17 hours ago Anthony ZurcherNorth America correspondent, Dallas, Texas The march to the US midterm elections, which will determine which party controls both chambers of Congress for the second half of Donald Trump's presidency, is officially under way. Voters in a handful of states headed to the polls on Tuesday …

Russia's long exile from world sports events is about to end. In a watershed moment, the Winter Paralympics will feature the country's athletes competing under their national flag at the event for the first time since 2014, despite its ongoing war with Ukraine. So more than four years since Russia's …

Dirty laundry and chocolate bars: How Venezuelan prisoners smuggled messages out of jail 6 hours ago Norberto ParedesBBC News Mundo, Caracas, Venezuela In a small flat in a social housing complex near Caracas, Adriana Briceño holds up what looks like a piece of rubbish, but hidden on the old chocolate …

'Trump's war goes global' and 'Labour ensnared by China spy probe' 3 hours ago Share Save Share Save Many of the papers have honed in on an expanding war zone in the Middle East, with Metro declaring: "Trump's war goes global". The paper carries a photograph of children standing beside …

6 hours ago Barbara Plett Usher Africa correspondent On Sunday 1 February, a yellow, blue and white Sudan Airways jet landed on the runway at Khartoum International Airport. As 160 passengers stepped off the aircraft, they cheered, hugged each other and took selfies. This was only the second commercial flight …

Debut novelist Claire Lynch has won the gold prize at the Nero Book Awards for A Family Matter, which was inspired by the true stories of lesbian women who lost custody of their children in the 1980s. Nick Hornby, chair of the judges, said the book was "both readable and …

Allergy training to become compulsory in schools in England 37 minutes ago Hannah Karpel ,BBC Newsand Vanessa Clarke ,Senior education reporter Schools in England must provide allergy awareness training for all staff for the first time, under new statutory guidance announced by the Department for Education. Spare adrenaline auto-injectors must …

Dentists in England are returning hundreds of millions of pounds a year to the government for unfulfilled NHS care, the BBC has learnt. Over the last two years, more than £900m has been handed back - £1 out of every £7 they have been paid - as dentists instead prioritise …

3 hours ago Osmond ChiaBusiness reporter China has cut its annual economic growth target to a range of 4. 5%-5%, the lowest expansion goal since 1991 as it grapples with challenges both at home and abroad. It is the first time the target has been lowered since it was cut …

Drug breakthrough for children with severe form of epilepsy 8 hours ago Michelle RobertsDigital health editor A new drug is transforming the lives of children born with a severe form of epilepsy, say doctors and families. Dravet syndrome can cause dozens of dangerous seizures a day and affects about one …