BIG Wrap

(BBC News) Britain will not surrender its flag to those who wish to use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The prime minister said the flag represents "our diverse country" and he will not allow people to feel intimidated on "our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin." His comments come after more than 150,000 people took to the streets of central London for...

(BBC News) More NATO countries will move troops and fighter jets eastward after more than a dozen drones entered Polish airspace on Wednesday. Denmark, France and Germany have joined a new mission to bolster the military alliance's eastern flank. Other NATO allies are expected to take part later. Tensions have been high across Europe since Poland accused Russia of an unprecedented incursion. Some of the 19 drones that entered Polish territory were shot down, while others...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) United States officials have agreed to a prisoner exchange after a rare talk with the authorities in Kabul, according to the Taliban administration’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s special envoy for hostage response, and Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US special envoy for Afghanistan, met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. “Adam Boehler, referring to the issue of detained citizens between Afghanistan and the United States, said that...

(BBC News) Nepal's former Supreme Court chief justice Sushila Karki has become the country's interim prime minister after deadly anti-corruption protests ousted the government. Karki, 73, was sworn in during a brief ceremony, becoming the first woman to lead the impoverished Himalayan nation after a deal was reached with protest leaders. More than 50 people were killed in clashes with riot police during this week's mass protests sparked by a ban on social media platforms. The ban...

(Washington Times) The manhunt for Charlie Kirk’s killer is over, authorities said Friday. It ended with the arrest of a 22-year-old man who reportedly despised Kirk’s viewpoints. Police arrested Tyler Robinson in the shooting death of the rising conservative star, Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced Friday. “We got him,” Cox said at a press conference. Robinson had “confessed” to “a family friend,” the governor said, who then contacted the Washington County, Utah, Sheriff’s Office. The hunt for a suspect concluded nearly...

(BBC News) Wednesday morning's incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace led to jets being scrambled, an emergency government meeting being called – and concerns that Europe and NATO's resolve against Moscow may not be up to the test. Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Polish airspace was violated 19 times and at least three drones were shot down by Warsaw's jets, aided by Dutch F-35s and an Italian early-warning aircraft. Russia has pushed back against...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was shot dead at an event at a Utah college, United States President Donald Trump announced on social media. “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social. Video of the incident circulating on social media showed Kirk addressing a large outdoor crowd when a loud crack that sounded like...

(BBC News) Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned amid Nepal's worst unrest in decades, as public anger mounts over the deaths of 19 anti-corruption protesters in clashes with police on Monday. On Tuesday, crowds set fire to parliament in the capital Kathmandu, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Government buildings and the houses of political leaders were attacked around the country. Three more deaths were reported on Tuesday. Amid the chaos, jail officials said...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) The administration of US President Donald Trump has said it notified Qatari officials before Israel's attack on Hamas negotiators in Doha, a claim refuted by the Gulf country. The statement from the White House on Tuesday came hours after the strike on a residential area in the Gulf country’s capital, Doha. Qatar has been a lead mediator in US-backed ceasefire talks aimed at ending the war in Gaza. “The Trump administration was notified...

(BBC News) South Korea's government says it has reached an agreement with the US to release its citizens detained in a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in the state of Georgia. The chief of staff of South Korea's president said a chartered plane would be sent to bring the detainees home if administration procedures were completed. Kang Hoon-sik said the authorities were trying to improve the visa system to prevent such incidents in the...