A British man who dreamed of looking like James Bond was convicted on Tuesday of attempting to spy for Russia.

Howard Phillips, 65, attempted to pass information about former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps to two men he believed to be Russian agents. In reality, they were undercover British secret agents.

The jury at Winchester Crown Court found Howard Phillips guilty of aiding what he believed to be a foreign intelligence agency. The unanimous verdict was reached after four hours of deliberation.

He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced in the autumn. No specific date has been set.

Prosecutors said Mr Phillips had offered to pass on Mr Shapps’ details and the location where he kept his private plane to ‘allow the Russians to eavesdrop on British defence plans’.

The defendant’s ex-wife told the court that Phillips dreamed of being like James Bond’ and that he watched films about the British secret service because he was ‘infatuated’ with it.

Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counter-terrorism division, said the conviction sent a clear message to anyone considering spying for Russia.

‘Mr Phillips was brazen in his pursuit of financial gain, with no regard for the potential harm caused to his own country,’ Ms David said.

Representatives of the Arab League held an emergency meeting in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the war in Gaza and the unfolding humanitarian crisis inside the enclave. 

Palestine requested the extraordinary session amid the escalating famine threatening the more than 2 million people living in Gaza. 

“Gaza is dying of hunger, Gaza is planned to be [evacuated], a so-called humanitarian city is being prepared for Gaza, a new city of death and prison under humanitarian labels”, said Ahmad Abu Holi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee.

Abu Holi condemned the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has largely taken over aid distribution in the enclave since the end of Israel’s 11-week aid blockade.

He said the Israeli-backed group forces civilians to “fall in killing traps”, or “die from hunger.” 

More than 1,000 starving people have been killed since the end of May, according to the United Nations Palestinian Refugees agency (UNRWA).

The UN food agency, meanwhile, accused Israeli forces of firing on a crowd of Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid over the weekend.

The Gaza Health Ministry called it one of the deadliest attacks on aid-seekers in the war that has driven the territory to the brink of famine.

Jordan’s representative to the Arab League, Amjad Adaileh, said the Arab states “won’t forget the steadfast Gaza whose people are bleeding, suffering and starving, due to the brutal and continuous violations against the [Gaza] Strip for 21 months.”

Several NGOs, including Amnesty International, have accused Israel of using starvation in Gaza as a weapon of genocide. 

In a previous summit, Arab League leaders called for increased pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza.

Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Burita has visited Skopje for talks with his North Macedonian counterpart, Timco Mucunski.

The ministers said they discussed deepening the political dialogue between the two countries and developing a partnership in the areas of economy, tourism, culture, and infrastructure.

“However, our bilateral relationship is more significant than the politics itself,” Mucunski told reporters. “

“They should mean more achievements for our businesses and citizens, too. So, we open the next topic to hold a Business Forum in Morocco, where we will participate with our businessmen, to meet Morocco`s business sector, too, and to point out what kind of investments we should have and trade as well.”

Mucunski said North Macedonia and Morocco “share common strategic values,” including with the European Union, which Skopje is hoping to join.

“Here I see the relationship that Morocco has with the EU, but also the good relations that Morocco has with the US and the UK, two countries with which we share a strategic partnership,” Mucunski said.

Burita and Mucunski said they are working to establishing direct flights between the two countries, a step expected to improve communication and trade.

They also reaffirmed their support for the UN-led process for Western Sahara, highlighting a 2007 Moroccan initiative for autonomy as a credible basis for a solution.

The meeting marked the first visit of a Moroccan Foreign Minister to North Macedonia.