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<p>Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.</p>

BBC World Service

The Yemeni authorities say Houthi fighters have seized Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces. The port sits on the Bab al‑Mandab strait linking the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and strengthens the Iranian-backed group's control of a key shipping route for oil and goods between the Gulf, Asia and Europe.Also in the programme: We hear from former White House chief strategist, Steve Bannon about the legacy of Charlie Kirk as well as the dangers of AI; and a royal succession dispute in Uganda's Tooro Kingdom.(Picture: An armed man walks next to an armoured vehicle, as according to military sources Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of Mocha, Yemen. Credit: Reuters)

Houthis seize Yemen Red Sea port city

US President Donald Trump says he will offer every adult American a $5,000 payout if Republicans win both chambers of Congress in November's midterm elections – a plan that would cost more than a trillion dollars.Also on the programme: dozens of people are missing after a huge fire on board a ferry in the Philippines; and why so-called wellness treatments may not be just ineffective, but also dangerous. (Photo: President Trump reacts with a broad grin as he speaks at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas on 9 September , 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Trump offers voters $5,000 for GOP win

A top safety researcher at Anthropic has resigned, warning artificial intelligence is advancing so quickly he believes there is a greater than 10% chance it “could kill all humans” by the end of the decade. Posting on X, Evan Hubinger said the risk from the models which currently exist was “low”, but that the technology might develop into “superhuman systems that can hack anything” and “acquire real power and resources”. We hear from the computer scientist often described as ‘Godfather of AI’.Also in the programme: Israel announces further measures against the UK in response to sanctions imposed on goods from settlements in the occupied West Bank; new research suggests the consumption of very hot drinks might increase the risk of a type of oesophageal cancer; and does a hot, dry summer mean more alcoholic champagne?(Photo: illustration show Anthropic logo, a keyboard and a robotic hand, June 5, 2026. Credit: Reuters/ Dado Ruvić)

Anthropic researcher warns more than 10% chance AI ‘could kill us all’

The UK's foreign minister Ed Miliband has said his country had to "call out" Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank before it was "too late" to save the two-state solution.In response to UK sanctions, Israel has banned 11 MPs from entering the country, while the UK consulate in Jerusalem is expected to shut in the next 30 days. We'll look at how the sanctions will work in practice.Also in the programme: Concerns raised about the destructive nature of artificial intelligence - from within the industry; the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament files for bankruptcy protection; and we'll celebrate 60 years of Star Trek.(Photo shows Ed Miliband in Westminster, London on 9 September 2026. Credit: James Manning/PA Wire)

UK hits back on Israeli sanctions criticism

Britain is leading a group of twelve countries in banning trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.The Israeli foreign minister swiftly hits back - with a series of measures including the closure of the British consulate in JerusalemWe'll hear the arguments and ask what effect the new sanctions may have.Also - has Haiti's international gang suppression force actually suppressed any gangs?And we meet the Ukrainian actor, campaigning against the proposed ban of the Russian language in Ukraine's third largest city.And it's Star Trek's 60th birthday - Newshour speaks to Nana Visitor, actor on Deep Space Nine, and podcast host Larry Nemecek.IMAGE: 
Israeli minister of foreign affairs Gideon Saar speaks during a press statement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, Israel. CREDIT: Abir Sultan

Israel announces counter-measures to UK sanctions

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told parliament that there will be an import ban on goods from Jewish settlements in the illegally occupied West Bank, as well as further sanctions. He also told MPs that the UK agrees there is ethnic cleansing in areas of the West Bank. We will get reaction from the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee. Also on the programme: Jamaican culture minister Olivia Grange on the quest for reparations for slavery; and a test that can identify brain tumour from teardrops.  (Picture: Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband making a statement on Israel-Palestine in the House of Commons. Credit: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire.)

