Latest world news News: Today’s Live Updates 01-Dec-2023

Former President Donald Trump can be sued over the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, according to a ruling by a US federal appeals court. The ruling means that Trump could face civil action over the violent clashes, which saw a mob overrun law enforcement at the Capitol. Two Capitol police officers and several Democratic lawmakers sued Trump in 2021, alleging that he may have incited violence in his public comments to supporters before the attack. Trump's legal team had argued that he had immunity as president, but the court ruled that he had not established his entitlement to immunity.

Israel is reportedly intensifying its efforts to target and capture three top Hamas commanders who are still at large: Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa, and Yahya Sinwar. These men have been directing Hamas' military operations and leading negotiations for prisoner-hostage swaps. It is believed that they are operating from bunkers beneath Gaza. The offensive is unlikely to stop until these commanders are killed or captured. Killing them would be a symbolic victory for Israel, but capturing them would not necessarily be the ultimate goal. The US administration believes that eliminating Hamas' leadership is attainable, but completely destroying Hamas may not be possible.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressed his disapproval to the Emirati President about Israel's resumption of attacks on Gaza after a week-long truce collapsed. The meeting between the two leaders took place on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai. Erdogan also discussed the situation in Gaza with the prime ministers of Japan and Italy, as well as his counterpart from Uzbekistan. Erdogan emphasized Turkey's efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire and provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. He also called for unity among Muslim nations to stop Israel's "massacre."

Hamas has offered to hand over the bodies of a mother and her two sons, who were killed in an Israeli bombing, in talks to extend a now-expired truce. Shiri Bibas, her 10-month-old son Kfir and his four-year-old brother Ariel were killed on 7 October, and their deaths have become symbolic of the conflict due to the age of baby Kfir. The Israeli military has said it is investigating the claim that they were killed in an Israeli bombing. The truce has now expired and combat between Israel and Hamas has resumed in the Gaza Strip.

In his new book, British journalist Omid Scobie suggests that Prince William and Kate Middleton distanced themselves from their former friend Rose Hanbury after rumours of an affair between her and William surfaced in 2019. Scobie states that there is no truth to the speculation and that he wanted to explore the trio's severed friendship in his book. The scandal reportedly forced William and Kate to examine their relationship more closely and work on their marriage. Neither William, Kate, nor Rose have addressed the rumours directly.

Hamas has released 80 Israeli women, children, and teenagers as part of a truce agreement with Israel. In addition to those released under the truce, Hamas has also freed 25 others, including Thai farm workers. This brings the total number of captives released during the ceasefire to 105. The Israeli government says that 137 people are still being held captive, including 126 Israelis, eight Thais, one Nepali, one Tanzanian, and a French-Mexican. However, it is unclear if all of the remaining hostages are still alive. Hamas claims that a 10-month-old baby and his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko claims that he was stopped from leaving the country in what he believes to be a politically motivated move to disrupt his work. Poroshenko, who led Ukraine from 2014 to 2019 and is now an opposition lawmaker, posted a video at a border crossing with Poland, stating that he had been turned away despite having official permission to cross. Ukrainian officials under martial law require special approval to travel abroad. The dispute arises amid growing tensions between the government and opposition, with Poroshenko accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's administration of playing politics ahead of elections.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the United States remains focused on freeing hostages held in Gaza, despite the resumption of the Israel-Hamas war. Blinken met with top diplomats from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain during his visit to Dubai and reiterated his commitment to getting everyone reunited with their families. He also called on Israel to comply with international law and protect civilians. The Israeli military released a map dividing the Gaza Strip into numbered parcels to help residents evacuate if necessary. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

US lawmakers have voted to expel George Santos, a scandal-plagued politician who lied his way into Congress and has been indicted on charges of using stolen donor money to fund his lavish lifestyle. Santos, a New York Republican, is only the third person to be expelled from the House of Representatives since the Civil War. He was elected in 2022 but it quickly emerged that his entire backstory was a fabrication. Santos has been indicted on charges including stealing from campaign donors, credit card fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. He allegedly used donor money for Botox treatments, the OnlyFans porn website, luxury goods, and vacations.

King Charles of Britain wore a tie bearing the colours and symbols of the Greek national flag to a climate conference, just days after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak snubbed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a dispute over the Parthenon Sculptures. The tie, which Charles also wore when meeting Sunak and delivering a speech at the event, is significant because Charles has Greek heritage through his father, Prince Philip. The diplomatic row between Britain and Greece over the ownership of the Parthenon Sculptures escalated when Sunak accused Mitsotakis of "grandstanding," leading to the cancellation of a planned meeting. Athens has long called for the return of the sculptures from the British Museum.

The Ukrainian infrastructure ministry has reached an agreement with Poland to ease the situation at border crossings blocked by Polish truckers. However, the main demands of the protesters have not been discussed. The protests began on 6 November and have resulted in the blockade of four border crossings. The protests are in response to what Polish truckers see as unfair competition from their Ukrainian counterparts. The Ukrainian government has warned that the protests could reduce the country's overall imports by about a fifth in November and may cost one percentage point of GDP growth if they continue.

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has died at the age of 93. O'Connor was the first woman to serve on the nation's highest court, having been nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. She was known for her moderate conservatism and was regarded as a hard worker who wielded considerable political clout on the court. O'Connor was influential in the court's rulings on abortion, and helped lead a majority that reaffirmed the core holding of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision in 1992. She retired in 2006 and was succeeded by Justice Samuel Alito.

The United States is preparing to impose a visa ban on Israelis involved in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, according to a senior US State Department official. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington was readying the sanctions. The visa ban could be imposed as early as next week. The number of individuals who would be affected is unclear as violence surged in the West Bank in tandem with the Israel-Hamas war that erupted nearly eight weeks ago. Nearly 240 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers since October 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the West Bank.

An Israeli official has said that Israel could secure the freedom of hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip through talks or by "other means". This comes as fighting has resumed in Gaza following the end of a week-long temporary ceasefire. During the pause in fighting, dozens of hostages were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and humanitarian aid was brought into the Gaza Strip. Israel has accused Hamas of violating the temporary ceasefire agreement, while Hamas said Israel bore responsibility for the end of the truce. Israel has also said that destroying Hamas would mean the Palestinian militant group was "no longer a military threat" to Israel or the region and that it would have no "political clout" in Gaza.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the healthcare situation in Gaza is "catastrophic" and that the health system is on its knees. Even before the fighting resumed on Friday after a week-long truce, hospitals in Gaza were described as resembling a "horror movie". Currently, only 18 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are partially functional and all of them are suffering from shortages of supplies, fuel, food and even water. Hospital bed capacity has fallen from 3,500 to just 1,562 and at least 5,000 beds are needed. The WHO is calling for a sustained flow of aid to keep the hospitals functional.