BBC News Briefing

15 May, 2025

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

Alex Binley

Hello. Vladimir Putin is "not serious" about holding "real talks" on peace in Ukraine, the country's president, Volodymyr Zelensky has said, after his Russian counterpart chose not to attend negotiations in Istanbul. In Syria, amid an air of optimism over the lifting of US sanctions, we report on the displaced people making their way home after 13 long years of war. And finally, take a look at the potentially world record catch landed by a UK angler in Hungary.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Putin 'doesn't want ceasefire', says Zelensky after criticising Russian 'props' sent to Istanbul talks

Zelensky wears a black shirt and is speaking into a microphone. He has short dark brown hair and a beard and is sitting in front of a yellow and blue Ukrainian flag

Zelensky was speaking in Ankara where he had held talks with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Credit: EPA

Russia is "not serious" about holding "real talks" to end its war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, after he made himself available for direct negotiations in Istanbul with Vladimir Putin, but the Russian leader stayed in Moscow and sent a low-level delegation in his place. Talks may now take place on Friday but no timings have been set. It would mark the first time delegations from the two countries have met face-to-face since 2022, although US President Donald Trump predicted "nothing's going to happen" until he and Putin meet. Yet as US State Department correspondent Tom Bateman notes, "Washington is once again setting no deadline on the latest shifting objectives" from Russia.

More on this

GET UP TO SPEED

Lines of men wearing camouflage military uniforms stand in rows. They have kefiyehs covering their faces and heads.

Iran using criminals for hit jobs abroad, papers show

Reports show a rise in plots by the Iranian regime to kidnap or assassinate dissidents, journalists and political foes living abroad.

Read more >

A crowd of men kneel and stoop down and appear to be examining a body bag. One of the men has a bandaged head.

Israeli strikes on Gaza kill 114 people, officials say

Some 56 people were killed when homes and tents of displaced families were bombed in Khan Younis, a hospital said.

More on this >

A close-up image of the face of an older woman. She is wearing a pink top and has thin, brown hair. A black bar has been added to the image to disguise her identity.

Mexico judge arrested over 43 students' disappearance

The retired judge is suspected of giving an order that led to the disappearance of footage which investigators said was key.

What happened >

A bald man with grey hair and glasses wears a grey shirt with a jacket on top. He is being removed from a room by two police officers

Ben & Jerry's co-founder arrested after Gaza protest

Ben Cohen was arrested during a protest in the US Senate over military aid to Israel and humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

Watch what happened >

AT THE SCENE

Homs, Syria

Overjoyed to return - but Syrians face daunting rebuild after years of war

A woman wearing a black dress and light grey headscarf is smiling next to a minivan. She has her hands raised in front of her as if she was just moving.

Fatima and her family are renting a flat in the city while they repair their old home. Credit: Rolf Andreason/BBC

Bringing home the seven million Syrians who were displaced within their country by the conflict between the regime of former President Bashar al-Assad and rebel forces is perhaps the biggest challenge the new government now faces. Many of those who were displaced no longer have homes to return to. But now, following President Trump's decision to lift US sanctions on Syria, there's new hope that the shattered country can rebuild and the economy revive.

Three black squares are in a row against a white background. Each of the squares have a letter in - B, B and C

Tim Whewell, BBC reporter

Thirteen years after civil war forced her to leave, Fatima Hazzouri is back in her native city, Homs, blinking in the sunshine as she steps off a bus crammed with returning women and children, part of a long convoy of coaches and trucks. "I'm overjoyed to be back," Fatima says. She shrieks in delight. The 124 families returning in the convoy have come from the north of Syria, where millions of displaced people live in tents and makeshift shelters. They've been on the road for eight exhausting hours - but it won't be an easy homecoming.

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Homs saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Whole districts are still in ruins. In 2012, two rockets fired by government forces slammed into Fatima's house, largely destroying it. Just building a roof and tiling the floor would cost about $6-7,000 (£4,500-£5,270), she says. She can't imagine where such money would come from. But today, after 13 years away, she just wants to celebrate.

Keep reading

Analysis: Donald Trump's meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was unthinkable just months ago, writes chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet.

Watch: Syrians took to the streets to celebrate the news of the lifting of sanctions, hoping this will bring them a brighter future.

InDepth: The fall of Assad means Syrians have more freedom, but there are concerns around what democracy could look like and the role of Islam in the new regime, writes Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab.

A still of Tom Cruise hanging from a plane with land beneath him in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Credit: Courtesy of Cannes FIlm Festival)

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SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Doom and gloom

The latest Mission: Impossible is the opposite of an escapist blockbuster.

Read the review

And finally... in Hungary

An angler has caught a record-breaking carp while on holiday with friends at Euro Aqua carp farm in Hungary. According to fishing publication Angling Times, the massive 105lb (47.5kg) common carp beats the previous world record by 1lb (450g). It was such a big fish that Mr Knock could not hold it at arm's length. "I cuddled that carp," he said. Take a look.

US Politics Unspun newsletter

No noise. No agenda. Just expert analysis of the issues that matter most, from North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher.

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– Alex

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