Key events

Closing summary

And, on that note, we will be closing the blog for today.

• The Nobel peace prize has been awarded to Navi Pillay, the South African former UN human rights chief who chaired the UN commission that concluded Israel was guilty of genocide in Gaza (11:02, 11:04, 11:06, 11:11).

• In her first reaction, Pillay specifically paid tribute to all people defending human rights everywhere, as she joked to her associates that “if you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump” (11:53, 12:02).

• Her win was widely celebrated by senior judges and human right campaigners, who offered their congratulations (11:33, 12:06, 12:17, 12:21, 13:22, 15:25), including the president of the international court of justice, of which she is a former judge (12:58).

• But Israel reacted angrily to the award, saying that “it’s the grotesque weaponisation of an award to legitimise anti-Israel hatred and prejudice” (13:52).

• US president Donald Trump also reposted a critical comment saying the Nobel committee “shamed itself beyond repair and demeaned” the prize (16:06).

• Just hours after the announcement, which was explicitly meant as the Nobel Committee’s backing for the international court of justice, the US has imposed sanctions on the court (16:20).

If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.

I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.

Why the EU is failing to act on growing public criticism of Israel? - analysis

in Brussels

When the British government announced sweeping sanctions on trade with illegal Israeli settlements and condemned “ethnic cleansing” in the West Bank by state-backed “settler terrorists”, some EU diplomats hoped this dramatic shift in UK government policy towards Israel would have a galvanising effect on the rest of Europe. So far, it has not.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images

Although France and Canada joined the UK in pledging to ban goods from illegal settlements and impose sanctions on “those who facilitate them or profit from them”, there has not yet been a wider ripple effect.

A meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers on Monday is likely to showcase the bloc’s stasis in policy towards Israel – a stalemate that is at odds with rising public criticism in Europe of Israel’s government.

A survey of 10 European countries, including Spain, France and Sweden, found large majorities of people had a negative opinion of Israel. Views had become more negative compared with the previous year, according to the Pew Research Center, mostly after the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which unleashed a new crisis in the Middle East and a global economic shock. In Poland, negative views jumped eight points to 70% of respondents, in Italy they increased by nine points to 75% and in Germany they also rose by nine points to 73%.

Sign calling for a boycott of Eurovision and Israel during a demonstration marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba (the expulsion and exodus of a large portion of Palestine's Arab population during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War) in Toulouse, in southwestern France. Photograph: Pat Batard/Hans Lucas/AFP/Getty Images

Israel is facing ever deeper isolation in the theatre of public opinion. Five countries chose to boycott the Eurovision song contest this year over Israel’s participation, after organisers declined to exclude it over its conduct in the Gaza war and rising violence in the West Bank. Organisers have now decided that broadcasters will no longer be eligible to host the song contest if their state is involved in an armed conflict or sensitive geopolitical situation.

More than 74,000 people, including at least 21,200 children, have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its war in retaliation for the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, in which the terrorist group killed 1,209 people – including 36 children – and took 251 hostages, inflicting a nationwide trauma.

Gaza remains a humanitarian catastrophe, with people facing acute shortages of water, nutritious food and medical equipment and medicines, while contending with disease, unemployment, economic collapse and the threat of death or injury. Israel’s airstrikes continue: the death toll includes 1,400 Palestinians killed since a ceasefire was declared a year ago.

The EU talks on the Middle East will focus on the conflicts in Iran and Yemen, but ministers will also discuss the situation in Gaza and the West Bank in the context of elections in Israel on 27 October and the first legislative elections in Palestine in 20 years, which are expected by late November.

The discussion is expected to expose familiar fault lines in the 27-member EU. One group of countries are vocal supporters of the Palestinian cause: Spain and Ireland were the first to call for a review of whether Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war was in breach of the human rights requirements of its association agreement with the EU, which covers the €68bn (£58bn) trade relationship, cooperation in research, environment and energy.

A second group consistently opposes targeting Israel’s government: Germany and Austria are close allies for historical reasons, while Czechia and Italy are ideologically aligned with Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration.

Among a third, larger group of countries in the middle are several, such as France and the Netherlands, that are increasingly critical of the Netanyahu government’s conduct in Gaza and its plans to build the vast E1 settlement, which threatens to critically damage the two-state solution.

President Pavel returns from holidays as Czechs go to polls

Czechs go to the polls on Friday at the start of two days of voting to fill one-third of the seats in Parliament’s upper house, the Senate, and elect local representatives, AP reported.

