BBC News Briefing

20 June, 2025

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Alex Binley

Hello. Talks aimed at easing the conflict between Iran and Israel have concluded, with European leaders calling the discussions "constructive" and Iran saying it will consider diplomacy "once the aggression stops". We also report on the final days of a Gaza hospital, with its director sharing voice notes and video with a BBC team. Elsewhere, we take a look at the seemingly unstoppable rise of Labubu dolls. Plus, feeling news-knowledge confident? Try our quiz of the week.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Iran ready to consider diplomacy 'once the aggression is stopped' - foreign minister

A man with grey hair and a white beard, wearing a navy pinstripe suit and white shirt can be seen behind a camera and microphone

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that "Iran's defence capabilities are non-negotiable". Credit: EPA

Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon", it has been told in a meeting between its foreign minister and his counterparts from the UK, EU, France and Germany. The officials met in Geneva for talks aimed at easing the conflict between Iran and Israel. Speaking afterwards, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that his country's nuclear programme is peaceful, and that "Iran's defence capabilities are non-negotiable". European leaders said they were "keen" to continue negotiations with Iran, and that their counterpart from Tehran had shown a "willingness" to do so. Araghchi told reporters that Iran is "ready to consider diplomacy" once "the aggression is stopped". The talks took place against a backdrop of continuing attacks between Israel and Iran.

Latest updates

GET UP TO SPEED

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Judge orders Mahmoud Khalil be released on bail

The Columbia graduate had a key role in student protests over Gaza. Trump said his arrest was the first of "many to come".

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Chris Brown denies London nightclub assault

The US singer is on £5m ($6.7m) bail after being charged over an alleged assault in a nightclub in 2023. He denies the charges.

More from court >

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US basketball training for Senegal axed over visas

It comes amid reports that the US plans to impose fresh travel restrictions on 25 more African countries, including Senegal.

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Girl dies in food poisoning outbreak in France

A 12-year-old girl has died and seven other children have been taken to hospital in an outbreak of severe food poisoning.

What we know >

AT THE SCENE

Jerusalem

Voice notes from a Gaza hospital as war closes in

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The World Health Organization said its team was “exposed to nearby airstrikes, shelling and gunfire” while assisting with evacuations at al-Awda. Credit: UN

Al-Awda in northern Gaza is one of several hospitals across the territory to have ceased or reduced operations since Israel expanded its offensive last month, with the Israeli military accusing Hamas and other armed groups of operating in and around the facilities. Over a period of two weeks, hospital director Mohammed Salha sent regular voice notes to the BBC from inside it, tracking the hospital's rapid deterioration until the moment it shut down completely.

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Alice Cuddy, senior international reporter

A message from Salha finally arrives. “I’m sorry for the delay but the past few days have been very difficult days,” he says, his voice heavy and dejected. The hospital is facing “a lot of bombing and shooting from the tanks... and they forced us to evacuate the hospital”.

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In a second voice note sent later with more details of the evacuation, he says he initially refused to leave, asking if a limited team could stay on with patients, but he says the IDF refused. He says the Israeli army threatened to enter the hospital and kill everyone inside if they did not evacuate. The IDF later denied it threatened hospital staff - saying it let them evacuate “if they wished”, given the hospital’s location in the centre of a combat zone “adjacent to terror infrastructure”. All remaining staff and patients left, Salha says, with some patients carried up to 300 metres because ambulances are so far away, and roads were destroyed.

Keep reading

23 dead: Israeli forces killed 23 Palestinians after opening fire on crowds gathered near a Gaza aid distribution site, witnesses and medics say. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots after people gathered nearby, and an Israeli aircraft then struck "several suspects" who it said continued walking towards troops.

UK military planes 'vandalised': Pro-Palestinian activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and sprayed two military planes with red paint.

Documentary shelved: The BBC has said it has decided not to broadcast a documentary about doctors working in Gaza, due to impartiality concerns it has surrounding the production.

PICK OF THE WEEK

Adorable or just weird? How Labubu dolls conquered the world

Five Labubu dolls stand in a row. They all have round pink faces with big eyes and a smile showing nine pointed teeth. They have plush bodies and wear different coloured dungarees

Labubu dolls have a dearth of celebrity advocates including Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian and Blackpink's Lisa. Credit: Xia Yu/VCG via Getty Images

Whether you think they're cute, ugly or just plain weird, chances are you've heard of the furry dolls that have become a global sensation - Labubu. The elf-like creatures are such a hit, that they've almost tripled Chinese toy-maker Pop Mart's profits in the past year, and, according to some, even energised Chinese soft power. So, how did we get here?

Get the latest

The skin on our feet and hands shrivel and wrinkle in the bath, while other parts of our body do not undergo the same transformation

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SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Water wrinkles

How our body reacts to being soaked in water is worth a closer inspection.

Here's why

And finally...

A collector of Enid Blyton's stories was "completely gobsmacked" to find that one of the children's books he bought from a charity shop contained a drawings and annotations written 50 years ago by his wife. Take a look.

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