Author: BBC News

Hungary will not take part in further Nato-led efforts to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine. The news was announced at a joint conference in Budapest between the Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán and the head of Nato Jens Stoltenberg. Although Orbán is Moscow’s closest ally in the European Union, he has pledged not to block Nato funding for Ukraine by other allies. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #Hungary #Ukraine #BBCNews source

Israeli ground troops are reported to have advanced into the heart of the southern Gazan city of Rafah. Journalists and witnesses there say Israeli tanks have seized control of a key roundabout in the centre of the city. The Israeli military has said it is investigating the possibility that weapons stored in a nearby compound caught fire after an Israeli air strike in Rafah on Sunday, triggering a blaze in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians that killed dozens of people. Meanwhile, the Hamas-run health ministry has said 21 people were killed and 64 injured in a displaced persons camp…

Here are the UK’s general election headlines for Friday 21 June. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of a “total lack of leadership” in his handling of betting allegations, saying the prime minister should suspend the Conservative candidates accused of betting on the date of the general election. Sunak repeated that anyone found to have broken gambling rules will be booted out of the Conservative party, adding that a criminal investigation is now taking place into the matter. Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey made the most of the good weather in Norfolk by taking a dip in…

Myanmar is in the grip of a civil war, largely forgotten by the outside world, which has left thousands of people dead and displaced more than two million from their homes. Rebel forces are fighting a bloody campaign against the military regime which seized control of the country in 2021, when army generals overthrew the elected government of Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Mass protests at the crushing of democracy were brutally put down. Many people took up armed resistance to the regime and in October 2023 several rebel groups united to form a single national insurgency.…

In South Africa the National African Congress – the party once led by Nelson Mandela – has had its worst election result since it came to power with the collapse of Apartheid three decades ago. It heralds the start of a new political era in which the ANC will have to seek coalition partners and share power. Among the reasons for the ANC losing political support is the high cost of living, unemployment and crime. There’s also anger at widespread corruption. Many black South Africans are asking why the end of white-minority rule has not led to a transformation in…

US President Joe Biden has “stressed the urgency” of reaching a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House has said. He also reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to help defend Israel against what the White House called “all threats from Iran, including its proxy terrorist groups Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis”. The office of Mr Netanyahu reiterated that Israel planned to keep troops in a strip of land along the border between Gaza and Egypt – known as the Philadelphi Corridor – in the event of any such deal. The issue has become a…

Anya Freeman and her climate technology company are on a mission to create 3D printed sea walls that have environmental benefits. Traditionally, cities in the US have addressed rising sea levels by building sea walls made from concrete. “The quality of water can go down by 50% within one year of installation,” Anya said about using this material. The challenge for her company Kind Designs was to come up with something that is economical for communities and enhances the underwater ecosystem. Now they think they’ve got it. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #SeaWalls #EcoSystem #BBCNews…

The director of public prosecutions in England and Wales says he is “willing” to consider charging some rioters with terrorism offences. Stephen Parkinson said he is “aware of at least one instance where that is happening”. Suspects charged so far have faced allegations including violent disorder, which can lead to five years in jail. Some other suspects who have been arrested are being assessed for the more serious charge of rioting, that can lead to ten years. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to chair an emergency Cobra meeting tonight on efforts to tackle the unrest. The disorder follows the…

The UK government has been defeated in court – for a second time – for not doing enough to meet its targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental campaigners argued that the energy minister signed off the government’s climate plan without evidence it could be achieved. The High Court ruled on Friday that the government will now be required to redraft the plan again. In response the government defended its record on climate action. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #ClimateChange #BBCNews source

An interim government will be formed in Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country, the army chief has said. Hasina is reported to have flown to India as thousands of demonstrators advanced towards her official residence. The student protests began in July with calls to abolish civil service job quotas, but spiralled into demands for their PM to quit after 15 years in power. Nearly 300 people are estimated have died in the violence so far. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #Bangladesh #Dhaka #BBCNews source