BBC News Briefing

12 June, 2025

Alex has light brown, bobbed hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a pink jumper over a high-necked grey top

Alex Binley

Hello. Only one person out of the 242 people on board the crashed Air India flight has survived, the airline has announced - we have the latest. From Jordan, special correspondent Fergal Keane reunites with the family of baby Siwar as she's evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment in Amman. And finally, watch the heart-warming moment a Ukrainian prisoner of war is reunited with his daughter after being held for more than three years.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

British national is only passenger to survive India plane crash

A man lies on his back in a hospital bed. He is wearing a blue gown and appears to have a white bandage on his left arm. A man wearing all white, with a white scarf around his neck has his hand on the injured man's shoulder and appears to be speaking to him. A number of other men stand around he hospital bed

British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh was visited in hospital by Indian interior minister Amit Shah. Credit: Reuters

A British national is the sole survivor of the Air India crash, the airline has confirmed. Video appears to show Vishwashkumar Ramesh walking away from the wreckage in Ahmedabad and towards a waiting ambulance. He spoke to his brother afterwards, who told the BBC he has "no idea" how he escaped. Footage also captures the moment the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, goes down, reportedly crashing into a doctors' hostel. At least 50 medical students are being treated in hospital. "The scale of the tragedy is truly, truly, massive... it feels apocalyptic," our correspondent Yogita Limaye reports from the scene.

Get the latest

GET UP TO SPEED

A man wearing a navy blue jacket and top appears to be being forcibly moved by two men who cannot be seen as another man, wearing a green top and a cap, is standing between the camera and the three others

Senator forcibly removed from press conference

Alex Padilla was forced to the ground and handcuffed after trying to ask a question, his spokesperson said.

Watch what happened >

Harvey Weinstein sits behind a wooden desk in what appears to be a courtroom. He is wearing a navy blue suit, white shirt and dark blue tie. He has very short grey hair. Behind him, the torsos of two police officers can be seen

Mistrial declared on rape charge in Weinstein case

It comes after a juror refused to continue deliberations over an alleged attack in 2013 on actress Jessica Mann.

More on this >

RFK Jr wears a navy blue suit, blue shirt and dark lue tie. He has grey hair and is tanned. He is pointing with one hand and appears to be talking

RFK Jr appoints new US vaccine advisers

Some of the new members - appointed after sackings - are allies of Kennedy and have histories of vaccine scepticism.

What this means >

A large Labubu toy is on display in a gallery. It looks a like a cross between a person and a rabbit. It is plastic and is blue, with big ears on top of its head, blue eyes and pointy teeth

Human-sized Labubu doll sells for more than $150k

The 131cm (4ft 4in) figurine was sold at an auction in Beijing. The auctioneer said it's the most expensive toy of its kind.

Read more >

AT THE SCENE

Jordan

A frail cry and relief: Malnourished baby Siwar evacuated from Gaza

Siwar is lying on her back on a white blanket. She has her arms up by her head and is wearing a white hat with some lace on it, a white babygrow and a jacket with bears on it

Jordan has offered to bring 2,000 seriously ill children to Amman for treatment. Credit: BBC

At the beginning of May, the BBC filmed with five-month-old Siwar Ashour. Siwar was showing signs of advanced malnutrition and weighed around a third of what she should. An allergy to regular milk formula, war and an Israeli blockade on aid - which was partially eased three weeks ago - created a severe shortage of the baby milk she needed. On Wednesday, she was one of 16 children and their families evacuated to Jordan for medical treatment.

Fergal Keane has grey hair and a grey beard. He is outside and his hair is lown back by the wind. He is wearing a black anorak

Fergal Keane, special correspondent

In person six-month-old Siwar is tinier than any visual image can convey. She now weighs 3kg (6.6lb) but should be twice that. Her mother, Najwa, smiles as she describes her feelings on crossing into Jordan. The first thing she noticed was the quiet. Siwar was also accompanied by her grandmother and her father, Saleh, who is blind. "The first and last goal of this trip is Siwar," says Saleh. "We want to get her to a safe shore. I want to make sure she is safe and cured. She's my daughter, my own flesh and blood. And I'm so deeply worried about her."

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After an hour we reached Amman and Siwar was transferred into the arms of a nurse and then to another ambulance. Over the next few days she will be tested and given the kind of treatment that is simply impossible under current conditions in Gaza. And her mother, father and grandmother - those who watch over her - will sleep without fear.

Keep reading

Bus attack: The controversial new group backed by Israel and the US for aid distribution in Gaza said Hamas attacked a bus transporting some of its Palestinian workers, killing at least eight people.

Bodies recovered: The bodies of two Israeli hostages have been recovered from Gaza, PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

Activists deported: Six of the eight activists who were kept in Israel after their boat was intercepted on its way to try to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza have been deported, Israel has confirmed.

An image shows undulating, grey clouds in the sky, stretching away into the distance. On the ground is a wide open road through fields

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SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Cloud health

Bacteria, fungi and viruses play a vital role in the weather and even our health.

Find out more

And finally... in Ukraine

After 1,138 days (more than three years) held captive, this is the moment a Ukrainian prisoner of war is finally reunited with his young daughter. Mia was so little when her dad was captured that she didn't remember him and told her mum that she was worried she would be shy, but when she saw him, she was the first to run up to him.

US Politics Unspun newsletter

No noise. No agenda. Just expert analysis of the issues that matter most, from North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher.

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– Alex

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