The day’s top stories from BBC News, including the latest from Gaza, on US politics and about the Ukraine conflict. Delivered twice a day on weekdays, daily at weekends.
The judge at the hush money trial in New York fined the former US president and warned him to stop making public statements about witnesses and jurors. Also: Colombian military loses millions of bullets; in the world of gaming, Manchester City's footballer Erling Haaland morphs into the Barbarian King in the Clash of the Clans.
The Israeli PM Netanyahu says war won’t stop until the goal of defeating Hamas was achieved. Also: reports from Mali say senior figure in the Islamic State group in Africa has been killed. A leaked document obtained by the BBC says a teenager found dead during anti-government protests in Iran was sexually assaulted and killed by men working for security forces. The authorities had claimed Nika Shakarami took her own life. In The Gambia - a study has found that a stick-on measles vaccine patch co...
The US secretary of state Antony Blinken says he hopes Hamas will accept what he called Israel's "extraordinarily generous" offer for a Gaza truce. Also: Premier League football clubs back plan to look at spending cap, and how long should a blockbuster film be?
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has urged Hamas to accept what he has called Israel's "extraordinarily generous" ceasefire proposal for Gaza. Also: Following five days of speculation and corruption allegations against his wife, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, says he will not resign. Meanwhile in Scotland First Minister Humza Yousaf has decided to step down. Cleanup and rescue operations continue in the US state of Oklahoma after deadly tornadoes. And the daily pain and suf...
Ukraine's commander-in-chief says his troops have fallen back to new positions west of three villages where Russia has concentrated significant forces. Also: Divisions emerge in the Israeli government with ministers at odds about a potential ceasefire and hostage release deal, and we hear who has won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
President Cyril Ramaphosa pays tribute to those who helped bring white minority rule to an end, but acknowledges the challenges still faced by his country. Also: Hamas releases a video showing the first proof of life of two more hostages held in Gaza, and the passenger aged 101 who was classed as being just 1 year old by an airline.
This week, we meet one of the hundreds of ballerinas who balanced on their toes in New York to set a new world record. Also: how a generous stranger gave a kidney to a five-year-old girl. And we hear from Europe's best seagull impersonator.
The $6bn package comes days after a huge military aid bill was approved in Washington. Also: UN investigators have dismissed or suspended cases against four UNRWA employees accused of involvement in the October 7th Hamas-led attacks because of a lack of evidence from Israel, and King Charles is to start returning to public duties in Britain after reacting positively to treatment for cancer.
The Chinese leader tells the visiting US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, they should work together. Mr Blinken says he raised concerns about China's support for Russia in its war against Ukraine. Also: Britain begins tests of the first personalised vaccine for melanoma skin cancer -- based on the mRNA technology used in Covid jabs. And how talking to Twain the humpback whale could help us communicate with aliens from outer space.
Donald Trump argues he can't be indicted under the constitution for actions while he was in office. The ruling will determine whether the former President should face trial on charges that he plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Also: New York's top court overturns one of Harvey Weinstein's rape convictions -- but the disgraced Hollywood producer will remain in jail, and the British synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys are back with a new album.
Human Rights Watch report says children were among those killed in what it calls one of the worst army abuse incidents in Burkina Faso in nearly a decade. Also: The US Secretary of State is in Beijing as the world's largest economies try to mend their relationship - will it work? We hear mixed reactions to a new tourist tax in Venice, and how did the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret club in Paris lose the sails of its windmill?
US House speaker confronts students, calling the protests anti-Semitic and demanding they stop, while protesters fear loss of free speech. After six months of conflict in Gaza, we look at the impact on the Israeli and West Bank economies. Also: President Zelensky welcomes the long-awaited US aid package to Ukraine. We ask how likely it is to change events on the ground. Portugal's surprise mea culpa as it says it wants to take full responsibility for its involvement in the slave trade, and how e...
America's top diplomat Anthony Blinken arrives in Shanghai amid Chinese anger over Taiwan aid. Also: Relief in Ukraine after US senate approves aid package, and how AI helped discover Plato's grave.
The former US president Donald Trump denies falsifying business records to cover up a payment to a porn actress. Also: the Israeli military has rejected accusations that its forces buried the bodies of Palestinians at a medical compound in Gaza, and at what age do we become 'old'?
