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Today — 16 August 2025BBC | World

One dead and several injured as Danish train hits tanker and derails

16 August 2025 at 02:05
Reuters Danish police direct people involved near the the derailmentReuters
Danish police direct people involved near the the derailment

At least one person has died and several others injured after a train collided with a slurry tanker and derailed in southern Denmark, officials said.

Police said the crash happened between the towns of Tinglev and Kliplev in southern Jutland, and that officers were at the site.

Local outlet TV2 reported helicopters had been sent to the scene and quoted local rail officials as saying the train had "hit a slurry tanker" at a level crossing.

The country's rail operator DSB said that it had shut down services between Tinglev and Sønderborg near the German border.

Pictures from the scene showed a carriage lying on its side, with passengers stood around the train tracks.

Police said 95 passengers were on board, including pupils from a school in Sønderborg. Two of the injured were carried away by helicopter.

The national rail agency Banedanmark wrote on X that the collision happened at a railway crossing. According to local media, at least two of the train carriages were derailed.

What do Alaskans make of the geopolitical circus arriving?

15 August 2025 at 13:58
BBC A woman with blonde hair in a Ukrainian flag holds a a boy in her armsBBC
Hanna Correa and her son Milan attend a protest in Anchorage

"Putin is supposed to be in jail, and he just comes to Alaska like that."

Hanna Correa is amongst a sea of Alaskans waving Ukrainian flags on road leading into the capital city, Anchorage.

"When I entered through that parking lot, and I see a lot of Americans, they're supporting, it made me cry," she says.

Ms Correa, 40, left Ukraine in 2019 for love, and six years later, the future of her country could be decided in her adopted home town.

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to touch down at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a 30 minute drive away. Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky is not invited, something Ms Correa says is "pretty sad".

Among those protesting their arrival is Christopher Kelliher, a 53-year-old military veteran and Alaskan native.

"It's gross, it makes you want to take a shower," he says of the meeting.

"Putin doesn't need to be in our state, much less our country. We have an idiot in the White House that will kowtow to this guy."

People holds signs beside a road one saying 'war criminal'
Hundreds lined a street in Anchorage on Friday to oppose Putin's arrival

This region's history with Moscow gives Friday's summit added significance. The US purchased Alaska from the Russians in 1867 for $7.2m (£1.48m).

Critics called the purchase 'Seward's Folly', arguing the land amounted to a frozen wasteland. But later discoveries of rare earth minerals and abundant oil and gas put paid to that label.

Ornate churches are among the most visible symbols of Alaska's Russian heritage. The St Tikhon Orthodox Church in Anchorage has been holding three days of prayer ahead of leaders' arrival.

Priest Nicholas Cragle, an American who recently moved to Alaska after living in Russia for seven years, says the conflict is "particularly painful and close to the hearts" of parishioners.

"We're hoping that this meeting will lead to something... lead to a culmination of this conflict," says Mr Cragle.

A man wears a black robe and cross with positioned in the interior of a church
Nicholas Cragle has settled in Anchorage with his wife, who he met in Russia

That feeling is shared by fishermen ankle-deep in creek bed on the outskirts of town, drawn to the area by the allure of some of the world's finest salmon.

"I think it's a good idea [the summit], I wish Zelensky would be out here too... get this thing over with," says Don Cressley, who lives in the Alaskan city of North Pole and is visiting on a fishing trip with his grandson.

He wants an end to the war "because of the destruction they're doing to all the cities, all the buildings, making everybody more homeless, taking their foods away, their supplies away, their living right away,".

Donald Trump, he says, is doing an "awesome job" in ceasefire negotiations.

A man holds a fishing rod beside a river.
Alaska draws fisherman in search of some of the world's best salmon

While the US president often talks warmly of his relationship with Vladimir Putin, superpower tensions persist and are more keenly felt here.

Moscow's military planes are routinely detected flying near the coast of Alaska. And in January, Canadian and American fighter jets were scrambled after multiple Russian jets were spotted in the Arctic, according to the North American Aerospace Defence Command.

That breeds a sense of unease for some Alaskans who live closer to Russia than Washington DC.

"Although the Cold War is over between Russia and the US, they're constantly patrolling our airways," Anchorage resident Russell Wilson tells me while fishing.

"If the president doesn't put the hammer down, we could be the next Ukraine."

However other Alaskans consider a return to Cold War hostilities are far-fetched fantasy.

I ask Army veteran Christopher Kelliher if he is concerned about a Russian invasion. "Not really, everybody in Alaska owns a gun," he replies.

Yesterday — 15 August 2025BBC | World

Far-right Israeli minister taunts prominent Palestinian prisoner

15 August 2025 at 20:16
Itamar Ben Gvir X Itamar Ben Gvir, wearing glasses and a dark shirt, is seen talking to Marwan Barghouti, wearing a white shirt, who appears gaunt and aged. A police officer stands next to them with his head down. Sunlight pours through a window into the room, the walls painted off-white.Itamar Ben Gvir X
A screenshot from the video of the interaction, posted on Ben Gvir's X account

New footage shared on social media shows the far-right Israeli minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, taunting the most prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti in his cell.

The Palestinian Authority has condemned the video. Its Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh described it as "the epitome of psychological, moral and physical terrorism."

The 13-second-long video clip is the first time that Barghouti has been publicly seen in years. He appears aged and gaunt.

Israel's national security minister, Ben Gvir tells him: "You will not win. He who messes with the people of Israel, he who will murder our children, he who will murder our women, we will wipe him out".

As Barghouti tries to interject, Ben Gvir adds: "You need to know this, throughout history."

Marwan Barghouti, 66, was jailed by Israel more than 20 years ago after he was convicted of planning attacks that led to five civilians being killed. He is serving five life sentences plus 40 years.

Opinion polls have consistently indicated that he remains the most popular Palestinian leader, and that Palestinians would vote for him in a presidential election ahead of the current Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas or Hamas leaders.

He remains a senior figure in the Fatah faction, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA). He was targeted by Israel due to his leading role in the Second Palestinian Intifada or uprising from 2000-05.

The video originally surfaced on messaging groups for Ben Gvir's supporters on Thursday but has now been reposted on his X account.

The minister says that having read how "all sorts of "senior officials"" in the PA did not like what he said, he will "repeat it again and again without apologising."

Palestinian prisoner rights organisations say that Barghouti has been placed in solitary confinement since the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023. Last year they accused guards of "brutally assaulting" him in his cell which the Israeli prison service denied.

In response to the new video, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, Abdullah al-Zaghari accused Israel of seeking "to eliminate him and assassinate the leaders languishing in its prisons."

Barghouti is one of the prisoners whose release Hamas is believed to have sought as part of an exchange deal for the remaining hostages it is holding. However, it is thought very unlikely that Israel would free him.

In the video, as Ben Gvir speaks, Barghouti – who is fluent in Hebrew – can be seen nodding and trying to break in, but the short clip ends before he does.

His wife, Fadwa, recommended to her husband's followers that only one still be used from the video which she believed showed his strength.

Palestinians widely see Barghouti as the leader who could best unify different political factions and negotiate peace with Israel.

Flash floods kill nearly 200 in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir

15 August 2025 at 21:00
AFP via Getty Images People gathered at the site of a flash flood in Salarzai Tehsil of Pakistan's Bajaur district on August 15, 2025.AFP via Getty Images
Flash flooding killed several in the village of Salarzai Tehsil, in Bajaur

At least 164 people have died in the last 24 hours in heavy monsoon floods and landslides in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Most of the deaths, 150, were recorded by disaster authorities in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in northern Pakistan. At least 30 homes were destroyed and a rescue helicopter has also crashed during operations, killing its five crew.

Nine more people were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, while five died in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, it said.

Government forecasters said heavy rainfall was expected until 21 August and there is a heavy rain alert for the northwest of the country. Several regions have been declared disaster zones.

The chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gadapur, said that the M-17 helicopter crashed due to bad weather while flying to Bajaur, a region bordering Afghanistan .

In Bajaur, a crowd amassed around an excavator trawling a mud-soaked hill, AFP photos showed. Funeral prayers began in a paddock nearby, with people grieving in front of several bodies covered by blankets.

In the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, rescuers pulled bodies from mud and rubble on Friday after a flood crashed through a Himalayan village, killing at least 60 people and washing away dozens more.

Monsoon rains between June and September deliver about three-quarters of South Asia's annual rainfall. Landslides and flooding are common and than 300 people have died in this year's season.

In July, Punjab, home to nearly half of Pakistan's 255 million people, recorded 73% more rainfall than the previous year and more deaths than in the entire previous monsoon.

Scientists say that climate change has made weather events more extreme and more frequent.

'About our lives, but without our voice': Sidelined Ukrainians look on

15 August 2025 at 21:38
EPA Ukrainians, including families of prisoners of war (POWs) and missing persons, participate in a rally called 'No land swap! We demand POW swap all-for-all' in front of the US embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine - a medium sized group of people are visible, all holding up signs, some in English and some in Ukrainian - one woman holds a sign saying 'No Trust to Putin as International Criminal!' - many of the protesters are holding up Ukrainian flags EPA

Five thousand miles from Alaska, and feeling left out, Ukrainians were bracing themselves on Friday for the outcome of negotiations to which they were not invited.

The talks, between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, will begin later in the day with no seat for the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump signalled earlier this week that "land swaps" could be on the table - largely interpreted to mean the surrender of Ukrainian land to Russia.

In Ukraine, where polls consistently show that about 95% of the population distrusts Putin, there is a uneasy mix of deep scepticism about the talks and deep fatigue with the war.

"This question touches me directly," said Tetyana Bessonova, 30, from Pokrovsk - one of the eastern cities whose future is in question if land were surrendered to Russia.

"My hometown is on the line of fire. If active fighting stops, would I be able to return?" she said.

Questions of negotiations, of land swaps, of the redrawing of boundaries were deeply painful to those who grew up in the affected regions, Bessonova said.

"This is the place I was born, my homeland," she said. "These decisions might mean I could never go home again. That I and many others will lose all hope of return."

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, said on Wednesday that Trump had agreed on a call with European leaders that no territorial concessions would be made without Ukraine's approval. And Trump has said he intends to hold a second summit with Zelensky present, before anything is agreed.

