In a New Year’s Eve post, music legend Elton John and husband David Furnish share the faces of the sons he calls his “great achievement.” The pair have a history of renouncing tradition.
5 images to be viewed
Elton fans were delighted to see the rare family snap with his son’s faces unveiled(Image: Instagram/ @eltonjohn)
Rocketman singer Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish have finally shown their two sons faces on social media – after years of keeping them under wraps.
It’s one of the first times the showbiz couple, who celebrated 20 years of their civil partnership in December, have unveiled their now grown-up looking sons’ faces since they welcomed them via surrogate – with Zachary now 14 and Elijah, 12.
Breaking tradition by finally offering fans a rare glimpse of what their two growing boys look like, they shared an update on Instagram which revealed a behind-the-scenes look at their New Year’s Eve plans with longtime friend, Italian designer, Donatella Versace.
READ MORE: Stranger Things star Sadie Sink’s ‘beauty essential’ lip gloss is now on sale
Elton, 78, and Canadian native David, 63, had until now largely kept their brood off the social media platform, but decided that ringing in New Year’s Eve, as he uploaded the snap of him posing beside his husband and sons, was the right time to renege on that rule.
A beaming Donatella, 70, stood opposite Elijah’s famous father and his older brother Zachary, who was also in the middle of the photo.
Artist David wrote, “Ringing in the New Year Donatella style,” in the unique London setting of Claridge’s hotel. For the incredible dinner @claridgeshotel, I’m grateful to @donatella_versace. You are our love. Forever, La Famiglia! The F-Js wish everyone a very happy, prosperous, and healthy New Year.
Fans rushed to the comments section with excitement after the unanticipated family photo. The F-J family appears to be well-armed, according to one author. Happy New Year to all of you,” and another poem, “Wonderful. Your boys are undoubtedly gaining in maturity. What attractive young men. Happy New Year!
Elton and David reside in Windsor, and their first child Zachary arrived in 2010 on Christmas Day via a surrogate in California.
The excited couple said, “We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment,” in a statement released at the time. Zachary is a very happy and healthy parent, and Zachary is doing really well.
Elijah was then born via the same surrogate mother in January 2013, in LA – after which the proud parents said,”The birth of our second son completes our family in a most precious and perfect way.”
It is difficult to fully express how we are feeling right now; we are just overjoyed and excited, according to the statement made after Elijah’s birth.
Both Elton and David have spoken extensively about their boys – who were both ring bearers at their parents’ 2014 winter wedding – though fans have rarely seen them snapped over the years.
Although they have previously been captured in photos, their family-oriented parents have avoided making full-length photos of them in what is thought to be a campaign to protect their privacy, choosing to show them with their faces covered or their backs to the camera.
Last year, Elton shared a sweet moment on Instagram when he took his sons to watch his team Watford FC play in their new kit. The hitmaker is an honorary life president of the club, having become a chairperson in 1976.
The father and sons wore jerseys with their names on the backs while filming the game and had their arms wrapped around each other.
Elton acknowledged shortly after the birth of his first son that it was “the best decision we’ve made,” adding, “You can’t put into words how much we love this little boy,” adding.
Elton also wrote a moving letter to his sons in Time magazine, sharing lessons from his youth and hopes for the future, when he turned 75 in 2022.
You two, Zachary and Elijah, are the greatest gifts I have ever received, he said. You have given my life meaning and purpose in ways I didn’t expect. I’m most proud of my accomplishments, and I’m especially in love with both of you.
Continue reading the article.
In the 2024 documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, the music icon shared his fears over his mortality, revealing that his sons “love their daddy, so they want me to be around forever, [and] I would love to be around forever.” He added poignantly, “Time together is so wonderful and so precious.”
Why is Liam Rosenior the front-runner for the job at Chelsea, and would appointing him be a wise choice? Just 18 months after being fired by Championship side Hull City, Rosenior is the leading contender.
The 41-year-old Englishman has had a positive impression on French Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, who are also BlueCo owners, which gave him the opportunity to join the Londoners.
