BBC News (World)

At least 55 dead and hundreds missing after fire engulfs Hong Kong tower blocks At least 55 people have been killed in a huge fire that engulfed multiple high-rise buildings in Hong Kong - the city's deadliest blaze in more than 70 years. Some residents remain trapped inside the buildings, with more than 270 people unaccounted for. Hundreds of firefighters have been tackling the blaze, which is now largely under control at all of the affected buildings at Wang Fuk Court. The housing complex had been undergoing extensive renovations when the fire began. read more

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Hostage families confirm identities of three of four bodies handed over by Hamas Israeli hostage families have confirmed the identities of three of four bodies handed over by Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday. The bodies of Tamir Nimrodi, 20, Eitan Levy, 53, and Uriel Baruch, 35, were part of the latest return, the Hostages Families Forum said. The fourth body does not match any of the known hostages, Israel said. So far seven hostages' bodies are confirmed to have been sent back from Gaza. Hamas has yet to return the other bodies as agreed under a ceasefire deal brokered by the US. read more

Palestinians celebrate return of detainees freed by Israel Hundreds of freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees have been welcomed with tears and screams of joy as they were released by Israel to be reunited with their families in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The release involved about 250 prisoners who had been convicted of crimes including murder and deadly attacks against Israelis - and about 1,700 detainees from Gaza who had been held by Israel without charge. As prisoners exited a Red Cross bus in Ramallah, many draped in traditional Keffiyeh scarves, they looked pale and gaunt, with some struggling to walk. read more

Trump says Israel and Hamas 'sign off' on first phase of Gaza peace plan US President Donald Trump has announced that Israel and Hamas have "both signed off" on the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza. "This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace," Trump wrote on Truth Social. The announcement comes after three days of indirect talks in Egypt - mediated by officials from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the US - aimed at bringing an end to the two-year conflict. read more

Key US and regional mediators join talks in push to end Gaza war Top US envoys and regional figures are taking part in the third day of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas in Egypt on President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza. Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday along with Qatar's prime minister and Turkey's intelligence chief for what is expected to be a key day indicating whether progress can be made. A senior Hamas official told the BBC it had shown "the necessary positivity" in the negotiations and submitted a list of the Palestinian prisoners it wanted Israel to release in exchange for the hostages held in Gaza. read more

Macron should step down early and call presidential vote, says his first PM Emmanuel Macron should name a prime minister to push through a budget and then call early presidential elections to solve France's political crisis, his first prime minister has said. Édouard Philippe's comments come after France's third prime minister in a year, Sébastien Lecornu, resigned on Monday after his bid to form a government fell apart. Macron has asked him to make a last-ditch plan for stability by the end of Wednesday - but support for the French president appears to be waning even among his allies. read more

India wants to lure its best minds back from the US - but it won't be easy US President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to hike H-1B visa fees to $100,000 has prompted policymakers in Delhi to woo skilled Indians back home. A bureaucrat, who works closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recently said that the government was actively encouraging overseas Indians to return and contribute to nation-building. Yet, another member of the PM's economic advisory council told a media conclave that H-1B visas have always served the interests of the host nation, and so the hike in fee boded well for India's ability to attract global talent. The crux of these arguments is that the time is ripe for India to engineer a reverse brain drain and lure some of the world's most talented professionals in technology, medicine and other innovative industries, who'd left the country in the past 30 years, back to the homeland. read more

Sanctions reimposed on Iran 10 years after landmark nuclear deal Sweeping UN economic and military sanctions have been reimposed on Iran - 10 years after they were lifted in a landmark international deal over its nuclear programme. The new measures took effect as the three European partners to the deal - the UK, France and Germany - activated the so-called "snapback" mechanism, accusing Iran of "continued nuclear escalation" and lack of co-operation. Iran suspended inspections of its nuclear facilities - a legal obligation under the terms of the 2015 deal - after Israel and the US bombed several of its nuclear sites and military bases in June. read more

Trump suggests Starmer could use military to control UK borders Donald Trump suggested Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer could use the military to stop illegal migration at a news conference marking the end of the US president's second state visit to the UK. Trump said he discussed migration issues with Sir Keir during a meeting at his country residence Chequers. The US president talked about his policies to secure borders in the US and said the UK faced a similar challenge with migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. read more

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Trump's 50% tariff on India kicks in as Modi urges self-reliance Donald Trump's steep 50% tariffs on India have kicked in, weeks after the US president issued an executive order hitting the Asian country with an additional 25% penalty over its purchases of Russian oil and weapons. This makes India - one of the US's strongest partners in the Indo-Pacific - among the countries paying the highest tariffs in the world. This could deal a blow to exports and growth in the world's fifth largest economy, given that the US was, until recently, India's largest trading partner. read more

Israel says it regrets deadly strike on Catholic Church in Gaza Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country "deeply regrets that a stray ammunition" hit Gaza's only Catholic Church, killing three people sheltering there. "Every innocent life lost is a tragedy. We share the grief of the families and the faithful," he said in a statement. The incident happened on Thursday when an Israeli strike hit the Holy Family Church in Gaza City. Several people were also injured, said the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem which oversees the small parish. read more

Iraq's shopping centre fire leaves 61 dead, many missing A fire that tore through a five-storey shopping centre in the eastern Iraqi city of Kut has left at least 61 dead, local officials said. The blaze at the mall, which opened seven days ago, broke out on Wednesday night and has since been brought under control. Videos posted on social media showed firefighters rescuing people from the mall's roof, but state media reported that many were still missing. read more

UK experts inspect fighter jet stuck in India for three weeks A 14-member team of engineers from the UK has begun assessing a state-of-the-art British fighter jet stuck at an airport in India for more than three weeks now. The F-35B landed on 14 June at Thiruvananthapuram airport in the southern state of Kerala where it was diverted after it ran into bad weather during a sortie in the Indian ocean. The plane then reported a technical snag and was unable to return to the HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy's flagship carrier. read more

Trump says Israel has agreed to conditions for 60-day Gaza ceasefire Israel has agreed to the "necessary conditions" to finalise a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, US President Donald Trump has said. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that during the proposed ceasefire the US would "work with all parties to end the War". He did not provide details on what the ceasefire would entail. "The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope... that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," Trump wrote. read more

Iran could start enriching uranium for bomb within months, UN nuclear chief says Iran has the capacity to start enriching uranium again - for a possible bomb - in "a matter of months", the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog has said. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the US strikes on three Iranian sites last weekend had caused severe but "not total" damage, contradicting Donald Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear facilities were "totally obliterated". "Frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there," Grossi said on Saturday. read more

Tehran is coming back to life, but its residents are deeply shaken In the heart of the Iranian capital, the Boof cafe serves up refreshing cold drinks on a hot summer's day. They must be the most distinctive iced Americano coffees in this city – the cafe sits in a leafy corner of the long-shuttered US embassy. Its high cement walls have been plastered with anti-American murals ever since Washington severed relations with Tehran in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis – which still cast a long shadow over this tortuous relationship. read more

Trump to decide on US action in Israel-Iran conflict within two weeks US President Donald Trump will decide whether or not the US gets directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict within the next two weeks, the White House has said. In a White House press briefing, Press secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered a message directly from Trump: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." read more

Trump considers joining Israel on Iran strikes as IDF targets nuclear sites Donald Trump is considering joining Israel's strikes targeting Iran's underground nuclear sites, the BBC's US partner CBS News reports, as the two nations exchange fire for a sixth day The US president earlier called for Iran's "unconditional surrender" and says he knows where the country's leader is but won't kill him, "for now" Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says he will never compromise with Israel and will show "no mercy" read more