BBC News Briefing

24 April, 2025

Sofia has long brown hair and brown eyes and is wearing a green top

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. As US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Russia's latest deadly attack in Ukraine, our Europe digital editor Paul Kirby explains why the future of Russia-occupied Crimea is central to peace talks. Also, our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams speaks to Gazans who oppose Hamas. And finally, a female magician recalls how she gained admission to a male-only society back in 1991.

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TOP OF THE AGENDA

Why Crimea is a red line for Zelensky

Unidentified armed men in green military uniform stand guard around the Ukrainian military unit in Simferopol

Russia seized Crimea during a power vacuum in Ukraine in February 2014. Credit: Getty Images

President Trump has condemned Russia's overnight attack on Kyiv. Writing on social media, he addressed the Russian leader directly: "Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!" Trump's frustration at the slow progress of ceasefire talks had previously been directed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Wednesday, Trump rebuked Zelensky after he said Kyiv would not recognise Russia's 2014 capture of the Crimean peninsula. Approving Russia's illegal annexation would not just be a red line for Ukraine, writes Paul Kirby, but would set a worrying precedent.

Read Paul's analysis

GET UP TO SPEED

A demonstrator shouts as he is stopped by police during a protest against in New Delhi, India

Pakistan suspends visas for Indians in tit-for-tat

Pakistan has issued measures against India as tensions soared following a deadly militant attack in Kashmir.

Read more >

Workers work on a production line manufacturing smart automotive central control navigation products at a factory of Beidou Intelligent Connected Vehicle Technology Co. (BICV) in the High Tech Industrial Development Zone in Suqian, Jiangsu Province, China. Credit: Reuters

China tells Trump to cancel tariffs to hold talks

China has urged the US to cancel its sweeping levies on Chinese goods to signal that President Trump wants a trade deal.

What to know >

Pope Francis lays in state in an open wooden coffin wearing a red robe and a white hat. The coffin is lined with red fabric and is being transported by a dozen pallbearers. Cardinals and Swiss Guards are lined up at each side of the coffin.

Pope mourners queue for 'chance to say goodbye'

Pope Francis, who died on Monday, is currently lying in state in an open coffin in St Peter's Basilica.

Watch the video >

Prince Harry wears a blue blazer and a white shirt while his wife Meghan is wearing a beige blazer and a white shirt. They are talking to each other while leaving a

Sussexes unveil memorial to children's online safety

Prince Harry and Meghan have been supporting families who say social media played a role in their children's deaths.

Here's how >

AT THE SCENE

Jerusalem

Hamas opposition on the rise in Gaza

A crowd of people line the street in Beit Lahiya, with a man in the centre sitting on another persons shoulders with a raised finger in the air as he shouts, with damaged buildings in the background against a blue sky.

An anti-Hamas protest took place in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza on 26 March. Credit: Getty Images

On the streets of Gaza, more and more Palestinians are expressing open defiance against Hamas, the armed group that's ruled the strip for almost 20 years. In that time, there have been three major wars with Israel and two smaller conflicts. Recent protests indicate the group's iron grip on Gaza is slowly slipping.

Paul Adams has short blonde hair and blue eyes.

Paul Adams, diplomatic correspondent

Moumen al-Natour, a Gaza lawyer and former political prisoner who's long been a vocal critic of Hamas, spoke to us from the shattered remains of his city, the flimsy canvas side of the tent which now forms part of his house billowing behind him. "We didn't choose Hamas and now Hamas is determined to rule Gaza and tie our fate to its own. Hamas must retreat" he said.

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Speaking out is dangerous. Hamas has never tolerated dissent. Some of the more recent protests suggest that civilians, driven to the edge of madness by a year and a half of Israeli bombardment, are losing their fear of Hamas.

Keep reading

Mahmoud Abbas: The president of the Palestinian Authority has called Hamas "sons of dogs" in a fiery speech demanding an end to the war.

War in Gaza: At least 50 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes across the strip on Thursday, health officials and first responders say.

Yellow-coloured vinegar is poured from a clear bottle on to a spoon and runs off it

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SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Vinegar spring clean

Great at getting rid of limescale, vinegar is suitable for other forms of cleaning, too.