Also in the programme: US Vice-President JD Vance describes 'great progress' in talks with Iran in Switzerland; and research that suggests men with children have better performing brains.

(Photo: A man fills out a ballot as people vote in a presidential runoff election in Colombia, June 21, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Jair Coll)

The talks are going on despite the Iranian military saying it has closed the Strait of Hormuz again over Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon.

Also in the programme: The stark choice facing voters in Colombia today; and why athletes are protesting against fossil fuel companies during the FIFA men's World Cup.

[Photo shows Iranian parliament speaker and negotiating team head Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi greeting Swiss officials at an airport in Zurich, Switzerland on 21 June 2026. Credit: Iranian parliament speaker's office via EPA)

Also in the programme: An escalating row between Ukraine and Poland leads to President Zelensky returning an award from Warsaw; and the secret behind the success of a legendary TV comedy director.

(Photo: Vessels are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Oman, June 19, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Stringer)

Also in the programme: proposed economic reforms in Cuba - which the United States has dismissed as 'superficial smoke signals'. And the enduring appeal of the classic album 'The Queen is Dead' by the UK indie band The Smiths, 40 years after its release.

(Civilians and Lebanese Red Cross personnel stand on the rubble of a damaged building after an Israeli strike on the village of Qennarit in southern Lebanon, June 20, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Credit: Reuters/Stringer)

Also on the programme, the US government says it will stop funding programmes in South Africa intended to tackle the spread of HIV and AIDS, there's been a furious reaction in Italy after President Trump claimed the prime minister Georgia Meloni begged him for a photo at the G7 summit; and the ballet dancer, Carlos Acosta, on taking his Cuban dance group on tour.

(Photo: Smoke rises over southern Lebanon after Israeli strikes, Metula, Israel - 19 Jun 2026. ATEF SAFADI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: the by-election result that could decide Britain's next prime minister; and how the resident organist for the Boston Red Sox baseball team has been entertaining visiting Scottish football fans.

(Photo: Khadija Amara, whom local residents said had not left her home, fills a jerrycan with water as she sits among the rubble of a house, which was damaged by an Israeli strike in the Tyre district, southern Lebanon on June 19, 2026.)

Also in the programme: why one critic calls Barack Obama's Presidential Centre a 'Klingon Prison'; and how Nigerian sisters born conjoined at the head are enjoying life after pioneering surgery assisted by artificial intelligence.

(Photo: US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media about the Iran-US memorandum of understanding in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, DC, USA Credit: JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Ukraine targets Moscow in a massive drone attack; researchers say it's way too easy to get around ChatGPT's guardrails; and an ancient oak tree in Sherwood Forest linked to Robin Hood has died - or is it just entering its next phase?

(IMAGE: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian showing a signed a memorandum of understanding with the US in Tehran, Iran, 18 June 2026 / CREDIT: Photo by IRANIAN PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock (16934712a))

Also in the programme: the fuel shortages affecting Russian drivers as a result of the Ukraine war; an introduction to so-called 'micro-history'; and the death at the age of 99 of the last member of a leading British 'girl band' of the 1950s, the Beverley Sisters.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump holds a press conference during the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France; Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)

Also on the programme: The Russian caricaturist shot dead in Poland; the argument within the Church of England over reparations for historically profiting from slaver; and as the Williams sisters prepare to return to Wimbledon at a combined age of eighty-nine - the phenomenon of the never-ageing sports stars.

(Picture: People walk past rubble at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon. Credit: REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra)

Also in the programme: The grisly trade of cat-meat in Vietnam; and acclaimed British artist Anish Kapoor unveils major new exhibition at London's Hayward Gallery. 

(Image: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian. Credit: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire)

Also on the programme: A wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine has killed ten people and badly damaged one of Kyiv's most sacred and historic cathedrals, we hear from historian and archaeologist Maksym Ostapenko; and scientists have found a new way to detect microplastics in the living tissue of our bodies with a laser, we speak to medical imaging lecturer Stephen Patrick, who led the research.

(Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 15. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak worsens with 782 cases now confirmed; and we speak to the Japanese writer Asako Yuzuki about her books Butter and Hooked which have proved a hit in the literary world.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump looks on during a Cabinet meeting in the White House, May 2026. Credit: Samuel Corum/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)

(Photo: Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Marjayoun, Lebanon, June 14, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer)

Also in the programme: President Trump says the US has killed the leader of a Venezuelan criminal cartel, Tren de Aragua; the UN condemns increasing levels of aggression and intimidation in the occupied West bank; and a new documentary speaks to the people who have worked as private chefs for some of the world's most notorious dictators!

(Photo: Daily life in Tehran as tension between Iran and US continues, Iran Islamic Republic Of - 21 Feb 2026. Credit: EPA)

Also on the programme: One of the world's best-known artists David Hockney has died aged 88; and the English miners who took football to Mexico.

(Photo: SpaceX company leadership ring the opening bell to celebrate during SpaceX's initial public offering (IPO) at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City, US, June 12, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

If share sales reach the company's suggested price of $135 (£100), it will set founder Elon Musk on track to be the world's first trillionaire.

Also in the programme: We pay tribute to David Hockney, one of the UK's most important and influential artists, who has died at the age of 88; Iran and the US both suggest they're close to a deal to end the conflict between them; and the biggest sporting show in the world comes to Canada - but are Canadians buying the World Cup hype?

(Photo shows SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on a live feed projected onto the Nasdaq MarketSit in New York City, on 12 June 2026. Credit: Jeenah Moon/Reuters)

Also in the programme: Britain's defence minister has resigned, accusing the prime minister Keir Starmer of failing to deliver on commitments to boost military spending; the Pope's visit to the Spanish islands where many African immigrants have sought sanctuary; and Mexico take on South Africa today in the first game of the tournament at World Cup 2026.

(Photo credit: EPA)

Also on the programme: an Israeli airstrike hits the centre of Sidon in Lebanon, we hear from the local MP; violent unrest continues in Northern Ireland over immigration; and the conductor Marin Allsop leads a musical tribute to Barcelona's Sagrada Familia church and its famous architect Antoni Gaudi.

(Photo: Firefighters extinguish a fire at a historic museum following a drone attack by Ukraine in Sevastopol, Crimea. Credit: Government of Sevastopol via Reuters)

Also on the programme: Iran's ticket allocation for its team's World Cup games in the US is cancelled; and the trial opens in Paris over a Europe-wide scheme to steal Russian literary classics.

(Photo: AH-64 Apache helicopters are American-made twin-turboshaft attack aircraft Credit: Getty Images)

Also in the programme: the chief executive of US Soccer on the coming World Cup, and illegal fishing off the coast of Sierra Leone.

(Photo: Iraqi people smuggler Noah Aaron who is now serving a 10-year jail sentence in France)

Also on the programme: is overheating going to be an issue in the World Cup which starts this week? And the octopus "super bloom" around the shores of England.

(Picture: Iranians examine an unexploded missile. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Armenia's pro-EU incumbent wins election; a new online archive of the complete writings and drawings of Leonardo da Vinci.

(Picture: A screenshot taken from a handout video released by the Israeli Military says to show a strike on an aerial defence system in Iran at an unknown location. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: Armenians vote in a general election that could determine whether the country looks to Brussels or to Moscow.

And researchers test a new weight loss drug that not only suppresses appetite, but could help people burn calories faster.

(Picture: The site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut,, 07 June 2026 Credit: NNA)

Also in the programme: How China is clamping down on exam candidates who try to get the answers from the inside of their glass lenses: and the boy who has learnt to sing like a bird.

Photo: Armenian people examine voting information during parliamentary elections at a polling station in Yerevan, Armenia, 07 June 2026. Credit: Photo by Vahram Baghdasaryan Photo Lure/ EPA

Also on the programme: migrants in South Africa under pressure to leave the country after a surge in xenophobic attacks; and why mass banquets are causing controversy in France.

(Photo: Smoke after a Ukrainian drone strike on St Petersburg, Russia, 3 June, 2026 Credit: Reuters)

(Photo: CCTV image of Iranian drone above Kuwait airport on 3rd of June. Credit: Reuters)

We'll also hear from the Sherpa who went missing on the upper slopes of Mount Everest for six days and survived; and we remember Kanya King, the founder of the MOBO awards recognising Black music and its impact.

(A view of Earth from the Cupola on the earth-facing side of the International Space Station is seen in this NASA handout photo taken June 12, 2013 and provided June 17, 2013. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: the latest from Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg; and how an outsider reached the French Open tennis final.

(Photo: Anthropic logo. Credit: Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Also in the programme: we hear from a member of Curacao’s first ever World Cup soccer team; and a Sherpa feared dead on Everest reaches base camp after six days on the mountain.

(IMAGE: Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 4, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Stringer)

Also in the programme: Tech executives are calling for stricter regulations to prevent AI from being used to develop biological weapons and find out why a 62-million-year-old Egyptian fossil is exciting scientists.

(Picture: The US, Israel and Lebanon agree to a ceasefire at the State Department in the US. Credit: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

Also in the programme: The leader of the Cuban Five - Gerardo Hernández - speaks to us about Raúl Castro's 95th birthday, and US pressure for change in Havana; and the German film director Wim Wenders says he's withdrawing his 1975 film Wrong Move because of complaints by the actress Nastassja Kinski who appeared topless in it when she was 13 years old.

(Photo: Members of Venezuelan opposition political parties, public sector workers and students protest demanding higher wages, better working conditions, and an electoral calendar for the presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela, 3 June 2026. Credit: Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

Also on the programme: A leading Venezuelan opposition activist tells us his country needs elections as soon as possible - but he doubts that interim president Delcy Rodriguez shares his view.

And scientists uncover living yeasts in the frozen body of a man who lived five thousand years ago -- and then manage to bake some bread with it.

(Photo: Heavy smoke billows after Ukrainian drones hit infrastructure, according to local authorities, in St Petersburg, Russia, 3rd June 2026. Credit: Reuters/Stringer)

(Photo: Destroyed buildings after an Israeli airstrike that targeted the city of Tyre, Lebanon. Credit: WAEL HAMZEH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Nearly 250 people in Africa have died of Ebola over the last few weeks. We speak with the regional director of the World Health Organization, who has just visited the epicentre of the outbreak.

And a Paralympic athlete who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident may become the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit. What would that look like?

(Photo: Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 2, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/ Stringer)

Also in the programme: the first women with stage four cancer to reach the summit of Everest; and we hear from a biographer of Marilyn Monroe's on the eve of the hundredth anniversary of her birth.

(Photo: People flee Beirut's southern suburbs after Netanyahu orders strikes, Lebanon on 1 June 2026. Credit: Wael Hamzeh/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Grammy-winning director, Meji Alabi, explores his Nigerian grandfather's role in the Biafran war; woman with incurable cancer reaches Everest summit; and South Africa’s parliament is starting an impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa over a scandal involving the theft of more than half a million dollars from his farm.

(Photo: People make their way as they flee the southern suburbs of Beirut, after Israeli PM Netanyahu ordered the military to attack targets in the suburbs. Credit: EPA)

(Photo: Colombia holds first round of presidential election, Bogota - 31 May 2026. Mauricio Duenas Castaneda/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: Israel says it's moving further into southern Lebanon as its war against Hezbollah intensifies; and a Georgian wine cellar once owned by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin has officially been unsealed.

(Photo: Workers stick campaign posters of the Historic Pact (Pacto Historico) on the day of the presidential election in Corinto, Colombia on May 31. Credit: Reuters)

(Photo: Ebola prevention campaign held in Goma, Congo The Democratic Republic Of The - 29 May 2026. MARIE JEANNE MUNYERENKANA/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: we hear from the Romanian president on the Russian drone that hit an apartment block in the east of the country; and a preview of tonight's Champions League football final between Paris St Germain and the London club Arsenal.

(Photo: A nurse provides assistance to a patient undergoing a mammogram in a modern medical facility. Credit: Getty Images)

Also on the programme: a Canadian man has pleaded guilty to helping fourteen people take their own lives by selling them legal but highly toxic chemicals; and after a Russian drone hits an apartment block in Romania, we ask how NATO should now respond.

(Picture: Trump during a cabinet meeting in the White House, in Washington, D.C., May 27, 2026 Credit: REUTERS/Evan Vucci/File Photo)

Also on the programme: the government in Bangladesh steps in to save a buffalo named Donald Trump; and artwork by the musician Jack White goes on display in London.

(Photo: Romanian law enforcement officers work on the site of an explosion at a residential block of flats following a drone hit close to the border with Ukraine, in Galati, Romania. Credit: Inquam Photos/George Calin/Reuters)

Also on the programme: the World Health Organisation has told Newshour it is“fairly confident” it will soon be “on top” of the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we hear from someone living at the centre of the outbreak; and shock in Paris, what does the exit of No.1 seed Jannik Sinner mean for this year’s Roland-Garros?

(Photo: People inspect at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, May 28, 2026. REUTERS/Stringe)

Also in the programme: Israel has carried out a strike in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, after warning people in the south of the country to leave their homes; and why a tennis player's outfits are causing such a fuss at the French Open (Photo: Health workers in protective gowns and masks operate at a checkpoint set up for preventative measures against Ebola near Goma: Credit: EPA 2026 Shutterstock Editorial )

Also on the programme: the authorities in New York and New Jersey have launched an investigation into the way Fifa's been selling tickets for the men's World Cup; and a former member of the German militant group the Red Army Faction has been jailed after 30 years on the run. (Photo: Smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Kfar Joz, Lebanon May 26, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Dozens more were injured in the attack, which hit a residential building in one of Gaza City's busiest market areas, local medics and witnesses said.

Also in the programme: We'll hear from Africa's former top health official on the challenge of getting ahead of the newest strain of Ebola; why the moon's south pole is best for a lunar base; and keeping Ozzy Osbourne alive -- through an AI-generated avatar that can interract with his fans.

(Photo shows people carring bodies identified by mourners as Hamas' military wing commander Mohammad Odeh and his wife and children during a funeral in Gaza City on 27 May 2026. Credit: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters)

Also in the programme: NASA announces moon base plans; and the man who discovered Sierra Leone's 700 carat diamond.

(Picture: An Iranian woman holds a flag bearing portraits of late Iranian supreme leaders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, during a memorial ceremony for those killed in the Iran-US-Israel war. Credit: EPA)

(Photo: An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-Israeli mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, May 26, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

At the centre of the outbreak remains the Democratic Republic of Congo -- where the healthcare system was already weak. There have been more than 900 suspected Ebola cases in the current outbreak and 220 suspected deaths, officials say.

Also in the programme: Pope Leo delivers the first major message of his papacy on the dangers of AI; we'll look at the prospects of a deal between Iran and the US; and the games that call themselves "enhanced" break their first record- but critics call them degraded.

(Photo shows Red Cross workers wearing personal protective equipment disinfecting the house of an unidentified man who died of Ebola in Mongbwalu, Djugu Territory of Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 24, 2026. Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/Reuters)

Also in the programme: Turkish riot police have stormed the headquarters of the main opposition party in Ankara in a row over a court's decision to oust the party's leader; the Gaza Flotilla activist who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Israeli forces when they intercepted her boat; and what value to put on a world record if athletics doping is allowed.

(Photo credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme:  we speak to an activist who was part of a flotilla taking aid to the Palestinians on her treatment at the hands of the Israeli authorities; and former Spurs player Gary Mabbutt on whether his former team is about to be relegated.

Photo: Russian drone and missile attack hits several sites across Kyiv, Ukraine Credit: SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA/Shutterstock

Also in the programme: As the Ebola crisis in the DRC worsens, we hear the experience of one Sierra Leonean woman who contracted the virus back in 2014; and who's won the Palme d'Or award at this year's Cannes Film Festival?

(Photo: US President Donald Trump. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme - the death toll rises after a mining disaster in China; the Pentagon releases more UFO files - is the truth in there? - and Goodnight and good luck to CBS Radio

(Photo: A healthcare worker walks at the Bunia General Referral Hospital following a resurgence of Ebola involving the Bundibugyo strain in Bunia, Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo May 21, 2026. Credit: REUTERS )

Also in the programme: Thousands of Cubans have taken part in a state-organized protest in the capital, Havana, in support of the country's former leader, Raul Castro, who was charged with murder and other crimes in the United States this week; and Carlo Petrini who began the Slow Food movement as a protest against a McDonalds opening in Rome has died at the age of seventy six.

Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets press after NATO foreign ministers meet in Helsingborg, Sweden. Credit: JOHAN NILSSON/TT/EPA/Shutterstock

Also in the programme: Will Grant reports from Havana on Cuba under pressure; and how barnacles affect stationary ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

(Picture: Red Cross workers walk in a formation as they disinfect Rwampara general hospital before handling the body of a person who died of Ebola, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: Amid a growing number of cases, a hospital treating Ebola patients in Congo is set on fire; and the new research suggesting that Beluga whales recognise their own reflections.

(Photo: Rubio speaks to the press before boarding his plane at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, May 21, 2026 Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS)

(Photo: Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, gather at a port before their departure in the southern Turkish resort of Marmaris, Turkey on May 14, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: Israel's far-right security minister has been condemned for taunting handcuffed Gaza flotilla activists; and we hear from the winner of this year’s International Booker Prize. 

(Photo: Cuba's former President Raul Castro watches a May Day rally in Havana, Cuba 1st May, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Norlys Perez)

Also on the programme: we examine the relationship between Russia and China as Vladimir Putin fails to reach a gas pipeline deal during a visit to Beijing. Plus, we hear why the Tyrannosaurus Rex had such short arms.

(Picture: A health worker takes the temperature of an M23 rebel in Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Credit: Arlette Bashizi/Reuters)

Also on the programme: An interview with former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, pardoned by Donald Trump, now in hiding in the US. We have a rare report from inside Afghanistan. And an age-old mystery at sea has been solved - we hear how biologists rumbled the whale.

(Photo: UNICEF staff receive medical supplies from an aircraft in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 19, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere)

Also, a look ahead to today's primary contests in the United States with Kentucky becoming the most expensive race ever, and the former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, tells our correspondent why he believes he was the victim of “lawfare” and “a witch-hunt” by a vindictive Biden Administration.

(Photo: Fatima Tafida, the Regional Supply Chain Lead for Emergencies at the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office for Africa pastes stickers on shipment pallets as the WHO mobilises 4.7 tonnes of essential medical supplies and emergency kits to support the affected regions in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 18 May, 2026. Credit: World Health Organization/Handout /Reuters)

A report from Ukraine's "kill-zone".

Elon Musk loses AI lawsuit against Sam Altman.

and a survivor of the Blitz on her recollections of the horrors of that bombing campaign on the UK.

(Image: REUTERS/Victoire Mukenge)

We hear from The Economist's Shashank Joshi about the significance of the strikes, and from Russia analyst Professor Nina Khrushcheva about how President Putin might respond.

Also in the programme: The Democratic Republic of the Congo fights to contain a deadly Ebola outbreak; and what does Che Guevara's daughter make of recent US hostility towards Cuba?

(Photo: A man inspects a damaged apartment building following a drone attack outside Moscow on May 17, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: will the US and China come to an agreement on artificial intelligence?; and the Iranian family saga in the running for the International Booker Prize.

(Photo: Ugandan doctors wear their personal protective equipment at the Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital Isolation Centre in Entebbe, Uganda, 20 October 2022. Credit: ISAAC KASAMANI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: more than 50 children have been abducted in Nigeria; and the Eurovision 2026 finals take place in Vienna.

(Photo: A police boat joins a search and recovery operation in the Vaavu Atoll, Maldives. Credit: SOPHIA NASIF/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: where has this week's US-China summit left Taiwan?; and the Swiss bus service on the road to nowhere.

(Photo: Nigerian soldiers walk past military tanks prepared for deployment during a tour of the Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole by Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff at Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria, November 7, 2025 Credit: REUTERS/Ahmed Kingimi/File Photo)

Also in the programme: why nationalist vigilante groups are spreading across Russia; and a French museum holds a display of famous art works from the Second World War in order to reunite them with their rightful owners.

(Image: A vintage car passes by images of late Cuban President Fidel Castro, Cuba's former President Raul Castro and Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel displayed on a billboard in Havana. Credit: REUTERS/Norlys Perez)

Also on the programme: US media reports say Washington is preparing criminal charges against the ninety-four-year-old former Cuban leader, Raul Castro; and archaeologists and preservation groups have appealed to a court in the US to prevent the company - RMS Titanic Inc - from selling 100 of the ship's artefacts to private collectors. We hear from Professor Mike Williams, a member of the group asking the court to stop the auction.

(Photo: Trump said the meeting was "very successful, world-renowned, and unforgettable", while Xi called it a "historic and landmark" visit, according to Chinese state media. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: reflections on the meeting between Presidents Trump and Xi in Beijing; and we look at the dinosaur with the tiny brain, said to be as heavy as nine elephants.

(Photo: Prime Minister Keir Starmer and MP Wes Streeting who has just resigned as Health Minister. Credit: Associated Press)

(Photo: President Trump and Xi walking in the Great Hall of the People. Credit: Reuters)

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump walks with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport, in Beijing, China, May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci)

Also in the programme: on the day of the King’s Speech to Parliament setting out the next legislative programme, speculation mounts that a senior minister will challenge Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the leadership; and the stricken love letters of the English romantic poet John Keats, now up for auction.

(IMAGE: U.S. President Donald Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China, May 13, 2026 / CREDIT: Reuters/Evan Vucci)

Also on the programme: A suggestion of a huge breakthrough in the treatment of H.I.V; and the crime writer Patricia Cornwell on why she felt compelled to write a memoir.

(Photo: Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets construction apprentices in London. Credit: Reuters/Toby Melville/Pool)

Also in the programme: a special report from Khartoum three years into Sudan's civil war, where land mines are hampering aid efforts; how enjoying cultural activities can help slow down biological ageing; and - a propos - we have an appreciation of Shostakovich's first symphony, 100 years after its premiere in Leningrad.

(IMAGE: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer walks through the Member's Lobby of the Houses of Parliament in London to the House of Lords to hear the King's Speech during the State Opening of Parliament, Wednesday May 13, 2026 / CREDIT: Toby Melville/PA Wire)

Also on the programme: As the final Hantavirus cruise passengers disembark, we hear from the medical facility in the US where sixteen of them are being quarantined; and the comedian who's donning the persona of Alex Jones, conspiracy theorist extraordinaire - to help compensate the victims he's defamed.

(Photo: An Iranian person walks next to an anti-US and Israel mural in a street in Tehran, Iran following an exchange of fire in the Strait of Hormuz amid a ceasefire. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock)

We speak to a former Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, about the conflict and what role China could play in ending it.

Also in the programme: we report on the origins of the Hantavirus; a relative of Syria's Bashar al-Asad is on trial in Damascus for torture and massacres; and why are so many World Cup football teams doing their preparations in Kansas City.

(Photo shows US president Donald J. Trump giving remarks to the media in Washington, DC, USA on 8 May 2026. Credit: Aaron Schwartz/EPA]

Also in the programme: Iran says it has sent a response via Pakistan to the latest US plan to end the war with counter-proposals reported to include a separation of talks on the immediate conflict and Tehran's nuclear programme; the story of a criminal underworld in Brazil; and the choir, here in the UK, singing music based on whale song!

(Photo: They were pictured boarding buses to Tenerife's airport after reaching land. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Russia celebrates Victory Day; and a novel set during a turbulent time in Taiwanese history is shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.

(Photo: Newly sworn-in Prime Minister Peter Magyar (C) attends the Tisza Party's all-day 'regime change public celebration' event in Budapest, Hungary, 09 May 2026. CREDIT: TAMAS VASVARI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: why did Saudi Arabia prevent the US from using Saudi airspace and bases to launch operations to try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz? And on the 100th birthday of the naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, we hear about the impact Sir David has had on the world.

(Photo: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during a visit to south London, 7th May 2026. Credit: Ben Whitley/PA Wire)

We look at what this means for the country's traditional party system and how long the current prime minister can last in light of these results.

Also in the programme: President Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is still in place despite a series of clashes in the Strait of Hormuz; we mark the 100th birthday of the documentary maker David Attenborough; and we'll look at how the war in Iran is causing a shortage of saffron in Italy.

(Photo shows the UK's prime minister Keir Starmer speaking at a meeting with Labour Party members in Ealing, West London on 8 May 2026. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

Also on the programme: in the UK two men are convicted of spying for China, one of them an immigration official; and the AI fitness instructors selling unreal gains.

(Picture: The cruise ship MV Hondius leaves Praia, Cape Verde, May 6, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer)

Also on the programme, Newshour goes to Baltimore to speak to families affected by the 2024 bridge collapse and now avoiding deportation, and protests against the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine rock the Venice Biennale.

(Photo: Islamic State-linked families return to Australia, Melbourne, 7 May, 2026. Credit: Joel Carrett/EPA-EFE)

Also in the programme: how some of Baltimore's derelict housing is being spruced up; and the US broadcasting mogul Ted Turner has died at the age of 87.

(Photo: Zoila Guerra Sandoval, living in Baltimore but facing deportation to Guatemala. Credit: BBC)

The ship, currently off Cape Verde, is sailing to the Canary Islands after Spain gave it permission to dock. We'll speak to someone who was on board when the outbreak began.

Also in the programme: We'll have a special report into what happened when Israeli unleashed a barrage of airstrikes on Lebanon last month; and hard rock and existential angst from the lead singer of Iron Maiden.

(Photo shows the cruise ship MV Hondius docked off Cape Verde port on 4 May 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Why staff at Google DeepMind in Britain are unionising over Google's policies on artificial intelligence; and the frontman of the band Iron Maiden opens up about the future of heavy metal and life on tour.

(Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefs reporters on Iran war at White House, Washington, USA - 05 May 2026. Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/)

Also in the programme: The son of the last and only Lebanese leader to meet an Israeli premier, says the current Lebanese President Joseph Aoun should meet with Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the risks; and Chinese Wu Yize becomes the second youngest winner of snooker's world championship.

(Photo: US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth holds briefing on the Iran war, at the Pentagon in Washington. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

Also, Cape Verde has refused docking permission to a cruise ship with a suspected outbreak of hantavirus; and Samsung pays a massive inheritance tax bill in South Korea - but do some super-rich companies dodge tax bills?

(Photo: Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran, 4th May, 2026. Credit: Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/WANA via Reuters)

But a huge number of vessels and crew remain stranded. Can Donald Trump deliver on his promise to break the Iranian blockade?

Also in the programme: The leaders of Europe and Canada stress a new unified approach to security, amid strained relations with the US; pet rescue scammers in Uganda; and the multi-billion dollar bid to buy eBay.

(Photo shows vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near Bandar Abbas, Iran on 4 May 2026. Credit: Amirhosein KhorgooiWest Asia News Agency via Reuters)

Also on the programme: Ukraine's been stepping up its offensive against Russia's oil infrastructure in recent days; and ahead of the 2026 Met Gala, British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes and Elizabeth Way, curator at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, discuss if fashion is art. (Photo: Iranians walk past a huge anti-US billboard referring to US president Donald Trump and Strait of Hormuz at Valiasr square in Tehran, Iran, 02 May 2026. Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Ukraine says it has struck two oil tankers off Russia's Black Sea coast, as it continues its campaign against the energy exports that fund Moscow's war effort; a manufacturer of the United States' most widely used abortion pill has asked the Supreme Court to allow postal deliveries of the medication, a day after a lower court halted them; and Chinese-Icelandic singer, Laufey, on making jazz cool again!

(Photo: Narges Mohammad. Credit: Getty Images)

Also in the programme: FIFA will allow a team of Afghan women refugees to represent their country in international tournaments; and we look back on the life of a former racing driver and Paralympian.

(Photo: A soldier pilots a drone during the 'Combined Resolve' exercise at 7th Army Training Command's Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels. More than 3,800 personnel participate in the exercise series, which is a reoccurring U.S. Army Europe and Africa exercise held several times throughout the year for its rotationally deployed troops. US-led army exercise 'Combined Resolve' - media day, Hohenfels, Germany - 30 Apr 2026. CREDIT: ANNA SZILAGYI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer tells the BBC that he wants tougher policing of protests in the UK after the stabbing of two Jewish men in London; and we hear from two Afghan female footballers about their hopes of competing internationally.

(Photo: Badge of a soldier is seen during the 'Combined Resolve' exercise at 7th Army Training Command's Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, 30 April 2026. Credit: Photo by ANNA SZILAGYI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Ukraine has been stepping up its campaign against Russia's oil industry; and is fish fraud affecting one of Britain's national dishes?

(Picture: Workers carry fertiliser bags to be mixed with water at a farm's irrigation centre. Credit: REUTERS/Rula Rouhana/File Photo)

Also in the programme: despair then relief for the Oscar winner who thought an airline had lost his award; and for the first time the nose of a mouse has been mapped showing us more about the way mammals smell.

(Photo: Farmers in Aceh labour amid possible fertilizer shortage due to war in Middle East. Indonesia, 28 March 2026. Credit 2026 Shutterstock Editorial. EPA/Shutterstock )

Also in the programme; two coins dating from the reign of English King Ethelred, known as the Unready for his failure to defend his country against the Vikings, come to light in Denmark; and why Saudi Arabia needs to cut its costs, by pulling out of LIV Golf.

(Photo: A ship in the Strait of Hormuz, Oman Credit: REUTERS/Stringer)

Also in the programme, an Australian inquiry has said a Jewish group warned of a 'terrorist attack' before last year's antisemitic mass shooting at Bondi Beach, and how barbaric were the Barbarians?

(Photo: A display shows fuel prices in euro at a petrol station in Berlin, Germany, 30 April 2026. Credit: Filip Singer/EPA-EFE)

Also in the programme: the US defense secretary faces questions on the cost of the war against Iran, when it'll end, and about the investigation into the bombing of a school; plus how filling the sticker album for this expanded World Cup might be expensive - but could pay dividends down the line.

(IMAGE: Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Mark Peter Rowley (C) gives a statement at the scene where two Jewish men are seriously injured after being stabbed in Golders Green, north London, Britain, 29 April 2026. / CREDIT: Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/EPA/Shutterstock (16851496bd))

Also on the programme, former US officials criticise the Pentagon for not releasing more information about the US attack in Iran that hit a school, and why temperatures are rising faster in Europe than any other part of the world.

(Photo: Mohamed Al Fayed, Owner and Chairman of Harrods department store from 1985-2010)

Also in the programme: the United Arab Emirates says it is leaving the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries; and the plan to ship Pablo Escobar's hippos from Colombia to India.

(Picture: King Charles III addresses US Congress. Credit: BBC)

Also on the programme: The latest on Mali as violence there continues to spread between jihadist militants and separatists; the United Arab Emirates is set to quit the oil cartel Opec on 1st May; and we hear from the parents of Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe - who broke the world record at this weekend’s London Marathon.

(Photo: Britain's King Charles III walks during a state visit to the United States at a Garden Party in the British Embassy in DC, 27th April 2026. Credit: Ian Vogler, Pool via Reuters)

Also in the programme: insurgents make dramatic advances in Mali; can a new political party in Israel really unseat Binyamin Netanyahu? And as the naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough approaches his century, we look back at one of his defining moments.

(IMAGE: U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro speaks, flanked by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel during a press conference about the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner where U.S. President Donald Trump was present, at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 27, 2026 / CREDIT: ReutersKylie Cooper)

(Photo: Law enforcement personnel patrol the venue, following a shooting incident during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, in Washington DC, US, 26 April, 2026. Credit: Ken Cedeno/Reuters)

Also in the programme: A man described as having chronicled the soul of India, the photographer Raghu Rai, has died aged eighty-three; Sabastian Sawe made history at the London Marathon by becoming the first athlete to run a sub-two-hour marathon in a competitive race; BBC visits Chernobyl ghost city 40 years after world's worst nuclear accident; and an update on the violence in Mali.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump is escorted out of the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: The Iranian foreign minister meets with Oman’s sultan to discuss peace with the US; and why some board game are becoming more popular.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump salutes during the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in Washington DC, 25th April 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Also on the programme: how five schoolchildren stepped in to stop a runaway school bus in Mississippi after the driver had an asthma attack; and English football honours its first overseas football star.

(Picture: A Malian soldier stands in position with his weapon during an attack on Mali's main military outside the capital Bamako. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer)

This programme has been edited since transmission due to rights.

Also in the programme: Explosions and gunfire in Mali as armed groups launch coordinated attacks.

(Photo: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, 17th February 2026. Credit: Reuters/Pierre Albouy TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

This programme has been edited since transmission due to rights.

Also on the programme, from inside Russia, a look at the Kremlin's tightening grip on the internet; and, Ringo Starr on his new country album.

