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On the 700th day of the war in Gaza Fania Oz-Salzberger, an Israeli historian and daughter of the writer Amos Oz, speaks to us about the prospects for peace with the Palestinians. Also in the programme: the British prime minister loses his deputy, leading to a sweeping reshuffle of the government; and David Bowie's unlikely ambition to write a musical about 18th century London. (Photo: Three-year-old Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmad, the only survivor of his family with his grandmother, at Al Shifa Hospit...
The Israeli military says it is stepping up its military operation in Gaza City. It says it has now captured 40% of the city, which the largest urban centre in the territory - and has announced its intention to strike multi-storey buildings which it says Hamas has converted into military infrastructure. We hear from a Palestinian mother who says she can’t evacuate. Also in the programme: President Putin says that any western troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russia to attack; and...
Tributes have been paid to the legendary Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani. We speak to Lady Helen Taylor, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth, who in the 1980s and 90s became something of a muse to the designer and a brand ambassador, wearing his clothes when she was on royal duties. Also today: Some fiery exchanges in the US Congress as health secretary RFK Junior defends his ideas about vaccines; and the elderly women diving into murky lakes looking for trash. (Photo: Armani reimagined and mode...
French President Emmanuel Macron hosts a meeting for Ukraine's coalition of the willing to discuss how to protect Ukraine if a peace deal is reached with Moscow. Also in the programme: Portugal in mourning after a deadly funicular accident; and how monitoring mice brains could help treat human brain conditions. (Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in a meeting with other EU leaders. Credit: Reuters)
President Xi Jinping welcomed North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and many other leaders at a huge military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. Also in the programme: we report on the disappearance of opposition activists in Tanzania; and after a series of legal setbacks for the Trump Administration, could the coming term be crunch time for both the president and the Supreme Court? (IMAGE: Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin,...
He is accused of masterminding an attempt to stay in power after losing his bid for re-election in 2022, which culminated in his supporters breaking into and vandalising government buildings in the capital, Brasília. Bolsonaro has always denied any wrongdoing and said the charges were politically motivated. His cause has been adopted by US President Donald Trump, who has called the trial a "witch-hunt" using it as justification for imposing 50% tariffs on some Brazilian goods and sanctioning the...
Efforts continue in remote eastern Afghanistan to rescue thousands of people hit by Sunday's earthquake, as the number of dead and injured continues to rise. We hear from a health official close to the epicentre. Also in the programme: Brazil's Supreme Court starts the final stage of former president Jair Bolsonaro's trial on charges of plotting a coup; and an early ‘proof of concept’ study in the US shows it’s possible to identify and destroy dormant breast cancer cells in survivors with a high...
Helicopters are being used in eastern Afghanistan where hundreds have been killed in a powerful earthquake. The Taliban government say there have been at least a hundred rescue flights to the quake's epicentre in Kunar and Nangahar provinces. Also, Israel has been accused of genocide by a group of the world's leading experts on the subject. And composer Max Richter on performing his eight hour long piece 'Sleep'! (Photo: Matiullah Shahab helped dig graves in the village of Andarlachak Tangi, whi...
Emergency crews are struggling to reach the mountainous eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan where the UN says more than 800 people have been killed in a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. We speak to the Afghan Red Crescent. Also in the programme: China, India and Russia unite in their criticism of the West at a summit in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin; and why millions of people around the world who take an aspirin a day to ward off strokes and heart attacks might soon be taking a different drug...
While the protests have been fuelled by a wide range of issues - including the death of a ride-sharing driver - one core complaint concerns a new monthly allowance for lawmakers. We'll hear from a protester and a member of the country's ruling party. Also on the programme: China hosts leaders from Russia, India and others nations for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit; and we'll hear about 40 ancient tombs which have been unearthed by archaeologists in Iraq. (Photo: Policemen during cl...
