BBC News Briefing

17 July, 2026

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

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. Andy Burnham has officially become Labour leader and will take over from Sir Keir Starmer on Monday - read our guide to the UK's next prime minister. Have a go at our weekly news quiz, and, finally, take a look at the ancient fossils recovered from under a Welsh castle.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

What to know about Andy Burnham

Andy Burnham has short brown hair and hazel eyes. He wears glasses, a dark suit and a white shirt.

Andy Burnham will soon become the UK's seventh prime minister in 10 years. Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Andy Burnham has set out his ambitions for the Labour party in his first speech as leader. He saved more details about his plans for the country - and his cabinet - for Monday, when he'll move into Downing Street after meeting King Charles. Burnham will be a familiar name to those who have followed British politics for the past few decades. He was first elected MP in 2001 and held cabinet roles in former Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government. After running for the leadership of the Labour party twice, he stood down as an MP in 2017. He was then elected mayor of Greater Manchester, a role he held until last month - but the city is still set to play a role in his government.

Read now

GET UP TO SPEED

President Trump speaking in front of a microphone with a graphic showing a declassified document behind him.

Do declassified files support Trump's claims?

BBC Verify has reviewed the documents, although some of them have been heavily redacted. Some key themes emerge.

Find out >

A close up of a badge on military fatigues that says US Army

Experts urge caution over testosterone screenings

The US defence secretary's plan to offer testosterone replacement therapy to soldiers isn't risk-free, health experts say.

Here's why >

An artist's impression of exoplanet LHS 1140b, a large reddish-brown rocky planet filling the foreground, edged with a faint blue-white atmospheric glow. In the dark background, a small red star glows brightly, with a second, closer planet shown as a tiny black silhouette crossing in front of it

First atmosphere found on Earth-like planet

Researchers say the discovery provides strong evidence that worlds with conditions similar to Earth could exist.

What to know >

Brenda Fricker holds her Oscar statuette in 1990

Oscar-winning actress Brenda Fricker dies at 81

The Irish actress won an Oscar in 1990 for playing Daniel Day-Lewis's on-screen mother in My Left Foot.

Read the tributes >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Nowak's murder: The killer's mother Kiran Kaur has been sentenced to three years in prison for removing the murder weapon from the scene.

Bayeux Tapestry: Culture editor Katie Razzall has visited the British Museum for a sneak peak of the embroidery ahead of the exhibition.

Happy birthday: Queen Camilla has released a new photo to mark turning 79 years old.

AT THE SCENE

Kyiv, Ukraine

Soldiers react to minister's removal

Mykhailo Fedorov wears a grey jacket and black top. He has close-cropped grey hair

The removal of defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov sparked protests in Kyiv. Credit: Getty Images

In his latest cabinet reshuffle, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided not to re-appoint his successful young defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. The move has caused bafflement and fury in equal measure. Among Ukraine's battle-weary soldiers and wounded veterans, there's a collective sense of outrage at this week's political developments.

Paul has short grey hair and blue eyes. He is wearing a khaki shirt.

Paul Adams, diplomatic correspondent

A soldier we're calling Maryna to protect her identity doubts popular anger is going to change anything. "A dictatorship is already unfolding here," she says, "with its own petty tyrants who think they have caught God by the beard." With army chiefs reportedly warning the ranks not to engage in political debate, soldiers are reluctant to speak openly or do so only on condition of strict anonymity. We have given made up names to all those who replied.

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Another soldier, Natasha, said the protesters were a long way from the daily brutality of the front line. "Yesterday our positions here got hit by MLRS (multiple-launch rocket systems), so nobody cared about Fedorov or the cardboard signs." But in the messages we've received, there's clear admiration for what Fedorov has been able to achieve, both as minister for digital transformation and during his brief tenure as defence minister.

Keep reading

PICK OF THE WEEK

A polio patient's iron will to keep on living

Black and white photo of of Martha Lillard in the iron lung as a child

Tens of thousands of people relied on iron lungs to live, following polio's peak in the 1950. Credit: Cindy McVey handout

Martha Lillard caught polio when she was five years old, the year before the introduction of a vaccine would eventually eliminate the disease in the US. Lillard died at the age of 78 in June, the last polio patient in the country who used an iron lung for hours each day to help her breathe. Despite those limitations, her family told the BBC she never let her condition slow her down.