But Trump can be unpredictable. He is often said to favour the views of the person he spoke to most recently. So there is little faith in Ukraine that he won't be swayed by Putin, particularly in a one-on-one meeting.

The very fact of the closed door meeting was bad for Ukraine, said Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian MP and chair of the country's parliamentary committee on foreign affairs. "Knowing Trump, he can change his opinion very quickly. There is great danger in that for us."

Merezhko said he feared that, such was Trump's desire to be seen as a dealmaker, he may have privately made advance agreements with the Russians. "Trump doesn't want embarrassment, and if nothing is achieved, he will be embarrassed," the MP said. "The question is, what could be in those agreements?"

Various possibilities have been suggested for arrangements that could lead to a ceasefire, from a freezing of the current frontlines - with no formal recognition of the seized territory as Russian - to a maximalist position of Russia annexing four entire regions in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Polls suggest that about 54% of Ukrainians support some form of land compromise in order to hasten the end of the war, but only with security guarantees from Ukraine's international partners. So deep and widespread is the distrust of Russia, that many believe an agreement to freeze the frontlines without security guarantees would simply be an invitation to Russia to rest, rearm, and reattack.

"If we freeze the frontlines and cede territories it will only serve as a platform for a new offensive," said Volodymyr, a Ukrainian sniper serving in the east of the country. In accordance with military protocol, he asked to be identified only by his first name.

A map showing areas of control in Ukraine.

"Many soldiers gave their lives for these territories, for the protection of our country," Volodymyr said. "A freeze would mean demobilization would begin, wounded and exhausted soldiers would be discharged, the army would shrink, and during one of these rotations the Russians would strike again. But this time, it would be the end of our country."

Across Ukraine, people from all walks of life were making very tough decisions about the reality of their future, said Anton Grushetsky, the director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, which regularly polls the population about the war.

One of the toughest decisions was whether to accept the idea of giving de facto control of some Ukrainian soil to Russia, he said. "It's 20% of our land and these are our people. But Ukrainians are showing us that they are flexible, they are telling us that they will accept various forms of security guarantees."

According to the institute's polling, 75% of Ukrainians are totally opposed to giving Russia formal ownership of any territory. Among the remaining 25%, there were some people who were pro-Russian, Grushetsky said, and some who were simply so fatigued by the war that they felt hard compromises were necessary.

"My belief is that the war should be stopped in any way possible," said Luibov Nazarenko, 70, a retired factory worker from Donetsk region, in Ukraine's east.

"The further it goes, the worse it becomes," she said. "The Russians have already occupied the Kherson region and they want Odesa. All this must be stopped, so the youth do not die."

Nazarenko has a son who is not yet fighting but could be called up. She said she believed that three years into the war, with hundreds of thousands of dead and wounded on the Ukrainian side alone, the preservation of life superseded all concerns over land.

"I just don't want people to die," she said. "Not the youth, not the old people, not the civilians who live on the frontline."

On Friday, as the clock ticked down to the beginning of the talks in Alaska, Ukrainians were celebrating a holy day - the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the day when she is believed to listen to the prayers of all who need her.

A picture showing the inside of St Michael's Monastery where a number of candles are being lit and a number of people are seen inside the ornate, gold lined church interior
Priest Oleksandr Beskrovniy said it was hard to find words to describe the unfairness of the talks

At St Michael's Monastery, a church in central Kyiv, priest Oleksandr Beskrovniy was leading a prayer service for several dozen people. Afterwards, he said it was hard to find words to describe the unfairness of the coming talks, but called it a "great injustice and madness" to leave Zelensky out.

Like others, the priest recognised the grim reality facing Ukraine, he said - that it was not in a position to recapture its stolen territory by force. So some deal needed to be made. But it should be thought of less in terms of land, Beskrovniy said, and more in terms of people.

"If we are forced to cede territory - if the world allows this - the most important thing is that we gather all of our people. The world must help us get our people out."

In his prayers on Friday, the priest did not refer directly to the talks in Alaska, he said - "no names or places of meetings".

But he prayed for the future strength of Ukraine, he said. "On the frontline, and in the diplomatic space."

Spain at 'extreme risk' of new wildfires as 14 blazes spread

15 August 2025 at 19:53
Getty Images Two female firefighters tackle a raging inferno in a Spanish woodland scene. The grass around them is dry and parched, and the trees in the background are completely aflame.Getty Images

Spain is at "extreme risk" of new wildfires, the country's prime minister has warned, as firefighters continue to battle 14 major blazes.

In a post on X, Pedro Sanchez said he expected Friday's conditions to be "very tough again" as he posted a graphic from the national weather agency Aemet warning of extreme fire risk in the north and west of the country.

Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 40C on the Spanish north coast, after more than 1,500 sq km (579 sq miles) were devastated by the flames and seven people died.

A heatwave has scorched swathes of southeastern Europe this week, prompting wildfires in Spain, Portugal, Greece, France and the Balkans.

In Galicia, several fires merged to form a huge blaze, forcing the closure of highways and rail services to the region.

Avincis, the largest operator of emergency aerial services in Europe, said it had registered a 50% increase from last year in flight hours dedicated to firefighting operations in Spain and Portugal so far this season, Reuters reported.

Aemet forecasts the heatwave will continue until Monday, with temperatures of up to 44C in some areas, as well as moderate winds.

Getty Images A man and a woman try to battle a wildfire in the village of Santa Baia de Montes in the province of Ourense, northwestern Spain. They are walking away from a fierce fire in the background, and are surrounded by bone-dry grass.Getty Images
Spain is the fifth European nation to request assistance with fighting wildfires this summer

Wildfires are a common occurrence across southern Europe in the summer, but their severity can often be exacerbated by heatwave conditions.

Meteorologists say such extremes are becoming more frequent and intense due to human-induced climate change.

EU data shows that around 6,290 sq km (2,429 sq miles) of land has burnt across the bloc since the beginning of the year, with wildfires in Spain comprising about a quarter of the total.

Spain's Civil Guard said it had arrested two men on suspicion of starting fires in Castille and León - taking the number of arson arrests to 10 since the start of June.

While weather conditions are currently favourable for wildfires, they can be sparked by barbecues, cigarette stubs or discarded bottles. Causing a wildfire is a criminal offence in Spain, even if accidental.

Spain is the fifth European nation to request assistance with fighting wildfires. In Greece, 100 sq km (38 sq miles) of land have burned since Tuesday.

EPA Flames burn a wooded area near the town of Castromil in Zamora province, Spain, 15 August 2025. Green pine trees can be seen quite close up - with the red and yellow flames burning in the middle of themEPA
Wildfires have consumed more than 157,000 hectares in Spain so far this year

On Friday, firefighters were still tackling an active front on the Greek island of Chios, three days after the blaze began, with repair teams warning it could take more than a week to restore damaged infrastructure. Much of the island is still without electricity, with some water supply issues reported in certain areas.

A very high wildfire risk has been issued for Friday for Attica, the Peloponnese, Central Greece, Thessaly, Central and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, as well as the North and South Aegean, according to Greece's Civil Protection agency.

Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also activated the EU's civil protection mechanism, which allows any country hit by a disaster - both in Europe and beyond - to request emergency assistance.

Additional reporting Nikos Papanikolaou

My family may be killed if deported, says son of Afghan caught in UK data breach

15 August 2025 at 16:22
Getty Images A female refugee covered with a veil, though her eyes and nose can still be seen, stands at a refugee camp in Afghanistan Getty Images
A large number of Afghan refugees have been deported back to Afghanistan from Pakistan in recent years

An Afghan man, whose details were accidentally leaked by the UK in a major data breach, has been detained in Pakistan for imminent deportation alongside several family members, his son told the BBC.

The BBC has seen documents which appear to confirm the man was part of Afghan special forces units who worked alongside British forces in Afghanistan, known as the Triples.

The threat of deportation comes as Pakistan continues its drive to remove what they say are "illegal foreign nationals" to their countries.

But the Afghan man's son said their case is particularly urgent, as if they are deported to Afghanistan, he fears they will be killed because of his father's Triples association.

The Taliban government claims that all Afghans can "live in the country without any fear". But a UN report titled "No safe haven" that was released last month cast doubt on their assurances about a general amnesty.

The man and his family initially applied to the UK's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) - which was set up to relocate and protect Afghans who worked with British forces or the UK government in Afghanistan - shortly after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.

The family were in Pakistan waiting for a final decision on the application - which was endorsed by the Ministry of Defence last year - when Pakistani authorities came to take them away.

The man's son, Rayan, whose name we are changing for his safety, told the BBC he avoided being rounded up after hiding in a hotel bathroom in the capital Islamabad with his wife and baby son as several of his family members were taken to a holding camp.

"Some of my family are just children, the youngest is only eight months old, we kept begging the police to leave them."

His brother later called from the camp to say officials informed them they would be deported, Rayan added.

"My brother told me they were kept in a room with about 90 other people, and were then singled out by name and separated," Rayan said. "I'm so scared they will suddenly be deported."

Rayan explained the family had been in limbo in Pakistan since October 2024, when the family had their biometrics recorded.

But they are still waiting.

"We have just been waiting with no explanation. They kept telling us to wait, and now it is too late," Rayan said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said it does not comment on individual cases. "We remain fully committed to honouring our commitments to all eligible people who pass their relevant checks for relocation," the statement added.

The situation is made more worrying by the fact the family's details were among those of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to resettle in the UK which were inadvertently leaked in February 2022. Families involved in the leak fear it has made them vulnerable.

Rayan is now terrified police will come back to detain him, his wife and their child next, and said he has been pleading with the British High Commission in Islamabad to be relocated to another hotel for protection.

Calvin Bailey, a Labour MP who worked alongside the Afghan Triples as an RAF commander, told the BBC that the situation is "incredibly upsetting". He said Rayan's father and the Triples were "people that we need to help and we owe a duty to and we must ensure that they receive more than the minimum protection".

Bailey went on to add that he hopes the government and the British High Commission is engaged behind the scenes, even though that work is not always public.

