Author: BBC

Watch: President Joe Biden speaks at Pointe Du Hoc on D-Day, 40 years after Ronald Reagan didUS President Joe Biden has apologised to his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky for delays in military aid to Ukraine and has pledged $225m (£191m) in support.The pair met for talks in Paris, a day after they both attended the 80th anniversary commemorations of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France.The US Department of Defense said the new aid package would include ammunition and anti-aircraft missiles.Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.Mr Biden said previous delays in aid had been caused by some Republicans…

On Friday, US President Joe Biden spoke at the iconic site of Pointe Du Hoc near Normandy in France. Ronald Reagan did the same in 1984. The two presidents visited the site as part of the celebrations for the anniversary of D-Day, bringing global attention to the place where more than 200 American Rangers undertook a heroic but dangerous mission. Source link

The daughter of Hunter Biden has told jurors that her father seemed “great” and “hopeful” around the time he purchased a gun in October 2018. Naomi Biden, 30, gave surprise testimony in court in her father’s gun trial after she was called to the witness stand by his defence team.She said she did not see her father use drugs at any point in 2018, and that he was living with a sober coach late that year.The US president’s son is accused of lying about his drug use on a form when purchasing the firearm and ammunition from a Wilmington, Delaware,…

Four hostages kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival during the 7 October attacks have been rescued in a daylight raid deep in central Gaza.Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were freed during a “high-risk, complex mission” from two separate buildings in the Nuseirat area, the Israel Defense Forces said.The IDF said the four were in good medical condition and had been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center, where they were pictured embracing family members.Many Palestinians, including children, were killed and injured in the area where the operation took place,…

Ever since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been engaged in nuclear sabre-rattling, dropping a series of not-so-subtle hints that trying to defeat a nuclear power like Russia could have disastrous consequences for those who try.Today President Putin claimed that Russia wouldn’t need to use a nuclear weapon to achieve victory in Ukraine.He was being interviewed at a panel discussion at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum: the annual event often described as ‘Russia’s Davos’.There are few occasions when Mr Putin looks dovish compared to the person asking him the questions.But when the person asking the questions is Sergei…

BBC/Emma LynchJames Gallagher inspects some of the captured ticks Am I the hunter or the hunted?It’s the question running through my mind as I stroll through the long grass and bracken.I’ve come to the park looking for blood-sucking ticks – to find out how common they are, why new species and new tick-borne diseases are coming to the UK and to discover how worried we should be.But I’m keenly aware I’m also dinner for hungry parasites and that the blood pulsing through my legs is a gourmet meal for a tick that hasn’t tasted warm blood since before winter. So,…

The UN has called for the immediate release of 11 of its personnel who have been detained by the Houthi movement in Yemen.The employees were taken in various parts of the conflict-torn country, in what appears to be a co-ordinated crackdown.UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said the world body was pursuing all available channels to secure their safe and unconditional release as rapidly as possible.The armed group sees itself as part of an Iranian-led “axis of resistance” against Israel, the US and the wider West, and has declared its support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.The Houthis have been targeting commercial…

Co-op has said it will make 770 community support staff redundant to streamline the way the division operates. The mutual said that the Member Pioneers team, most of whom dedicate four hours of paid time per week to helping their local communities, are expected to lose their roles next month.Their work includes organising charity work to promoting mental wellbeing, connecting people to combat loneliness and picking up litter.The move has been criticised by those affected, but Co-op denies it goes against their company values of serving and protecting local communities. The Co-op said its current model of community-led field work,…

2 days agoBy Suzanne Hailey, Lynette Horsburgh & Chris Long, BBC NewsUnearthed L S Lowry tapes reveals artist’s North West inspirationAn unearthed archive of an art lover’s interviews with an ageing LS Lowry have revealed he saw himself as “a drifter” who knew a lot of people but “never had a girl”.Angela Bogg spent hours speaking to the artist towards the end of his life in the 1970s, after becoming an admirer of his urban landscapes while visiting Salford Art Gallery on her lunch break.The then-27-year-old’s recordings were found by her son after her death in 2022 and have now been donated…

Joro spiders, originally from Asia, are expected to continue spreading along the US east coast this summer.These invasive spiders, known for their ability to travel long distances by ballooning on silk threads, have already established themselves in the southern US since arriving 10 years ago. Although large and potentially alarming in appearance, Joro spiders are not aggressive and pose minimal threat to humans and local ecosystems​. Source link