Are the US and Iran holding peace talks, and what do both sides want?

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..

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Prepare for turbulence – how a prolonged Middle East conflict could reshape how we fly

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..

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Mar-a-Lago flips red to blue? Emily Gregory defeats Republican in Florida district that houses Trump estate

Democrat Emily Gregory won a special election in Florida for which President Donald Trump too voted.
Florida's Emily Gregory, a Democrat, defeated Republican Jon Maples who had an endorsement from US president Donald Trump, in a special election in Florida's 87th state house district. Gregory, a public health expert and small business owner, is a first-time candidate and the win did not surprise her. “When I started this nine months ago, I obviously thought it was possible,” Gregory told MSNBC on Tuesday night. “I might have done some crazy calculus to decide that this was a flip opportunity, but it was,” she later added. “And we did it. So my math worked.”Gregory had 51% of the vote to 49% for Maples with all precincts reporting.Israel Iran WarUS-Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: Amazon Web Services 'disrupted' following drone attack in Bahrain; Saudi, UAE mull joining Iran war82nd Airborne Division to be deployed in Middle East: Inside America’s fastest strike f..

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‘Loved to fight’: Shocking videos of DHS chief Markwayne Mullin ignite backlash, netizens call him ‘unqualified’

Markwayne Mullin, Republican senator of Oklahoma was recently sworn in as the new Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, replacing Kristi Noem, who was fired this month after a succession of controversies. However, it seems that the new DHS leader arrives with his own villain arc followed by a series of viral and widely circulating social media posts hinting at his physically abusive past. Watch 'You Have Anger Issues…': Rand Paul Squares Off With Mullin In DHS Nomination Clash I Watch 'I can spank them…': Discipline or abuse?The most significant outcry stems from a video of Mullin speaking at a church-hosted “City Elders” event held on October 6, 2023. In his address, he talked about discipling children adding that he was raised by the “fear of a belt.” “The discipline was just, wasn’t overreacted. …So I learned respect from the discipline,” he said. He went on to share how he disciplines his twin daughters by spanking them, deepening the controversy. “I..

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Woman charged with attempted murder of Rihanna after shooting at her LA home to appear in court

A woman charged with trying to murder Rihanna and more than a dozen other felonies is set to appear in court to enter a plea Wednesday.
The singing superstar, her hip-hop star partner A$AP Rocky, their three young children and many others were at their home in the Beverly Hills area when Ivanna Lisette Ortiz, 35, of Orlando, Florida, opened fire on the property on March 8, prosecutors said.
Ortiz is charged with 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and three counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle or dwelling.
At her first appearance in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 11, Ortiz's lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf, but then withdrew it in favor of postponing the arraignment.
Rihanna's Los Angeles home in Beverly Hills, California (AP)Public records show Ortiz has been a licensed speech pathologist for more than a decade. Now jailed on $1.8 million bail, she could get life in prison if convicted on all charges.
The Public Defender's Of..

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Savannah Guthrie breaks down in first interview since mother’s abduction: ‘We are in agony’

Today show host Savannah Guthrie broke down in tears over the “agony” her family is experiencing in her first sit-down interview since her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, was kidnapped from her Arizona home nearly two months ago.
In a preview of the interview, the 54-year-old NBC anchor became emotional as she spoke with her former morning-show co-host, Hoda Kotb.
“Someone needs to do the right thing,” she said through tears. “We are in agony. It is unbearable. And to think of what she went through.”
“I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night,” she continued. “And in the darkness, I imagine her terror. And it is unthinkable, but those thoughts demand to be thought. And I will not hide my face.”
“But she needs to come home now,” she added.
open image in galleryAn emotional Savannah Guthrie gave her first interview since her mother disappeared with her former co-anchor, Hoda Kotb (NBC News)open image in galleryNancy Guthrie disappeared from her home in the Catalina Foo..

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Middle powers are taking up the mantle of multilateral leadership

AdvertisementCPTPPOpinionWorld OpinionWang HuiyaoOpinionMiddle powers are taking up the mantle of multilateral leadershipWith the US in retreat, nations committed to economic integration are moving forward through partnerships like the CPTPP
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenWang HuiyaoPublished: 8:30pm, 25 Mar 2026For much of the post-war era, the architecture of global governance rested on the simple assumption that the United States would support the systems it largely designed and uphold the rules it helped to create.
The first Trump administration was no isolated incident. Now, from the vantage point of 2026, amid the US-Israel attack on Iran and the subsequent closing of the Strait of Hormuz, it is quite clear that there is little sign of an appetite in Washington for the US to once again safeguard the order it helped create.Yet the retreat of one great power does not mean the collapse of globalisation or multilateralism. Instead, the torch has passed to middle powers who are coming together..

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Zhang Dongmei named new deputy director of office overseeing Hong Kong affairs

AdvertisementHong Kong politicsHong KongPoliticsZhang Dongmei named new deputy director of office overseeing Hong Kong affairsSelection of former vice-president of All-China Women’s Federation makes her first female deputy director since office’s elevation in 2023
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenMatthew ChengPublished: 8:17pm, 25 Mar 2026Updated: 8:26pm, 25 Mar 2026Beijing has selected Zhang Dongmei, a former vice-president of the All-China Women’s Federation, as a new deputy director of the top office overseeing Hong Kong affairs, making her the first woman to take on the role since the body’s status was elevated in 2023.
Zhang’s appointment as the new deputy head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO) fills the vacancy left by the departure of Xiang Bin, a party group member of the office, earlier this year.
The State Council’s decision was announced by the state news agency Xinhua on Wednesday. Her selection brings the office’s total number of deputy directors up to five.
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Danish PM fails to secure majority in party’s weakest election showing since 1903

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 ..

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‘He liked the fear in our eyes,’ Epstein survivors tell BBC

'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..

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