BBC News Briefing

13 October, 2025

Alex has bobbed dark blonde hair and is smiling. She is wearing a black high-neck top with a pink jumper on top.

Alex Binley

Hello. Scenes of joy and relief met freed Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and detainees as they were reunited with their families. We'll bring you everything you need to know on a busy day in the Middle East. As the US government shutdown continues, residents of one town close to the nation's capital have been speaking of their concerns. And finally, meet Mal, likely one of the biggest dogs in the world.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Jubilation on both sides as Hamas and Israel exhange hostages and prisoners

Vast crowds greeted Palestinian prisoners and detainees as they arrived in Khan Younis, Gaza. Credit: EPA

US President Donald Trump and other heads of state involved in negotiating the Gaza ceasefire deal have signed it at a 'peace summit', where world leaders held talks over the latter phases of the 20-point plan. Here's what we expect to happen next. Under the agreement's early stages, today saw all surviving Israeli hostages released by Hamas - watch the emotional scenes as they're reunited with their families. The bodies of four others were also returned. In exchange, almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees were freed. The majority were returned to Gaza, where one man waiting in the crowd spoke of people's "indescribable happiness", while in the occupied West Bank, a vast, cheering crowd met arrivals.

GET UP TO SPEED

A missile is launched into the air from a large warship. A huge plume of smoke follows the missile, obscurring much of the boat, which is in the middle of the sea.

US may send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine

Following a phone call with the Ukrainian president, Trump said he is considering sending the long-range cruise missiles.

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A person wears a protective white outfit which covers all of them. They are also wearing a white face mask. They are working on a computer in what appears to be a lab.

Dutch government takes control of Chinese firm

It said it had taken control of chip maker Nexperia, in a bid to safeguard the European supply of semiconductors.

More on this >

A man and a woman sit in white armchairs with a wooden table between then and a wooden coffee table in front of them. Both tables have yellow flowers on and a Canadian and an Indian flag stand between the two chairs. The man has white hair and is wearing a white outfit with a blue, sleeveless jacket. The woman is wearing a white jacket and a navy blue skirt.

India and Canada reset ties after Sikh leader's murder

Relations hit rock bottom in 2023 when ex-PM Trudeau accused India of being linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

What happened >

A large crowd of people, many of who are on mopeds are all heading in the same direction. At the front a moped is being driven by a man in a black T-shirt, wearing a helmet. On the back of his moped, a man in a dark red T-shirt and black gloves raises his arms in the air and appears to be cheering

Soldiers 'threaten to seize state TV in Madagascar'

The president of the island nation was due to give a television address this evening. He is reported to have fled the country.

Read more >

AT THE SCENE

Martinsburg, West Virginia

'We're in limbo': Shutdown axe looms in Trump country town

Three men sit in a line outside, in the shade of a tree, the trunk of which can be seen on the right. All three men are wearing sunglasses and caps. Two men sit on chairs with a table in front of them with a coffee cup and an ashtray on it. A third man sits to theur left on a mobility scooter. All three men look solemn.

Troy Williams, Marcellus Brothers and Jonathan Giba worry about what's coming as the shutdown continues.

As the US government shutdown continues, residents of Martinsburg, West Virginia, worry about what's next. It's a city of nearly 20,000 people some 85 miles (136km) outside of Washington DC. Federal agencies employ upwards of 3,300 people in the area, while another thousand or so federal workers commute to the nation's capital each day.

Ana Faguy, digital reporter

It's been three months since Jonathan Giba moved into temporary housing for homeless veterans inside a hospital for former military members. He has been waiting for medical and dental consultations, after medications he was previously prescribed left him without teeth and unable to walk. Now, with the government shut down, he is preparing to wait even longer. He calls it "political BS".

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"The shutdown is a waste of time, and it hurts everyone in the meantime," Mr Giba says. Another veteran, Troy Williams, agrees. "This isn't a Democrat or Republican issue," he says, "this is a why aren't they working on a solution issue".

Keep reading

Explained: Here's why the government shut down and what could happen next.

Watch: Your questions on the shutdown, answered.

Look back: 18 ways the last, and longest, shutdown hit in 2018-2019.