Category: World

Are the US and Iran holding peace talks, and what do both sides want?2 hours agoShareSaveFrank GardnerSecurity correspondent, DohaShareSaveReutersUS-based rights group HRANA estimates the recent conflict has killed 3,291 in Iran, including 1,455 civiliansDonald Trump has insisted the US is negotiating with Iran over an end to the war, but Tehran has repeatedly said talks are not taking place.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi admitted messages have been exchanged with the US via intermediaries, but said these constituted “neither dialogue nor negotiation, nor anything of the sort”.
Trump claimed on Wednesday that Iran is “afraid” to admit to talks “because they figure they'll be killed by their own people”.
So, who to believe? Is peace just around the corner? Or are both sides settling in for a costly, protracted war that will keep energy prices high, affecting the whole world right through the summer?
The signs are that we are now entering into a situation not dissimila..

Prepare for turbulence – how a prolonged Middle East conflict could reshape how we fly12 hours agoShareSaveTheo LeggettTransport correspondentShareSaveBBCIt was once a humble outpost in the world of global aviation, a dusty overnight halt for luxury flying boats making the arduous journey from the UK to far-flung parts of the British Empire, such as India and Australia. By the 1960s, it had a simple runway made of desert sand, used as a refuelling stop by airliners en route to arguably more exotic destinations.
Yet today, Dubai is one of the key pillars of the industry, and Dubai International Airport (DXB) is its beating heart. In 2024, more than 92 million passengers made their way through its gleaming, marble-floored halls and sparkling, brightly lit shopping malls.
That makes DXB the busiest airport in the world for international passengers – far outstripping London Heathrow, for example, which accommodated just under 83 million. Nor is Dubai alone within the Gulf as a major hub. R..

Danish PM fails to secure majority in party's weakest election showing since 19035 hours agoShareSaveAdrienne Murrayin CopenhagenShareSaveReutersMette Frederiksen, Denmark's Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democrats party, during an election party following the exit polls of the parliamentary elections, at the Parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark, 25 March 2026.Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats won the most votes in Tuesday's Danish general election but slumped to its weakest performance since 1903, as her coalition bloc failed to secure a majority.
With 21.9% of the vote, Frederiksen's party still has by the far the most seats, but her left-wing grouping has fallen well short of the 90 seats needed to form a majority.
The Social Democrats have been in power since 2019, and Frederiksen told cheering supporters she was “sorry that we did not get more votes”.
In a message of defiance, she added: “There is nothing today that can make me sad ..

'He liked the fear in our eyes,' Epstein survivors tell BBC7 hours agoShareSaveAna FaguyWashingtonShareSaveFrom left to right: Jena-Lisa Jones, Wendy Pesante, Victoria Derbyshire, Joanna Harrison, Chauntae Davies and Lisa PhillipsWarning: This story contains graphic sexual descriptions
Joanna Harrison never wanted to speak about the abuse she faced at the hands of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Like many survivors, she says Epstein's assault filled her with shame and embarrassment. But after her name was unintentionally made public in the release of millions of files by the US government, she told BBC Newsnight's Victoria Derbyshire she felt she had to speak out.
“It gets to a point where you're being suffocated and you need to breathe, and I feel this is my way of trying to breathe,” Harrison said.
BBC Newsnight brought Harrison and four other Epstein survivors together for the first time in the same room. During the hours-long discussion that followe..

At least five killed in massive wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine, officials say1 hour agoShareSaveJessica RawnsleyandVitaly Shevchenko,Chief Analyst, BBC Monitoring, KyivShareSaveReutersFirefighters battled a blaze in Poltava, where two people were killed overnightAt least five people have been killed in Russian strikes across Ukraine, after a massive overnight aerial bombardment targeted several regions across the country.
A 61-year-old woman was killed when a drone hit an electric train in Kharkiv early on Tuesday, authorities said, while other deaths were reported in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Poltava.
Officials said the attacks were among the worst in ten days, and came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had warned of a forthcoming “massive strike” in his nightly address.
Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure also disconnected Moldova's key power link with Europe, President Maia Sandu said, warning the situation remained “fragile”.
Sirens wailed ..

Ultimatums, diplomacy and a trip to Graceland as Trump eyes a deal with Iran10 hours agoShareSaveAnthony ZurcherNorth America correspondentShareSaveTrump: “We'll just keep bombing our little hearts out” if no deal with IranAmerica may be a nation at war, but President Donald Trump's activities over the past few days have been a mix of diplomacy and diversions – with the occasional swing towards the surreal.
On Friday, he said the US war against Iran was “winding down”. By Saturday night, he had given Iran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face withering new American airstrikes.
The next day, he golfed and spent the afternoon at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
By Monday morning, with global markets swooning, he said the Iranians were engaging in “constructive” talks with the US. Then he flew to Memphis, Tennessee, gave a speech and visited Graceland, music legend Elvis Presley's historic home.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets ..