had killed around 8,000 militants in north Gaza. The BBC cannot independently verify this number. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) are now focused on dismantling Hamas in south and central Gaza, he said. read more

Flights cancelled as regulator grounds Boeing 737 Max 9s over blowout Thousands of passengers face flight cancellations after major US airlines grounded dozens of Boeing jets after a mid-flight blowout over Oregon. The US aviation regulator said 171 Boeing 737 Max 9s must be grounded for checks after part of an Alaska Airlines plane's fuselage fell off on Friday. Alaska said flight disruptions are expected to last into next week. United Airlines has grounded 79 planes. Disruptions are likely to primarily affect flights in the US. read more

Israeli minister outlines plans for Gaza after war Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has outlined proposals for the future governance of Gaza once the war between Israel and Hamas is over. There would, he said, be limited Palestinian rule in the territory. Hamas would no longer control Gaza and Israel would retain overall security control, he added. Fighting in Gaza continued alongside the plan's publication, with dozens of people killed in the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry said. read more

Japan jet crash: Passengers describe chaos inside flight 516 First came the shock, as the Airbus A350 carrying 379 people collided with a second plane while landing in Tokyo. Then came heat and smoke as the jet sped along the runway in flames. Then survival instinct kicked in, as people scrambled to flee a cabin filling with fumes, knowing that lives depended on the next few seconds. That all on Japan Airlines flight 516 escaped is extraordinary. Experts say a flawless evacuation and new technology played a large part in their survival. read more

Japan Airlines plane in flames on runway at Tokyo's Haneda airport A Japan Airlines plane burst into flames after an apparent collision with a smaller coastguard aircraft on the runway at Tokyo's Haneda airport. All 379 passengers and crew on board were evacuated but five of the six crew on the coastguard plane died, police said. The captain was injured. Footage showed flames engulfing the airliner. The runway was also alight. Fire crews are still battling to douse the blaze on the plane, which arrived from Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido. read more

Muhammad Yunus: Nobel laureate sentenced to jail in Bangladesh A court in Bangladesh has sentenced the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to six months in jail for violating the country's labour laws. Prof Yunus has been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. His supporters say the case is politically motivated. The acclaimed economist and three colleagues from Grameen Telecom - one of the firms he founded - were found guilty of failing to create a welfare fund for their workers. All four deny any wrongdoing and have been granted bail pending appeals. read more

Queen Margrethe II: Danish monarch announces abdication live on TV Denmark's Queen Margrethe II has announced her surprise abdication in a new year TV address. She will formally step down on 14 January, which will be 52 years to the day since she became queen. "I will leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik," she announced. The 83-year-old is the world's only reigning queen and the longest serving current monarch in Europe, taking the throne after the death of her father King Frederik IX in 1972. read more

South Africa files ICJ case accusing Israel of 'genocidal acts' South Africa has filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) alleging that Israel is engaging in "genocidal acts" in Gaza. The UN court confirmed the proceedings concerning alleged violations of Israel's obligations under the Genocide Convention. Israel has strongly rejected the allegation, calling it "baseless". "Israel rejects with disgust the blood libel spread by South Africa", the foreign ministry said. read more

Thousands of Palestinians flee central Gaza as Israeli troops advance An estimated 150,000 Palestinians are being forced to flee areas of central Gaza, the UN has said, as Israeli forces advance on refugee camps there. Witnesses and Hamas's armed wing reported that tanks had reached the eastern outskirts of Bureij camp. Israel's military recently expanded its ground offensive to target Bureij and nearby Nuseirat and Maghazi camps. Israeli bombardment also killed dozens of people across Gaza on Thursday, the Hamas-run health ministry said. read more

Israel-Gaza war: Hamas reports 241 killed in Gaza inside 24 hours Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has said at least 241 people were killed in the past 24 hours, as Israel's military operation continues in the territory. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called the war a "grave crime" against his people. Israel's army chief Herzi Halevi said the conflict with Hamas would continue for "many more months". Israel says it hit more than 100 sites on Tuesday, amid reports of impending ground operations in central Gaza. read more

Russia confirms damage to warship in Black Sea Russia has confirmed one of its warships has been damaged in a Ukrainian attack on a Black Sea port. The airstrike took place at Feodosiya in Russian-occupied Crimea early on Tuesday morning. Russia's Ministry of Defence said the large landing ship Novocherkassk was struck by Ukrainian aircraft carrying guided missiles. The head of the Ukrainian Air Force said earlier its warplanes had destroyed the ship. read more

Israel-Gaza war: Netanyahu vows to intensify campaign Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will intensify its fight against Hamas in the coming days. He told members of his party that he had visited Gaza on Monday morning and that Israel's military campaign there was "not close to being over". His comments come days after the US secretary of state said Israel should lower the intensity of its strikes. The war began on 7 October after Hamas led a deadly attack on communities inside Israel. read more

Israel Gaza war: Hamas says 70 killed in Israeli air strike on camp Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says an Israeli air strike killed at least 70 people in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the centre of the strip. A spokesman said the death toll was likely to rise given the large number of families living in the area. The Israeli military told the BBC it was looking into reports of the strike. It comes as Israeli and Arab media say Egypt, which borders the Gaza Strip, has put forward a new proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. read more

Israel-Gaza: Israel says it has arrested hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad members Israel says it has arrested 200 members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups in the past week and taken them into its territory for questioning. A statement said some of the suspects had been hiding among the civilian population and surrendered voluntarily. Israel says 700 Palestinian militants have been arrested since it launched its military operation and invasion of Gaza with the aim of eliminating Hamas. Hamas says mostly women and children are being killed by the Israelis. The BBC is unable to verify the claims. read more

Israeli strikes on Gaza continue as UN calls for more aid Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip continued late into the night on Friday, with reports of sustained air strikes and ground attacks. A strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed at least 18 people, according to Palestinian media. People in another camp, Bureij, were ordered by Israel's army to move south as it continued its ground offensive. In New York, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution urging more humanitarian aid for Gaza. read more

Prague shooting: Czech police seek motive behind country's worst mass attack Czech police are working to uncover the motive behind the country's worst-ever mass shooting, which saw a student open fire at a university in central Prague, killing 14 and wounding 25 others. Czech President Petr Pavel has appealed for unity and said the killings should not be used to launch political attacks or spread misinformation. The victims, who have not yet been named, include the gunman's father. Saturday has been declared a national day of mourning. read more