BBC News Briefing

2 December, 2025

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

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. Ukrainian soldiers and civilians in Donbas have spoken to defence correspondent Jonathan Beale about the efforts to end the war with Russia. In the latest episode of From Our Own Correspondent, Mayeni Jones shares what it's like to cover schoolchildren's abductions in Nigeria. And finally, watch an Aston Martin made famous by James Bond get a makeover.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Escaping Ukraine's war-ravaged Donbas

A train station in the mist. You can see a cluster of soldiers on the station platform.

Refugees fleeing the Donbas take advantage of the fog, as visibility is reduced for enemy drones. Credit: BBC/Matthew Goddard

Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding talks with US representatives in Moscow on a draft peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine. Follow live updates here. Earlier in the day, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said "now more than ever, there is a chance to end this war." Nearly four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces control about 85% of the eastern region of Donbas. While feeling "tired mentally and physically", frontline soldiers find the idea of ceding territory to Russia unacceptable, Jonathan Beale hears. But some civilians he spoke to said they are willing to sacrifice their homes in return for peace.

Read now

GET UP TO SPEED

Honduras former President Juan Orlando Hernández is escorted by authorities as he walks towards a plane of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for his extradition to the United States, to face a trial on drug trafficking and arms possession charges, at the Hernan Acosta Mejia Air Force base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on 21 April 2022

Honduran ex-president released from US prison

Juan Orlando Hernández has received a pardon from US President Donald Trump for drug charges.

What to know >

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sits next to DOnald Trump during a cabinet meeting. He has short grey hair and brown eyes.

Hegseth speaks about second deadly boat strike

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he did "not see survivors" before a second strike on an alleged drug vessel.

What happened >

Michael Jordan pictured outside of a federal courthouse in Charlotte, North Carolina on 1 December

Michael Jordan is suing Nascar

The NBA legend has accused the US's biggest motorsports company of operating an illegal monopoly.

More details >

A soldier of German army Bundeswehr takes position after storming into a metro train station during a tactical urban warfare drill. He is lying on the ground in a camouflage uniform, armed with a gun equipped with a round of bullets.

German army ammunition stolen from lorry

A shipment has been stolen from a delivery lorry in the eastern town of Burg, the country's defence ministry has said.

Keep reading >

AT THE SCENE

Niger State, Nigeria

Reckoning with the kidnapping crisis

A woman's hand is seen to the left of the image as she looks on at empty black painted bunk beds in a dormitory at a school in Papiri

Remote boarding schools, like this one in Papiri, are seen as soft targets by groups seeking a large ransom.

Armed gangs across northern Nigeria have resorted to kidnapping for ransom as a source of income. In response to the most recent spate of abductions, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the recruitment of an additional 50,000 police officers and said more personnel would be sent to vulnerable areas to avert further kidnappings.

Mayeni has short brown curly hair and brown eyes. She is wearing glasses and a yellow blouse.

Mayeni Jones, Africa correspondent

The first story I covered as a new foreign correspondent was a mass kidnapping, in February 2019. During my time in Nigeria I covered five more mass kidnappings of children, the last one in March 2024. Shortly after that trip I was diagnosed with PTSD. The voices and tearful faces of the mothers I interviewed over the years came flooding back. The pictures of the children they might never see again haunted me.

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These mass kidnappings may seem like awful headlines to the majority of the world. But in northern Nigeria they are tearing families apart, changing lives forever and depriving millions of children of an education, as authorities close schools because of security concerns.

Listen now

More from Mayeni: Some rural communities have come up with their own solutions to deal with kidnapping gangs.

Defence minister: President Tinubu has nominated retired general Christopher Musa to replace Mohammed Badaru Abubakar.

Security challenges: Several armed groups operate across the vast country - here is a breakdown.

An image shows three people against a background of trees. A man on the left wears a flatcap and navy blue coat, the woman in the middle has long brown hair and wears a patterned coat and the woman on the right has black hair and a thick fringe and is wearing a brown coat over a grey jumper and skirt