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Network urged to apologize to ‘every single viewer’ after host Jesse Watters seemed to advocate violence against Arab Americans Fox News must apologize to its viewers, a White House spokesperson said, after the rightwing channel’s host Jesse Watters seemed to advocate violence against Arab Americans, amid heightened tensions over the Israel and Hamas war in Gaza. On Wednesday evening, on the highly rated Fox show The Five, Watters said: “If you’re an Arab American in this country, and you rip down posters of Jewish hostages, American hostages, no. No, no, no. Someone is going to get punched in the face.” In a statement sent to the Guardian, the White House deputy press secretary, Andrew Bates, called Watters’ remarks “unacceptable” and said: “Fox News owes an apology to every single viewer for this sickening attack on the rights and dignity of their fellow Americans.” Israel says more than 1,400 people were killed and more than 5,400 injured when Hamas launched surprise attacks on 7 October. More than 240 hostages were taken. According to the Gaza health ministry Israeli strikes have killed more than 9,000. The same source says nearly 24,000 Palestinians have been injured. In the US, amid protest and counter-protest, instances of posters of hostages taken by Hamas being removed from public display have been widely reported. On Wednesday, Watters also said: “I want to say something about Arab Americans and about the Muslim world. We – and when I say we I mean the west and western technology – have created the Middle East. We made them rich. We got that oil out of the ground, our military protects all of these oil shipments flying around the world, making them rich. We fund their military. We respect their kings. We kill their terrorists. OK? But we’ve had it. We’ve had it with them!” FULL STORY

Former President Trump on Thursday referred to those jailed over their actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol as “hostages” during a rally with supporters in Texas. Trump walked on stage at a Houston rally to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” as he typically does. But when it concluded, a song in which Trump collaborated with a chorus of inmates detained on charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection began to play, and the former president stood saluting. “Well, thank you very much, and you know what that was,” he said to open the rally. “I call them the ‘J-6 hostages,’ not prisoners. I call them the hostages, what’s happened. And you know, it’s a shame.” In the song “Justice for All,” which was released on multiple streaming services in March, Trump is heard reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The 45th president’s portion on the track follows a chorus of Jan. 6 inmates, credited on the song as the “J6 Prison Choir,” who sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The end of the song features the chorus repeatedly chanting “USA!” Money raised from the song was reportedly directed to families of the Jan. 6 mob who participated on the track. Trump has repeatedly expressed sympathy for rioters charged in connection to Jan. 6, when his supporters violently clashed with law enforcement and stormed the complex to try and halt the certification of President Biden’s 2020 victory. FULL STORY

Deadly strikes on a Palestinian refugee camp have fueled another wave of anger, renewed war crimes accusations and raised questions about the military strategy Israel is using as it prosecutes a war on Hamas that has racked up thousands of civilian deaths. Israel says the strike this week in the city of Jabaliya, which killed dozens, targeted a command center against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that raided southern Israel last month, killed more than 1,400 people and took more than 200 hostages. But the strike has met fierce criticism from human rights groups and Arab countries, because Israel is bombing densely populated areas in its campaign to defeat Hamas. “I don’t think Israel should be bombing any civilian areas,” said Imad Harb, the director of research and analysis at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. “I don’t see what is accomplished, honestly. I don’t think anything is going to be accomplished by bombing more civilian areas, by creating more craters in the ground.” The refugee camp is located in the northern Gaza city of Jabaliya, which has a population of more than 170,000. Israel had told people in the north of Gaza to move southward, but that is difficult for much of the population. Harb said the longer the war goes on with such a high civilian cost, the more likely Israel will face calls to stop the bloodshed, noting that President Biden has called for a “humanitarian pause” to get aid to battered Gazans. “I think American politicians and the administration are seeing that — not only in the United States but across the world — this is not a popular war,” he said, assessing U.S. officials may come to the conclusion that “we cannot go on like this.” FULL STORY