UK sanctions Israeli settlements in West Bank

Afd win poses challenge for German democracy, we ask could they govern Saxony-Anhalt? Also in the programme: Latvia's foreign minister explains why her country banned Russian books; and the offkey choir that can't sing.(Photo: Anti-AFD protester carrying anti-AfD stickers. Credit: Reuters)

Afd win poses challenge for German democracy

Despite a decisive AfD victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, the party appears to have fallen short of an outright majority needed to govern alone. Also on the programme: a BBC investigation into whether the FBI buried evidence of the alleged involvement of Saudi agents in 9/11; and an unlikely hero of the Second World War gets his own movie.(Photo: Candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Ulrich Siegmund, waves during a press conference the day after the Saxony-Anhalt state elections in Berlin, Germany, 7 September, 2026. Credit: Liesa Johannssen/Reuters)

Germany's far-right AfD wins state election

Exit polls in Germany show the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is heading for a crushing victory in the eastern state of Saxony Anhalt.
 
Also on the programme: President Trump's top envoys make their first visit to Ukraine; and Ireland's greatest woman boxer bows out in glory.  We'll hear from Katie Taylor's childhood hero. 
 
(Photo: Top candidate of the far-right AfD, Ulrich Siegmund, gestures from the stage at the AfD election party after exit polls in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections in Magdeburg, Germany. Credit: Reuters)

German far-right set for big win in east

German voters are heading to the polls in an election in Saxony- Anhalt, which could see the far- right AfD win power at a state level for the first time. The party sees the vote as a potential stepping stone to nationwide success. Also in the programme: The top US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are in Kyiv for their first talks in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion; 
the political philosopher Francis Fukuyama worries about the future direction of American democracy; and we will hear from May el-Toukhy, one of the only two female directors competing at the Venice Film Festival about her film, premiering tonight.(Phot0: The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund (R), and his wife, Julia Siegmund, cast their votes at a polling station in Tangermuende, Germany, 06 September 2026. Credit: EPA)

Germany's far-right AfD bids for their first taste of power in eastern vote

Vladimir Putin is holding talks at the Kremlin with Donald Trump's envoys, who are making a renewed push to end Russia's war with Ukraine. The Russian president told Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that the talks raised difficult issues and expressed gratitude to Mr Trump for the diplomatic momentum.Also in the programme: the US ambassador to Israel visits the West Bank and condemns violence by Jewish settlers; and the tennis player from the Philippines who is exciting fans at home and abroad.(Picture: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin in Moscow on 5th September, 2026. Credit: MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

US envoys meet Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin

Donald Trump's top envoys have arrived in Moscow, as part of a renewed diplomatic push to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Also on the programme, Germany's far-right Alternative für Deutschland party is aiming to secure a majority in the regional parliament of Saxony-Anhalt; people are still being rescued ten days after devastating floods in Nepal; and, the enduring appeal of Fleetwood Mac's most celebrated album, by the man who produced it.(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)

US envoys arrive in Moscow

A US judge has declared a mistrial in the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder trial. We hear from our reporter outside the courtroom. Also on the programme: Houthi fighters and pro-government forces in Yemen have been battling each other in some of the worst clashes for years, with at least 122 people reported to have been killed in the fighting. And months on from OpenAI's systems going "rogue" and attacking another tech company, we hear more on the latest investigation into what actually happened.(Photo: Lindsay Clancy in courtroom, Credit: Reuters)

Judge declares mistrial in Lindsay Clancy murder case

Rescue crews in Nepal have freed two workers from a blocked hydropower tunnel, nine days after they were trapped by debris from flash floods that devastated an area on the border with Tibet.  Shortly after the two survivors were released, the body of a third person was found. Also in the programme: Germany's far right AfD party looks set to dominate a state election in the east of the country this weekend; a special report from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta where sexual assaults are on the rise; and the pig's kidney that has kept a man alive for a record nine months.(Photo shows rescuers at the site of the flash floods in Nepal. Credit: Nepal Army/Reuters)

Nepal flooding: Two workers rescued from tunnel

The Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez is under pressure over his government's handling of influx of 72,000 migrants in the exclave of Ceuta.On Wednesday, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in marches backed by opposition parties against the Spanish government's handling of the migrant crisis.Also in the programme: New warnings on the supersized El Nino; a voice from flood-lashed Tibet; and a rare mission to Mercury.(Photo shows Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a session at the parliament in Madrid, Spain on 3 September 2026. Credit: Susana Vera/Reuters)

Spain's prime minister under pressure over migrant crisis

Washington and Caracas have signed an agreement which gives a US-led company rights over Venezuelan oilfields amounting to about a fifth of the country's reserves. Also in the programme: growing discontent in Spain at the government's handling of the sudden arrival of tens of thousands of migrants in Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa; and as the British Museum launches its exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry, why does it still speak to us almost a millennium after it was made?(Photo: Venezuelan acting president dolce Rodriguiz talking to the US energy secretary. Credit: Shutterstock)

Venezuela oil deal: who wins?

