The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.Door BBC World Service

Dozens of people have died after a passenger plane crashed with about 70 people on board in Kazakhstan, local officials have said.Authorities in Azerbaijan, where the flight originated, said there were at least 30 survivors.Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 caught fire as it attempted to make an emergency landing near the Kazakh city of Aktau.The …

A Nasa spacecraft is attempting to make history with the closest-ever approach to the Sun. The Parker Solar Probe is plunging into our star's outer atmosphere to try and help us better understand how the Sun works. It is out of communication for several days and scientists will be waiting for a signal, expected at 05:00 GMT on 28 December, to see i…

Today, we’re answering your questions about Christmas, UK politics and what goes on behind the scenes at Newscast HQ. Adam, Paddy, Alex, Henry and Marianna cram into the Newscast studio for a Newscast Christmas party. What’s on Henry Zeffman’s Christmas list? Is Die Hard a Christmas film? And where does the UK Prime Minister spend Christmas Day? Ne…

Ukrainians are marking their third Christmas since the Russian invasion. It comes as President Vladimir Putin's forces push deeper into the east of the country. The city of Pokrovsk is Russia's next target, with troops less than two miles (three kilometres) from the city centre. It's a key military hub and a part of the country's cultural identity …

Matt Gaetz spent tens of thousands of dollars on sex and drugs while formerly serving as a US congressman, according to a long-awaited report from the House of Representatives ethics committee. It follows a years-long investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use by Gaetz, who President-elect Donald Trump wanted to instal…

Falling marriage and birth rates have long been an issue in South Korea. Despite the recent rise in matchmaking services, the numbers remain at record lows so the government is now hosting its own.In 2023, the number of marriages was 40% lower compared to a decade ago.The country’s total fertility rate - the average number of children a woman will …

Since Syria's President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, several European countries including Germany, UK and Denmark have paused asylum applications from Syria. More than one million people who fled Syria during the civil war are currently living in the EU. BBC's special correspondent Fergal Keane speaks to some of those he first met after they fle…

Today, we look at the most significant events in UK politics in 2024.Adam is joined by Laura and Chris to talk about the events in 2024 that dominated the news headlines. They look back at the Rwanda bill, the Conservative leadership election, Labour’s freebies row and the summer riots. And they talk about the political leadership changes across th…

German authorities are facing questions about security and what they knew about the suspect accused of driving a car into Magdeburg Christmas market. Five people were killed and more than 200 were left injured following the attack, with the suspect said to have used an access lane for emergency vehicles to enter the market. On a visit on Saturday, …

In Syria, Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham or HTS’ takeover has sparked concerns for ethnic and religious minorities. HTS is a Sunni Muslim group, and its leaders Ahmad Al-Sharra has a jihadist past. Minorities say they are worried about Islamic rule, and those from Bashar Al-Assad’s Alawite community are worried their might be retribution against them. The BB…

A local fire brigade has paid tribute to a nine-year-old killed in an attack on a German Christmas market.André Gleißner died after a car drove into a crowd of shoppers at the market in Magdeburg on Friday evening, according to the Schöppenstedt fire department.Four women, aged 45, 52, 67 and 75, also died in the attack. Authorities are holding a s…

Troy Baker, one of the world's best-known video game actors, has said stepping into the lead role of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was daunting. Baker who has more than 400 acting credits to his name said he “felt the weight of what this character meant”. But the weight of expectation isn't only resting on the actor’s shoulders - anticipation …

Blake Lively has filed a legal complaint against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and a campaign to "destroy" her reputation. According to the legal filing, she accuses Baldoni and his team of attacking her public image, following a meeting to address "repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior" by Ba…

Former Great Britain track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy won six Olympic golds between 2004 and 2012 - the second highest total by any British Olympian behind Sir Jason Kenny's tally of seven. The Olympic champion retired from cycling in 2013, but in his career spanning many years he has seen technology shift in his sport. Now, Sir Chris Hoy chats to Alasd…

German authorities are facing questions about security and what they knew about the suspect accused of using an access lane for emergency vehicles to drive into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people and injuring more than 200. On a visit on Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, ministers and regional political leaders were heckled…

The Israeli military has carried out a wave of attacks across the Gaza Strip, hitting targets in Gaza City, Rafah and Khan Younis. A school sheltering displaced families and the Kamal Adwan Hospital, in northern Gaza, were among the sites hit, killing at least 28 Palestinians overnight and into recent hours.It comes as mediators try to secure a cea…

