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

It’s been confirmed that the Republicans will hold on to their majority in the US House of Representatives following the recent election, giving Donald Trump's party control over all the major levers of government.Mr Trump has nominated Congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general, former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intellig…

Senate Republicans have elected their colleague from South Dakota, John Thune, as their new leader in the chamber. The 63-year-old won a secret ballot on Wednesday, defeating Florida Senator Rick Scott and Texan Senator John Cornyn. It is the first time in 17 years that Republicans have chosen a new Senate leader replacing Mitch McConnell, the long…

President-elect Donald Trump is meeting with outgoing President Joe Biden for the traditional meeting at the Oval Office - where both men said they hoped for a "smooth" presidential transition after a "tough" political campaign. The outgoing First Lady joined President Joe Biden to greet President-elect Trump at the White House this morning. During…

Pubs, bars and clubs that have signed up for a scheme designed to protect people on nights out from harassment and unwanted advances are not implementing it, a BBC undercover investigation has found.The Ask for Angela initiative, a not-for-profit project in place at thousands of venues nationwide, aims to provide a discreet lifeline for those feeli…

The mystery as to why a beluga whale appeared off the coast of Norway wearing a harness may finally have been solved. The tame white whale made headlines five years ago amidst widespread speculation that it was a Russian spy, which experts now believe belonged to the military. One expert in the species says she believes the whale did escape from a …

The militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad have released a hostage video of Alexander Trufanov, also known as Sasha. He is a 28-year-old man who is one of a hundred or so people still thought to be held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. This comes as the US says Israel has not breached American laws on blocking aid supplies, after a 30-day deadline it …

Elon Musk has been made head of a new "Department of Government Efficiency" by Donald Trump, the latest appointment to the president-elect's emerging team. Trump says the billionaire businessman will co-lead the organisation with former Republican primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The department will "provide advice and guidance from outside of go…

Fixing LED strip lights to the bottom of surfboards could deter attacks by great white sharks, Australian scientists say. A study conducted in Mossel Bay, South Africa involved towing seal-shaped boards fitted with different configurations of lights behind a boat to see which attracted the most attention. The researchers from Macquarie University i…

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned, days after a damning report said the Church of England had known for years about a serial child abuser who subjected more than 100 boys and young men to sexual and physical assaults. .In a resignation statement Welby said he "must take personal and institutional responsibility for the long and…

The president of COP29’s host country has told the UN climate conference that oil and gas are a "gift of god".Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev criticised "Western fake news" about the country's emissions and said nations "should not be blamed" for having fossil fuel reserves.The country plans to expand gas production by up to a third over the ne…

The value of cryptocurrencies have been surging since Donald Trump’s US election victory last week. Bitcoin has now broken into new territory, heading towards $90,000 a token. Other cryptocurrencies, including dogecoin - which has been promoted by high-profile Trump supporter Elon Musk - are also making gains. On the campaign trail the president-el…

At least 35 people have been killed and 43 more injured after a car ploughed into a crowd of people at a stadium in Zhuhai, China on Monday, according to authorities. A 62-year-old male driver, surnamed Fan, is alleged to have driven an SUV through a barrier and into Zhuhai Sports Centre in what local police described as a "serious and vicious atta…

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned following a report into a child abuser associated with the Church of England. In his resignation statement, Welby said the report "exposed the long-maintained conspiracy of silence about the heinous abuses of John Smyth". He added, when he was told in 2013 that Smyth had been reported to police…

Oil giant Shell has won a landmark case in the Dutch courts, overturning an earlier ruling requiring it to cut its carbon emissions by 45%. The Hague court of appeal said it could not establish that Shell had a "social standard of care" to reduce its emissions by 45% or any other amount, even though it agreed the company had an obligation to citize…

A US deadline set for Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza expires on Tuesday. The UN said Israel hasn’t done nearly enough to meet the American demands, which include allowing more aid in, evacuating the sick and critically injured and limiting civilian casualties. Israel said it had met most of the demands, but was still discussin…

New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has formally apologised to victims of abuse in care homes, following an inquiry into one of the country's biggest abuse scandals.The historic apology, delivered in parliament, comes after a report found that 200,000 children and vulnerable adults had suffered abuse while in state and faith-based care b…

