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Joe Biden has called Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza a “mistake”.

The US president has been increasingly public in his criticism of the Israeli prime minister and how Israel is carrying out its military offensive.

“I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Mr Biden said in comments to Univision, a Spanish-language US TV network.

“What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” the president added.

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Date for Rafah offensive ‘bravado’ – US officials

The interview was conducted last week and published on Tuesday.

Mr Biden has previously called Israel’s bombing in Gaza “indiscriminate” and its military actions “over the top.”

It comes as Muslims in Gaza begin celebrating Eid under the enduring threat of an Israeli army offensive into Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering.

A drone view shows Palestinians holding Eid al-Fitr prayers by the ruins of al-Farouk mosque in Rafah in Gaza.
Pic: Reuters
Image:
Palestinians holding Eid al-Fitr prayers by the ruins of al Farouk mosque in Rafah. Pic: Reuters


The White House said last week that the president, in a call with Mr Netanyahu, threatened to make US support for Israel’s offensive conditional on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians.

That call followed the Israeli airstrike that killed seven staff of the aid group World Central Kitchen.

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Despite pressure to ban the sale of weapons to Israel, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said the UK’s position remains “unchanged”.

He made the comment after being asked about the latest advice his government has received on whether Israel has been breaching international law in Gaza.

Three former Supreme Court judges recently joined more than 600 lawyers in calling for the UK government to halt arms sales to Israel, saying it could make Britain complicit in genocide in Gaza.

The UK supplied £42m worth of arms to Israel in 2022.

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Democrats release more Epstein photos – with crucial deadline now just hours away

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Democrats release more Epstein photos - with crucial deadline now just hours away

Democrats have shared more pictures from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, a day before the government’s deadline for the full release.

The 68 photos published on Thursday are among more than 95,000 images that the House Oversight Committee Democrats said they were reviewing.

They said the images were “selected to provide the public with transparency into a representative sample of the photos” and to “provide insights into Epstein’s network and his extremely disturbing activities”.

Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Jeffrey Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems

But the Democrats added that they are still analysing thousands more images that are “both graphic and mundane”.

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing on the part of those pictured in the images – and the context surrounding the photos is not known.

Mystery text quotes price for ‘girl’

The latest cache includes a text message appearing to discuss the price for a girl.

It isn’t clear who sent the messages and to whom, but the screenshot shows some details on an unidentified girl, described as a teenager here.

“I will send u girls now,” one of the texts read.

Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Pic: @OversightDems

Writing on body

Several pictures show handwritten messages on a person’s body.

One appears to be quoting the opening paragraph of the book Lolita – which can be seen in the background of the picture.

The book was written by Vladimir Nabokov and tells the story of a girl groomed by a middle-aged literature professor.

Another shows writing on a foot, which reads: “She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock.”

The writing appears to be quoting the opening paragraph of the book Lolita. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
The writing appears to be quoting the opening paragraph of the book Lolita. Pic: @OversightDems

Another handwritten message. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Another handwritten message. Pic: @OversightDems

Other messages can be seen on the neck, hip, back and chest, with the latter reading: “The tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down”.

In a different image, Epstein is pictured with three girls in his house in New York. One appears to be touching Epstein’s chest, one is holding her wrist up and another is looking at a laptop.

The identity of the women has been hidden.

Epstein with three women whose faces have been redacted. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Epstein with three women whose faces have been redacted. Pic: @OversightDems

Epstein with high-profile figures

Some high-profile figures also appear in the newly released images, with one showing Epstein sitting alongside Sheikh Jabor Bin Yousef Bin Jassim Bin Jabor al Thani.

He is the chairman and director of several privately established companies and is a member of the Qatari royal family.

Epstein with Sheikh Jabor Bin Yousef Bin Jassim Bin Jabor al Thani. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Epstein with Sheikh Jabor Bin Yousef Bin Jassim Bin Jabor al Thani. Pic: @OversightDems

Another image shows Epstein with the former president of the UN General Assembly, Miroslav Lajcak, who held the role between 2017 and 2018. He is also a former Slovakian foreign affairs minister.

Last month, he told TASR news agency: “The reopening of the Epstein case occurred after I left New York, and the full extent of his inexcusable actions, which I strongly condemn, only came to light after his arrest.”

Miroslav Lajcak, former president of the UN General Assembly, next to Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Miroslav Lajcak, former president of the UN General Assembly, next to Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems

Shaher Abdulhak, a deceased Yemeni billionaire businessman whose son is a suspect in the murder of a Norwegian woman in Mayfair, was also pictured with Epstein.

His son, Farouk Abdulhak, fled to Yemen after the rape and death of Martine Vik Magnussen in March 2008 and has been wanted for questioning ever since.

Ms Magnussen was found dead among rubble in a basement in Great Portland Street.

She and her friends had been celebrating finishing their end-of-term exams at the Maddox nightclub before she vanished. Her body was found two days later.

Deceased Yemeni billionaire Shaher Abdulhak with Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Deceased Yemeni billionaire Shaher Abdulhak with Epstein. Pic: @OversightDems


Epstein and Steve Bannon. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Epstein and Steve Bannon. Pic: @OversightDems

Also featured in the newly released images were former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, magician David Blaine, businessman Tom Pritzker, billionaire Bill Gates, director Woody Allen, talk show host Dick Cavett, Trump ally Steve Bannon, and Kuwait’s former information minister Anas al Rasheed.

