The four charged are Timothy Mitchell, 48, of Rodington Heath in Shrewsbury, Jack Fallows, 33, from Moss Drive in Newport, Telford, Julie Pearce, 55, of Sweet Chestnut Grove, The Rock in Telford, and Andrea Iacchetti, 50, who resides in Italy.

Autostructures UK Ltd, formerly known as GKN Autostructures Ltd, has been charged with corporate manslaughter and failing to discharge the employer’s general duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The incident on 13 December led to Mr Westbrook's death four days later, police said.

In a statement paying tribute to Mr Westbrook, his family said: "The loss of Steven has been painful for everyone who knew him, he is deeply missed by all his family and friends.

Satellite images show Israeli forces gathered for Gaza escalation

Analysis of images by Al Jazeera’s Sanad unit shows hundreds of military vehicles deployed at bases near Gaza.

More than 700 military vehicles are distributed within the Tze'elim military base, approximately 29km (18 miles) from Khan Younis city and 30km (18.6 miles) from Rafah [Planet Labs PBC]

Israel looks ready to escalate its devastating war on Gaza after stationing troops and vehicles at nearby army bases and outposts just outside the enclave, according to satellite imagery obtained and assessed by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit.

The analysis indicates that Israel has deployed more than 800 military vehicles to two bases. At least 120 vehicles are stationed at the northern border of the Gaza Strip and 700 are in the Negev desert, to the south.

The satellite imagery also reveals that Israel has established nine military outposts just outside the enclave. Three were erected in November and December 2023 and six were set up between January and March of this year. The outposts house soldiers, operational command centres and military vehicles.

The findings indicate that Israel plans to continue its war on Gaza, which was launched after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israeli communities and military outposts on October 7, despite global condemnation.

Israel’s war has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza, displaced most of the population and destroyed 62 percent of all homes.

According to Israeli officials, about 1,139 people were killed in Hamas’s October 7 attack and about 250 were taken captive.

Al Jazeera’s satellite analysis supports the view of several experts who say Israel will dedicate most of its military resources to its campaign in Gaza, despite having withdrawn the majority of its forces from the enclave in recent weeks.

“My general sense is that the [Israeli] security establishment would be more likely to prioritise finishing off Gaza, then shifting to other threats – whether that be [the Lebanese group] Hezbollah or Iran,” said Hugh Lovatt, an expert on Israel-Palestine with the European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR).

An analysis of satellite imagery shows the presence of approximately 120 military vehicles at the Zikim base, on the northern side of the border with Gaza [Planet Labs PBC]

Extracting a price

On April 18, US and Israeli officials met to discuss a possible operation in Rafah, a town on the border with Egypt currently providing relative safety to more than 1.4 million Palestinians displaced within the enclave.

 

The meeting followed rumours that the United States would support a full-scale invasion of Rafah – having previously expressed public reservations – in return for assurances that Israel would not escalate its tit-for-tat attacks with Iran.

US officials have denied those reports, but Israel does have more leverage to attack Rafah by dangling the spectre of regional escalation, according to Omar Rahman, an expert on Israel-Palestine at the Qatar-based Middle East Council for Global Affairs.

“The Israelis have made an art form out of extracting a price for doing something or not doing something, whether they actually intended to do it or not,” he told Al Jazeera

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also attempt to leverage Iran’s attack on Israel to consolidate his domestic position, experts said.

On April 14, Iran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Iran warned of its attack days in advance, and Israel and allied countries shot down almost all incoming strikes.

 

Days later, Israel appeared to respond with a minor strike on Iran’s Isfahan airbase, which also hosts nuclear facilities. While Iran played down the strike and Israel has not publicly commented on it at all, in perhaps an effort from both sides to de-escalate tensions, Israel has reiterated its plans to attack Rafah.

“I think because of the fear [among regional allies] to escalate with Iran – which is the nightmare scenario that people could envision – they are more attentive to alternative options,” said Eyal Lurie-Pardes, an Israel-Palestine expert with the US-based Middle East Institute.

“That’s why Netanyahu is trying to leverage the diplomatic position he’s in to pursue his ambition to conquer Rafah and to move ahead with an operation there.”