Getty Images Afghan refugees - including two women wearing blue and yellow headscarfs - carrying a baby, arrive at a registration centre in Kandahar ProvinceGetty Images
The Taliban government claims that all Afghans can "live in the country without any fear - but the UN disputes this

Pakistan has a long record of taking in Afghan refugees. But the government has previously said it has been frustrated by the length of time it has taken for Afghans to be relocated to other countries.

Pakistan's Interior Minister, Talal Chaudry, told the BBC it "should ask the UK authorities why they are delaying these resettlements".

"It's already been years," he said. "Do you really think they will give any leniency to Pakistani nationals who are overstaying in the UK?"

Since September 2023, the year Pakistan launched its "Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan", 1,159,812 individuals have returned to Afghanistan, according to the United Nations migration agency.

The government has maintained its policy is aimed at all illegal foreign nationals.

About three million Afghans are living in Pakistan, according to the UN's refugee agency - including around 600,000 people who came after the Taliban takeover in 2021. The UN estimates that half are undocumented.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has called on Pakistan to "ensure that any return of Afghans to Afghanistan is voluntary, safe and dignified".

Amid police raids and deportations this summer, UNHCR has urged the government "to apply measures to exempt Afghans with continued international protection needs from involuntary return".

Additional reporting by Usman Zahid

Global plastic talks collapse as countries remain deeply divided

15 August 2025 at 15:19
James Wakibia/Getty Images Rubbish dump trucks, green and yellow in colour, queue up laden with rubbish in a tip. To the left and right are high piles of degrading plastic and rubbish. In the background the skyline of Nairobi can be seenJames Wakibia/Getty Images

Global talks to develop a landmark treaty to end plastic pollution have once again failed.

The UN negotiations, the sixth round of talks in just under three years, were due to end on Thursday but countries continued to negotiate into the night in the hopes of breaking a deadlock.

There remained a split between a group of more than 100 nations calling for curbs on production of plastic, and oil states pushing for a focus on recycling.

Speaking in the early hours, Cuban delegates said that countries had "missed a historic opportunity but we have to keep going".

The talks were convened in 2022 in response to the mounting scientific evidence of the risks of plastic pollution to human health and the environment.

Despite the benefits of plastic to almost every sector, scientists are particularly concerned about potentially toxic chemicals they contain, which can leach out as plastics break down into smaller pieces.

Microplastics have been detected in soils, rivers, the air and even organs throughout the human body.

Countries had an original deadline to get a deal over the line at the end of December last year, but failed to meet this.

The collapse of the latest talks means they fall further behind.

Speaking on behalf of the island states, the northern Pacific nation of Palau, said on Friday: "We are repeatedly returning home with insufficient progress to show our people."

"It is unjust for us to face the brunt of yet another global environmental crisis we contribute minimally to," it added.

Reuters Plastic polluting a mangrove area lies in Panama Bay, Panama City - in the foreground are many plastic bottles and other bits of plastic waste, with the water of the mangroves visible behind them, and the skyline of Panama City then visible in the distance, setting up an interesting contrast Reuters

The core dividing line between countries has remained the same throughout: whether the treaty should tackle plastics at source – by reducing production – or focus on managing the pollution that comes from it.

The largest oil-producing nations view plastics, which are made using fossil fuels, as a vital part of their future economies, particularly as the world begins to move away from petrol and diesel towards electric cars.

The group, which includes Saudi Arabia and Russia, argue that better waste collection and recycling infrastructure is the best way of solving the problem, a view shared by many of the producers themselves.

"Plastics are fundamental for modern life - they go in everything," said Ross Eisenberg, president of America's Plastic Makers, a trade association for the plastic production industry in the United States.

"Focusing on ending plastic pollution should be the priority here, not ending plastic production," he added, warning that attempts to substitute plastics with other materials could lead to "unintended consequences".

But many researchers warn that this approach is fundamentally flawed. Global recycling rates are estimated at only about 10%, with limits on how far that can rise.

"Even if we manage to boost that over the next few decades to 15, 20, 30%, it would remain a substantial amount that is polluting the environment and damaging human health," said Dr Costas Velis, associate professor in Waste and Resource Engineering at Imperial College London.

"Therefore, we do need to improve recycling… but we cannot really hope that this is going to solve all the aspects of plastic," he added.

Plastic production has already risen from two million tonnes in 1950 to about 475 million in 2022 – and it is expected to keep rising without extra measures.

Nearly 100 countries, which include the UK and EU, had been pushing for curbs to production in the treaty and more consistent design globally to make recycling easier.

This could be as simple as requiring plastic bottles to be one colour - when dyes are used the products only fetch half the value of clear bottles.

This approach was supported by major plastic packagers, including Nestle and Unilever, who are part of the Business Coalition headed up by the Ellen McArthur Foundation.

The Coalition also said countries should better align their schemes to add a small levy on plastic products to help pay for recycling efforts, known as extended producer responsibility.

The group estimates that could double revenues for countries to $576bn (£425bn) between now and 2040.

Talks were due to end on Thursday but countries continued to negotiate into the night in the hopes of breaking a deadlock.

The chair, Luis Vayas from Ecuador, did produce a new text which seemed to align more closely with the request of the UK group.

Speaking at the final meeting the EU delegation he said: "We see the outcome of this session as a good basis of future negotiations."

However, the oil states remained deeply unhappy. Saudi Arabia said it found the process of negotiating "problematic" whilst Kuwait said its views were "not reflected".

But many environmental groups, reacting to the collapse, railed against what they see as prioritisation of profit by oil states over the health of the planet.

Graham Forbes, Greenpeace head of delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, said: "The inability to reach an agreement in Geneva must be a wakeup call for the world: ending plastic pollution means confronting fossil fuel interests head on.

"The vast majority of governments want a strong agreement, yet a handful of bad actors were allowed to use process to drive such ambition into the ground."

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Afghan whose details were in UK data breach at risk from Taliban if deported, son tells BBC

15 August 2025 at 16:22
Getty Images A female refugee covered with a veil, though her eyes and nose can still be seen, stands at a refugee camp in Afghanistan Getty Images
A large number of Afghan refugees have been deported back to Afghanistan from Pakistan in recent years

An Afghan man, whose details were accidentally leaked by the UK in a major data breach, has been detained in Pakistan for imminent deportation alongside several family members, his son told the BBC.

The BBC has seen documents which appear to confirm the man was part of Afghan special forces units who worked alongside British forces in Afghanistan, known as the Triples.

The threat of deportation comes as Pakistan continues its drive to remove what they say are "illegal foreign nationals" to their countries.

But the Afghan man's son said their case is particularly urgent, as if they are deported to Afghanistan, he fears they will be killed because of his father's Triples association.

The Taliban government claims that all Afghans can "live in the country without any fear". But a UN report titled "No safe haven" that was released last month cast doubt on their assurances about a general amnesty.

The man and his family initially applied to the UK's Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) - which was set up to relocate and protect Afghans who worked with British forces or the UK government in Afghanistan - shortly after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.

The family were in Pakistan waiting for a final decision on the application - which was endorsed by the Ministry of Defence last year - when Pakistani authorities came to take them away.

The man's son, Rayan, whose name we are changing for his safety, told the BBC he avoided being rounded up after hiding in a hotel bathroom in the capital Islamabad with his wife and baby son as several of his family members were taken to a holding camp.

"Some of my family are just children, the youngest is only eight months old, we kept begging the police to leave them."

His brother later called from the camp to say officials informed them they would be deported, Rayan added.

"My brother told me they were kept in a room with about 90 other people, and were then singled out by name and separated," Rayan said. "I'm so scared they will suddenly be deported."

Rayan explained the family had been in limbo in Pakistan since October 2024, when the family had their biometrics recorded.

But they are still waiting.

"We have just been waiting with no explanation. They kept telling us to wait, and now it is too late," Rayan said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said it does not comment on individual cases. "We remain fully committed to honouring our commitments to all eligible people who pass their relevant checks for relocation," the statement added.

The situation is made more worrying by the fact the family's details were among those of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to resettle in the UK which were inadvertently leaked in February 2022. Families involved in the leak fear it has made them vulnerable.

Rayan is now terrified police will come back to detain him, his wife and their child next, and said he has been pleading with the British High Commission in Islamabad to be relocated to another hotel for protection.

Calvin Bailey, a Labour MP who worked alongside the Afghan Triples as an RAF commander, told the BBC that the situation is "incredibly upsetting". He said Rayan's father and the Triples were "people that we need to help and we owe a duty to and we must ensure that they receive more than the minimum protection".

Bailey went on to add that he hopes the government and the British High Commission is engaged behind the scenes, even though that work is not always public.

Getty Images Afghan refugees - including two women wearing blue and yellow headscarfs - carrying a baby, arrive at a registration centre in Kandahar ProvinceGetty Images
The Taliban government claims that all Afghans can "live in the country without any fear - but the UN disputes this

Pakistan has a long record of taking in Afghan refugees. But the government has previously said it has been frustrated by the length of time it has taken for Afghans to be relocated to other countries.

Pakistan's Interior Minister, Talal Chaudry, told the BBC it "should ask the UK authorities why they are delaying these resettlements".

"It's already been years," he said. "Do you really think they will give any leniency to Pakistani nationals who are overstaying in the UK?"

Since September 2023, the year Pakistan launched its "Illegal Foreigners' Repatriation Plan", 1,159,812 individuals have returned to Afghanistan, according to the United Nations migration agency.

The government has maintained its policy is aimed at all illegal foreign nationals.

About three million Afghans are living in Pakistan, according to the UN's refugee agency - including around 600,000 people who came after the Taliban takeover in 2021. The UN estimates that half are undocumented.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has called on Pakistan to "ensure that any return of Afghans to Afghanistan is voluntary, safe and dignified".

Amid police raids and deportations this summer, UNHCR has urged the government "to apply measures to exempt Afghans with continued international protection needs from involuntary return".

Additional reporting by Usman Zahid

Suspected French spy arrested in alleged Mali coup plot

15 August 2025 at 14:52
Mali TV A screengrab of Gen Daoud Aly Mohammedine speaking on TV and wearing military fatiguesMali TV
Security Minister Gen Daoud Aly Mohammedine accused foreign states of trying to destabilise Mali

Mali's military rulers say they have arrested a French national on suspicion of spying for his country in an attempt to destabilise the African nation.

