| | | | | | | Hello. Shortly after you receive this newsletter, the UN's International Court of Justice will give its interim ruling on Israel's military operation in Gaza as it considers South Africa's genocide case. You can watch it on our live page. When you have more time this weekend, I invite you to read in full the incredible story of Amy and Ano, two Georgian twin girls who were separated and sold at birth before they found each other 19 years later. We've got other stories from Australia, Austria, and a back garden full of sheep. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | UN top court to issue first ruling on case against Israel |  | | Seventeen judges, including two representing South Africa and Israel, will be issuing the ruling on Friday. Credit: EPA |
| | The International Court of Justice is set to deliver an interim ruling in South Africa's genocide case against Israel today. The UN's top court will not give a verdict on South Africa's allegation that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza - this is expected to take years. It will instead decide whether to issue emergency measures to halt the country's military operations in the Strip. While the court doesn't have the power to enforce its judgement, it will still hold symbolic weight. A decision in South Africa's favour would "place additional political pressure on Israel to work towards a ceasefire", explains Anna Holligan, our correspondent reporting from court in the Hague. To grant any of the nine provisional measures requested by South Africa, the judges must answer two questions. First, whether South Africa has met the basic test to show that its genocide claim against Israel is plausible. Second, whether the Palestinian population in Gaza faces a real and imminent risk of irreparable harm. | | • | Follow the ruling: Our live page is broadcasting the decision alongside analysis from our reporters in The Hague, Jerusalem, Johannesburg and London. It's expected around 12:00GMT, shortly after you receive this newsletter. | | • | The basics: This simple explainer will help you understand the motivations and the stakes behind South Africa's case against Israel. | | • | Two days in court: On 11 and 12 January, South Africa and Israel presented their respective cases, with both sides making an emotional appeal. Here's a summary of their arguments from our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams. |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | Capital punishment: Alabama has executed convicted murderer Kenneth Eugene Smith with nitrogen gas, a previously untested method. A witness told the BBC that Smith thrashed violently on the gurney and the execution took around 25 minutes. | | • | Royal health: King Charles has been admitted to hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate, says Buckingham Palace. | | • | Klopp out: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is to step down from the role at the end of the season, saying he is "running out of energy". The German football coach was in the post since October 2015. | | • | An ethereal portrait: A painting by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, that was believed lost for 100 years, has been found in Vienna. Take a look. | | • | Plastic shells: In news that is less aethetically pleasing, a team of scientists estimate that two-thirds of hermit crab species have been pictured in "artificial shells" - toothpaste caps or pieces of lightbulbs discarded by humans. Here are some photos taken by wildlife enthusiasts. |
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| AT THE SCENE |  Leipzig, Germany | | Stolen Georgian twins reunite thanks to TikTok video | | Amy Khvitia and Ano Sartania didn't know each other existed before they were 19. But they look exactly the same. The twins were separated and sold at birth in western Georgia, and found each other after Ano found Amy on TikTok. Thousands of other babies were stolen in Georgia before being sold, some as recently as 2005. The BBC filmed the reunion with their birth mother in Germany. |  | | Fay Nurse and Woody Morris, BBC World Service |
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| | Amy is pacing up and down in a hotel room in Leipzig. "I'm scared, really scared," she says, fidgeting nervously. "I haven't slept all week. This is my chance to finally get some answers about what happened to us." Her twin sister, Ano, sits in an armchair, watching TikTok videos on her phone. "This is the woman that could have sold us," she says, rolling her eyes. Ano admits she is nervous too, but only because she doesn't know how she will react and if she will be able to control her anger. It's the end of a long journey. They have travelled from Georgia to Germany, in the hope of finding the missing piece of the puzzle. They are finally meeting their birth mother. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | Australia Day attemps to rebrand itself amid controversy |  | | Many Australians proudly celebrate Australia Day each year, but there's a growing rift over the celebration. Credit: EPA |
| | Today is Australia Day, which marks the landing of Britain's First Fleet in Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788. But an increasing number of Australians are uncomfortable with the day of national pride and what it represents for Indigenous Australians. Hannah Ritchie in Sydney reports on Australia Day's "quiet rebranding", and the attempted inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in celebrations. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | Fighting fatigue | | To avoid feeling tired, quality of sleep matters more than quantity. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | Speaking of sleeping, if you grew up in a Western country, you've likely been taught to count sheep in order to fall asleep. It's usually a mental exercise, but footage from a security camera showing a flock of sheep taking refuge in the back garden of a home in England during a recent stormy night provides a helpful image. Check it out. |
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| | | | | | US Election Unspun newsletter | | Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday to your inbox. | | |
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– Jules |
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