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is facing mounting pressure to resign after a damning report into a child abuser associated with the Church of England. The spiritual head of the world Anglican communion is accused of failing to act on reports of horrific child abuse by John Smyth QC, who preyed on more than 100 boys and young men.A review…

Premier League referee David Coote has been suspended after a video allegedly showing him making derogatory comments about Liverpool and the club's former manager Jurgen Klopp was circulated on social media. Refereeing body PGMOL says the suspension comes into force with immediate effect and is pending a full investigation. The video, widely shared…

Armistice Day has been marked with two minutes of silence across the UK and in Europe. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joined an event in Paris, while Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, led the ceremony at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. Sir Keir and the French president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc d…

US President-elect Donald Trump has made two more key appointments ahead of his return to the White House in January. Tom Homan, 62, will serve as Trump's "border tsar", having previously served as the returning president's acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, 40, has also been made ambassad…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promised €3.8bn in aid to deal with the aftermath of the floods in the country. More than 200 people died in the flooding, which was caused by torrential rain hitting Valencia and neighbouring provinces in October. The announcement comes after a huge night of protests in Valencia which saw over 100,000 peopl…

A Church of England bishop has called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to resign, calling his position "untenable" after a damning report into abuse by a prolific child abuser associated with the Church. Bishop of Newcastle Helen-Ann Hartley is the most senior member of the Church to call on the Most Rev Justin Welby to stand down, following the "ho…

You’re watching Path to the Presidency with Caitríona, Sumi and Katty – a weekly discussion about the 2024 US election with the BBC’s official election night anchors. In this episode, the BBC’s Sumi Somaskanda, Caitríona Perry and Katty Kay discuss what the next few weeks in US politics may look like, after Donald Trump’s election victory. Subscrib…

Arab and Muslim leaders have met in Saudi Arabia to discuss the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The summit in Riyadh will focus on what has been described as Israel’s ongoing aggression in the region. The new Israeli Defence Minister said his country is close to defeating Hezbollah, and described the killing of the group’s leader in September as a “crown…

Large swathes of South Sudan have been under water for several years after unprecedented flooding, which scientists say has been worsened by climate change. In recent years, these climate-driven floods have mixed with oil. South Sudan is the world’s youngest country and one of its poorest, with a government hugely dependent on oil revenue. Health p…

The Kremlin has denied that a phone call took place between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, claiming an article reporting it "does not correspond at all to reality". Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported that the US president-elect had already spoken to Putin. The article claimed Trump had urged the Russian leader not to further escalate …

The UN's annual climate conference has begun, with world leaders from around 200 nations due to appear over the next two weeks. COP29 is being held in Baku, the capital of oil-producing nation Azerbaijan. The assembled delegate will discuss ways to limit and prepare for future climate change. A particular focus will be how countries plan to limit l…

When it was announced Black Ops 6 would launch on subscription service Game Pass, industry leaders were torn on whether it would work or not. Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, the director of Call of Duty Black Ops 6, Miles Leslie, has revealed whether the gamble paid off and what it could mean for the future of the franchise and gaming as a whole. Miles a…

At least 30 people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a house in Jabalia, northern Gaza, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa and Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence agency. The civil defence said the dead included 13 children.And at least 23 people, including seven children, have been killed in Almat near Byblos, to the north of…

Russia launched a record 145 drones at Ukraine on Sunday, according to officials. Ukraine says it managed to shoot down 62 drones and also attacked an arsenal in the Bryansk region of Russia overnight. Ukraine also launched its biggest drone strike on Moscow since the start of the war in 2022. At least 34 drones were launched at the Russian capital…

Donald Trump is projected to have won the state of Arizona, giving the Republican all seven swing states in the US presidential election. After four days of vote counting, the final US state has declared its result, giving Trump a final electoral college vote total of 312, while Kamala Harris got 226. There is still one branch of Congress to be dec…

Qatar has withdrawn as a mediator in ceasefire and hostage release talks between Israel and Hamas, reports say. It comes after senior US officials reportedly said Washington would no longer accept the presence of Hamas representatives in Qatar – where they have had a base since 2012 - accusing the Palestinian group of rejecting fresh proposals for …

At least 25 people have been killed and dozens others injured after a bomb exploded at a railway station in Pakistan's Balochistan province, authorities have said.The explosion happened as a popular morning train was about to leave Quetta station in southwestern Pakistan.A militant group, the Balochistan Liberation Army, said it carried out the bom…