In a statement read on national television late on Thursday, the junta alleged that Yann Vezilier was working "on behalf of the French intelligence service". Mr Vezilier is yet to comment on the accusation.

His picture was also broadcast, alongside those of a number of army generals arrested recently for allegedly planning to overthrow the military government.

"The conspiracy has been foiled with the arrests of those involved," Mali's Security Minister Gen Daoud Aly Mohammedine said in the televised address.

France, Mali's former colonial ruler, is also yet to comment on the man's arrest and allegations of destabilisation.

The West African nation has been gripped by a security crisis fuelled by an Islamist insurgency since 2012 - one of the reasons given for the military takeover but attacks by jihadist groups have continued and even increased.

Following days of speculation about the alleged coup plot, Gen Mohammedine confirmed that "fringe elements of the Malian armed security forces" had been detained for seeking to "destabilise the institutions of the republic".

"These soldiers and civilians" were said to have obtained "the help of foreign states", the minister said.

The French national acted "on behalf of the French intelligence service, which mobilised political leaders, civil society actors and military personnel" in Mali, the minister added.

He also confirmed the arrest of two army generals, including Gen Abass Dembele, the former governor of the Mopti region, who was recently dismissed from his position.

At least 55 soldiers have been arrested so far in connection with the alleged attempted coup, security sources told AFP.

Gen Mohammedine said a full investigation was under way to identify "possible accomplices" and that "the situation is completely under control".

Political tension has been rising in recent weeks, which have seen the arrest of former Prime Ministers Moussa Mara and Choguel Maïga over accusations of harming the reputation of the state and embezzlement.

Mara, a recent outspoken critic of the military government, has been in detention since 1 August, while Maïga is facing judicial sanctions.

In May, the junta dissolved all political parties following rare anti-government protests, which Mara described as a severe blow to reconciliation efforts initiated by the military leaders last year.

Junta leader Gen Asimi Goïta, who seized power in both 2020 and 2021, had promised elections last year, but these have never been held.

In July, the transition period was extended by five years, clearing him to continue leading the country until at least 2030.

Alongside its neighbours Niger and Burkina Faso, it has enlisted the help of Russian allies to contain the jihadist attacks in the region after breaking ties with France - but there has been no significant improvements in security.

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What do Alaskans make of the geopolitical circus arriving in their city?

15 August 2025 at 13:58
BBC A woman with blonde hair in a Ukrainian flag holds a a boy in her armsBBC
Hanna Correa and her son Milan attend a protest in Anchorage

"Putin is supposed to be in jail, and he just comes to Alaska like that."

Hanna Correa is amongst a sea of Alaskans waving Ukrainian flags on road leading into the capital city, Anchorage.

"When I entered through that parking lot, and I see a lot of Americans, they're supporting, it made me cry," she says.

Ms Correa, 40, left Ukraine in 2019 for love, and six years later, the future of her country could be decided in her adopted home town.

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to touch down at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, a 30 minute drive away. Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky is not invited, something Ms Correa says is "pretty sad".

Among those protesting their arrival is Christopher Kelliher, a 53-year-old military veteran and Alaskan native.

"It's gross, it makes you want to take a shower," he says of the meeting.

"Putin doesn't need to be in our state, much less our country. We have an idiot in the White House that will kowtow to this guy."

People holds signs beside a road one saying 'war criminal'
Hundreds lined a street in Anchorage on Friday to oppose Putin's arrival

This region's history with Moscow gives Friday's summit added significance. The US purchased Alaska from the Russians in 1867 for $7.2m (£1.48m).

Critics called the purchase 'Seward's Folly', arguing the land amounted to a frozen wasteland. But later discoveries of rare earth minerals and abundant oil and gas put paid to that label.

Ornate churches are among the most visible symbols of Alaska's Russian heritage. The St Tikhon Orthodox Church in Anchorage has been holding three days of prayer ahead of leaders' arrival.

Priest Nicholas Cragle, an American who recently moved to Alaska after living in Russia for seven years, says the conflict is "particularly painful and close to the hearts" of parishioners.

"We're hoping that this meeting will lead to something... lead to a culmination of this conflict," says Mr Cragle.

A man wears a black robe and cross with positioned in the interior of a church
Nicholas Cragle has settled in Anchorage with his wife, who he met in Russia

That feeling is shared by fishermen ankle-deep in creek bed on the outskirts of town, drawn to the area by the allure of some of the world's finest salmon.

"I think it's a good idea [the summit], I wish Zelensky would be out here too... get this thing over with," says Don Cressley, who lives in the Alaskan city of North Pole and is visiting on a fishing trip with his grandson.

He wants an end to the war "because of the destruction they're doing to all the cities, all the buildings, making everybody more homeless, taking their foods away, their supplies away, their living right away,".

Donald Trump, he says, is doing an "awesome job" in ceasefire negotiations.

A man holds a fishing rod beside a river.
Alaska draws fisherman in search of some of the world's best salmon

While the US president often talks warmly of his relationship with Vladimir Putin, superpower tensions persist and are more keenly felt here.

Moscow's military planes are routinely detected flying near the coast of Alaska. And in January, Canadian and American fighter jets were scrambled after multiple Russian jets were spotted in the Arctic, according to the North American Aerospace Defence Command.

That breeds a sense of unease for some Alaskans who live closer to Russia than Washington DC.

"Although the Cold War is over between Russia and the US, they're constantly patrolling our airways," Anchorage resident Russell Wilson tells me while fishing.

"If the president doesn't put the hammer down, we could be the next Ukraine."

However other Alaskans consider a return to Cold War hostilities are far-fetched fantasy.

I ask Army veteran Christopher Kelliher if he is concerned about a Russian invasion. "Not really, everybody in Alaska owns a gun," he replies.

EU sends wildfire help to Spain as death toll rises

15 August 2025 at 01:05
Firefighters battle overnight wildfires in Spain

The European Union is sending two planes to help Spain tackle wildfires raging across the country, which have so far killed three people.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told local media he had requested two water bomber aircraft from the EU to be deployed to the worst affected regions.

The help comes as a third person has been killed battling a wildfire in the north-west León region, and as Spain activated an EU disaster assistance mechanism for fires for the first time ever.

Spain's state weather agency AEMET has warned that a heatwave will continue until Monday, with temperatures set to exceed 44C in some areas, raising concerns that the wildfires will spread further.

Map of southern Europe showing active wildfires. Red dots mark fire locations from the past 24 hours – with some in most countries across southern Europe and northern Africa. There are particularly highly concentrated in northern Portugal and north-west Spain, southern Italy including Sicily, and Albania. Source Nasa Firms (14 Aug, 10:00 BST).

In an interview with local media outlet Cadena SER on Wednesday, Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said he had requested two Canadair water bomber aircraft to help.

"At the moment we don't need the two Canadair planes urgently but given the weather forecast, we want to have those planes in our national territory as soon as possible so they can be used, should they be necessary," he said.

"At this time, the government does not rule out requesting more firefighters," he added.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in Spain, with a further 700 people evacuated from the western city of Caceres on Wednesday, according to the country's civil guard.

Also on Wednesday, a civilian and a volunteer firefighter was killed in the city of León - raising the death toll in the current wildfires to three.

"We are struck once again by the death of a second volunteer who has lost their life in León. All our love and support go out to their family and friends during this unbearable time," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on social media on Thursday.

"All government resources are working to address the difficult situation our country is facing. The threat remains extreme," he added.

Reuters People lying on mattresses on the floor in a shelterReuters
Residents of Abejera de Tabara displaced by wildfires take shelter at the Leticia Rosino auditorium in Tabara, Zamora, Spain

Spain is among several European countries experiencing scorching temperatures and battling wildfires that have asked the EU for help.

Along with Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also activated the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism because of fires.

As of Thursday, other EU members were sending air craft to these countries, in addition to prepositioned firefighters already helping in Greece.

In Greece, wildfires have been burning for a third consecutive day, with the most dangerous fronts on the island of Chios and in the Achaia region of the Peloponnese.

So far, 95 people - including firefighters - have been injured. Satellite data from the EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service shows more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have burned across the country since Tuesday morning.

Authorities have issued a red alert for Thursday, warning of very high fire risk in Attica, eastern Central Greece, Evia, the north-eastern Peloponnese, and Thrace.

In Chios, the fire's front has stretched for dozens of kilometres, and with limited resources available, many residents have had to be evacuated by sea using coastguard and private vessels.

Fires have also raged in Albania and Turkey, with several firefighters injured while tackling the blazes.

Reuters Firefighters respond to a wildfire on the island of ChiosReuters
Firefighters have been tackling wildfires on the island of Chios in Greece over the last few days

EU data shows that roughly 439,000 hectares of land have burnt since the beginning of the year due to wildfires, compared to 187,643 hectares (464,000 acres) last year.

A total of 1,628 fires have been detected since the start of the year.

Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou in Greece

BBC defends investigation of Kenya child-sex trafficking after 'hoax' claims

14 August 2025 at 21:16
BBC Two images showing the two women involved. They are screengrabs from secretly filmed footage. On the left is a woman who calls herself Nyambura, seen at night wearing a cream, woolly coat. On the right is Cheptoo, wearing a denim jacket, seen in a bar with a glass in front of her.BBC
Nyambura (left) and Cheptoo (right) told undercover investigators how they exposed children to prostitution in Maai Mahiu - a trucking hub

The BBC has defended its investigation into child sexual exploitation in Kenya, after the government described it as a "hoax".

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Interior Minister, Kipchumba Murkomen, described the documentary as "fake because the people who were interviewed were not underage".

Mr Murkomen added that the victims interviewed by BBC Africa Eye were "posing as children".

The BBC says the documentary was clear that those interviewed were adults recounting "experiences of abuse that occurred when they were underage".

The broadcaster added that the Africa Eye investigation was "an important piece of public interest journalism".

Mr Murkomen also alleged that the BBC had promised "financial reward" to contributors.

The statement from the broadcaster stressed that the victims were offered no financial incentive to share their story.

"For clarity, none of the contributors featured in this film were paid, offered payment or 'coached' in any way."

