The US Senate has narrowly approved President Trump's major tax and spending bill. The chamber was evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, meaning the Vice President, JD Vance, cast the deciding vote. The legislation will now return to the House of Representatives. Also, will the M23 militia "disarm and disengage" in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in line with the US brokered peace deal? We speak to Dr Massad Boulos, President Trump's Senior Advisor for Africa. And the remarkable s...
Jul 01, 2025•47 min
New research has predicted that more than 14 million of the world's most vulnerable people, a third of them small children, could die because of the Trump administration's dismantling of US foreign aid. Also on the programme: Thailand's constitutional court has suspended the prime minister over comments she made in a leaked phone conversation; and US Senate Republican leaders are struggling to secure the 50 votes needed to pass President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”. (Photo: People hold placard...
Jul 01, 2025•47 min
Israel has carried out waves of airstrikes and artillery fire in Gaza, reportedly killing at least 60 people, some of them while queuing for aid. Medical officials say about 20 people were killed in an airstrike on a beachfront site in Gaza City. One eyewitness said women and children were present when a warplane fired. What is the strategy of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when it comes to the war in Gaza? Also in the programme: We get a rare glimpse of life in the Ukrainian city o...
Jun 30, 2025•47 min
Prospects for negotiations between the United States and Iran on nuclear proliferation have dimmed significantly. Just a few days ago, it seemed the two sides were ready to return to negotiations. But US President Donald Trump then said he was not speaking to Iran and was not offering Tehran anything. Iran's deputy foreign minister has told the BBC his country won't enter into talks on its nuclear programme. Also in the programme: We'll get a rare glimpse at life inside the Ukrainian city of Mar...
Jun 30, 2025•48 min
Iran's deputy foreign minister has told the BBC it will not enter into talks on its nuclear programme unless America guarantees not to bomb the country again during the negotiations. The demand comes as the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, warns that Iran has the capacity to resume enriching uranium in a matter of months. Our chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, spoke to Majid Takht-Ravanchi - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs. Also in the programme: As...
Jun 29, 2025•43 min
Iran has the capacity to start enriching uranium again - for a possible bomb - in "a matter of months", Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has said. In an interview with CBS news, Mr Grossi also said the US strikes on three Iranian sites last weekend had caused severe but "not total" damage, contradicting President Trump's claim that Iran's nuclear facilities were "totally obliterated". Also on the programme: one of Hong Kong's last remaining pro-democracy groups, the...
Jun 29, 2025•42 min
Southern European countries have issued health and fire warnings as temperatures may exceed forty Celsius this weekend. Spanish emergency services are on standby for a surge in heatstroke cases, while Italian authorities are advising residents in several cities to stay indoors during the middle of the day. We hear from the UN Habitat's Global Heat Officer, Dr Eleni Myrivili. Also in the programme: reportage from our Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet in Iran; a controversial smoking b...
Jun 28, 2025•43 min
Tehran stages a mass state funeral for senior Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists killed in Israeli attacks. The BBC's Lyse Doucet reports from the scene, where large crowds have gathered on the streets. Also in the programme: Christians in Damascus prepare to attend church services on Sunday despite the biggest sectarian attack on their community in a century last weekend; and as France brings in a ban on smoking at beaches, parks and other public spaces, we hear from one outrage...
Jun 28, 2025•44 min
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder responds to allegations made by the head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Reverend Johnnie Moore, who told Newshour that the UN was being dishonest about reports of Palestinians being killed near GHF aid sites. Also on the programme: Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo sign a peace deal in Washington, but concerns remain over long-term stability; and the “wedding of the year” as celebrities flock to Venice for Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanch...
Jun 27, 2025•47 min
More Palestinians are reported to have been killed waiting for food near an aid site run by Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The head of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation tells us that it is the victim of a disinformation campaign. Also on the programme: Tonga's minister of health has a message for the hackers demanding a $1m ransom; and the Argentine-born composer, Lalo Schifrin, the man behind the Mission Impossible theme, has died at the age of 93. (Photo: A Palestinian carri...