A nine-year-old-child is among those who were killed when a car drove into crowds at a Christmas market in Germany, officials say. Four adults were killed and 200 people were injured when the suspect entered the market through an entrance reserved for ambulances and other emergency vehicles. The BBC understands that the suspect in the Magdeburg att…

Five people, including a child, have been killed after a car drove into crowds at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg. The suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist, holds "Islamophobic" views, according to Germany's interior minister. However, the motive behind the attack is still unclear. The head of Germany's police union says sec…

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to crowds in Magdeburg, after the attack that has left at least five people dead and over 200 injured. Addressing reporters, the chancellor said that "normally a Christmas market is a very peacefully and joyful place... what a dreadful tragedy it is that so many people were injured and killed with such brutali…

At least four people, including a child, were killed after a car drove into crowds at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg. More than 68 people have been injured, with 15 of them in a serious condition, according to city officials. The suspect, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, is believed to have acted alone. Video footage shows the moment…

Melanie Woods is the 30-year-old wheelchair racer and Paralympian from Scotland. Since 2018, she has competed at two Paralympic Games and several World Championships putting her in a unique place to inform new research from Loughborough University. Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #M…

A Christmas market in Germany has been turned into a scene of carnage after a car ploughed through crowds, leaving at least two people dead - including a small child - and injuring around 60 other people.It took place in a market in the centre of the city of Magdeburg in east Germany. Emergency services and police have been deployed in large number…

The US is edging towards another government shutdown after the lower chamber of Congress failed to pass a spending bill to keep federal agencies open.Funding is set to lapse at midnight on Friday unless Republicans and Democrats can agree on a way forward. Elon Musk is pushing for the move - the Tesla boss has been tasked with identifying spending …

A car has reportedly been driven into crowds at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg. German media report that at least one person has been killed and dozens others injured - we are still awaiting official confirmation. Local police in the central Germany city said "operations are currently taking place" at the market, which has been …

This week, Yang Tengbo was identified as the 50-year-old Chinese businessman and alleged spy banned from the UK. It's triggered questions on an issue multiple governments have grappled with - the UK's relationship with China. As the UK's Chancellor prepares to visit China in the new year, the BBC's Analysis Editor, Ros Atkins, looks at how relation…

The UK has announced a stepping up of its international leadership in the support of Ukraine into 2025, with a new £225m package of military support. But it’s not just weapons and aid that the UK and its allies are providing. A programme known as Operation Interflex has now trained more than 51,000 Ukrainian troops on British soil, as soldiers work…

Adam Fleming speaks to a panel of new UK MPs about whether they felt prepared when the election was called in 2024, what mistakes they’ve made in Parliament so far and what really goes on behind the scenes in the House of Commons.Labour MP for Kettering Rosie Wrighting, Conservative MP for Huntingdon Ben Obese-Jecty and Liberal Democrat MP for Sout…

“Their mission is to infiltrate enemy lines.” Former North Korean soldiers have given their insight on the condition of thousands of troops deployed to the frontline in Russia's war against Ukraine. The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, has reportedly sent around 11,000 troops to help Russian forces reclaim part of its Kursk region taken by Ukraine…

Us Brits are weather obsessed. Be it a heatwave, the latest named storm or a weather warning - it’s our go-to topic for small talk. Join BBC Weather’s Carol Kirkwood, Matt Taylor and Barra Best, along with famous faces Jeremy Vine and Lucy Porter, to explore where our fascination with a white Christmas comes from.Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfU…

The US House of Representatives has voted against a Donald Trump-backed funding measure, bringing a government shutdown a step closer. A revised spending plan failed to reach the two-thirds majority needed in the lower chamber of Congress, with 38 Republicans voting against the bill on Thursday night, defying the president-elect. After the bill fai…

US diplomats are in the Syrian capital Damascus where they plan to meet representatives from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group now in charge but which Washington still designates as a terrorist organisation. The visit follows those of delegations in recent days from the UN and other countries including the UK, France and Germany. The delegation…

Judges in the French city of Avignon have sentenced Dominique Pelicot to 20 years in prison for aggravated rape after he drugged and abused his then wife, Gisèle Pelicot, and invited dozens of strangers to rape her.Dominique stood accused alongside 50 other men. Of the 50 co-defendants found guilty, 46 were found guilty of rape, two guilty of attem…

The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said the country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or to the West. In an interview with the BBC in Damascus he called for sanctions on Syria to be lifted, saying “the victim and the oppressor should not be treated in the same way.” Sharaa led the lightning offensive that top…

