Britain's Karim Khan sworn in as new International Criminal Court prosecutor

British barrister Karim Khan was sworn in on Wednesday as the new prosecutor at the International Criminal Court.

Mr Khan, 51, faces huge challenges, including ongoing investigations in the Palestinian territories, Afghanistan and the Philippines, as he begins his nine-year tenure at the world's only permanent war crimes court.

He inherits a bulging case file from his predecessor Fatou Bensouda, who extended the ICC's reach so dramatically that she was hit by US sanctions. She also suffered a series of high-profile failures.

As he took his oath at The Hague, Mr Khan said his team must focus on getting to the truth to build stronger cases and achieve better results in the court room.

"Opening preliminary investigations is a start but we have to perform in trial," he said.

"We cannot invest so much, we cannot raise expectations so high and achieve so little so often in the court room.

"As an office we need a greater realisation of what is required by the burden of proof and the obligation to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt.

"During my term my aim is to build upon what works but also to repair what has broken, to rejuvenate, to revive, in the quest for greater efficiency and impact."

Already short of resources, the International Criminal Court is dealing with 14 full investigations and eight preliminary examinations.

Last year, an independent review criticised a "culture of fear" in the prosecutor's office and called for reforms to improve the workplace environment.

On Wednesday Mr Khan vowed to urgently address issues of harassment and to ensure gender and geographical equality in his new office.

"To the staff, you have a right to work in an harassment-free working environment and I intend to start addressing that from today," he said.

"I hope with the help of the staff we can make this a reality. With this regard in my view the current gender and geographical imbalance in the office, particularly the gender imbalance in the highest echelons of the office, must be treated as an urgent operational priority, requiring immediate correction.

"This is not some favour to different parts of the world or to women, this is a requirement of good management and good justice."

He asked survivors for their patience while improvements are made and promised to "tell them the unvarnished truth" at all times.

Mr Khan said he wanted trials to take place in the regions where the alleged crimes were committed and urged non-member states to engage with him.

"To non-state parties I say that I wish to include you in my engagement in this joint quest for justice," he said.

"My conviction is that we can find common ground to eradicate genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes."

He said that it was a "great honour" and he was "truly and sincerely humbled" to have been given the role.

Judge Piotr Hofmański, President of the ICC, warned Mr Khan about the pressure he will face in the role after his predecessor was sanctioned by the US over her decision to examine war crime allegations in Afghanistan, including by US troops.

"The prosecutor takes the initiative to launch investigations and is responsible for the way prosecutions are conducted and how evidence for the prosecution is selected," he said.

"The ultimate responsibility lies with the prosecutor and he or she is the one who will face the public's price and blame.

"It was the ICC's Fatou Bensouda who faced unprecedented consequences from her work by way of sanctions. This was a stark reminder of the kind of pressure the prosecutor might face."

Mr Khan, who cut his teeth as a top international defence lawyer, was previously head of the UN's ISIS war crimes unit.

Under his tenure many Yazidis were finally able to bury their loved ones this year.

What are the GCSE grade equivalents?

Grade 9 = above an A*
Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
Grade 7 = grade A
Grade 6 = just above a grade B
Grade 5 = between grades B and C
Grade 4 = grade C
Grade 3 = between grades D and E
Grade 2 = between grades E and F
Grade 1 = between grades F and G

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How to get exposure to gold

Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.

A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.

Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.

Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.

London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long

However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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Match info

Uefa Champions League Group C

Liverpool v Napoli, midnight

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

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