The statement added that the BBC had handed over evidence from the investigation to Kenyan police in March this year.

The BBC followed up on numerous occasions to ensure children at risk would be protected. Footage of two women exposed was shown to authorities in April.

BBC were told by the police that action would be taken, particularly to rescue children.

In Mr Murkomen's speech in parliament, he defended the Kenyan government's record on protecting children, saying it took cases of trafficking of minors "seriously".

There was also criticism from the Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula, who said the aim of the documentary was to "besmirch" Kenya.

The BBC investigation, which was published on 4 August and has so far received more than one million views on YouTube, details cases of underage girls as young as 13 who were being trafficked for sex in the transit town of Maai Mahiu in Kenya's Rift Valley.

Two different women were shown admitting to knowingly and illegally trafficking underage girls for sex.

The BBC's footage caught a woman, who calls herself Nyambura, laughing as she says: "They're still children, so it's easy to manipulate them by just handing them sweets.

"Prostitution is a cash crop in Maai Mahiu; the truckers basically fuel it. And that's how we benefit. It's been normalised in Maai Mahiu," the woman explained, adding that she had one girl as young as 13, who had already been "working" for six months.

The film identified the perpetrators of the crimes against children as well as victims who were in need of urgent assistance.

Following the documentary, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions told the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to investigate the matter.

The BBC noted with concern that the survivors of the abuse who contributed to the film were interviewed at length by investigators from the Kenya Directorate of Criminal Investigations without legal representation.

The BBC confirmed that none of the survivors interviewed were involved in the undercover investigation itself.

The two women exposed have not been apprehended. Mr Murkomen said they had not been found.

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Putin must 'prove he is serious about peace,' says Starmer

14 August 2025 at 22:50
EPA Keir Starmer sitting at a desk in front of a fireplace and a union flag. In the foreground is the back of a computer. EPA
Keir Starmer co-chairing a virtual meeting of the coalition of the willing

There is a "viable chance" of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said, ahead of Friday's summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders are meeting in Alaska to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, who are not attending the meeting, held a joint call with Trump on Wednesday to reiterate their position.

Following the call, Sir Keir said Ukraine's "territorial integrity" had to be protected and that "international borders cannot and must not be changed by force". Zelensky

Last week Trump warned there could be "some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both", leading to fears Ukraine may have to give up some areas in order to end the bloody conflict

Ukraine has insisted it will not accept Russian control of land it has seized, including Crimea, while Moscow wants to maintain control.

It also wants assurances that Ukraine will not join the Nato military alliance and a limit on the size of its army.

Addressing a virtual meeting of the European leaders following the call with Trump, Sir Keir said "any ceasefire would have to be lasting and to be lasting it would need security guarantees".

"That is why we set up this coalition of the willing," he added.

The coalition is a group of mainly European countries who have pledged to provide military support to Ukraine - including potentially boots on the ground - in order to deter Russia from breaching any agreed peace deal.

Sir Keir said the coalition had "credible" military plans ready that could be used in the event of a ceasefire.

He said the leaders of the group were also ready to increase economic pressure on Russia if necessary, for example through increasing sanctions.

He also praised Trump's efforts to reach an agreement, saying: "For three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on and we haven't got anywhere near the prospect of an actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire.

"Now we do have that chance, because of the work the president has put in."

Following his call with European leaders, Trump told a press conference there was a chance of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

He said he would use his initial meeting with Putin to "find out where we are and what we're doing", adding: "We'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky and myself, if they'd like to have me there."

He also warned Putin that he would face "very severe consequences" if he did not agree to end the war after Friday's summit.

Zelensky, who joined the call while in Berlin to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said the US was ready to continue its support of Ukraine and accused Russia of not wanting peace.

"Putin cannot fool us," he said

No 10 hails 'powerful sense of unity' after Zelensky talks

14 August 2025 at 20:21
EPA Keir Starmer sitting at a desk in front of a fireplace and a union flag. In the foreground is the back of a computer. EPA
Keir Starmer co-chairing a virtual meeting of the coalition of the willing

There is a "viable chance" of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said, ahead of Friday's summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders are meeting in Alaska to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, who are not attending the meeting, held a joint call with Trump on Wednesday to reiterate their position.

Following the call, Sir Keir said Ukraine's "territorial integrity" had to be protected and that "international borders cannot and must not be changed by force". Zelensky

Last week Trump warned there could be "some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both", leading to fears Ukraine may have to give up some areas in order to end the bloody conflict

Ukraine has insisted it will not accept Russian control of land it has seized, including Crimea, while Moscow wants to maintain control.

It also wants assurances that Ukraine will not join the Nato military alliance and a limit on the size of its army.

Addressing a virtual meeting of the European leaders following the call with Trump, Sir Keir said "any ceasefire would have to be lasting and to be lasting it would need security guarantees".

"That is why we set up this coalition of the willing," he added.

The coalition is a group of mainly European countries who have pledged to provide military support to Ukraine - including potentially boots on the ground - in order to deter Russia from breaching any agreed peace deal.

Sir Keir said the coalition had "credible" military plans ready that could be used in the event of a ceasefire.

He said the leaders of the group were also ready to increase economic pressure on Russia if necessary, for example through increasing sanctions.

He also praised Trump's efforts to reach an agreement, saying: "For three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on and we haven't got anywhere near the prospect of an actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire.

"Now we do have that chance, because of the work the president has put in."

Following his call with European leaders, Trump told a press conference there was a chance of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

He said he would use his initial meeting with Putin to "find out where we are and what we're doing", adding: "We'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky and myself, if they'd like to have me there."

He also warned Putin that he would face "very severe consequences" if he did not agree to end the war after Friday's summit.

Zelensky, who joined the call while in Berlin to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said the US was ready to continue its support of Ukraine and accused Russia of not wanting peace.

"Putin cannot fool us," he said

Israeli settlement plans will 'bury' idea of Palestinian state, minister says

14 August 2025 at 19:50
Reuters A close up shot of  Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during an event at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City. He is surrounded by police officers and young supporters.Reuters
Smotrich said the move will kill off the possibility of a Palestinian state

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he will approve plans to build more than 3,000 homes in a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank - a move he said will prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.

The so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim settlement has been frozen for decades amid fierce opposition internationally. Building there would effectively cut off the West Bank from occupied East Jerusalem and significantly obstruct its territorial contiguity.

"The plan will bury the idea of a Palestinian state," Smotrich said, according to Israeli media.

Settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

They are one of the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians. About 700,000 settlers live in approximately 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now - land Palestinians seek for a future independent state.

"After decades of international pressure and freezes, we are breaking conventions and connecting Maale Adumim to Jerusalem," Smotrich said.

"This is Zionism at its best – building, settling and strengthening our sovereignty in the Land of Israel."

It follows declarations in recent days by a growing number of countries of their intention to recognise a Palestinian state in coming months, which Israel has denounced.

Smotrich is to announce the plan at a news conference with settler organisation Yesha Council Chairman Israel Ganz and Ma'ale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach on Thursday, i24 News reports.

Peace Now said: "The Netanyahu government is exploiting every minute to deepen the annexation of the West Bank and prevent the possibility of a two-state solution.

"It is clear to everyone today that the only solution to the conflict, and the only way to defeat Hamas, is through the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"The Government of Israel is condemning us to continued bloodshed, instead of working to end it."

Smotrich, together with national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, was sanctioned by the UK in June over "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities" in the occupied West Bank.

The construction of 3,401 housing units in the E1 area has been frozen for 20 years. Developing the area has long been seen as effectively blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state, because of its strategic position separating areas south of Jerusalem from those to its north, preventing a contiguous Palestinian urban area connecting Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Since Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel's pressure on West Bank Palestinians has increased sharply, justified as legitimate security measures.

The vast majority of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law - a position supported by an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year.

Zelensky meets Starmer ahead of US-Russia summit on Ukraine's future

14 August 2025 at 18:01
EPA Keir Starmer sitting at a desk in front of a fireplace and a union flag. In the foreground is the back of a computer. EPA
Keir Starmer co-chairing a virtual meeting of the coalition of the willing

There is a "viable chance" of a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said, ahead of Friday's summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The two leaders are meeting in Alaska to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, who are not attending the meeting, held a joint call with Trump on Wednesday to reiterate their position.

Following the call, Sir Keir said Ukraine's "territorial integrity" had to be protected and that "international borders cannot and must not be changed by force". Zelensky

Last week Trump warned there could be "some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both", leading to fears Ukraine may have to give up some areas in order to end the bloody conflict

Ukraine has insisted it will not accept Russian control of land it has seized, including Crimea, while Moscow wants to maintain control.

It also wants assurances that Ukraine will not join the Nato military alliance and a limit on the size of its army.

Addressing a virtual meeting of the European leaders following the call with Trump, Sir Keir said "any ceasefire would have to be lasting and to be lasting it would need security guarantees".

"That is why we set up this coalition of the willing," he added.

The coalition is a group of mainly European countries who have pledged to provide military support to Ukraine - including potentially boots on the ground - in order to deter Russia from breaching any agreed peace deal.

Sir Keir said the coalition had "credible" military plans ready that could be used in the event of a ceasefire.

He said the leaders of the group were also ready to increase economic pressure on Russia if necessary, for example through increasing sanctions.

He also praised Trump's efforts to reach an agreement, saying: "For three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on and we haven't got anywhere near the prospect of an actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire.

"Now we do have that chance, because of the work the president has put in."

Following his call with European leaders, Trump told a press conference there was a chance of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

He said he would use his initial meeting with Putin to "find out where we are and what we're doing", adding: "We'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky and myself, if they'd like to have me there."

He also warned Putin that he would face "very severe consequences" if he did not agree to end the war after Friday's summit.

Zelensky, who joined the call while in Berlin to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said the US was ready to continue its support of Ukraine and accused Russia of not wanting peace.

"Putin cannot fool us," he said

Israeli minister announces settlement plans 'to thwart Palestinian state'

14 August 2025 at 18:52
Reuters A close up shot of  Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich during an event at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City. He is surrounded by police officers and young supporters.Reuters
Smotrich said the move will kill off the possibility of a Palestinian state

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he will approve plans to build more than 3,000 homes in a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank - a move he said will prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.