Iran and the US trade strikes in the most intense round of attacks in weeks. Iran says the US struck a wedding party killing four people including children, and retaliates with strikes on US bases in the Gulf. The US responded by denying it attacks civilians.Also in the programme: we speak to a friend of Joshua Wong, the face of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, who has just pleaded guilty to foreign collusion; and in football, the English Premier League transfer window breaks another spending record.(IMAGE: A view of the destroyed remains of a building which was hosting a wedding ceremony following a US airstrike, in the city of Sirak, Bandar Abbas province, southern Iran, 02 September 2026. The Iranian Red Crescent says four people, including a child, were killed when shrapnel from a US missile hit the building / CREDIT: Handout picture made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society)

Iran and US trade strikes in the Gulf

The death toll in Nepal from devastating floods on the border with Tibet has crossed 1,000, according to the country's disaster agency.Also on the programme, a special report from within Afghanistan looking at the thousands who have fled since the 2021 Taliban takeover; and we hear from the former girlfriend of Freddy Mercury, who stayed by his side until the end of his life.(Photo: Relatives of Nakul Sharma, 36, who lost his life in the deadly flash floods and a mudslide, mourn during his cremation rituals on the premises of Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, September 1, 2026. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)

The death toll in Nepal from floods reaches 1,000

Millions of Afghans have in recent decades fled across the borders to Pakistan and Iran, seeking refuge or employment. But as the numbers leaving Afghanistan have risen, especially since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, so have deportation efforts by Pakistan and Iran. We have a special report by the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, who has been to the main border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan.Also in the programme: as a new law comes into force in Austria banning girls under the age of 14 from wearing a headscarf in schools, we hear from the government, and a critic of the ban; shares in the ultra-fast-fashion giant Shein have plunged on their first day of public trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange; and the population of New Zealand’s critically endangered flightless parrot, the kākāpō, has surpassed 300 birds for the first time in decades.(Photo: Trucks carrying returnees parked along the highway near the Torkham border crossing, October 2025. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Six million forced to return to Afghanistan since 2023

The authorities say they have made progress using controlled explosions and heavy machinery to access the hydropower tunnels. Nepal says that at least nine-hundred people have died in the floods, and more than four-thousand are still missing.Also on the programme, football legend Lionel Messi retires from international competitions. British fashion designer, John Galliano, has withdrawn from a planned exhibition of his work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The Met had come in for severe criticism for hosting the exhibition, Galliano was arrested in Paris in 2011 for antisemitic insults and hateful remarks he made against Jews and Asian people at a bar near his home in the city. And the Nomad Games get underway in Kyrgyzstan, featuring sports like Kok Boru (polo but played with a dead goat instead of a mallet). We'll hear from a fan in attendance.(Picture: Rescue workers in Nepal. Credit: Reuters)

Nepal: Rescuers are trying to reach more than seven hundred trapped workers

As the death toll continues to rise and rescue teams try to reach people still trapped by Wednesday's flash floods in the Himalayas, a senior Nepalese MP tells us the search for survivors is still very much on, along with a major effort to identify bodies and carry out burials.Also in the programme: as Tim Cook prepares to step down after 15 years in charge of Apple, we assess his legacy; and how late is too late for a top tennis player to be playing a match?(IMAGE: An undated handout photo of rescue workers taking part in a rescue operation near the tunnel of the Trishuli 3A Hydropower Project, following deadly flash floods and mudslides, in Rasuwa, Nepal. / CREDIT: Nepal Army/Handout via REUTERS)