He would take over from Enzo Maresca, who won the Club World Cup in the summer, but became the latest Blues boss to fall out with the hierarchy and left on Thursday.
According to BBC pundit and former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin, “they will get someone in who is young and easy to manipulate.”
Rosenior would become the fourth of the five previous Chelsea managers to have held the position in the Championship if appointed.
He took his pre-match news conference as usual before Strasbourg’s game against Nice on Saturday.
He said, “I’m going to talk about Nice because it’s my job,” according to quotes from the local newspaper DNA.
“As a coach, if you get involved, you fail,” he said. There is a lot of noise and speculation.
” I don’t want to guarantee how long I’ll be here, but I enjoy myself here every day. I adore this club, but I can’t promise anything. Nobody can.
“I could say I’m going to stay here for years and then get fired”.
He said that because we are all in the same group, there are discussions about getting in touch with Chelsea.
19 hours ago
Strasbourg team under Rosenior is young.
One of Rosenior’s most striking achievements with Strasbourg has been guiding them into the top reaches of Ligue 1 while fielding a team of youngsters, something which would stand him in good stead with Chelsea.
The Blues’ line-up was 24 years and 36 days old on average last season, which is the lowest age of any Premier League team overall.
Tosin Adarabioyo, 28, is their oldest player, and earlier this year they became the first team to feature three teenagers in a Champions League game.
Meanwhile, in August Strasbourg became the first club in Europe’s top five leagues to play a team of players all born in the 2000s – and had an average age of 20 years and 283 days for a Ligue 1 game against Monaco. The 22-year-old player was the oldest.
Ben Chilwell, a former England left-back who left Chelsea for Strasbourg in the summer, spoke to Nizaar Kinsella from BBC Sport in November about Rosenior’s leadership style.
“The manager is very good at managing a young dressing room”, he said. Not necessarily an immature dressing room, but a young dressing room with no prior knowledge of what it takes to win things, according to the article.
The manager wants to win things this season, wants us to win the French Cup, and wants us to win the Conference League.
Strasbourg finished seventh last season, and sit in the same position again after 16 games of this campaign.
With five victories and a draw, including victories over Crystal Palace and Aberdeen, they finished top of the Conference League group for the current season.
Flexible tactically and plenty of passes – Rosenior at Strasbourg
Strasbourg has only won one of its last six Ligue 1 games, which has slowed down the organization’s recent form.
They were third in the middle of October, one point behind leaders Paris St-Germain, but they are now 14 points behind Lens, who are currently in charge.
Rosenior has not been wedded to a shape, playing in both a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-4-3 formation.
They have the third-highest passes in Ligue 1 this season in the passing game, but they only have eighth in the opposition half.
Their 55 through balls, another record for the league, are significantly higher than anyone else, and they are also in a league low for long passes, once more, by some means.
In fact Strasbourg have played fewer long passes than any other team in Europe’s top five leagues – 511. Barcelona, the team with the most long balls, has 598 to go.
In contrast, Chelsea has allowed 925 long passes this season.
Strasbourg have been clinical too, ranking 14th for shots in Ligue 1 but seventh for goals.
Liam is very innovative, according to Marc Keller, club president, who denied that Strasbourg are Chelsea’s feeder club in November.
He says, “They have space to play because we are playing with a young team and he is playing top football.”
Rosenior’s reputation in the EFL grew.
Images courtesy of Getty
Rosenior, a right-back, featured in Fulham, Reading, Hull, and Brighton’s top flight before having a solid but unspectacular career.
Roughly half his career was spent in the EFL and that’s where he started his coaching career.
He spent three years at Derby after serving as Brighton’s under-23 coach.
Before taking over as interim boss following Rooney’s departure, he was first-team coach under Phillip Cocu and then assistant to Wayne Rooney.
But he was more hands-on than the average assistant.
Rosenior should have been in charge, not Rooney, according to BBC football news reporter Simon Stone, who reported on the incident that occurred when Mel Morris fired Phillip Cocu in November 2020.
Rooney, of course, had the profile, but Rosenior was the one to organize the games and provide direction for the team.
“Rosenior replaced Rooney for a short time in 2022, after administration had led to relegation into League One.