Jun 27, 2025•45 min
The White House has doubled down over its assessment of the Iran strike with the Trump administration slamming the leaked report that questioned how effective the US strike on Iran was. Also in the programme: We speak to the Kenyan government following the killing of 16 protesters on Wednesday; and why is it so hard for women athletes to break the four-minute mile? (Photo: US secretary of defence and the chairman of joint chiefs of staff holding a press conference. Credit: Reuters)...
Jun 26, 2025•48 min
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has said the United States gained nothing from its attacks on the country's nuclear sites. Ayatollah Khamenei, in his first video statement since the end of the conflict, said it had been little more than showmanship by President Trump. The Iranian leader has been in hiding since Israel launched its attacks. He also said future attacks against Iran would come at great cost. Also in the programme: Research that would enable scientists to build human DNA from scr...
Jun 26, 2025•47 min
President Trump says the United States and Iran will hold a meeting next week, but that they do not need to sign an agreement. He also denied reports that the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities failed to finish the job. We hear from the BBC's Lyse Doucet, who's in Iran, and ask what chance there is that new negotiations could work. Also in the programme: in Kenya, there are reports of several people having been killed and more than 400 injured at events marking the first anniversary of prot...
Jun 25, 2025•44 min
NATO leaders have been meeting in the Netherlands at a time when President Trump's 'America First' policies have strained the transatlantic alliance. We listen to some of President Trump's comments and ask what they might mean for the defence of Europe. Also in the programme: our Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet reports from the Iranian capital, Tehran; and an interview with British rock legend Sir Rod Stewart, who will be playing at the Glastonbury Festival this month. (Photo: U.S....
Jun 25, 2025•43 min
President Trump made an angry intervention, accusing both sides of violating it when hostilities looked like they would restart. Also on the programme: the Muslim socialist shaking up the Democrats in New York as they look to pick their next mayoral candidate, as well as Jeff Bezos's wedding and the Venetians who'd rather he was tying the knot elsewhere. (Picture: President Trump speaking to reporters Credit: Reuters)
Jun 24, 2025•44 min
Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.
Jun 24, 2025•48 min
Explosions were heard in the US-run airbase at Al-Udeid in Qatar as short-and-medium-range ballistic missiles, originating from Iran, targetted the site. There are no reports of US casualties. Also in the programme: after Israel targeted Iran's Evin prison, which holds many political prisoners, an Iranian-American journalist who was a prisoner there tells us about the jail; and scientists learn that killer whales like massaging each other with seaweed. (Photo: Interceptor missiles are fired afte...
Jun 23, 2025•47 min
After the US's unprecedented strikes over the weekend, the future of Iran's nuclear programme remains uncertain. Israel has sent a new wave of strikes hitting, among other targets, Evin prison which is home to many political prisoners. The US President Donald Trump has indicated he would not rule out regime change in the country. Also on the programme, our first glimpse through a powerful new telescope, set atop a mountain in Chile; and, how online conspiracy theories are poising a danger to can...
Jun 23, 2025•47 min
The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites. The UN chief, Antonio Guterres, said that diplomacy and dialogue must prevail to prevent the Middle East from falling into a cycle of retaliation. We'll hear from a former security official in President Trump's first administration and assess the extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear operation caused by the US attacks. Also in the programme: We speak to the wife of the Belarusian dissid...
Jun 22, 2025•47 min
The United States has carried out massive precision strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran. The bombings early on Sunday at Isfahan, Natanz and Fordo took place after more than a week of Israeli air strikes on Iran. Republicans are divided on Trump's actions and Iranian foreign minister has accused Donald Trump of betraying the American people as well as Iran. (Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation alongside U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of Stat...
