BBC News (World)

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed, state media says

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been killed, state media confirms.

President Donald Trump earlier said Khamenei had been killed by US-Israeli strikes across Iran. read more

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office

We've now seen a statement from Thames Valley police, which says:

"As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.

"The man remains in police custody at this time.

"We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance. Please also remember that this case is now active so care should be taken with any publication to avoid being in contempt of court."

Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.

read more

Trump revokes landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health

US President Donald Trump has reversed a key Obama-era scientific ruling that underpins all federal actions on curbing planet-warming gases.

The so-called 2009 "endangerment finding" concluded that a range of greenhouse gases were a threat to public health. It's become the legal bedrock of federal efforts to rein in emissions, especially in vehicles.

The White House called the reversal the "largest deregulation in American history", saying it would make cars cheaper, bringing down costs for automakers by $2,400 per vehicle. read more

We had sex in a Chinese hotel, then found we had been broadcast to thousands

One night in 2023, Eric was scrolling on a social media channel he regularly browsed for porn. Seconds into a video, he froze.

He realised the couple he was watching - entering the room, setting down their bags, and later, having sex - was himself and his girlfriend. Three weeks earlier, they had spent the night in a hotel in Shenzhen, southern China, unaware that they were not alone.

Their most intimate moments had been captured by a camera hidden in their hotel room, and the footage made available to thousands of strangers who had logged in to the channel Eric himself used to access pornography.

Eric (not his real name) was no longer just a consumer of China's spy-cam porn industry, but a victim. read more

Clintons agree to testify on Epstein as vote looms to hold them in contempt of Congress

Former US President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, have agreed to testify in the congressional investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

It comes days before a vote on whether to hold the couple in criminal contempt for refusing to appear before the House Oversight Committee after a months-long standoff.

Bill Clinton was acquainted with Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, but has denied knowledge of his sex offending and says he cut off contact two decades ago. read more

South Africa and Israel expel each other's envoys in diplomatic row

South Africa has expelled Israel's top diplomat in the country for "violating diplomatic norms", a move that prompted Israel to kick out a South African envoy in retaliation.

The diplomatic row started when South Africa's foreign affairs ministry declared Ariel Seidman, chargé d'affaires at the Israeli embassy, persona non grata and gave him 72 hours to leave the country.

Hours later, Israel announced similar action against South Africa's ambassador to Palestine Shaun Edward Byneveldt. read more