Rosenior helped to restore Derby, which had only five players under contract, and brought in 14 new players.
Given that they were seventh when Rosenior left and that Paul Warne’s replacement, who was Rosenior’s replacement, they didn’t even earn a play-off spot, according to history, the new ownership would have been preferable to leave them in charge.
He then spent almost two years as Hull manager – with observers again thinking he was harshly done by at the end.
When he took over the Tigers in November 2022 and placed them 15th, they were one point above the relegation zone.
Rosenior was fired the following season after falling three points clear of the play-off spots.
You require a puppet, you say?
Many of Chelsea’s managers have had powerful personalities and had disagreements with the owners.
They include Thomas Tuchel, who had won the Champions League, and Maresca, who lifted the Club World Cup in the summer.
Despite appearing to stabilise the team in the latter stages of the season, Mauricio Pochettino left the organization 18 months ago.
If Chelsea didn’t already own the team, would they look to the seventh-place manager in the French league?
BBC pundit Nevin said: “Chelsea need someone who is going to buy into the methodology. You need a puppet, that is another expression. Someone who heeds their orders straight away.
” Chelsea want success. However, they desire something more. They are looking for someone who will follow their instructions. Those two things may not be compatible.
“Liam Rosenior sounds like a really good idea, but he’s never done it at this level,” Rosenior said. There is a disproportionately high chance of taking someone in who doesn’t possess that level of experience.
Rosenior does have more managerial experience than his predecessor Maresca, who had a short spell at Parma in 2021 and one season as Leicester boss before taking over at Chelsea in 2024.
Dion Dublin, a former Manchester United striker, said “Rosenior is doing brilliant at Strasbourg.”
He continued, “Chelsea had a manager who I don’t think will be matched unless they spend a lot of money on it to find a top-notch manager,” and that is unlikely to happen.
Following a heart scare, Jeremy Clarkson embarked on a weight-loss journey to Mounjaro, where he lost three stone in the past six months.
3 images to be seen
Jeremy is embracing a healthier lifestyle after his heart scare(Image: Getty Images)
Jeremy Clarkson has shared a surprising side effect of Mounjaro – after revealing he’s lost three stone from using the weight loss jab.
The 65-year-old Clarkson’s Farm star said he began taking the medication six months ago in a bid to get healthier after a heart scare that saw him have two stents fitted in blocked arteries.
The TV host shared that the fat jabs had an unexpected effect on his body, despite the fact that he has managed to avoid some of the common side effects of the drug, such as constipation.
He said: “I’ve had to have completely new outfits, because even my feet have shrunk. The shoes I was wearing last year are falling off me as I’m walking around – I think I might be the first person in the world to lose weight on my feet.”
READ MORE: ‘Jeremy Clarkson helped save my life — but now I must warn others about his work’
Discussing other side effects of the drug, he revealed his model and actress partner Lisa Hogan, 51, had said he’s a bit more grumpy since taking the jab. Though he admitted that could be down to his age rather than anything else.
He told The Sun: “Constipation? No, I don’t have that. Diminished libido? I’m 65 – it’s hard to know what’s causing that. I’m just a little bit duller and not quite as sharp as you should be. I’m not quite as quick-witted. I find myself doing Hot Seat [Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?], thinking, ‘Oh f***, I should have said that, but too late now’. But who’s to say I wouldn’t have thought that when I wasn’t on it?”
Jeremy joked: “I’ll ask Lisa when I get back home – ‘You were never funny and you were never horny, Jeremy.’ Does she like the thinner me? Yes. I’m still not David Gandy. I’m nearer to Gandy now than I was a year ago, in the same way that tectonic activity means that South America is moving closer to Australia — not by much. But I can go much further, I can take the dogs out for longer now, so it keeps her happy. I’m much healthier.”
Jeremy claimed to be still on Mounjaro despite losing three stone, but it has since “platinated.” He said: “It really is an amazing drug because of its appetite suppressing quality” and that he hasn’t put any weight back on.
Jeremy made an announcement about the health issue that he claimed almost killed him in June 2025. His ordeal began when he attempted to jump into the sea while vacationing in the Seychelles when disaster struck.
