Author: BBC

The Day After might sound like the title of a film or a novel. But for diplomats and policymakers, the phrase has only one meaning and that is what happens ‘the day after’ the fighting stops in Gaza.Given the intensity of the conflict and the absence of hope, such thinking might seem surprising, even wishful.Yet there is an increasing focus on what could and should happen if and when the guns fall silent in Gaza.EU foreign ministers will discuss exactly this in Brussels on Monday when they hold talks with counterparts from Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE,…

Composer Richard M Sherman, who wrote songs for Disney film classics such as Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has died aged 95 in Beverly Hills.Sherman partnered with his late brother Robert, and the pair won two Oscars in 1965 for their work on Mary Poppins.Some of the brothers’ best-known scores include the Jungle Book’s Trust in Me and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s Truly Scrumptious.His death was announced in a statement by Disney, which said Sherman passed away “due to age-related illness” at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The Sherman brothers were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of…

REUTERS/Ana BeltranItaly’s Giorgia Meloni wants to repeat her domestic success on a European scaleFar-right parties are on the rise in much of Europe, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni senses a big moment.“We are on the eve of a decisive election,” the Brothers of Italy leader tells a packed hall in Madrid by video link. Marine Le Pen of France’s National Rally is in the front row, alongside Santiago Abascal, who heads Spain’s Vox party. “We are the engine of our continent’s renaissance,” the Italian prime minister declares, before rousing her audience to a standing ovation.The far right has won…

26 minutes agoemma saunders,Culture reporter at the Hay FestivalgettyClive Myrie has worked at the BBC since he began as a trainee in 1987BBC news presenter Clive Myrie has said that his feelings for the US, where he reported from for many years, were affected by covering “ so many mass shootings”.“Mass shootings completely undermined my love for the place,” Myrie told an audience at the Hay Festival on Saturday.But he added that it’s “still I place that I love on many levels”.Myrie, who also hosts Mastermind, was previously the BBC’s Washington correspondent and covered the administrations of three presidents -…

American rapper Nicki Minaj has been freed by police after being detained at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.Dutch police posted on X: “We have just released a 41-year-old American woman whom we arrested this afternoon at Schiphol on suspicion of exporting soft drugs.””The suspect was fined and can continue her journey.” The artist had been due to fly to Manchester for a concert at the Co-op Live venue on Saturday evening. Minaj filmed part of her encounter with police, posting it to social media. In the video, a police officer can seemingly be heard telling Minaj: “You are under arrest.”At Co-op Live…

At least 22 people have died in a “massive fire” at a games arcade in India, local officials say. Flames and a huge pall of smoke could be seen rising into the sky at the building in Rajkot, in the western state of Gujarat.The fire is now under control and a search has been launched. There are fears more victims may be trapped under the wreckage, including children. Source link

Tommy’s working one of the merch stands and kindly offered to model a Long Boi bucket hat for NewsbeatImage caption: Tommy’s working one of the merch stands and kindly offered to model a Long Boi bucket hat for NewsbeatYesterday, the hottest item here at Big Weekend was the Long Boi bucket hat. You couldn’t move more than a few steps without seeing the slightly quackers cartoon of what was (allegedly) the world’s tallest duck and the University of York’s mascot. Long Boi quickly became a national treasure on Greg James’ BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show, before his untimely death in…

At least 20 people have died in a “massive fire” at a games arcade in India, local officials say.Flames and a huge pall of smoke can be seen rising into the sky at the building in Rajkot, in the western state of Gujarat.The fire is now under control and a search has been launched. There are fears more victims may be trapped under the wreckage, including children.The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said a “special investigation team” had been assigned. Source link

17 hours agoSam Cabral ,Jessica MurphyReutersA US judge has denied a motion by Alec Baldwin to dismiss an involuntary manslaughter charge over a deadly film set shooting in 2021.Halyna Hutchins, 42, was shot with a gun Mr Baldwin was using during a rehearsal on the set of Rust, a Western being filmed in New Mexico.Director Joel Souza was also wounded in the incident.Mr Baldwin’s is scheduled to stand trial in July. Mr Baldwin has maintained he did not pull the trigger, and only drew back the hammer of the pistol.He has also argued he is not at fault for Ms…

16 hours agoPhil McCausland, reporting from New York,BBC NewsElizabeth WilliamsElizabeth Williams, the court artists, said this piece showed the number of obstructions that she and other artists had in capturing the legal proceedings. It is only through their deft hands and keen eyes that the world gets a peek into the courtroom where Donald Trump’s hush-money trial is being held.With cameras banned during the proceedings, sketch artists have been essential for allowing the public to see images from the first criminal trial of a former US president.Settling into the third row each day, the courtroom sketch artists bring their supplies…