The Columbian government and FARC rebels say they wish to join ceasefire to end more than five decades of conflict. The announcement follows three years of peace talks in Cuba. Candace Piette reports. The bilateral ceasefire comes after the two sides reached agreement on one of the biggest hurdles in the peace talks - the disarmament of the rebels. This comes almost a year after the FARC declared a unilateral ceasefire, which resulted in a significant drop in violence. But to disarm means the FARC must trust state security forces to protect them. Both sides said the details of the agreement will be made public on Thursday.
Democratic Party members have staged a sit-in on the floor of the Lower House of US Congress to press their demands for tighter gun controls in the wake of the shootings this month at a gay nightclub in Florida. From Washington here’s Laura Bicker. This is one of the most extraordinary scenes ever witnessed in Congress. The interruption came just as the House presiding officer moved to declare a recess. Nearly 100 Democratic Congressmen and women came to front of the chamber. Some of them sat down, and together they chanted "No bill, no break". The House speaker Paul Ryan has refused to schedule a vote for gun control legislation and the aftermath of the Orlando shootings that left 49 people dead. But the protesters led by Congressman John Lewis, a veteran of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, said thousands of lives had been lost and the House had done nothing.
The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has described missile tests on Wednesday has proved that his country has the capability to attack US interests in the Pacific. His comments were reported in state media. Mr Kim is said to have personally supervised the tests.
A new study indicates that the number of women in Latin America seen to terminate their pregnancies rose sharply following health warnings last year about the effect of the Zika virus on unborn children. James Gallagher has the details. Terminating a pregnancy is illegal in many parts of Latin America, but women still have them through abortion services like Women on Web, which advises people online and then delivers the pills to end the pregnancy. Scientists at the University of Cambridge and the University of Texas analysed data from the website to show demand for abortions in Brazil in Ecuador doubled after the warnings on Zika. The pregnant women said they were concerned, alarmed and did not want to seek baby.
Campaigning has drawn to a close in Britain’s referendum on whether the country should leave or remain in the European Union before polls open on Thursday. The Prime Minister David Cameron urged people to vote to stay in the EU. He said the country would be stronger, safer and better-off. But the prominent Leave campaigner Boris Johnson said Britain should take back control of its finances, its immigration system and its democracy. World News from the BBC
The Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif has condemned the murder of one of the country’s best-known singers. Mr Sharif said he had ordered an investigation into the killing of Amjad Sabri, a performer of Sufi devotional music. He was shot as he drove through a busy neighbourhood in Karachi. The Pakistani Taliban says it carried out the attack.
The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has held talks in Caracas with a senior US envoy to try to ease tensions between their countries ahead of the key debate on Thursday of the Organisation of American States. The OAS is to discuss whether Venezuela has broken the democratic principles of the organisation’s charter, something that could eventually lead to its expulsion.
The Spanish Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz has rejected calls for his resignation after leaked recordings appear to link him to efforts to smear his political rivals. Audio tapes published by the an online newspaper appear to feature Mr Diaz and the head of Catalonia’s anti-fraud office discussing ways to discredit the region’s pro-independence parties. The audio was made public ahead of general elections on Sunday, which Mr Diaz’s party is expected to win.
The smallest nation at the Euro 26th football tournament, Iceland, has made it through to the knockout stages. Iceland beat Austria with a dramatic last-minute goal. The former Icelandic footballer Gudni Bergsson watched the match against Austria. He says it’s a huge moment for the country. "I am speechless. I don’t know what to do with myself to experience this with the boys and our supporters. It’s amazing. The resilience and fighting spirit that brings this victory is unique. It’s a historic day for Iceland and Icelandic sports." Elsewhere Ireland also qualified after a surprised 1-0 victory over Italy, and Portugal just made it through with a 3-3 draw with Hungary.
