'Historic' US Iran talks end without deal

The Global News Podcast reports on the conclusion of historic U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad, which ended without a deal after 21 hours of negotiations. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance stated that while substantive discussions occurred, Iran failed to provide a binding commitment to forgo nuclear weapons and the tools to rapidly develop them—marking the core sticking point. Despite the lack of agreement, Vance emphasized the U.S. had clearly communicated its red lines, and the American delegation has since departed. The absence of a deal casts uncertainty over the future of the temporary ceasefire in the Middle East, particularly as violence between Israel and Lebanon continues unabated. Meanwhile, in Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban faces a tough re-election battle against the liberal challenger Peter Madhya, with President Trump offering economic support to Orban’s Fidesz party. In Ukraine, a fragile Easter ceasefire has already been violated, with both sides accusing each other of breaking the truce. On a more hopeful note, the Artemis II mission crew returned safely to Earth, with astronauts reflecting on the profound human experience of seeing Earth as a fragile crew in the vast cosmos. The podcast also covers the UK’s stalled plan to return sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, due to a shift in U.S. policy under Trump, and a new book on the Cambridge Five spies, revealing their ideological fanaticism and role in enabling Stalin’s Eastern European empire.