The so-called E1 project between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim settlement has been frozen for decades amid fierce opposition internationally. Building there would effectively cut off the West Bank from occupied East Jerusalem and significantly obstruct its territorial contiguity.

"The plan will bury the idea of a Palestinian state," Smotrich said, according to Israeli media.

Settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

They are one of the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians. About 700,000 settlers live in approximately 160 settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now - land Palestinians seek for a future independent state.

"After decades of international pressure and freezes, we are breaking conventions and connecting Maale Adumim to Jerusalem," Smotrich said.

"This is Zionism at its best – building, settling and strengthening our sovereignty in the Land of Israel."

It follows declarations in recent days by a growing number of countries of their intention to recognise a Palestinian state in coming months, which Israel has denounced.

Smotrich is to announce the plan at a news conference with settler organisation Yesha Council Chairman Israel Ganz and Ma'ale Adumim Mayor Guy Yifrach on Thursday, i24 News reports.

Peace Now said: "The Netanyahu government is exploiting every minute to deepen the annexation of the West Bank and prevent the possibility of a two-state solution.

"It is clear to everyone today that the only solution to the conflict, and the only way to defeat Hamas, is through the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"The Government of Israel is condemning us to continued bloodshed, instead of working to end it."

Smotrich, together with national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, was sanctioned by the UK in June over "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities" in the occupied West Bank.

The construction of 3,401 housing units in the E1 area has been frozen for 20 years. Developing the area has long been seen as effectively blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state, because of its strategic position separating areas south of Jerusalem from those to its north, preventing a contiguous Palestinian urban area connecting Ramallah, East Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Since Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Israel's pressure on West Bank Palestinians has increased sharply, justified as legitimate security measures.

The vast majority of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law - a position supported by an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) last year.

New Israeli rules stopping critical aid getting into Gaza, charities say

14 August 2025 at 13:42
EPA Internally displaced Palestinians, including children, hold pots as they receive food from a charity kitchenEPA

More than 100 organisations have signed a joint letter calling on Israel to stop the "weaponisation of aid" into Gaza, as "starvation deepens".

Humanitarian groups, including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), say they are increasingly being told they are "not authorised" to deliver aid, unless they comply with the stricter Israeli regulations.

Groups risk being banned if they "delegitimise" the state of Israel or do not provide detailed information about Palestinian staff.

Israel denies there are restrictions on aid and says the rules, introduced in March, ensure relief work is carried out in line with Israel's "national interests".

According to the joint letter, most major international non-governmental organisations (NGO) have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March.

They say Israeli authorities "have rejected requests from dozens of non-governmental organisations to bring in lifesaving goods", citing the new rules. More than 60 requests were denied in July alone.

Aid groups' inability to deliver aid has "left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses", the statement said.

Sean Carroll, CEO of American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), said: "Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away".

The new guidelines introduced in March update the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked.

Registration can be rejected if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or "promotes delegitimisation campaigns" against the country.

"Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity," Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

"Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate," added Chikli.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam Policy Lead, said Israel had rejected more than $2.5m (£1.8m) of goods from entering Gaza.

She added: "This registration process signals to INGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence and ability to speak out."

Watch: How did Gaza get to the brink of starvation?

The warning comes as Israel steps up its bombardment of Gaza City, in preparation for a plan to take control of the city.

Israel says it will provide humanitarian aid to civilian populations "outside the combat zones", but has not specified whether that aid would be delivered by the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Israel says the system is necessary to stop Hamas stealing aid, an accusation Hamas denies.

The UN this month reported that 859 Palestinians had been killed near GHF sites since May, a figure the GHF denies.

In the joint statement, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza, said that the "militarised food distribution scheme has weaponised starvation".

The secretary-general of MSF, Chris Lockyear, told the BBC that GHF was a "death trap", and the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "hanging on by a thread".

Hamas's 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 seized and taken into Gaza as hostages.

Israel's offensive has since killed nearly 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It says that 235 people including 106 children have also died due to starvation and malnutrition.

EU sending wildfire help to Spain as death toll rises

14 August 2025 at 18:46
Firefighters battle overnight wildfires in Spain

The European Union is sending two planes to help Spain tackle wildfires raging across the country, which have so far killed three people.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told local media he had requested two water bomber aircraft from the EU to be deployed to the worst affected regions.

The help comes as a third person has been killed battling a wildfire in the north-west León region, and as Spain activated an EU disaster assistance mechanism for fires for the first time ever.

Spain's state weather agency AEMET has warned that a heatwave will continue until Monday, with temperatures set to exceed 44C in some areas, raising concerns that the wildfires will spread further.

Map of southern Europe showing active wildfires. Red dots mark fire locations from the past 24 hours – with some in most countries across southern Europe and northern Africa. There are particularly highly concentrated in northern Portugal and north-west Spain, southern Italy including Sicily, and Albania. Source Nasa Firms (14 Aug, 10:00 BST).

In an interview with local media outlet Cadena SER on Wednesday, Spain's Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said he had requested two Canadair water bomber aircraft to help.

"At the moment we don't need the two Canadair planes urgently but given the weather forecast, we want to have those planes in our national territory as soon as possible so they can be used, should they be necessary," he said.

"At this time, the government does not rule out requesting more firefighters," he added.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in Spain, with a further 700 people evacuated from the western city of Caceres on Wednesday, according to the country's civil guard.

Also on Wednesday, a civilian and a volunteer firefighter was killed in the city of León - raising the death toll in the current wildfires to three.

"We are struck once again by the death of a second volunteer who has lost their life in León. All our love and support go out to their family and friends during this unbearable time," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on social media on Thursday.

"All government resources are working to address the difficult situation our country is facing. The threat remains extreme," he added.

Reuters People lying on mattresses on the floor in a shelterReuters
Residents of Abejera de Tabara displaced by wildfires take shelter at the Leticia Rosino auditorium in Tabara, Zamora, Spain

Spain is among several European countries experiencing scorching temperatures and battling wildfires that have asked the EU for help.

Along with Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania have also activated the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism because of fires.

As of Thursday, other EU members were sending air craft to these countries, in addition to prepositioned firefighters already helping in Greece.

In Greece, wildfires have been burning for a third consecutive day, with the most dangerous fronts on the island of Chios and in the Achaia region of the Peloponnese.

So far, 95 people - including firefighters - have been injured. Satellite data from the EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service shows more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) have burned across the country since Tuesday morning.

Authorities have issued a red alert for Thursday, warning of very high fire risk in Attica, eastern Central Greece, Evia, the north-eastern Peloponnese, and Thrace.

In Chios, the fire's front has stretched for dozens of kilometres, and with limited resources available, many residents have had to be evacuated by sea using coastguard and private vessels.

Fires have also raged in Albania and Turkey, with several firefighters injured while tackling the blazes.

Reuters Firefighters respond to a wildfire on the island of ChiosReuters
Firefighters have been tackling wildfires on the island of Chios in Greece over the last few days

EU data shows that roughly 439,000 hectares of land have burnt since the beginning of the year due to wildfires, compared to 187,643 hectares (464,000 acres) last year.

A total of 1,628 fires have been detected since the start of the year.

Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou in Greece

German states debate who invented Bratwurst sausages

14 August 2025 at 17:26
Getty Images Bratwurst - and other German sausages - on a circular grill at a Christmas market in the United Kingdom. They all look delicious.Getty Images

A row has broken out between two German states, Bavaria and Thuringia, as to who can lay claim to inventing the Bratwurst sausage.

Until now, the "Wurstkuchl" tavern in Bavaria has claimed to be "the oldest Bratwurst stand in the world."

Die Wurstkuchl is situated on the Stone Bridge in Regensburg on the Danube River. The oldest documented evidence of a cook or a food stall at the Stone Bridge is said to date back to 1378.

But now, historians in Erfurt, Thuringia's state capital, have come across a document from 1269 that mentions people who rented a building with a meat-roasting stand (Brathütte) and a roasting pan (Bräter) - more than 100 years earlier than the Regensburg sausage stand.

Historians are now looking for the site in Erfurt where the sausage stand once stood. No restaurant there has claimed the title of oldest Bratwurst stand.

Previously in Thuringia, the earliest written reference to Bratwursts dated back to 1404. It described how "1 groschen for bratwurst casings" was spent in the town of Arnstadt.

Meanwhile in Regensburg, the Wurstkuchl is continuing to make its sausages.

On their website, it says "much has remained the same" since the Middle Ages, with "the open charcoal grill, the homemade sausages made from pure pork ham, the sauerkraut from their own fermentation cellar and the well-known Wurstkuchl mustard."

In response to the report of an earlier sausage stand, the Wurstkuchl's landlady Alexandra Meier told German BR24 TV: "To be honest, it doesn't bother us at all."

She said she was proud that her family makes sausages and that people come because of the quality of the products. "I don't think people will say, 'I'm not going there anymore because it's only the second oldest."

It is not the first time there has been a row about Bratwursts.

The Bavarian towns of Regensburg and Nuremberg both used to claim the oldest sausage stand title. Eventually, a decision was ruled in Regensburg's favour.

US warns of additional tariffs on India if Trump-Putin peace talks fail

14 August 2025 at 14:27
Getty Images This combination of pictures created on February 21, 2020 shows US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a close shot. Getty Images
US President Donald Trump is set to meet his Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin on Friday

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that Washington could increase secondary tariffs on India.

He said the decision would depend on the outcome of President Donald Trump's meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

"We've put secondary tariffs on Indians for buying Russian oil. And I could see, If things don't go well, then sanctions or secondary tariffs could go up," Bessent said in an interview to Bloomberg TV on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Trump imposed a 25% penalty on India in addition to 25% tariffs for buying oil and weapons from Russia.

The US has been trying to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and on Wednesday, Trump warned of "severe consequences" if Moscow did not agree to a peace deal.

Trump and Putin are set to meet in Anchorage on Friday to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine.

"President Trump is meeting with President Putin, and the Europeans are in the wings carping about how he should do it, what he should do. The Europeans need to join us in these sanctions. The Europeans need to be willing to put on these secondary sanctions," Bessent said.

