UN passes resolution backing Trump’s peace plan

The United Nations Security Council approved a U.S. plan for Gaza that authorises an international stabilisation force to provide security in the devastated territory.

The vote was a crucial next step for the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and envisioning a possible future path to an independent Palestinian state.

The U.S. resolution endorses President Donald Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan, which calls for a yet-to-be-established Board of Peace as a transitional authority that Trump would head.

It also authorises the stabilisation force and gives it a wide mandate, including overseeing the borders, providing security and demilitarizing the territory. Authorisation for the board and force expires at the end of 2027.

Arab and other Muslim countries that expressed interest in providing troops for an international force had signaled that Security Council authorisation was essential for their participation.

Russia, which had circulated a rival resolution, abstained along with China on the 13-0 vote. The U.S. and other countries had hoped Moscow would not use its veto power on the United Nations’ most powerful body to block the resolution’s adoption.

During nearly two weeks of negotiations on the U.S. resolution, Arab nations and the Palestinians had pressed the United States to strengthen the original weak language about Palestinian self-determination.

The U.S. revised it to say that after the Palestinian Authority — which now governs parts of the West Bank — makes reforms and after redevelopment of the devastated Gaza Strip advances, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

“The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,” it adds.

That language angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed Sunday to oppose any attempt to establish a Palestinian state. He has long asserted that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel’s borders.

A key to the resolution’s adoption was support from Arab and Muslim nations pushing for a ceasefire and potentially contributing to the international force. The U.S. mission to the United Nations distributed a joint statement Friday with Qatar, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey calling for “swift adoption” of the U.S. proposal.

The vote took place amid hopes that Gaza’s fragile ceasefire would be maintained after a war set off by Hamas’ surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s more than two-year offensive has killed over 69,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority are women and children.

Russia last week suddenly circulated a rival proposal with stronger language supporting a Palestinian state alongside Israel and stressed that the West Bank and Gaza must be joined as a state under the Palestinian Authority.

It also stripped out references to the transitional board and asked U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to provide options for an international force to provide security in Gaza and for implementing the ceasefire plan, stressing the importance of a Security Council role.

The U.S. resolution calls for the stabilisation force to ensure “the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip” and “the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.” A big question is how to disarm Hamas, which has not fully accepted that step.

It authorises the force “to use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate” in compliance with international law, which is U.N. language for the use of military force.

The resolution says the stabilization troops will help secure border areas, along with a Palestinian police force that they have trained and vetted, and they will coordinate with other countries to secure the flow of humanitarian assistance. It says the force should closely consult and cooperate with neighboring Egypt and Israel.

As the international force establishes control and brings stability, the resolution says Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization.” These must be agreed to by the stabilization force, Israeli forces, the U.S. and the guarantors of the ceasefire, it says.

School pupils taken to hospital after being poisoned in science lab

Three schoolchildren were taken to hospital after they were poisoned when a pupil allegedly added a coloured chemical to their water bottles.

A pupil and a group of their classmates at the Oxfordshire school are reported to have deliberately put copper sulphate in the water after they were drawn to the colour of the compound, which turns water bright blue, during a science lesson.

Three pupils at Lord Williams’s School in Thame were taken to hospital last week.

Ingestion of copper sulphate irritates the digestive system and may cause sickness, which may limit its poisonous effects, according to the US National Pesticide Information Centre.

But symptoms of consuming it would include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and upper abdominal pain.

The compound is a fungicide and herbicide used to kill fungi and bacteria in crops and to kill algae in water.

All three children later returned home, according to the Oxford Mail.

Headteacher Neil Dimbleby told the newspaper on Monday: “Three students stayed in hospital overnight having ingested diluted copper sulphate that had been taken from a laboratory.

“The police were informed and have been supporting us through this incident.

“We are pleased to report that the students are all now safely at home.”

A parent of a pupil at the school is reported to have contacted the police following the incident.

No one from Thames Valley Police was available to comment, when approached by The Independent on Monday.

Lord Williams’s School, a co-educational secondary school with academy status, has around 2,200 pupils.

The Independent has also contacted the school for comment.

School bans children singing KPop Demon Hunters songs due to ‘Christian ethos’

A primary school has banned pupils from singing songs from the hit children’s musical film KPop Demon Hunters, as they could make Christians feel “deeply uncomfortable”.

Lilliput Church of England School in Poole, Dorset, sent a letter to parents last week requesting that they tell their children not to sing the songs at school because of its “Christian ethos”.