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The pandemic has caused sustained harm to the brain health of people aged 50 or over, rapidly speeding up cognitive decline regardless of whether or not they caught Covid, researchers have discovered. Almost 780 million people were killed or made ill by the coronavirus, according to the World Health Organization. Health experts are now learning more about the indirect effects of the biggest public health crisis in a century. A study has found that cognitive function and working memory in older adults declined more quickly during the first year of the pandemic between March 2020 and February 2021, even if they were not infected with the virus. The trend continued into 2021/22, suggesting an impact beyond the initial lockdowns. The research is the largest of its kind to link the pandemic conditions – and the enormous lifestyle shifts triggered by lockdowns and other Covid restrictions – to sustained cognitive decline. The acceleration in cognitive decline has been exacerbated by a number of factors since the arrival of Covid, the researchers said. These included an increase in loneliness and depression, a fall in exercise and higher alcohol consumption, as well as the effects of the disease itself. The study, led by the University of Exeter and King’s College London, was published in the Lancet Healthy Longevity journal. Anne Corbett, a professor in dementia research and the lead at Exeter for the Protect study, said: “Our findings suggest that lockdowns and other restrictions we experienced during the pandemic have had a real lasting impact on brain health in people aged 50 or over, even after the lockdowns ended. “This raises the important question of whether people are at a potentially higher risk of cognitive decline, which can lead to dementia. “It is now more important than ever to make sure we are supporting people with early cognitive decline, especially because there are things they can do to reduce their risk of dementia later on.” She advised people concerned about their memory to see their GP. FULL ARTICLE

Russia has shelled more than 100 settlements over the last 24 hours – more than in any single day so far this year – Ukraine has said as its commander-in-chief warns the war with Russia is moving towards a new stage of static and attritional fighting, a phase that could allow Moscow to rebuild its military power. It comes amid reports that North Korea has supplied Russia with two months’ worth of artillery shells. The Russians have fired millions of shells on cities, towns and villages since invading in February 2022, reducing several settlements to rubble across the eastern part of Ukraine. “Over the last 24 hours, the enemy shelled 118 settlements in 10 regions,” Igor Klymenko, the Ukrainian interior minister, wrote on social media. “This is the highest number of cities and villages that have come under attack since the start of the year.” Ukraine also reported a Russian attack on an oil refinery in Kremenchuk, a central industrial city. There were no casualties but it took almost 100 firefighters several hours to put out the resulting fire, Klymenko said. The overnight shelling in the north-eastern Kharkiv region killed one person, and another was killed in the southern Kherson region, local officials said. Ukraine’s government and the west fear Russia will escalate its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of the cold winter, as it did last year. FULL STORY

Summary More than 400 people have left Gaza as the Rafah crossing to Egypt opens to civilians for the first time in more than three weeks 335 foreign passport holders and 76 injured Gazans have been able to leave so far, Palestinian officials say British and US passport holders are among those who have exited the territory, according to officials US President Joe Biden says the opening of the crossing is the result of "intense and urgent diplomacy" In Gaza, phone and internet services are completely cut, the provider Paltel says The BBC World Service is launching an emergency radio service for Gaza on MW 639kHz, daily at 1500GMT from Friday Israel has been bombing Gaza since the 7 October Hamas attacks that killed 1,400 people with 239 people kidnapped as hostages The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 8,700 people have been killed since Israel's retaliatory bombing began FULL STORY

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has offered some of the first in-depth remarks about the fate of hundreds of Americans stranded in Gaza by the Israel-Hamas war. During testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee in support of the White House’s request for $14bn in additional military aid to Israel, Mr Blinken said nearly 1,000 people with ties to the US, comprising American citizens and their family members, are still trapped in the bombarded Palestinian territory. “We are working on every single day,” he testified on Tuesday, saying the State Department has sent 5500 communications including phone calls and WhatsApp messages to Americans stuck behind the siege line. “I’m focused on this intensely,” he added. “My entire department is as well, both in the region and here, we are working with various parties to try to facilitate their departure from Gaza.” The secretary said Hamas, the militant group and political party which rules the Gaza strip, is responsible for the delay in getting Americans out. Israeli-Americans have been able to depart on emergency flights and a charter boat. “The impediment is simple: it’s Hamas,” Mr Blinken continued. “We have not yet found a way to get them out through whatever place by whatever means that Hamas is not blocking.” FULL STORY

Russia makes first known arrests of its own soldiers after 2022 invasion on suspicion of killing Ukrainian civilians. Two Russian soldiers have been arrested on suspicion of killing a family of nine, including two young children, in their home in the Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha. Russian media reported that the killings took place last Friday night and the suspects had used machine guns with silencers to kill the family at night in their sleep. It is the first known case of Russia arresting its own soldiers on suspicion of killing Ukrainian civilians since it invaded in 2022, despite ample evidence collected by independent human rights groups, journalists and the UN showing that Russian soldiers have systematically committed war crimes during their invasion of Ukraine. FULL STORY

