A Russian drone hit a block of flats in Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people, Romanian officials say. Friday’s incident in …

source

In a world first, Lidl is opening a pub just outside Belfast. So how did we get here? The answer lies in a century of complex laws …

source

The US and Iran have traded strikes, as negotiations to extend their ceasefire drag on without a resolution. On Monday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted an air base used by US forces. It also threatened to open “new fronts” in the conflict, and keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, in response to Israel’s offensive in Lebanon.

So how great a threat does Iran’s military pose to the US and its allies, after more than three months of war?

President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Iran’s forces have been “decimated”. But new analysis by the BBC has found that Iran has damaged at least 20 US military sites across the Middle East since the start of the war – suggesting the attacks are more extensive than publicly acknowledged. Using cheap drones, Iran has targeted American military equipment worth millions of dollars including THAAD batteries.

Iranian forces have also reportedly reopened several missile sites damaged early in the conflict.

We ask Merlyn Thomas from BBC Verify and Parham Ghobadi from BBC Persian about Iran’s military capacity and what it means for the chances of a deal between Washington and Tehran.

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

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#BBCNews #news #iran #middleeast #trump #politics

00:00 Introduction
00:47 How much damage has Iran done to US bases?
01:36 Iran’s cheap drone warfare
02:34 Iran re-opens missile sites, reportedly
03:55 US tries to limit analysis of the conflict
05:05 What Iran’s military capacity means for negotiations
06:51 How Iranian civilians feel

source

The BBC’s South America correspondent Ione Wells tells us whether Venezuelans have seen the promised economic and political benefits of Nicolas Maduro’s removal as president.

Wednesday marks five months since US forces raided Maduro’s compound in Caracas. At the time, President Donald Trump said the US would run Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be ensured, vowing that American oil companies would fix the local infrastructure and start making money for the country.

This week, trade unions and student groups have planned anti-government protests to call for better wages, the release of political prisoners and a democratic transition.

Delcy Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice-president, was sworn in as the country’s leader last month, with the support of the US government.

But there are long-time opposition leaders waiting in the wings. Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado – who has been living in effective exile in Norway – has said she plans to run for president again, and will to return to Venezuela before the end of 2026.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to face questions about the American involvement in Venezuela this week, as he testifies before Congress on the State Department’s budget.

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

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#BBCNews #trump #venezuela #news #politics #donaldtrump #worldnews

00:00 Introduction
00:23 New freedoms
01:58 Is Venezuela’s economy stronger?
03:47 Will Venezuela have elections?
06:15 How strong is Venezuela’s political opposition?
07:24 Will María Corina Machado run for president?
08:23 America’s influence on Venezuelan politics

source

Russia said its air defences have been responding to a Ukrainian drone attack on the area around St Petersburg.

At least 50 of the drones were downed over the Leningrad region northwest of Moscow, according to the regional governor Alexander Drozdenko.

Black smoke could also be seen rising over St Petersburg on Wednesday, with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky confirming the city’s oil terminal had been hit.

In a separate incident, Russian authorities in the occupied Donetsk region said a Ukrainian drone hit a bus on the way to Russian-occupied Crimea, killing seven people and inujuring 11 others.

The attack comes as St Petersburg hosts the annual International Economic Forum – an event designed to showcase Russia to the world – and a day after a massive Russian assault on cities across Ukraine killed at least 22 people, including several women and children.

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#BBCNews

source