He did a massive belly flop, though, instead of diving gracefully. When he finally arrived at the beach, he claimed that his lungs were oozing with water and that he was unable to breathe. A few days later, Jeremy returned home in the Cotswolds with a tightness in his chest.
An ambulance was called to his arms after his arms frozen with pins and needles, and a CAT scan revealed that two of his crucial arteries had been blocked, possibly as a result of smoking 40 Marlboros per day. Though he quit in 2017.
He was instructed to stop high-fat and processed foods and had two stents placed in his blood vessels. The star recalls a doctor telling him, “Days away,” when discussing how close he had come to being. Maybe”.
The TV star has pledged never to retire despite working nine jobs as a farmer, shopkeeper, brewer, pub landlord, documentary-maker, quiz show host, and writer of three newspaper columns.
Continue reading the article.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “I’d just be an alcoholic if I stopped working, what else would I do? I have no hobbies, I’m good at nothing. Some people enjoy playing golf or fishing or whatever. When they retire, they can indulge themselves in their hobby on a more full-time basis.
I’ve never really enjoyed a hobby. Nothing about this really interests me. How would I proceed? Watercolor paint ? Birdwatching I wouldn’t be able to get through the day. No, I enjoy working a lot of different jobs.
READ MORE: Man who struggled to lose weight sheds 7 stone and gets abs after spotting Instagram ad
When Daria Kasatkina cut her 2025 season short in October, the former world number eight described how she had “hit a wall”.
The workload is excessive. I’m at a crossroads both mentally and emotionally, and I’m not alone, she wrote.
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, a two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist, had already announced she was not in “the mental space” to continue, while reigning Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz believe the calendar is too long.
As the world’s top tennis players reconvene in Australia for the start of the 2026 season, the subject is still up for discussion.
It was welcomed to have a slightly longer off-season than 2025. Nevertheless, several weeks is not seen as enough time for proper recuperation before preparations begin for an 11-month campaign regarded as among the most onerous in professional sport.
According to Dr. Robby Sikka, medical director of Novak Djokovic’s Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), “the demands of tennis are more difficult than ever before,” he told BBC Sport.
Players are faster, faster, and hitting the ball harder during rallies and matches.
” We owe it to our players to protect them and give them a more sustainable sport. “
shortened the growing season
The 2025 season spanned 47 weeks for many men, beginning with the United Cup team event on 27 December 2024 and ending with the Davis Cup final on 23 November.
The WTA Tour Finals on November 8th marked the conclusion of the women’s season, which came two weeks earlier. To prevent scheduling issues, the ITF moved the Billie Jean King Cup Finals until September.
The ATP Tour says it does not take the concerns of the players” lightly”, while the WTA Tour says player welfare will” always remain a top priority”.
The PTPA, which filed a lawsuit against the men’s and women’s tours in March, alleging “anti-competitive practices and a blatant disregard for player welfare,” was unsatisfied with that.
Revamping the calendar is an obvious solution but cannot be achieved easily given the complex nature of tennis governance, where the four Grand Slams, ATP, WTA and ITF each have controlling interests.
Dr. Sikka, who also serves as the New York Yankees’ team physician, said, “We need to think about whether we can buy back time at the end of the year for an extended off season, or whether we can do it during the season.”
Andy Roddick, a former world number one, has long urged change, and he claims the season should not end on November 1.
The ATP Tour has cut the number of events which count towards the rankings from 19 to 18 for 2026, which it believes will reduce” overall demands “on the players.
The top players are expected to compete in at least 20 mandatory events, including four Grand Slams, ten WTA 1000s, and six 500s, according to the WTA rankings, which are based on 18 tournaments.
One thing that frequently gets overlooked is that players can choose their own schedules, according to ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
There has also been criticism for stretching out several ATP and WTA mandatory tournaments over the course of a fortnight, leading to the development of so-called “mini Slams.”
” I think players are more mentally tired and more fatigued because they’re spending more days away and more days on the road, “Andy Murray, Britain’s former men’s world number one, told The Tennis Podcast.
