BBC News Briefing

17 February, 2025

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

Alex Binley

Hello. Two days of intense talks that could determine the future of the war in Ukraine are under way. Ahead of the US and Russia meeting tomorrow, European leaders gathered in Paris, seeking to present a united front and push for a seat at the negotiating table. In Rome, the Vatican says the Pope will remain in hospital for as long as needed as he undergoes treatment for an infection. Elsewhere, we have pictures from one of the world's rarest treasure troves of art, and we bring you the top 10 moments from Saturday Night Live's 50th anniversary show.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

'There must be a US backstop’ for any Ukraine peace deal, UK PM says

A Ukrainian soldier walks past the rubble of a house. Only the front of the building remains - the doors and windows have been blown out and the roof timbers can be seen

The war in Ukraine is nearing its third anniversary. Credit: EPA

In what could be a defining week for the war in Ukraine, the West remains fractured in its stance over negotiations with Moscow. Ahead of US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, European leaders held an emergency meeting in Paris in a bid to present a united front on security spending and force themselves a spot at the negotiating table, discussions they, along with Ukraine, are currently excluded from. Speaking after the summit, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "there must be a US backstop" for a lasting peace agreement, as a "US security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again". While Germany's chancellor said there should be "no split" between the US and Europe on responsibility for Ukraine's security. In what will be two days of intense diplomacy, our correspondents analyse what the key powers hope to achieve.

Find out more

GET UP TO SPEED

Pope Francis is sitting in a cream-coloured chair and speaking into a silver microphone. He is holding a sheet of paper in his hands and wears glasses, a white cap and white robes. He is bald.

Pope's health a 'complex clinical situation' - Vatican

The Pope has a "polymicrobial infection" of his respiratory tract and will be in hospital for as long as needed, the Vatican said.

Read more >

A side shot of Javier Milei's face. He has brown messy hair and long sideburns which are going grey. The collar of a blue shirt under a dark-coloured suit can be seen.

Milei faces impeachment calls over crypto crash

Argentina's president shared a link to buy $LIBRA, then deleted it a few hours later, causing the currency to nosedive in value.

More on this story >

A white plane lies upside down in the snow at an airport. Red fire engines are parked next to it

Plane crashes while landing in Toronto

The airport says “all passengers and crew are accounted for”. Social media photos show the plane flipped upside down.

More as we get it >

Sabrina Carpenter has long blond hair and wears a sequined dress. She is standing behind a microphone and smiling. She has her hand on Paul Simon's shoulder. He is standing behind a microphone and holding a black guitar. He has short grey hair, and is wearing a black T-shirt with a grey blazer on top

Ten best moments as stars mark 50 years of SNL

Famed for its sketches and celebrity hosts, the show is responsible for launching the careers of many comedy legends.

Highlights from the show >

AT THE SCENE

Syria

Years of Iranian military expansion in Syria in ruins

A military jeep sits with its doors open and discarded items on the ground around it, next to two tunnel entrances into a cliff face

The Iranian base was built deep inside rocky hills. Credit: BBC

Iran was former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's most critical ally for more than 10 years. It invested heavily in Syria's war, building deep networks of underground bases, supplying arms and training to thousands of fighters. For Iran, this was also part of its "security belt" against Israel. But after a rebel offensive swept across the country at lightning speed in December and toppled Assad, Iranian forces beat a hasty retreat with barely a moment's notice, leaving everything Tehran spent years building in Syria, in ruins.

Nafiseh Kohnavard, Middle East correspondent

Mouldy half-finished food on bunk beds, discarded military uniforms and abandoned weapons - these are the remnants of an abrupt retreat from this base that once belonged to Iran and its affiliated groups in Syria.

‌

The scene tells a story of panic. When the final moment came, Iran was unprepared. Orders for retreat reached some bases at the very last moment. "Developments happened so fast," a senior member of an Iran-backed Iraqi paramilitary group tells me. "The order was to just take your backpack and leave."

Keep reading

'Axis of resistance' shattered: The fall of the Assad regime and Israel's war with Hezbollah have major consequences for Iran. Where does it go from here?

Pathfinder 1 is a white, giant rigid airship. It's pictured in a hangar.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Dirigible dreams

Bankrolled by a Google billionaire, Pathfinder 1 attempts to revive the airship.

Here's how

And finally... in Iran

The basement of a museum in Iran capital's Tehran houses a rare treasure trove of art worth as much as $3bn (£2.4bn), but its contents have rarely been shown in public. A recent exhibition however proved so successful that it was extended twice due to overwhelming public demand. The showcase featured more than 15 works unveiled for the first time, including paintings by Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon. Take a look.

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– Alex

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