Nepalese MP: the search for survivors is still on

The crew and captain of a ferry have been taken into custody after the vessel capsized off the northern coast of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Eight people have been confirmed dead with a further 17 still missing. Also on the programme: Spain asks for help from the EU to process hundreds of migrants who crossed into its North African territory of Ceuta; and the director of a new biopic about Charles de Gaulle tells us how the general’s self-belief persuaded Winston Churchill that Free France could fight back against the Nazis.  (Image: Survivors arrive on shore after being rescued from the sea following a boat capsize off northern Cyprus, August 30, 2026. Credit REUTERS/Stringer)

Eight dead in Cyprus ferry disaster

Rescue teams battling dangerous conditions after Wednesday’s flash flooding in Nepal have deployed heavy machinery, in preparation to enter hydroelectric tunnels where more than a hundred workers may be trapped. Overnight, rain and rising river levels impaired efforts early on Sunday before conditions eased. 
 
Also in the programme: NASA successfully launches a telescope; and a new film on Charles de Gaulle.(Photo: A person crosses a damaged suspension bridge following flash floods along the banks of the Trishuli River in Dhading district, Nepal, 30 August 2026. CREDIT: EPA/Shutterstock)

Workers feared trapped in Nepal tunnels

In Ukraine a Russian airstrike detonated munitions in a warehouse in a residential area outside Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, killing 37 people. We hear from a BBC correspondent who has been behind the security perimeter.Also on the programme: Nepal has called for a "global effort" to address climate change after devastating floods; and we ask what next for cycling great Tadej Pogacar after crashing out of the Vuelta a España.(Picture: A view of a street after a Russian drone strike on storage facilities in the village of Myla near Kyiv, 29 August 2026 Credit: Mykola Tymchenko/EPA/Shutterstock)

Dozens dead after Russian strike on ammunition depot near Kyiv

Bad weather is hampering rescue operations after the devastating flash flooding which tore through border areas of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday.  Officials say rain and fog are making access much harder. About 3,000 people are missing, with almost 700 bodies found so far -- some of them swept many kilometres downstream in India.Also in the programme: Huge explosions at a warehouse after an overnight strike in Kyiv; and polls open in Iceland's referendum on whether to reopen talks on joining the European Union.(Photo: Rescuers transport an elderly woman rescued from an old age home, Nuwakot district, Nepal. Credit: Narendra Shrestha, EPA/Shutterstock)

Anger and hope in Nepal's flood zone

Officials in Nepal say the number of confirmed deaths in Wednesday's huge floods and landslides has now risen to 579, and the number of those unaccounted for has also increased to nearly 2,000. Chinese state media say five people have died and hundreds are missing in Tibet. We hear from a Nepalese climate envoy and a BBC China analyst.Also on the programme: a Sudanese businessman tells us about life in Khartoum as a state of emergency is lifted; and a musical memorial to the father of modern computing, Alan Turing.(Photo: People run during a rescue operation by a Nepal Army helicopter in the aftermath of flash floods, in Hatigauda village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 28 August 2026. Credit: Narendra Shrestha, EPA/Shutterstock)

Nearly 2,000 now missing in Nepal floods

The death toll in Nepal has risen to 547, officials say, after Wednesday's flash flooding devastated the Himalayan border region. Chinese officials say that search and rescue operations have reached a 'critical stage', as a lake dammed by a landslide is at risk of overflowing.
 
Also in the programme: Norway has a new monarch, after the death of King Harald; and how climate change is affecting cheese makers in the French Alps.
 
(Photo: Aftermath of flash floods and mudslide at Trishuli Bazaar army training centre in Nuwakot, Nepal, August 28, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas)

China: 'critical stage' after deadly Nepal floods

Why information can be hard to come by after the disastrous flash floods that have had hit Nepal and neighbouring Tibet, especially on the Chinese side of the border.Also in the programme: Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb commander who oversaw the worst atrocities in Europe since the Second World War, has died in prison in The Hague; the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - is finally given a trial date, in June 2028; and how climate change-related heatwaves in the Alps and Jura are likely to change the flavour of some prized French cheeses.(IMAGE: Flood survivor return to home following a flash flood in Devighat Village, Nuwakot district, Nepal, 27 August 2026 / CREDIT: 
Narendra Shrestha / EPA / Shutterstock)

