British waste dumped in Romania

When Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space 60 years ago, his chances of survival were only estimated to be less than 50:50, author Stephen Walker has told BBC World News. Mr Walker, whose book, Beyond, tells the story of Yuri Gagarin’s mission, says the cosmonaut was launched into space sitting at the top…

Refugees across Afghanistan are in a race against death, as freezing winter temperatures and a lack of food add to the country’s crisis, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland has said. He told BBC World News: “They have no food at all for the coming weeks. The little income they had…

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect early on Friday. Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory in the recent conflict. But it may prove “difficult” for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to label the military operation a political success, says former Israeli deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon. It was a case of…

The evacuation flights out of Afghanistan may have largely stopped, but with international funding largely frozen, and a humanitarian crisis escalating, thousands are still desperate to find a way out. The remote town of Zaranj, close to the borders of both Pakistan and Iran, is a major people smuggling hub. Traffickers there told BBC Afghanistan…

Hamas is co-operating with international mediators to achieve a ceasefire and calm, a spokesperson for the Islamist militant group which runs Gaza has said. Bassem Naeem told BBC World News: “The key is very simple, to withdraw the security forces from the al-Aqsa compound and to stop ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people from Sheikh Jarrah.”…

BBC Click’s Marc Cieslak looks at the best of the week’s technology news, including: Gamers under 18 in China are being told they can play for only very limited hours Vauxhall says the global shortage of computer chips will continue to be a problem’ for the auto industry for the rest of the year Agility…