BBC News Briefing

22 October, 2025

Alex Binley

Hello. After the momentum US President Donald Trump gained from his Gaza peace plan, he appears to have turned his attention once more to ending the war in Ukraine. But as North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher notes, he may struggle to win over his Russian counterpart. We also have the story of how a suitcase under a bed led to the discovery of a family fortune looted under Nazi rule. And watch as competitors in Oregon find a novel use for their pumpkins.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Why Trump made breakthrough in Gaza but can't with Putin over Ukraine

A man wearing dark clothes, with grey hair, carries a child who is wrapped in a ark coat. The child's pink shoes can be seen poking out the end of the coat. The pair are surrounded by smoke and debris, and two cars which have their windows smashed.

A man was reported killed and children wounded in an attack on a kindergarten in Kharkiv. Credit: DSNS Ukraine

At least seven people, including two children, have been killed in a wave of overnight Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. It comes a day after plans were shelved for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following the momentum of his peace plan for Gaza, Trump appeared re-energised on ending the war in Ukraine, and it is this desire for a deal that Putin may be capitalising on "as a means of influencing" the US president, Anthony Zurcher writes. But, he points out, "the circumstances that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough possible... may be difficult to replicate in a Ukraine war that has been raging for nearing four years".

Anthony's analysis

'Massive' strike: Ukraine has hit a Russian chemical plant with long-range Storm Shadow missiles, its military said on Tuesday.

War in maps: Here's how the current front lines stand as Russian forces continue to grind slowly forwards.

WORLD HEADLINES

The wreckahe of a bluebus can be seen. A yellow bus is in the background and the back of a lorry can also be seen

More than 40 dead in Uganda crash

The multi-vehicle crash happened when two buses "met head on" while trying to overtake a lorry and a car, police said.

More on this >

Seven child sit or crouch. They are quite young and have pots of food in front of them which they are eating

Gaza health crisis will last 'generations' - WHO

A combination of famine and mental health issues will create a "crisis", Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesusin said.

Read more >

ChatGPT-maker releases browser in Google rival bid

ChatGPT Atlas, which was released on Tuesday, does away with the address bar that is a key feature in search.

How it will work >

A woman in a grey top with black hair in a bun sits on a grey settee in a flat. She has a glass of water in one hand and a pill in the other.

Effects of antidepressants on physical health ranked

In the first eight weeks, some medications caused patients to gain up to 2kg or vary heart rate by as much as 21 beats a minute.

Find out more >

A close-up shot shows a mosquito on a leaf. The background is blurred and green.

Mosquitoes found in Iceland for first time

The country was one of only two mosquito-free havens in the world prior to the discovery, partly due to its cold climate

Why the change >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Claims against police: More than 300 people contacted the BBC with allegations of racism, misogyny and bullying of victims by police.

Grooming gangs: A fourth survivor has quit the inquiry, amid concerns about impartiality and the treatment of panellists.

Cyber crime: At an estimated £1.9bn ($2.53bn) the hack on Jaguar Land Rover will be the costliest in UK history, researchers say.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

How an old suitcase revealed a hidden family fortune, lost under Nazi rule

Antony Easton wearing a light-colored long-sleeve shirt stands indoors, holding a black-and-white photograph of his father, Peter Easton, dressed in a suit and tie. Behind him is a room with bookshelves and various items, lit by natural light from a window on the right.

Anthony said his father always avoided talking about his childhood.

Soon after Peter Easton - a man who prided himself on his "Englishness" died - his son Anthony found a suitcase in his flat. Inside was German money, photos, notes and a birth certificate. It led Anthony on a journey to discover his family's hidden past: lives devastated by the Holocaust, a vanished fortune and a legacy of artwork and property stolen under Nazi rule.

This is his story

Illustration shows various internet browser windows coming out of a desktop screen. The windows display colourful images reminiscing of hallucinatory experiences. The silouhette of a man in a lab coat is standing on a computer keyboard and looks at the windows.