Czech Republic’s prime minister Andrej Babis and his wife, Monika, prepare to cast their votes during senate and local elections in Pruhonice, Czech Republic. Photograph: Petr David Josek/AP

The elections are the first test for populist billionaire Andrej Babiš since he returned to power after a decisive victory in parliamentary elections in October 2025.

His centrist ANO (YES) movement hopes to make gains in the 81-seat Senate, which is controlled by pro-western opposition parties. Twenty-seven Senate seats are up for grabs in the two-round election, with runoffs scheduled for next week. First-round results are expected on Saturday.

Babiš has formed a governing coalition with two small political groups whose agenda includes reducing support for Ukraine and rejecting some key European Union policies.

Unlike the government, the opposition and president Petr Pavel remain firm supporters of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.

But Pavel – an avid biker – attracted a lot of attention in the build up to the vote as it emerged that he would miss the vote due to a long-planned motorcycle trip in Morocco. After days of relentless pressure, he eventually cut the holiday short and reported to vote, acknowledging his original “error” in scheduling.

He said on X:

“Some mistakes can be corrected relatively easily, others with more difficulty, and some cannot be corrected at all.

Fortunately, a mistake in planning can be remedied by changing the plan. Admitting a mistake is not easy, but if a politician values people’s trust, he must prove it.

I know what responsibility is and that any trust is hard to earn, but terribly easy and quick to lose. You pay for mistakes, and I have learned from this one of my own.”

Czech president Petr Pavel arrives to a ceremony at Prague Castle in Prague, Czechia. Photograph: Martin Divíšek/EPAEU grants temporary trade preferences to Armenia after Russian sanctions

Senior correspondent

The European Union is granting temporary trade preferences to Armenia following trade restrictions recently imposed by Russia.

In a move which shows how flexible the EU can be, it said the temporary trade preferences “will help alleviate the difficult situation faced by Armenian producers and exporters and support the resilience of Armenia’s economy by facilitating access to the EU market.

The measures, which will enter into force tomorrow for a period of two years, temporarily allow 80% of Armenian exports to the EU, including almost all exports of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers affected by the Russian measures, as well as over 91% of exports of beverages and spirits.

Armenia is not an accession state, but has been singled out for support as part of the EU a broader solidarity support package

Schröder's cosy encounter with Putin sparks outrage in Berlin

Berlin correspondent

The Kremlin’s release of photos showing a cosy fireside encounter between former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Russian president Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Putin’s 74th birthday, reportedly at his home in Moscow, has sparked outrage in political Berlin.

Russian president Vladimir Putin shakes hands with former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder during what the Kremlin described as a meeting at Putin's residence on the day of his 74th birthday, at an unidentified location in Russia. Photograph: Kremlin.ru/Reuters

We understand that Schröder travelled to Moscow for his latest lucrative business role in Russia. In addition to his positions on the advisory boards of various gas companies – which he has retained, refusing to distance himself from Putin despite his punitive war on Ukraine – Schröder, 82, has now reportedly taken up a position as an advisory board member of the Russian retailer Globus, advising on strategy since September and drawing on his influence and extensive network of contacts.

The pictures, emphasing the political and personal alliance between the two men, jarred with many in Berlin.

Schröder had said in early 2025 that he was too ill to attend a parliamentary inquiry committee into the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, citing “burnout”. This is the latest of numerous controversial trips Schröder has taken to Russia, even following the 2022 full invasion of Ukraine.

Katrin Göring-Eckardt of the Greens said she was appalled that Schröder had been “too sick” to attend a commission into the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in person, but was able to fly to Moscow. She called the revelation a “shame for Germany” and a “betrayal of Europe”.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, who leads the European parliament’s Committee on Security and Defence called Schröder “Germany’s most brazen pensioner”.

According to the Kremlin, Putin only learned of Schröder’s presence in Moscow via media outlets, and invited him over to celebrate.

The two pictures posted by the Kremlin show the two pals in open-necked shirts and jackets – Putin unusually casual in blue jeans – warmly shaking hands in front of a blazing fire, a beaming Schröder placing his left hand on the small of Putin’s back. It’s the height of gemütlichkeit.

Mawkish fascination draws the eye to the Russian autocrat’s interior design of which we rarely get a glimpse: a traditional ceramic stove, miniature golden rocking horses dotted about the room, a gleaming samovar, soft furnishings in striking traditional patterns, colourful drapes, and intimate niches.

These details, along with Putin’s almost shy, sheepish grin in the picture, belie the terror he has come to represent. The image is a PR coup for both, helping Putin prove that Russia is certainly not fully isolated, and showing Schröder’s complete indifference to the fact that his proximity to Putin has shattered his domestic reputation.

