BBC News Briefing

5 March, 2025

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. The US has now paused both military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, with the latter likely to have serious consequences on the battlefield, my colleague, US state department correspondent Tom Bateman reports. Moscow's invasion led to many companies pulling out or boycotting Russia, but rapper Offset has announced he'll be playing a gig in the capital next month. Elsewhere, scientists believe they have cracked why aspirin might help to stop cancer from spreading, and "breathtaking" footage from the UK shows a bird of prey repeatedly trying - and failing - to attack a starling murmuration.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

US pause on Ukraine intelligence sharing will 'inspire Russia to push harder'

A Ukrainian soldier wears camoflauge clothing and a helmet. He launches a missile from a weapon on his shoulder. He is surrounded by snow and there is a cloud of flames behind him

It is thought the suspension of intelligence sharing will have a more immediate impact than the pause on aid. Credit: Getty Images

After pausing military aid to Ukraine on Monday, US officials have now confirmed President Donald Trump has also suspended intelligence sharing. The move is likely to have serious consequences on the battlefield, US state department correspondent Tom Bateman says, where information is believed to help Ukraine understand Russian troop positions and Moscow’s next moves. An ex-defence official and retired CIA paramilitary officer told my colleague Bernd Debusmann Jr that the effects of the suspension will be felt "immediately" by Ukraine and "will likely inspire Russia to push harder". President Volodymyr Zelensky has taken steps to repair relations with Trump after Friday's fiery Oval Office meeting, and the US national security adviser has said the US president would be open to lifting the freeze if peace talks progress.

More on this

GET UP TO SPEED

An external photo of the US Supreme Court. It is made of white stone and has a triangular roof and lots of columns out the front, appearing to mimic a Greek temple

Court rejects Trump bid to withhold $2bn foreign aid

The payments are owed to foreign aid organisations for work they have already performed for the US government.

Read more >

A woman dressed in black speaks into a megaphone. Behind her are people protesting and holding banners. There is red smoke in the air.

US confirms talks with Hamas over Gaza hostages

Israel was consulted prior to the talks, the White House said. Until now, the US had avoided direct engagement with Hamas.

More on the talks >

A person holds a bottle of pills and has emptied some out into their hand.

Experts crack how aspirin may stop cancer spread

Animal experiments showed that the drug enhanced the ability of the immune system to fight back.

What to know >

Rapper Offset wears a black cap backwards, black sunglasses and he has a black goatee. He is wearing a beige hoodie and wears diamond earrings and has a face jewel just under his right eye.

Offset announces Russia gig despite label's boycott

After the Ukraine invasion, Universal Music Group, which owns Offset's label, pulled out of Russia.

What happened >

AT THE SCENE

Rugombo, Burundi

'I risked drowning to flee conscription by Congolese rebels'

A man in a beige cap looks at the camera. He is wearing a black leather jacket and is standing in front of a river. There are palm trees in the background.

Jordan Bita says he kept away from main roads, trekking through bush, to avoid the advancing rebels. Credit: BBC

Thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo are opting to make a dangerous river crossing to reach safety in neighbouring Burundi, as conflict between M23 rebels and government forces escalates. In the last month, almost 70,000 people from DRC have sought refuge in the north-west of the country. Yet in the last two weeks, at least 20 people have been swept away as they attempted to swim the 300m (984ft) across the river, which at certain points is 10m deep. It is thought many other drownings have gone unreported.

Nomsa Maseko, reporter

Jordan Bita preferred to risk his life swimming across a roaring river than stay at home and be conscripted by rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The 25-year-old clung on to a black bin bag with some possessions as he used the strong currents to navigate his way across the Rusizi river, which forms the border between DR Congo and Burundi.

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"M23 fighters are everywhere and they are forcing us to join them to fight against the government," he told the BBC after climbing up the bank on the Burundian side and wiping the water from his face. Another man, Amani Sebakungu, looked exhausted and was trying to catch his breath as he emerged from the Rusizi: "In the river you just have to take heart and say if I die or survive so be it. God willed I crossed safely."

Keep reading

Watch: Some of those who made the perilous crossing spoke to the BBC after emerging from the water.

Background to conflict: The mineral-rich east of DR Congo has been dogged by conflict for more than 30 years, since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Recently, fighters from the M23 rebel group have captured a number of key cities and towns.

Who's pulling the strings?: An alarming number of African armies have troops deployed in the conflict zone, which has a long history of outside interference, writes Africa correspondent Barbara Plett Usher as she explains who the main players are and what they want.

A woman with white hair wearing a face mask stands at a window. Tall buildings are reflected in the window.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Covid restrictions revisited

Some countries didn't impose lockdowns – so was their decision the right one?

Read now

And finally... in the UK

A hypnotic and "breathtaking" attack by what was believed to be a peregrine falcon on a murmuration of thousands of starlings has been captured on video above an "everyday street" in Chester in the north of England. A worker at the nearby zoo said the video appears to show the starlings had been successful at evading capture as the peregrine falcon was not seen to get any of the birds. Another employee who filmed the spectacle said the only downside was that many locals had their vehicles covered in bird poo.

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– Alex

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