King Charles has spoken of Britain’s “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence” committed against Kenyans during their fight for independence, but stopped short of an apology despite human rights groups demanding one. The monarch made the comments in a speech, delivered during a banquet in Kenya held in his honour, in which he referred to the “greatest sorrow” and “deepest regret” for the “wrongdoings” of the past. While Kenya’s president, William Ruto, praised the king’s “exemplary courage” in shedding light on “uncomfortable truths”, he described the colonial reaction to African struggles as “monstrous in its cruelty”. He added that “much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations”. Earlier, the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) urged King Charles to offer an “unequivocal public apology”. “We call upon the king, on behalf of the British government, to issue an unconditional and unequivocal public apology (as opposed to the very cautious, self-preserving and protective statements of regrets) for the brutal and inhuman treatment inflicted on Kenyan citizens,” the KHRC said. The commission has claimed 90,000 Kenyans were executed, tortured or maimed during the British administration’s counter-insurgency. Addressing Ruto at the banquet, the king said: “The wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret. “There were abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans as they waged, as you said at the United Nations, a painful struggle for independence and sovereignty – and for that, there can be no excuse. “In coming back to Kenya, it matters greatly to me that I should deepen my own understanding of these wrongs, and that I meet some of those whose lives and communities were so grievously affected. FULL STORY

Three men found guilty of terrorist crimes including attacks on immigrants and critical infrastructure. Three Finnish men who embraced neo-Nazi ideology have been found guilty of committing crimes with terrorist intent including plotting attacks against immigrants, critical infrastructure, and their perceived political opponents. Prosecutors told the court that the men had produced semi-automatic weapons using a 3D printer in preparation for a “race war” against their opponents. The main suspect, Viljam Lauri Antero Nyman, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison on charges of aggravated firearms offences committed with terrorist intent as well as training to commit a terrorist act. Nyman, 29, was also convicted of a narcotics charge at Tuesday’s hearing at Paijat-Hame district court. His two accomplices received a sentence of one year and nine months in prison and a suspended prison sentence of seven months, respectively. They were charged with the terrorism-related crimes of manufacture of firearms and training to use them. The public broadcaster YLE said the case marked the first terrorism conviction in Finland that was linked to far-right ideology. The crimes took place between 2021 and 2023. The defendants believed that protecting the superiority of the white population justified the use of violence against perceived enemies including immigrants, ethnic and religious minorities, and anti-fascists, prosecutors said. The men also plotted attacks on civilian infrastructure such as electricity grids and railways. FULL STORY

A toxic culture of government incompetence, backstabbing and misogyny was laid bare at the Covid public inquiry on Tuesday with messages revealing Boris Johnson’s dismissive attitude to millions of old people at risk from the virus. The former prime minister’s top aide Dominic Cummings was accused of “aggressive, foul-mouthed and misogynistic” abuse after messages showed he tried to sack the senior civil servant Helen MacNamara, saying No 10 was “dodging stilettos from that cunt”. Johnson’s chaotic indecisiveness delayed lockdown measures, the inquiry heard, while he had told senior advisers the Covid virus was “just nature’s way of dealing with old people” and he was “no longer buying” the fact the NHS was overwhelmed during the pandemic. Bereaved relatives reacted to the fresh evidence with horror after a bruising session of the Covid inquiry, with Cummings and Lee Cain, the former No 10 director of communications, questioning Johnson’s suitability for leading the country during the pandemic. Susie Flintham, a spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said: “The nastiness, arrogance and misogyny at the heart of government during the pandemic is core to the awful decision-making that led to thousands of unnecessary deaths and tore families like mine apart. When you see that these figures had such a shocking disregard for each other, you can only imagine the disregard they had for families like mine.” In a lengthy session before the inquiry, Cummings claimed the cabinet had been “largely irrelevant” to Covid policy in 2020, and that he was “reflecting a widespread view” that if anything understated the problem, when he used expletive-laden descriptions of ministers including “useless fuckpigs”, “morons” and “cunts”. FULL STORY