(Photo: Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy for Peace Missions listen as Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS)

Also on the programme: representatives from dozens of countries are gathering in Colombia to discuss moving away from fossil fuels; and as the ceasefire in Lebanon is extended for another three weeks, we talk to one family who've just returned to their flat in Beirut.

(Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Britain strikes a new deal with France to stop illegal migrants from crossing the English Channel; and we find out about the lipstick effect during tough financial times.

(Photo: US President Trump speaks to reporters ahead Davos, Washington, USA - 20 Jan 2026: Credit EPA/Shutterstock )

Also on the programme: a South African court blocks the repatriation of the remains of Zambia's former president, Edgar Lungu, halting fresh plans for a state funeral; and we speak to the mother of a little girl who's had her vision almost entirely restored after pioneering gene therapy treatment.

(Photo: Journalists gathered in silence at Martyrs' Square to remember Khalil. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: The funeral of a child killed in the occupied West Bank turns into a confrontation; and the Foo Fighters on the new album, My Favourite Toy - for one band member, its Lego.

(FILE PHOTO: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky attends a press conference in Middelburg, Netherlands on April 16, 2026. CREDIT: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)

Also in the programme: European Union ambassadors have approved a $100 billion loan to Ukraine; and a playwright who dramatised Leicester City's improbable Premier League title of a decade ago, on how the club have been related to the third tier of English football.

(Photo: Supporters of Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), arrive for a meeting in Aprag village, Sudan, on 22 June 2019. Credit: Reuters/Umit Bektas)

Also in the programme: Hungary's LGBTQ community welcomes a likely end to years of repression. And why has the boss of a big US tech company been branded a global supervillain by his critics?

(Photo: Pakistani security officials stand guard on a road leading to the Red Zone, where most diplomatic missions and government offices are located, including the venue for the expected second round of US-Iran peace talks, in Islamabad, Pakistan, 21 April 2026.Credit: SOHAIL SHAHZAD/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: We speak to Arab Barghouti, son of the prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti. In 2004 an Israeli court found Marwan Barghouti guilty of five counts of murder as well as membership of a terrorist organisation. The court found there was insufficient evidence connecting him to  21 other deaths on the original indictment. He is currently serving five consecutive life sentences in an Israeli prison. Opinion polls indicate that despite his imprisonment, Barghouti is the most popular Palestinian leader. He remains a member of the Fatah Central Committee.

We also hear about the immunotherapy that could save cancer patients; and comparisons between the King of Horror, Stephen King and Shakespeare.

Photograph: Pakistani security officers outside Islamabad's Red Zone, where most diplomatic missions are based. Credit: Shutterstock

Also in the programme: A BBC investigation finds that British soldiers stationed in Kenya fathered children with local women and in some cases, abandoned them. And a robot wins the Beijing half marathon - is this technological progress or a dystopian nightmare?

(Photo: Iranians walk past an anti-USA and anti-Israel mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, 20 April 2026. Conflict between Iran and the US over the Strait of Hormuz continues as Iran again closed the Strait. Credit: Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: The party of the pro-Russian former president, Rumen Radev, is on course to win Bulgaria's general election and more than 150 authors leave a prominent French publisher, but why?

(Photo: A police officer gestures to a vehicle at a check post along a road near Faisal Masjid, as Pakistan prepares to host the U.S. and Iran for the second phase of peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan April 19, 2026. CREDIT: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)

Also on the programme, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing the biggest threat to his leadership; and, amid our modern technology, people rush to independent record stores to celebrate vinyl records. 

(Photo:The Malta-flagged tanker Agios Fanourios I, an oil tanker that sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, arrives in Iraq’s territorial waters off Basra,Iraq April 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mohammed Aty)

We hear the latest from our correspondent in the Middle East and we speak from a captain on one of the ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.

Also in the programme: the perils of using AI chatbots to diagnose illnesses; and China's love affair with snooker.

(Photo: A drone view of a tanker arriving in Iraq's territorial waters after sailing through the Strait of Hormuz. Credit: Mohammed Aty / Reuters)

Also in the programme: finance chiefs warn that a new AI tool could jeopardise global banking; and Japan creates a new word for days over 40 degrees celsius.

(Photo: A drone view shows the Malta-flagged tanker Agios Fanourios I, an oil tanker that sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, arriving in Iraq’s territorial waters off Basra, Iraq, April 17, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Aty)

But the US president Donald Trump said the US blockade of the strait will continue until a deal is made.

The announcement comes as European leaders came together to promote a unified message that the strait must be opened without tolls and without restrictions.

Also in the programme: We'll look at the ceasefire brokered between Lebanon and Israel and how people on both sides have reacted; the UK prime minister comes under renewed pressure over his former US ambassador; and why the Strait of Gibraltar is a treasure-trove of shipwrecks.

(Photo shows a protest rally in Tehran, Iran on 17 April 2026. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA)

Also in the programme: As a dispute with the Vatican over the Middle East war continues, President Trump has dismissed comments by Pope Leo who'd said the world was being ravaged by tyrants; and another missing page in the life story of William Shakespeare has been found - the London home he bought three years before he died.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before departing on Marine One, in Washington, DC on 16 April 2026. Credit: Graeme Sloan/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: the South African politician, Julius Malema, has been sentenced to five years in prison for violating gun laws; and we find out how sperm whales mirror the language of humans.

(Photo: Lyse Doucet reporting from Tehran: Credit BBC)

Also on the programme: a Sudanese author reflects on 3 years of conflict; and we take a tour of a new exhibition celebrating 125 years of Black British music. (Photo: A handout photo made available by the Iranian Foreign Ministry Office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) and Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir during a meeting in Tehran, Iran. Credit:HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: a new online search engine helps people to discover if their ancestors were members of the Nazi party; and we speak to the director of a new film The Wizard of the Kremlin.

(Photo: Internally Displaced Persons in Sudan. Credit: UNHCR/Ala Kheir)

(A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: a BBC investigation into Greek police recruiting mercenaries to push migrants back into Turkey; the rise and fall of the Chinese property developer who was once Asia's richest person but has now pleaded guilty to fraud; conservation success in Uganda where numbers of mountain gorillas are rising; and could small talk be good for you?

(IMAGE: Israeli soldiers stand among destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in northern Israel, April 14, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Florion Goga)

Also on the programme: Donald Trump says he wants to intercept all ships who pay Iran to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. We discuss the legal implications of his suggestion with marine lawyer Caroline Tuckett. And, the British rockband Deep Purple are touring the world where they met an unexpected huge fan - the Japanese prime minister.

(Photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reacts as people applaud after the announcement of the partial results of parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Also in the programme: the US is set to begin a blockade of Iran's ports in an hour's time – we ask what it could achieve; President Trump denounces the Pope, who's arrived in Algeria at the start of a tour of Africa; and could microscopic fungi hold the key to future supplies of chocolate?

(Photo: Leader of the Hungarian opposition Tisza Party, Peter Magy, holds a press conference after winning two-thirds of the votes in parliamentary elections, Budapest, Hungary, 13 April, 2026. Credit: Tibor Illyes/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: President Trump criticises the Pope; and the controversial ‘taxi test’ being used in job interviews.

(Photo: US President Trump at the White House in Washington, DC,13 Apr 2026. CREDIT: SALWAN GEORGES/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Hungarians are voting in an election that could see an end to Viktor Orban's 16 years as prime minister; and legendary Indian singer, Asha Bhosle, has died at the age of 92.

(Photo: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (L). Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Hungary prepares to go to the polls; and how British exceptionalism led the Cambridge five who spied to despise the people they betrayed.

(Photo: Vice President JD Vance walks up a flight of stairs to meet with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks about Iran, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Islamabad. CREDIT: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS)

Also on the programme: A look ahead at tomorrow’s elections in Hungary where Prime Minister Viktor Orban could fall from power after 16 years; and a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean for the returning Artemis II astronauts.

(Photo: US Vice President JD Vance waves after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday 11th April 2026. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS)

(Wreckage after Israel launched a blitz of air strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday CREDIT: AFP via Getty Images)

Also in the programme: the UK says three Russian submarines have conducted a "covert" operation over Britain's vital underwater cables and pipelines; and as the crew of the Integrity spacecraft on the Artemis II mission around the Moon hurtle back towards Earth, we hear from the wife of the Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

(IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. CREDIT: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo)

Also, Argentina's Congress has passed a controversial amendment making it easier to mine in glacier regions, a move environmentalists say weakens protections for crucial water sources.

And a Los Angeles woman dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for selling drugs that led to the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry.

(Photo: Aftermath of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Ain Al Mraiseh in Beirut. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: we hear more about one of the fastest growing disability sports around the world, powerchair football.

(Photo shows civilians and emergency responders standing amid rubble at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, April 8, 2026. Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

Both sides have claimed victory, with the US defense secretary saying it "offers chance at real peace".

Also in the programme: Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued pummelling what it says are dozens of command centres belonging to Hezbollah, Iran's proxy force in Lebanon; and we'll hear more about the impact of powerchair football for participants with life-limiting disabilities.

(Photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump at a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C. on 6 April 2026. Evan Vucci/Reuters)

The spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth - 252,756 miles (406,771km), the furthest distance humans have travelled into space. We'll hear from NASA's Head of Science.

Also in the programme: Multiple reports indicate new US strikes on Kharg Island in the Gulf as President Trump posts that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" unless a deal is reached; US vice-president JD Vance visits Hungary ahead of elections; Cambodia says it's cracking down on scammers; and Kanye West has been blocked from travelling to the UK over anti-Semitic comments.

(Photo shows the Moon rises over the Halde Hoheward near Herten, Germany on 7 April 2026. Credit: Christopher Neundorf/EPA)

Also on the programme: President Trump repeats his deadline for Iran to agree to a deal with the United States; and the discovery of Yiddish songs performed during the Holocaust.

(Picture: A view of the Moon taken by an Artemis II crew member through the window of the Orion spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Handout via REUTERS)

As US-Israeli strikes on Iran continue, Iranian people tell the BBC that they're afraid of the latest ultimatum from President Trump.

Also in the programme: NASA's Artemis II mission has now entered the lunar "sphere of influence"; how Northern Ireland has become a world leader in support for mothers who've miscarried; and the icy world of curling hits a hot streak as it starts a professional league.

(Photo shows Majid Khademi the intelligence chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in an undated photo. Credit: Iranian state media)

Also in the programme: Hungary and Serbia say they've foiled a plot to blow up a pipeline, but is it a 'false flag' operation ahead of the upcoming Hungarian election? And the American museum curator in her seventies who has become a social media star.

(Photo: President Donald Trump delivers address to the nation about the Iran war on 1 April 2026. Credit: Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS)

Also in the programme: a former Israeli soldier recalls the challenges of a prolonged occupation of Lebanon; and we explore the mystery of the far side of the moon.

(Photo: Cars drive near an anti-US bilboard, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 5, 2026. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

Also in the programme: Teachers' union in the UK warns of 'masculinity crisis brewing' in schools; we look at how the war in Iran is making petrol and diesel increasingly expensive in Australia; and we hear from Ed Dwight, the first Black man on the US Space program.

(Photo credit: EPA)

(Photo: Israeli F-15 fighter jets fly over central Israel, Undisclosed - 31 Mar 2026. ABIR SULTAN/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Myanmar general installed as president of the country in a bid for legitimacy by the military regime; and the friction between Pope Leo XIV and a US administration at war.

(Photo: A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft takes off for a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, March 9, 2026. Credit: US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS)

Also in the programme: an update on the progress of the Artemis II moon mission; and the unusual way octopuses have sex.

(Picture: US President Donald J. Trump. Credit: ALEX BRANDON/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: nations meet to find a solution to the Strait of Hormuz; and Artemis 2 heads out of orbit.

(Photo: Former US Attorney General Pam Bondi attends a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 24 March 2026. CREDIT: GRAEME SLOAN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: US President Donald Trump attends a Supreme Court hearing about his attempt to end birthright citizenship by executive order; and how a hundred driverless taxis all suddenly stopped mid-journey in a city in China – so how robust is the tech?

(Photo: The Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft at Launch Complex 39B ahead of the mission launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US. Credit: Reuters/ Brendan McDermid)

Also, South Africa's government sends in the army to fight criminal gangs.

And the countdown to NASA's Artemis moon mission! Plus fifty years since the birth of Apple computing.

(Photo: A person reacts to the damage near a business building including the Qatari Al Araby TV office, after an airstrike in northern Tehran, Iran, 29 March 2026. Credit: EPA)

Also in the programme: has the European Union reached breaking point with Israel? A NASA scientist on a huge week for space travel; and wolf bites woman on a German city street - we hear the case for the defence.

(IMAGE: Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Stringer//File Photo)

Also on the programme: the latest report on sexual violence directed at women and girls in Sudan; and the world's longest running international music competition, Eurovision heads to Asia.

(Image: Illustration shows 3D-printed miniature model depicting US President Donald Trump pointing at a map showing the Strait of Hormuz. Credit: Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Also in the programme: Israel's parliament passes a new law introducing the death penalty for terrorists. A critic of the law tells us it's framed just to target Palestinians; and a Sex Pistol celebrates the 50th anniversary of punk rock.

(Photo: A member of the Iranian security forces stands guard next to a banner honouring former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran on 30 March 2026. Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: how are countries around the world responding to the price of oil reaching $116 a barrel? And paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse have been stolen from a museum in Italy. Is there's even a market for this type of stolen art?

(Picture: President Trump on Air Force One. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is prevented from celebrating a private mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; and a UN summit moves to protect 40 migratory species. (A handout photo made available by the Pakistani Foreign Offices shows Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Pakistan's deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar during a meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, 29 March 2026. CREDIT: PAKISTAN FOREIGN OFFICE/HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: we hear from Myanmar where the global energy crisis has left kilometres-long queues at petrol stations; and veteran Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard reflects on his latest Oscar-winning film Sentimental Value.

(Photo: The USS Tripoli (LHA-7) amphibious assault ship enters the Singapore Strait, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Singapore, March 17, 2026. REUTERS/Edgar Su)

(Photo: Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea announces a new attack on Israel via a televised statement, in Sana'a, Yemen. Credit: YAHYA ARHAB/EPA/Shutterstock)

The group says it fired a barrage of ballistic missiles "targeting sensitive Israeli military sites", after Israel says it intercepted a missile from Yemen. The intervention comes as Israel continues bombing Lebanon, aiming for the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, but catching many other Lebanese in its wake.

Also in the programme: We'll hear from a mother and son forced apart for years by the state because she was unmarried; Nepal's former prime minister under arrest just a day after the new government took power; and a former Haitian culture minister turned documentary maker on the prescience of George Orwell.

(Photo shows a Houthi soldier operating a machine gun on a pickup truck in Sanaa, Yemen on 27 March 2026. Credit: Yahya Arhab/EPA)

Also, the British government is being urged to apologise to tens of thousands of women in who were forced to give up their babies after the Second World War because they weren't married.

And a new study says AI is giving bad advice to flatter its users!

(Photo: A displaced woman from Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon smokes a sigarette, at the Jaafareya High School, now used as a temporary shelter for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran continues, in Beirut, Lebanon, March 27, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: will Cuba's economic near-collapse lead to political upheaval? We have a first-hand report from the island; and a unique eyewitness account of female sperm whales acting like midwives.

(IMAGE: View of the Prime Minister's House building, as Pakistan offers to help mediate talks between the United States and Iran, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan March 25, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)

Also on the programme, lawyers have tussled over how to fund the defence of the ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro at his second court hearing since his capture by US troops; and, the IOC has banned transgender women from all Olympic women's sports.

(President Trump hosts cabinet meeting at the White House, Washington, USA - 26 Mar 2026. WILL OLIVER/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is due to appear in court in New York today for only the second time since his capture at the beginning of January - we hear how his country’s been doing since his departure; and a new exhibition in London explores experiences and perceptions of ageing, from adolescence to older age - through art, science and popular culture.

(IMAGE: Alireza Tangsiri, Head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy, who Israel claims to have killed (undated file photo) / CREDIT: sourced from EVN/IR IRGC navy chief stills/1041/26/3)

Also in the programme: Iran's foreign minister has said officials are reviewing US proposals on ending the war, but that Tehran has no intention of holding talks with the United States; and Sarah Mullally has been officially installed as the first woman to lead the Anglican Communion.