Jun 22, 2025•46 min
The Belarusian activist Sergey Tikhanovsky, husband of the exiled opposition politician Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, was freed in a surprise release along with several other prisoners. Also in the programme: a resident of Tehran tells us why he hasn't left the city during the Israeli bombardment; and why the UK plans to map the DNA of new-born babies. (Photo: Belarusian opposition politician Svetlana hugs her freed husband Sergey. Credit: Shutterstock)
Jun 21, 2025•48 min
At a gathering of Muslim-majority states in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has condemned Israel’s military strikes on Iran, accusing it of violating international law and risking “total disaster” in the region. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, also at the summit, warned that any US involvement in the conflict would be “very dangerous.” Also in the programme: In the UK, the launch of a new scheme to map the DNA of newborn babies; and 50 years after the hit film Jaws was r...
Jun 21, 2025•47 min
Iran agrees to a second day of talks in Geneva over the fate of its nuclear programme. Their meeting marked the first face-to-face dialogue between Tehran and western governments since Israel first attacked Iran a week ago. Also on the programme, witnesses say Israeli military kills 23 Palestinians near aid site in Gaza; and, 50 years since 'Jaws' became the first summer blockbuster. (Photo: European foreign ministers to meet Iranian officials in Geneva, Switzerland - 20 Jun 2025. MARTIAL TREZZI...
Jun 20, 2025•48 min
UK, French and German foreign ministers will hold talks with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Geneva today as part of efforts to ease the Israel-Iran conflict. Also on the programme: lawmakers in the UK hold a crucial vote on legalising assisted dying; and as Italian classical singer Andrea Bocelli releases a duet with the men's tennis world number one, Jannik Sinner, we'll ponder what draws some sports stars to dabble in music. (Photo: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi address...
Jun 20, 2025•46 min
In Washington DC earlier, President Trump said he would decide within the next two weeks whether or not to take military action against Iran. The US leader is reported to have agreed a potential plan of attack targeting Iran's nuclear facilities. The BBC’s Nomia Iqbal joins us from Washington to discuss what Trump might be thinking. We also get the latest on the Israeli Soroka Hospital that was struck by an Iranian missile overnight. Also in the programme: Iran’s deputy foreign minister Saeed Kh...
Jun 19, 2025•48 min
In a rare interview with the Iranian government from inside Tehran, Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh tells the BBC's Lyse Doucet it would be "a big mistake" for President Trump to join Israel's bombing campaign. It's a view shared by many of Mr Trump's most loyal supporters; we assess what's at stake, militarily and politically. Also in the programme: a draft peace deal to end the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and the American businessman buying the Los Angeles L...
Jun 19, 2025•48 min
Will the US get directly involved in Israel's military campaign against Iran? We hear from former CIA director and US commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, General David Petraeus. Also: low attendance and low morale at FIFA's Club World Cup; and mounds of clothing turn up in protected conservation sites in Ghana, (Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump salutes as a U.S. flag is raised on a new flagpole installed on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin...
Jun 18, 2025•47 min
Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has warned that any US military intervention in his country will "cause irreparable damage for them". Speaking on state television, the Ayatollah decried what he called "threatening and ridiculous" comments from President Trump, who on Tuesday said Iran should surrender. As Israel's air bombardment of Iran continues for a sixth day, we ask an Israeli minister and a defence official from Mr Trump's first administration whether Israel can achieve its war aims w...
Jun 18, 2025•47 min
President Trump demands Iran’s unconditional surrender as Israel and Iran continue their attacks on each other. Also in the programme: Iranian Nobel laureate, Narges Mohammadi on fleeing Tehran; and we pay tribute to the piano virtuoso, Alfred Brendel. (Photo: Smoke plumes over the Tehran skyline. Credit: Reuters.)
Jun 17, 2025•47 min
President Trump says he wants "a real end" to the fighting between Israel and Iran, not just a ceasefire. He said Iran should have done a deal with the US over its nuclear programme and he is now little inclined to negotiate. Mr Trump has returned early from the G7 summit in Canada because of the Middle East crisis. Meanwhile, Israel says it has killed Iran’s military chief of staff, Ali Shadmani, in a strike on central Tehran. Also, the lost papers of a maths genius saved from the shredder and ...
Jun 17, 2025•47 min
