By Carrie Davies in Islamabad BBC News The father of Sara Sharif claimed his daughter’s death was an accident, the 10-year-old’s grandfather has said. In an interview with the BBC, Muhammad Sharif – the father of Urfan Sharif, Sara’s dad – said he saw his son after he arrived in Pakistan. “It was an accident,…

By Mark Savage BBC Music Correspondent In a rare move, Sean “Diddy” Combs has returned some music rights to artists and songwriters who were signed to his label, instead of cashing in on them. Bad Boy Records was one of the biggest rap labels of the 1990s, home to artists like Ma$e, Faith Evans, 112,…

By Paul Glynn Entertainment reporter Woody Allen’s return to the Venice Film Festival was greeted with cheers and positive reviews from some, but also by loud protests on the red carpet at the premiere of the US director’s new film. Most reviews called Coup De Chance, Allen’s first film entirely in French, his best work…

By Derek Cai and Martin Yip in Singapore and Hong Kong Hong Kong’s top court has refused to recognise same-sex marriages, but ordered the city to formulate an alternative framework within two years. It is a partial victory for an appeal by pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham, who had sought official recognition of his marriage to…

By Michael Ertl BBC News A boy has survived deadly floods in Spain by climbing up a tree and holding on to it overnight. The authorities said his family’s car had been swept into a river and the boy’s father was still missing. The 10-year-old was being treated for hypothermia, Spanish media reported. At least…

By Vanessa Buschschlüter BBC News The Cuban foreign ministry says it has uncovered a human trafficking ring aimed at recruiting Cubans to fight for Russia in its war in Ukraine. It said that Cubans living in Russia and “even some in Cuba” had been “incorporated into the military forces taking part in the war in…

By David Gritten BBC News Dozens of people are said to have been killed during days of clashes between a US-backed, Kurdish-led militia and Arab tribal fighters in Syria. The fighting erupted after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested the head of a tribal militia backed by Arab clans with which it worked in the…

A Delta flight from Atlanta to Barcelona was forced to turn around because of what the pilot says was a “biohazard issue” after a passenger had diarrhoea on board, media reports say. Flight 194 was two hours into its journey on Friday evening when the pilot reportedly asked to head back. He said a passenger…

By Gareth Evans BBC News US First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday evening and is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House says. The 72-year-old, who is vaccinated and has received boosters, will stay at home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where she and President Joe Biden spent part of the weekend. The…

By David Gritten BBC News The European Union has confirmed that a Swedish man working for the bloc’s diplomatic service has been detained in Iran for more than 500 days. Johan Floderus, a 33-year-old official based in Brussels, was arrested in Tehran in April 2022 while on holiday. Iran announced three months later that it…