Lloyd Allington, acting head of Lilliput Church of England Infant School, wrote: “While we fully respect your right to make choices about the content your child engages with at home, we also want to be mindful of the diversity of beliefs within our school community.

“For some Christians, references to demons can feel deeply uncomfortable because they associate them with spiritual forces opposed to God and goodness.

“From their perspective, even fictional or playful use of this language can conflict with their faith, which emphasises rejecting evil rather than engaging with it – even in entertainment.

“This is a valuable opportunity to explore the diversity of beliefs within our community and consider how we can support those of faith who find these themes challenging – particularly as we are a faith school, chosen by many parents for our commitment to fostering and upholding a Christian ethos.”

One parent told the BBC: “I thought it was ridiculous. My daughter is very into K-pop and her and all of her little friends love it.

“It’s just a harmless, a nice little thing for them to do to get their confidence up.”

The father, who described himself as an atheist, added that it felt like “a bit of an imposition and probably a bit unfair and silly”.

In the updated letter following feedback from parents, Mr Allington added: “Thank you to those parents who have shared your thoughts around the positive themes you see in KPop Demon Hunters and its music.

“We completely agree that values like teamwork, courage, and kindness are important for children, and it’s clear from your feedback that many of you feel songs like Golden have helped your children learn about these themes.

“However, we want to reassure you that we are not asking parents to tell their children that there is anything wrong with enjoying the film or its songs if it aligns with your own views and beliefs, and this will not be the messaging we share in school either.

“Our role will simply be to help children understand that some of their peers may hold different views and to explore how we can respect and support those peers in upholding their faith.”

The KPop Demon Hunters film, rated PG in the UK, has become the most popular title in Netflix’s history. It was watched 236 million times in the first three months after its release in June this year.

The story centres on Huntr/x, a fictional K‑pop girl group whose three members wield both music and combat skills to defend humanity against demonic forces. Standing in their way is a rival act, the Saja Boys – five demons whose songs pulse with themes of temptation and seduction.

It’s obvious Trump is targeting Venezuela for one thing above all else

The United States has killed 90 people this year in “extrajudicial executions” – state sponsored murders – largely targeting people on alleged smuggling boats from Venezuela.

Now Donald Trump has an American aircraft carrier group steaming though the Caribbean threatening an invasion – based on lies.

The US justification for killing suspected drug smugglers is that they’re flooding America with deadly fentanyl.

Aside from the obvious legal issues; such as not firing warning shots at the smugglers, not arresting them (as has been the norm) and forever cutting the victims out of any due process of law, America’s justification for the killings is nonsense.

According to the Drugs Enforcement Agency in the US, and every other relevant source of information on the scourge of fentanyl in America, NONE of the deadly opiate comes from, or via, Venezuela.

It gets to the US from Mexico. The precursor chemicals to make it come from China.

Mexicans aren’t being bombed. There’s no threat to invade Beijing.

In the New Rogue Order – that Trump did not invent but is amplifying – international law and ethics mean nothing. It is might that is right in Trump’s book, and invasion a form of real estate acquisition by other means.

He has notably hosted Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin on American soil and ignored international arrest warrants for both men who have been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.

Putin claimed to be invading Ukraine to save its Russian population from Kyiv’s Nazi dominance. That was a lie and now vast numbers of Ukraine’s Russian speakers are refugees, or dead, killed by Russia.

But Trump has acknowledged that he believes Russia has a “right” to Ukrainian territory because so many Russians have died fighting for it.

Trump has also enthusiastically suggested that Gaza should be emptied of Palestinians and turned into a seaside resort. Lately he’s reported to be backing a plan to turn it into a colony under Tony Blair.

These are terrible ideas and illegal under international law which forbids the forced displacement of populations.

No matter.

Meanwhile, Trump doesn’t like the regime of Nicolas Maduro who has ruled the oil-rich country since 2013.

Maduro is a dictator and stole the July election last year from opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez who later fled to exile in Spain.

The securocrats who support him have been allowed to run sidelines in smuggling drugs and gold. The rotten system may extend all the way to the top – amid US sanctions and international isolation.

Trump likes strongmen who disregard democratic norms. Victor Orban, Putin, and China’s Xi Xing Ping are the men he appears to most admire or consider peers. They are authoritarian capitalists. Maduro’s sin may be his claim to be a “socialist”.

The Venezuelan leader says he believes Trump wants to depose him. The White House says this isn’t true.

But there is no immediately obvious reason why Trump would be killing small teams of Venezuelans on motor boats and sending a fleet to intimidate Caracas – except regime change.

