BBC

When Nidhi and Vik moved to Northern Ireland, they came up with an unusual way to make new friends - hosting dinner parties made up of strangers. Now the couple, originally from India, have connected with 60 people and counting. Vik says he wants to make the whole world his friends. Plus, the Iranian father helping his blind son experience the football World Cup. He uses a makeshift football pitch...

Six million people who expect to be paying housing costs once they've stopped working say they don't know how they'll be able to afford it. That's according to new research from pensions and investment firm Royal London. It surveyed 4,000 people and says the findings suggest around 1 in 3 UK adults are already paying, or expect to pay, rent or a mortgage once they've retired. What can be done to h...

The US demands a public guarantee from Iran that the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships will not be targeted as they pass through, to ensure that talks can move forward. President Trump says both sides have agreed to continue talks, despite the escalation in hostilities. Mediators from Qatar are travelling to Iran to try to salvage the fragile peace deal. Also: there's relief in Nigeria after...

In a summer of world class sporting events, tennis players have been battling it out at Wimbledon - one of the four major Grand Slam tournaments. One of the big stories has been the success of British wildcard entry Arthur Fery who, before Wimbledon, was ranked outside the top 100. His success has come with a big jump in prize money - essential to pay for the international travel, accommodation an...

Tough times for the gaming industry after news of more lay-offs, this time at Microsoft's Xbox gaming division, Will Bain asks developers and designers if it's all doom and gloom, and what challenges like ahead. And authorities are carrying out investigations after a Ryanair passenger was partially sucked out of a Boeing 737 when a cabin window shattered mid-flight, thousands of feet in the air. W...

A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of Ann Widdecombe, police say. Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister turned Reform UK spokeswoman, served as the MP for Maidstone in Kent for 23 years. We hear from her former Commons colleague Edwina Currie and her long-time friend, broadcaster Iain Dale. Also in the programme: we speak to a family that's fled wil...

The emergency services in southern Spain say they are fighting a ‘terrible and complex fire, which is spreading very fast,’ in the south-eastern province of Almería. We hear from a British couple caught up in the fire. Also on the programme: How people in Gaza are watching the World Cup; and a new species of dinosaur has been found in Thailand. (Picture: Flames approach the A7 highway during a dea...

Writer: Tim Stimpson Director: Jessica Bunch Editor: Jeremy Howe Brian Aldridge … Charles Collingwood David Archer … Timothy Bentinck Tony Archer … David Troughton Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman Chris Carter … Wilf Scolding Susan Carter … Charlotte Martin Ian Craig … Stephen Kennedy Amber Gordon … Olivia Bernstone George Grundy … Angus Stobie Bert Horrobin … David Sterne Tracy Horrobin … Susie Ridd...

Like Andy Burnham’s No.10, Dead Ringers is in the North, at the Crossed Wires Podcast Festival in Sheffield. This week: Chris Mason is giddy, Zia Yusuf is everywhere, and The Rest is Politics has gone mad for it. Starring Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Duncan Wisbey and Kieran Hodgson. Produced by Jon Holmes Executive Producer: Richard Morris Production Co-ordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu A BBC Studios Pro...

Alopecia, the medical term for hair loss, affects an estimated 160 million people worldwide. Some forms of the condition disproportionately affect black women, due to a combination of factors including hairstyles that place tension on the hair, as well as genetic and hormonal influences. Now, some dermatologists are also saying they're seeing more cases, particularly among younger people. Meanwhil...

Fire crews in Almeria battle one of Spain's deadliest blazes where several tourists, unable to flee from the rapidly spreading fire, have been among the victims. Hot conditions in Southern Europe are making the situation worse. Also, Japan is running out of male heirs to the Imperial throne, a woman clings to her husband to stop him being sucked out of the window of a Ryanair plane, and the 900-ye...