This military outpost was established between January and February, 4km (2.5 miles) east of Gaza, opposite the Khuza’a area. It contains houses, artillery batteries, vehicles and living quarters for troops [Planet Labs PBC]

‘Drumming up false beliefs’

Israel’s recent attacks and warnings in Gaza have raised fears of a larger offensive on Rafah.

Over the weekend, Israeli air attacks killed at least 22 people, including 18 children, in the southern city, Palestinian health officials said.

Mairav Zonszein, an expert on Israel-Palestine for the Belgium-based International Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera that Israel had always planned to invade Rafah, irrespective of US backing for its operations.

She added that Netanyahu has a habit of drumming up a false belief that he will not do something to secure leverage or support on other issues, citing the prime minister’s previous agreement to pause the de-facto annexation of the occupied West Bank in exchange for signing peace deals with various Arab governments.

“Israel was still annexing [the West Bank] and it is still doing it, but it got the accords,” Zonszein said. “For the most part, Israel just does what it wants and [US President] Biden has either fallen for it or just isn’t up to the task to [pressure Israel] not to do things.”

Lurie-Pardes also believes that Netanyahu will not be deterred from invading Rafah and that the operation is coming sooner rather than later, corresponding with Al Jazeera’s satellite analysis.

“Netanyahu won’t give up this position – or leverage – which he has right now [to go into Rafah],” Lurie-Pardes said.

LIVE UPDATESLIVE UPDATES,

Israel’s war on Gaza live: Rafah family killed, injured in Israeli strike

• Three members of a family in Rafah have been killed and four others wounded after an Israeli military strike hit their home in southern Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reports, citing Civil Defence workers.
• Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), says the Israeli campaign against the agency has had it operating “hand to mouth” after donors pulled funding.
• Donors are pressed to restore desperately needed funding to UNRWA after an independent review found Israel provided “no evidence” of any wrongdoing by staff members.
• Gaza medics continue to search for bodies at the site of a mass grave in the grounds of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis where at least 310 bodies have been recovered so far. The discovery comes after Israeli forces laid siege to the complex and recently withdrew from the site.
• At least 34,183 Palestinians have been killed and 77,143 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139 with dozens still held captive in Gaza.

Muslim pupil at leading London school once dubbed 'Britain's strictest' loses High Court challenge against its ban on prayer rituals

A Muslim pupil today lost a High Court challenge against a ban on prayer rituals at a high-achieving school in London which was once dubbed Britain's strictest.

The student, who cannot be named, took legal action against Michaela Community School in Brent, claiming the policy was discriminatory and 'uniquely' affected her faith due to its ritualised nature.

She argued the school's stance on prayer - one of the five pillars of Islam - unlawfully breached her right to religious freedom and was 'the kind of discrimination which makes religious minorities feel alienated from society'.

 

The school, founded and led by headteacher Katharine Birbalsingh, a former government social mobility tsar, argued its prayer policy was justified after it faced death and bomb threats linked to religious observance on site.

The ban was introduced in March last year after 30 students began to pray in the school's yard, using blazers to kneel on – with the rules imposed due to concerns about a 'culture shift' towards 'segregation between religious groups and intimidation within the group of Muslim pupils', the court was told. 

In a written ruling issued at the High Court in London this morning, Mr Justice Linden dismissed the pupil's arguments against the prayer rituals ban. But the judge upheld the student's challenge to a decision to temporarily exclude her from the school.

Ms Birbalsingh described the main ruling as a 'victory for all schools' while the pupil said they were 'obviously very disappointed' having 'tried my best' in bringing the case. The pupil's mother said she was 'profoundly dismayed by the case's outcome'. 

US says reports on mass graves in Gaza are troubling

Discovery of mass graves ‘stark evidence of war crimes’: Al-Haq

The US State Department has said that reports on mass graves in Gaza were troubling.

Palestinian authorities reported finding hundreds of bodies in mass graves at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis this week after it was abandoned by Israeli troops. Bodies were also reported at the al-Shifa medical site following an Israeli raid.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said earlier on Tuesday he was “horrified” by the mass grave reports at Gaza hospitals.

Inside Diddy and Jay-Z's 'special pact' as rapper stays silent on his pal's allegations

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Palestinians mark last days of Ramadan on the eve of six months of war

As the Muslim fasting month draws to a close next week, many Palestinians spend their days in prayer amid Israel’s war.