The White House has justified its killings of alleged drug smugglers, and fishermen from Venezuela, because the US is in a “non-international conflict” with “narco-terrorists” who are killing Americans with drugs.

The UN says the killings are “extrajudicial executions” – and Amnesty International agrees. The UK and Colombia have reportedly suspended intelligence sharing in the Caribbean over the targeting of the alleged smuggler boats.

But now Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, has said Cartel de los Soles, a group the US alleges is led by Maduro, will be designated a terrorist organisation.

Al Qaeda, the so-called Islamic State, Hamas, the Real Irish Republican Army and others have all been designated terror groups. So have several Mexican drug cartels.

But in designating Venezuela’s president as being at the helm of a narco-terrorist organisation, the head of state is now firmly in America’s cross-hairs.

There has been consternation in the top echelons of the US military over the killings in the Caribbean. Admiral Alvin Holsey, the US commander in the region is to step down next month – two years early.

It is understood he raised legal and ethical objections to the use of the Pentagon’s assets in killing civilians under doctrine usually reserved for attacks on armed operators posing an immediate violent danger to America or her citizens.

In a statement to The Independent, a Justice Department spokesperson said: “The strikes were ordered consistent with the laws of armed conflict, and as such are lawful orders.

“Military personnel are legally obligated to follow lawful orders and, as such, are not subject to prosecution for following lawful orders.”

The crews of some 75 US aircraft, 5,000 troops, spies, and special forces are now gearing up as they approach Venezuela.

They better hope they’ve got good lawyers.

Ten compelling reasons to have your next adventure in Missouri

Missouri is the true heart of America, surrounded by eight states and roughly halfway between the north and south of the country. Known for its breathtaking national parks, sizzling barbecue, and even hotter jazz and sports scene, Missouri has more than meets the eye.

Springfield celebrates 100 years of the “Mother Road” in 2026. The birthplace of the famous 2,448-mile highway will host a music concert, vintage car parade and family events. Missouri’s Route 66 highlights include Meramec Caverns (once a hideout for the infamous Jesse James), St. Robert Route 66 Neon Park, where refurbished original neon signs are on display, and Red Oak II, which is both an art installation and living museum.

visitmo.com/in-the-spotlight/route-66

You’d be forgiven for not knowing that sliced bread was invented in Chillicothe, Missouri, which is why this charming museum celebrates the pioneers who brought sliced bread to the world in 1928. The Sliced Bread Innovation Center includes a replica of the first slicing machine and a bread-themed escape room. Located on the “Way of American Genius,” or Highway 36 as your Sat Nav might call it, the scenic 200-mile route connects picturesque towns linked with American innovation, including Walt Disney’s childhood home and the town that inspired many of Mark Twain’s novels.

thehomeofslicedbread.com

americangeniushighway.com

St. Louis Gateway Arch might be the tallest arch in the world at 192m, but it’s located in America’s smallest national park of just 91 acres. Completed in 1965 in the heart of downtown St. Louis, the arch symbolises the westward expansion of the United States. A tram of small cylindrical pods carries visitors to the apex where they’re greeted with panoramic views across the Mississippi River and state of Missouri beyond.

gatewayarch.com

Ozark National Scenic Riverways is one of Missouri’s best spots for spending the day on the water. The riverways are comprised of 134-miles of federally protected winding river, springs, caves, and forests. Wallow in the crystal-clear waters of the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers and camp at the beautiful Alley Spring Campground. While you’re there, hike to see the beautiful spring and the big, red, century-old mill that sits on its bank. Go to a local outfitter to get a canoe, kayak or inflatable tube to float downstream.

nps.gov/ozar

Illegal gambling, prohibition speakeasies and a rowdy jazz scene christened Kansas City as the “Paris of the Plains” in the 1920s, but these days the grand boulevards and Beaux-Arts architecture combine with modern additions that give Kansas City a spirit of its own. Follow the bassline to 18th and Vine Jazz District or seek out a potent Rendezvous cocktail and live jazz at VOO Lounge, inside the historic Muehlebach Hotel.

vookansascity.com

Kansas City and St. Louis are known for their legendary barbecue joints, but you can get mouthwatering meals outside the big city. Roadside shacks like Missouri Hick BBQ in Cuba, Missouri, serve pulled pork and slaw on Route 66, or stop for slow cooked ribs at Wabash BBQ in Excelsior Springs, housed in the old train depot. Missouri is renowned for its spicy rub and thick, sweet and smokey tomato-based barbecue sauce, especially slathered over the “burnt ends” of beef brisket.