Migrants to be sent abroad for asylum processing. Ministers say the legislation will deter small boat crossings. Father begins legal action against BP over son's cancer death in Iraq. Voyager-1 sends readable data again from deep space. Elon Musk Sydney church stabbing video row. The US state that wants to fine homeless sleepers. UK woman races topless in the London marathon to show her mastectomy scars. Shakespeare a man of words and numbers.
Defence lawyers tell jurors in New York there was no crime and the former US president Donald Trump is "cloaked in innocence". Also: Ecuadorean police arrest fugitive gang leader, Fabricio Colón Pico, and have you seen the raccoons that are on the run in the Netherlands?
The Israel Defense Forces said Major General Aharon Haliva would retire once his successor was selected. Also, the UK parliament prepares to vote on a bill to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, and thousands of Filipino and US troops begin three weeks of military exercises.
Reports say the US is planning to cut military aid to the Netzah Yehuda battalion. Speaking on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Passover, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that attacks will be stepped up against Hamas in Gaza. Also: the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says the new US package of military aid could help Ukraine turn the tide in the war against Russia, and tens of thousands of people took part in the London Marathon.
The vote comes as Ukrainian troops face a weapons shortage, with Russia continuing its attacks. We get reaction and analysis from Washington and Kyiv, where President Zelensky says it will help his troops on the battlefield. The aid is worth billions of dollars, and the Kremlin doesn't like it. Also in this podcast covering the world's top news events: Iran's ayatollahs launch a new crackdown on women; a river disaster in central Africa; why people in the Canary Islands want tourists to stay awa...
This week, we meet the teenager whose dancing in the rain in Nigeria brought online fame that's inspired a documentary. Also: The Mongolian Yak herders helping to make fashion sustainable. And how a four-legged tour guide is keeping visitors on the right track.
Police say he dowsed himself in an accelerant after throwing pamphlets about conspiracy theories into the air. Also: Iran's muted response to a presumed Israeli drone attack on Friday raises hopes that tensions between the foes can be kept in check, and the American football star Jason Kelce says he's 'incredibly stupid' for losing his coveted superbowl ring...in a tank of chilli.
Iranian state media says air defence systems were activated in several cities including Isfahan and Tabriz. Also: people in India begin voting in the first round of a seven phase general election, and the four fastest finishers in Beijing's half marathon have their prizes withdrawn.
President William Ruto declares 3 days of national mourning. Two survivors have been taken to hospital. Also: A Palestinian bid for full membership of the UN is vetoed by the US at the Security Council, and why so many of China's major cities are sinking.
Talks on the Italian island of Capri also include the Middle East crisis. Also: We hear from an Israeli hostage released last year whose husband is still captive in Gaza, Germany arrests two Russian dual nationals suspected of planning sabotage attacks, and what to do about fire ants in Australia.
The vote on the 95 billion dollar bill is set for Saturday and includes more military funding for Israel, as well as humanitarian aid for Gaza. Also: Israel says it will make its own decision amid calls for restraint in the wake of Iran's unprecedented attack at the weekend, and could 2 fossilised jawbones found in southern England be from the biggest marine reptile ever to have lived?
President Zelensky calls for more air defences after a missile attack kills at least 14. He described the attack in Chernihiv, which destroyed an eight-story building and damaged a hospital, as Russian terror. Also: A BBC investigation uncovers the death of more than 50,000 Russians in the war, and a controversial emoji forces Apple to update its software. All this and more in the podcast with the top news stories from around the world - from the BBC World Service.
All aid for Gaza is subject to strict Israeli security checks. The UN is also calling on Israel to do more to stop the escalating violence in the West Bank. Also: Belgian police told to shut down meeting of right-wing European politicians in Brussels, and is France's culinary reputation in decline?
As Israel's war cabinet meets to decide how to respond to Iran's drone attack, its allies urge restraint. Also: fighting continues in Gaza, and Copenhagen's iconic stock exchange is engulfed by fire.
The former US President Donald Trump denies trying to disguise a hush money payment to an adult film star in 2016. Also, donors pledge more than $2bn in aid for Sudan, and record ocean temperatures have caused the mass bleaching of coral across large parts of the world's seas.
Almost nine million people have been displaced and the UN is warning of looming famine. Also: Israel is still considering its response to Iran's attack at the weekend, and China investigates whether three African runners allowed a Chinese competitor to win a key race.