As the conflict between Israel and Hamas intensifies, an unlikely development has emerged - China playing the part of peace broker. But there are limits to what it can achieve. China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, discussed the conflict with officials in Washington at the weekend amid fears of a bigger regional war. The US has pledged it would work with China on trying to find a resolution. Mr Wang has also spoken to his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts after China's Middle East special envoy Zhai Jun flew to the region to meet Arab leaders. It has also been one of the most vocal proponents of a ceasefire in UN meetings. There are hopes China could tap into its close relationship with Iran, which backs Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, to de-escalate the situation. US officials apparently pressed Mr Wang to "urge calm" with the Iranians, reported the Financial Times. China is Iran's biggest trade partner, and earlier this year Beijing brokered a rare détente between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Tehran says it "stands ready to strengthen communication with China" on resolving the situation in Gaza. FULL STORY

Since the Israeli military issued the first of several instructions for civilians to evacuate north Gaza, hundreds of thousands of Gazans have moved to the south of the strip. But the south has continued to come under Israeli bombardment, leading the UN and other aid organisations to warn that nowhere in Gaza is safe for civilians. To better understand the risk to civilians in south Gaza, BBC Verify has identified and analysed four specific instances of strikes in that region. We also looked at some of the warnings and evacuation instructions that were issued to Gazan civilians, including some advising them to move to certain areas in the south. Some of these warnings were accompanied by maps with arrows pointing to vaguely defined areas to move towards. Three strikes we examined hit within, or close to, those areas in the days after the warnings were issued. The IDF has said that it communicates with Gaza's residents in a variety of ways, including leaflet drops, social media posts in Arabic, and warnings issued through civilian and international organisations. In this piece we have examined the IDF's instructions posted on social media. FULL STORY

Draft legislation to remove time limit will go before parliament after long battle by the late campaigner Harry Shindler Up to 3 million British citizens living overseas for more than 15 years are set to be able to vote in the next general election. Draft legislation changes on the enfranchisement of the long-term UK diaspora has been published, with the expectation it will become law under the parliamentary process by mid-January. This would give enough time for Britons overseas to register for a vote in the general election if it happens in autumn 2024, as some Conservative sources have hinted. The move brings to an end an almost 20-year battle by the late Harry Shindler, who challenged the former 15-year limit on voting rights in the high court in 2016. When successive governments failed to deliver on their manifesto promises he brought the case to the European court of justice. Shindler, who died in February aged 101, had argued the UK “was a democracy but not a complete democracy” until all Britons were enfranchised. “We owe a huge debt to Harry Shindler for his tireless campaigning on this and of course we are happy that the government has finally made good on its promise,” said Jane Golding, co-chair of campaign group British in Europe. She said the proposed legislation was also the culmination of all the work campaigners in the organisation had undertaken since 2017 “to give Britons who live overseas a voice in the political process”. Under the process the statutory instrument (draft legislation) must now go through the Commons and the Lords for final scrutiny, a process that usually passes without hitch and takes six to eight weeks. FULL STORY

British counter-terrorism officers are monitoring closely if Iran will try to exploit the Israel-Hamas war for its own ends in the UK, amid wider anxieties that Tehran is an increasing security menace to dissidents and critics. Concerns about Russia and China are well established, but Iran’s campaign of intimidation and harassment has been the most visible development in the domestic threat picture over the last 12 months. The fear now is whether Iran will seek to encourage radical groups or even terrorist activities in the UK as Israel’s deadly bombardment and ground assault of Gaza continues, although it is not clear there is any evidence of this to date. “We’re alive to the risk,” one source said. Such a development would be a significant step up in terms of Iranian state activity in the UK, although such is the intensity of the crisis unleashed in the Middle East over the past three weeks that nothing is being ruled out by insiders, who know that violent conflict abroad can radicalise or galvanise individuals to violence at home. Last November, Ken McCallum, MI5’s director, said Iran had been engaged in 10 plots “to kidnap or even kill British or UK-based individuals” in that year to date. By February this year the figure had increased to 15. No more recent number is available. Many of those targeted were journalists based in the UK, including employees of the independent TV station Iran International, which was forced to close its previous UK office in February and relocate to a more secure facility, from which its London bureau was able to resume broadcasting in September. FULL STORY

