Tag: top stories

The US has criticised the Venezuelan government over the death of an opposition figure in custody, calling it a “reminder of the vile nature” of President Nicolás Maduro’s regime. Alfredo Díaz died in his prison cell at the El Helicoide prison in Caracas where he was being held for more than a year, human rights read more

Suranjana TewariAsia Business Correspondent, Tokyo BBC Scientists at Waseda University in Tokyo are developing caregiving robots Last year, more than 18,000 older people living with dementia left their homes and went missing in Japan. Almost 500 were later found dead. Police say such cases have doubled since 2012. Elderly people aged 65 and over now read more

A water leak at the Louvre museum in Paris has damaged hundreds of works, just weeks after thieves stole priceless French crown jewels from the museum in broad daylight. The museum’s deputy administrator, Francis Steinbock, said between 300-400 works, mostly books, were affected by the leak – and that the count was ongoing. Mr Steinbock read more

Claire MawisaBBC Africa Eye, Free State BBC Marthinus has applied to move to the US fearing for his family’s safety The 4m-high (13ft) electric steel gates, capped with spikes, creak open as Marthinus, a farmer, drives through in his pick-up truck. Cameras positioned at the entrance track his every move, while reams of barbed wire read more

Yolande KnellMiddle East correspondent, Bethlehem Watch: Bethlehem Christmas tree lights up for first time since Gaza war For two years during the Gaza war, all public celebrations for Christmas were cancelled in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank – where Christians believe Jesus was born. But after the recent ceasefire, the holy city decided that read more

Getty Images Members of the National Guard patrolling a metro station in Washington DC A National Guardsman is on the mend after he was critically injured in an ambush-style shooting last month in Washington DC. The parents of Andrew Wolfe, 24, say “his head wound is slowly healing and that he’s beginning to ‘look more read more

The Iranian judiciary says two organisers of a marathon have been arrested for allowing women who were not wearing hijabs to take part. The move comes after images appeared online of unveiled women competing in the race on Friday. Around 2,000 women and 3,000 men took part separately in the marathon on Kish Island off read more

BBC/Jessica Hromas Isobel is convinced the social media ban won’t stop kids like her It took 13-year-old Isobel less than five minutes to outsmart Australia’s “world-leading” social media ban for children. A notification from Snapchat, one of the ten platforms affected, had lit up her screen, warning she’d be booted off when the law kicked read more

The US National Park Service (NPS) is removing Martin Luther King Jr Day and Juneteenth from its list of fee-free entrance days. The move is part of President Donald Trump’s “modernisation” of the park service, which, beginning in 2026, also includes changing the parks’ cost structure to favour American citizens over foreign visitors, following a read more

read more

Reuters The death toll in Indonesia from recent flooding has passed 900, with hundreds still missing. More than 100,000 homes were destroyed when a rare and powerful cyclone formed over the Malaca Strait last week, bringing torrential rain and landslides to parts of the South East Asian country. Efforts to reach people in areas still read more

Nerida Hansen At 6ft tall and plus-size, shop-bought clothes had never fitted Maree O’Connor well. Sewing offered her a solution – allowing her to use beautiful fabrics to make garments that fit just right. One day, while on the lookout for colourful prints to make new dresses, she spotted some “amazing” fabrics being sold online. read more

6 days ago ShareSave ShareSave Frank Gehry, a provocative and creative force in architecture who has died aged 96, was behind some of the world’s most intriguing buildings. Tim Graham/Getty Images The unmistakable curves of the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao Insights/Universal Images Group via Getty Images A leaning glass tower at the Dancing House, Prague Tim read more

David WafulaBBC Newsday, Nairobi Kuloba family David Kuloba, seen here with a Russian fighter, thought he had secured a well-paying job as a security guard David Kuloba’s mother warned him about going to Russia after he accepted a job as a security guard advertised by a recruitment agency in Kenya. At first the family, who read more

Aj Awer Aj Awer, of the Cedar-Riverside Community Council, says Trump’s comments were “dangerous” Somali-Americans in Minnesota have described their heightened fear after US President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of the community this week. Community leaders told the BBC the “apprehension is palpable” following Trump’s remarks, in which he said he did not want read more

read more

Norberto ParedesBBC News Mundo Getty Images The US says the cartel is led by members of Venezuela’s military but Venezuela’s government has dismissed the allegations as a ‘ridiculous lie’ The United States has designated the Cartel de los Soles (Spanish for Cartel of the Suns) – a group it alleges is headed by Venezuela’s president, read more

Anthony ZurcherNorth America correspondent, Tennessee Watch: “We’re in a pivotal place” – Tennessee voters on Trump’s performance “They’re coming to Tennessee to try to take a congressional seat.” Tennessee Republican Party Chair Scott Golden offered this warning to party faithful last week at the Cumberland County Lincoln Day Dinner in the tiny town of Crab read more

Getty Images Marjorie Taylor Greene’s five years in Congress will come to an early end on 5 January after she unexpectedly announced her resignation following a bitter rift with President Donald Trump. The surprise move from the Georgia congresswoman – a rising star in the Republican party – has left many speculating about her next read more

Liam Weir/BBC Marven says his life feels “more complete” now he has got to know Rochelle and Guerline Nawal al-Maghafi and Jasmin DyerBBC World Service, Florida In a waterside house in the town of Lakeland, Florida, Marven laughs with two women he loves dearly – his sister Rochelle and their biological mother, Guerline. The warmth read more