Reuters By Peter Hoskins & Fan Wang BBC News Earlier this week Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to X – another step in his plan to emulate Chinese mega app WeChat. Mr Musk has long said that he wants to transform his social media firm, which he bought last year for $44bn (£34.4bn), into a much…

Obe, a 25-year-old horse, was airlifted to hospital after slipping and falling in Orange Country, southern California. The hoofed mammal had been on a walk with his owner when the incident occurred. Struggling to get up, Obe was sedated before he was fitted with a harness and taken to the skies before landing at the…

Reuters By Alys Davies BBC News A federal judge has thrown out a $475m (£369m) defamation lawsuit brought by Donald Trump against CNN for allegedly likening him to Adolf Hitler. The US cable network described Mr Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him as the “Big Lie”. Mr Trump…

AFP By Sarah Smith, North America editor Des Moines, Iowa On the night a dozen of Donald Trump’s Republican rivals spoke at the same event in Iowa, only one challenged the former president head on – and he was roundly booed. It highlights the grip Mr Trump still has on his party. Someone backstage at…

At least nine people have been killed and more than 115 injured after a blast at a fireworks warehouse in a market in southern Thailand on Saturday. The blast in Sungai Kolok, on the Malaysian border is thought to have been caused by construction work. The market fire is now under control, the local governor…

Reuters By Sebastian Usher, Arab affairs editor & Alys Davies BBC News A sex tape in Iran has led to the suspension of an official in charge of promoting Islamic values – and prompted authorities to deny any prior knowledge of his alleged behaviour. A video posted online allegedly shows the head of culture and…

Reuters The son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been arrested for money laundering and illicit enrichment by the country’s attorney general. Nicolas Petro, a politician in Atlantico province, was detained over allegations he was paid by drug traffickers to fund his father’s peace efforts and election campaign. He has denied the claims and welcomed…

A bear has been spotted taking a dip in a swimming pool in the backyard of a house in California. Extreme heat has hit parts of the US, including here, with temperatures breaking records across states. Burbank Police Department posted footage on social media of the bear splashing around and escaping the heat, before it…

Thai Armed Forces At least nine people have been killed and more than 115 injured after a blast at a fireworks warehouse in a market in southern Thailand on Saturday. The blast in Sungai Kolok, on the Malaysian border, at around 15:00 local time (09:00 BST) is thought to have been caused by construction work.…

Reuters By Adam Easton & James Gregory BBC News, in Warsaw and London Wagner fighters in Belarus could pose as migrants and enter the EU, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has warned. Wagner could also facilitate illegal migration from Belarus, which Poland describes as “hybrid warfare”, he says. About 100 Wagner troops have moved near…