Indonesia's president has warned that the police and army will take the "strongest possible action" to tackle a wave of violent anti-government unrest. President Prabowo Subianto said some of the protests - including the homes of politicians being looted - amounted to what he called treason and terrorism. We speak to a student leader. Also in the programme: In France, plans to lend the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK have led to concern from thousands; and China-India relations are warming up as the l...
Satellite images show that the rebel Sudanese RSF group has built 31km of fortifications around the last government stronghold in Darfur, as it carries out atrocities in the city's suburbs. The researcher who made the findings says the group is creating a 'kill box' around el-Fasher, while a doctor trapped inside says there is so little food in the besieged city that his hospital cannot feed the children they treat. Also in the programme: Yemen's Houthi movement confirms that Israel has killed t...
President Trump has reacted furiously to an appeals court ruling that found his tariffs policy to be mostly illegal. He said if the judgement was allowed to stand it would destroy the United States. The court ruled that the president had unlawfully invoked emergency powers to justify taxes imposed on America’s trading partners. Also in the programme: With Gaza City now a 'combat zone', a 21 year-old woman reads to us from her "goodbye letter". We also speak to one of three Scottish brothers who'...
Israel's military has declared Gaza City a combat zone, as it prepares to seize the territory's largest population zone. The military said that humanitarian pauses in fighting were being halted. Also on the programme: a Thai opposition leader says he's got enough support to form the next government after the constitutional court sacked yet another prime minister; and we hear about a new version of the band Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody by South Africa's Ndlovu's Youth Choir - in isiZulu. (Picture: I...
Thailand's Constitutional Court has removed the prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, over her handling of a border dispute with Cambodia. We hear reaction from her party, and also ask what the news tells us about the country's turbulent politics. Also in the programme: why many small businesses around the world are now unable to send parcels to the US; and we report on how a group of Rohingya refugees were deported and left in the sea by the Indian authorities. (IMAGE: Thailand's Paetongtarn ...
European leaders express outrage after Russian strikes kill 21 and damage EU's HQ. The EU's ambassador to Kyiv, Katarina Mathernova says "Putin has zero interest in peace". Also in the programme: EU triggers sanctions snap-back on Iran; and a new exhibition of GGonzo artist Ralph Steadman's drawings. (Image: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech following the latest Russian attacks on Kyiv. Credit: EPA)
At least fifteen people have been killed in Ukraine after a night of heavy Russian bombardment. Ukraine's air force says more than six-hundred drones and missiles were fired by Moscow - the second highest number since the war began. The EU accused Russia of targeting it after its diplomatic mission in Kyiv was hit. Also in the programme: President Trump sacks the head of the US Centres for Disease Control; the epic journey of a pregnant Sudanese woman across her war ravaged country; and we hear ...
President Trump has held a meeting to discuss post-war plans for the Palestinian territory, as his secretary of state meets the Israeli foreign minister. Also in the programme: The parents of an American teenager who ended his own life are suing OpenAI alleging that its chatbot, ChatGPT, encouraged his suicide; and the discovery of a dinosaur with metre-long spikes. (Photo: Displaced Palestinians flee from an Israeli military operation, in Gaza City, August 26, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Ebrahim Hajj...
Donald Trump's steep 50% tariffs on India have kicked in, weeks after the US president issued an executive order imposing an additional 25% penalty on India over its purchases of Russian oil and weapons. Also on the programme, we speak a US senator recently back from Syria on the situation in the country; and, how a K-Pop animated movie became Netflix's biggest hit. (Photo: A man counts Indian currency notes at a shop in the old quarters of Delhi, India, August 27, 2025. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavi...
A US central bank governor, Lisa Cook, has launched legal proceedings to try to thwart President Trump's attempt to fire her. We get the latest on Trump's attempt to keep the bank to heel, and speak to a former senior economist at the Fed, Kenneth Rogoff. Also in the programme, the Israeli military reveals results of an initial probe into yesterday's attack on a Gaza hospital, which killed 20 people including well-known journalists. And American pop superstar Taylor Swift announces her engagemen...