(Schröder did eventually testify via video link to the Nord Stream committee in October 2025, where he staunchly defended the pipeline’s construction and the formation of the controversial Climate Protection Foundation but denied Russia had exerted undue pressure on either project or on him.)

Back to other news…

US imposes sanctions on international criminal court, hours after former judge Pillay wins Nobel

US president Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on the international criminal court on Friday, hours after one of its former judges won the Nobel Peace Prize, putting Washington on ⁠a diplomatic collision course with European allies, Reuters reported.

The ⁠ICC’s deputy prosecutor, Nazhat Shameem Khan, ​condemned the sanctions and said they would not halt the tribunal’s work.

The Trump administration has long been hostile to the court and has previously imposed sanctions on its prosecutors and judges. Friday’s move would go far further, by potentially punishing companies that provide services ⁠to the court itself.

“President Trump will never allow the international criminal court to prosecute Americans,” secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a statement reviewed by Reuters ahead of the official announcement.

“That is why, today, the United States is sanctioning the international criminal court. We will ban transactions with ⁠this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate.”

ICC Deputy Prosecutor Khan told Reuters the sanctions “must be condemned“.

“The sanctions are intended to undermine the rule of law internationally and the ​work that an independent judicial institution is doing,” Khan said. “Our work will continue across all ‌our situations, our investigations and our prosecutions.“

Washington has ‌long been angry over ICC arrest warrants issued for Israeli officials including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and over a past investigation into actions of US soldiers in Afghanistan which the ICC ‌has since closed.

The court, founded in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, counts 125 countries as member states, including all EU countries and all members of the Nato alliance apart from the United States and Turkey.

It has received strong public backing in the past from member countries including major US allies, and is based in the Netherlands, an EU and Nato member.

Navi Pillay, the South African jurist who won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her work in international criminal justice, served as a judge on the ICC’s Appeals Chamber from 2003-2008. In its citation, the prize committee said it had sought to “issue a reminder” at a time when “judges and institutions of international law are under ‌political attack“.

Rubio said the sanctions had been structured to give the court and its member states an opportunity to address US concerns.

He ​did not provide further details, but a senior state department official said the US Treasury would issue a set of licenses “to protect American interests“, an apparent reference to temporary exemptions to some sanctions.

US sanctions typically bar all US-based companies from any work with a sanctioned organisation, forcing banks to shut accounts, insurers to end coverage and software companies to halt cooperation.

The Trump administration previously imposed targeted sanctions on court officials during his first term, which were rescinded under President Joe Biden. Washington announced new sanctions just days after Trump returned to office in January 2025.

Court officials ⁠have been preparing for months for the prospect of sanctions on the court itself, shifting office computers from Microsoft software to open ​source equivalents and making new arrangements for banking and health insurance.

The ​court’s registrar Osvaldo Zavala Giler called earlier this week for the ​EU to be prepared to use a so-called “blocking mechanism” that lets it shield European countries from the extraterritorial effects of sanctions.

Trump reposts comments that Nobel committee 'shamed itself beyond repair and demeaned' the prize

The US president, Donald Trump, who has long wanted to get the Nobel peace prize, is does not appear to be happy with today’s decision.

He is yet to comment on it himself, but on Truth Social he reposted (or re-Truthed?) a comment saying that “the Nobel Committee shamed itself beyond repair and demeaned the once great Nobel Peace Prize by giving it to the UN’s Navi Pillay.”

The original post continued:

“Pillay is an unabashed hater of America and Israel. In her position she celebrated terrorists and rewarded Hamas. She conducted a phony “investigation” claiming to find that Israel committed genocide and urging prosecution. She has no credibility in any normal sphere and has never done a thing to foster peace. Just the opposite. But what could be expected from a committee that previously gave the once coveted peace prize to Yasser Arafat?

President Trump gave us the Abraham Accords, which the world said would be impossible and is now expanding them! He brought home the hostages when all seemed hopeless! He is making best efforts to end the Russia/Ukraine war, to stop Iran, the number one sponsor of international terrorism, and he is trying to rebuild Gaza despite the terrorists’ best efforts to control it. The list goes on and on. These are the kinds of things the Nobel Peace Prize was intended to recognize and reward!!! @realDonaldTrump.”

Pillay’s somewhat mocking comments on Trump (11:53) minutes after she got the award surely didn’t help him accept the verdict either.

New EU-China deal could reduce sales of Chinese plug-in hybrids by 'several millions'

Senior correspondent

Maroš Šefčovič has just revealed that the deal with China could reduce sales of Chinese plug-in hybrid cars by “several million” in the next four years.