(Photo: Attorney for Kayle GM, Mark Lanier (C) speaks to the media after a jury found Meta and YouTube liable in the social media addiction trial outside the Los Angeles Superior Court, in Los Angeles, California, USA, 25 March 2026. Credit: Ted Soqui/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: five survivors of Jeffrey Epstein come together for the first time to speak about their ordeal; and the man who persuaded a would-be-bomber not to blow up a hospital has received one of Britain's highest honours.

(Picture: US President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on 24 March 2026. Credit: GRAEME SLOAN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: We hear from expectant mothers in Havana about the impact of the US blockade on their care; and the Virunga National Park in the DRC is celebrating the rare birth of its second set of mountain gorilla twins.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on the 24th of March, 2026. Credit: GRAEME SLOAN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: The AI company Anthropic vs the Pentagon; and rescuing moon bears from captivity in Vietnam.

(Photo: A view of a residential building damaged by a strike, in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Tehran, March 23, 2026. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

Also on the programme: With world attention focused on the Iran war, there’s been a new increase in Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank; and we head to a new exhibition which explores the changing relationship between humans and their pets.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before departing West Palm Beach aboard Air Force One on th 23rd of March, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Also on the programme: Italian voters consider significant changes in its justice system; and AI-powered glasses that can help people living with dementia.

(Picture: President Donald Trump speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: French voters have gone to the polls - will they tack to the centre ground or lurch to the far-left and far-right? And a British version of the celebrated US TV show Saturday Night Live has made its debut - did it translate well across the Atlantic?

(Photo shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike on a bridge near Qasmiyeh, Lebanon on 22 March 2026. Credit: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)

Also on the programme: Italian voters give their verdict on a government plan to have more power over the judiciary; and a US comedy institution makes its UK debut as Saturday Night Live hits British screens.

(Picture: Ultra Orthodox Jewish residents look on at the scene of a direct hit of an Iranian missile in Arad, Israel. Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA/Shutterstock)

(Photo: A United States Air Force Rockwell B-1 Lancer Bomber arrives at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.Saturday March 7, 2026. Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

Also on the programme: a weight loss drug is now off patent in India meaning prices are expected to drop sharply; and the Australian teens grappling with the country's social media ban.

(Photo: Satellite imagery taken in January 2026 showing a new roof over a previously destroyed building at Natanz nuclear site, Iran. Credit: Planet Labs PBC/via Reuters)

Also in the programme: Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat on celebrating the ancient Persian festival of Nowruz; and the action movie star, and martial arts expert Chuck Norris has died aged 86.

(Photo: US President Trump departs the White House to spend the weekend at Mar-a-Lago on 20 March 2026. Credit: Shawn Thew/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has announced sheis replacing the country's senior military commanders, a day after replacing the longtime Defence Minister General Vladimir Padrino López; and we examine how artificial intelligence is being used in the publishing industry.

(Photo: Iranian people shop at Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, ahead of Nowruz, on the 19th of March, 2026. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

Also in the programme: a mysterious signal is being broadcast in the Farsi language on shortwave radio from Europe - what is it? And how a conversation in the Caribbean Sea about quantum information led to a big prize.

(Photo: Traders work on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) floor after the opening bell in New York, USA, 19 March 2026. Credit: Sarah Yenesel /EPA/Shutterstock)

Gas prices jumped by about 25% on wholesale markets in the UK and Europe in early trading, before easing slightly. We've also been hearing from the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth who says the Pentagon will go to Congress to ask for funding for the war as it continues on.

President Trump says he knew nothing about the Israeli attack on the Iranian South Pars facility; we'll examine what this says about US-Israeli military co-operation.

Also in the programme: The world's longest coastal path is opening in England; and newly discovered letters from the renowned palaeontologist Mary Anning show even she got sick of fossils.

(Photo shows a file photo of QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas production facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar on 2 March 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: Senegal has called for an international investigation after its national men's football team is stripped of its African Cup title, following January's chaotic match against Morocco; and we hear from the researchers using maths to understand why some clothes designs keep coming back into fashion.

(Photo: A view of the South Pars gas field in Assalooyeh on Iran's Persian Gulf coast south of Tehran Credit: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

(Photo: People stand amidst debris at the site of an Israeli strike, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Zuqaq al-Blat district in central Beirut, Lebanon, 18 March, 2026. Credit: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)

Also on the programme: At least 100 people are dead after a Pakistani airstrike hit an Afghan hospital; how Fijian bull sharks appear to have preferred swimming companions while avoiding others; and a man living close to the Ukrainian front line tells us what daily life is like as the war with Russia continues.

(Photo: Joe Kent speaking into a microphone. Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Also in the programme: in the Afghan capital Kabul, dozens of people have been killed in an airstrike on a drug treatment centre, which the Taliban government has blamed on Pakistan; why is one of the world's most influential tech billionaires in Rome lecturing about the Antichrist? And we hear about the endearing qualities of a newly discovered subatomic particle.

(IMAGE: Ali Larijani, former chairman of the parliament of Iran, attends a press conference after meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Lebanon November 15, 2024 / CREDIT: Reuters / Thaier Al-Sudani / File Photo)

Also on the programme: whistleblowers tell the BBC social media giants have allowed harmful content on feeds to entice users; and a new study finds that babies experiment with deceptive behaviour much earlier than previously thought.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight back to Washington on March 15, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine tells us concerns for his safety have prompted him to leave the country two months after the disputed presidential election; and who's in the running ahead of this year’s upcoming Oscars ceremony?

(Photo: Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi speaking to CBS News, 16th March 2026. Credit: "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan", CBS News)

Also on today’s programme: an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon has killed 12 medical workers; and we hear from Cuba, where protesters have attacked a Communist Party office.

(Photo: Kharg Island - a military target on Kharg Island, that was struck by the US forces. Source: U.S. Central Command on social media / X / @CENTCOM)

Also on the programme: a look at the current state of Iran’s military capabilities as war continues to rage; how spider’s silk could be used to treat nerve damage in humans; and the bid to restore the resting place of saxophone inventor Adolphe Sax.

(Photo: General view of the Arcelor Mittal plant in Fos-sur-Mer, Southern France, 12th March 2026. Credit: Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also, how the White House is selling its war on social media.

And we look ahead to the Oscars, where international cinema in the spotlight this year.

Plus researchers warn AI toys for children misread emotions and respond inappropriately.

(Photo: Iranians collect their belongings among the rubble of their damaged residential buildings in central Tehran, Iran, 12 March 2026. Credit: EPA)

Also in the programme: British tourist among those arrested in Dubai for having missile photographs on his phone; and a tribute album for the jazz musician Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth.

(Photo: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei; Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Can American naval power keep those shipping lanes open? We'll assess the options and hear what people in America's heartland think about the war.

Also in the programme: Will a new "ethnic unity" law in China lead to more disunity?; and a piece of rock music history goes up for a sale - a rather battered guitar that belonged to Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.

(Photo shows the Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree on fire after being hit by Iranian missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, on 11 March 2026. Credit: Royal Thai Navy)

Also on today's programme: Chile sees its biggest shift to the hard right in decades with the inauguration of Jose Antonio Kast as president. British organ preservation charity Pipe Up says five pipe organs are sent to a landfill each week. Plus, as Iran says it will not play in the World Cup, we hear from Afshin Ghotbi, who coached both the US and Iranian national football teams.

(Photo: An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, in Shinas, Oman. 11 March 2026. Credit: Benoît Tessier/Reuters)

It comes as the Lebanese health ministry has announced that 570 people have been killed in Lebanon since strikes began on 2nd March as part of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Israel's evacuation orders have driven more than three quarters of a million people from their homes. We'll hear from the Lebanese capital and we'll hear from Dubai and Riyadh about the disruption to energy shipments from the region.

Also in the programme: Russia's campaign of sabotage against Ukraine's European allies; how Britain's old church organs are being dumped, and how some dogs really can sing along to music.

(Photo shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on 11 March 2026. Credit: Raghed Waked/Reuters)

Also in today's programme: Tehran residents describe intense bombing in the city. With oil prices soaring across the globe we hear from Mark Menezes, CEO of the US Energy Association, who previously served as Deputy Energy Secretary in President Trump's first administration. And we also discuss Iran's world heritage sites under threat from US-Israeli attack.Plus, to mark the 150 years since the first ever telephone call we hear from Marty Cooper, the inventor of mobile phone.

(Picture: A dredger sits anchored as the traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz. Credit: Reuters/Benoit Tessier)

Also on the programme: Authorities in the US state of New Mexico have launched a search of a ranch previously owned by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and the German carmaker Volkswagen has said it will cut 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 as its profits fell by over 40 percent in 2025.

(Photo: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press conference at CENTCOM headquarters in Florida on the 5th of March 2026. Credit:

Cristóbal Herrera/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Reports that members of Iran's women's football team are seeking refuge in Australia - we'll hear from a former Iranian sportsman who fled the country; and how AI is predicting the risk of serious heart disease from breast cancer screenings.

(File Photo: A maze of crude oil pipes and valves pictured during a tour by the Department of Energy at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Freeport, Texas, US. Credit: Reuters/Richard Carson/File Photo)

Crude has jumped above $100 a barrel and stock markets slumped over the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran. What are the effects likely to be?

Also in the programme: We'll profile Iran's new Supreme Leader, the son of the former cleric; we'll hear how the war is affecting daily life in the Gulf state of Qatar; and how the master artists of ancient Egypt may have invented correction fluid.

(Photo shows smoke rising following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery on Sitra Island in Bahrain on 9 March 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: a high-ranking executive at OpenAI has resigned over the company's deal with the US government; and India has retained the men's T20 cricket World Cup title.

(Picture: Thick plumes of smoke rise above the Shahran oil refinery in Tehran which was hit in US and Israeli strikes on the country. Credit: BEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: scientists find a mountain range and huge "blue hole" in the deep Caribbean Sea, with life never before seen; and the American gospel musician finally getting recognition after more than fifty years.

(IMAGE: A demonstrator holds an image of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after he was killed in Israeli and U.S. strikes. Tehran, Iran, March 6, 2026 / CREDIT: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)

Also on the programme: Nepal's rapper turned Prime Minister; and the NASA mission that's shown how we can defend ourselves against a speeding asteroid.

(Photo: Smoke rises after an Iranian drone was intercepted over the Bahrain Financial Harbour towers, which houses the Israeli embassy, in Manama, Bahrain Credit: Reuters/Stringer)

Also on the programme: President Trump is hosting Latin American leaders for a summit called 'The Shield of The Americas'; and the slow breakdown of one of the world largest icebergs.

(File photo: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran on February 11, 2026. Credit: Iran's Presidential website/WANA)

Also in the programme: Ukraine and six European nations boycott the opening ceremony of the Winter Paralympics because of Russian and Belarusian athletes taking part; and a firefighter in Texas recounts how his team rescued two people whose hot air balloon got entangled in a 300-metre tower. Photo: US-Israeli attacks continue in Iran amid escalating conflict. Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock

Also in the programme:  a report from Caracas as the US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum became the latest senior American official to visit Venezuela; and we hear from a youth mentor in Haiti's gang-ravaged capital Port-au-Prince, whose film has just won a best documentary award.

(Photo: US-Israeli attacks continue in Iran amid escalating conflict, Tehran on 6 March 2026. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is replaced; and how to recognise a real Stradivarius.

(Photo: A view of the Azadi sports complex after the airstrikes in Tehran, Iran, 05 March 2026. CREDIT: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: people in Nepal have been voting for the first time since last year's "Gen Z" demonstrations, in which dozens of young protesters died; and the drug trials that have had some terrific results for children with the severest epilepsy.

(Photo: People gather on the sides of a road as smoke rises in the background following an explosion, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 5, 2026. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via REUTERS)

Washington says it's the first time since the Second World War it's used a torpedo to sink an enemy vessel.

Also on the programme: we gauge the scale of the attacks inside Iran by speaking to a resident in Tehran and verifying video footage; and a look at a new AI model, trained on the DNA of over 100,000 species, that is capable of designing new genomes.

(Photo: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on 2 March. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: the latest from the onflict in the Middle East, with a lineup of who is in the running to take over from Iran's Supreme Leader; the controversial 'Moonies' church that has contravened the law in Japan, and proof that a woman's brain does change during pregnancy.

(Photo: Iranian warship IRIS Dena is seen in the Bay of Bengal during International Fleet Review held at Visakhapatnam in India on 18 February, 2026. Credit: Associated Press)

(An explosion in Tehran, Iran as US/Israeli attacks continue. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Also, Leaked photo, hot tub, and Pizzagate - video of Clintons' testimony on Epstein ties released.

And discovering your old painting was actually a masterpiece by Rembrandt!

(Photo: A street in Tehran this morning following a blast at a police station. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: we hear about the British allied response to the war as Cyprus remains on high alert and Greece sends military vessels and aircraft to help.

(Photo: Aftermath of an Israeli & US strike in Gandhi Hotel Hospital in Tehran Credit: Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)

We hear the latest from the ground in Tehran, talk to an Israeli MP and an economist about the impact on oil prices as shipping comes to a standstil in the Strait of Hormuz.

(Photo: a supporter of deceased Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini holds its picture at a rally in Lebanon. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

(Photo: Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 1, 2026. CREDIT: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS)

(Photo: People walk near a mural featuring images of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/Reuters). Reuters )

(Photo: Smoke rises following an explosion in Tehran, after Israel launched an attack, February 28, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Pakistan defence minister says country in 'open war' with Afghanistan after strikes; Ramadan in Gaza; and we'll talk to a judge at the International Criminal Court, who was sanctioned by the US after the court issued an arrest warrant for Israel's prime minister.

(Photo credit: AFP)

Also on the programme: an International Criminal Court judge whose life has been impacted by US sanctions, with credit cards and Google accounts cancelled; and celebrating 30 years of Pokemon. (Photo: Taliban soldiers load a rocket launcher in a vehicle, following exchanges of fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces, near Torkham border in Afghanistan on February 27, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: as Iran and the US resume nuclear talks in Geneva, Iranians fear it's the last chance for diplomacy. And how our two eyes evolved from a cyclopean ancestor,

(Picture: Chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer speaks to the press ahead of US former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's scheduled testimony. Credit: Federova / EPA)

Also in the programme: a third round of talks between Iranian and American officials are held in Geneva; and a new study helps explain what's going on in the brains of so-called 'super-agers', people who stay mentally sharp into old age. (Photo: Hillary Clinton attends the Mumbai Climate Week in Mumbai, India on February 18, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

But will his message on the economy be enough to persuade voters worried about persistent high prices?

Also in the programme: Sri Lanka's former intelligence chief has been arrested in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 270 people; and we'll hear from the small Norwegian club inside the Arctic Circle that's shaking up European football.

(Photo shows US president Donald Trump delivering the State of the Union address at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. on 24 February 2026. Credit: Kenny Holston/Reuters)

Also in the programme: Russian dissidents tell the BBC they’ve seen fellow troops executed on commanders’ orders during the conflict; a look at what might be coming up in President Trump’s State of the Union address; and why a nineteenth-century Ghanaian artefact is being kept from public view.

(Photo: People take part in a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine to mark the fourth anniversary of the start of the war, in Zurich, Switzerland, 24th February 2026. Credit: Andreas Becker/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: UK’s first baby born from a transplanted womb from a deceased donor; and researchers have discovered how a horse produces its distinctive whinny.

(Picture: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen before a meeting of 'Coalition of the Willing' in Kyiv. Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout)

Also on the programme: US and Iranian officials have confirmed that negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme will resume on Thursday; and we hear from Lauren Wyatt, who has Tourette's syndrome and is an advocate for the National Neurodiversity Youth Council, about the racial slur shouted by a man at the Bafta film awards who also lives with the condition.

(Photo: A burnt bus on the highway connecting Mexico City with the state of Puebla, following roadblocks and arson attacks carried out by members of organized crime after the death of Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho". Credit: REUTERS/Paola Garcia)

Also on the programme: the International Criminal Court has opened hearings to decide if the former Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, should face trial for crimes against humanity; and we speak to Wagner Moura, star of the Oscar-nominated Brazilian film The Secret Agent.

(Photo: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) at the hotel 'Bayerischer Hof', in Munich, Germany. Credit: Ronald Wittek/EPA/Shutterstock.)

Speaking two days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said the latest attacks targeted his country's energy sector as well as residential buildings.

We'll hear from a Ukrainian professional sportsman-turned-soldier on what the nearly four years of war have done to his country.