Today, we discuss Gisèle Pelicot, whose ex-husband has been jailed for 20 years after drugging and raping her, and inviting dozens of strangers to also abuse her over nearly a decade.Dominique Pelicot, 72, was found guilty of all charges. He was on trial with 50 other men, all of whom were found guilty of at least one charge, although their jail te…

A major journalism body has urged Apple to scrap its new generative AI feature after it created a misleading headline about a high-profile killing in the United States. The BBC made a complaint to the US tech giant after Apple Intelligence, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to summarise and group together notifications, falsely created a head…

Eleven years since she was forced to flee the country, BBC Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab returns to Syria to be one of the first journalists for a western news network broadcasting from Damascus after the fall of the Assad regime.Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUogFor more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news #Syria #Middle…

The BBC's Russia Editor, Steve Rosenberg, has challenged Vladimir Putin on whether he has "taken care" of Russia during his 25-year rule. At the president's annual end-of-year press conference, Rosenberg reminded Putin about how his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, told him to take care of the country when he handed over power. In response, Putin said R…

The suspect accused of shooting dead healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York has dropped his legal challenge against being extradited to the city to face murder charges.Luigi Mangione is now in NYPD custody and is expected to be flown from Pennsylvania, where he was arrested, to New York. He faces charges including first-degree murder and two cou…

Speaking at a marathon end-of-year press conference, Russian president, Vladimir Putin said he should've acted earlier in Ukraine and prepared more before the full-scale invasion in February 2022.He said "victory is nearer" in Ukraine, the situation was "changing drastically" and that Russian troops were regaining more territory every day.Putin als…

Gisèle Pelicot has thanked supporters in a speech outside a court in France, after her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot was jailed for 20 years for drugging her and recruiting strangers to rape her. Gisèle told a crowd of journalists that she is thinking about her children and grandchildren and all the other families and the victims of stories "often i…

Haiti is one of the poorest countries on earth and its capital, Port-au-Prince, is largely controlled by criminal gangs. Despite the deployment of an international security force to help restore peace, there has been a recent upsurge in gang violence. When a BBC team travelled to the capital, 200 civilians were killed by a gang, whilst they were th…

Dominique Pelicot has been sentenced for 20 years after drugging his ex-wife Gisèle Pelicot and recruiting strangers to rape her for years.Fifty other have also been sentenced alongside him in Avignon, France. Dominique admitted to raping her and inviting the men he recruited online to have sex with her in her bed at home while she was unconscious …

The leader of the most powerful group in control of Syria has told the BBC that the country is exhausted by war and is no threat to its neighbours or the West. In an interview in Damascus, Ahmed al-Sharaa told the BBC's international editor Jeremy Bowen that sanctions on Syria should be lifted.Sharaa led the lightning offensive that toppled Bashar …

Today we look at Nigel Farage’s meeting with Elon Musk. Adam and Chris discuss the significance of the Reform leader’s trip to Mar A Lago to meet Elon Musk and whether he’ll be allowed to donate to them under election spending rules. They also talk about the WASPI women who have been campaigning for compensation over pension changes as they say the…

Scientists have warned that climate change could spell danger, as melting ice is forcing polar bears to spend more time on land. Churchill, a town in Manitoba, Canada, is known as the polar bear capital of the world, and is noticing the effects of climate change on the number of bears spotted. Every year, the Hudson Bay - on the western edge of the…

Over the past few days, videos have been posted online about mass graves where Bashar al-Assad's regime buried those tortured to death in Syria's notorious prisons. Local people are reporting more and more locations of mass graves across Syria, as is the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), a US-based NGO. Rights group have concluded that more than …

The UN special envoy to Syria has warned that unless the country gets urgent support, it could be plunged back into conflict. Geir Pedersen called for free and fair elections in Syria, and urged for humanitarian assistance to the country more than a week on from the downfall of President Assad. Bashar al-Assad's regime was overthrown less than two …

Palestinian news outlets have seen a steep drop in audience engagement on their Facebook pages since October 2023.BBC News Arabic and BBC World Service analysis of more than 100,000 Facebook posts shows that news organisations based in Palestinian territories have seen a 77% drop in engagement since the start of the war in Gaza. The first comprehen…

The Latvian foreign minister, Baiba Braze, has described the death of a senior Russian general as "good news".But how will Russia respond? Together with Economist’s defence editor, Shashank Joshi, they react to Lt Gen Igor Kirillov's assassination and discuss what this can mean for a potential peace negotiations in Ukraine. Listen to the full inter…