Is Rishi Sunak about to become the first prime minister to lose three by-elections in a day since 1968? I’ve been chatting to the parties over the course of today. Senior Tories say they expect to lose all three. There’s some expectation management going on here, but the general mood is pretty bleak. Labour are…

Reuters By Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News The pilot of a helicopter that crashed in Canada’s Alberta province during wildfire fighting operations has died, authorities said. Investigators are headed to the site of the deadly crash which took place southeast of the town of Manning in the province’s Peace River area. The crash comes days…

Getty Images By Bethany Bell in Vienna and Laura Gozzi BBC News A US businessman has donated fragments of what is believed to be Ludwig van Beethoven’s skull to a Vienna university for study. Paul Kaufmann said he felt “very privileged to be able to return the Beethoven skull fragments, which I inherited, to where…

Getty Images A Ponzi scheme operator whose prison sentence was commuted by former US President Donald Trump has been charged with a similar fraud. Eli Weinstein, 48, was among 143 people whose convictions were either fully pardoned or commuted in Mr Trump’s final hours in office. But less than a year after release, Mr Weinstein…

EPA By Graeme Baker BBC News Ethnic violence has plunged the small Indian state of Manipur into what many have dubbed a state of civil war as the two largest groups, the majority Meitei and minority Kuki, battle over land and influence. Shocking video emerged this week of an attack in May when two Kuki…

Golf ball-sized hail smashed through the roof of a Walmart in western Wisconsin on Wednesday. The damage from the storm forced the store to close that night and the following day, a store manager told the BBC. The hail, in tandem with rainfall and tornado warnings, caused destruction throughout Wisconsin’s Barron and Pierce counties. Next…

By Peter Jegwa Lilongwe, Malawi A Malawian court has convicted a Chinese national on multiple charges including trafficking and procuring children to take part in entertainment. Lu Ke, also known as Susu, has been handed a 12-month prison sentence, which he has already served in police custody. He has been ordered to leave the country…

A pedestrian in Argentina was caught between two cars that collided before careening away in opposite directions. The crash happened as the woman crossed the street at an intersection in La Plata a city in Buenos Aires Province. Local authorities reported that the woman and drivers were not seriously injured.

Getty Images The chief executive of the banking group that owns Coutts has apologised to Nigel Farage for “deeply inappropriate” comments about him after his account was closed. Natwest boss Alison Rose said the comments did not reflect its view. Former leader of the UK Independence Party Mr Farage had said that Coutts had targeted…

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. By Nadine Yousif BBC News The Iraqi government has ordered the Swedish ambassador in Baghdad to leave as a diplomatic dispute over the recent burning of a Quran in Stockholm intensifies. Baghdad has also recalled its charge…