Keir Starmer has called for the “guns to fall silent in Ukraine” and said military powers will meet next week as plans to secure a peace deal move to an “operational phase”. The UK prime minister said Vladimir Putin’s “yes, but” approach to a proposed ceasefire was not good enough, and the Russian president would

Crowds gather to celebrate Holi, the Indian festival of colours Millions of Indians are celebrating Holi, the festival of colours. The spring festival symbolises the victory of good over evil and marks the end of winter. People light a bonfire, smear or spray friends and family members with colour and water, and feast on traditional

Esme Stallard Climate and Science Reporter BBC Listen to Esme read this article Donald Trump’s return to the White House is a “major blow to global climate action”. So said Christiana Figueres, the former UN climate chief, after he was elected in November. Since taking office, Trump has withdrawn the US from what is considered

Getty Images Protests erupted following the girl’s death, with demands that the government expedite justice for rape victims and reform laws related to women and children’s safety Warning: This article contains details some readers may find distressing An eight-year-old child who was raped in Bangladesh died of her injuries on Thursday, setting off fierce protests

Feras Killani BBC News Arabic, western Syria BBC Dalaal Mahna says fighters killed her son “My only son, just 25 years old,” says Dalaal Mahna, with tears filling her eyes. “They took him right from my side and told me: ‘We’re going to kill him and break your heart with it.’ “ That was the

Rushdi Abu Alouf Gaza correspondent EPA More than 90% of homes in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged, says the UN Talks to extend the Gaza ceasefire have failed to reach an agreement, a Palestinian official has told the BBC, as the US accused Hamas of making “entirely impractical” demands at meetings in Qatar. Negotiators

Imogen Foulkes Geneva correspondent, BBC News EPA Refusing to wear the hijab in public can lead to imprisonment in Iran Iran is using drones and intrusive digital technology to crush dissent, especially among women who refuse to obey the Islamic republic’s strict dress code, the United Nations has said. Investigators say Iranian security officials are

Paul Kirby Europe digital editor Reuters The deal is a personal victory for Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting Germany’s conservative leader, Friedrich Merz, has clinched an enormous financial package to revamp defence and infrastructure, ahead of a crunch vote in parliament next Tuesday. Merz, who aims to lead a government with the Social Democrats in the

BBC The eighth week of Donald Trump’s second term has been marked by the dizzying ping-pong of tariffs and counter-tariffs, and Ukraine peace talks with officials from both Kyiv and Moscow. The US president and his administration continue to make headlines as they forge ahead with their policies. Here’s a quick look at some of

James Landale Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine Getty Images Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield say they don’t expect to see the war end any time soon Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Vladimir Putin of trying to “sabotage” diplomatic efforts to secure an immediate ceasefire. In a post on social media, he urged the US to

Nandhini Vellaisamy BBC Tamil Sheik Hasan K The students captured labourers at work, including a woman working in a turmeric factory The elderly woman gazes wistfully into the distance, her hands curled over a basket of tobacco, surrounded by the hundreds of cigarettes she has spent hours rolling by hand. The photograph is one of

Will Grant Mexico, Central America and Cuba correspondent Reporting fromTeuchitlán, Mexico Getty Images Three human crematory ovens were located at the Izaguirre Ranch at the beginning of March The gates to the Izaguirre Ranch look much like any others you might find in the state of Jalisco. Two prancing horses on the front perhaps a

Rachel Looker BBC News, Washington DC Defensa Civil Dominicana Search efforts for a missing University of Pittsburgh student who disappeared on spring break while in the Dominican Republican have entered their second week. Sudiksha Konanki, 20, was last seen at a hotel around 04:00 local time on 6 March. Her disappearance is being investigated as

CNN  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk to surrender, as diplomatic back-and-forth continues over a potential US-brokered ceasefire with Kyiv. At a meeting with members of Russia’s security council on Friday, Putin accused Ukrainian troops in the region of committing crimes against civilians, but acknowledged

Russian forces have almost completely surrounded Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region, with some Ukrainian units forced to leave their vehicles behind as they pull back, according to a U.S. military official. There are growing indications that Russia could re-take Kursk “very soon,” the official said. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hesitant response to a U.S-brokered