Category: World

Three Americans killed by IS gunman in Syria, US military says6 hours agoShareSaveDearbail JordanShareSaveAFP via Getty ImagesUS troops have maintained a presence in Syria since 2015 to help train other forces as part of a campaign against ISTwo US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter have been killed in Syria in an ambush by an Islamic State (IS) gunman, the US Central Command has said.
Officials said three other service members were injured in the attack, during which the gunman was “engaged and killed”.
US President Donald Trump wrote on social media that it was “an ISIS attack” against the US and Syria and said there would be “a very serious retaliation”. The Syrian government has issued a statement condemning the attack.
The identities of those killed are being withheld for 24 hours until their next of kin have been informed, the US Central Command said.
In a post on X, the US Central Command, which directs American military operations in Europe, Africa and the Indo-Pacific, sa..

Belarus frees 123 prisoners as US lifts sanctions7 hours agoShareSaveSarah Rainsford,VilniusandDearbail JordanShareSaveWatch: BBC captures celebrations as Belarus frees political prisonersBelarus has freed 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, after the US agreed to lift sanctions on the country.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski is also among those who have been released following talks in Minsk with US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Belarus, John Coale.
The US has agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key ingredient in fertiliser and an important export for Belarus, which is a close ally of Russia.
Coale said: “As relations between the two countries normalise, more and more sanctions will be lifted.”
Belarus' president, Alexander Lukashenko, is not recognised as president by the EU.
Kolesnikova has been in prison since 2020, much of the time in isolation. Speaking after her release, she described “a feeling of unbelie..

New photos from Epstein estate show Trump, Andrew and Bill Clinton44 minutes agoShareSaveBrandon DrenonShareSaveHouse Oversight CommitteeUS President Donald Trump was among several prominent figures featured in the images released on Friday Back-to-back batches of photos from Jeffrey Epstein's estate have been released, revealing private details from the convicted peadophile's life and his ties to the rich and powerful.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released 19 photos on Friday morning and then later published nearly 80 more, which they said are part of more than 95,000 images the US congressional committee has received from Epstein's estate after a subpoena.
The photos include never-before-seen images of Epstein on his private island and pictures of him with high-profile figures like US President Donald Trump.
The US justice department is approaching a deadline next week to release all Epstein-related documents.
Watch: Massie and Garcia on latest photos fro..

EU backs indefinite freeze on Russia's frozen cash ahead of loan plan for Ukraine8 hours agoShareSavePaul KirbyEurope digital editorShareSaveThierry Monasse/Getty ImagesUkraine's president says it is right for Russia's frozen assets to be used to rebuild his countryEuropean Union governments have agreed to immobilise indefinitely Russian assets of up to €210bn (£185bn) that have been frozen in the EU since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Most of Moscow's cash is held in Belgian bank Euroclear, and European leaders are hoping to agree a deal at next week's crunch EU summit that would use the money for a loan to help Kyiv fund its military and economy.
After almost four years of Russia's full-scale war Ukraine is running out of cash, and needs an estimated €135.7bn (£119bn; $159bn) over the next two years.
Europe aims to provide two-thirds of that, but Russian officials accuse the EU of theft.
The Russian Central Bank said on Frida..

Tricked, abducted and abused: Inside China's schools for 'rebellious' teens3 hours agoShareSaveMengchen Zhang, Jack Lau and Ankur ShahBBC Global China Unit and Eye InvestigationsShareSaveBBCWarning: This report contains details of physical and sexual abuse and discussion of suicide.
Baobao's heart still races when she smells soil after morning rain.
It takes her back to early military drills behind locked gates – and the constant fear that marked every one of her days at Lizheng Quality Education School.
For six months, aged 14, she barely left the red and white building in a remote Chinese village where instructors tried to “fix” young people whose families considered them rebellious or problematic.
Students who failed to comply were beaten so severely they could not sleep on their backs or sit down for days, she says.
“Every single moment was agonising,” says Baobao, now 19 and speaking under a pseudonym for fear of retribution.
She says she considered suicide, an..

US sanctions six more ships after seizing oil tanker off Venezuela3 hours agoShareSaveMaia DaviesShareSaveWatch: Video shows US military seizing oil tanker off Venezuela coastThe US has imposed fresh sanctions on six more ships said to be carrying Venezuelan oil, a day after seizing a tanker off the country's coast.
Sanctions have also been placed on some of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's relatives and businesses associated with what Washington calls his illegitimate regime.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the seized vessel, called the Skipper, had been involved in “illicit oil shipping” and would be taken to an American port.
Caracas has described it as an act of “international piracy”.
It marks a sharp escalation in the US pressure campaign against Maduro, which has seen dozens killed in strikes on boats alleged to have been carrying drugs from Venezuela. In recent months American warships have been moving into the region.
The Trump admin..