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Hello, I'm David Harper with the BBC News.
Senior American and Ukrainian delegations have been holding talks in Florida as the Trump administration pushes to engineer an end to Russia's war with Ukraine. The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington wanted a peace deal that left Ukraine sovereign, independent and prosperous. The new head of Ukraine's delegation, Rustem Umerov, said his country wanted to secure real peace with long-term security guarantees. Our North America correspondent Sean Dilley is following developments from Washington. The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that they wanted to ensure to help Ukraine be safe so never again would they face an invasion. Now I tell you what that speaks to is the most critical part of negotiations, at least from the U.S. point of view, and that is what would any security guarantee look like - what if Ukraine had an issue in the future? That's before any other details like the handing back of land is progressed very fully, but would security be ensured by the United States? Would it be Europe? Would it be a mix of both? Sri Lanka has appealed for international help and solidarity as it struggles to tackle some of the worst flooding in its recent history. More than 330 people are known to have been killed and a similar number of people are still missing. In an address to the nation, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said they were facing highly challenging rescue and reconstruction operations as floods and landslides wreaked havoc in many areas. "With the nation affected from end to end, this is a highly challenging task that needs to be conquered. While our small island could be shaken by this merciless natural disaster, the humanity and resilience of our people cannot in any way be shaken. We must face the immense task of reconstruction and recovery. The estimated scale of destruction is severe." President Trump has confirmed he's held a telephone call with Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro. He said he didn't want to comment further, adding he wouldn't say it went well or badly. The call comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela, following a number of strikes on suspected drug smuggling vessels, the majority off the Venezuelan coast, which have seen at least 80 people killed. Pope Leo has urged the people of Lebanon to remain in the crisis-hit country, which has seen a surge in numbers leaving. Lebanon with its large Christian population is the second stop of Pope Leo's first overseas trip as pontiff after Turkey. Addressing diplomats and civil society representatives, the pope said that it took real courage and foresight to stay. "There are millions of Lebanese here and throughout the world who serve peace silently day after day. Yet you who have important institutional tasks within this nation are destined for a special beatitude if you can say that you have put the goal of peace above all else." Recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has deepened divisions. This is the latest world news from the BBC. Voting has been taking place in elections in Honduras, tissues of president, members of Congress and mayors. The presidential poll has been widely viewed as a three-way race. The election has been overshadowed by a threat from Donald Trump to cut U.S. aid to the Central American nation if Nasry Asfura of the right-wing National Party does not win. Critics accuse President Trump of meddling in Honduran politics. Officials in Ireland's capital, Dublin, have halted plans to rename a park that currently honors the former Israeli President Chaim Herzog. The plan to rename the city's Herzog Park followed a campaign by pro-Palestinian activists. The proposal had been scheduled for a city council vote but had been criticized by some as anti-Semitic. The founder and head of the Swiss right-to-die organization Dignitas has himself died through assisted suicide. Ludwig Minelli was just a few days short of his 93rd birthday. The organization founded in 1998 became famous globally for offering assisted suicide to non-Swiss citizens. Mr. Minelli was often criticized for offering the service to those who wanted to end their lives but weren't terminally ill. The term "rage bait," referring to manipulative tactics deployed to increase online engagement, has been named the Word or Phrase of the Year by Oxford University Press. The publishing house says usage of the phrase increased threefold in the last 12 months. Noor Nanji reports. Do you find yourself getting increasingly irate while scrolling through your social media feeds? If so, you may be falling victim to rage bait. According to the Oxford University Press, this is defined as online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive. Such content is typically posted in order to increase traffic to websites or social media accounts. Shortlisted words were put to a public vote, the results of which helped to guide the final decision taken by OUP's language experts. And that's the latest BBC News. |