There are concerns about the increased physical demands, as well as mental burnout.
PTPA data indicates that players in April, August, and October experience more severe upper-body injuries.
More ball consistency and less late nights
When Murray infamously finished an Australian Open match in 2023 at 04:05 local time, it promised to cause change.
In 2024, the WTA and ATP brought in a rule preventing matches starting after 11pm.
However, matches that ended well past midnight are still occurring, which Dr. Sikka contends cannot be allowed to be “romanized.”
You simply don’t go home when you’re done playing. You have to do media, recover, work with the physiotherapist, then you go to hotel and unwind, “he added.
Your day ends at 3:30 a.m., not at midnight or at 1 a.m. Then you have to enter and hit again the following day.
Images courtesy of Getty
Multiple tournaments that use different balls and have different weight and pace have been linked to higher upper body injuries.
Britain’s Katie Boulter says players want more ball consistency from week to week.
She told BBC Sport in May that she has seen more and more of her injuries while playing on the radio. “I’ve had a lot of injuries in my arm, shoulder, and wrist.
Dominic Thiem, a former US Open champion who retired last year due to a persistent wrist injury, believes that all other tournaments should use the same swing.
“It shouldn’t be too difficult – the same ball for clay, the same for hard and the same for grass. That would be very helpful for the players, he claimed.
Learn from NFL &, protect young players
According to sports scientists, tennis needs to learn how American team sports use data to influence stars’ well-being.
In order to reduce the risk of injury, the NFL demanded consistent playing surfaces and improved helmet technology.
“NFL has made many rule changes based on empirical evidence and data information”, said Kitman Labs founder Stephen Smith, whose firm provides professional sports teams with data and analytics to monitor player welfare.
Because their games are so competitive and they keep players off the field, “we’ve seen the economic model is skyrocketing.”
The gold standard is “they’re putting their money where their mouth is by investing heavily and protecting athletes,” they say.
The MLB has introduced rules aimed at protecting pitchers, limiting their throws at the professional level and putting age restrictions on how much young players can pitch.
Thiem believes that tennis players’ early injuries, including his own, are a direct result of the load they put on their upper bodies from a young age.
The 32-year-old Austrian said, “We start playing at such an early age and have so many repetitions of our groundstrokes.”
Players ‘ motivated ‘ for change – what do they want?
Players are finding voice in response to the demands that are being made of them.
Alcaraz and Sabalenka, the two world leaders, are among the stars putting pressure on the Grand Slams with demands for more money, meaningful consultation, longer tournaments, and scheduling.
Last year, American men’s world number six Taylor Fritz said it was” absurd “he was only able to take one week off tennis before the 2025 season.
1 June 2025
2024 October 21
December 16, 2025
Emma Raducanu of Britain claims that the grind is “a challenge” but that she believes that top players should not be moan about the calendar.
” Uniformly the players are very motivated for change, “added Dr Sikka, who says the PTPA has provided data analysis to” well over 100 players “to guide recovery and welfare.
“We live in a world where everyone is more health conscious than ever, not only because of their success and income, but also because they are also more health conscious than ever.”
Recently released UK government files appear to indicate that former prime minister Tony Blair pressured officials to stop British soldiers from defaming Iraqi civilians during the war from appearing in court documents.
Documents released on Tuesday to the National Archives in Kew, west London, reveal that in 2005, Blair said it was “essential” that courts like the International Criminal Court (ICC) did not investigate UK actions in Iraq.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
The decision to join the war in Iraq, launched by the United States with the UK in full support, in March 2003, has become one of the UK’s most widely investigated and criticised foreign policy decisions. Up until December 2011, the Iraq war raged on. More than 200, 000 Iraqi civilians, 179 British soldiers, and more than 4 000 US soldiers were killed during that time.
In 2020, the ICC ended its own inquiries into British war crimes in Iraq.
What we know about Blair’s influence on keeping war crimes from the media in the UK.
Tony Blair addresses troops in Basra, Iraq, in 2003 [Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images]
What do newly released documents show?
