Author: BBC

35 minutes agoBy Paul Kirby, BBC News in ParisCHANTAL BRIAND/AFPVoting has already been taking place in France’s overseas territoriesFrance votes in one of its most significant elections in years on Sunday, with the far right hoping for a historic victory, but political stalemate the more likely result.This is the first time the anti-immigration National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella has had a realistic chance of running the government and taking outright control of the National Assembly.But after the RN’s first-round victory in snap parliamentary elections last Sunday, hundreds of rival candidates dropped out to give others a better…

President Joe Biden’s Friday night TV interview does not seem to have quelled an uprising within his own party to end his campaign after a halting debate performance against Donald Trump. A fifth House Democrat, Angie Craig of Minnesota, joined her colleagues on Saturday in calling for the president to step aside, as reports indicate more could follow soon.In his rare primetime ABC News interview, Mr Biden dismissed his debate performance as just a “bad episode” and said only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to end his bid for re-election.Mr Biden, 81, is spending Saturday at his family home…

A Russian attack on a power facility in Ukraine has left 100,000 people without power in the north-western region of Sumy.Work is under way to restore power, National grid operator Ukrenergo said, following the strikes, which caused emergency shut-offs for consumers in the city and region of Sumy, which borders Russia.There were no reports of casualties or damage apart from the energy facility, Reuters reports.Russia continues to pummel energy facilities across Ukraine, often plunging the country into extended blackouts with people enduring sweltering summer conditions without running water, air conditioning, or life-saving medical equipment.Over the past three months alone, Ukraine…

25 minutes agoBy Michael Sheils McNamee, BBC NewsEurosportFrench cyclist Julien Bernard has given a light-hearted apology after being fined for kissing his wife during a Tour de France time trial. The Lidl-Trek rider was made to pay 200 Swiss francs ($223; £174) by the International Cycling Union (ICU) for stopping briefly during stage seven of the race.The governing body said the fine was for “unseemly or inappropriate behaviour during the race and damage to the image of the sport”. Writing on social media, Bernard apologised to the UCI for “having damaged the image of sport” but said he was willing to pay…

A relatively moderate member of the Iranian parliament, Masoud Pezeshkian, has been declared the next president of Iran after beating his hardline conservative rival by a decisive margin in Friday’s run-off presidential elections. The 69-year-old will replace Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month.Dr Pezeshkian’s mostly young supporters took to the streets of the capital, Tehran, and other cities to celebrate – even before the final results were declared, singing, dancing and waving his campaign’s signature green flags.He has given some of the nation’s younger generation hope at a time when many were despondent about their future.…

The leaders of three West African military governments are due to meet together for the first time to cement an alliance created in the face of opposition from neighbouring countries.Soldiers took power in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in a series of coups from 2020 to 2023.All three countries – which now form the Alliance of Sahel States – have been affected by jihadist violence, in part a reason given for the army takeovers.In January, they all announced a plan to leave the wider regional bloc Ecowas, which is holding its own summit on Sunday.At Saturday’s meeting in the Nigerien…

3 hours agoBy Louise Parry, Louise Hulland, BBC News, PeterboroughSam CarlingCambridge graduate Sam Carling, 22, is thought to be the youngest MPA 22-year-old elected as an MP with a razor-thin majority has said he does not want his age to be the focus as he heads to Westminster.Labour’s Sam Carling is likely to be the “baby of the House” – the unofficial title given to the youngest member of the House of Commons – after narrowly winning North West Cambridgeshire.The Cambridge University science graduate student beat veteran Conservative MP Shailesh Vara by 39 votes to take the seat.Mr Carling called his victory a…

6 hours agoBy Victoria Craig, BBC News, AnkaraBBCGokcen Yildiz cares for 160 street dogs at her property outside AnkaraUnder the shade of a leafy green apricot tree on a scorching summer afternoon, Gokcen Yildiz scoops up a squirming ball of light-brown fur.It licks her all over the face and she breaks out in giggles. But laughter gives way to a more serious tone as she points to the dog’s back legs, which are missing paws. A sign, she says, of the abuse some of Turkey’s street dogs are subjected to.Ms Yildiz is a secondary school physics teacher by day, street-dog advocate by…

1 hour agoBy Max Matza, BBC News, SeattleIndigenous people celebrate birth of rare white buffaloWith cream-colored fur and jet-black eyes, one of the smallest specimens of America’s largest native animal stumbled into the spotlight on shaky legs.Advocates hope the June birth of a white buffalo calf – an exceedingly rare event – will translate into new momentum for a decades-long push to revive the species in America’s Great Plains.Many tribes consider a white bison birth to be a sacred omen that signifies change. The herd this calf was born into has also become an important cultural symbol – it’s the last wild…

A selection of striking news photographs taken around the world this week.NARONG SANGNAK/EPAA Thai Royal Navy oarsman takes part in the sacred ritual to worship Royal Barges, which will be used in a procession for the King’s 72nd birthday celebrations in Bangkok. Sawayasu Tsuji/Getty ImagesPeople wave Chinese flags during an event in Hong Kong to mark the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s sovereignty transfer from Britain to China on 1 July 1997.Alex Kent/Getty ImagesNew Yorkers celebrate during their annual Pride March. It commemorates the Stonewall Riots of 1969, after police raided the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. Jerome Gilles/NurPhoto/Getty ImagesPolice…