BBC News Briefing

3 December, 2025

Harrison has spiky light hair, a navy jacket and a pink shirt. He is smiling and the background is green.

Harrison Jones

Hello. Negotiations between Russia and the US have seemingly failed to achieve a breakthrough over the war in Ukraine. In Israel, our Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson delves into a looming conscription crisis threatening to undermine the government and split the population. And we’ll visit a country where floods and landslides have given way to community spirit and volunteerism.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

No peace deal breakthrough after US talks

Vladimir Putin smiles to someone to the right of the camera. He wears a dark suit, purple tie and white and has thin grey hair. The blurred background behind him is white with light green curtains.

Earlier, Putin said if Europe "wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now". Credit: EPA

Five hours of talks in Moscow over a Ukrainian peace deal were "constructive" but "no compromise" was reached over territorial concessions, according to the Kremlin – which says it's wrong to suggest Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected US peace proposals. This is not the first time US-Russian talks on the issue have broken up without securing an end to the fighting, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says his aides are now preparing for their own meeting with President Donald Trump's envoys in the US. Meanwhile, with Nato foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced that the bloc has reached a provisional deal to end Russian gas imports by 2027.

Get the latest

Steve Rosenberg: 'Putin showing no signs of compromise', says BBC's Russia editor

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War with Europe: Before Tuesday's talks, Putin warned that if Europe "wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now".

Nato reacts: 'No serious willingness from Russia' - how foreign ministers responded in Brussels

WORLD HEADLINES

ICE agents are seen in the street in Chicago. One in the foreground is in military uniform and another is being spoken to by two men.

Trump says he doesn't want Somalis in US

The president said "their country is no good for a reason", amid reports that ICE was planning an enforcement operation.

Find out more >

A street scene shows five people walking past the shop window of a Prada stor. There are mannequins in the window and black text with the shop name above.

Italian luxury giant Prada buys Versace at a discount

The $1.38bn (£1.04bn) deal is well below the roughly $2bn that Versace's former parent company paid for the brand in 2018.

Read now >

Orthodox jews protest in a road. One holds a green sign with hebrew text on. The men are wearing white shirts, a hat and dark jackets.

Crisis looms in Israel over conscription bill

A draft bill to end the exemption granted to ultra-Orthodox men enrolled in full-time religious study is being considered.

Get the details >

A woman with her back to the camera writes on a poster about MH370. Some of the text, in blue and orange with a silhouette of a plane, reads: '239 lives, MH370 years gone'.

Search for long-missing MH370 to resume

The search will restart on 30 December, over a decade after the Malaysia Airlines flight vanished with 239 people on board.

Keep reading >

A man looking into the camera as he carries an older man in his arms, on a badly flooded road.

Sri Lanka catastrophe awakens volunteer spirit

Cyclone Ditwah has been described as the "most challenging natural disaster" in the country's history.

Find out more >

NEWS FROM THE UK

Covid inquiry: The government has racked up a £100m bill responding to the inquiry so far - on top of the £192m spent by the inquiry itself.

Social media: The BBC investigates racism, rape and death threats on one weekend of social media abuse in football.

'Uncertain times': Catherine, Princess of Wales, sends a Christmas message of love.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

'Carspreading' is on the rise - and not everyone is happy

Paris is one of the cities clamping down on bigger cars

In the UK and across Europe, cars are becoming longer, wider and heavier, our international business correspondent Theo Leggett writes. Big cars are seen as practical, safe and stylish, and sales are growing. So why are some cities determined to clamp down on them - and are they right to do so?

Read Theo's analysis

A group of carol singers holding song sheets stand in the background as a woman leans over a child, both of them smiling.