More than 600 documents were made available to the Kew National Archives on December 30 by the UK Cabinet Office. After 20 years, the government is required to give records of historical value to the National Archives in accordance with the UK’s Public Records Act of 1958.
According to the National Archives website, most of the newly added documents relate to the policies implemented by the Blair government between 2004 and 2005, from domestic decisions to ensure the UK would not break up by delegating power to Wales and Scotland, to foreign policy decisions on Iraq and other countries.
According to UK media reports, Blair stated in his declassified files that it was “essential” that civil courts did not prosecute British soldiers who had been abducted by Iraqi civilians while they were incarcerated during the war in Iraq.
In a written memo, he wrote that “we are actually in a position where the ICC is not involved and neither is CPS (UK Crown Prosecution Service).” “That is essential”. ,
Blair’s remarks came after Phillipson’s letter to him in July 2005 about a meeting between the nation’s attorney general and two former British military commanders, according to reports in the UK. He claimed that they had spoken about the case of British soldiers who were accused of murdering Baha Mousa, an Iraqi hotel receptionist.
Mousa, who was killed in September 2003 in Basra, Iraq, had been in the custody of UK troops.
According to information found in newly declassified documents, Phillipson stated to Blair that the case would result in a court martial. However, he added that “the Attorney General could direct accordingly if he felt the case needed to be handled in a civil court.”
“It must not”, Blair stressed.
Blair, an associate lecturer at the University of York’s Department of Politics, stated that he did not want to see the military of justice use international law and that it would be less harsh under the law. He also didn’t want the military to be able to defend itself in war zones.
According to Featherstone, Blair and his legacy have become synonymous with the Iraq war in British politics.
“He]Blair] was convinced that he could persuade the British public of the rightness of the Iraq war, both morally and strategically. However, this got harder and harder to accomplish. He expressed his concern about potential prosecution for UK soldiers because it would only amplify the country’s and international opposition to the war.
Protesters against the war in Iraq gather outside the Houses of Parliament in London, UK, in January 2003]File: Michael Stephens/PA Images via Getty Images]
What part did the UK play in the conflict in Iraq?
The Blair government used now-confused assertions that Iraq had WMDs to support the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 to justify its support for the UK’s support for the invasion. The UK said its aim was to eliminate these and to liberate the people of Iraq from the rule of then-President Saddam Hussein.
The US sent more than 100 000 soldiers to the United States in 2003, while the UK sent about 46 000, Australia sent 2, 000, and Poland sent about 194 special forces personnel.
However, there was a lot of discussion in the UK about whether or not war could be waged against Iraq based on what was believed to be flawed information regarding WMDs.
Featherstone, who wrote the book The Road to War in Iraq: Comparative Foreign Policy Analysis, said Blair was “frustrated” by worries from officials about the legality of going to war in Iraq.
Senior military and civil servants expressed concern for the legality of the requests for reassurance from the attorney general in the interviews I conducted for my book research. Blair expressed his frustration with the legality of the invasion, but he resisted it.
“Blair saw the UK role as showing the international support for the US war on terror, and saw his personal role as building the case for the invasion of Iraq and the toppling of Saddam”, he added.
Blair claimed that joining the invasion had been “the hardest decision” he had ever made while serving as prime minister in a press conference in July 2016 after the release of the Chilcot report, a British public inquiry into the country’s involvement in the war in Iraq.
The Chilcot report stated that Saddam Hussein’s use of weapons of mass destruction was “not justified,” and that there had not been an “imminent threat” from him.
Blair acknowledged that the intelligence was wrong but said invading Iraq was nevertheless the “right decision” at the time, as Saddam Hussein was a “threat to world peace”.
In response to the findings of the Chilcot report, Blair told reporters, “The world was and is, in my opinion, a better place without Saddam Hussein.”
He offered his condolences to the families who lost loved ones in Iraq, saying that “no words can adequately express the grief and sorrow of those who lost their loved ones in Iraq, whether it be our armed forces, the armed forces of other countries, or Iraqis,” and that “no words can adequately express the sorrow and grief of those who lost those who lost them.”
Did UK soldiers abuse Iraqis during the war?
There is a lot of evidence that they did, according to the evidence.
