Author: BBC

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…

Just nowBy Mansur Abubakar, BBC News, KanoMahmud YakasaiA couple who live in Nigeria’s “divorce capital” are being hailed for their long marriage having recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.Mahmud Kabir Yusuf and Rabiatu Tahir spoke to the BBC about the secrets of their happiness, and about why so many marriages fail in the northern city of Kano, in a video that has generated much comment.Mr Yusuf puts it down to his wife’s generous nature.“She is a very unselfish person and she overlooks a lot which has contributed to the success of our marriage,” the 76-year-old told BBC Hausa.This prompts a smile from…

3 hours agoBy Maria Zaccaro, BBC NewsPAThe new Health Secretary Wes Streeting says negotiations with junior doctors will begin next week in an attempt to end a long-running pay dispute. The Ilford North MP said he spoke with the British Medical Association (BMA) on Friday ahead of starting fresh talks, as he branded the NHS “broken”.The BMA described the call as “positive”. It has asked for a 35% rise, to make up for what it says are 15 years of below-inflation pay rises. Mr Streeting said Labour had promised to begin negotiations as a matter of urgency “and that is what we…

Ken Northall has spent the last 25 years travelling the world to see Twain play liveAn 81-year-old Shania Twain superfan has told his hero that meeting her was a “dream” after she called him up on stage at a show in his hometown.The Canadian superstar, who recently lit up Glastonbury’s legends slot with a set of her greatest hits, asked Ken Northall to join her during her show at Lytham Festival in Lancashire on Thursday night.She even changed the lyrics to That Don’t Impress Me Much in honour of him, swapping film star Brad Pitt’s name for Ken’s.Thanking her as…

The head of Israel’s spy agency Mossad, David Barnea, is reported to have travelled alone to Doha to meet Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani as momentum is again building over a possible ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.This appears to be very much a preliminary move in what could once again be a complicated series of discussions aimed at finally bridging the gap between the Israeli government and Hamas over what each defines as its bottom line in what any potential deal would comprise.After Mr Barnea left Doha, the office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…

Getty ImagesUS jobs growth slowed last month although the economy still created more posts than expected, official figures show.Employers added 206,000 jobs in June, while the number of jobs created in May was revised down to 218,000 from the previous estimate of 272,000.The US unemployment rate edged up to 4.1%, while wage growth rose at its slowest for three years.Analysts said the figures could take the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, a step closer to cutting rates later this year.Economists had forecast that the US economy would add 190,000 jobs in June.Emily Bowerstock Hill, the chief executive of Bowerstock…