By Jonathan Beale, defence correspondent Bakhmut, eastern Ukraine Ukrainian forces are trying to retake the city of Bakhmut in the country’s east. The BBC was given exclusive access to a team of elite snipers, referred to as “the Ghosts of Bakhmut”, who are conducting night raids nearby. Ghost, the sniping team’s commander, takes us to…

Jaan Roose, an Estonian slackline athlete, walked 150m (492ft) on a slackline tied between the Iconic Towers in Lusail Marina, Qatar. A slackline, a rope made of strong fabric and stretched above the ground, holds less tension than a tightrope. This slackline was tied 185m (606ft) above the ground. The achievement means the three-time Slackline…

Australian Department of Defence By Derek Cai BBC News, Singapore There’s no longer any hope of locating survivors from a military helicopter crash, Australia’s defence minister says. A significant amount of wreckage was recovered, pointing to a “catastrophic incident”, Richard Marles told reporters on Monday. The crash happened during a multinational military exercise off Lindeman…

Indigenous women and police clashed in Lima, Peru on Saturday in the latest in a long wave of protests calling for the resignation of President Dina Boluarte. Demonstrators blame the government for the death of over 60 people in the protests, which started in December 2022. Ms Boluarte was sworn in after her predecessor Pedro…

Getty Images Madonna has thanked her family and friends for their support after she was hospitalised with a serious bacterial infection last month. The singer shared an update on social media saying she was lucky to be alive after her time in intensive care (ICU). “When the chips were down my children really showed up…

From its origins with the Phoenicians to Twitter’s rebrand, “x” is one of the English alphabet’s most powerful and alluring letters, writes Clare Thorp. As letters of the alphabet go, there is one that punches well above its weight. Out of a total of 308,000 entries in the Oxford English Dictionary, just 366 words begin…

Is the world of opera becoming more inclusive? A new documentary, featuring conductor Antonio Pappano, explores the mission to open up the art form to everyone. Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano is renowned for being a warm-hearted “people person”. But there’s one thing that makes his blood run cold: when he hears opera being accused of…

Allowing your baby to self-feed is claimed to help them broaden their palate and control their appetite, but does the evidence back that up – and is it safe? Picture an infant fed her first meal of solid food. If you live in a Western, industrialised country, one image might particularly come to mind: a…

Reuters By Soutik Biswas India correspondent Scholars have hailed India’s Supreme Court as the most powerful in the world – and not without reason. The 73-year-old court can nullify executive acts, parliamentary laws and amendments to the Constitution. It also has the power to initiate cases independently, appoint “friends of the court” to help it…

Joanna Mccall-Shaw By Faarea Masud Business reporter Online marketplace Etsy has come under fire from sellers for putting 75% of their takings on hold for 45 days. Hundreds of small business owners got an email from Etsy notifying them it was actioning its “reserve system”. Ceramics seller Rachel Collyer said Etsy was holding £899 of…