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Hello, I'm Aileen McHugh with the BBC News.
The United States has said it doesn't have high expectations for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey after the two sides failed to meet as scheduled on Thursday. The U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said he didn't think there could be a breakthrough until President Trump met face-to-face with Vladimir Putin. Our reporter in Istanbul, Emily Wither, has been talking about Russian demands for these talks. The Russians have said that they're ready to discuss possible compromises. We don't know what those are. And also we heard from the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky. Earlier, he said that they are, quote, "in a working mood." And I think one of the strategies will clearly be to show the Americans that the Russians are still serious about talks. The Ukrainians say by sending this lower level delegation, the Russians are simply stalling for time. It doesn't appear that either side is ready for any major concessions. The U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, says the Trump administration is troubled by the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which is reeling under an Israeli blockade. Mr. Rubio spoke as at least 114 Palestinians were reported killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes. Tom Bateman is our State Department correspondent. This was rare language from Mr. Rubio, who usually declines to point out the impact of the war on Palestinian civilians, instead calling for Hamas to surrender and release the remaining hostages. He also said the U.S. administration was not immune to the suffering of the people of Gaza. Amid Israel's continuing blockade of United Nations aid into the territory, Mr. Rubio called for progress on a controversial Israeli-American proposal for private providers to set up aid collection points in Gaza, a plan rejected by the U.N. as unethical and unworkable. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case related to President Trump's move to end automatic citizenship for children born on American soil. His executive order directs federal agencies not to recognize children born in the U.S. unless at least one parent is an American citizen or lawful permanent resident. Nick Brown, the attorney general of Washington State, which opposes the President's order, explains the problems faced by those affected. "Not only would they not be an American, but in many cases they might be countryless because many states would not recognize the citizenship of that of their parents. And so we're talking about a whole class of individuals that not only would not have the protections of America, but would not have the protections of any country. We can't abide by that." Guyana says armed men in civilian clothes have launched three attacks on its troops in the disputed oil-rich Essequibo region, where Venezuela plans to hold elections next week. There are no reports of injuries. Sparsely populated Essequibo makes up two-thirds of Guyana's territory. BBC News. The American R&B singer, Chris Brown, has been charged with grievous bodily harm in Britain. He's alleged to have attacked a man with a bottle in a London nightclub two years ago. Chris Brown was arrested at a hotel in Manchester after flying in on a private jet. He's due in court on Friday. Police in London have charged a Ukrainian man in connection with fires at two properties and a car linked to the British prime minister, Keir Starmer. Roman Lavrinovich, who's 21, faces three counts of arson. No one was hurt in the incidents. The Chinese electric vehicle maker, BYD, says it will open its first European center in Hungary. It was announced by the company's CEO, speaking alongside the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, in Budapest. The center will be a European hub for testing and developing European versions of its models. ??? reports. Hungary is the top destination for Chinese investment in Europe. And in line with this trend, BYD, which eclipsed Tesla to become the world's largest EV maker last year, has been expanding its footprint on the continent. In 2016, it built its first European assembly plant in Hungary. Later this year, it will open Europe's first ever EV production plant there. Budapest has maintained close economic ties with Beijing, in contrast to other EU nations, after the European Commission imposed tariffs on Chinese-made EVs due to concerns about unfair state subsidies. A Brazilian court has ordered the dismissal of the head of the National Football Confederation, Ednaldo Rodrigues, and his board of directors. The case relates to an alleged forged signature in an agreement that helped get them appointed. Mr. Rodrigues was previously removed from his post in 2023, but the government ordered his reinstatement, fearing Brazil's national team could be banned from competitions. BBC News. |