Delhi's increased imports of cheap Russian crude since the Ukraine war have strained India-US relations and disrupted ongoing trade talks with Washington.

Russian oil made up 35% to 40% of India's oil imports in 2024 - up from 3% in 2021.

Delhi has defended its purchases of Russian oil, arguing that as a major energy importer, it must buy the cheapest available crude to protect millions of poor Indians from rising costs.

Bessent's comments come after he called India a "bit recalcitrant" on trade negotiations in an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday.

Trump says his tariffs are part of his administration's plan to boost the US' economy and make global trade fairer.

He has repeatedly called India a tariff abuser and is keen to trim a $45bn (£33bn) trade deficit with Asia's third largest economy.

Trade negotiations between Delhi and Washington have been under way for several months, and are set to renew with US negotiators expected to arrive in India on 25 August.

But experts say India's refusal to reduce duties on agriculture and dairy products has been a major thorn in the negotiations.

Trump's new 50% tariff rate on India is set to come into effect on 27 August, which some experts have said is akin to an embargo on trade between the two countries.

It makes India the most heavily taxed US trading partner in Asia and is expected to severely hamper its exports focused industries like textiles and jewellery, and could drag India's growth down by as much as half a percent.

FBI returns stolen conquistador document to Mexico

14 August 2025 at 17:53
FBI A handwritten page signed by Hernan CortesFBI

The FBI has returned a 500-year-old stolen document signed by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés to Mexico.

The manuscript page was penned in 1527 and is one of 15 pages thought to have been swiped from Mexico's national archives between 1985 and 1993, the US investigatory agency said.

The page - which describes payments made for supplies for expeditions - was discovered in the US and repatriated on Wednesday.

Cortés was an explorer who brought about the end of the Aztec empire and helped pave the way for the Spanish colonisation of the Americas. The manuscript details plans for his journey across what would become New Spain.

At its height, the colony stretched across much of western and central North America, and into Latin America.

The previously missing document was written after Cortés had been made the governor of New Spain by the Spanish crown.

Mexico's national archives had counted the document among a collection of papers signed by Cortés - but found 15 pages were missing when it was put on microfilm in 1993.

The recovered page bore a number written in wax that archivists had applied in 1985-1986, suggesting it had been stolen between the two cataloguing periods.

The Mexican government requested the assistance of the FBI's art crime team in finding the missing documents in 2024, providing notes on which pages had been taken and how certain pages had been torn.

The FBI said open-source research revealed the document was located in the US.

The agency did not reveal exactly where the manuscript page was found or who had owned it when it was seized.

No one will face prosecution over the theft as the page had "changed hands several times" since it was stolen, according to Special Agent Jessica Dittmer of the FBI's art crime team.

The document "really gives a lot of flavour as to the planning and preparation for uncharted territory back then", she said, outlining "the payment of pesos of common gold for expenses in preparation for discovery of the spice lands".

The so-called "spice lands" were areas of eastern and southern Asia. Europeans sought to find a quicker trade route with these areas by sailing west, but in doing so landed on the Americas instead.

Cortés would go on to explore north-western Mexico and the Baja California peninsula.

The document's repatriation comes at a time of political tension between Mexico and the US over tariffs imposed by the Trump administration and illegal migration across the US-Mexico border.

But the FBI says that, as one of the largest consumers of antiquities, the US had a responsibility to counter the trafficking of artefacts.

Ms Dittmer said: "Pieces like this are considered protected cultural property and represent valuable moments in Mexico's history, so this is something that the Mexicans have in their archives for the purpose of understanding history better."

The FBI said it was determined to locate and repatriate the other pages still missing from the collection.

Another document signed by Cortés was returned to Mexico by the FBI in 2023.

Dozens of migrants killed after boats capsize off Italian coast

14 August 2025 at 18:31
Getty Images Migrants are pictured disembarking from a boat that rescued them after two vessels sank off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa island Getty Images
Migrants disembark from a boat that rescued them after two vessels sank off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa island

At least 27 migrants have died after two boats capsized as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy.

Around 60 survivors were rescued from the seas off the island of Lampedusa, while the search for others continues.

More than 700 people have died trying to cross the central Mediterranean this year, according to the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR).

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her "deepest condolences" to the victims. A UNHCR spokesperson said there was "deep anguish" felt over the incident.

More than 90 people were aboard the two boats before they capsized, Flavio Di Giacomo, spokesperson for the UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

A Somalian woman onboard one of the vessels gave a harrowing account to the Rome-based daily newspaper La Repubblica of losing her one-year-old daughter and husband.

"All hell broke loose," she said. "I never saw them again, my little girl slipped away, I lost them both."

What caused the two vessels to capsize has yet to be confirmed.

However, survivors suggested to La Repubblica that when the first boat capsized, its occupants were forced to climb into the second vessel, which then capsized as well.

"We had set out on two boats, but one capsized, so we all climbed aboard one of them. But then the other one also started taking on water," one told the paper.

Italian PM Meloni said in a statement: "When a tragedy like today's occurs, with the deaths of dozens of people in the waters of the Mediterranean, a strong sense of dismay and compassion arises in all of us.

"And we find ourselves contemplating the inhumane cynicism with which human traffickers organise these sinister journeys."

A composite image of two maps. The map on the left highlights the region of southern Italy's coast. The map on the right is a closer look at the islan of Lampedusa which sits between Tunisia and Sicily

The island of Lampedusa is home to a migrant reception centre that is often overcrowded with challenging living conditions. It welcomes tens of thousands of migrants who have survived the often dangerous route across the Mediterranean to Europe every year.

Those who make the journey often travel in poorly maintained and overcrowded vessels.

At least 25,000 people have gone missing or been killed while trying to cross the central Mediterranean since 2014, according to the IOM.

Humanitarian groups say Israel vetting process preventing life-saving aid getting into Gaza

14 August 2025 at 13:42
EPA Internally displaced Palestinians, including children, hold pots as they receive food from a charity kitchenEPA

More than 100 organisations have signed a joint letter calling on Israel to stop the "weaponisation of aid" into Gaza, as "starvation deepens".

Humanitarian groups, including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), say they are increasingly being told they are "not authorised" to deliver aid, unless they comply with the stricter Israeli regulations.

Groups risk being banned if they "delegitimise" the state of Israel or do not provide detailed information about Palestinian staff.

Israel denies there are restrictions on aid and says the rules, introduced in March, ensure relief work is carried out in line with Israel's "national interests".

According to the joint letter, most major international non-governmental organisations (NGO) have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March.

They say Israeli authorities "have rejected requests from dozens of non-governmental organisations to bring in lifesaving goods", citing the new rules. More than 60 requests were denied in July alone.

Aid groups' inability to deliver aid has "left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses", the statement said.

Sean Carroll, CEO of American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), said: "Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away".

The new guidelines introduced in March update the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked.

Registration can be rejected if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or "promotes delegitimisation campaigns" against the country.

"Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity," Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

"Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate," added Chikli.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam Policy Lead, said Israel had rejected more than $2.5m (£1.8m) of goods from entering Gaza.

She added: "This registration process signals to INGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence and ability to speak out."

Watch: How did Gaza get to the brink of starvation?

The warning comes as Israel steps up its bombardment of Gaza City, in preparation for a plan to take control of the city.

Israel says it will provide humanitarian aid to civilian populations "outside the combat zones", but has not specified whether that aid would be delivered by the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Israel says the system is necessary to stop Hamas stealing aid, an accusation Hamas denies.

The UN this month reported that 859 Palestinians had been killed near GHF sites since May, a figure the GHF denies.

In the joint statement, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza, said that the "militarised food distribution scheme has weaponised starvation".

The secretary-general of MSF, Chris Lockyear, told the BBC that GHF was a "death trap", and the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "hanging on by a thread".

Hamas's 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 seized and taken into Gaza as hostages.

Israel's offensive has since killed nearly 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It says that 235 people including 106 children have also died due to starvation and malnutrition.

Humanitarian groups call on Israel to end 'weaponisation of aid' in Gaza

14 August 2025 at 11:41
EPA Internally displaced Palestinians, including children, hold pots as they receive food from a charity kitchenEPA

More than 100 organisations have signed a joint letter calling on Israel to stop the "weaponisation of aid" into Gaza, as "starvation deepens".

Humanitarian groups, including Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), say they are increasingly being told they are "not authorised" to deliver aid, unless they comply with the stricter Israeli regulations.

Groups risk being banned if they "delegitimise" the state of Israel or do not provide detailed information about Palestinian staff.

Israel denies there are restrictions on aid and says the rules, introduced in March, ensure relief work is carried out in line with Israel's "national interests".

According to the joint letter, most major international non-governmental organisations (NGO) have been unable to deliver a single truck of lifesaving supplies since 2 March.

They say Israeli authorities "have rejected requests from dozens of non-governmental organisations to bring in lifesaving goods", citing the new rules. More than 60 requests were denied in July alone.

Aid groups' inability to deliver aid has "left hospitals without basic supplies, children, people with disabilities, and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses", the statement said.

Sean Carroll, CEO of American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), said: "Anera has over $7 million worth of lifesaving supplies ready to enter Gaza – including 744 tons of rice, enough for six million meals, blocked in Ashdod just kilometers away".

The new guidelines introduced in March update the framework for how aid groups must register to maintain their status within Israel, along with provisions that outline how their applications can be denied or registration revoked.

Registration can be rejected if Israeli authorities deem that a group denies the democratic character of Israel or "promotes delegitimisation campaigns" against the country.

"Unfortunately, many aid organisations serve as a cover for hostile and sometimes violent activity," Israel's Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

"Organisations that have no connection to hostile or violent activity and no ties to the boycott movement will be granted permission to operate," added Chikli.

Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam Policy Lead, said Israel had rejected more than $2.5m (£1.8m) of goods from entering Gaza.

She added: "This registration process signals to INGOs that their ability to operate may come at the cost of their independence and ability to speak out."

Watch: How did Gaza get to the brink of starvation?

The warning comes as Israel steps up its bombardment of Gaza City, in preparation for a plan to take control of the city.

Israel says it will provide humanitarian aid to civilian populations "outside the combat zones", but has not specified whether that aid would be delivered by the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Israel says the system is necessary to stop Hamas stealing aid, an accusation Hamas denies.

