BBC News Briefing

15 April, 2026

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

Sofia Lotto Persio

Hello. President Donald Trump says US-Iran talks could restart in Pakistan "in the next two days", although Iran has yet to comment. We have the latest. My colleague Nikita Yadav explains why many Indian students no longer look to Canada as a dream destination. And finally, find out how one lucky individual became the owner of a Picasso painting.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Hopes for peace talks as truce end nears

Ships in the Strait of Hormuz on 14 April

Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz since it came under attack from US and Israeli air strikes on 28 February. Credit: Reuters

President Trump has suggested talks aimed at ending the war in Iran could resume this week. "You should stay there [Islamabad], really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we're more inclined to go there," Trump was quoted as saying in an interview with the New York Post. Negotiations collapsed at the weekend, prompting a US blockade of Iranian ports. The stand-off has raised doubts over the prospects for a two-week ceasefire that is due to expire in the coming days, writes White House reporter Bernd Debusmann Jr. Meanwhile, Israel's attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon continue, following the first direct talks between the countries in decades.

Get the latest

Souring relations: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said her government will not renew its defence agreement with Israel.

Watch: US Vice-president JD Vance was heckled while speaking about the Pope after the pontiff's public sparring with Trump about the war in Iran.

Mr Explosive: The BBC has spoken to one of the creators behind viral Lego-like AI videos that are, in fact, pro-Iran propaganda.

WORLD HEADLINES

A man in a blue suit appears on a TV screen

Hungary's Magyar plans to suspend state-run media

The incoming PM has condemned public radio and TV as propaganda and has said he wants to ensure press freedom.

What happened >

Gina Rinehart, has shoulder-length brown hair and blue eues. She is wearing a white shirt with yellow roses

Australia billionaire must share riches, court rules

Australia's wealthiest person, mining heiress Gina Rinehart, must part with some of her money, a court has ruled.

More details >

Lonna Drewes speaks alongside a photo of her with Congressman Swalwell

Another woman accuses Swalwell of rape

Lonna Drewes said she had been reluctant to come forward with her allegations, which the former lawmaker denies.

Read more >

Image of Christian Rainer's grandfather, 1886-1961.

Search engine reveals family ties to Nazi Party

A new German online tool is helping people discover if their ancestors were members of Hitler's party.

What to know >

American livestreamer Johnny Somali wears a blue baseball hat and sunglasses.

South Korea jails US YouTuber

Johnny Somali caused outrage in South Korea by kissing a statue representing World War Two sex slaves.

More on his sentence >

NEWS FROM THE UK

State visit: King Charles III and Queen Camilla are not expected to meet survivors of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while in the US later this month.

Investigation: A shadow industry is charging thousands of pounds to help migrants pretend to be gay in order to stay in the UK, the BBC has found.

Severe pain: Women have spoken about feeling ignored and marginalised by doctors, as a new health plan is launched.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Canadian unis see drop in Indian students

The main building of McGill university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is seen on a sunn day. three students stand outside below a banner reading 'Made by McGill'

Indians looking to study abroad question whether to go to Canada at all. Credit: Thamyrissalgueiro/Getty Images

"People don't want to apply to Canada anymore." Those are the stark words of Shobhit Anand, who runs a consultancy firm helping Indian students with their applications for university abroad. Canada was once the top choice, but now, he says, there has been a drop of nearly 80%.

Here's why

An old black and white photo shows a man in a suit an tie examining a fossil in his hands. Shelves behind him contain lots of other fossils.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

World's first acid trip

The chemist who accidentally discovered the hallucinatory effects of LSD recounts it.

What he remembers