A Ryanair passenger was partially sucked out of a Boeing 737 on a flight from Greece to Germany, after a cabin window shattered. Authorities are investigating the cause. The European low cost carrier Easyjet is set to become part of a bidding war between two US based private equity firms. And a heatwave in central Europe has farmers in Switzerland worried.

Venezuelans in the coastal town of La Guaira are being forced to live in informal camps in the streets two weeks on the from the two earthquakes which hit the country. The head of the Disasters Emergency Committee, Saleh Saeed, who is visiting, tells us people have lost everything and need help with the very basics. Also on the programme: we hear about the man who was partially sucked out of a Rya...

As the US and Iran trade strikes in the Middle East, huge crowds have gathered in the holy city of Mashhad ahead of the burial of Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. We'll try to gauge the mood in the country and assess the options now for both the US and Iran. Also in the programme: The disinformation about Ebola fuelling attacks on Congolese health workers; we'll remember the lif...

Moygashel bonfire was lit last night.

Ayatollah Khamenei - Iran's former supreme leader who was killed by US-Israeli strikes - has been laid to rest as fighting continues over control of the Strait of Hormuz. We speak to the BBC's Lyse Doucet, who's just returned from Tehran. Also: thousands of Venezuelans displaced by earthquakes are at risk of disease; Ukrainians attack a military conscription team hunting draft dodgers; Gazans turn...

In coastal Japan, Yasuo Takamatsu has spent nearly 15 years diving for the remains of his wife, Yuko, who was swept away in the 2011 tsunami. With on-location recording of Yasuo on his 763rd dive, this Heart and Soul documentary explores his search as an act of devotion shaped by Japanese ideals of grief, memory, and the power of nature. A profound story of love and loss, we reveal how one man’s r...

Volkswagen, whose 10 brands range from Seat to Porsche, is making sweeping production cuts in Germany. We take a look at the impact this is having on the automotive industry in the country. A row over Peking duck is adding to already tense relations between Brussels and Beijing. The European Commission has opened an investigation into whether Chinese duck meat is being sold in Europe at unfairly l...

Volkswagen, whose 10 brands range from Seat to Porsche, is making sweeping production cuts in Germany. We take a look at the impact this is having on the automotive industry in the country. A row over Peking duck is adding to already tense relations between Brussels and Beijing. The European Commission has opened an investigation into whether Chinese duck meat is being sold in Europe at unfairly l...

The burial of Iran's second supreme leader took place at the country's holiest site; the Shrine of Imam Reza in Mashad. Iran and the US have continued to trade strikes as fears grow of a return to full-scale conflict. We hear from the BBC's chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet. Also on the programme; outrage from victims' groups over government plans to allow people convicted of serious...

The US and Iran have continued to trade strikes, raising fears of a return to full scale conflict. At the same time, huge crowds of mourners pay respects to Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Also in the programme: False claims about Ebola are fuelling violence against health workers in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and it's France versus Morocco at the World Cup. (Photo: A handout ph...

Nerves are frayed on the day of the Borchester Show, and a surprise guest makes their mark.

The US has carried out a second wave of airstrikes on Iran after Tehran attacked tankers in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week. The perimeter of Iran's main nuclear plant, at Bushehr, was reported to have been hit. Iran said attacks on its civilian infrastructure could be war crimes. Tehran ordered retaliatory strikes on neighbouring Bahrain and Kuwait. Also: the toll of the war on tanker sa...

A compliant submitted by ​the Nigerian Press Organisation, which represents newspaper owners, journalists’ unions, ⁠broadcasters and online publishers, has prompted the country's President Bola Tinubu to issue an investigation by the country's competition regulator into major technology companies over alleged anti-competitive practices and unauthorised use of news content. Growing influence of big...

Energy price rises since US/Israel war with Iran has affected Chinese manufacturers. But retailers in China struggle to raise prices as consumers watch their budgets. Volkswagen's Board is considers move to cut 100,000 jobs in Germany. And we learn about the political philosophy of Manchesterism and how it may soon be seen in No 10 Downing Street.