Photos of identity documents with redacted names were also published, including one with text saying that “the bearer was convicted of a sex offense against a minor”, which could belong to convicted sex offender Epstein.

Also among the identification documents is a heavily redacted Russian passport. It belongs to a female, but other information has been blocked out.

The release also includes ID documents from the Czech Republic, South Africa, Ukraine, and Lithuania.

One passport appeared to belong to someone 'convicted of a sex offense against a minor'. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
One passport appeared to belong to someone ‘convicted of a sex offense against a minor’. Pic: @OversightDems

Epstein's passport. Pic: @OversightDems
Image:
Epstein’s passport. Pic: @OversightDems

Deadline looming

The picture drop came a day before the deadline set by a bipartisan bill that compels the US Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days, which was signed into law by US President Donald Trump last month.

Mr Trump had promised to release the Epstein files during his ultimately successful presidential campaign, but he later made a U-turn, even going as far as calling the Epstein files a Democratic “hoax”, before eventually changing path again to sign the bill.

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said ahead of the deadline that he believes the Department of Justice will release the files in time, and warned that there will be “strong bipartisan pushback” if they don’t.

“Based on my conversations with some of the top Democrats who’ve been working on this matter, related to full and complete disclosure of the Epstein files, we do expect compliance,” he told reporters on Thursday.

Full release going ‘down to the wire’

National security lawyers inside the Department of Justice are “working down to the wire” as Friday’s deadline for the full release of the Epstein files edges closer, according to Sky News’ US correspondent James Matthews.


Lawyers are working ‘down to the wire’ to finalise Epstein files

He said those lawyers are mulling “how much is actually divulged in these documents”.

“There will be redactions… the question is, how far short of everything? How far short of the full story will the release fall?” Matthews said.

“The issue at the heart of it… where does Donald Trump feature? Remember, he emphatically denies all knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities and any involvement in them.”

Read more:
Releasing the Epstein files: How we got here
Ghislaine Maxwell attempts to overturn conviction

‘Frustration building’

Meanwhile, frustration is building at the justice department ahead of the release, according to CNN.

A source has told the US broadcaster that there could be up to 1,000 redactions needed from each attorney.

Lawyers reportedly believe they aren’t getting clear or comprehensive direction on how to make the most information available under the law.

A previous batch of images featured more high-profile figures, including Donald Trump, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Bill Clinton, British entrepreneur Richard Branson, Emirati businessman Ahmed bin Sulayem, and singer Jimmy Buffett.

Several images of a sexual nature have also been released, including a picture of a bowl of novelty condoms with a caricature of Mr Trump’s face, and various sex toys.

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TikTok’s Chinese owner agrees deal to sell US business

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TikTok's Chinese owner agrees deal to sell US business

TikTok’s Chinese owner has signed a deal to sell the company’s US arm to American investors – ensuring the video platform can continue operating in the United States.

The deal is expected to close on 22 January 2026, according to an internal memo seen by Sky News’ US partner, NBC News.

It will end years of uncertainty over the app’s future in the States, after Joe Biden signed a law last year that required TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell up – or else it would be blocked.

The law was introduced amid concerns from some US politicians that ByteDance might share user data with the Chinese government, despite repeated assurances from the firm that it would not.

Critics also expressed fears that Chinese authorities may be able to manipulate TikTok’s algorithms and shape what content users see and are influenced by. This claim was also denied.

Mr Biden set a January 2025 deadline for the sale and when ByteDance failed to comply, TikTok went dark for several hours.

It returned after Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running on his first day in office.


Trump: ‘Tremendous value’ with TikTok

Who’s taking over?

The internal memo sent to employees on Thursday said the deal allows “over 170 million Americans to continue discovering a world of endless possibilities as part ‌of a vital global community.”

TikTok owner ByteDance will sell just over 80% of the company’s US assets to three major investors, Reuters news agency reports.

The investors – Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX – will form a new venture, named TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC.

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TikTok whistleblowers expose safety concerns

The venture will be 50% held by the consortium of US investors, Reuters added, with affiliates of certain existing ByteDance investors holding 30.1% and ByteDance itself retaining 19.9%.

It will have a new, seven-member majority-American board of directors and be subject to terms that “protect Americans’ data and US national security”, the memo said.

Data from users in the US will be stored locally.

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Suspect in Brown University shooting found dead

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Suspect in Brown University shooting found dead

The suspect in the deadly shooting at Brown University in the US has been found dead.

Two students were killed and at least eight were injured during the shooting inside a classroom building at the Ivy League university in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday night in Providence, police said the suspect had been found dead. He is a 48-year-old Portuguese man.

Sources told Sky News’ US partner network NBC News that the suspect had been found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, seemingly from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“He may have been dead for a bit of time,” said one senior official.

Rhode Island’s attorney general Peter Neronha said: “He was found dead, with a satchel, with two firearms and evidence in the car that matches exactly what we see at the scene here in Providence.”

It comes as police are investigating a possible link to the murder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, two days later in Boston, according to a Reuters source familiar with the matter.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

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