The UN this month reported that 859 Palestinians had been killed near GHF sites since May, a figure the GHF denies.

In the joint statement, Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza, said that the "militarised food distribution scheme has weaponised starvation".

The secretary-general of MSF, Chris Lockyear, told the BBC that GHF was a "death trap", and the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "hanging on by a thread".

Hamas's 2023 attack killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with 251 seized and taken into Gaza as hostages.

Israel's offensive has since killed nearly 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. It says that 235 people including 106 children have also died due to starvation and malnutrition.

Melania Trump threatens to sue Hunter Biden for $1bn over Epstein claim

14 August 2025 at 10:30
Getty Images First Lady Melania TrumpGetty Images

First Lady Melania Trump has threatened to sue Hunter Biden for more than $1bn after he claimed she was introduced to her husband by sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Lawyers acting on behalf of the first lady, who married US President Donald Trump in 2005, described the claim as "false, disparaging, defamatory and inflammatory".

Biden, son of former US President Joe Biden, made the comments during an interview earlier this month, in which he strongly criticised the president's former ties to Epstein.

Donald Trump was a friend of Epstein, but has said the pair fell out in the early 2000s because the financier had poached employees who worked at the spa in Trump's Florida golf club.

A letter from the first lady's lawyers and addressed to an attorney for Hunter Biden demands he retract the claim and apologise, or face legal action for "over $1bn in damages".

It says the first lady has suffered "overwhelming financial and reputational harm" because of the claim he repeated.

It also accuses the youngest Biden son of having a "vast history of trading on the names of others", and repeating the claim "to draw attention to yourself".

During a wide-ranging interview with filmmaker Andrew Callaghan published earlier this month, Hunter Biden claimed unreleased documents relating to Epstein would "implicate" President Trump.

He said: "Epstein introduced Melania to Trump - the connections are so wide and deep." The first lady's legal letter notes the claim was partially attributed to Michael Wolff, a journalist who authored a critical biography of the president.

In a recent interview with US outlet the Daily Beast, Wolff reportedly claimed that the first lady was known to an associate of Epstein and Trump when she met her now-husband.

The outlet later retracted the story after receiving a letter from the first lady's attorney that challenged the contents and framing of the story.

There is no evidence the pair were introduced to each other by Epstein, who took his own life in prison while awaiting trial in 2019.

In the first lady's legal letter, Hunter Biden is accused of relying on a since-removed article as the basis of his claims, which it describes as "false and defamatory".

A message on the archived version of the Daily Beast online story reads: "After this story was published, The Beast received a letter from First Lady Melania Trump's attorney challenging the headline and framing of the article.

"After reviewing the matter, the Beast has taken down the article and apologizes for any confusion or misunderstanding."

Asked about the legal threat, the first lady's lawyer, Alejandro Brito, referred BBC News to a statement issued by her aide, Nick Clemens.

It read: "First Lady Melania Trump's attorneys are actively ensuring immediate retractions and apologies by those who spread malicious, defamatory falsehoods."

A January 2016 profile by Harper's Bazaar reported the first lady met her husband in November 1998, at a party hosted by the founder of a modelling agency.

Melania Trump, 55, told the publication she declined to give him her phone number because he was "with a date".

The profile said Trump had recently separated from his second wife, Marla Maples, whom he divorced in 1999. He was previously married to Ivana Trump between 1977 and 1990.

The BBC has contacted Hunter Biden's attorney.

The legal letter comes after weeks of pressure on the White House to release the so-called Epstein files, previously undisclosed documents relating to the criminal investigation against the convicted paedophile.

Before being re-elected, Trump said he would release the records if he returned to office, but the FBI and justice department said in July that no "incriminating" client list of Epstein associates existed.

Rain warning delays landmark trial of Hong Kong's rebel mogul Jimmy Lai

14 August 2025 at 10:49
Getty Images Jimmy Lai, in a gray suit and black pants, poses for a photograph during an interview with AFP news agency in Hong KongGetty Images
Lai is on trial for breaching national security and colluding with foreign forces

Hailed by some as a hero and scorned by others as a traitor, Hong Kong's pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai is in the final stage of his national security trial.

Closing arguments begin on Thursday for Lai, who is accused of colluding with foreign forces under a Beijing-imposed national security law.

The trial has drawn international attention, with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for Lai's release. The 77-year-old has British as well as Chinese citizenship - though China does not recognise dual nationality, and therefore considers Lai to be exclusively Chinese.

Lai has been detained since December 2020 and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if he is convicted.

Critics say Lai's case shows how Hong Kong's legal system has been weaponised to silence political opposition.

Lai has been a persistent thorn in China's side. Unlike other tycoons who rose to the top in Hong Kong, Mr Lai became one of the fiercest critics of the Chinese state and a leading figure advocating democracy in the former British territory.

"I'm a born rebel," he told the BBC in an interview in 2020, hours before he was charged. "I have a very rebellious character."

He is the most prominent person charged under the controversial national security law which China introduced in 2020, in response to massive protests which erupted in Hong Kong the year before.

The legislation criminalises a wider range of dissenting acts which Beijing considers subversion and secession, among other things.

Beijing says the national security law is necessary to maintain stability in Hong Kong but critics say it has effectively outlawed dissent.

Over the years, Lai's son Sebastien has called for his release. In February, the younger Lai urged Starmer and US President Donald Trump to take urgent action, adding that his father's "body is breaking down".

Rags to riches

Lai was born in Guangzhou, a city in southern China, to a wealthy family that lost everything when the communists took power in 1949.

He was 12 years old when he fled his village in mainland China, arriving in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing boat.

While working odd jobs and knitting in a small clothing shop he taught himself English. He went from a menial role to eventually founding a multi-million dollar empire including the international clothing brand Giordano.

The chain was a huge success. But when China sent in tanks to crush pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, Lai began a new journey as a vocal democracy activist as well as an entrepreneur.

He started writing columns criticising the massacre that followed the demonstrations in Beijing and established a publishing house that went on to become one of Hong Kong's most influential.

Reuters Lai, dressed in a gray suit and beige pants, walks handcuffed and flanked by three police officers to a police vanReuters
Lai is among the most prominent people charged under Hong Kong's controversial national security law

As China responded by threatening to shut his stores on the mainland, leading him to sell the company, Lai launched a string of popular pro-democracy titles that included Next, a digital magazine, and the widely read Apple Daily newspaper.

In a local media landscape increasingly fearful of Beijing, Lai had been a persistent critic of Chinese authorities both through his publications and writing.

This has seen him become a hero for many in Hong Kong, who view him as a man of courage who took great risks to defend the freedoms of the city.

But on the mainland he is viewed as a "traitor" who threatens Chinese national security.

In recent years, masked attackers firebombed Lai's house and company headquarters. He was also the target of an assassination plot.

But none of the threats stopped him from airing his views robustly. He was a prominent part of the city's pro-democracy demonstrations and was arrested twice in 2021 on illegal assembly charges.

Getty Images "The evil law takes effect and has buried the two systems," read the headlines on copies of Apple Daily in the newspaper's publishing officeGetty Images
Apple Daily was unafraid to be openly critical of the Chinese state

When China passed Hong Kong's new national security law in June 2020, Lai told the BBC it sounded the "death knell" for the territory.

The influential entrepreneur also warned that Hong Kong would become as corrupt as China. Without the rule of law, he said, its coveted status as a global financial hub would be "totally destroyed".

The media mogul is known for his frankness and acts of flamboyance.

In 2021, he urged Donald Trump to help the territory, saying he was "the only one who can save us" from China. His newspaper, Apple Daily, published a front-page letter that finished: "Mr President, please help us."

For Lai, such acts were necessary to defend the city which had taken him in and fuelled his success.

He once told news agency AFP: "I came here with nothing, the freedom of this place has given me everything... Maybe it's time I paid back for that freedom by fighting for it."

Lai has been slapped with various charges - including unauthorised assembly and fraud - since 2020.

He has been in custody since December of that year.

The prosecution of Lai has captured international attention, with rights groups and foreign governments urging his release.

Over the years, Sebastien Lai has travelled the world to denounce his father's arrest and condemn Hong Kong for punishing "characteristics that should be celebrated".

"My father is in jail for the truth on his lips, courage in his heart, and freedom in his soul," he had said.

N Korea denies removing propaganda loudspeakers at border

14 August 2025 at 08:47
Getty Images A blurry photo of a soldier standing on a tower, next to a giant loudspeaker. A North Korean flag is mounted next to the tower.Getty Images
North Korea says it has "never removed" its propaganda loudspeakers along the border with the South

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister has rebutted South Korea's claims that Pyongyang removed some of its propaganda-blasting loudspeakers along the border.

North Korea has "never removed" the speakers and "are not willing to remove them", Kim Yo Jong said in a statement published by state media KCNA on Thursday.

"We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with [South Korea]," she said, adding that this stance "will be fixed in our constitution in the future".

South Korea's military said earlier this week that North Korea had removed some of its loudspeakers along the border - days after South Korea dismantled some of its own.

Kim, the deputy director of North Korea's propaganda department, said Seoul's claim was an "unfounded unilateral supposition and a red herring".

Besides propaganda messages, South Korea's broadcasts often blasted K-pop songs across the border. while North Korea played unsettling noises such as howling animals.

South Korean residents living near the border had complained that their lives were being disrupted been by the noise from both sides, sometimes in the middle of the night.

Pyongyang considers Seoul's propaganda broadcasts an act of war and has threatened to blow up the speakers in the past.

South Korea's speaker broadcasts resumed in June 2024 after a six year pause under impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol who took a more hardline stance against the North.

They were restarted after Pyongyang began sending rubbish-filled balloons to the South in response to increased tensions.

The relationship appeared to have thawed under new President Lee Jae Myung, who campaigned on improving inter-Korean ties.

South Korea halted its broadcasts along the demilitarised zone shortly after Lee took office in June, in what the country's military described as a bid to "restore trust" and "achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula".

Still, ties between the two neighbours remain uneasy. Earlier this week, North Korea warned of "resolute counteraction" to provocations ahead of joint military drills between South Korea and the US.

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