Palestinian Muslims are marking a tense and sombre last weekend in Ramadan, as Israel’s war on Gaza approaches the six-month mark.

Some 120,000 people descended on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, which dominates the Old City in Jerusalem, officials said on Friday.

There were minor scuffles between worshippers and Israeli police controlling the entrance to the mosque, which is the third holiest site in Islam.

Adli al-Agha, 53, from Jerusalem, told the AFP news agency that many people “had to flee dawn prayers” after Israeli police deployed a mini-drone spraying tear gas to disperse worshippers.

Friday marked Laylat al-Qadr (“The Night of Power”), considered the holiest night of Ramadan, which commemorates the moment the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

It is the night when Muslims believe their prayers are most likely to be granted, a festive moment while children stay up late and shops stay open till the small hours.

But many Palestinians are not in the mood to celebrate and are praying for an end to the war in Gaza after almost six months of bloodshed.

Sameeha al-Qadi, 55, who had come from near Bethlehem, said Jerusalem “is sad and has lost its light – we all feel what is going on in Gaza. We can’t escape it for a minute”.

This year there are few Ramadan decorations or lights in the Holy City, with Palestinians instead having a bitter coffee and a date – traditionally to mark mourning – on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when feasts are usually held.

“There is sweet nothing about the feast this year. People are not celebrating,” said Sabah, 54, some of whose relatives have been killed in Gaza. “Everything is bitter in my mouth. It is so painful at this time which is all about family.”

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Israel’s war on Gaza live: Intense fighting in Khan Younis ahead of talks

JK Rowling will not be arrested under new Scottish hate law, say police

‘No further action’ over posts by author and gender-critical activist despite complaints

Comments by JK Rowling challenging police to arrest her for online misgendering do not amount to a crime, Police Scotland said.

As the Scottish government’s contentious hate crime law came into force on Monday, the author and gender-critical activist posted a thread on X saying the legislation was “wide open to abuse” after listing sex offenders who had described themselves as transgender alongside well-known trans women activists, describing them as “men, every last one of them”.

 

She stated that “freedom of speech and belief are at an end in Scotland if the accurate description of biological sex is deemed criminal”.

On Tuesday afternoon, Police Scotland confirmed they had received complaints about the social media post but added: “The comments are not assessed to be criminal and no further action will be taken.”

The act brings together existing laws. Under the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, it is a crime to make derogatory comments based on age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex.

What is World Central Kitchen, whose team was attacked by Israel in Gaza?

The NGO has provided food aid in some of the world’s biggest disasters and conflicts, from Haiti to Ukraine.

Seven people working with the United States-based NGO World Central Kitchen(WCK) have been killed in the Gaza Strip in what the group’s founder chef said was an Israeli air attack.

The NGO, which provides fresh meals in response to conflict and natural disasters, was set up by Michelin-starred chef Jose Andres and his wife Patricia in 2010, and has been supplying food assistance in Gaza, which the United Nations has warned is on the brink of famine.

Israel condemns Brazil's Lula likening Gaza war to Holocaust

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Israel's military campaign was between a "highly prepared army and women and children".

Israel's foreign minister described Lula's comments as antisemitic and said he was "persona non grata" in the country until he retracted them.

The main Jewish organisation in Brazil has also criticised Lula's comments.

Speaking from an African Union summit in Ethiopia, Lula said: "What is happening in the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian people has no parallel in other historical moments. In fact, it did exist when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.

"It's not a war of soldiers against soldiers. It's a war between a highly prepared army and women and children."

Biden is declined

Washington, DC – The White House has cancelled a Ramadan iftar meal after several Muslim Americans declined the invitation in protest of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Luton’s popular Eid celebrations make history with funfair, circus workshops and petting zoo​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

History will be in the making when Luton hosts a joint Eid festival with 1Eid and Colours Of Eid uniting for a week of celebrations.

The event will mark a significant milestone in the town's annual celebrations with a collaboration which promises to bring together a colourful week of activities for all the family. 

