Category: World

Around 40 dead in Swiss ski resort bar fire, police say5 hours agoShareSaveJemma CrewandGabriela PomeroyShareSaveVideo shows fire spreading across Swiss bar ceilingAround 40 people have died after a fire ripped through a bar in a ski resort in southern Switzerland, police have said. A further 115 people are injured, many of them “severely”.
The fire broke out at around 01:30 (00:30 GMT) during new year celebrations in a bar called Le Constellation in Crans-Montana.
Officials investigating the incident have not confirmed any cause, but categorically ruled out an attack.
People from multiple countries have been affected. Regional police commander Frédéric Gisler said the priority in the coming days was to identify those who had died “so that their bodies can be returned rapidly” to their families.
Thirteen helicopters, 42 ambulances and 150 emergency responders were sent overnight to the scene of the fire in the Valais region, which is popular with tourists.
Most of the injured experienc..

What are Russians hoping for in 2026, asks Steve RosenbergAs the New Year holiday gets underway, the BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg asks people on the streets of Moscow about their hopes for 2026 and how they see their future.
It's not only Russia's war on Ukraine that is preying on people's minds, but also the state of the economy, which is coming under increasing pressure.
5 hours agoEuropeRussiaMoscowShareSaveSpaniards hurl flour, eggs and fireworks in mock battleThe annual food fight festival ''Els Enfarinats'' has left the Spanish town of Ibi covered in flour and egg shells.
EuropeBrigitte Bardot: From French cinema to international fameThe French model and actress has died at the age of 91.
EuropeSnow-capped Mount Etna erupts as skiers glide down slopesScientists say volcanic activity at the site, which frequently erupts, had intensified this week, with craters continuously emitting ash.
EuropeWatch: Pope Leo's plea for peace in..

EU's top diplomat rejects Russian claims of Ukrainian attack on government sites7 hours agoShareSaveLaura GozziKyivShareSaveReutersKaja Kallas accused the Kremlin of trying to derail the peace process with allegations of a Ukrainian attack on government sitesThe EU's top diplomat has called Moscow's claims that Ukraine targeted Russian government sites a “deliberate distraction” and an attempt to derail the peace process.
Kaja Kallas' comments on social media appear to be a reference to the Kremlin's allegation that Ukraine attempted a drone strike on one of Vladimir Putin's residences.
“No one should accept unfounded claims from the aggressor who has indiscriminately targeted Ukraine's infrastructure and civilians,” Kallas wrote on social media.
Earlier this week Moscow accused Ukraine of targeting Putin's private home on Lake Valdai in north-west Russia.
Russia would review its position in the ongoing peace negotiations as a result, the Kreml..

Passengers stuck on Eurostar trains overnight as delays continue2 hours agoShareSaveGeorge WrightandJacob Phillips & Nicky Schiller,London St Pancras InternationalShareSaveKelly North and Bethany Massey-Chase tell the BBC how they've had to re-book their Eurostar service to ParisEurostar passengers are braced for a second day of possible disruption, after a power outage in the Channel Tunnel caused travel chaos for thousands of people on Tuesday.
Some travellers spent hours stuck onboard trains overnight as they waited for them to move.
One man told the BBC he had boarded the 19:01 service to Paris, but as of 02:30 GMT he was still stuck on the train at the entrance to the tunnel.
He said staff told him there was a “50% chance we go to Paris, 50% chance we go back to London”.
On Tuesday, a problem with the overhead power supply and a broken down LeShuttle train blocked all routes, causing disruption for thousands trying to get away for New Year's Eve.
Some Eurostar and LeShut..

Protests spread across Iran for third day after currency hits record low12 hours agoShareSaveParham GhobadiShareSaveEPAProtests and strikes in Iran over inflation and currency devaluation have spread from the capital, Tehran, to several other cities on a third day of unrest.
The protests began on Sunday after shopkeepers in Tehran's Grand Bazaar staged a strike when the Iranian rial hit a record low against the US dollar on the open market.
Since then, videos verified by BBC Persian have shown demonstrations in the cities of Karaj, Hamedan, Qeshm, Malard, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz and Yazd. Police were also seen using tear gas in an attempt to disperse demonstrators.
The Iranian government said it “recognises the protests” and would listen “with patience, even if it is confronted with harsh voices”.
President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X late on Monday that he had instructed the interior minister to hold talks with what he described as “representatives” of the protesters so that..

Bangladesh's first female prime minister Khaleda Zia dies aged 8014 minutes agoShareSaveKelly NgandMir Sabbir,Editor, BBC News BanglaShareSaveGetty ImagesAn earlier picture of Khaleda Zia from 2016Bangladesh's first female prime minister Khaleda Zia has died at the age of 80 after suffering from prolonged illness.
Zia became Bangladesh's first female head of government in 1991 after leading her party to victory in the country's first democratic election in 20 years.
Physicians had said on Monday said her condition was “extremely critical”. She was put on life support, but it was not possible to provide multiple treatments at the same time given her age and overall poor health, they said.
Despite her poor health, her party had earlier said that Zia would contest general elections expected in February, the first since a revolution which led to the ousting of Zia's rival, Sheikh Hasina.
Bangladeshi politics had for decades been defined by the bitter feud between ..