Reform UK has made big gains at the expense of Labour and the Conservatives in English council elections, with around a quarter of councils still to declare.

Results are also coming in from parliamentary elections in Wales and Scotland, with Labour set for an historic defeat in Wales and the SNP claiming victory in Scotland.

The polls across Scotland, Wales and 136 English local authorities are the biggest set of elections since the 2024 election, and widely seen as a crucial test of Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership.

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The Royal Navy is sending a warship to the Middle East where it could join an international mission to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US is still waiting for Iran’s response to a peace proposal that could end the conflict. That’s despite President Trump saying he expected a reply by Friday night.

Lebanese officials say Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon have killed at least seven people, despite a ceasefire agreed last month.

Bahrain says it has detained 41 people accused of links with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

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Two people are dead and several others injured after a car drove into a crowd in the eastern German city of Leipzig on Monday afternoon, local authorities said.

Leipzig Mayor Burkhard Jung said the suspected perpetrator – who authorities have confirmed is a 33-year-old German citizen – was arrested. Jung added that authorities were not yet clear about a motive.

Police confirmed a car had struck several people in the central Grimmaische Straße area before driving off. Authorities said 22 people were injured, including three seriously.

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On the afternoon of 8 April in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the neighbourhood of Hay el Sellom was hit by an Israeli air strike.

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Iranians living in Tehran have told the BBC what they think of the war and revealed how the conflict has affected their day to day lives.

In recent days, attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz has raised fears that an already fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran could collapse.

Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom”, which began on Monday, aimed to use the US military to escort cargo ships out of Strait of Hormuz.

Iran, however, insists that it controls the key waterway and has warned that it is “just getting started” in the Strait of Hormuz. This escalation of hostilities risks tipping the region back into full-scale war.

As the conflict enters its third month with no clear end in sight, there has been mounting anxiety about what comes next. But what is the view inside Iran?

In today’s episode we speak to the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet who recently returned from a ten day trip to Tehran where she spoke to government officials and ordinary Iranians about their fears and expectations as this war continues.

New episodes of The Global Story are released daily. If you’re in the UK, listen on BBC Sounds. If you live outside the UK, listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:20 Why have journalists been allowed into Iran?
03:30 What is life like for people in Iran?
10:17 Women in Iran
14:00 What do the people of Iran want?
18:00 What do Iranians think of Donald Trump?

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