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Hello, I'm David Harper with the BBC News.
Donald Trump says Iran and Israel have agreed to implement what he called a "complete and total" cease-fire, though with Iran ending hostilities several hours before Israel. In a post on social media, Mr. Trump said the phased cease-fire would begin in a few hours, with Iran being the first to observe it, and Israel stopping its military operations 12 hours later. Our North America correspondent Jake Kwon says much remains unclear. There still needs to be said that this has not been confirmed by the both sides, that we need to really wait until we hear from Iranians and the Israelis on how this will happen. Also the time frame, how President Trump has phrased it, it's actually quite confusing. Do we understand that Iranians will stop for 12 hours while they're simply being pummeled by the Israelis, and then Israelis then join the cease-fire? How does that work when, you know, only one side is allowed to attack? So I think there's a lot of question that needs to be resolved on how this will be playing out. Israel is still hitting targets in Iran with unprecedented force, according to its defense minister, while Iran is still threatening Israel. Mark Lowen is in Tel Aviv. Both Israel and Iran have issued evacuation orders for certain parts of their respective capitals. There were reports that Iran had issued an evacuation order for Ramat Gan, which is an area quite close to Tel Aviv, suggesting that there was going to be an Iranian attack here, and a report that Israel had issued an evacuation order for District 7 in Tehran, and there were some explosions there. So it appeared that really the two sides were intent on fighting still. Hours before Donald Trump's announcement of a truce, Iran sent missiles towards a U.S. airbase in Qatar, calling this a powerful response to Sunday's U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities. More detail from Richard Howells. Pictures show bright orange flashes in the night sky as Iranian missiles were intercepted and destroyed by local air defense systems. Qatar has called the Iranian attack on the Al Udeid Air Base a flagrant violation. There are reports that Iranian officials sent a warning to the Qataris in advance of what could be seen as a symbolic attack. Qatar said there were no casualties, something confirmed by Mr. Trump. The small Gulf state later reopened its airspace. Qatar, other Gulf states and the U.N. chief all condemned Iran's action. Oman says it will impose a personal income tax, becoming the first Gulf country to do so. The move will break with long-standing precedent in the region, which has often lured foreign workers with tax-free incomes. Oman, which is largely reliant on oil income, is seeking to diversify its revenue stream. The tax will not come into force until 2028, and will see a 5 percent levy on incomes over 109,000 U.S. dollars. Only 1 percent of the country's 5 million population are expected to pay the tax. This is the latest world news from the BBC. The head of the U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, has warned of a worsening crisis for hundreds of thousands of children who have fled Sudan's war into eastern Chad. With over 700,000 children escaping into neighboring countries, they account for over 60 percent of all refugee arrivals. Camilla Mills reports. On a visit to the region, Catherine Russell described harrowing accounts from those who have fled killings, mass rapes and homes being burned. She said the most vulnerable children were bearing the brunt of both the war in Sudan and a lack of essential services for those who have escaped. Many of them are malnourished, out of school and at serious risk of exploitation and disease. Ms. Russell said Chad is already stretched beyond capacity. It has the fourth highest child mortality rate in the world and humanitarian funding is falling critically short. Residents of an isolated community in the west of Niger say they've come under attack from jihadist fighters. Voicemails sent from Manda in Tillabéry region say that over 70 people have been killed. Jihadist violence in Niger has intensified since the military seized power two years ago. The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to other countries other than their homelands. The move lifts a court order that required people to be given the chance to challenge the deportations before they could be at risk of torture, persecution or death in the third country. President Trump campaigned under a promise of mass deportations. Orcas in the North Pacific have been observed making seaweed tools in order to scratch each other's backs. Researchers believe the behavior suggests it may aid hygiene or serve as social bonding. Drone footage captured the whales selecting, biting and placing tubular kelp onto one another's backs. It's unclear whether the behavior is unique to the group being studied or is more widespread among killer whales. BBC News. |