Former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said Democrats might have seen more success in the US election if President Joe Biden had quit the race sooner. The party was beaten in the race to the White House by Republican Donald Trump, and finger pointing has began. Pelosi - one of the most powerful politicians in Washington - told …

Three men have been charged by the US Justice Department over an alleged plot by Iran to murder Donald Trump and other American citizens. The US government says the plot was thwarted by the FBI. One of the accused men hasn't been arrested and is believed to be in Iran. Prosecutors say the plan dates back to September, before the Presidential electi…

The US government has brought charges against an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump before he was elected the next president.The Department of Justice on Friday unsealed an indictment against Farhad Shakeri, 51, alleging he was tasked with “providing a plan” to kill Trump.The US government said Mr Shakeri has…

Amsterdam's mayor has condemned "hit and run" attacks on Israeli football fans visiting the city. Mayor Femke Halsema said the city is looking back at a "black night and a dark day". She said men on scooters roamed the city attacking supporters after trouble between Maccabi Tel Aviv football club fans and pro-Palestinian protesters. Amsterdam polic…

A senior official at COP29 climate change conference in Azerbaijan appears to have used his role to arrange a meeting to discuss potential fossil fuel deals, the BBC can report. A secret recording shows the chief executive of Azerbaijan's COP29 team, Elnur Soltanov, discussing "investment opportunities" in the state oil and gas company with a man p…

Donald Trump is on course to win Nevada and increase his margin of victory in the US election.The state was one of seven identified as key targets for both campaigns - and six have been called for Trump, with Arizona the only swing state that has not yet declared its results.Trump has also announced his campaign manager, Susan Summerall Wiles, will…

Violence broke out in Amsterdam last night as Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv was in the city for a Europa League match. At least 62 people were arrested, Dutch police say, and five people taken to hospital. There were arrests in Dam Square before the match, with reports of clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and Maccabi fans. Videos …

Donald Trump is set to return to the White House, having promised action on issues including immigration, the economy and abortion. While campaigning, Trump promised the biggest mass deportations of undocumented migrants in US history. Trump has promised to "end inflation" - which rose to high levels under President Joe Biden before falling again. …

Protests have erupted in Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired the country's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.Netanyahu said a "crisis of trust" between the two leaders led to his decision, adding that Foreign Minister Israel Katz would step in to replace him.Gallant said his removal was due to disagreement on three issues, including hi…

President Joe Biden has addressed the nation from the White House, in his first speech since Donald Trump's election win. Biden began his remarks by saying that for over 200 years, the US has carried out the "greatest experiment of self-government in the history of the world", where the people vote and choose their own leaders and do it peacefully,…

Donald Trump has soared to a decisive election victory over Kamala Harris, lifted up by some of the very voters that Democrats once relied on. The Republican president-elect showed strength with the white working-class voters who first propelled him to the White House in 2016, while racking up huge support from Latino voters and putting in a better…

Kamala Harris's supporters have been reacting to her loss in the US election.At a concession speech in Washington DC, the vice-president acknowledged "the outcome of this election is not what we wanted", but insisted there must be a peaceful transfer of power.Donald Trump will begin to choose his cabinet in the "days and weeks ahead", the team lead…

News of Donald Trump's return to power in the White House has made global headlines. But he will face more complicated challenges now than the first time round. The Republican once vowed to end the war in Ukraine in a single day, and has repeatedly criticised US military aid for Ukraine. Meanwhile Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, was on…

Germany's governing coalition has collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired a key minister, and said he would call a vote of confidence in his government early next year. The chancellor said he had no trust in Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who heads the pro-business Free Democrats and has been part of the coalition along with Scholz's Soci…

Donald Trump has won the 2024 US presidential election, in a historic political comeback. But what will actually change when his new term begins? The Americast team assemble to separate the fact from fiction: Will he really declassify the JFK files and end the war in Ukraine on his first day in office? Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog For more…

Donald Trump’s return to the White House is set to reshape US foreign policy, promising uncertainty on many fronts.Mr Trump has promised to end the war in Ukraine and reset trade relations, with America First policies of protectionism and tariffs. Policy in the Middle East, where Israel is fighting in Gaza and Lebanon with US military support, is u…