BBC News Briefing

2 June, 2025

Sofia has long brown hair and brown eyes and is wearing a green top.

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. US prosecutors are expected to give a news conference about the attack in Colorado and suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who has been charged with a federal hate crime. My colleagues have the latest. In Nigeria, correspondent Azeezat Olaoluwa speaks to survivors of devastating flash floods that have killed hundreds of people in one town. And finally, watch as large plumes of ash and smoke rise from an erupting Mount Etna.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Suspect plotted attack 'for a year', FBI says

A mugshot of Soliman, who has grey hair and brown eyes. A bandage covers his right ear.

US authorities say Soliman entered the country on a B2 visa in August 2022 and later filed for asylum. Credit: Boulder County Police

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the 45-year-old Egyptian national arrested over a "suspected act of terrorism" in Boulder, Colorado, has been charged with a hate crime offence, according to an FBI affidavit. The FBI said that he had been planning the attack for a year. The group targeted in the attack, Run for their Lives, supports the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Details of the suspect's immigration status have prompted reactions from members of the Trump administration, plunging the incident into the vortex of American politics, writes North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher.

Get the latest

GET UP TO SPEED

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with the Head of the Security Service (SSU) Vasyl Malyuk, who had reported on the operation against Russian airbases

Ukraine's attack on Russia sends message to allies

The destruction of strategic bombers shows Kyiv is "still in the fight", as talks in Istanbul end with no major breakthrough.

Paul Adams's analysis >

Karol Nawrocki has short grey hair and blue eyes. He hold his left hand up in a victory sign while wearing a blue suit, a white shirt and a red tie.

Polish presidential election boosts conservatives

President-elect Karol Nawrocki takes up a largely ceremonial role, but his impact on the country's politics may be profound.

Here's why >

An image of Madeleine McCann, a young girl with blonde straight hair and green eyes.

New search in Portugal in Madeleine McCann case

German police will undertake a new search as part of ongoing investigations into the child's disappearance in 2007.

What to know >

Bill Gates, who is wearing a jumper and has on his glasses, speaks to Reuters news agency on 8 May in in New York City

Bill Gates to give most of his fortune to Africa

The billionaire said his foundation will focus on health and education projects in the continent over the next 20 years.

Read more >

AT THE SCENE

Mokwa, Nigeria

More than 200 killed in flash floods

Adamu Yusuf wears a black long shirt, light-blue shorts and brown flip-flops as he stand among the muddy rubble of what was his home.

Adamu Yusuf lost nine members of his family, including his wife and newborn baby. BBC/Gift Ufuoma

Local officials in the town of Mokwa in north-central Nigeria said more than 200 people have died after floods hit the area last week. Another 500 people are missing and authorities have suspended rescue efforts, believing they are unlikely to be found alive.

Azeezar has brown curly hair and brown eyes.

Azeezat Olaoluwa, BBC News

The mood in the Tiffin Maza community on Saturday was one of grief, despair and loss. Scattered clothes, soaked mattresses and crushed metal roofing sheets were some of the last remains of what are now hundreds of destroyed houses. The structures still standing bear the harsh impact of the floods, with roofs washed off or parts of the buildings destroyed.

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There was a strong foul smell, and residents believe it is proof that there were dead bodies under the thick mud the floods washed up. They are working to find them and give the dead a decent burial like they have done for others since Thursday. Authorities are yet to confirm if a dam broke, exacerbating the impact of the recent floods as widely reported.

Keep reading

Assessing the disaster: The floods that hit Mokwa are said to be worst in the area for 60 years.

Bill Clinton has white hair and blue eyes. He is wearing a brown jacket over a checked shirt. He has a small US flag badge on his jacket's lapel

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SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Clinton on life as a writer

The former US president explains how real life informed his new thriller.

Read now

And finally... in Italy

Italy's Mount Etna has erupted, with large plumes of ash and smoke seen rising from Europe's largest active volcano. Images and video from the island of Sicily showed volcanic material spilling out of the volcano on Monday morning. Take a look.

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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– Sofia

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