Boris Johnson asked why damage was being inflicted on the economy during the pandemic “for people who will die anyway soon” in a meeting with Rishi Sunak, the Covid inquiry was told on Monday. At the start of what is set to be a bruising week for the former prime minister, with former political aides and senior civil servants to give evidence on his government’s handling of the pandemic, the diary of a former private secretary revealed the damaging remarks made in March 2020. The note was from a meeting during which Johnson was believed to have said: “We’re killing the patient to tackle the tumour. Large ppl [taken to mean large numbers of people] who will die, why are we destroying economy for people who will die anyway soon.” Imran Shafi, the official who wrote the memo, told the inquiry he thought it was Johnson who made the comments. It came after a series of diary entries and WhatsApp messages suggested the low regard in which the former Tory leader was held by senior advisers. Whitehall’s highest ranking civil servant, Simon Case, complained that Johnson “cannot lead” and wanted to “let it rip” when it came crucial choices over how the UK should handle Covid-19, the UK inquiry into the pandemic heard. The WhatsApp message was sent to Dominic Cummings, at the time Johnson’s chief adviser, by the cabinet secretary, who confided in the midst of an oscillating government response to the pandemic: “I am at the end of my tether.” “He changes strategic direction every day (Monday we were all about fear of virus returning as per Europe, March etc – today we’re in ‘let it rip’ mode cos [sic] the UK is pathetic, needs a cold shower etc.)” added Case, who is due to appear as a witness at the Inquiry at a later date. FULL STORY

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans said in a NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll that they’re worried Israel’s war with Hamas could lead to a terrorist attack happening in the U.S. The poll, published Monday, found that 77 percent of respondents said they are somewhat or very concerned the Israel-Gaza conflict could lead to a terrorist attack occurring in the U.S. In contrast, 22 percent of those surveyed said they’re not concerned with a terrorist attack happening in the country as a result of the ongoing conflict. About 70 percent of respondents said the U.S. has been too supportive of Israel throughout the conflict, while 29 percent of those surveyed said the U.S. hasn’t been supportive enough of their Middle East ally, according to the poll. About half, 52 percent, of respondents said they approve of the job President Biden is doing handling the ongoing conflict, while 48 percent of those surveyed think otherwise. When asked if they either approve or disapprove of the U.S.’s decision to send military aid to Israel, 70 percent of respondents approved the measure, while 20 percent of those surveyed disagreed, the poll said. The poll comes about three weeks after Hamas’s surprise attack against Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people in Israel. About 200 others were taken hostage by the militant group. In response, Israel has launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of more than 8,000 people, including children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. FULL STORY

House Republicans unveiled a $14.3 billion aid package for Israel on Monday, a show of support for the embattled U.S. ally amid its war against Hamas. To pay for the foreign aid, however, the legislation includes $14.3 billion in cuts to funding for the Internal Revenue Service, a key detail that will likely be a non-starter for Democrats. The cuts would affect funds included in the Democrats’ sweeping tax, health and climate bill — dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act — signed into law last year. The package also deviates from the White House’s strategy of linking aid for Ukraine and Israel in the same piece of legislation, a fact that could make it even more difficult to get the bill over the finish line. The legislation includes $4 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling defense systems and another $1.2 billion for development of the Iron Beam defense system. The package is one of the first pieces of legislation introduced under Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who assumed the top job last week after a brutal battle over who should succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) following his ouster. The House Rules Committee will take up the legislation Wednesday. Members of both parties and chambers have emphasized the importance of supporting Israel as it battles Hamas. Last week, the House overwhelmingly approved a resolution backing Israel and condemning Hamas, which was the first piece of legislation that passed during Johnson’s Speakership. FULL STORY

Time is running out for Republicans searching for an alternative to former President Trump to coalesce around a single candidate as the Iowa caucuses rapidly approach. The departure of former Vice President Mike Pence was the latest shake-up to the primary and could up the pressure on other low-polling candidates to drop out as well, especially as former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley gains traction and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) popularity shows signs of slipping. But a new Iowa poll of the GOP field also highlights the challenges Republicans face if they want to beat Trump, who continues to dominate the race. The NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released on Monday showed Trump with a 27-point lead over his next closest competitor in the Hawkeye State, which will be the first to vote in the Republican nominating process. That’s an increase from the 23-point lead he had in August. Haley and DeSantis were tied for second at 16 percent, with the former U.N. ambassador gaining 10 points since the same poll in August and the Florida governor slipping 3 points. The results come as the non-Trump candidates continue to jostle to become the main alternative to the former president, who has built up a substantial lead in key states and nationwide. “If you are one of the undercard candidates, the sooner you can go head-to-head with Trump, the better your chances are,” said Iowa-based Republican consultant Nicole Schlinger. Candidates have been dropping out throughout the month of October, but they have mostly been minor candidates. Former Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), former Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton, businessman Perry Johnson and former radio host Larry Elder all quit the race within a couple weeks of each other. FULL STORY

