BBC News Briefing

4 February, 2026

Ellena Cruse

Hello. Russia has attacked Ukraine's energy sector as temperatures dropped to -20C (-4) in parts of the country. In the US, philanthropist Melinda French Gates has reacted to her ex-husband being named in new files relating to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. And finally, a Harry Potter character has become the unlikely star of Lunar New Year Celebrations in China.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Russia attacks on energy sites 'depraved'

A woman in a pink hat a gloves holds her face in shock. Next to her, two people in black coats look concerned.

Local people react near the site of a drone strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

Attacks that targeted Ukraine's energy sector amid plummeting temperatures on Monday night were "barbaric" and "particularly depraved", UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said. He made the comments hours after Russia hit power plants and critical infrastructure in the capital, Kyiv, and elsewhere. The attacks came at the end of a week-long pause that US President Donald Trump had asked Russia to observe as a fierce cold swept Ukraine. Asked if he was disappointed with the renewed attacks, Trump said Russia's President Vladimir Putin had "kept his word", and he would like him to end the war. US envoys will meet negotiators from Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday as efforts to reach a ceasefire continue.

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Bitterly cold: Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford speaks to Ukrainians as they brace for bitterly cold temperatures.

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Drone defence: Elon Musk's efforts to stop Russia using Starlink satellites for drone attacks "delivered real results" a Ukrainian official said.

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'War casualty': The family of a Kenyan man killed fighting for Russia want help bringing his body home.

WORLD HEADLINES

Melinda French Gates, with dark hair, wearing a pale pink suit, looking at her husband to the right of the picture. He is starring off into the distance.

Ex-wife of Bill Gates reacts to husband in Epstein files

Melinda French Gates said the inclusion of her ex-spouse in the Epstein files brought back "painful times".

What she said>

Nancy Guthrie: Police investigate 'ransom notes'

News anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, was last seen near her home in Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday.

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A white and blue speed boat in calm waters. Rocky land can be seen in the background.

Fifteen migrants dead after Greek Coast Guard crash

At least 15 migrants have died after a speedboat carrying them collided with a coast guard vessel off the coast of Chios.

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Two men carry a stretcher on their shoulders while looking sad

Israeli strikes kill 17 in Gaza, hospitals say

Israel's military said "terrorists" opened fire in the north of the Strip, seriously wounding a soldier.

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NEWS FROM THE UK

Rent controls: New measures are coming to the UK, but are they really a guaranteed win for tenants?

Cancer targets: Three-quarters of patients will survive for at least five years by 2035, the government pledges.

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Andrew moves: The former Duke of York has moved out of the Royal Lodge in Windsor amid the ongoing controversy over his link to Epstein.

BEYOND THE HEADLINES

Village grapples with interfaith couple's killing

A man with dark, slicked back hair, wearing a white shirt, black bowtie and gun holsters, air guitaring on stage.

The bodies of Kajal (left) and Arman (right) were found buried near a riverbank

The deaths of an interfaith couple who police believe were beaten to death with a spade have shocked a small village in India's northern Uttar Pradesh state, where residents have lived in harmony for years. The bodies of 19-year-old Kajal, a Hindu, and 27-year-old Mohammad Arman, a Muslim, were found buried near a riverbank on the outskirts of Umri village on 21 January. Kajal's three brothers have been arrested.

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