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News, features and analysis from the World's newsroom. Disclaimer: broadcasting from bbc.co.uk and; not an official channel. Paid promote: - @fLyerobot
UK experts inspect fighter jet stuck in India for three weeks
A 14-member team of engineers from the UK has begun assessing a state-of-the-art British fighter jet stuck at an airport in India for more than three weeks now.
The F-35B landed on 14 June at Thiruvananthapuram airport in the southern state of Kerala where it was diverted after it ran into bad weather during a sortie in the Indian ocean.
The plane then reported a technical snag and was unable to return to the HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy's flagship carrier. read more
Iran could start enriching uranium for bomb within months, UN nuclear chief says
Iran has the capacity to start enriching uranium again - for a possible bomb - in "a matter of months", the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has said.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the US strikes on three Iranian sites last weekend had caused severe but "not total" damage, contradicting Donald Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear facilities were "totally obliterated".
"Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there," Grossi said on Saturday. read more
Trump to decide on US action in Israel-Iran conflict within two weeks
US President Donald Trump will decide whether or not the US gets directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict within the next two weeks, the White House has said.
In a White House press briefing, Press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a message directly from Trump:
"Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." read more
Israel's endgame may be regime change in Iran - but it's a gamble
Beyond Israel's stated goal of destroying what it calls an existential threat from Iran's nuclear capabilities with its attacks on Friday, Benjamin Netanyahu has a wider aim - regime change in Tehran.
Under this scenario, he might hope that the unprecedented strikes start a chain reaction leading to unrest that topples the Islamic Republic.
He said in a statement on Friday evening that "The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy, by standing up for your freedom from the evil and oppressive regime." read more
What we know so far after Air India flight heading to London Gatwick crashes
An Air India passenger plane bound for London Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off in Ahmedabad, western India on Thursday.
More than 240 people were on board the flight when it was involved in what the airline has called a "tragic accident".
Details are still emerging from the scene. Here is what we know so far.
EU says Israeli strikes in Gaza 'go beyond what is necessary' to fight Hamas
The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has said that "Israeli strikes in Gaza go beyond what is necessary to fight Hamas" as the death toll there continues to mount.
Kallas also said that the EU did not support a new aid distribution model backed by the US and Israel which bypasses the UN and other humanitarian organisations.
"We don't support the privatisation of the distribution of humanitarian aid. Humanitarian aid can not be weaponised", she said. read more
Pornhub and three other porn sites face EU child safety probe
The EU is investigating Pornhub, Stripchat and two other pornography websites it believes may be falling foul of its online content laws.
The European Commission said the sites, which also include XVideos and XNXX, did not appear to have measures in place to safeguard children and their rights.
It said this included an apparent lack of "appropriate" age verification methods to stop children accessing adult material. read more
Russia launches largest air attack yet on Ukraine
Russia has intensified strikes on Ukraine, with the highest number of drones and missiles launched in a single night yet.
At least 14 people, including three children, were killed and dozens injured in widespread strikes, officials said. The attack came a day after the Ukrainian capital Kyiv suffered one of the heaviest assaults of the war.
Russia has been ignoring calls for a ceasefire. read more
Trump threatens 50% tariffs on EU and 25% on iPhones
US President Donald Trump has said he is recommending a 50% tariff on all goods from the European Union being imported to the United States.
"Our discussions with them are going nowhere!" he wrote in a post on social media on Friday. He said the new tariffs would kick in on 1 June.
The announcement marks an escalation of Trump's trade war with the EU. He initially proposed a 20% tariff on most EU goods, but halved it to 10% until 8 July to allow time for talks. read more
Zelensky accuses Russia of 'buying time' to stall truce talks
Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of "trying to buy time" to continue its war in Ukraine, a day after Donald Trump said progress towards a ceasefire had been made in a call with Vladimir Putin.
"If Russia continues to put forward unrealistic conditions and undermine progress, there must be tough consequences," Ukraine's president wrote on social media, adding that Kyiv was ready to negotiate.