Information scarcity after Nepal flash floods

Rescuers in China and Nepal are searching for about 1,300 people who are missing after a flash flood hit the two countries.At least 359 people have died in Nepal, with three confirmed deaths in China. We'll hear from both countries.Also in the programme: Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb commander who was convicted of genocide, has died in prison - we hear from the journalist Allan Little who covered him for the BBC and Hasan Hasanovic, a survivor of Srebrenica massacre; why some species of bats are able to live so long; and we'll remember the Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, whose struggles with her mental health fuelled her work:(Photo shows flood survivors in Devighat Village, Nuwakot district, Nepal on 27 August 2026. Credit: Narendra Shrestha/EPA)

Thousands still missing after China-Nepal flood

The social media giant Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has agreed to restrict American teenagers’ use of its platforms as part of an $18bn settlement with states that accused it of harming children. We hear from a former Meta insider. Also on the programme: how climate change is increasing the likelihood of avalanches and flooding in the Himalayas; and we look back on the life of Rocky Horror Picture Show star Tim Curry.(Photo: The Meta logo is displayed on a mobile phone in Liverpool, Britain, 09 June 2026. Credit: ADAM VAUGHAN/EPA/Shutterstock)

Meta agrees to restrict US teen use of its social media platforms

Hundreds of people are missing, including at least 291 foreign tourists, after a flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border.At least 18 people are confirmed dead in Nepal; Chinese state media is also reporting "major casualties" in Tibet, which is controlled by China. We'll hear how this incident is affecting people on the ground.Also in the programme: Tragedy at one of Pakistan's main hospitals, where at least 14 newborn babies have been killed in a fire; new research shows a new shingles vaccine can lower the risk of heart disease; and we'll reflect on the wisdom and humour of country music icon Dolly Parton, who died yesterday. (Photo shows a satellite image of the valleys near the Nepal-China border, after the devastating floods on26 August 2026  Planet Labs PBC/Reuters)

Hundreds missing after Nepal floods

The country music legend Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80 in Nashville, Tennessee. In a seven-decade career, she won 10 Grammy awards, sold more than 100 million records worldwide, and wrote in excess of 3,000 songs. We'll be looking back at her life and legacy.Also in the programme: the United Nations and the Red Cross have called for urgent negotiations to restrict the use of autonomous weapons; and why the Indian government is sending onions across the country.(Photo: The American country music star, Dolly Parton, performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival June 29, 2014. Reuters/Cathal McNaughton.)

Country music legend Dolly Parton dies

China has vowed to protect its interests after the US announced plans to widen economic sanctions against Iran and its trading partners, which include Beijing. Will China scupper the squeeze on Iran?Also in the programme: the UN and Red Cross call for urgent new laws to police fully autonomous weapons, an at-home test kit for cervical cancer. and can Australia keep AI out of music?(Photo: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a press conference to outline further sanctions against Iran,in Washington DC on 24 August 2026.  Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

China to protect its interests in wake of US Iran sanctions

The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, has unveiled a wave of sanctions aimed at isolating Iran's economy and says that other countries will be pressured to comply. But will the US deliver on its threats?Also in the programme: a group of cricket legends urges Pakistan to give the former prime minister, Imran Khan, proper medical care; and the edible cookie made from plastic waste. (Photo: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference to outline further sanctions against Iran in Washington, August 24, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein.)

US announces 'economic onslaught' against Iran

The US treasury secretary has threatened Iran with "the single greatest financial offensive ever", claiming the US-Israel war with Iran was "entering its endgame".Scott Bessent said the US would sever all economic ties with the country in "an economic D-Day" and that any nation partnering with Iran financially would also be isolated. Will it work?Also in the programme: A blueprint for new weapons for Ukraine; the Taliban answers questions about its treatment of women; and the rare British bird on the rise.(Photo shows US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent speaks to reporters in Washington, DC, USA on 20 August 2026. Credit: Shawn Thew/EPA)

US warns of 'economic D-Day' against Iran

Iran’s currency, the rial, has hit a record low, trading at over 2 million rials to the dollar on unofficial markets. The devaluation comes a day before the United States is due to impose what US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant described as “the toughest sanctions in history” on Tehran. Iran was struggling financially even before the start of its ongoing conflict with the US and Israel, nearly six months ago.Also in the programme: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warns against holding wartime elections, following repeated calls from his sacked defence minister to hold a nationwide vote; Syria’s foreign minister says he expects peace talks with Israel to resume soon; and we hear from the director of London’s Natural History Museum, where a gallery which has remained hidden from view since World War Two is about to reopen.(Photo: Iranian woman buys vegetables at a street market in Tehran, Iran, 22 August 2026. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock)

