BBC News Briefing

29 April, 2024

Stuart Duggan

Hello. Today we have some powerful and important stories out of Gaza, including Adnan El-Bursh's account of carrying out his duties as a journalist while simultaneously trying to keep his family safe. It's a moving but essential read. Elsewhere we've got breaking news in politics from both Scotland and Spain. And on the lighter side of things, we have the charm of retro technology and a cat who loves boxes just a little bit too much for her own good.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

War reporting and fatherhood in Gaza

BBC Arabic correspondent Adnan El-Bursh hugs one of his children while wearing a safety vest.

Adnan lived apart from his family for several weeks, visiting when he could. Credit: BBC.

A Hamas delegation is to attend peace talks in Egypt, following Israel's latest proposal for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza. Meanwhile, parallel peace efforts are taking place in Saudi Arabia where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to hold talks with regional counterparts. Israel has consistently vowed to carry out an offensive in Rafah, as it continues efforts to eliminate Hamas, in response to the group's attack that killed about 1,200 people on 7 October last year. More than a million people are taking refuge in the southern city. As the conflict rages on, BBC Arabic correspondent Adnan El-Bursh has written powerfully about the “swirling emotions” of covering the war from Gaza - from dealing with the deaths of a friend's family on-air to avoiding being bombed in the market - while simultaneously trying to keep his family safe. With a warning that some may find his report distressing.

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Hostage videos: 133 hostages are believed still to be in Gaza. Hamas has published a video showing the first proof of life of two of them. Watch their relatives' response.

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'We must keep feeding': Aid organisation World Central Kitchen says it will resume food distribution in Gaza, nearly a month after seven of its aid workers were killed in an Israeli air strike.

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Israel Gaza briefings: James Landale examines how the Iran-Israel missile strikes have changed the Middle East.

WORLD HEADLINES

US tornadoes: A four-month-old baby is among at least five people killed after dozens of tornadoes ripped through the central US.

Shark attack: A British man seriously injured by a bull shark in Tobago is "able to communicate" his wife has said.

In Scotland: The First Minister, Scottish National Party leader Humza Yousaf, is expected to resign as early as Monday, BBC News understands.

Australia rallies: Marches have taken place across the country, calling for gender-based violence to be declared a national emergency.

In Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has said he will not resign over corruption claims against his wife, calling the allegations a harassment campaign orchestrated by right-wing media.

AT THE SCENE

Agra, India

Being Muslim in Modi's India

Four Muslim men are pictured from the back looking at the Taj Mahal in Agra as dark clouds form above them.

India's 200 million Muslims are the largest minority in the world's most populous country. Credit: Getty Images.

Ever since Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in 2014, India's 200 million-odd Muslims have had a turbulent journey. Our correspondent talks to people who are feeling the effects in schools, on public transport and on the streets.

Soutik Biswas, India correspondent

Kaleem Ahmed Qureshi, a jewellery designer and musician, is a seventh-generation Agra resident, who also leads heritage walks. Carrying his rubab, a lute-like musical instrument commonly played in Afghanistan, he took a shared taxi with a Hindu co-passenger from Delhi to Agra recently. "When he saw the case, he asked me to open it, fearing it was a gun. I sensed his reaction was influenced by my name," Mr Qureshi says. "There is this anxiety. When I travel now, I have to be very aware of where I am, what I say, what I do. Politics has mixed poison in the relationship between the communities."

Read the full story

Views from Agra: India's Muslims talk about changing times.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Germany grapples with foreign spies

The Chinese flag flies in front of the country's embassy in Berlin, on August 13, 2020.

Four of the six people were arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Credit: Getty Images.

Six suspected spies have been arrested in Germany this month alone, on allegations ranging from receiving cash from a website said to be a front for Russian intelligence to being an "employee of a Chinese secret service". Ido Vock explores what's behind the crackdown.

Get the lowdown

A person looks into the camera through the viewfinder of an analogue camera. The wall behind them is covered with retro film cameras.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

In with the old

Vinyl records and film cameras can be frustrating, yet they endure.

Read now

And finally...

When a vet contacted Carrie Clark to say her missing cat had turned up hundreds of miles away, she thought it was a prank at first. Read the full adventure and take a look at a picture of Galeana, safe and sound, with the same expression on her face that I'd have if you had mailed me from Utah to California in a box with some work boots.

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– Stuart

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