Author: BBC News
Negotiators seeking a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal will meet for a second day in Qatar. Hamas representatives will not be in attendance and said the group would “not engage in negotiations for the sake of negotiations in order to provide cover for Israel to continue its war”. The talks are still expected to take place even without Hamas, as US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators say they could use them to put together a plan that resolves the remaining issues. They suffered several setbacks last month and have been suspended since Hamas’s political leader and chief negotiator, Ismail Haniyeh,…
A second region in Russia has declared a state of emergency, as Ukraine’s incursion into the country enters its second week. The governor of Belgorod said daily Ukrainian shelling is destroying homes and killing civilians, and Russia’s defence ministry says it shot down 117 Ukrainian drones over several regions overnight. Ukraine launched its surprise attack into the Kursk region earlier this month, in what is their deepest and most significant incursion into the country since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Kyiv would receive what he called a “worthy response”. Subscribe here: For more news, analysis…
Ukraine has ordered the evacuation of the city Pokrovsk, as Russian forces approach the region. In a post on Telegram, the head of the city’s military administration says it’s important residents “don’t delay” their evacuation, as Russian troops are “rapidly approaching the outskirts of Pokrovsk”. The city was the focus of the highest intensity of fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces on Thursday, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In a post on X, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the city was a key focus for defence forces and was one of a number of areas…