Iran’s currency hits an all-time low against the US dollar

Ukraine's popular former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov tells the BBC he still wants nationwide elections, despite his country being at war. We hear a response from a supporter of President Zelensky. Also in the programme: how the Trump White House has turned one of the US's big sporting occasions into a political event; and diplomatic conflict between the UK and Russia, as Moscow apparently withdraws its ambassador from London.(IMAGE: Mykhailo Fedorov, who was at the time Ukraine's minister of defence, speaks at a press conference, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, July 1, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Alina Smutko/File Photo)

Ukraine's former defence minister repeats call for elections

Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, has confirmed he'll impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States next month, saying trade talks collapsed because Washington made unacceptable demands.Also on the programme, the editor-in-chief and a reporter from the US military newspaper Stars and Stripes have been fired for 'insubordination', South Korea's first container ship to trial the much shorter and safer route to Europe via the Arctic has begun its journey, and a look at the event dubbed the "Robot Olympics".Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with the news media after he suspended trade negotiations with the United States, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada August 22, 2026. REUTERS/Chris Tanouye

Canada to impose retaliatory tariffs on US

Rescuers in the central city of Kryvyi Rih are continuing to search for survivors of Friday's daytime drone attack on a shopping centre. We hear from the EU ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, about what the EU can do following a week of Russian attacks.  Also on the programme: we hear about how sharks are inhaling caffeine; and the music video maker Tim Pope on his life putting rock stars on film.

EU condemns Russian attack on Ukrainian shopping centre

Weather experts are warning that a developing El Niño weather system could become the strongest since modern records began. The effects of El Niño on weather patterns are already being felt.Also in the programme: Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan has been returned to prison after being in hospital; and a new book on the violent career of Carlos the Jackal.(Picture: Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in Indonesia. A severe dry season, intensified by El Nino has fueled wildfires. Credit:
EPA/Shutterstock)

How could El Niño affect us?

Weather experts describe the developing climate system as an unprecedented event. Temperatures in the Pacific Ocean could climb more than three degrees above normal.Also in the programme: the Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen speaks to Newshour about the legal case against Facebook's parent company for improperly collecting and using children's personal data; and dramatising the colourful life of the British economist John Maynard Keynes.(Photo: Mexico says mass bird deaths likely caused by El Nino's hotter waters. Credit: Mexican Government/Handout via Reuters)

Largest El Niño in living memory?

15 people were killed in a Russian strike on Kyiv today, and the Ukrainian government has made an urgent request for more interceptor missiles. We hear from the BBC’s correspondent on the ground in the capital. Also on the programme: a new batch of 70,000 vaccines is being sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo to try to contain the fastest-spreading outbreak of Ebola on record. And the 26-year-old car salesman who has been recognised as Belgian royalty after a DNA test proved he was the son of Prince Laurent. (Image: Smoke rises in Kyiv during a Russian drone strike, August 20, 2026 Credit: REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak)

Fears Ukraine will run out of missile defences

The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, has told the BBC that Ukraine needs more help from its partners to protect civilians, after another intense Russian bombardment overnight.Also in the programme: a court in China has sentenced the founder of the collapsed property firm Evergrande to life in jail; and we ask why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are coming back to live in the UK. (Photo: Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko visits the site of a building damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, March 25, 2024. Credit: Reuters /Gleb Garanic.)

Mayor of Kyiv says Ukraine needs more help

In a rare move the Israeli military has opened a criminal investigation into how its soldiers opened fire on a car carrying a five-year-old Palestinian girl, Hind Rajab, and a separate incident in which fifteen aid and emergency workers were killed in Rafah in 2025. Also on the programme: a second man is arrested on suspicion of bombing the Nord Stream pipeline, and why thousands of jellyfish are washing up on Europe's coastlines.(Photo: Hind Rajab, who was killed along with six relatives in Gaza in 2024 poses for a photograph in this undated handout picture. Credit: 
FAMILY/Reuters)

Israel opens criminal investigation into Hind Rajab killing

Ukraine's former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov has called for elections - which are barred in wartime under Ukrainian law. A representative of the Presidential Office has told the BBC that it would be bizarre to plan elections amidst missiles and drones. Earlier, around two hundred protestors gathered outside Ukraine's parliament, in protest against the swearing in of the new defence minister, who replaces Mr Fedorov.   
 