Following separate calls with Zelensky and Putin on Monday, Trump said truce talks between Russia and Ukraine would start "immediately". read more
India disputes Trump claim it is ready to charge US 'no tariffs'
US President Donald Trump's claim that India has offered to drop all tariffs on goods imported from his country has been swiftly disputed by Delhi.
In a statement to local news agencies India's foreign minister S Jaishankar countered the claim saying talks are still going on and "nothing is decided till everything is".
The statement is in stark contrast to comments by Trump to reporters earlier in the day, when he declared Delhi had "offered us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariff".
India and the US are currently in talks to negotiate a trade agreement. read more
US and China agree to slash tariffs for 90 days
The US and China have agreed a deal that will significantly cut the import tariffs they have imposed on each other, in a major de-escalation of their trade war.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said both countries would lower their reciprocal tariffs by 115% for 90 days.
The announcement came after the two countries held talks in Switzerland, the first between the two countries since US President Donald Trump had levied steep tariffs on Chinese imports last month. read more
How will Pope Leo lead? His first days may yield clues
Not long after greeting crowds from the balcony overlooking St Peter's Square on Thursday evening, Pope Leo XIV returned to the Sant'Uffizio Palace, where he had been living for the last two months.
He was met by a jubilant group of staff and former colleagues, all eager to shake his hand and congratulate him.
A young girl handed him a Bible to bless and sign. "Of course, though I have to try out my new signature," Pope Leo said with a smile. "The old one is of no use anymore." read more
US sides with Russia in UN resolutions on Ukraine
The US has twice sided with Russia in votes at the UN to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, highlighting the Trump administration's change of stance on the war.
First the two countries opposed a European-drafted resolution condemning Moscow's actions and supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity, which was passed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Then they backed a US-drafted resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an end to the conflict but containing no criticism of Russia. read more
Ukraine not invited to US-Russia peace talks, source tells BBC
Kyiv has not been invited to talks between the US and Russia aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian government source has told the BBC.
The US special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg had said Kyiv would be involved in Monday's talks in Saudi Arabia, but the source said no delegation would be present.
European leaders have also not been asked to join the discussions, and are due to meet instead on Monday in Paris at a summit hastily arranged by the French president, as fears grow the continent is being locked out of negotiations. read more
Trump says Israel has agreed to conditions for 60-day Gaza ceasefire
Israel has agreed to the "necessary conditions" to finalise a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, US President Donald Trump has said.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that during the proposed ceasefire the US would "work with all parties to end the War". He did not provide details on what the ceasefire would entail.
"The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope... that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," Trump wrote. read more
Tehran is coming back to life, but its residents are deeply shaken
In the heart of the Iranian capital, the Boof cafe serves up refreshing cold drinks on a hot summer's day.
They must be the most distinctive iced Americano coffees in this city – the cafe sits in a leafy corner of the long-shuttered US embassy.
Its high cement walls have been plastered with anti-American murals ever since Washington severed relations with Tehran in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis – which still cast a long shadow over this tortuous relationship. read more
Trump considers joining Israel on Iran strikes as IDF targets nuclear sites
Donald Trump is considering joining Israel's strikes targeting Iran's underground nuclear sites, the BBC's US partner CBS News reports, as the two nations exchange fire for a sixth day
The US president earlier called for Iran's "unconditional surrender" and says he knows where the country's leader is but won't kill him, "for now"
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says he will never compromise with Israel and will show "no mercy" read more
Hossein Salami, Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief, killed by Israel
Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed in Israel's strikes early on Friday, the most senior Iranian leader to die in the attacks.
Salami, who was 65, was known for taking a hardline stance against Iran's rivals, including Israel and the US. Just last month, he had warned that Tehran would "open the gates of hell" if attacked by either country.
Israel launched widescale strikes against Iran, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders, despite US President Donald Trump warning its ally against scuppering talks on a potential nuclear deal. read more
Will Musk's explosive row with Trump help or harm his businesses?
When Elon Musk recently announced that he was stepping back from politics, investors hoped that would mean he would step up his involvement in the many tech firms he runs.