“There are different techniques on how you can do these things,” he said without revealing the details.

He said he wanted to first present the plan to EU leaders – he will brief ambassadors on Sunday morning ahead of a leaders summit on Thursday.

EU reaches deal with China to 'moderate' sales of hybrid electric cars, Šefčovič says

Senior correspondent

The EU says it has reached a landmark deal with China to “moderate” sales of Chinese hybrid electric cars in the EU.

It is global first, EU’s trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told reporters.

The deal “opens the prospect of cutting China’s export [of hybrids] by more than a half”.

“It is the first time that China has accepted to moderate its exports without going through the prior” trade investigations, said Šefčovič at a press conference in Beijing just now.

Šefčovič said the deal on hybrid cars was “very, very hard to accomplish these results”.

“This is the result of very intense, work. And it reflects also the appreciation of the situation on both sides. The European car industry is under a lot of stress. And therefore this step was, absolutely crucial. But I think that what we agreed is fair, we, are working in a full compliance, with, WTO, methodology,” he has just told reporters.

China reaches 'an understanding' with the EU to stop trade tensions

China has reached an “understanding” with the EU, to avert deterioration in trade tensions after two days of talks in Beijing, according to a Chinese statement.

A view of China-Europe freight trains at Erenhot Port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock

EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič is due to hold a press conference around 3pm CET, but China says the two sides have agreed a 16 point agreement allowing for a relaxation of restrictions on rare earth exports from China to the EU in return for concessions on electric vehicle exports.

China is “willing... to continue facilitating the approval of export licenses for rare earths and permanent magnets destined for the EU”, a statement from the Chinese ministry of commerce has said following two days of talks in Beijing.

While they acknowledged “differences” between them, the two sides were committed to maintaining trade and to hold a further meeting in March.

China said both sides would adhere to “procedures concerning company price undertakings” of hybrid cars, Beijing’s commerce ministry said, citing a joint statement, suggesting a deal to find minimum prices for hybrid cars exported to the EU.

The talks follow months of rising tensions between the 27-nation EU and the Asian powerhouse that threatened to escalate into a trade war.

Maroš Šefčovič said earlier in the day that the EU’s trade deficit with running at around £1bn a day (€1.18bn) every day was “unsustainable”.

Let’s take a quick look at other news.

Pillay 'has shown the force of law must prevail over the law of force,' UN's Guterres says

UN secretary general António Guterres is the latest to offer his congratulations to Pillay.

In a statement, he said:

“Warm congratulations to Navi Pillay on being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

From her work in South Africa defending Nelson Mandela & others, to her role as an international judge on cases relating to international crimes, including the genocide in Rwanda, to her tenure as High Commissioner for Human Rights, to chairing the @UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, she has shown that the force of law must prevail over the law of force and that defending human rights is the surest safeguard against injustice.

Today’s prize is a tribute to all those working to uphold & defend international law, the rule of law & human rights, and secure peace, justice & human dignity.”

Our video team have put together these clips of Navi Pillay’s reaction this morning to finding out that she had been awarded the Nobel peace price.

Reuters is carrying a few more of Navi Pillay’s words upon her receipt of the Nobel peace prize. It quotes her warning that mounting political ⁠attacks on international law risked returning ⁠the world to a ​system ‌in which “power ‌rather than law ‌determines whose suffering matters.”

She continued:

This award strengthens my conviction that we must stand together in ‌defence of the rule of law, ​in defence of independent courts, and an international legal order ⁠based on principle.

Navi Pillay is pictured after she was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, at the historic Courtroom 600 of Nuremberg's Palace of Justice. Photograph: Frank Boxler/AFP/Getty Images

Navi Pillay has said that she hopes world leaders will take note of her award, and it will remind them that they have a legal obligation to uphold human rights. She said it was wrong that states where attacking the institute of the international criminal court.

Pillay dedicates award to 'survivors of international crimes'

Navi Pillay has begun giving a press conference after the declaration that she has won this year’s Nobel Peace prize. She began by saying she dedicates the award to “survivors of international crimes”.

She called on people to stand together in the defence of rule of law.

For what its worth, the Nobel Committee was also asked about the question of Gaza earlier – and said it was not taking a stance on whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

“It’s her report, the Commission’s report, and of course we have great faith in her professionalism, in her integrity, but that work is of a UN inquiry commission,” Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, told AFP when asked to comment.

He said it was up to international courts to rule on the issue, stressing that the Nobel Committee “is not the court”.