missourihick.com

wabashbbq.com

Known as “The Cave State,” with more than 7,500 caves hidden within its limestone rocks, Missouri’s landscape holds many treasures. At Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, wander the subterranean labyrinths that inspired part of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Marvel Cave, located under Silver Dollar City in Branson, is the state’s deepest cave. It’s main cavern, the Cathedral Room, is so massive it once held three hot air balloons.

marktwaincave.com

With over 115 wineries and eight wine trails, you won’t get thirsty. Van Till Winery in Rayville is Missouri’s first regenerative vineyard and sustainably produces around 25 wines, including a full-bodied dry red pressed from the official state grape, Norton. Make a day of it and sip your way along the Northwest Missouri Wine Trail, visiting nine wineries nearby.

vantillfarms.com

missouriwine.org

The Pony Express, America’s first horsepowered mail delivery service, originated in Missouri, but RS Ranch Trail Rides in Bourbon offers more leisurely horseback fun. Follow outlaw trails on a native Foxtrotter horse, hop aboard a hayride, or get back to nature with a cowboy-style Chuckwagon cookout under the stars.

rsranchrides.com

Missouri and sports go together like ribs and sauce, which means baseball, hockey, American football and even soccer are a big deal. As Kansas City gears up to host World Cup 2026, you can catch a game every season at one of the state’s two professional soccer teams or many league matches. Kansas City Current proudly plays in CPKC Stadium, the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team.

kansascityfwc26.com

kansascitycurrent.com

stlcitysc.com

Reeves told to raise income tax in Budget by former Tory chancellor Ken Clarke

Former chancellor Lord Ken Clarke has warned Rachel Reeves’ “disastrous bad practice” of allowing her budget to be briefed before it is delivered has “produced an air of gloom over the economy”.

The respected former chancellor has also called on Ms Reeves to reconsider her decision not to increase income tax and instead raise it by 2p.

Lord Clarke helped turn around the UK economy after black Wednesday in 1992 which forced the pound out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism. He offered his advice to the current chancellor in an interview on Radio 4’s PM programme on Monday (17 November), as she faces a potential economic crisis.

Talking about the multiple briefings on potential new taxes, a plan to increase income tax, and then a decision to cancel that increase, he said: “In my day we had something which we gave a strange name – budget purdah – and for a period of a month or two before a budget, for any minister, political adviser, civil servant, to breathe a word about what might be in the budget was a kind of hanging offence. It would certainly mean the instant end of any career.”

He later continued: “Parliament is held in contempt by successive governments who always announce things to the newspapers outside first, trail them first before they make a statement. Even more importantly, it upsets the markets, it affects confidence, people start trying to make money on the trailed announcements of what’s going to be done.”

He added: “It has produced an air of gloom over the whole economy as all sorts of things get trailed.”

Ms Reeves is now looking at a range of wealth taxes including a mansion tax on homes worth £2 million or more and a gambling tax or bank levy to plug a gap in her spending plans now believed to be £20bn.

Asked what he would be doing in this budget, Lord Clarke said: “Bracing myself for an extremely unpopular budget, concentrating on getting out of an acute economic crisis that we are in, particularly tackling the fantastic burden of debt that this government inherited but which it added to in its first budget.”

“That means put your tin hat on, put up taxes, cut public spending, brace yourself for the reaction, explain clearly that you are doing it in order to get back towards, in two or three years’ time we hope, growth with low inflation and a better prospect for families whose living standards are declining at the moment,” Lord Clarke said.

Asked which tax he would increase, Lord Clarke said: “I am very reluctant to raise income tax, it had been terribly high in my time, I cut them. But now I think at least a penny, perhaps tuppence, on income tax. It’s the fairest, basic tax. I’m torn between that and VAT.”

Macron says peace deal can be struck next year after Kyiv buys 100 French fighter jets

Emmanuel Macron has said that he believes that a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine could be struck as early as next year, as he announced that Kyiv had purchased 100 fighter jets in a landmark deal.

Speaking to reporters at the Elysee Palace at a press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky, the French President said he hoped that an agreement could be reached before the French presidential election in April 2027.

The Ukrainian president touched down in Paris on Monday morning, where he was greeted by his French counterpart to seal deals on the supply of air-defence capabilities, warplanes and missiles.

Within hours of his touch down, Mr Zelensky announced that Kyiv would order the twin-engined jets, with the news later confirmed by Élysée Palace.

The Rafale is a twin-engine jet built by Dassault Aviation, and typically used for a wide range of missions including air superiority, nuclear deterrence and close air support.