BBC News Briefing

15 January, 2025

Sofia has long brown hair and brown eyes. She's wearing a green top and is angled slightly away from the camera

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. Israel and Hamas have reached a ceasefire and hostage deal, Qatar and the US have announced. My colleagues bring you the latest analysis and reaction. From South Korea, Rachel Lee reports on the tensions between supporters and critics of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. And finally, we visit the coldest place in Kenya's capital Nairobi to meet the ice hockey team hoping to make the Winter Olympics.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Gaza ceasefire due to start 19 January

A composite image shows, on the left, a woman raising her hands to the sky in a peace sign while surrounded by a crowd of smiling people. The image on the right shows two women smiling as they hug while holding hold torches at a protest in Tel Aviv.

Crowds in parts of Gaza and in the city of Tel Aviv in Israel welcomed news of a deal. Credit: Reuters

The agreement reached between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza involves three phases. The ceasefire is due to start on 19 January. Earlier on Wednesday, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were still "several unresolved clauses" in the deal, which the Israeli parliament is expected to discuss on Thursday. US President Joe Biden said the US, Qatar and Egypt will keep ensuring the two parties work towards a permanent ceasefire.

Get the latest

GET UP TO SPEED

Donald Trump and Marco Rubio embrace while on stage at a rally.

A day of confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill

Donald Trump's nominees for secretary of state and attorney general were among those being grilled by Senate committees.

Catch up >

A woman in a red winter jacket is livestreaming through two mobile phones outside the Supreme Court building,

US TikTok users brace for possible ban

The app will be banned in the US on 19 January - unless the Supreme Court rules that doing so would be unconstitutional.

Possible scenarios >

A docto*r with long dark hair, wearing blue scrbs, smiles at a patient who is wearing a striped tshirt and has medium-length dark hair.

Obesity label is medically flawed, says global report

Experts say splitting the definition in two is better than relying only on the body mass index to determine obesity.

Get the details >

Actor Brad Pitt has short blonde hair and blue eyes.

French woman scammed in fake Brad Pitt romance

Scammers posing as the actor conned €830,000 (£700,000; $850,000) out of their victim, who has since faced mockery.

What happened >

AT THE SCENE

Seoul, South Korea

Yoon's arrest lays bare internal rift

Supporters of President Yoon press against police officers who are holding up a black and yellow fence. The protesters are holding South korean and US flags.

In recent decades, South Korea has emerged as an economic force and a beacon of democracy in Asia. Credit: Reuters

The arrest of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday morning has concluded the security standoff outside his compound. But the country has been deeply polarised by Yoon's short-lived martial law order and impeachment by parliament.

Rachel Lee, BBC Korean

For the past month, a defiant 64-year-old Yoon was holed up inside his presidential compound in central Seoul, as his supporters and detractors rallied outside. Hundreds of them had camped out overnight on Tuesday, as the arrest appeared imminent. The only thing they shared was the food trucks keeping them warm with steaming drinks and instant noodles.

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Yoon's supporters jostled with the police officers - numbering 3,000 – who assembled to take him into custody. "Don't call us stupid far-rights," one protester shouted, reflecting the frustration in the Yoon camp. Opponents of Yoon, who had long called for his arrest, celebrated with chants and cheers. Their jubilation only made the pro-Yoon camp angrier.

Keep reading

Watch: Correspondent Shaimaa Khalil reports between groups of protesters in Seoul ahead of Yoon's arrest.

Curious fact: Despite the impeachment, President Yoon was still expected to receive a pay rise.

A woman lies sleeping in a bed. Her bedding is white and she is wearing a grey T-shirt. She has an arm above her head and her phone lies next to her on the bed

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

5 hacks to help you sleep

The secret to feeling good after a night's sleep may start during the day before.

Here's how

And finally... in Kenya

There is only one place in Nairobi where temperatures drop below 9C (48F). It's where the Kenya Ice Lions – the country's only ice hockey team – train weekly. They recently gained membership with the International Ice Hockey Federation, which will give them a chance to qualify for the Winter Olympics. Watch them train - and get to know the players.

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– Sofia

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