BBC News

Pope Leo XIV has been in Lebanon during his first foreign trip, the week after Israeli air strikes hit the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The Pope paid his respects by holding a silent player at the site of the 2020 explosion in the Port of Beirut and met relatives of the victims.

About 150,000 people are thought to have gathered for Pope Leo's mass in Beirut.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday, after the White House said it was "very optimistic" about reaching a deal to end the Ukraine war.

The summit comes after two days of negotiations in Florida between Ukrainian and US officials, including Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, aimed at refining a US-backed peace plan which had been viewed as favourable to Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the talks as "constructive", but said there were "some tough issues that still have to be worked through".

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The UK government is set to announce plans to restrict the ancient right to a jury trial in England and Wales, in an attempt to clear a record backlog of cases.

It is thought that the plan would see the end of jury trials other than for the most serious cases including murder, and the proposals will be laid out in Parliament later on Tuesday.

David Lammy, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, insisted that juries would remain a "fundamental part of the criminal justice system".

There are currently 78,000 cases waiting to be completed in Crown Courts. In practice, this means that some suspects being charged with serious crimes today may not have a trial until late 2029 or early 2030.

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Today, the Prime Minister has defended Rachel Reeves saying she did not mislead the public.

Pressure has been building over the chancellor this weekend after Reeves was accused of misleading the public and the cabinet, something she denied.  She is accused of of not giving the upsides to forecasts in a speech on 4 November. Adam and Chris is joined by Dharshini David deputy economics editor. 

And, the UK and US have agreed a deal to keep tariffs on pharmaceutical shipments from the UK to America. Under the agreement the UK will pay more for medicines through the NHS in return for a guarantee that US import taxes on pharmaceuticals made in the UK will remain at zero for three years. Adam is joined by Simon Jack, business editor. 

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Sir Keir Starmer has denied his chancellor misled the public about the UK's finances ahead of last week's Budget.

The Conservatives have accused Rachel Reeves of giving an overly pessimistic impression as a "smokescreen" to raise taxes, with Kemi Badenoch claiming she "lied to the public".

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has resigned following the Budget day error which saw a key document published early.

Richard Hughes said in his resignation letter that he took "full responsibility" for the issues that were identified in the OBR's investigation into the mistake.

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President Zelensky has said Russia "must not be rewarded" for invading Ukraine, and his priorities during peace talks are maintaining sovereignty and securing strong security guarantees.

He was speaking in Paris where he held meetings with the French President Emmanuel Macron and rallying support from other European allies.

Russia's President Putin is due to meet US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss a proposal for ending the war.

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Two former heads of UK Special Forces suppressed evidence of possible SAS war crimes, a former high-ranking officer has told a public inquiry in London in closed evidence sessions.

The officer, who was among the most senior in special forces, said he had passed what he called "explosive" evidence suggesting "criminal behaviour" to the then director of special forces in 2011.

The claims come from testimony published by the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, which is examining allegations the SAS murdered detainees and unarmed civilians, including children, during operations.

BBC Senior International reporter Joel Gunter has been telling the Global News Podcast more about the story.

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BBC reporter Catrin Nye has been carrying out an investigation for BBC Panorama into how so-called forever chemicals could affect people’s health and contaminate the environment.

Forever chemicals, or PFAS (per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances), are a group of about 10,000 chemicals and are used in anything from cookware, to waterproof clothes, electronics and medical equipment.

They are persistent pollutants, meaning they don't degrade easily and instead build up in the environment.

Scientists have linked a small number of them to serious harms, such as infertility and cancer.

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The death toll in the floods which struck Indonesia last week has now climbed to nearly 600, with rescue workers still battling to reach affected areas.

The floods, which were caused by a rare cyclone that had formed over the Malacca Strait, have hit three provinces and impacted some 1.4 million people, according to the government's disaster agency.

Meanwhile, more than 350 have been killed after torrential rain and storms hit Sri Lanka, with a further 176 killed in Thailand.

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The BBC has travelled to a tent camp in the deserts of northern Sudan in army-controlled territory to hear first-hand the stories of those who escaped.

The team was monitored by the authorities throughout the visit.

The RSF has been fighting the regular army since April 2023 when a power struggle between them erupted into war.

Taking over el-Fasher was a major victory for the paramilitary group, pushing the army out of its last foothold in Darfur.

But, evidence of mass atrocities has drawn international condemnation and focused greater American attention on trying to end the conflict.

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