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BBC News with Moira Alderson.
Lebanon has sharply criticized deadly Israeli attacks near UNESCO-protected heritage sites in its southern areas. The Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said nothing could justify ongoing strikes on the Tyre and Nabatieh regions and the destruction of their historical landmarks. He said Israeli orders for residents to evacuate swathes of southern Lebanon amounted to collective punishment. Israel has widened its attacks to the Lebanese capital Beirut, saying it's targeting Hezbollah. John Sudworth has more. There are reports, unconfirmed reports, from both Israeli and U.S. media that the White House has been leaning on Israel to limit the scope of its military action. In particular, for example, limiting the number of strikes on Beirut, which could be one reason why today's strike was a rare exception. There haven't been many strikes on Beirut since that ceasefire came into effect. On the other hand, Israel is making it very clear that whatever happens between the U.S. and Iran, it will reserve the right to continue to defend itself. Israel's expanding military campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah comes even as the U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance says Washington and Tehran are close to agreeing an extension of their ceasefire. "Well, I think it's hard to say exactly when or if the president is going to sign the MOU. We're going back and forth on a couple of language points. I do think we've made a lot of progress here. It's very clear that I think the Iranians, they want a deal and they want to open the Straits of Hormuz. We want them to open the Straits of Hormuz. There are a couple of issues on the nuclear stuff." The framework, if agreed, would begin the process of opening up Hormuz. United Nations has added Israel and Russia to a blacklist concerning sexual violence in conflict. The annual report of the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said it had verified multiple incidents of such violence inflicted by Israeli military, police or prison officers against 31 people from Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including children. They included gang rape and targeted shooting of the genitals. Israel, which joins Hamas on the list, has reacted angrily to its inclusion, denying the accounts. On Russia, the report said its forces had committed hundreds of violations in Ukraine, including rape and electric shocks. The head of the World Health Organization has said Ebola can be stopped as he landed in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, ahead of a visit to affected regions. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he acknowledged people's concerns but was hopeful for a solution. "We mistrust, we can see it. People are really worried. They are not understanding what's happening and I think that could also affect the response but I have faith." He also appealed to warring parties in the hard-hit east of the country to declare a ceasefire to let health workers in. World news from the BBC. Singapore's foreign minister has said North Korea doesn't seem keen to engage with the U.S., South Korea or Japan, as he reported back on a rare diplomatic visit to Pyongyang. Vivian Balakrishnan said the country was instead deepening its ties with Russia and China. Kenyan authorities are investigating what caused a fire that killed 16 young girls at a boarding school in the Rift Valley town of Gilgil. More than 70 other children were injured as they fled. Some survivors say the time taken to break down a locked dormitory door slowed their escape. Several parents remain at the scene anxiously waiting for DNA test results to confirm those who have died. A court in Austria has sentenced the man who admitted planning an attack on a Taylor Swift concert to 15 years in prison. Beran A was also found guilty of several other terrorist-related offences. He was arrested after a tip-off from the CIA just before the first of three Swift concerts in the Austrian capital in the summer of 2024. Bethany Bell was in court in Wiener Neustadt. He is of North Macedonian origins, a young 21-year-old man who, during the proceedings of the court, a picture arose of a man who didn't feel at one with Austrian society. The prosecution said he had fallen to the allure of Islamism. He had sworn an oath to Islamic State. So somebody very much seen on the outskirts of society who had plotted the prosecution said the two other people to commit attacks not just in Vienna but also in Istanbul, in Dubai and in Mecca. Bethany Bell reporting. Anthropic, one of the biggest companies in the field of artificial intelligence, says it's raised $65 billion in a funding round. That would value Anthropic just under $1 trillion, more than double what it was worth after its last funding round in February this year. That's the latest world news from the BBC. |