The Biden administration is looking to avoid hiccups in the rollout of new COVID-19 vaccines as it begins shifting coverage of coronavirus treatments to the private market. Private insurance companies will need to start covering treatments beginning Wednesday, but the federal government’s supply will remain available for providers to order and distribute from until it runs out or expires. Distributors and health care providers may continue to order Pfizer’s Paxlovid from the U.S. government until Dec. 15, along with Merck’s Lagevrio through Nov. 10. Medicare and Medicaid will cover the drugs for free through the end of 2024, and the uninsured will also have access to free treatment through 2028 as part of an agreement with the manufacturers. Administration officials have acknowledged the problems when the vaccines moved to commercial payers but said ample supply plus a relatively long transition period for antivirals should make it so those same issues — delayed insurance coverage and lack of supply — don’t happen again. “The federal product will continue to be available for days to weeks. And that gives a chance for the insurers, the [pharmacy benefit managers], the pharmacies, providers, all to work through the system changes needed to distribute the product commercially and effectively,” a senior Health and Human Services (HHS) official told reporters during a recent briefing. FULL STORY

The carbon budget remaining to limit the climate crisis to 1.5C of global heating is now “tiny”, according to an analysis, sending a “dire” message about the adequacy of climate action. The carbon budget is the maximum amount of carbon emissions that can be released while restricting global temperature rise to the limits of the Paris agreement. The new figure is half the size of the budget estimated in 2020 and would be exhausted in six years at current levels of emissions. Temperature records have been obliterated in 2023, with extreme weather supercharged by global heating hitting lives and livelihoods across the world. At the imminent UN Cop28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates there are likely to be disputes over calls for a phaseout of fossil fuels. The analysis found the carbon budget remaining for a 50% chance of keeping global temperature rise below 1.5C is about 250bn tonnes. Global emissions are expected to reach a record high this year of about 40bn tonnes. To retain the 50% chance of a 1.5C limit, emissions would have to plunge to net zero by 2034, far faster than even the most radical scenarios. The current UN ambition is to cut emissions by half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, although existing policies are far from delivering this ambition. If it was achieved, however, it would mean only about a 40% chance of staying below 1.5C, the scientists said, so breaking the limit would be more likely than not. But, they warned, every 10th of a degree of extra heat caused more human suffering and therefore keeping as close as possible to 1.5C was crucial. FULL STORY

Police in India are investigating a series of explosions which killed three people at a Jehovah's Witnesses meeting in the southern state of Kerala. More than 50 others were injured in the blasts on Sunday at an event held by the Christian-based religious movement near the port city of Kochi (Cochin). A man was detained after he posted a video claiming responsibility for the attacks and surrendered to police. Police said they were still trying to verify his confession. "He is in our custody. He has also presented some pieces of evidence which we are verifying. The investigation is at its preliminary stage," additional director general of police MR Ajith Kumar told reporters. The incident took place during a prayer session organised by Jehovah's Witnesses in the town of Kalamassery, about 10km (six miles) north-east of Kochi. More than 2,000 people were attending the three-day event. Two women who'd been attending the meeting died on Sunday, while a 12-year-old girl with 95% burns succumbed to her injuries on Monday morning. Senior police official Shaik Darvesh Saheb said a preliminary investigation indicated that an improvised explosive device (IED) placed inside a tiffin box might have caused the blasts. Shortly after the incident, a man named Dominic Martin said he had carried out the attack. The 48-year-old posted his confession in a Facebook video, which has since been deleted, and handed himself in at a nearby police station. Mr Martin claimed he was a registered member of the religious group and was angry with its "anti-national" teachings. But TA Sreekumar, a regional spokesperson for the Jehovah's Witnesses, denied this and told Reuters news agency that he was unaware if Mr Martin had even been present at the event. "The explosions occurred seconds after the end of a prayer as part of the day's event. The first blast took place in the middle of the hall. Seconds later, two more explosions rocked simultaneously on either sides of the hall," Sreekumar had earlier told local media. FULL STORY