Author: BBC

The US government has “every expectation” that Israel will accept a ceasefire proposal that would begin with a six-week cessation of hostilities in Gaza if Hamas takes the deal, according to National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. The three-part plan unveiled by President Joe Biden last week would also be a “surge” of humanitarian aid, as well as an exchange of some hostages for Palestinian prisoners before a permanent end to the war. The proposal, however, has met with vocal opposition from some members of Israel’s government. The negotiations come as fighting continues in Rafah, which came under intense Israeli…

David Beckham has said he swapped “beekeeping tips” with King Charles at a recent meeting.The former England captain said the pair met at the monarch’s Highgrove home in Gloucestershire to discuss the work of the King’s Foundation.Beckham has now been made an ambassador of the charitable foundation to help promote its work.He said he was “excited” to be taking on the role, adding: “I’m particularly looking forward to supporting the foundation’s education programmes and its efforts to ensure young people have greater access to nature.”Photographs released to mark the announcement show Beckham with the King on the doorstep of Highgrove.He…

15 minutes agoVanessa Buschschlüter,BBC NewsReutersClaudia Sheinbaum (left) and her rival Xóchitl Gálvez are battling it out to become Mexico’s first female president Mexicans are voting in an election which is almost certain to see the country’s first female president elected. Both the front runner, Claudia Sheinbaum, and her main rival, Xóchitl Gálvez, are far ahead in the polls of the only male candidate, Jorge Álvarez Máynez.Voters will also elect all members of Mexico’s Congress and governors in eight states, as well as the head of Mexico City’s government.The campaign has been overshadowed by violent attacks, which the government says have…

Actor Toby Jones, who played the lead role in the TV series about the Post Office scandal, has said he “played a hero” in the drama.He starred as Alan Bates in the ITV show Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which tells the story of hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting.Many of the reported losses in branch accounts which led to prosecutions were actually caused by faults in Horizon – the Post Office’s computer system.Jones, speaking at the Hay Festival, said Bates – a former sub-postmaster himself, who led the victims’ campaign to…

A police officer who was left in critical condition after a mass stabbing in the German city of Mannheim on Friday has died, local authorities say.The 29-year-old was one of six people, including anti-Islam activist Michael Stürzenberger, to be wounded by the attacker, who was detained at the scene. The police officer was stabbed several times in the head. Despite undergoing emergency surgery, he succumbed to his wounds on Sunday afternoon.”This news has shaken me to the core,” said the leader of Baden-Württemberg, the state in which Mannheim is located.”All our thoughts are with the officer’s family, relatives and colleagues,”…

Michael Ball has paid tribute to Steve Wright, calling his legacy “immeasurable”, as he took over the the late DJ’s Sunday Love Songs programme on BBC Radio 2.Ball, a West End star who has presented on Radio 2 since 2008, was named as the show’s new host after Wright died in February.The 61-year-old said Wright was “missed”, adding: “He created Love Songs, and I am so, so proud to be carrying the baton for him into the future.”Wright joined the BBC in the 1970s, and went on to host shows on Radio 1 and Radio 2 for more than four…

Donald Trump has said his historic trial and criminal conviction have been “very hard” for his wife, former First Lady Melania Trump. Last week, jurors found Mr Trump guilty of falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election campaign.With the verdict, he became the first US president to be convicted of a crime. He has repeatedly called the trial rigged and politically motivated. In an interview with Fox News over the weekend, Mr Trump vowed that success at the upcoming November US election would be his “revenge”. He is…

The Conservatives have promised to build 100 new GP surgeries in England and boost the number of available appointments by allowing more treatments in the community if they win the election. The party says it would also expand the number of treatments pharmacies can offer without people seeing their GP first. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the plan would make it easier for patients to get the care they need and help relieve pressure on hospitals.Labour said the announcement was the “latest empty promise” from the Tories on health.The Tories said they wanted to expand the Pharmacy First scheme, which…

The winner of Britain’s Got Talent is set to be named in Sunday night’s grand TV final.There are 10 finalists, including a choir, a magician, a Ghanaian dancing duo and a Japanese skipping group.The judges of the ITV show, Simon Cowell, Bruno Tonioli, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden, will return for one last time, alongside hosts Ant and Dec.The winner of the 17th series of BGT will receive a cash prize of £250,000 and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance.Public votes will open during the live show, with viewers at home encouraged to have their say.The series…

Flooding and landslides caused by monsoon rains in Sri Lanka have killed at least seven people, the country’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) has said. In Sitawaka – outside the capital, Colombo – three members of the same family died when their house was flooded. Supplies of electricity have been cut off in several areas and schools ordered to remain shut on Monday.Landslide warnings have been issued in nine districts.DMC Director Pradeep Kodippili told the BBC’s Sinhala service that the risk of flooding was rapidly increasing in Colombo and other areas of the south. “Many areas have reportedly received more than…