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Israel has launched heavy airstrikes on Baalbek, in eastern Lebanon, after it issued an evacuation warning for the city and its outskirts.It comes as the new leader of Hezbollah, Naim Kassem, vowed that his group would keep fighting Israel until it was offered ceasefire terms it deemed acceptable, despite Lebanon's caretaker prime minister saying he hoped a ceasefire deal between Hezbollah and Israel would be announced "within hours". Meanwhile, the UN Security Council "strongly warned against any attempts to dismantle or diminish" the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), after Israel passed a law banning its operation on Monday. Image: A strike on Baalbek, in eastern Lebanon. Pic: Fadi Majdaloun Strikes on BaalbekAro...

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister has said he hopes a ceasefire deal between armed group Hezbollah and the Israeli military is close to being agreed.Najib Mikati made the comments after speaking to US envoy Amos Hochstein. According to Israeli broadcaster Kan, which published details of Lebanon's proposed ceasefire draft, the deal would see Israeli forces withdrawing from Lebanon within seven days of the start of the truce.It was also said to include Israel's "right to act in self-defence" against imminent threats.The White House responded, saying "there are many reports and drafts circulating", and they "do not reflect the current state of negotiations". This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.Please refresh the page for the fullest version.Yo...

A British woman who had to climb out of her car window before it was swept away along with the rest of her belongings in Spain's floods says she is "lucky to be alive".Karen Loftus, 62, from Dorset, said she and her husband were headed south to their home in Alicante on Tuesday evening when they were hit by "unbelievably heavy rain". The extreme conditions have seen at least 95 people killed in the country so far, with forecasters predicting further storms going into tomorrow.Describing her ordeal, Mrs Loftus told Sky News that at about 6pm, traffic on the AP-7 motorway came to a standstill. Latest updates on Spain's floodsThe next thing they noticed was the bridge ahead being "washed away", said Mrs Loftus, who is the chief executive of UK-based charity Community Action Network."A lorry w...

The Vatican has unveiled a new mascot for the Catholic Church in the hope of engaging young people - a cartoon character named Luce.Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the Vatican's chief organiser for the church's upcoming jubilee year, said the mascot was "created from the desire to enter into the world of pop culture, so beloved by our young people". Named after a Latin word for light, the mascot was designed by Simone Legno, the Italian co-founder of lifestyle brand Tokidoki, which is inspired by Japanese culture. He also designed Luce's "pilgrim friends" Fe, Xin and Sky. Image: Luce is named after the Latin word for light. Pic: Vatican The archbishop described Luce's design features as "the typical elements of the pilgrim", po...