Also in the programme: Prime Minister Andy Burnham sets out homelessness plan; and what is the future for humanoid robots? 
 
(Photo: Ukraine's ousted Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, August 18, 2026. CREDIT: Mykhailo Fedorov/Handout via REUTERS)

Ukraine's former defence minister calls for election

A landmark trial has begun in California with the tech giant Meta accused of deliberately making Facebook and Instagram addictive to children. We'll hear the case for the prosecution and the defence.  Also on the programme: a court in Damascus sentences to death a cousin of the deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad; and how short-sighted tree-shrews could be a big help to humans. (Photo: A woman holds a smartphone with a Facebook logo in front of a displayed logo for Meta in this illustration picture taken on October 28, 2021. Credit: Reuters)

Opening of Meta trial on social media addiction claims

Nine people have been killed and 23 injured, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on Russia, local officials have said. Russian attacks on Ukraine also killed at least seven people and injured more than 39 on Saturday night. We hear from Kyiv and Moscow. Also on the programme: Pakistan's Supreme Court orders authorities to move former prime minister Imran Khan to hospital from jail for health check-ups, we hear from his adviser; and, how thieves made off with valuable works by Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina.(Photo: Ukrainian servicemen repair anti-drone nets damaged by recent Russian strikes Credit: Tommaso Fumagalli/EPA/Shutterstock)

Intense overnight attacks in both Russia and Ukraine

Lengthy talks between President Trump's envoy, Jared Kushner, and the Israeli Prime Minister have failed to achieve a breakthrough on the Gaza peace proposals. We'll hear from Israel and from a former Hamas official in Gaza.  Also on the programme: a prominent Russian anti-war politician, Lev Shlosberg, has been sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony; and the best-selling author Annie Jacobsen tells us what governments are missing when it comes to the threat of biological weapons. (Photo: US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on August 17, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

No breakthrough on stalled Gaza deal

President Trump's Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, has met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he seeks Israeli backing for the US-backed Gaza peace plan. Mr Netanyahu has rejected the proposals. Israeli officials said today's meeting focused on elements that could be agreed.Also on the programme: Mr Trump says he's scaling back joint military exercises with South Korea, describing them as "inappropriate and hostile" towards the North; after nearly three decades, opening statements are due to begin later today (Monday) in the trial of the only man ever charged with the murder of the American rapper Tupac Shakur; and and the appeal of the Ferrari without the trademark roar! (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Kushner meets Netanyahu after Hamas talks on peace plan

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised Brazilians he will not stop fighting to secure them a better future as he launched his campaign for re-election. In a speech in a Sao Paulo stadium, the 80 year-old said he understood his fellow countrymen much better than more privileged people - a dig at his main rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of the former president. The right-wing candidate kicked off his campaign on Copacabana Beach in Rio by promising to get tough on crime.Also in the programme: The 'polar silk road'- a new weekly service that will transit the Arctic passage and bypass the Middle East; and we meet a street performer in Colombia who entertains people with spinning tops. Now he has become an earthquake rescuer, digging people out of the rubble.(Photo: A supporter of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends the launch of his re-election campaign. Brazil, August 16, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Adriano Machado)

Brazil's campaign for president begins

About 5000 people have been displaced on Indonesia's Flores island, after an earthquake hit the region, followed by hundreds of aftershocks. Many families spent the night in makeshift shelters outside their collapsed homes. They say they are not receiving enough help from Jakarta.Also in the programme: New South Wales is launching a gun buyback scheme; and President Lula da Silva launches his re-election campaign in Brazil.(Photo: Evacuees affected by an earthquake stay in temporary shelters in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 16 August 2026. CREDIT: EPA/Shutterstock)

