BBC News Briefing

5 February, 2026

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

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. One of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein has told the BBC she is "heartbroken for the girls" whose identities were not redacted in released files linked to the late convicted paedophile. From Serbia, Balkans correspondent Guy De Launey reports on how plans for a Trump hotel in Belgrade fell apart. And finally, watch footage of a giant jellyfish lurking in the deep sea.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Naked images remained in Epstein files

An image of Jeffrey Epstein staring at the camera wearing a grey hoodie. He is pictured in front of a hillside on a sunny day.

Victims groups first spoke out about the issue at the weekend following a New York Times report. Credit: US Department of Justice

Unredacted images and videos from the Epstein files showing nude females have been online for days, despite US officials being warned about failures in redaction. In an interview with the BBC, which you can watch here, Epstein survivor Ashley Rubright said the failure to redact victims' identities amounted to a "huge violation of one of the most terrible moments of their lives." BBC Verify found that a number of images of identifiable people were still online on Wednesday, despite the US government stating it was tackling the issue of incomplete redactions. We have reported such files to the Department of Justice, which has already removed thousands of documents after victims said their identities had been compromised.

What BBC Verify found

Analysis: North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher looks at why the latest release may not be the end of the Epstein files controversy.

Noam Chomsky: New files show Epstein sought advice from the linguist over media coverage of sex trafficking allegations against him.

Mandelson's Epstein ties: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing mounting anger at his handling of the scandal. Follow live updates.

WORLD HEADLINES

A uniformed Nigerian soldier holding a gun with donated US armoured trucks in the background

Gunmen kill dozens in Nigeria

The attack comes as the country's defence minister confirmed to the BBC that a small team of US troops was in the country.

More details >

JD Vance wearing a dark suit, white shirt and turquoise tie, smiles with the fist of the right hand lifted

JD Vance hints at Europe's Greenland concessions

The US vice-president has said Europeans have made more concessions to the US than they publicly admit.

What happened >

Savannah Guthries sits in the middle of two relatives in front of a white wall. She is reading a message and bears a sad expression. She has long blond hair and wears a black jumper. A woman with brown hair and glasses is sat on her right, wearing a white shirt. A man wearing a baseball cap and a shirt is sat on the other side.

US anchor pleads for abducted mother's return

Savannah Guthrie has posted a video message seeking proof from her mother's captors that the 84-year-old is still alive.

Read more >

A white Nike swoosh is seen on a store inside a mall with shoppers walking by

Nike faces white workers discrimination claims

The US government has demanded the firm's records going back to 2018, including the use of race and ethnicity data.

What to know >

A split image of Giorgia Meloni and a close-up shot of the fresco. Meloni has short blonde hair and wears a large gold earring, a white t-shirt and a striped blazer. The fresco shows a woman's face, resembling Meloni, painted in black and grey.

Face scrubbed out of fresco resembling Italian PM

The newly restored cherub's face, which sparked outrage and a probe, has been scrubbed out by the artist who painted it.

How it looks now >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Palestine Action: Five protesters have been released on bail ahead of a potential retrial over a break-in at a subsidiary of an Israeli defence firm.

Campus stabbing: An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a student near a university in Leicester.

Wolves FC: A boy filmed in distress after his dad took the last chicken nugget at a football match has been compensated for his loss. Take a look.