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BBC News, I'm John Shea.
The Israeli military says it holds 40% of Gaza City, the largest in the Palestinian territory. A spokesman said the military offensive there would intensify in the coming days until Hamas was defeated. More from our global affairs reporter Mimi Swaby. Israel has increased its bombardments of Gaza City despite mounting international pressure to stop its campaign. The Hamas-controlled health ministry says Israeli fire across the enclave killed at least 53 people on Thursday, most of them in Gaza City. One strike reportedly hit a tent sheltering a displaced family, killing five people, including three children. Footage showed a pair of blood-stained pink slippers among the debris. One resident told the BBC that despite receiving multiple evacuation orders, they can't leave, as moving is too dangerous and there is nowhere safe to go. Tributes have been paid to the legendary fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who has died at the age of 91. The Italian president praised his tireless creativity and called him a "master of style and fashion." Giorgio Armani founded his eponymous label in 1975. It grew into one of the most notable high-end international fashion houses, with about 2,000 stores around the world. The Hollywood actress Jessica Chastain, who wore Armani dresses at many award ceremonies, said his death was a huge loss to fashion. "What an incredible visionary and great artist and his life work. It's what he built, this empire of fashion, clothing and home. Armani as the man was such a towering figure. There's a gaping hole in the fashion industry today." The U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has defended his controversial policies during a sometimes ill-tempered hearing before a bipartisan congressional committee. He stood by his firing of top government vaccine experts and attacked the Centers for Disease Control for its actions during the COVID pandemic. "These changes were absolutely necessary adjustments to restore the agency to its role as the world's gold standard public health agency with the central mission of protecting Americans from infectious disease. CDC failed their responsibility miserably during COVID." In several fiery exchanges, Democrats called for his resignation or dismissal. One Democrat senator called him a "charlatan." The White House says President Trump will sign an executive order on Friday to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War. A permanent name change would require congressional approval, but an executive order would allow for the use of Department of War as a secondary title in the meantime. In an interview, the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, said it would reflect a shift at the Pentagon to a more "warrior ethos." This is the latest world news from the BBC. President Trump has signed an executive order to lower tariffs on Japanese cars. The move means levies of 15% will now be applied, down from 27.5%. It firms up a framework announced by Mr. Trump in July. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked European allies for agreeing to send troops to Ukraine as a post-war security guarantee. He described the move as a first step. Mr. Zelenskyy's comments came at a summit in Paris where the French President Emmanuel Macron announced that 26 countries were ready to contribute troops or other resources to guarantee security in Ukraine after any ceasefire or peace deal with Russia. Here's James Waterhouse. What's notable is who isn't. You know, Italy, Poland, yes, supporters of Ukraine, but seemingly unwilling to provide the troops after a ceasefire is signed or after the war is paused. We're told, according to the French President Emmanuel Macron, there is already a military and political solution that has been presented to Donald Trump. But here is the rub. It needs the U.S. president to go for it, because otherwise this is just political. It still needs the might of America to mean anything. People in eastern Afghanistan, still reeling from two earthquakes in recent days, have been jolted by a third quake of magnitude 6.2. In Kunar province, 17 people were taken to hospital. Most had been hurt after falling from buildings. The Taliban say more than 2,200 people are now known to have died in Sunday's devastating quake. New research suggests a clear majority of rodents have thumbs and flat thumbnails. This has been crucial to helping them thrive and multiply across the globe, giving them much easier access to food such as nuts and seeds. Rodents make up 40% of mammals, but because some are so tiny, there's been little study of which have only claws and which have so-called opposable thumbs. BBC News. |