Rescue efforts continue in Indonesia

The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have been celebrating the fifth anniversary of their return to power in Kabul. But they continue to face allegations of  severe repression of women and girls, who are now virtually excluded from all public life. The BBC's Lyse Doucet has an assessment of life under the Taliban and she talks to two former BBC Afghan journalists who managed to escape rule under the Taliban.Also in the programme: Israel has defended its deadly strikes across southern Lebanon, saying they were in retaliation for a Hezbollah attack on its occupying forces. We find out why the Lebanese president has cast doubts on Israel's sincerity in peace negotiations. And we hear from the soul backing trio, the Womack sisters who've finally released their self-titled debut album this week. (Photo: Members of the Taliban participate in a rally to mark five years in power, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Sayed Hassi.)

Was the US right to leave Afghanistan?

The Taliban is celebrating 5 years since they seized-back control of Afghanistan - with parades and events that women are banned from joining.  The BBC's Lyse Doucet joins us live from Kabul with an assessment of life under the Taliban, and why so many women fear for their safety with the extremists back in charge.Also in the programme: We'll have the latest on the Indonesian earthquake; we'll discuss what impact Ukrainian attacks are having on Russian civilians; and we'll hear from the musician still playing jazz at 100.(Photo shows members of the Taliban attending a rally to mark five years in power in Kabul, Afghanistan on 15 August 2026. Credit: Mohammad Yunus Yawar/Reuters)

Taliban celebrates five years since they took control of Afghanistan

The BBC's Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, returns to Afghanistan to report on the state of the country after five years of Taliban rule. She also brings us an interview with Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Later, we hear from the American four-star general David Petraeus, who led US forces in Afghanistan for a year. Also in the programme: Colombian Vice-President Jose Manuel Restrepo on how his country has handled the aftermath of last week's earthquake; and the BBC Proms festival of classical music celebrates the legacy of the Motown musician Marvin Gaye.(Photo: An Afghan boy sells flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power. Credit: 
EPA/Shutterstock)

Afghanistan: Five years after the Taliban takeover

This week marks five years since the Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, seizing back power. In those five years, girls’ and women’s rights have drastically worsened, as has the country’s humanitarian situation. We hear from the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, who has been travelling to Afghanistan for many years and has returned again now to report on life under Taliban rule, five years on from the 2021 Taliban takeover.Also in the programme: extreme rainfall in Japan has led to the deaths of several people and caused major travel disruption near Tokyo; new research by the artificial intelligence giant Anthropic finds autonomous AI agents engage in “turf wars” when pitted against each another; and builders renovating a building in Belgium have struck gold, after they discovered a stash of treasure sealed into the walls of its cellar.(Photo: women walk through a market in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 4 August 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule

Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.

13/08/2026 20:06 GMT

The US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has said that Washington has been very involved in efforts to end the siege in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and remove what he called “Israeli terrorists”.
 
Also on the programme: Taiwan's Foreign Minister tells us Pacific nations need to act together to counter Chinese aggression while hoping the US will remain involved; and why did Joshua Kushner buy the LA Lakers for more ⁠than $12.5bn in a record-breaking ⁠deal?(Photo: Israeli settlers wait during a military raid in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, West Bank on August 13, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

US ambassador to Israel denounces settler siege on Palestinians

Millions of people on the western fringes of Europe have witnessed their first total solar eclipse of this century.Also in the programme: Israeli settlers are continuing to trap two Palestinian families in their homes in the occupied West Bank, after clashing earlier with the Israeli security forces; what was behind the mass poisoning of 14 elephants in Kenya -- a terrible accident or deliberate harm?; and Spotify says it's cracking down on AI generated music to protect HUMAN artists.(Photo: Partial solar eclipse in Britain, London, United Kingdom - 12 Aug 2026. Credit: EPA)

Solar eclipse visible across large parts of Europe

The security forces moved in to try to force the settlers away from the homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus.  But reports from the scene say more settlers then arrived, and the security forces withdrew.Also on the programme: Germany is planning to loosen restrictions on its spy agencies to counter domestic and foreign threats; and we hear from an Italian scientist preparing a new solar instrument to measure the Sun's corona during the eclipse.(Photo: A view shows Nablus city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 16, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Torokman)