Luton's first-ever Eid festival back in 2011, is set to host celebrations on April 9 and April 10, pending the’ traditional sighting of the moon’ with morning prayers scheduled at Stockwood Park at 10 am on the day of Eid. The main Eid festival will commence at St George's Square from 1pm until 9.30pm on both Eid day and the following day.

 

Colours of Eid, hosted by Alif New Beginnings, will continue celebrations on Saturday, April 13, with its annual event in the town centre. The event promises to build on its legacy of innovation following the establishment of Luton's first Eid parade in 2022.

 

Both events are free and open to the public with a range of attractions, including a funfair, international cuisines and desserts, children's activities, and storytelling sessions in store. Highlights for all ages will include circus workshops, roaming dinosaurs, puppet shows, fire juggling, donkey rides, science workshops with Mad Marc from Dragon’s Den, live music, calligraphy, arts workshops, Eid lights and spectacular firework displays.

 

Tahareem Farquhar, 1Eid team member and one of the main event organisers, said: "Having served the Luton community for 13 consecutive years with our bi-annual Eid festivals in the park is an amazing achievement and this year we are excited to join Colours Of Eid to create an unprecedented celebration that reflects the rich tapestry of Luton's cultural diversity. This collaboration embodies the spirit of unity and inclusivity, inviting everyone to join in the joyous festivities."

 

Sarah Salim, director of Alif New Beginnings and Colours Of Eid, added: "Luton has always been a melting pot of cultures, and our joint effort with 1Eid aims to celebrate this diversity while fostering a sense of community and togetherness. We invite everyone to come and be a part of history in the making."

Further details ae available on the 1Eid and Colours Of Eid websites.

Press release 20,000 more young people to access new and renovated youth clubs

Young people set to benefit from 140 new or refurbished youth centres thanks to latest funding round from the Government's Youth Investment Fund of £90 million.

• Nearly 20,000 more young people will have access to dance, drama and sport as part of the Government’s latest investment in youth services
• 140 more youth centres to be built or refurbished backed by over £90 million from the Youth Investment Fund 
• Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer officially opens The Chichester Shed - the first new build youth centre funded by the Youth Investment Fund 

Young people in villages, towns and cities across England are set to benefit from 140 new or refurbished youth centres thanks to the largest funding round to date from the Government’s Youth Investment Fund. 

Totalling more than £90 million, funding announced today (3 February) will support nearly 20,000 more young people per year to access new state of the art facilities such as workshop spaces, sports halls, art rooms, recording studios and skateparks. 

Activities ranging from dance, drama and music to sport, horticulture and employment skills development will be on offer, giving young people access to opportunities that broaden their horizons. 

Today also marks a major milestone with the very first new build youth centre funded by the Youth Investment Fund opening its doors.

Located in a deprived area with high levels of antisocial behaviour, The Chichester Shed has used a grant of over £420,000 to build a brand new space to support more than 120 young people. The open access service will provide a space to relax and learn new skills, with activities including woodworking, yoga and skateboarding available.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

I want to see every young person have someone to talk to, something to do, and somewhere to go outside of the classroom, no matter where they are from, to help maximise their potential in life. 

This next round of funding from the Youth Investment Fund will help nearly 20,000 more young people achieve this goal. 

We have now committed to building or refurbishing over 220 projects in some of the country’s most underserved areas, creating more opportunities for young people to gain the skills needed to succeed in life and stopping them from falling through the cracks.” 

The Youth Investment Fund has now allocated £250 million of its more than £300 million budget to services in areas of the country where need is high and provision is low. 

It will engage young people most in need, including those that might have otherwise been at risk of becoming involved in anti-social behaviour or falling out of education, training or employment.  

This is the latest announcement that forms part of the Government’s ambition to make sure young people are supported with positive and engaging opportunities both in and outside of school hours.

Clare de Bathe, CEO of Chichester Community Development Trust said: 

The Chichester Shed will provide an informal, dynamic and versatile space where young people can connect, learn and experience new activities. The space will be a haven for all ages and backgrounds to use throughout the school day and holidays, including intergenerational activities where boundaries can be broken down as well as adult education sessions and group workshops delivered. 

The funding has enabled the project ideas to be brought to a reality and we cannot wait to open the doors.