Also in the programme: The students protesting in Iran for the first time since last month's deadly crackdown; Canada and the US face off in the men's ice hockey final. And the Norwegian crowned the Winter Olympics' greatest ever athlete.

(Photo shows houses heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on 22 February 2026. Credit: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

Also on the programme: far right French activists have marched through the city of Lyon after a nationalist student was beaten to death; and OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has said it considered alerting the Canadian authorities to the activities of a person who later carried out one of the worst mass shootings in the country's history. (Photo: President Trump addresses a press conference about the Supreme Court's striking down of most of his tariffs in the briefing room at the White House in Washington, DC on 20 February 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme, French President Emmanuel Macron has appealed for calm ahead of a march in Lyon remembering a right-wing student activist who was killed by suspected left-wing extremists earlier this month; and, conservationists are celebrating the reintroduction of giant tortoises to one of the Galapagos Islands -- nearly two centuries after the sub-species was wiped out.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Solicitor General D. John Sauer attend a press briefing at the White House, following the Supreme Court's ruling that Trump had exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Also in our programme: how rural communities and poorer areas in Russia are being disproportionately affected by the war; and we speak to one of the stars of the first Iranian documentary to earn an Oscar nomination.

(Photo: US President Donald J. Trump, alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, speaking at a press conference about the Supreme Court's striking down of most of his tariffs. Credit: Yuri Gripas, EPA/Shutterstock)

The former prince was released from custody after 11 hours on Thursday night, following his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office; he has previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein. As the UK police continue their investigation, prominent figures in the US ask whether they'll also see criminal investigations out of the Epstein files.

Also in the programme: As the US says it won't accept global governance of AI, we'll hear why Google is being sued over an AI-generated voice, the climber guilty of manslaughter for leaving his girlfriend on a mountain; and the astonishing promise of a multi-purpose vaccine delivered by nasal spray.

(Photo shows a police van patrolling the area on 20 February 2026 where Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on 19 February in Sandringham, Norfolk)

King Charles said the "law must take its course" in response to Andrew's arrest, and that the police has his ‘full and wholehearted support and co-operation’. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has denied all wrongdoing arising from his relationship with the US financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Also in the programme: There are signs in Gaza that Hamas is tightening its grip on the territory; South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol has been sentenced to life in prison for insurrection, and why the fantasy epic Game of Thrones is inspiring a Shakespearean theatre company.

(Photo shows Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at Westminster Cathedral, central London, 16 September 2025. Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)

Also on the programme: Les Wexner, who gave Jeffrey Epstein his own fortune to manage and who was pivotal in his rise as a financier, has told a Congressional inquiry he was naive and was duped, but not himself involved in sexual abuse. And the widow of the Hollywood actor Chadwick Boseman tells us about the revival of "Deep Azure," a play he wrote twenty years ago, in London.

(Picture: Mark Zuckerberg arrives in court. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: a trial in Austria raises questions about the circumstances in which mountain climbers may be held responsible for their companions; and the widow of the American actor and playwright Chadwick Boseman, most famous as the star of Black Panther, tells us how she feels about her late husband's play being staged in London.

(IMAGE: Ukrainian chief of the general staff Andrii Hnatov walks outside the InterContinental hotel on the day of U.S.-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, in Geneva, Switzerland, February 18, 2026 / CREDIT: Reuters/Pierre Albouy)

Also on the programme: Iran has said it has reached an understanding with the US on the main "guiding principles" to resolve their dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme; and we ask whether Russian athletes will be allowed again to take part in the Olympics?

(Photo: US civil rights campaigner Reverend Jesse Jackson stands on the Thames riverside in Lambeth, south London, after launching Operation Black Vote in upcoming UK general elections. Credit: PA John Stillwell)

Also on the programme: a second round of indirect talks between the US and Iran has ended in Geneva; and the Ukrainian government funding a programme that allows soldiers to freeze their sperm.

(Photo: Jesse Jackson during a visit to England in November 2008 to talk about political representation of ethnic minorities. Credit: BBC)

Also in the programme: The pioneering black figure skater whose backflip at the Olympics thirty years ago was a brilliant move marked down by the judges; how AI is already transforming farming; and we look back at the life of the acclaimed american actor Robert Duvall - who's died at the age of ninety-five.

(Photo: A woman walks past a dirt barrier that was recently placed by the Israeli military, at the main entrance to Luban e-Sharkiya, between Nablus and Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 16, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Ammar Awad)

Also in the programme: Israel's cabinet votes in favour of beginning a process of land registration in the West Bank, a move condemned by Palestinians as ‘de-facto annexation'; and a row breaks out over potential cheating in the curling - at the Winter Olympics.

(IMAGE: Dutch Navy ship Johan de Witt heads to Arctic for NATO exercise, Den Helder, Netherlands - 16 Feb 2026/ CREDIT: Dingena Mol/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Nigeria says Russia is recruiting its citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine; and how AI has given a folk singer with motor neurone disease a new voice.

(Photo: Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's deputy Foreign Minister, during an interview with BBC News in Tehran; Credit: BBC)

Also in the programme: Mass rape survivor Gisele Pelicot speaks to the BBC about trauma and healing ahead of her memoir being published; and an an exciting paleontological discovery has been made in Costa Rica.

(Photo: Flowers lay near a portrait of Russian late opposition leader Alexei Navalny in front of the Russian embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, February 2024. Credit: David Mdzinarishvili, EPA-EFE, REX, Shutterstock).

Also in the programme: a BBC Investigation uncovers devastating side effects of a set of widely used prescription drugs that can trigger impulsive behaviours; and we speak to the Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins about his memoir.

(Picture: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during the Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen)

Also on the programme: reaction from Ukraine after skeleton bob racer Vladyslav Heraskevych is disqualified from the Winter Olympics; and award-winning British cinematographer Roger Deakins has written a memoir. We hear from the man behind Fargo, the Big Lebowski, Skyfall and others.

(Photo: Tarique Rahman greets supporters during an election campaign rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 09 February 2026 / Credit: MONIRUL ALAM/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: President Trump has repealed a government scientific finding that carbon emissions endanger human health, removing the legal basis for federal climate change regulations; and we ask, is the artificial intelligence revolution going to transform humanity?

(Photo: A man fishes near the Cuban-flagged tanker Alicia, docked at the Matanzas terminal, in Matanzas, Cuba, February 10, 2026. Credit Reuters/Norlys Perez)

Also on the programme: in China, annual emissions of carbon dioxide fell for the first time last year. Lauri Myllyvirta of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, which compiled the data, explains the significance behind this, and the Berlin film festival opens tonight with an Afghanistan romcom. We hear from its writer, director and star, Shahrbanoo Sadat.

(Photo: Electoral workers count the votes, during the 13th general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 12 February, 2026. Credit: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)

Also on the programme: the Winter Olympian balancing winning medals with her homework; and we hear from Brontë country in northern England - where a rather saucy new interpretation of Wuthering Heights has been filmed.

(Trump meets Netanyahu in Washington, 11 February 2026. Credit:Getty Images)

The BBC has been speaking to people on the streets of Tehran about the current situation and we'll hear what's going on with the talks between Iran and the United States.

Also in this programme: A small town in southern Canada reels from one of the deadliest shootings in the country's history; what reports that Ukraine is to hold elections this spring could mean for the country, four years after Russia full-scale invasion; and how biohacking is becoming big business.

(Photo shows Iranians taking part in celebrations to mark the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, Iran on 11 February 2026. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA)

Also in the programme: we speak to US Congressman on viewing the underacted Epstein files; and we look at new research which suggests brain exercises could help delay the onset of dementia.

(Photo: People walk next to a mural with a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters)

This comes after US lawmakers say files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were improperly redacted ahead of their release by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Also in the programme: The UN warns that Tigray in northern Ethiopia may be about to tip back into all-out conflict; we'll hear why the French president is concerned about whether Europe can stand up to American and Chinese muscle; and we'll look at what nature can do for a person's state of mind.

(Photo shows a file photo of the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington DC, USA on 4 March 2025. Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA)

Also in the programme: American tech giants Meta and Google go on trial in California - they're accused of harming children by knowingly creating addictive social media platforms. And the French government sends letters to every 29-year-old in the country, exhorting them to have babies while their biological clocks are still ticking.

(Photo: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer leaving 10 Downing Street, London. Credit: James Manning/PA Wire)

Rights groups called it a death sentence for the 78-year-old, whose family has raised concerns about his health, but Hong Kong's leader said it was "deeply gratifying". We'll hear from Mr Lai's son about his father's situation.

Also in the programme: We'll be reflecting on a historic election victory for the Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi with a member of the governing Liberal Democratic Party; how the DNA of identical twinas is complicating a murder trial in France; and we'll get the reaction to last night's half-time Superbowl show by the Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny, which has been criticised by President Trump.

(Photo shows Jimmy Lai walking to a prison van to head to court in Hong Kong, China on 12 December 2020. Credit: Tyrone Siu/Reuters/File Photo]

Also, the Iranian Nobel peace laureate, Narges Mohammadi, has received another prison sentence - for what the court said was "collusion to commit crimes"; And we speak to one of the Epstein survivors who had a relationship with him for two years.

(Photo of Japan's prime minister Sanae Takaichi, who appeared at the LDP headquarters on Sunday night for the vote count. Credit: Franck Robichon/Reuters)

Also in the programme: a Russian soldier who fought in Ukraine, fled to Kazakhstan and now faces possible deportation back to Russia, tells us why he deserted; the chief executive of The Washington Post steps down after sacking 300 journalists; and sixty years after the Monkees were formed to rival the Beatles, we hear from the last surviving member, Micky Dolenz.

(IMAGE: TV staff gesture in the direction of the cameras as Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), gives an interview at the LDP headquarters on general election day in Tokyo, Japan, February 8, 2026 / CREDIT: Kim Kyung-Hoon/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock (16528062x))

Also in the programme: the rush to get key AI components into outer space; and the small change in French rural life that could be fuelling the rise of the far-right.

(Photo: A person with a flashlight in a dark street during a power cut in Lviv, Ukraine. Credit: Mykola Tys, EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Russia attacks more energy infrastructure in Ukraine; political analysis of President Trump’s racist Truth Social post; and will the Japanese prime minister's decision to call a snap election pay off?

(IMAGE: Former prime minister Gordon Brown speaks at a child poverty event, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Child Poverty Action Group (Cpag), at Somerset House, in central London, Thursday November 6, 2025 / CREDIT: James Manning/PA Wire)

Also in the programme: a deadly suicide attack on a Shia mosque in the Pakistani capital Islamabad; the EU orders TikTok to redesign its 'addictive' features; and the opening of the 25th Winter Olympics in northern Italy.

(Photo: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visits Oman ahead of Iran-US talks. Credit: OMANI MINISTRY OF INFORMATION/HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Venezuela's parliament takes the next step towards an amnesty for political prisoners; and how babies can anticipate rhythmic surprises in music composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.

(Photo: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is welcomed by an Omani official upon his arrival in Muscat, Oman, on February 6, 2026. Credit: Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA via REUTERS)

(Photo: Members of the U.S. delegation attend the second round of trilateral talks between the U.S., Russia and Ukraine, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 4, 2026.UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs Handout via Reuters)

Also in the programme: The second day of peace talks over the Russia-Ukraine war conclude with no sign of agreement; and a sketch of a lion by the Dutch grand master Rembrandt has sold at auction for $18 million.

(Picture: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking during a visit to East Sussex. Credit: Peter Nicholls/PA Wire)

Also in the programme: the New START nuclear treaty expires; and iguanas on the menu in Miami.

(Picture: An elderly woman pulls a sled with her belongings during the distribution of humanitarian aid brought by volunteers to a church amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, near the town of Popasna (Popasnaya) in the Luhansk region, a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, February 4, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

(Photo: World Central Kitchen staff hand out free soup in a neighbourhood that experiences electricity and heating outages following recent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure during subzero temperatures in Kyiv, Ukraine February 3, 2026. REUTERS/Thomas Peter)

Also in the programme: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the second son of Libya's former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, is reported to have been killed at his home in Zintan - we hear from a journalist who met him; as Sudan's army claims to have re-taken another besieged city, Jan Egeland of the Norwegian Refugee Council describes a “forgotten horrific conflict” and a “starvation crisis beyond belief”; plus the Australian scientist who helped invent the cochlear implant which now allows hundreds of thousands to hear – and who has just won a prize for his lifetime’s work.

(IMAGE: U.S. President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro meet at the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 3, 2026 / CREDIT: Colombia Presidency/Handout via REUTERS)

Also on the programme: the detention of a five-year-old in an immigration raid in Minnesota enrages a judge; and why seeing the iconic Trevi Fountain in Rome is now going to cost you.

(Photo: A Palestinian patient, accompanied by relatives, waits to leave Gaza for treatment abroad through the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: damaging new revelations about the links between a former British government minister and the American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and the dress rehearsal for the forthcoming mission to the moon.

(Photo: Palestinian patients prepare to travel for medical treatment to Egypt Credit: Haitham Imad/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: French tech giant Capgemini to sell US subsidiary working for ICE; and a new exhibition reveals the peaceful side of the Samurai.

(Picture: US President, Donald Trump. Credit: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

We'll be asking where concessions might be made to prevent a military confrontation.

Also in the programme: A second woman says she was trafficked to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein for sex with the former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor; a new exhibition explores the legacy of Japan's Samurai warriors; and Carlos Alcaraz triumphs over Novak Djokovic to become the youngest man to win a career Grand Slam in tennis.

(Photo shows Donald Trump speaking after disembarking from Air Force One in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., January 31, 2026. Nathan Howard/Reuters)

Also on the programme: the renowned Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei tells us about his first return to China in ten years; and new evidence about the world’s earliest pandemic, the Plague of Justinian.

PICTURE: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, Ukraine January 16, 2026 CREDIT:REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo

Women and children were among those mining coltan - a mineral used to manufacture electronics such as smartphones and computers - at the time in the town of Rubaya.

Also in the programme: The search for truth and justice continues after more than three million new documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are released; we'll hear about the legacy of the Nigerian musician and political activist Fela Kuti, who has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy; and we'll discuss the implications of AI being used to create new forms of life.

(File photo of labourers working at the Rubaya coltan mine in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo March 24, 2025. Credit: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)

Also in the programme: who is Kevin Warsh, the man appointed by Donald Trump as next chair of the Federal Reserve? And Nigerian musician Fela Kuti becomes the first African artist to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.

(Photo: Jeffrey Epstein in a photograph taken for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry in 2017, Credit: New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services sex offender registry)

Also in the programme: Inside the Roj prison camp in Syria; and forty years of Poems on the Underground.

(Picture: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visits Turkey, Istanbul. Credit: EPA)

(Photo: US Border Czar Tom Homan speaks at his first news conference after replacing Greg Bovino as the lead of ICE operations at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 29 January 2026. CRAIG LASSIG/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: Tensions over ICE agents persist in Minnesota - we get a view from the Democrats; and we hear the extraordinary story of mathematician Dr Gladys West, who has died at the age of 95.

(Photo: The USS Abraham Lincoln shown in 2019; Credit : US Navy via Reuters)

Sir Keir is seeking to strengthen trading and cultural ties between the two nations after years of acrimony.

Also in the programme: We'll hear from people inside Iran as families and friends try to count the number of dead during the recent crackdown; and new research into the late novelist Terry Pratchett suggests a person's use of words could help diagnose dementia much earlier.

(Photo shows UK prime minister Keir Starmer arriving in Beijing, China on 28 January 2026. Credit: Carl Court/PA)

Also in the programme: Spain has approved a plan to grant legal status to an estimated 500,000 migrants; and tennis star Coco Gauff calls for privacy after being filmed smashing her racket.

(Photo: Tom Homan, the new head of the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. Credit: Getty Images)

Also in the programme: News from Iran in the wake of the state's violent crackdown on demonstrations there- doctors and nurses who cared for injured protesters are now being arrested. We also look at The Planets by the English composer Gustav Holst. It was first heard a century ago and is being reworked to address what is happening with the planet now.

(Photo: President of the European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen +President of the European Council Antonio Luis Santos da Costa pose for photographs with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi New Delhi - 27 Jan 2026. Credit: Rajat Gupta /EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: The White House has sharply criticised what it called "hostile" Democrats for the unrest in Minneapolis ; and scientists have gained a new insight into a mind-bending part of the universe- dark matter.