During the war, cases of UK soldiers abusing hundreds of Iraqi civilians in their custody have been documented by rights organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).
“Their testimonies]Iraqi civilians] show a pattern of violent beatings, sleep and sensory deprivation, ‘ stress positions’, deprivation of food and water, sexual and religious humiliation, and, in some cases, sexual abuse”, the ECCHR said in a report in 2020.
Three UK soldiers were detained in 2005 after being held for trial by a court martial at a British military base in northern Germany. Photos were taken of the abuses they committed. The soldiers denied the accusations, but they were found guilty of abusing Iraqi civilians during the war and were fired from the army.
In 2007, Corporal Donald Payne became the first British soldier to be sentenced. After being court-martialed by the army for treating Iraqi prisoners badly during the war, he was put in prison for a year.
Baha Mousa, an Iraqi civilian and hotel receptionist, passed away in 2003 after enduring 93 beatings, according to Payne.
Has the ICC intervened?
The ICC opened an investigation into the UK’s involvement in the Iraq war in 2005, but it ended when ICC judges decided that the case was outside the jurisdiction of the highest court in February 2006.
Despite the fact that rights groups had provided evidence of UK soldiers’ systematic abuse of Iraqi civilians, including murder and torture, the inquiry was reopened by ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in May 2014.
But in December 2020, Bensouda abandoned the inquiry, saying that while there was “reasonable basis to believe” that “members of the British armed forces committed the war crimes of wilful killing, torture, inhuman/cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity, and rape and/or other forms of sexual violence”, the UK government had not tried to block investigations into the case.
Bensouda’s office stated in a 184-page report that an investigation by my office would have been necessary in December 2020. Despite the concerns raised in its report, the prosecutor’s office was unable to refute the claims that the UK’s investigative and prosecutorial bodies had conducted shielding [i.e., blocking inquiries] based on a thorough examination of the information presented.
” Having exhausted reasonable lines of enquiry arising from the information available, I therefore determined that the only professionally appropriate decision at this stage is to close the preliminary examination and to inform the senders of communications. She continued, “My decision is without prejudice to a reconsideration based on fresh evidence or facts.”
Rights groups have condemned the prosecutor’s action.
” The UK government has repeatedly shown precious little interest in investigating and prosecuting atrocities committed abroad by British troops, “Clive Baldwin, senior legal adviser at Human Rights Watch said in a statement in December 2020.
The prosecutor’s decision to close her investigation in the UK will undoubtedly stoke fears of a “ugly double standard” in justice, with one approach for powerful states and the other for less powerful, he added.
What was Blair’s opinion of the ICC?
Tuesday’s declassified documents have revealed that Blair was confident the ICC would not prosecute UK soldiers.
According to the documents, Blair had stated to the Australian prime minister at the time, John Howard, that countries like the UK had no reason to fear the ICC, one month before the ICC statute became effective, and about a year before the UK enlisted in the Iraq war.
The ICC’s main treaty, the Rome Statute, establishes that the ICC has the authority to prosecute individuals for serious crimes, including crimes against humanity and genocide.
Blair wrote to Howard after officials in Australia expressed fears about the ICC’s jurisdiction, as Australia had also joined the US and UK in the Iraq war.
However, Blair reassured Howard in his letter that the Supreme Court “only acts in the case of failed states” or “where judicial processes have failed.”
We think the ICC is harmless in responsible democratic states where the rule of law is upheld, he wrote.
According to UK media reports, Blair’s administration had agreed to sign the ICC’s Rome Statute in 1998 after the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office negotiated with the court that” the court]ICC] may only act when national legal systems are unable or unwilling to do so”.
It’s true, but Featherstone said, “The ICC has historically been accused of being biased in terms of where it has focused its attention and effort in investigating and prosecuting cases.”
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, revealed in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that he consumes more aspirin per day than his doctors advise.
What we know about Donald Trump’s aspirin habit and what happens when he takes too much:
What was Trump’s opinion of aspirin use?
Trump, 79, claimed to take more aspirin than doctors had advised, according to the US newspaper.
