BBC News Briefing

20 July, 2026

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has begun appointing the top positions in his government - we've got more. Aggression against military recruitment officers in Ukraine has become increasingly threatening, police say. And take a look at the best images of the World Cup.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Burnham sets out priorities and appoints top team in first day as UK PM

Andy Burnham and his wife stand waving outside a black front door with a number 10 on it. Burnham has short dark hair and wears glasses. He is wearing a dark coloured suit, white shirt and pale blue tie. His wife has white blonde hair and is wearing a lilac-coloured dress.

Burnham and his wife Marie-France van Heel will be 10 Downing Street's fifth set of occupants in four years. Credit: PA

After meeting King Charles around midday and becoming the UK's new PM, Burnham got swiftly to work, setting out some of his key policies and appointing his top team. Many of predecessor Sir Keir Starmer's ministers have been axed and their replacements announced - you can find out here who's who in the new Cabinet. We'll also bring you the latest news lines as we get them. Even before walking through the door of Number 10, Burnham delivered a speech from Downing Street in which he said rough sleeping and the cost of living will be priorities under his premiership. Political correspondent Iain Watson has more on what the speech tells us "about the kind of prime minister he wants to be".

Day's key takeaways

GET UP TO SPEED

Red and white safety tape surrounds a stone fountain that has no water in it. Behind it is a grassy hill and a church and other buildings can be seen at the top of it.

Boy, 13, dies during World Cup celebrations in Spain

Reports suggest part of a fountain in Ciudad Rodrigo collapsed after several people climbed on it while reacting to the win.

Read more >

The arm of a woman is seen throwing a green tennis ball into the air. The woman has a black sweat band round her wrist.

Female tennis players will need sex test for WTA Tour

From Tuesday, all players competing in the Women's Tennis Association tour will have to be genetically tested.

How it will work >

A split screen shows four very tiny newborn babies. They are all wearing nappies and have breahing tubes attached to their heads.

Rare identical quadruplets born in Australia

The babies, named Emily, Harriet, Catherine, and Alexa, are thought to be a one in 15 million pregnancy.

More on this >

A line of people wears dark blue military fatigues, black helmets and balaclavas, hold large guns across their fronts.

Yemen's Houthis announce Saudi 'maritime embargo'

The Iran-backed group said it was in retaliation for Saudi Arabia's blockade of ports and airports in north-western Yemen.

Read more >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Tate brothers: The pair have appeared in court in Miami, marking the start of extradition proceedings to the UK over charges that include rape.

£7,000 bill: Residents of a village say they could face prosecution if they don't pay thousands of pounds to repair a water pipe outside their homes.

Fitness trackers: A growing number of women say tech is reporting pregnancies and miscarriages before they're aware, often creating anxiety.

AT THE SCENE

Kyiv, Ukraine

‘Everyone's afraid to die’: Struggle to recruit soldiers in Ukraine turns violent

A man with a brown beard is smiling and stood in front of a brick wall. He is photographed in the fading light and wears a green helmet and military fatigues.

'We fought, we defended our people, and now they are attacking us,' says serving soldier Vasyl Krupych.

As Ukraine struggles to mobilise men to fight in the fifth year of Russia's full-scale invasion, attacks on recruitment officers have become "regular" and a "major problem", the country's military ombudswoman says. And for every story of a draft officer attacked, there are also accounts of violence by recruiters themselves.

Sarah Rainsford has a brown bob and is smiling at the camera. Only her face can be seen.

Sarah Rainsford, Eastern Europe correspondent

Vasyl Krupych knows what it is to fight for Ukraine. He describes terrifying scenes from battles in the eastern Donbas region where, sometimes praying, sometimes crying, the machine gunner somehow survived the onslaught by Russian troops.

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But last December, by then serving in the rear, Krupych was attacked by his own countrymen whilst out searching for draft dodgers. He says two men ignored demands to show their documents and fled. When his patrol gave chase, Krupych was badly beaten with a crowbar. He spent six weeks in hospital. "He broke my rib, I was lying there and couldn't breathe," the veteran recalled in a recent interview. "What did we fight for, if soldiers can now get beaten?"

Keep reading

Watch: A huge brawl broke out in Lviv after the military stopped a man to check his call-up papers.

Missile strike: Ten people have been killed after Russia hit a cargo ship as Ukraine's Odesa region comes under sustained attack.

Economic strain: Russians are increasingly turning to cash which is putting pressure on the country's wartime economy. This is why.

Three women hold each other hands while dancing in a circle