BBC News (World)

2022-10-25 10:32:44 Several Palestinians killed in major Israel raid in West Bank city of Nablus

Five Palestinians, including several gunmen, have been killed in a major Israeli raid against a militant group in the occupied West Bank.

A sixth Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops who were attacked with stones in a protest against the raid, Palestinian medical sources say.

The operation in the northern city of Nablus targeted the recently formed Lion's Den group.

The group killed an Israeli soldier in a shooting earlier this month.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had locked down Nablus for the past two weeks amid an intensive search for the killer of 21-year-old Staff Sergeant Ido Baruch, shot dead in an ambush close to a nearby Israeli settlement. read more Open / Comment

2022-10-24 16:33:34 Sunak is next PM as Mordaunt drops out of Tory leadership race

- Rishi Sunak will be the UK's next prime minister after Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the Tory leadership race in the final minutes before nominations closed
- Sunak will succeed Liz Truss seven weeks after she defeated him in the previous Tory contest
- The ex-chancellor gained the support of well over half of Tory MPs, with Mordaunt struggling to reach the threshold of 100 MPs to get on the ballot
- He will become the UK's first British Asian PM and at 42, the youngest in more than a century
- Labour have reiterated their call for a general election, as have the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats Open / Comment

2022-10-24 09:01:14 Ukraine war: Kyiv denounces Russia's 'dirty bomb' claims

Ukraine has condemned unsubstantiated claims by Russia that Kyiv might use a "dirty bomb" - conventional explosives laced with radioactive material.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said this meant Russia itself could be preparing an attack of this kind.

Ukraine's allies also dismissed the claims, with the US saying it "rejected any pretext for Russian escalation".

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu made the dirty bomb remarks in a call with his UK counterpart Ben Wallace.

He said he was "concerned about possible provocations by Kyiv involving the use of a dirty bomb".

On Sunday, Mr Shoigu also held a flurry of phone calls with defence ministers of the US, France and Turkey, voicing Moscow's alarm. He provided no evidence to back up his accusations. read more Open / Comment

2022-10-23 12:00:03 Xi Jinping announces third term in power and new top team

- Xi Jinping has a third term as China's leader, in a break with recent precedent
- He has also introduced his new top team - which includes former Shanghai party chief Li Qiang as the new premier
- Saturday's closing ceremony saw Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao escorted out, apparently unwillingly, with state media later saying he had not been well
- Xi, 69, is arguably the most powerful party chief since the first communist-era leader Mao Zedong who died in 1976 Open / Comment

2022-10-22 17:02:00 Hu Jintao: ex-president escorted out of China party congress

Chinese former leader Hu Jintao has been led out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress.

The frail-looking 79-year-old was sitting beside President Xi Jinping when he was approached and led away by officials. No explanation was given.

After its week-long congress, the party is expected to confirm Mr Xi, 69, for a historic third term.

The event, held in Beijing every five years, cemented his position as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. read more \ Open / Comment

2022-10-22 09:01:56 Ukraine war: US and Russian defence ministers discuss Ukraine in rare talks

The US and Russian defence secretaries have spoken in a phone call, in a rare moment of high-level contact between the two countries since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu spoke on Friday, the two countries confirmed.

Both sides said the situation in Ukraine was discussed.

It is the first time they have spoken since a call on 13 May.

After Friday's call, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told the BBC that the US was "eager to keep lines of communication open". read more Open / Comment

2022-10-21 16:02:12 Italy Meloni: Far-right leader poised to govern despite Putin row

Italy's far-right leader Giorgia Meloni and her coalition allies have met President Sergio Mattarella and say they are ready to form a government "as quickly as possible".

He is set to ask Ms Meloni in the coming hours to become prime minister.

Veteran ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi attended the brief talks, despite shaking the coalition's unity with leaked pro-Putin remarks.

Ms Meloni has sought to assure Italy's Western allies nothing will change.

The Brothers of Italy leader could be sworn in as early as this weekend as the country's first female prime minister - and first far-right leader since World War Two. She said her coalition of right-wing and far-right parties was unanimous that she should lead Italy. read more Open / Comment

2022-10-21 02:30:39 Ukraine war: Iranian drone experts 'on the ground' in Crimea - US

Iran has deployed military experts in Russian-occupied Crimea to help launch drone attacks on Ukraine, the White House says.

The Iranians are trainers and tech support workers, a US spokesman said.

The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, was struck by so-called "kamikaze" drones on Monday, deployed by Russia but believed to be Iranian-made.

The UK has announced sanctions on Iranian businesses and individuals responsible for supplying the drones.

"We assess that Iranian military personnel were on the ground in Crimea and assisted Russia in these operations," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. read more Open / Comment

2022-10-20 16:22:30 Liz Truss resigns as prime minister after Tory revolt

Liz Truss has dramatically resigned as prime minister after just 45 days in the job.

The PM said her successor will be elected in a Tory leadership contest, to be completed in the next week.

Tory MPs urged Ms Truss to go after her government was engulfed by political turmoil, following the ditching of most of her economic policies.

Ms Truss was elected by the Tory membership in September, but she lost authority after a series of U-turns.

In a brief speech outside Downing Street, Ms Truss said the Conservative Party had elected her on a mandate to cut taxes and boost economic growth. Open / Comment

2022-10-20 09:00:02 Ukrainians told to 'charge everything' as power grid hit by Russia

Ukraine's national energy company has urged citizens to "charge everything" by 07:00 (04:00 GMT) Thursday because of expected power cuts caused by Russian missile strikes.

Energy plants were hit by Russian missiles again on Wednesday - part of a wave of such strikes since 10 October.

Outages of up to four hours at a time will affect the whole country on Thursday, grid operator Ukrenergo said.

It comes as Russia declares martial law in areas of Ukraine it has annexed. read more Open / Comment