Examples of other youth centres receiving grants in this funding round include:

• Bodies in Motion, Pendle - a combined grant of over £1.4 million will pay for the refurbishment of Orchid House Gym with new changing facilities and equipment, supporting 290 additional young people a week. The Garden Project will create a community-focused garden and greenhouse facility, engaging an additional 400 young people through therapeutic horticultural activities to promote a sense of wellbeing.
• Youth Options, Southampton - a new community café and training centre, backed by £1.2 million investment, will provide a safe haven for nearly 100 additional young people a week in a disadvantaged part of the city.The café will offer training in catering and hospitality, and will be targeted at those not in education, employment, and training, while the indoor space will be transformed to create new activity space and a counselling room.
• Positive Futures, Liverpool - The Positive Futures hub will be expanded to provide a sensory room, music rooms, art space, large sports hall and virtual reality spaces to support 250 additional young people a week. 
• Tinside Cove and Lido, Plymouth - two listed buildings at the Tinside Lido will be renovated to  provide space for nearly 300 more young people a week to benefit from new training and educational programmes, while the lido will be used for swimming, snorkelling, diving and life-saving classes. 
• Weymouth West Air Scouts, Weymouth - The Scouts building will be refurbished with a new shower room, extended kitchen and three breakout rooms, doubling the building’s size and enabling them to run multiple activities at the same time. The project will support nearly 80 more young people a week. 

Nick Temple, CEO of Social Investment Business said:

The Youth Investment Fund is transforming the youth service landscape right across the country, enabling youth centres of all shapes and sizes to enhance their services and reach more young people. 

It’s very exciting to see the first Youth Investment Fund newbuild open its doors to Chichester’s young people today. Before securing the funding, these young people had nowhere safe to go, and nothing to do after school.  

Young people now have a brand-new youth centre, inspired by their ideas and needs, giving them every opportunity to thrive and discover their passions. The Youth Investment Fund is truly unlocking potential and creating a legacy for future generations of young people in communities like this across the country.

Denise Hatton, Chair of Back Youth Alliance said: 

We are delighted that nearly 20,000 young people will be able to access new and refurbished youth clubs through the latest instalment of the National Youth Guarantee. With mental health, loneliness and anti-social behaviour all on the rise, now more than ever young people need a safe space to go, a trusted adult to speak to and access to positive activities in their communities all year round. 

Ruth Marvel, CEO of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), said:

This multi million-pound investment is so much more than skateparks, sports halls and art rooms. It’s an investment in the resilience, confidence and independence of young people, which thanks to the on-going impact of a pandemic and cost of living crisis, has never been more needed.

We at the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award know first-hand that when you invest in young people, there is no limit to what they can achieve. The government’s National Youth Guarantee has brought the DofE to thousands of young people in England for the first time, breaking down barriers and providing life-shaping activities and volunteering opportunities.

Today’s announcement forms the latest part of the Government’s ‘National Youth Guarantee’, that will ensure every young person aged 11-18 in England has access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home, and volunteering opportunities by 2025, backed by an investment of over £500 million. 

The National Youth Guarantee will provide greater access to activities such as The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and the National Citizen Service, and uniformed youth groups such as Scouts, Girlguiding, and Cadets.

To further support giving young people the best start in life, in September 2023 the Government announced the opening of the second phase of the £19 million Million Hours Fund, designed to create more than one million additional hours of youth centre provision in areas with high numbers of antisocial behaviour incidents.

Notes to editors:

• The total number of young people supported (19,806) is the combined projection from all projects funded in this round. Data is based on regular average weekly attendance, with the number of additional young people counted.
• In March 2023, the Government announced an action plan to crack down on anti-social behaviour and restore pride in communities. Alongside this, it was announced the next 42 youth centres to benefit from £90 million from the Youth Investment Fund. 
• In August 2023, it was announced that 44 youth centres were to be built or refurbished in the latest round of funding from the Youth Investment Fund.
• In September 2023, the opening of the second phase of the £19 million Million Hours Fund was announced. 
• In October 2023, it was announced that £289 million would be allocated to a wraparound childcare fund, to make sure families of primary school children can access childcare between 8am and 6pm.

Youth Investment Fund beneficiaries February 2024

Youth Investment Fund beneficiaries February 2024 

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