29+ min ago (815+ words) US lawmakers are pressing the Trump administration for answers about military strikes on suspected Venezuelan drug boats, following reports that a follow-up strike was ordered to kill survivors of an initial attack. Republican-led committees overseeing the Pentagon have vowed to conduct "vigorous oversight" into the US boat strikes in the Caribbean, following the report. On Friday, The Washington Post reported that a US strike on a boat on 2 September left two survivors, but a second attack was carried out to comply with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's orders to "kill everybody" on board. Hegseth decried the report as "fake news" and President Donald Trump said he believed him "a 100%". The US has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean and carried out a series of lethal strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia, as part of…...

35+ min ago (1708+ words) Abdulqadir Abdullah Ali suffered serious nerve damage to his leg during the long siege of the Sudanese city of el-Fasher because he could not get medicine for his diabetes. The 62-year-old walks with a heavy limp, but he was so panicked when fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) finally captured the city in the western Darfur region, he felt no pain as he ran. "The morning the RSF came there were bullets, many bullets, and explosives going off," he says. "People were out of control [with fear], they ran out of their houses, and everyone ran in different directions, the father, the son, the daughter - running." The fall of el-Fasher after an 18-month siege is a particularly brutal chapter in Sudan's civil war. The BBC has travelled to a tent camp in northern Sudan set up in army-controlled…...

36+ min ago (566+ words) Do you find yourself getting increasingly irate while scrolling through your social media feed? If so, you may be falling victim to rage bait, which Oxford University Press has named its word or phrase of the year. It is a term that describes manipulative tactics used to drive engagement online, with usage of it increasing threefold in the last 12 months, according to the dictionary publisher. Rage bait beat two other shortlisted terms - aura farming and biohack - to win the title. The list of words is intended to reflect some of the moods and conversations that have shaped 2025. Even if you don't know the term, if you're a social media user, it's quite likely you have been rage baited. According to Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, it is defined as online content deliberately designed to elicit anger…...

47+ min ago (704+ words) After using dating apps with little success for eight years, a woman met the love of her life just two weeks after deciding to ditch them. Lowri Rose, 26, from Cardiff, said she had been using the apps on and off since she was 18 but she grew increasingly unhappy with how they made her feel. Having initially sought "validation" through them, she said she found app users to be too focused on her appearance and she had received unsolicited "vulgar" messages from people on one app. Lowri said she quit the apps when she was 24 and met her fiance at a dinner hosted by mutual friends. Lowri, a social media manager, said they both felt a strong connection after meeting each other that day in April last year. "I just knew that we were going to get married and he just…...

48+ min ago (1250+ words) A landmark law to increase the number of organ donors has had little impact 10 years after it was introduced, according to a charity and an academic. Wales was the first UK nation to adopt the "soft" opt-out legislation on 1 December 2015, which presumes a person's consent to donate their organs when they die, unless they or their family have indicated otherwise. Conner Marshall's mother said consenting to his organ donation wishes following his murder that same year had been "humbling" despite the "stomach-wrenching" thought of losing him. The NHS Blood and Transplant service (NHSBT) said presumed consent was not a silver bullet to closing the gap between donation and transplantation. The organ donor consent rate increased by about 15% during the first three years of the opt-out law, but dropped to its lowest level in a decade last year. The Covid pandemic,…...

49+ min ago (1880+ words) McLaren's pitstop call did not work out in Qatar Formula 1 is heading into its first final-race championship showdown between more than two drivers for 15 years after Red Bull's Max Verstappen won a dramatic Qatar Grand Prix thanks to a significant McLaren strategy error. "Obviously not our greatest day," said McLaren driver Lando Norris, something of an understatement on a day on which his team threw away a win, albeit not for the Briton. Norris' championship lead has been cut by Verstappen to 12 points heading to Abu Dhabi next weekend, with the other McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri, a further four points behind. Piastri was left momentarily speechless after the race, as he digested the fact that a certain win had been turned into a second place to Verstappen, and his second place in the championship turned into third. "It's pretty painful,…...

1+ hour, 34+ min ago (509+ words) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says talks with Ukraine over a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war were productive, but there's "more work to be done". The talks, held in Florida, were attended by a Ukrainian delegation led by national security council secretary Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's new chief negotiator. Also present were President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Witkoff is due to visit Moscow for talks next week. Umerov was brought in to replace Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's top negotiator, Andriy Yermak, after he quit following an anti-corruption raid on his home. Sunday's meeting is the latest step in two weeks of intense diplomatic activity. It was sparked by the leaking of a 28-point US peace plan which shocked Ukraine and its European allies for appearing to favour Russia, which invaded Ukraine nearly four…...

1+ hour, 38+ min ago (253+ words) Once Emi Martinez tipped Yerson Mosquera's header on to the bar before half-time the result felt eerily predictable. Wolves had the better chances and had the ball in the net - before VAR denied Jorgen Strand Larsen - and caused Villa some real trouble. Ultimately, it was an even game, one which Wolves could have won, but - as so often - they lacked the final bit of quality - or luck - to get that result. In contrast to Villa, Wolves just miss that player who is able to conjure a magic moment and paid the price. They did deserve something from the game and, again, there was plenty of heart and commitment but the result extended the winless start to 13, approaching Sheffield United's unwanted Premier League record of 17. If Wolves can recreate the performance against lesser sides - and more importantly take their chances - then…...

1+ hour, 39+ min ago (659+ words) Arsenal have only failed to beat Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Sunderland this season in the Premier League. Facing Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Chelsea inside a week - a run any side would find an extreme test - and earning two wins and a battling draw cannot be considered anything other than a positive return but Arsenal may be left feeling they could have done even better. After superb performances in beating rivals Spurs before dispatching Bayern at the Emirates, Sunday's clash with Chelsea was always going to be difficult with recovery time limited. And preparations were further hit with key centre-back William Saliba ruled out with a knock picked up in training - the France international set for more tests. Given that context, a 1-1 draw secured through Mikel Merino's header to leave the Gunners five points clear at the top of the…...

1+ hour, 59+ min ago (1059+ words) Viking played in the Conference League qualifiers this season but did not reach the group stages Viking FK have wrapped up their first Norwegian league title in 34 years, sparking big celebrations in the city of Stavanger. Sunday's 5-1 home win over Valerenga on the final day of the season saw them finish one point above dethroned champions Bodo/Glimt, who beat Fredrikstad 5-0. It marked Viking's first league title since 1991 - having been in the second tier as recently as 2018. "A lot of people have been very nervous and excited about what's going on these days. I've never experienced it before," Lars Risan - a Viking fan and podcaster told BBC Radio 5 Live this week. The schoolteacher, who called for everyone to be given the day off on Monday if they won the title, added: "Hopefully it won't be the only time in their…...