(Photo: Israeli women hold a cutout picture of Israeli police officer, Ran Gvili, in Tel Aviv on the 26th of January, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Moti Milrod)

Also on the programme: China’s top general has been accused of bribery and leaking nuclear secrets to the US, and a lost portrait of the Scottish poet Robert Burns has been found after 200 years.

(Photo: President Donald Trump climbs a staircase during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. Credit: Laurent Gillieron/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: the weirdness of election day in Myanmar from our correspondent there; and has Saudi Arabia's hugely ambitious mega city project run into the sand?

(Photo: A woman chants 'peace' at a makeshift memorial for Alex Pretti in south Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 25 January 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

(Photo: A federal agent fires a munition toward demonstrators near the site where a man identified as Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24, 2026.REUTERS/Tim Evans)

Also in the programme: surviving the cold and war in Kharkiv; and why a beautiful Venetian palazzo is failing to sell.

(Picture: A person holds a placard as federal agents use tear gas to disperse people gathered near the scene where federal agents fatally shot a man while trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also on the programme: Under a severe crackdown, Iran's protesters question if enough international pressure has come to bear on Tehran's government; and the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets.

(Photo: Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Credit: Reuters/Sofiia Gatilova)

Also in the programme: grim reports continue to emerge from Iran; why Nelson Mandela's family is fighting to keep his belongings from an auction; and does celebrated political scientist Francis Fukuyama believe this is the end of the "rules-based" international order?

(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington DC, US, October 22, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: A deal has been done to keep Tiktok in the US; we go inside the secret prisons of southern Yemen; and we find out how to eavesdrop on villains in 17th century London.

(Photo shows Russia's top economic negotiator Kirill Dmitriev and US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on 22 January 2026. Alexander Kazakov/Sputnikl/EPA)

Also on the programme: US envoys head to Moscow to meet with President Putin in latest round of Ukraine peace talks; and the nominations for this year's Oscars are out, with vampire horror Sinners receiving a record-breaking sixteen nods.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump holding charter for his Board of Peace initiative in Davos, Switzerland, on 22 January 2026; Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

The board is part of Trump's 20-point plan to end the Israel-Hamas war. The UK says will not yet be signing up the board over concerns about Russian leader Vladimir Putin's possible participation. We'll ask how it will work -- and get the view of a former top UN official.

Also in the programme: Can President Trump pressure President Zelensky over concessions to Russia?; and we'll have the latest on a landslide in New Zealand.

(Photo shows US president Donald Trump taking part in an announcement for his Board of Peace initiative in Davos, Switzerland on 22 January2026. Credit: Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

(IMAGE: US President Donald Trump speaks during his special address at the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, 21 January 2026 / CREDIT: photo by GIAN EHRENZELLER/EPA/Shutterstock (16380717ba))

Also in the programme: A new ceasefire announced in Syria; and we hear from the Ugandan opposition leader, Bobi Wine.

(Picture: France's President Emmanuel Macron at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Credit: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)

Also on the programme: The Ugandan singer-turned-opposition leader Bobi Wine gives his first post-election interview to the BBC in hiding; and an Austrian cow that uses a tool, held in its mouth, to scratch its back.

(Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Layen speaks during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos. Credit: Reuters)

(Picture: U.S. President, Donald Trump and Norway's Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere. Credit: REUTERS)

Also in the programme: the head of the United Nations talks to the BBC about what he sees as a new world order, with the US putting itself above the law. and there are no obvious explanations for what caused a horrific high-speed train crash in the south of Spain.

(Photo: The European Central Bank (ECB) building is seen in the background as a cargo ship is docked in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 19 January 2026. Credit: Ronald Wittek/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have agreed an immediate ceasefire after nearly two weeks of fighting; and we hear about revolutionary treatment for people with an aggressive form of leukaemia, or blood cancer, which is being offered to patients in the UK.

(Photo: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks at a press conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on the 13th of January 13, 2026. Credit: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS)

Also in the programme: government forces make advances after two weeks of fighting in Syria; and the world's only nocturnal parrot comes back from the brink of extinction.

(Photo: woman waves a Greenlandic flag during protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's annexation demands on January 17, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Marko Djurica).

Also in the programme: We hear from Uganda's sports minister on President Museveni's re-election; and more reaction to the appointment of a Gaza "Board of Peace."

(Picture: US President, Donald Trump. Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo)

Also on the programme: Ugandan opposition leader and presidential candidate Bobi Wine has been forcibly removed from his house and taken to an unknown location in an army helicopter, according to his party; and there is growing excitement in Morocco, as the hosts approach the final of the football Africa Cup of Nations.

(Photo: Reza Pahlavi calls for regime change in Iran at the National Press Club in Washington. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: Iran's most prominent historian, Ervand Abrahamian, assesses the current wave of protests which have engulfed the country. And Helen Macdonald, the author of the much-loved memoir, and forthcoming movie, "H Is For Hawk," discusses nature, mourning and the difficulties of seeing yourself portrayed onscreen.

(Photo: Canada's PM Mark Carney and China's President Xi Jinping. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Venezuela's opposition leader Maria Corina Machado meets President Trump; and Rome's new speed limit comes into force.

(Picture: A Royal Danish Air Force plane carrying personnel in military fatigues lands at Nuuk airport Greenland, January 14, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Nato troops start arriving in Greenland as the Trump administration underlines its ambition to own the island, the BBC uncovers evidence of a split in the upper echelons of the Taliban in Afghanistan; and the writer Julian Barnes will be discussing AI and his last ever novel!

(Photo: President Triump. Credit: Getty Images)

Also in the programme: how Ukrainians are coping with repeated Russian assaults on energy infrastructure; and music from the Indian composer known as the Mozart of Madras.

(Photo: A ship sails outside Nuuk's harbour, Greenland, January 13, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Marko Djurica)

Also, China has announced a record trade surplus despite the US's tariffs; and we hear from the organiser of Australia's largest free festival, Adelaide Writers' Week, which was called off because of a row over censorship.

(Photo: Undated image of Erfan Soltani. Credit: Hengaw Organization for Human Rights/X)

Also in the programme: how scientists in Japan might have identified how to limit procrastination; and the enduring appeal of the queen of crime-writing, Agatha Christie.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump in Dearborn, Michigan, US, 13th January 2026. Credit: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)

(Photo: Iranian men in a square in Tehran. Credit: Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Three former chairs of the US Federal Reserve have come to the defence of the current incumbent, Jerome Powell, who says he has been threatened by the Justice Department; and could a robot soon be doing your dishes?

(Photo: Mourners carry a coffin during a funeral procession for members of security forces and civilians said to be killed in protests on Sunday, amid evolving anti-government unrest, in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab from a video released on January 11, 2026. Credit: IRIB/Handout via Reuters)

Also on the programme: Jerome Powell, the chair of the US Federal Reserve, hits out at "unprecedented" probe by the US justice department; and we meet some domestic robots designed to take the drudgery out of housework.

(Photo: President Donald Trump looks on as he meets with members of the media aboard Air Force One en route from Florida to Washington on 11th of January, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Nathan Howard)

(Photo: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during an interview with the state TV, amid protests, in Tehran, Iran in this screengrab obtained from a video released on January 11, 2026. IRIB/via Reuters TV/Handout via REUTERS)

Also in the programme: as the US urges its citizens to leave Venezuela immediately, we speak to a former Venezuelan government minister; plus the “mind-reader” who spooked Barack Obama and infuriated a famous podcaster.

(IMAGE: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during an interview with the state TV, amid protests, in Tehran, Iran in this screengrab obtained from a video released on January 11, 2026 / CREDIT: IRIB/via Reuters TV)

Also on the programme: Demonstrations take place after new video on deadly Minnesota ICE shooting released; and the earliest Superman comic sells for $15 million, we talk to a comic book artist who's held it.

(Photo: Screen grab obtained from a social media video of protesters gathering in Tehran. Credit: Social Media/via REUTERS)

Also in the programme: we hear from Aleppo after clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish militia; and a trip through David Bowie's London.

(Picture: Protesters gather as vehicles burn, amid evolving anti-government unrest, in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on January 9, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Colombian President Gustavo Petro's views on United States policy in Latin America; and Elon Musk's former partner Ashley St Clair explains her concerns about sexualised images made by the Grok AI chatbot on X, formerly known as Twitter.

(Photo: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, taken on 3 Jan 2026; Credit: IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER OFFICE HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: we'll hear from the Greenlanders tired of President Trump's talk of take over; and the British government accuses the social media platform X of insulting the victims of misogyny and sexual abuse.

(Photo: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Credit: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/West Asia News Agency)

Also in the programme: reports of clashes between Iranian security forces and protestors across the country; political prisoners released in Venezuela; and what it's like to be sick in space.

(Photo: US Vice-President Vance addresses the media in the White House; Credit: WILL OLIVER/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: we speak to the son of a prominent Venezuelan political prisoner; and the story of Aldrich Ames, the CIA officer who became one of America's most damaging double agents, who has died aged 84.

(Photo: A US Coast Guard official looks through binoculars at the ship Marinera (Ex-Bella 1) in this handout image released January 7, 2026. Credit: X/Reuters)

Also in the programme: US officials say that a mission to board a Russian flagged oil tanker sailing in the North Atlantic is underway; and the discovery of the trumpet from the Iron Age on the east coast of England.

(File photo: People gather for a protest outside the Embassy of the United States of America in Copenhagen, Denmark on March 29, 2025. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: as the authorities in Venezuela turn up the repression, we hear from a one-time protestor in Caracas; and why anger is growing over an AI-powered tool for sexual content on Elon Musk's social media platform X.

(IMAGE: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer deliver a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the so-called 'Coalition of the Willing' summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2026 / CREDIT: Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS)

Also on the programme, European leaders meet in Paris to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine, and a battle to save a historic monument to one of the great Antarctic explorers, Ernest Shackleton.

(Photo: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado looks on, outside the Grand Hotel after she was in the audience at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway, 12 December, 2025. Credit: NTB/Ole Berg-Rusten/Reuters)

Also in the programme: A French court has found ten people guilty of spreading lies online about President Macron's wife Brigitte; as protests in Iran continue for a ninth day, the Speaker of Parliament has said that the protesters' demands must be heard; and Venezuela has the world's biggest oil reserves, what happens to that now?

(Photo credit: Reuters/Adam Gray)

In this edition dedicated to the Venezuelan crisis; we hear from a Caracas resident; and the intriguing details of the operation to extract Nicolás Maduro.

(Photograph: a supporter of President Maduro in Caracas holding dolls of Maduro and his wife. Credit: Shutterstock)

What happens next in Venezuela? There's been celebration and condemnation of America's intervention. We'll hear from in Caracas and also the Colombia-Venezuela border.

Also in the programme: We also hear from a former Trump insider who worked with him on Venezuela, ask a leading international criminal lawyer about the legality of the situation; and we'll hear about weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.

(Photo shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York. Credit: White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X.com)

(Photo: Trump earlier shared a photo he said was of Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima. The image shows him blindfolded and wearing ear defenders)

Also in the programme: the Swedish workers trialling a “friendship hour” to combat loneliness.

(Photo: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro holds Simon Bolivar’s sword as he addresses members of the armed forces, Bolivarian Militia, police, and civilians during a rally against a possible escalation of US actions toward the country, at Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas, Venezuela, November 25, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo)

Iran has warned President Trump against interference, after he said the US would come to the rescue if protesters were killed. We hear from a protester. And President Zelensky of Ukraine has appointed the country's military intelligence chief as the new head of his presidential office. But what do we know about Kyrylo Budanov?

(Picture: Tributes left in the town of Crans Montana in Switzerland. Credit: Bott / EPA)

Also in the programme: President Trump says he's ready to step in to defend the anti-government protesters in Iran; we hear from a protester. Plus life at a hundred – we speak to one woman, still laughing - and still performing – at 100 years old.

(IMAGE: People pay their respects to the victims with flowers near the area where fire broke out at the 'Le Constellation' bar leaving people dead and injured, during New Year's celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, 02 January 2026 / CREDIT: Jean-Christophe Botte/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: There have clashes in a number of small towns across Iran, on the fifth day of anti-government protests; China has introduced a series of tax incentives - including levies on contraceptives and exemptions for childcare - to try to boost its falling birth rate; and new tax regulations are taking effect today in forty-eight countries over the personal ownership of cryptocurrency.

Plus punk rock is 50 years old this year. Why does this rather simple music keep influencing musicians even now?

(Photo: Officials say around 40 people were killed and 115 injured in the fire. Credit: Getty Images)

Also in the programme: as the latest US visa bans and restrictions take effect in a large number of countries, mainly in Africa, we hear from the Nigerian government; plus what's behind the latest purges of China's top military officers?

(IMAGE: Furniture pieces lie on the ground as an ambulance stands at the site of an explosion and fire at the "Le Constellation" bar, where several people died and others were injured after an explosion tore through a crowded New Year’s Eve party, according to Swiss police, in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 1, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from video / CREDIT: Valais Canton Police/Handout via REUTERS)

Also in the programme: we ask why there is a shortage of female toilets in Japan’s parliament; conservation efforts saving albatrosses in South Africa; and we look at the best moments from Newshour in 2025.

(Photo: A Palestinian man carries food items collected from aid packages dropped from an airplane, amid a hunger crisis, in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed)

Also in the programme: How did thieves use a drill to steal €30m in a German bank heist? And the best moments from Newshour in 2025.

(Photo: MSF treat displaced Palestinians in Rafah. Credit: Haitham Imad/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Another day of street protests in Iran as inflation soars and the currency tanks - how will the government respond? And after 400 years, Denmark’s national postal service has delivered letters for the last time.

(Photo: The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) seeks independence for southern Yemen. Credit: Photo by Najeeb Mohamed/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: British boxer Anthony Joshua has been injured in a car crash in Nigeria; shopkeepers in Tehran have been demonstrating over the depreciating rial; and a special report on songbird poaching in China.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival for meetings at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 29, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Also on the programme: dark energy may change the fate of the Universe, ending in what astronomers call a "Big Crunch". And Brigitte Bardot, French screen legend, dies aged 91, we look at her legacy as a feminine icon.

(Photo: President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy upon his arrival for meetings at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 28, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Also in the programme: The titan of French cinema, Brigitte Bardott has died aged 91; President Trump will meet Ukraine's leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, in Florida later on Sunday as efforts continue to reach a peace deal with Russia; and Sabalenka vs Kyrgios: in tennis - a true battle of the sexes or an opportunity for critics to belittle women's sport?

(Photo: Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing cast his ballot in the capital Nay Pyi Taw. Credit: Win Kyaw Thu/BBC)

Also in the programme: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine is in Canada ahead of his meeting with Donald Trump on Sunday; China's first documented case of a tiger having quintuplets in the wild; and a tribute to Perry Bamonte, guitarist and keyboardist of The Cure who has died aged 65.

(PHOTO: People walk past an election banner ahead of a general election in Thingangyun Township, Yangon, Myanmar, December 27, 2025. CREDIT: REUTERS/Stringer)

Also in the programme: Saudi Arabia's defence minister has warned the main separatist movement in southern Yemen to withdraw from territory it's recently captured in two provinces, amid rising tensions in the area; Ukraine says overnight Russian air strikes in the capital Kyiv have injured at least eight people and caused power cuts; and ahead of the winter games in Italy - we meet Slovenia's world champion ski-jumpers targeting Olympic gold.

(Photo:Cambodia's Defence Minister Tea Seiha and Thailand's Defence Minister Natthaphon Narkphanit after the ceasefire was agreed during a special meeting at a border checkpoint in Chanthaburi province, Thailand. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: a BBC Persian TV documentary, in which one of Iran’s leading female actors renounces the compulsory hijab, has broken viewing records; and we look ahead to some of the more unusual sports in next year's Winter Olympics.

(Photo: A man standing amid a destroyed building following US strikes in Nigeria's Kwara State. Credit: REUTERS/Abdullahi Dare Akogun)

Also in the programme: We head to the Netherlands to explore the Silicon Valley of farming; Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak has received a 15-year jail sentence over his involvement in one of the world's biggest corruption scandals; and could there be hope of a cure for dementia?

(Photo: The US defence department posted a short video that appears to show a missile being launched from a military vessel. Credit: US Department of Defense)

Also in the programme: Pope Leo highlights the plight of the people of Gaza in a Christmas address; and a Christmas meeting between a bone marrow donor and a cancer survivor.

(Picture: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman addresses his supporters. Credit: REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain)

Also on the programme: European leaders have condemned a US visa ban on the official who drew up the bloc's tech regulations; and people in Bethlehem are celebrating Christmas Eve for the first time since the war began in Gaza.

