BBC News Briefing

4 September, 2025

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

Alex Binley

Hello. US health secretary Robert F Kennedy (RFK) Jr has been defending his oversight of health agencies before a Senate committee. Thousands of miles from the frontline in Ukraine, life in Russia is being impacted by the war. And take a look as the Prince and Princess of Wales return to duty following a summer break.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

RFK Jr grilled on Covid, vaccines, and past comments at heated Senate hearing

RFK Jr wears a dark grey suit, light blue shirt and thin, dark blue tie. He has grey, receeding hair and blue eyes and is sitting on a chair speaking into a microphone. He is gesticulating with his hands and there is a folder of papers on the desk in front of him. He is in a wod-pannelled room and pepole can be seen behind him.

Kennedy repeatedly clashed with Democratic and Republican lawmakers as they quizzed him on his vaccine stances. Credit: Reuters

In a fiery Senate hearing, RFK Jr has defended his seven months in office. When questioned about turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - the US government's public health agency - the health secretary said a recent overhaul, which saw him fire top advisors and employees, was "absolutely necessary", and that the agency "failed miserably during Covid". He also branded false a claim from the CDC's former chief that he told her to sign off on vaccine recommendations that didn't have a scientific basis. Kennedy also said that he doesn't know "how many died" in the US from Covid - my colleagues at BBC Verify have looked at the numbers.

What happened

GET UP TO SPEED

The remains of a crashed funicular can be seen in the street. It appears to be lots of panels of wood. A number of poeple, many in high-vis jackets, stand nearby

Three-year-old boy pulled from funicular wreckage

The boy's father was reportedly killed and his mother hurt in the Lisbon crash which left 16 dead and more than 20 injured.

Report from the scene >

An elderly man with white hair wears a black jacket, with a dark tie and a white shirt. He has one hand raised as if waving. A number of bright lights can be seen behind him.

Legendary Italian designer Giorgio Armani dies

The 91-year-old was the archetype of Italian elegance, reimagining men's and women's suits for a modern audience.

More on his life >

The head and shoulders of Donald Trump can be seen. He is wearing a navy blue suit, white shirt and purple tie. He has his face turned slightly to the side and there are a number of flags behind him.

Trump downplays talk of Nobel Peace Prize

After previously suggesting he deserved it, the president said: "I don't seek attention. I just want to save lives."

What else he said >

A child with brown hair and wearing a yellow jumper is drawing on a sheet of yellow paper with a pink pencil. A number of other pencils are near to her and a toy made up of segments of a rainbow

Grandad took home wrong child from Sydney daycare

The mistake became clear when the mum of the child arrived to find that her one-year-old was not there, it was reported.

What happened >

AT THE SCENE

Vladivostok, Russia

Ukraine is 4,000 miles away but even this Asian city is part of Russia's war

An ice hockey player with one leg enters the ice rink, wearing pads and a green jersey. He has his back to the camera and one of his trouser legs is pinned up. Ice hockey gear lies on the floor next to him.

All the players in Soyuz, the local Para ice hockey team, lost limbs fighting in Ukraine.

Vladivostok is more than 4,000 miles (6,400km) from Ukraine and from Russia's capital. This is Asia. The border with North Korea is 80 miles (129km) from the port city, while China is just 35 miles (56km) away. Yet the consequences of a distant war in Europe are more than visible.

Steve Rosenberg has short grey hair and blue eyes. He is looking straight ahead at the camera and looks serious. The top of his blue shirt collar and black jacket can be seen.

Steve Rosenberg, Russia editor

Like all his teammates at Soyuz, the local Para ice hockey team, Dmitry Afanasyev was on the front line in Ukraine. "A mine came flying towards me," the 30-year-old recalls. "I fell to the ground and could feel my leg burning. I looked down and everything was torn apart. I put on a tourniquet myself and told the guys to drag me out of there. My wife's a surgeon. I sent her a picture of my leg and she replied: 'They'll probably saw it off.'"

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Others, such as Ilya, claim that the war hasn't fundamentally changed his life. "You can still earn a living and get by here," he says.

Keep reading

Troops commitment: 26 Western allies have said they are committed to deploying troops to Ukraine, the day after a ceasefire deal is agreed.

Putin's vow: Russia will continue fighting to achieve all its aims if Ukraine does not agree to a deal, the country's president has said.

War in maps: As Russian forces continue to grind slowly forwards, here's how the frontlines look.

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