BBC News

#gregjames #littlemix #leighannepinnock Who will answer the phone to Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Greg James? They've got one question and one question only: are you sitting or standing? The duo call Perry (from Little Mix), Bimini Bon-Boulash (RuPaul's Drag Race UK), Munya Chawawa (Comedian) and UK's National Treasure, Ainsley Harriet (Chef).

#China #SpyBalloons #BBCNews New evidence of China's spy balloon programme - including flights over Japan and Taiwan - has been uncovered by the BBC. Japan has confirmed balloons have flown over its territory and said it's prepared to shoot them down in future. China has not directly addressed the evidence presented by the BBC. US-China relations were thrown into turmoil earlier this year, when an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the US coast.

#BBCNews #Russia #WagnerGroup Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has just posted an 11-minute audio message, speaking for the first time since the weekend’s aborted Wagner Group rebellion. In the message, he says his men headed to Moscow to "hold to account" leaders he blamed for "mistakes" in the Ukraine war. He denied his "march for justice" was aimed at toppling Russian President Vladimir Putin.

#Russia #Ukraine #BBCNews Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu is shown on state TV visiting troops fighting in Ukraine in the first appearance since Wagner mercenaries mutinied. The defence minister was seen inspecting troops - but there's no indication where or when the pictures where taken. Wagner mercenary group chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had demanded Shoigu's removal and described him as evil. Meanwhile, the rouble has fallen to a 15-month low as financial markets begin to respond to the weekend's short-lived rebellion.

#Titan #TitanicSub #BBCNews Teenager Suleman Dawood, who died in the Titan submersible, took his Rubik's Cube with him because he wanted to break a world record, his mother has told the BBC. The 19-year-old applied to the Guinness World Records and his father, Shahzada, who also died, had brought a camera to capture the moment. Christine Dawood and her daughter were on board the Polar Prince, the sub's support vessel, when word came through that communications with the Titan had been los

#Russia #Ukraine #BBCNews Russian President Vladimir Putin’s whereabouts remain unknown following the short-lived rebellion from the Wagner mercenary group. There has been speculation that the Russian leader fled Moscow during the crisis after his presidential jets were tracked leaving the city. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the events show the cracks in Mr Putin's authority. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, has left Russia for Belarus after abandoning his advance on Moscow.

#BBCNews US President Joe Biden called Chinese President Xi Jinping a dictator at a fundraising event in California. The remark came a day after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Xi for talks in Beijing, which were aimed at easing tensions between the two superpowers. Biden also said Xi was embarrassed after an alleged Chinese spy balloon was shot down by the US. China said it "firmly opposes" Mr Biden's comments.