(Photo: NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni take part in a family picture at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany. Credit: Clemens Bilan/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: the US denies visas to five Europeans accused of leading efforts to stifle Americans online; and Egypt begins restoring a 4,500-year-old boat that once belonged to King Khufu.

(Picture: Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky. Credit: SERGEY DOLZHENKO/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: Amid ongoing violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, we report on the trauma of modern-day birth in Bethlehem; and we hear from Mulatu Astatke, known as the father of Ethio-jazz.

(Photo: A newly-released unsealed indictment of disgraced late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is seen in this handout image released by the U.S. Justice Department and printed and arranged for a photograph by Reuters in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 19, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Also in the programme: a Venezuelan former diplomat tells us what he makes of the current US pressure campaign, and a retired US admiral tells us what he makes of the president's plan for big new "Trump-class" warships; and we hear the story of Mary Ann Macham, an enslaved woman who escaped across the Atlantic from America in the 1830s and was welcomed in by a local community of Quakers in North East England.

(IMAGE: Firefighters extinguish a burning cargo vessel damaged during Russian overnight drone and missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a port in Odesa region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released December 23, 2025 / CREDIT: Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region/Handout via REUTERS).

Also in the programme: More children abducted from a Nigerian Catholic school last month look set to be released; CBS News faces criticism for delaying a ’60 Minutes’ special on the US deportation of migrants to an El Salvadoran megaprison; and Ukraine takes part in a morale-boosting Secret Santa scheme, offering gifts to soldiers on the frontline.

(Photo: Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed in an Israeli strike on Friday, according to medics, at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Credit: Dabou Abu Alkas, Reuters)

(IMAGE: Primary school in Vanha village, Chin state, Myanmar / CREDIT: Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO))

Also in the programme: Israel's security cabinet approves 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank; and an elegy for the US penny that is no longer being produced after 230 years.

(Photo: Government supporters participate in a protest against US President Donald Trump's order to blockade sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Caracas, Venezuela on 17 December 2025. Credit: Reuters/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

Also in the programme: The US seizes another oil tanker in the Caribbean; and Morocco prepares for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations. (Photo: Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attends the 'Light Over Darkness' vigil honouring victims and survivors of a deadly mass shooting during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14, in Sydney, Australia, December 21, 2025. CREDIT: REUTERS/Hollie Adams)

Also on today’s programme: President Zelensky says he is open to US proposals for direct talks with Russia, though there are conditions; will the prizefighter vs YouTuber bout change boxing? And a new lemon-shaped planet has been discovered -- and it’s really weird.

A sheet of redacted pages in connection with late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is shown on a computer screen (19 December, 2025. U.S. Justice Department/Reuters)

Photo: One of the Epstein files released today in Washington, DC USA Credit: US Department of Justice

They instead opted to secure the oan against EU borrowing rather than Russian assets. What signal does that send to Moscow?

Also in the programme: We'll hear from the Ukrainian widows cut off from compensation because their soldier husbands took their own lives; excitement builds in Morocco as it prepares to host Africa's biggest football tournament; why the boxing influencer Jake Paul may be risking more than his reputation in tonight's big fight.

(Photo shows Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, European Council president Antonio Costa, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the EU Council Summit in Brussels, Belgium on 19 December 2025. Credit: Olivier Hoslet/EPA)

Also on the programme: the EU's top court rules that Denmark's 2018 "ghetto law," which relocates residents from minority-heavy areas, could amount to ethnic discrimination; and what could the new documentary about Melania Trump tell us about the American first lady?

(Photo: A woman holds a banner as people demonstrate outside the European Commission in support of using frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine. Credit: Reuters)

But there's opposition from some countries fearful of Russian retribution. We'll have the latest.

Also in the programme: the Australian government announces new legislation to combat anti-semitism, following Sunday's mass shooting in Sydney; YouTube buys the TV rights to the Oscars; and ghosting in the jobs market - why are some companies advertising roles that probably don't exist?

(Photo shows Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky gives a press conference at the EU Council Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on 18 December 2025. Credit: Olivier Hoslet/EPA).

(Photograph: Darfuri children in Tine refugee camp. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: The EU waters down its plan to end new petrol and diesel car sales by by 2035 and we hear how the Hollywood star, Timothee Chalamet, spent seven years mastering table tennis for his latest film role in Marty Supreme

Photo: US President Donald J Trump speaks at a round-table with high-tech business executives in Washington DC, USA Credit: AARON SCHWARTZ/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock

Also in the programme: the gunmen who carried out the deadly Bondi Beach attack in Australia spent most of last month in the Philippines; and why next year King's College, Cambridge, will have a new choir - of girls.

(Photo: Handout photograph of a woman and baby at the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur. Credit: MSF/Mohamed Zakaria/Handout via Reuters/File Photo)

One of the two men suspected of carrying out a mass shooting at Bondi Beach was originally from southern India but had "limited contact" with his family there, police sources have said. We'll look at what's emerging from the investigation and what the attack means for Australia's Jewish community.

Also in the programme: The scourge of forced marriages in Kazakhstan; Donald Trump files his multi-billion dollar law-suit against the BBC; and 250 years after her birth, we'll look at why Jane Austen still means so much around the world.

(Photo shows an Israeli flag among candles at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on 16 December 2025. Credit: Hollie Adams/Reuters)

Also in the programme: Investigations continue into the fatal attack on people marking the Jewish festival of Hannukah at Bondi Beach. We bring the latest updates from Australia; and following the election of right winger Jose Antonio Kast to the Chilean presidency, we explore that lasting legacy of cold war dictator Augusto Pinochet.

(Picture: Director Rob Reiner and his son Nick Reiner attend AOL Build Presents: "Being Charlie" at AOL Studios In New York on May 4, 2016 in New York. Credit: Rommel Demano/Getty Images)

Anthony Albanese says the attackers were not part of a terror cell, but "clearly, they were motivated by this extremist ideology". The father of a Syrian bystander who was filmed wrestling a gun off an attacker has told the BBC he was driven by "conscience and humanity"

Also in the programme: Ukraine's President Zelensky comes under more pressure to compromise at peace talks in Berlin, Chile elects a far-right leader who is an admirer of the dictator, Augusto Pinochet, and police in Los Angeles investigate the suspected murder of the celebrated Hollywood director, Rob Reiner.

(Photo shows Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese speaks to the media during a press conference in Sydney, Australia on 15 December 2025. Credit: Steven Markham/EPA)

Also on the programme: a communist candidate takes on the far right in a presidential run-off in Chile; the woman caught up in the 2018 Parkland shooting in Florida as a child is on campus when the latest gun attack takes place at Brown University; and the palm tree that's taken sixty years to flower.

(Photo: Candles burn following the attack on a Jewish holiday celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, December 15, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Flavio Brancaleone)

Also in the programme: we hear from Chile, where a Communist Party candidate is taking on the far right in the presidential run-off election today; plus the palm trees that take sixty years to flower – in spectacular fashion.

(IMAGE: (L-R) NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley, NSW Premier Chris Minns and NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon hold a press conference following a shooting incident at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, 14 December 2025 / CREDIT: Dean Lewins / EPA / Shutterstock)

(Belarus released over 100 political prisoners form prison, Vilnius, Lithuania - 13 Dec 2025. VALDA KALNINA/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: four months ahead of the elections in Hungary, why has child protection become such a key issue? And as Israel plans to build a new road and barrier in the occupied West Bank, we hear from the head of the UN’s Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

(IMAGE: A handout photo made available by Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) shows a bridge destroyed by Thai F-16 fighter jets in Pursat Province, Cambodia, 13 December 2025 / CREDIT: Handout /EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: intense rain is wreaking havoc on thousands of Gazans living in displacement camps; and UNESCO declares Swiss yodelling a form of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

(Photo: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado attends the opening of the official Peace Prize exhibition at the Nobel Peace Center, in Oslo. Credit: Lise Åserud / NTB)

Also in the programme: French police's crackdown on drug gangs in Marseilles, and a rare public display for Mary Queen of Scots' final letter before execution.

(Photo: Maria Corina Machado waving at her supporters from a balcony in Oslo. Credits: Lise Aserud/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: tourists from more than forty countries may have to provide a five-year social media history as a condition of entry to the US under a new proposal; and new evidence suggests humans made fire much earlier than previously thought.

(Photo: US President Donald J Trump makes remarks in a roundtable with high-tech business executives in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 10 December 2025. Credit: AARON SCHWARTZ/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

(Photo: Getty)

Also in the programme: A revolutionary gene therapy has successfully treated patients with previously incurable blood cancers; and we look at the life of pioneering zoologist and elephant conservationist Iain Douglas-Hamilton.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump attends a roundtable discussion on the day he announced an aid package for farmers, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 8, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)

Also on the programme: in Australia, the law banning children under 16 years from social media has come into effect - one of the most dramatic moves so far by a government against the tech companies that own the platforms. And the revolutionary new cancer treatment, which uses DNA editing, to save the lives of patients with previously incurable blood cancers.

(Picture: Thai soldiers on patrol at the border with Cambodia. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Ukraine's President Zelensky pleads for Europe and the US to remain to united over ending the war with Russia – we hear from former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt; how China's trade surplus hit a trillion dollars; and the blind football fan who says that, thanks to a virtual reality headset, he can for the first time literally watch a game.

(IMAGE: People gather during a parade marking the first anniversary of the ousting of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Idlib, Syria, 08 December 2025 / CREDIT: BILAL AL-HAMMOUD/EPA/Shutterstock (16051801r))

Also on the programme, President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet key European leaders in London amid peace negotiation, and the making of the very first dictionary of ancient Celtic.

Also in the programme: we profile Formula 1's new champion Lando Norris; and a new documentary looks at what senior US military officials know about UFOs. (Photo: A drone view shows the parliament in Damascus, Syria, September 21, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Mahmoud Hassano)

Also on the programme: a failed coup attempt in the west African country of Benin; we'll be in Syria - a year on from the ousting of the Assad regime - and the prison diaries of Nicolas Sarkozy - written after a mere three weeks behind bars.

(Image: A voter checks on the candidates at a polling station in Tai Po during the Legislative Council general election in Hong Kong on December 7, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Lam Yik)

Also today: A survivor of Sri Lanka's devastating floods tells us how he ran up a hill, carrying his grandmother, as water rose around him; and Bethlehem celebrates Christmas lighting for the first time since the start of the war in Gaza.

(Photo: The World Cup trophy displayed at the Fifa World Cup 2026 draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, December 5, 2025. Credit: Pool via Reuters/Mandel Ngan)

Also in the programme: We reflect on the life and legacy of one of the world's most acclaimed architects, Frank Gehry, who has died, and we head to Bethlehem where, for the first time since 2022, the traditional giant Christmas tree outside the Nativity Church will be lit.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump and Fifa President Gianni Infantino as the Village People perform during the 2026 World Cup draw. Credit: Mandel Ngan/Reuters)

Also in the programme: Netflix agrees to buy Warner Bros in major media deal; and the acclaimed architect Frank Gehry has died at the age of 96.

(Photo: FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw. Credit: WILL OLIVER/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also, a big deal in Hollywood, as Netflix agrees to buy the film and streaming services of Warner Bros; and travel chaos in India as the country's largest airline IndiGo cancels hundreds of flights over new rules for pilots.

(IMAGE: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives on the red carpet ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Draw / CREDIT: REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

Also on the programme: Vladimir Putin is feted by Narendra Modi on his visit to India; and we hear what the late Steve Cropper, legendary session guitarist, taught Otis Reading.

(Picture: Israeli entrant Yuval Raphael ahead of the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 14, 2025 Credit: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)

Also in the programme: what will the publication of tens of thousands of new photos and files mean for the Syrian families still looking for answers about their missing relatives? And we remember the American guitarist Steve Cropper, the man behind countless '60s soul classics.

(IMAGE: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) sit in a car after Putin's arrival at the Palam Air Base in New Delhi, India, 04 December 2025. CREDIT: GRIGORY SYSOEV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock (16009955i))

Also on the programme: the EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing on Europe’s plan to stop importing Russian gas but not until the end of 2027; and how does it feel when the remains of a giant octopus wash up on your shore?

(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington DC on December 3, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: we go to the Swiss town where you can pay with Bitcoin; and the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 will resume at the end of the month, 11 years after its disappearance.

(Photo: A gas torch is seen next to the Lukoil company sign at the Filanovskogo oil platform in the Caspian Sea, Russia. Credit: Reuters / M. Shemetov).

Also in the programme: a rising death toll after floods in Indonesia; and a Faberge egg sells for millions at auction.

(Photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin, presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov attend a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, December 2, 2025. CREDIT: Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS)

Also, the presidential election in Honduras is too-close-to-call, and the Oxford English Dictionary releases its 'word of the year'.

(Photo: A military rescue team vehicle makes its way through a flooded road after heavy rainfall in a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 30 November 2025. Credit: Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: local media in Hong Kong report that police have arrested a university student who was part of a group petitioning for an independent inquiry into the huge, deadly fire at a housing complex; and the musical featuring Britain’s most beloved bear, Paddington.

(Photo: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, October 22, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: The extraordinary story of a woman who survived torture in Iraq; Nigerian troops have rescued twelve young women who were abducted from their homes in Borno State by suspected Islamic State fighters last week; and 'Paddington the musical' hits the stage in London's West End.

(Photo: Netanyahu said a pardon would lead to national reconciliation in Israel. Credit: EPA)

Also in the programme: Celebrated British playwright Tom Stoppard has died; and Ukraine's battle against Russia's "shadow fleet"

(Picture: People shop at a market, after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the airspace above and around Venezuela would be closed entirely, in Caracas, Venezuela. Credit:Reuters)

Also on the programme: President Trump has said he'll pardon the former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, who's serving a prison sentence in the United States on drugs and weapons charges; and an award winning children's programme about communist politics in Soviet era East Germany

(Photo: Nana Aisha Shemsudeen teaches her younger siblings and neighbors at her parents' house in Minna following the closure of all government schools due to insecurity in Niger State, Nigeria Credit: Marvellous Durowaiye)

Also in the programme: Airbus says it's ordering immediate modifications to six thousand of its aircraft after finding a fault that could affect flight controls; and eight more people have been arrested over Wednesday's fire in a group of Hong Kong tower blocks that killed at least 128 people.

(File photo: Andriy Yermak, former adviser to President Zelensky, pictured on January 22, 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo)

Also in the programme: a top Ukrainian official resigns; and Pope Leo XIV travels to Turkey.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media on Thanksgiving, in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 27, 2025. CREDIT: REUTERS/Anna Rose Layden)

Also on the programme: How Israel's offensive on Lebanon has continued, despite a ceasefire; and a scientific study casts new light on how cats came to be domesticated and part of the daily life of so many human beings.

(Photo: Smoke billows from an apartment fire in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong, China, 27 November 2025. Credit: Leung Man Hei/ EPA Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Hamas has urged mediators to pressure Israel to grant safe passage for dozens of its fighters holed up in tunnels in southern Gaza; the Australian fifteen year-olds taking their government to court over its social media ban for kids; and John Lennon's son on why his father's political activism still hits home today.

(Photo: One 51-year-old resident - with the surname Wan - tells Reuters she bought her apartment in Wang Fuk Court over 20 years ago. Credit: Reuters)

(Photo:Fire burns bamboo scaffolding across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate, in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China, November 26, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)

Also on the programme: at least 13 people have died in a fire in a tower block complex in Hong Kong; and the new "Russian cultural code” from fashion to music, aiming to define what it means to be Russian.

(Photo: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te gestures as he delivers a speech during National Day celebrations in Taipei on October 10, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: Scientists in the UK have established that the brain ages through five distinct stages over its lifetime; and Los Angeles' most famous modernist-styled house goes on sale for the first time.

(Picture: Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a nine-storey residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine on 25 November, 2025. Credit: MAXYM MARUSENKO/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: why is femicide – the killing of women – especially by intimate partners or close relatives, still so common around the world? We hear from the UN about what needs to happen to bring the numbers down; and ash from a volcano in Ethiopia which has erupted after many dormant years forces flights out of India to re-route.