His explosive row with US President Donald Trump - and the very public airing of his dirty White House laundry - suggests Musk's changing priorities might not quite be the salve they had been hoping for.
Instead of Musk retreating somewhat from the public eye and focusing on boosting the fortunes of Tesla and his other enterprises, he now finds himself being threatened with a boycott from one of his main customers - Trump's federal government. read more
May 13, 2025
via @nasapictures
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250513.html
Israeli strike kills dozens sheltering in Gaza school, officials say
At least 54 Palestinians have been killed - most of them in a school building sheltering displaced families - during Israeli air strikes on Gaza overnight, hospital directors have told the BBC.
Fahmi Al-Jargawi School in Gaza City was housing hundreds of people from Beit Lahia, currently under intense Israeli military assault. At least 35 were reported to have been killed when the school was hit.
Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence said multiple bodies, including those of children, were recovered – many severely burned, after fires engulfed two classrooms serving as living quarters. read more
Israeli strike kills nine of Gaza doctor's children, hospital says
An Israeli air strike on Gaza hit the home of a doctor and killed nine of her 10 children, the hospital where she works in the city of Khan Younis says.
Nasser hospital said one of Dr Alaa al-Najjar's children and her husband were injured, but survived.
Graeme Groom, a British surgeon working in the hospital who operated on her surviving 11-year-old boy, told the BBC it was "unbearably cruel" that his mother, who spent years caring for children as a paediatrician, could lose almost all her own in a single missile strike. read more
Two Israeli embassy staff shot dead outside Jewish museum in Washington DC
Two staff members from the Israeli embassy were shot dead outside a Jewish museum in Washington DC on Wednesday night by a gunman who shouted "free Palestine" during his arrest.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were a couple, who the embassy said were in the "prime of their lives". Mr Lischinsky was reportedly about to propose to Miss Milgrim.
The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, 30, is now in custody and the FBI is investigating whether the attack was linked to terrorism or a hate crime. read more
US 'troubled' by humanitarian situation in Gaza, Rubio tells BBC
The top US diplomat Marco Rubio has said the US is "troubled" by the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
His comments came as at least 114 Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes on Thursday, health officials said.
Asked by the BBC if the Trump administration remained fully behind the nature of Israel's military action given the scale of the recent Israeli attacks and its bombing of hospitals, he once again called on Hamas to surrender and release hostages and said there could be no peace so long as the group exists. read more
Israel denying food to Gaza is 'weapon of war', UN Palestinian refugee agency head tells BBC
How do you measure misery? For journalists the usual way is to see it, to feel it, to smell it.
Beleaguered Palestinian colleagues in Gaza are doing that, still doing invaluable reporting at great risk to themselves. More than 200 have been killed doing their jobs.
Israel does not allow international journalists into Gaza.
Denied the chance of eyewitness reporting – one of the best tools of the job – we can study, from a distance, the assessments of aid organisations operating in Gaza. read more
Trump says India and Pakistan 'agree to full and immediate ceasefire'
Donald Trump says "India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire".
In a post on social media platform Truth Social, the US President says: "After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE.
"Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" read more
US team headed to Moscow for Ukraine talks as Putin visits Kursk
US officials are headed to Russia to discuss a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, according to President Donald Trump.
The news comes after Ukrainian officials agreed to a 30-day ceasefire following a highly anticipated meeting with American officials in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the "ball is truly in their [Russia's] court" and that the US believes the only way to end the fighting was through peace negotiations. read more
All passengers survive crash landing as plane flips at Toronto airport
All 80 people on board a plane which crashed and overturned while landing in Toronto have survived, officials said.
The Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis skidded along the runway with flames visible and it came to a halt upside down as firefighters came to the rescue.
Survivors said they were suspended upside down in their seats and had to release themselves, dropping on to the ceiling before clambering out on to the snow-covered tarmac. read more
Ukraine war talks start now, Trump says after Putin call
US President Donald Trump has said he had a "lengthy and highly productive" phone call with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in which the leaders agreed to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he and the Russian president had "agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately".
Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with Trump about a "lasting, reliable peace". read more