BBC News

Rescue teams in the French Alps have told the BBC that unusual snow patterns - in addition to people not taking enough precautions - are to blame for an increase in avalanche deaths.

This ski season, at least 100 people have been killed across the mountainous region, which is a steep increase from previous years.

Off-piste skiers are thought to make up most of the casualties.

BBC correspondent James Waterhouse joined search crews in Val Thoren during what’s become a challenging period for them.

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The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, has been hit by a missile, with video showing fire and smoke rising in the aftermath.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said "every military target" on Iran's key oil island has been "totally obliterated", but no damage to oil infrastructure has been reported.

Kharg Island is a tiny but strategic terminal in the northern Gulf, 22 miles off the coast of Iran.

In response, Tehran has warned oil and energy infrastructure belonging to firms that co-operate with the US will be "turned into a pile of ashes" if Iran's energy facilities are attacked.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Tehran residents tell the BBC the capital was "hit hard" overnight as Israel and Iran both warn of fresh attacks; and at least 12 medical staff have been killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon.

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Thousands of US marines are heading for the Middle East, along with the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, according to senior US officials.

The task force is made up of around 5,000 troops, around half of them marines. The force is trained in specialist amphibious operations, including landings and securing maritime positions. The plan has not yes been publicly announced by the White House but is being briefed by senior US officials.

It comes as Iran is attacking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz - closing the key sea lane through which ships normally carry much of the world’s oil and natural gas supplies.

Fuel prices have surged since the start of the war, as Iran blocks the Strait and attacks tankers, as well as oil refineries and other installations in neighbouring countries that are allies of the US.

President Trump has promised to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, in what has become a key economic battleground in the war. He has said Iran will be “hit very hard” over the coming week. The Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US would continue to target Iran's leadership and claimed that the country's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is in hiding, “wounded” and “likely disfigured”.

In Iran, thousands of supporters of the regime have been taking part in mass rallies in the capital Tehran to mark Quds Day, an annual pro-Palestinian event.

Israel has been carrying out further attacks in southern Lebanon, against what it says are Hezbollah fighters supported by Iran.

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Tom Bateman, Caroline Hawley, Faisal Islam, Paul Adams, Steve Rosenberg, Marc Ashdown and Orla Guerin.

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US President Trump has renewed his threat of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, saying the island is in deep trouble and that the Cuban government is desperate to make a deal.

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In this episode, Justin and Anthony look at how seriously we should we be taking these threats, and look into the talks taking place between the US and Cuba.

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Pressure on Cuba has been building since the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, a long-time ally of Cuba’s government. The Trump administration has effectively cut off oil supplies into Cuba by stopping shipments of Venezuelan oil, and threatening to impose tariffs on any country which supplies the island with oil.

With the prospect of a worsening humanitarian crisis, as Cuba deals with mass blackouts - its electricity grid is powered by oil - affecting all areas of Cuba’s economy and society including schools, hospitals, agriculture and tourism, will the country make a deal with the US? Who is involved in the talks, and how does Trump’s approach differ from other US presidents?

We speak to Peter Kornbluh, co-author of Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana, who is also a senior analyst at the National Security Archive about the talks between the US and Cuba.

00:00 Introduction: Why is Trump targeting Cuba?

2:56 What’s happening in Cuba now?

4:52 Is losing Venezuelan oil a turning point for Cuba?

8:45 What is Trump saying about Cuba?

13:45 Cuban analyst Peter Kornbluh joins the podcast

14:40 What conversations are happening with Cuba?

17:53 How is the oil embargo affecting life in Cuba?

18:50 How do Cubans feel about the regime?

20:30 What is the politics now for Cuban Americans?

22:02 What happened to Obama’s outreach?

24:02 Will Trump’s approach work?

24:35 Was the action in Venezuela done with Cuba in mind?

25:49 Would anyone in Cuba benefit from Trump’s action?

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#BBCNews #Cuba #DonaldTrump

Almost six weeks since the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie (the 84-year-old mother of Today show host, Savannah Guthrie) the case which has shocked America remains unsolved.

It's also led to a host of online amateur sleuths broadcasting their own investigations to a mass audience on TikTok, with many descending on Guthrie's home in Tucson, Arizona.

On this episode of Top Comment Marianna and Matt hear from some of the people posting and discuss their motives, the issue of misinformation and the risk of undermining an active investigation.

US President Donald Trump has said that Iran will be hit "very hard" over the next week, adding "we've already damaged them so badly".

Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran's new supreme leader is in hiding, "wounded" and "likely disfigured", though these claims are yet to be verified.

Meanwhile, the US has loosened sanctions preventing other countries buying Russian oil and petroleum already loaded on vessels at sea to try to ease the energy supply crunch sparked by the war.

The Israeli military has carried out several waves of air strikes across Lebanon after the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah launched about 200 rockets into northern Israel.

And all six members of a US military refuelling aircraft's crew have now been confirmed dead after it crashed in western Iraq, US Central Command has said.

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James, Alex and Chris are joined by the BBC's International Editor Jeremy Bowen to discuss the latest in the war in Iran.

They reflect on what lessons could be learnt from the two Gulf Wars, the pressure building on the world economy and if President Trump is “close” to a victory?

00:00 Intro

00:53 The George H.W. Bush Speech

01:48 The Uprising Against Saddam Hussein

02:58 Iran & Calls for Regime Change

04:21 Are We Heading Toward “Gulf War Three”?

06:27 HMS Dragon Deployment

07:40 Is the UK Being Pulled Into the Conflict?

08:51 The U.S. Strategy

09:25 Trump’s Latest Comments on the War

12:20 Has the US underestimated Iran?

13:19 The Strait of Hormuz & Global Energy Risk

15:04 Oil Prices, Fuel Costs & Impact on the UK

18:25 Why the Middle East’s Conflicts Spread Globally

20:22 Why Israel Chose This Moment to Strike Iran

21:13 Risks of a Wider Regional War

22:20 The White House video

23:25 Is the White House Trivialising War?

26:54 Final Thoughts & Outro

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As the US-Israel war with Iran causes energy prices to rise, US President Donald Trump has eased sanctions on Russian oil.

Analysts say Moscow is already benefitting from the effective block on oil and gas tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Russia could make billions of dollars in extra oil revenue.

So to what extent will Vladimir Putin use that money to fund Russia's war efforts against Ukraine?

And how can President Zelensky use Ukraine's expertise in drone warfare to his advantage — to strengthen relations with the US and its allies?

We speak to the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Landale.

New episodes of the Global News Podcast are published twice a day. You can listen here: https://link.mgln.ai/GNP-YT

And you can find more of our Youtube episodes here: https://bbc.in/GlobalNewsPodcast

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All six members of a US military refuelling aircraft's crew have now been confirmed dead after it crashed in western Iraq, US Central Command (Centcom) has said.

The US initially said it had located four of the deceased crew.

It said neither hostile nor friendly fire were involved in the loss of the KC-135 aircraft on Thursday.

The tanker had been involved in ongoing US operations against Iran and was one of two aircraft involved in the incident. The second landed safely.

The Boeing-manufactured aircraft are capable of refuelling planes midair and play a major role in US military operations.

Centcom said the circumstances of the crash were now under investigation.

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Kharg Island is a small rocky outcrop just 15 miles off the coast of Iran - but despite its size, it is one of the most critical pieces of energy infrastructure for Iran.

BBC Security Brief’s Mikey Kay breaks down why Kharg Island is so strategically important for the US in its war with Iran and how they could seize it.

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#Iran #USA #Israel #BBCNews