Pope Leo XIV embarks on a four-day visit to France on Friday, with the highpoint being a giant Mass attended by more than half a million people in central Paris.

For Saturday’s afternoon celebration, an altar has been built on the Place de la Concorde and a large area around the Champs-Élysées sealed off by police.

President Emmanuel Macron greeted the Pope at Orly airport on Friday morning, and is due to hold talks with him at the Élysée Palace on geopolitical issues and artificial intelligence (AI) later. He will also deliver a speech with the Pope in Metz.

However, the president will not be at any of the Pope’s Masses, largely to avoid breaching France’s strict separation of state and religion.

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Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington has come to an end, but has the trip – filled with pomp and ceremony – actually accomplished anything? 

Xi arrived in Washington with the hope of breakthroughs on AI cooperation and Taiwan – but despite the red carpets and warm words, there was little progress on some of the key issues. 

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00:00 Intro
01:34 What was accomplished?
02:10 What did China want?
03:06 Why does China want Taiwan?
05:34 White House media ban
07:35 Did Trump AI-alter an image?
08:54 Panda diplomacy
11:11 When will Trump and Xi meet next?

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Yemens’ civil war has flared up in recent weeks, as the Iran-backed Houthi movement seized strategically important stretches of the Red Sea coast, in a rapid offensive.

Oil prices have risen on fears of further disruption to the global economy, following six months of war between the US, Israel and Iran.

Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed on both sides during the Houthis’ advance, which came after the collapse of a four-year informal ceasefire. The UN says more than 120,000 people have been displaced by the escalation.

But who are the Houthis, what are they targeting, and what will the impact be on the rest of the world?
The Security Brief’s Christian Fraser and Mikey Kay explain.

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US President Donald Trump has told the United Nations General Assembly he faces a “big decision” on whether to strike Iran again or pursue a peace deal.

A single member of Iran’s delegation watched on during the president’s speech in New York, in which he said he could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if the conflict went unresolved.

Trump later told reporters that American officials had had a “very productive” three-hour meeting with the Iranian delegation on the sidelines of the general assembly.

Iran state TV confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had met US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, although there was no comment from officials in Tehran.

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China’s President Xi has been greeted by Donald Trump as he arrived in Washington for a historic summit.

The White House has rolled out the red carpet for China’s leader Xi Jinping, with AI, trade and Taiwan expected to be on the agenda for the leaders of the global superpowers.

Xi was greeted personally by Trump at Andrews Air Force Base on the eve of a White House state dinner and a military flyover.

The three-day trip marks Xi’s first state visit to the US since 2015 and his third meeting with Trump in the past year.

Adding to the high-stakes state visit, a US-China trade agreement reached last year is set to expire in November.
The trade truce – reached in October 2025 as Trump and Xi met in South Korea – saw Washington suspend steep tariff increases on Chinese goods while Beijing eased back from restricting rare earth exports critical for manufacturing.

Experts said they will be watching for some sort of announcement around an extension of this agreement during the state visit.

Xi’s trip to Washington, which ends on Friday, will have plenty of pomp and pageantry, and includes lavish dinners, private tours and performances. He is accompanied by First Lady Peng Liyuan who is expected to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art with US First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Sarah Smith, Laura Bicker and Faisal Islam.

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