Author: BBC News
A week after Ukrainian forces launched a surprise attack into Russia’s Kursk region, Russian forces have been scrambling to regain control. Ukraine troops who launched the surprise incursion across the border claim to control around 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory. Russia has deployed missiles and airstrikes in its attempt to contain the Ukrainian advance as the Kremlin attempts to play down the significance of the surprise attack. It is continuing to evacuate Russian civilians from the area. Ukraine has not stated the purpose of its assault and has made clear that it is not seeking to permanently occupy Russian…
The world’s highest railway bridge is set to open in Indian-administered Kashmir. Chenab Rail Bridge bridge spans 359m (1,178ft) above the Chenab river bed in the Himalayas. The launch is part is part of a railway connectivity project connecting remote Kashmir with the rest of India for the first time by rail. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #Kashmir #India #BBCNews source
The Democratic Republic of Congo is set to receive Mpox vaccines from 26 August as cases surge in East and Central African countries. Vaccine doses cost $100 per dose (£76.30), making them inaffordable for many. Twenty-four people have died in the region from the virus. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #Mpox #Africa #BBCNews source
Ukrainian troops have remained in Russia’s western Kursk region as its surprise cross-border offensive into Russia came to the end of a fourth day. The Russian defence ministry said it was “continuing to repel” Ukraine’s military, which it claimed had lost more than 280 personnel in the past 24 hours – a figure that has not been independently verified. Reports suggest that Ukrainian troops are operating more than 10km (six miles) inside Russia – the deepest cross-border advance by Kyiv since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit:…
People living in Haifa in Northern Israel are preparing for a potential conflict with the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. The leader of Hezbollah has said the response to the Israeli assassination of a senior commander in Beirut is coming. He added that the group might act alone or in co-ordination with other Iranian-supported factions in the region. Countries around the world have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon in recent days, amid concerns that a possible attack from the heavily armed Hezbollah on Israel could lead to a wider war between the two sides. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis…
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister has blamed her political opponents for the deadly unrest in the country, adding she was “forced” to impose a curfew for public safety. “I never wanted it,” Sheikh Hasina said on Monday in a meeting with business leaders in the capital Dhaka. “We will lift the curfew whenever the situation gets better.” Her comments come a day after Bangladesh’s top court scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs, which have sparked weeks of violent clashes across the country. More than 150 people have been killed in clashes between protesters and the police and the rallies have…
Dozens of people have been killed in Kenya, as police cracked down on protests countrywide. And with a new series of demonstrations about to begin, there are concerns over how security forces will respond. Protests began with demonstrations against a finance bill that was going to raise new taxes. And as protesters became more defiant, police switched to firing live rounds which resulted in the deaths of some protesters. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #Kenya #Nairobi #BBCNews source
Analysis by the BBC has revealed that Hamas held multiple training exercises in Gaza, ahead of their deadly attack on Israel on 7th October which claimed 1,200 lives. BBC Verify and BBC Arabic have established that Hamas held military exercises over three years and posted the evidence on social media. They practised hostage-taking, raiding compounds and breaching Israel’s defences during these exercises, the last of which was held just 25 days before the attack. Several armed Palestinian groups joined Hamas in the assault on Israel. The groups carried out joint drills in Gaza, including at a site less than 1km…
It’s more than a century since Italy’s fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, and his totalitarian regime, swept to power. His rule was marked by brutal repression – and when Mussolini allied with Hitler’s Germany, thousands were sent to their deaths during the Holocaust. Italy’s current government is led by the Brothers of Italy party, which has roots in post-war fascism. Its leader, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, says her movement has completely changed. But some fear she and her party have not moved far enough away from their political origins – and that what was once considered the extreme is becoming mainstream.…
A high-profile British judge who resigned from Hong Kong’s highest court last week has warned the city is “slowly becoming a totalitarian state” and judges are being compromised by an “impossible political environment created by China”. Lord Sumption’s comments on Monday came as a third senior foreign judge in the past week resigned from the Court of Final Appeal. Hong Kong’s government said it “strongly disapproves” of Lord Sumption’s opinions, calling them a “betrayal against Hong Kong’s judges”. It highlighted remarks from the other leaving judges who said they still believed in the independence of the courts. Subscribe here: For…