Sean Barbabella, the physician who treats the president, claimed that the president consumes 325 mg of aspirin per day for cardiac prevention, which is considered to be at the high end of the recommended dosage.
Trump told the paper, “I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart, but aspirin is good for thinning out the blood.”
“I want thin, nice blood to flow through my heart.” Does that make sense, exactly?
He continued, “They prefer that I take the smaller dose.” The larger one, which I’ve done for years, does cause bruising.
Trump claimed to have been taking more aspirin for 25 years.
Joe Biden, who was 82 when he took office and withdrew from his re-election campaign in 2024, is the second-oldest person to hold office in the US because of growing health concerns.
After being spotted on Trump’s hands during the summer, concerns about his health also grew.
Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency in July, which a “benign and common condition” where damaged veins prevent blood from flowing properly.
According to Leavitt, the bruises were “consistent with minor soft tissue irritation caused by frequent handshakes and the administration of aspirin, a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.”
Additionally, it was reported that Trump had undergone an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan in October. The MRI was described as “preventative” by the White House.
Trump and his doctor claimed, however, that he had been given a CT (computed tomography), not an MRI, according to the WSJ report.
“It was not that bad. Trump claimed that it was a scan.
Describe aspirin.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) is aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid. It has antiplatelet, or blood-thinning, properties.
It can be purchased online or through a doctor’s prescription. It is typically prescribed for infections brought on by immune responses, such as pain, fever, and inflammation.
Low doses are also recommended for those at risk of heart attacks and strokes because they help stop blood clots from developing. In order to do this, it blocks the blood cells that control clotting by producing a substance called thromboxane A2 within platelets.
The platelets are clumped together by a thromboxane. There are fewer chances of heart attacks or strokes when the blood flow is blocked by clots, which are the result of both having fewer thromboxane in the body and having less of both.
Are side effects from aspirin?
According to the website for the National Health Service (NHS), the country’s publicly funded healthcare system, mild indigestion and bleeding more frequently than usual are side effects of taking aspirin, according to the website for the NHS.
In the event of severe side effects, such as coughing up blood or yellowing of the eyes, the website advises contacting a doctor.
According to the NHS, taking aspirin for a long time or in high doses can result in ulcers in the stomach or gut.
What is the “normal” daily aspirin dose?
Aspirin is typically available in 300mg tablets, and one or two tablets are typically taken every four to six hours for headaches and other pain or fever.
Adults 40 to 59 who are at risk of cardiovascular disease should start receiving treatment with a much lower dose of 81 mg of aspirin per day, according to the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
An independent panel of experts reviews medical evidence and makes recommendations for preventive health services like medication and screenings.
As a result of the panel’s analysis, the risk of excessive bleeding declines in older adults as a result of taking aspirin.
The benefits decrease as the patient’s age ages, and according to the USPSTF, “clinicians and patients should consider stopping aspirin use around age 75,” according to the USPSTF.
According to the health information website Healthline, doctors can advise people who have had or are at risk of heart attacks and strokes to receive a daily dose of 81 mg to 325 mg.
Is aspirin too much for you?
Clinical pharmacist Dr. Alan Carter wrote an article on Healthline that stated that taking more aspirin than your body can clear can lead to aspirin poisoning.
Depending on how much aspirin is taken and how much weight is being taken, this can be mild, moderate, or severe.
If a person takes less than 300 mg of aspirin per kilogram of body weight at once, they may experience mild poisoning.
If someone ingests 300 to 500 mg of aspirin per kilogram of body weight at once, moderate poisoning occurs. When the aspirin content exceeds 500 mg/kg of body weight, severe poisoning occurs.
According to these figures, taking 45, 000 mg of aspirin in one dose would likely be fatal for a man who weighs 90 kg.
Depending on how well their kidneys and liver manage to process aspirin for a long period of time, “chronic” toxicity may occur in some people.
Burning throat pain, decreased urination, double vision, drowsiness, fever, hallucinations, nervousness, restlessness, ringing in the ears or inability to hear, seizures, stomach pain, uncontrollable shaking and vomiting are symptoms of an aspirin overdose.