(IMAGE: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a joint press conference with Belarusian Foreign Minister in Moscow, Russia, 25 November 2025 / CREDIT: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: A judge has dismissed charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James; we meet the 3 year old with a deadly genetic disorder who's been treated with a pioneering new therapy; and Gaza food kitchens still missing essential products despite ceasefire.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Also on the programme: a three year old boy from California suffering from a rare, genetic disorder called Hunter syndrome, has become the first person in the world to be treated with a gene therapy developed in England; and Jimmy Cliff, the musician credited with introducing Jamaican reggae to the world, has died aged 81.

(Photo: Russian missile and drone assaults on Ukraine continue as its leaders hold talks with the US on a potential peace deal. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: we speak to the UN’s climate chief on the deal passed at the COP30 summit; and the animated musical phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters hits Europe.

(Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press following talks to finalise a Ukraine peace deal in Geneva, Switzerland. Credit: MARTIAL TREZZINI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: What do the bandits kidnapping schoolchildren in Nigeria really want? How a celebrated Argentinian writer discovered that her nanny was a KGB agent; and the BBC's climate correspondent shares some reflections as the COP climate talks come to an end.

(Photo: Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a high-rise residential building in Ternopil, western Ukraine, 21 November 2025. Credit: Maxym Marusenko EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: All educational institutions in Niger state have been ordered to close following a mass abduction on Friday of more than three hundred children and staff from a Catholic boarding school; and we reflect on the lasting cultural relevance of beloved Pixar film series Toy Story.

(Pictured: André Corrêa do Lago, COP30 president, sits as Simon Stiell, United Nations climate chief, left, speaks with other U.N. officials during a plenary session at the COP30 U.N. Climate Summit. Credit: AP Photo/Andre Penner)

Also in the programme: Key MAGA figure Marjorie Taylor Green to quit Congress after falling out with President Trump; and Rosalia, the multilingual Spanish singer on her new album. (Photo: Zelensky and his wife place wheat sheaves at statue. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

The widely-leaked US plan includes proposals that the Ukrainian government had previously ruled out, such as ceding areas of the eastern Donetsk region that it still controls. Will Ukraine and Europe accept it?

Also in the programme: Why some South African women are training to use guns; the latest controversy around this year's Miss Universe; and  we'll talk about Frida Kahlo's art and the pop-culture phenomenon the Mexican artist has become.

(Photo shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on 19 November 2025. Credit: Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Also on the programme: a journalist who has followed the Epstein story for years tells us what might be in the files to be released; and American filmmaker Wes Anderson on the pros and cons of AI in the movies. (Photo: President Trump gestures after speaking during a meeting of senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia on September 30, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Some of the reported plans being discussed involve Ukraine giving up territory and dramatically shrinking its military.

Also in the programme: We'll hear about the Filipino mayor busted as a human trafficker and online scammer; one of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking network on the promised major release of new information; and social media networks are turned off for Australia's under-16s.

(Photo shows A Russian flag waving in front of a US flag at the US Embassy in Moscow. Credit: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA)

Also in the programme: Europe’s uneasy standoff with Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”; and we hear from one of the scientists behind a new study which traces the origins of kissing back more than 21 million years...

Photo: Donald Trump speaking at black-tie dinner. Credit: REUTERS/Tom Brenner

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Sundar Pichai said, while the growth of AI investment had been an "extraordinary moment", there was some "irrationality" in the current AI boom. Is a bubble burst inevitable and would it be painful?

Also in the programme: the US hails UN security council backing for its Gaza peace plan; and does the world -- or the world's restaurants -- need a universal spice index?

(Photo shows Sundar Pichai during an interview at Google's California headquarters on 17 November 2025. Credit: BBC News)

Also on the programme: we ask what led to Donald Trump’s sudden U-turn on the Epstein files; and the discovery of two organ pieces by a teenaged Johann Sebastian Bach.

(PICTURE: Bangladeshi Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman addresses the media in Dhaka, 17 November 2025 CREDIT: MONIRUL ALAM/EPA/Shutterstock)

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year. Where does the verdict leave Bangladesh?

Also in the programme: Donald Trump u-turns on releasing the Epstein files; Chileans face a presidential choice - the hard-left or the far-right; and the rom-com hero now cast in bronze in London.

(Photo shows the then-Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina visiting New Delhi, India on 22 June 2024. Credit: Harish Tyagi/EPA)

Also in the programme: a planned auction in Germany of artefacts from prisoners of Nazi concentration camps has been cancelled; people in Ecuador have been voting in a referendum on on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases to help combat organised crime; and we speak to writer Jana Bakunina on her new book The Good Russian: In Search of a Nation's Soul.

(File photo: A group of migrants on an inflatable dinghy leave the coast of northern France in an attempt to cross the English Channel on July 17, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes)

Also in the programme: the UK government announces that most refugees granted asylum will have to wait twenty years before they can apply for permanent settlement, instead of five years; and we hear from a critic of the German auction house planning a sale of personal items from victims of the Nazi Holocaust.

(IMAGE: Ballots are placed on a table during a referendum to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases, which Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa says are central to fighting organized crime, and whether they back convening an assembly to rewrite the constitution, at a polling station in Quito, Ecuador November 16, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters / Karen Toro)

Also in the programme: President Trump has hit out at Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who had been one of his closest allies; why Iceland's former Prime Minister is worried her native language is under threat; and as Pope Leo holds an audience with some of Hollywood's biggest stars, we speak to a nun who is also a film critic.

(Picture: People join the Global Climate March in Belem on 15 November, 2025. Credit: ANDRE BORGES/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: settler violence in the West bank; and 25 years of Daft Punk.

(Picture: The BBC logo outside the BBC Broadcasting House. Credit: REUTERS)

Also in the programme: controversy in Turkish football; and we hear from a mystery person photographed during the Louvre heist.

(Photo: A view shows the BHP Group logo at their headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. CREDIT: REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo)

Also in the programme: we ask the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, whether the international community is capable of taking action to stop the flow of arms to the Sudanese RSF group; and crime novelist turned national football coach Eydun Klakstein tells us why his Faroe Islands team have what it takes to make World Cup history.

(Pictured: Locals watch as emergency services work the site of a Russian strike on a nine-storey residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, 14 November 2025. Credit: MAXYM MARUSENKO/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: The White House says that emails from the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were selectively leaked by Democrats to create a false narrative about President Trump; and why Type 1 diabetes is more severe in young children.

(Photo: The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, during a ceremony in tribute to the victims of the November 2015 Paris attacks. Credit: Ludovic Marin/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: after dozens of Israeli settlers launched arson attacks on Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank, we'll hear about growing frustration within Israel's military; and the solar storms bringing spectacular light shows to skies around the globe. (Photo: Donald Trump poses alongside Jeffrey Epstein in 1997. Credit: Getty)

Also in the programme: The Israeli military says its troops were attacked when they detained four Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank for taking part in a large scale arson attack on Palestinian villages; out of the latest atrocities in Sudan, we will bring you the survivors' stories; and bagpipe world record broken in Australia.

(Photo: Dozens of aircraft on the USS Gerald R Ford add significant combat power to US forces near Latin America. Credit: Getty Images)

Also in the programme: German songwriters score a victory over AI; and Iraq goes to the polls.

(Picture: Remnants of a shell that targeted the refugee centre, in El Fasher, Sudan, October 7, 2025. Credit: REUTERS)

Also in the programme: voting is underway in Iraq to choose a new parliament as both Iran and the US vie for influence; the new research that suggests that speaking more than one language could delay the ageing process; and we speak to this year's Booker Prize winner.

(Picture: Security personnel and members of the forensic team work at the site of an explosion near the historic Red Fort in India. Credit: REUTERS/Adnan Abid)

Also in the programme: President Trump threatens to sue the BBC for $1bn, but does he have a case? And at least nine people are killed in an explosion in the Indian capital, Delhi, outside the seventeenth century Red Fort.

(IMAGE: President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025 / CREDIT: Syrian Presidency press office via AP)

(People walk outside BBC Broadcasting House after Director General of BBC Tim Davie and Chief Executive of BBC News Deborah Turness resigned following accusations of bias at the British broadcaster, including in the way it edited a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump, in London, Britain, November 10, 2025. REUTERS/Jack Taylor)

Also in the programme: Activists in Afghanistan say the Taliban authorities order women to wear burkas to be allowed into hospitals and government offices in the western city of Herat; and Sudan's rich artistic history.

(Image: BBC Broadcasting House in central London. Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)

Ferocious winds and torrential rain are hitting the country, with the storm said to be the size of western Europe

Also in the programme: As the US government shutdown hits 40 days, it becomes the longest in history - with senators meeting in a rare Sunday session; and - is Artificial Intelligence going to turn against us?

(Photo shows a man walking in the rain with an umbrella as Typhoon Fung-wong approaches, in Cauayan, Isabela, Philippines, November 9, 2025. Credit: Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

Also in the programme: Curtis Sliwa who came 3rd in this week's election for New York mayor tells us he was offered bribes to pull out of the race; and the woman who took up golf in her 50's and hit three holes in one in a month.

(Photo: Iranians picnic inside an almost dry river, which was once full, in the Fasham area, north of Tehran, Iran, 25 August 2025. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock)

It comes after the US effectively blacklisted two of Russia's largest oil companies last month, threatening sanctions on those who buy from them.

Also in the programme: 10 years after the Paris climate change conference agreed to limit global warming, we'll analyse what has been achieved by the agreement; we'll look at how Tunisian opposition leaders are supporting each other by going on hunger strike; and we'll hear from the woman who took up golf in her 50s and just hit three holes in one in a month.

[Photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral lunch with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Vice President JD Vance, at the White House in Washington DC on 7 November 2025. Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]

(Photo: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez embrace next to European Council President Antonio Costa and Para state Governor Helder Barbalho as delegates attending the Belem Climate Summit ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) gather for a family photo, in Belem, Brazil, November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado)

Also in the programme: as world leaders meet ahead of the UN climate conference in Brazil, we ask a supporter of Donald Trump why the US president isn't there and why Mr Trump now says climate change is all a hoax; and the challenge of writing a piece of music to mark 80 years of Britain's Jodrell Bank Observatory.

(IMAGE: Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends a memorial service for slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Arizona, U.S., September 21, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters/Daniel Cole)

(Photo: The Prince of Wales leaves the stage after speaking during the COP30 UN climate conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil. Picture date: Thursday November 6, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)

Also in the programme: the Philippines declares a state of emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi destroys entire communities and leaves at least 114 people dead; our correspondent - under heavy Israeli restrictions - goes inside the Gaza Strip; and we get an update on Sudan, where UN Secretary General António Guterres has said the “horrifying crisis .. is spiralling out of control".

(IMAGE: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends the opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) plenary session, in Belem, Brazil, November 6, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters/Adriano Machado)

Also in the programme: The African women tricked into making Russian drones; France moves to suspend Shein website as it opens first store in Paris; and just how vulnerable are Nigeria's Christians.

(Photo credit: AFP)

Also in the programme: evidence that the earliest humans passed technology tips down the generations for more than 300,000 years; and as Paris offers the chance to buy prime spots in its most historic cemeteries, we ask what makes them so beguiling?

(IMAGE: U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (L) listens as President George W. Bush makes remarks about the U.S. defense budget after meeting with military leaders at the Pentagon in Washington, November 29, 2007 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Larry Downing)

Also in the programme: videos start to emerge from Tanzania of bodies in the street after disputed elections; and Salman Rushdie tells us about his latest collection of fiction. (File photo: US President George W. Bush (L) and Vice President Dick Cheney celebrate at the conclusion of the 2004 Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York, September 2, 2004. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)

Also in the programme: The former top lawyer for the Israeli military is arrested in a scandal over a leaked video; and the actor Sir Anthony Hopkins opens up about his tough upbringing in a biography.

(Photo: A Tanzanian riot police officer throws a used teargas canister near a vandalised campaign poster of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, after a protest following a general election marred by violent demonstrations, October 30, 2025. Credit: Reuters Thomas Mukoya)

Also in the programme: New York is about to grab the headlines all over again - we look forward to a mayoral election for the ages on Tuesday; the Maldives brings in the world's only generational smoking ban; we speak to acclaimed South Korean author Bora Chung about her latest book, 'The Midnight Timetable'; and the wartime message in a bottle found ashore after more than 100 years.

(Photo: Police met the Doncaster to London King's Cross train as it made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon. Credit: PA MEDIA)

Also in the programme: we'll speak to Nigeria's presidential adviser after US president Donald Trump threatened to take military action to protect the country's Christian population; and the wartime message in a bottle found ashore after one hundred years.

(Picture: Forensic teams work at the scene at Huntington railway station in Britain after a number of passengers were stabbed on a train. Credit: Tayfun Salci/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also on the programme: Jamaicans confront the stark reality of how Hurricane Melissa has changed their lives; and as baseball's World Series goes to the wire, we preview the deciding game with a Blue Jay and a Dodgers fan. (Photo: A girl wears a costume as people gather to watch the official opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme, the incumbent president of Tanzania has been declared the official winner of controversial national elections, after days of violence; the sixty-something British man who is running the equivalent of 200 marathons in 200 days; and an interview with the writer Kiran Desai, whose latest novel, her first in almost twenty years, is on the shortlist of the Booker Prize.

(Photo: Final preparations ahead of the opening of Grand Egyptian Museum, Giza, Egypt - 01 Nov 2025; Credit: MOHAMED HOSSAM/EPA/Shutterstock)

Also in today’s programme: how the world keeps failing Sudan, researchers in Denmark have created a broad-spectrum anti-venom that could revolutionise life-saving treatment for snake bites, and the Indian women’s cricket team pulls off a record-breaking run chase.

(Photo: Sky Roberts (C), a brother of late financier Jeffrey Epstein's late victim Virginia Giuffre, speaks on the day of a rally in support of Epstein's victims in Washington DC, 3 September, 2025. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Mr Trump hailed an "amazing" meeting with his Chinese counterpart, but Beijing was less effusive. Thursday's talks did not lead to a formal agreement but the announcements suggest they are closer to a deal. We'll try to work out what has been sorted out at the talks in South Korea.

Also in the programme: The latest mass killings in Sudan spark international outrage, with the RSF rebel leader promising an immediate investigation into the actions of his troops; the Dutch election is a neck-and-neck race between centrist liberals and anti-Islam populists; and five more suspects have been arrested over the Louvre museum jewellery heist.

(Photo shows US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping shake hands in Busan, South Korea on 30 October 2025. Credit: Yonhap/EPA)

Also in the programme: the Netherlands head to the polls; and a deep dive into presents for US Presidents.

(Photo: Mourners react as people gather around bodies. CREDIT: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes)

Also on the programme: we hear about a new breath test which could revolutionise the treatment of pancreatic cancer; and the Spanish city of Valencia remembers the deadly floods of a year ago.

(Image: Broken tree branches lie on the street, after Hurricane Melissa made landfall, in Spur Tree, Manchester, Jamaica, October 29, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Octavio Jones)

Also in the programme: Fear of mass killings as thousands trapped in besieged Sudan city taken by militia group; Israel has carried out air strikes on Gaza -- after its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire deal; and Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales on the precious commodity, trust.

(Photo: A fallen tree on a road caused by Hurricane Melissa in Kingston. Credit: Reuters)

Also in the programme: with more evidence of atrocities emerging from the Sudanese city of El Fasher, we hear from the United Nations' Coordinator on Sudan; and Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, talks to Newshour about the meaning of trust.

(IMAGE: a man wearing a protective suit cycles on a street, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 27, 2025 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Octavio Jones)

Also in the programme: The Rapid Support Forces in Sudan claim to have taken the city of El-Fasher, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped; and ten people have gone on trial in France accused of cyber-bullying against the country's first lady, Brigitte Macron.

(Picture: Jamaica aid worker Craig Brown wraps a gas pump as Hurricane Melissa approaches in Kingston, Jamaica on October 27, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Octavio Jones)

We speak to Venezuela's attorney general and close ally of President Nicolas Maduro about what he thinks the United States is up to.

Also in our programme: Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claim they have captured the army headquarters in the besieged city of El Fasher; and we hear about Argentina's most controversial mid-elections.

(Photo: The US Navy destroyer USS Gravely arrives in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, a few miles off the coast of Venezuela. Credit: Andrea de Silva / EPA / Shutterstock)

Also in the programme: Police in France have detained at least one man in connection with the theft of millions of dollars of jewels from the Louvre museum; and voting has begun in Argentina in midterm elections that are being seen as a de facto referendum on the president Javier Milei.

(Picture: U.S. President Donald Trump applauds as Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet hold up a ceasefire deal in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on October 26, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)