Donald Trump has sacked a Federal Reserve governor for alleged mortgage fraud, as he steps up attempts to exert control over the US central bank. In a statement, Mr Trump accused Lisa Cook of gross negligence. He has said he will only appoint governors who support his position. Also, the head of a Malagasy king killed by French troops during a colonial-era war has been formally returned to Madagascar, Australia has accused Iran of directing antisemitic attacks in Melbourne and Sydney, and is exp...
The Israeli prime minister has expressed deep regret at what he called a tragic mishap at a hospital in southern Gaza, in which at least 20 people were killed. Five journalists were among the dead as a result of an Israeli strike on Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. We speak to a journalist who knew one of those killed, Mariam Dagga. Also in the programme: As the Russian army edges forward into eastern Ukraine, we'll hear from people living on the frontline; and why an American reality TV dating s...
Ukrainian soldiers on the eastern frontline have told the BBC they're suffering high casualty rates, as they continue to repel Russian attacks. We'll hear from those on the frontline in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a region Russia's president Vladimir Putin wants to control. Also in the programme: As Israeli strikes hit Gaza's last functioning hospital in the south, we hear from an eye witness; and we have an appreciation of Jerry Adler - the man who played the fixer for one of TV's most memorabl...
Israel says its latest airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen have destroyed the presidential palace in Sanaa along with the city's power station. Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iranian- backed group was paying a heavy price for its attacks on Israel. The Houthis say the Israeli strikes killed four people. Also in the programme: Serbia's president promises to lower the cost of living to quell anti-government demonstrations; what Spotify playlists tell us about the habits of moguls and politicia...
Ceremonies have been taking place today in Ukraine to mark 34 years since the country gained its independence from the Soviet Union. President Zelensky said that, three-and-a-half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine would not settle for anything less than a just and lasting peace. The BBC’s Zhanna Bezpiatchuk tells us about the mood in Kyiv today. Also in the programme: the Nigerian military says it’s killed more than 30 jihadists in recent air strikes: we speak to the o...
The US justice department has released transcripts of its recent interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed associate of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In them, Maxwell denied the existence of any "client list" kept by Epstein. She also said she'd never seen President Trump acting inappropriately. Also in the programme: A day after a famine is declared in Gaza City - aid agencies in the Gaza Strip say they're afraid the hunger will spread; the folk singer who found she'd released a ne...
A day after a famine is confirmed in Gaza City, a spokesperson for the UN children's agency Unicef lls us she's afraid hunger will spread. We ask the Norwegian government what other countries can do to put pressure on Israel to let in aid. Also in the programme: Jeffrey Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell tells the authorities she never saw President Trump in any compromising situations, and there is no ‘list’; but how credible is a convicted criminal seeking release? And we discuss whether no...
The UN's top humanitarian official Tom Fletcher says the report on the famine in Gaza City is 'irrefutable testimony'. But Israel categorically denies any claims of famine. Also in the programme: the FBI raids the home of President Trump’s former advisor John Bolton; and the Indian government cracks down on online gambling. (Image: A child reacts surrounded by pots as Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on 21 August 2025. Credit: Reuters/...
This episode reports on the UN-backed IPC's confirmation of famine in Gaza City, highlighting the dire humanitarian situation, the risk of child malnutrition, and the potential for the crisis to spread. It features a UN official's emotional plea for aid and an expert explaining the famine criteria, contrasted with strong denials from the Israeli Foreign Ministry, who dismiss the report as biased and based on Hamas propaganda. The segment also explores the on-the-ground realities described by an aid worker, the challenges of aid distribution, and the broader implications of Israel's responsibility.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the start of negotiations to end the war in Gaza on ‘Israel’s terms’. He said those included the release of all hostages held by Hamas. This comes as he approves plans to take over Gaza City. Also in the programme; why political parties in the United States are seeking to manipulate the boundaries of electoral constituencies; the new research that confirms there are four species of giraffe. (File Picture: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netan...
