Author: BBC

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says at least 71 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a designated humanitarian area, in an attack which Israel says targeted senior Hamas leaders. More than 289 people were injured, according to the health ministry’s statement.Hamas says the strike hit the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis, which the Israeli military has designated as a humanitarian zone, urging Palestinians to seek shelter there.An Israeli official said the strike targeted the head of Hamas’s military wing, Mohammed Deif, in an “open area” where there were “only Hamas terrorists and no civilians”.Rafa Salama,…

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out changes to how the BBC is funded until at least 2027. “We are committed in our manifesto to the BBC and to the licensing scheme,” the prime minister said during his trip to Washington DC this week.The BBC has faced real terms cuts in recent years, including a two-year freeze on the licence fee, leading to cuts to services and programmes.The Conservative government suggested in 2022 it would abolish the licence fee when its charter was up for renewal and move towards a voluntary funding model. But signalling his commitment to the…

9 hours agoBy Shingai Nyoka, BBC News, TsholotshoBBCThabani Dhlamini was 10 years old when he witnessed a massacre in his villageAn astounding number of mass graves surround Thabani Dhlamini’s home in south-western Zimbabwe.One pointed out to the BBC lies near the ablution block at a primary school in the village of Salankomo in Tsholotsho district. Teachers were killed and dumped there in the 1980s.In another, steps away from Mr Dhlamini’s house, 22 relatives and neighbours are buried in two graves – all killed by Zimbabwe’s military under the command of then-leader Robert Mugabe.Mr Dhlamini was just 10 at the time – but…

Five people linked to one of Ecuador’s biggest criminal gangs have been jailed for the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio last year. Mr Villavicencio, a member of the country’s national assembly and an ex-journalist, was shot dead as he left a campaign rally in the capital, Quito, last August. Carlos Angulo, the alleged leader of the Los Lobos gang, and Laura Castilla were sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison for directing the hit. Two men and a woman were handed 12-year sentences by the court in Quito for aiding a hit squad in the attack. Prosecutors…

A growing number of Democrats are calling on Joe Biden to end his presidential re-election bid after a series of gaffes. Source link

4 hours agoBy Nikhil Inamdar, BBC Business correspondentGetty ImagesThe Ambanis are often described as India’s most prominent business familyFor the last few months, Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani has been grabbing the spotlight in India.It’s not because he has completed a major acquisition or cut a big philanthropic cheque, but it’s his son’s grandiose wedding celebrations that have entranced the entire nation and the world.The pre-wedding parties, which began in March, have put the Ambani family firmly at the centre of many breakfast, lunch and dinner table conversations.Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani, tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend…

2 hours agoBy Zoe Kleinman, Technology editorGetty ImagesThe Vision Pro launched in the UK and parts of Europe on FridayTo get a sense of the public interest in the Vision Pro, Apple’s very high-tech, very expensive virtual reality (VR) headset – finally launched in the UK and Europe on Friday – where better to head than one of its own stores?In the past, people camped outside Apple branches overnight, so desperate were they to get their hands on the tech giant’s latest product.When I went to its branch in central London on Friday morning, though, there was just a small group, mainly…

Getty ImagesDaisy Edgar-Jones, who found fame in Normal People, is now starring in TwistersDaisy Edgar-Jones, who starred as Marianne in hit TV series Normal People, has said she would like to revisit the role in the future.”I love those characters,” the British actress, 26, tells BBC News. “It would be wonderful to explore them again.”Based on Sally Rooney’s novel, the BBC Three drama charted the on-off relationship of teenagers Marianne and Connell, played by Paul Mescal.Released in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic, it propelled its young leads to fame. Both are now starring in major new films,…

Twenty-two children have died and more than 130 have been injured after a school building collapsed in Nigeria’s central Plateau state, local officials say. Saint Academy in the state capital Jos caved in while students were in class on Friday morning. Children were left trapped under the debris. Volunteers used excavators, hammers and their bare hands to break through the piles of concrete and twisted iron rods to reach many of those trapped.Police told reporters that at least 22 children had died in the collapse, with many more receiving treatment in local hospitals. The school is believed to have more…

15 minutes agoBy Kevin Peachey, Cost of living correspondentGetty ImagesCompetition between mortgage lenders has intensified ahead of a key decision on interest rates by the Bank of England.A host of lenders have made reductions to the cost of new fixed-rate mortgages in recent days.Brokers expect further cuts to come, but mortgage rates remain much higher than homeowners became accustomed to for a decade.Lenders’ funding costs have hinted at falling with the Bank forecast to cut benchmark interest rates for the first time in four years.Analysts believe that move, from the current 16-year high of 5.25%, could come on 1 August, although this…