A senior Hamas official has told the BBC that the coming hours are critical to reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. Direct negotiations are currently taking place in Doha, Qatar, between representatives of the group and a US administration official, he said. According to the official, talks have been ongoing for several days and are … Read more
PA Media / Warner Bros Get your cowboy hats ready as the Eurovision Song Contest is back this week, with country trio Remember Monday representing the UK. But that’s not all the week has in store. Final Destination Bloodlines hits cinemas, Doom: The Dark Ages is released, and the second series of Inside Our Minds … Read more
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says is he ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin “personally” in Istanbul on Thursday for talks over ending the war. His post came shortly after Donald Trump demanded Ukraine agree to Putin’s offer of direct talks between the two countries in Turkey. “There is no point in prolonging the killings. … Read more
Thomas Mackintosh BBC News, London AFP via Getty Images A stock image of a man playing chess in a tournament in Kandahar in June 2022 The Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned chess until further notice due to fears the game is a source of gambling. Officials said the game has been prohibited indefinitely until … Read more
A garda (Irish police) officer has died after he was hit by a motorcycle whilst carrying out a speed checkpoint in County Dublin. The incident happened in Lanestown, in the north of the county, shortly before 13:00 local time on Sunday. A motorcyclist, a man in his 30s, was seriously injured in the incident and … Read more
Just nowFreed British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari visits SpursBritish-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, 28, who was held captive in Gaza, is visiting the UK for the first time since her release.Just nowMiddle East
TIL BUERGY/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Executive head of production Tobias Aberg is preparing St. Jakobshalle in Basel for the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest The Swiss city of Basel is going into party mode this weekend, as it prepares to welcome the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s been 36 years since Switzerland last hosted the contest, after Celine Dion won … Read more
A single vote in a Quebec riding has brought Canada’s Liberal Party one seat closer to holding a majority in parliament. A judicial recount in the Terrebone riding declared Liberal candidate Tatiana Auguste the victor with 23,352 votes, ahead of Bloc Québécois incumbent Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, who received 23,351. The result gives the Liberal Party 170 … Read more
Lucy Manning Special correspondent PA Media Former British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari has told BBC News she is “so happy” to be in the UK and is thankful to those here who campaigned for her release from Gaza. The 28-year-old was released from Hamas captivity after being held for more than 15 months after she was … Read more
Wedaeli Chibelushi & Paul Njie BBC News, London & Yaoundé PMC/Getty Images Koyo Kouoh has been described as “magnificently intelligent, endlessly energetic and formidably elegant” Koyo Kouoh, one of the art world’s leading figures and a fierce advocate of African creatives, has died aged 57. A Cameroon-born curator, Kouoh had been at the height of … Read more