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President Trump has said that a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, hours after Tehran cast doubt on whether this would happen so soon. We look into Iran's proposal on its frozen assets.  Also on the programme: a new blood test that can detect thousands of serious genetic conditions in the developing foetus, limiting the need for invasive screening during pregnancy; and why Anthrop...

Lebanese state media say Israel carried out airstrikes in the south shortly after ordering residents to leave about twenty locations. They say three injured people have been pulled from rubble following a strike near Tyre. Iran says that peace in Lebanon must be part of any agreement with the US. Tehran and Washington have both indicated that they're close to an accord, but there have been further...

Elon Musk has become the world's first trillionaire after his company SpaceX debuted on the Nasdaq stock market in New York. Shares jumped more than 25% over their initial offer price, valuing the rocket, satellite, and AI firm at more than two trillion dollars. 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...

SpaceX shares have begun trading on the US stock exchange, marking what could be the largest initial public offering in history. 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...

Football fans have filled the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City for the start of the World Cup. After the opening ceremony, Mexico takes on South Africa in the first of 104 matches in the expanded tournament. 48 nations are competing for football's ultimate prize. The co-hosts Canada and the United States will hold their own opening ceremonies before their first group matches on Friday and Saturday. A...

The US military has struck another commercial tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing it of violating its blockade of Iranian ports. It's the third ship to be targeted by American missiles this week. All had Indian crews. On Wednesday three Indian seafarers were killed when their vessel was hit off the coast of Oman. Also in the programme: Britain's defence minister has resigned, accusing the pri...

Experts say that recent advances in drone technology, including the AI-enabled Hornet system, have allowed Ukraine to attack Russian targets travelling to the front lines at greater distances and with increased accuracy. 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...

The US says it has carried out a series of strikes on Iranian military and surveillance sites in response to the downing of an American helicopter in the Gulf. Iran responded with attacks on American bases across the region. We hear from Bahrain, one of the Gulf countries where Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed attacks. Also on the programme: rebels in Myanmar tell the BB...

The two crew members of a US army helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz were rescued by an American sea drone, say US officials. It was the first such operation carried out by US forces, the officials added. 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 liter...

A BBC investigation has found that more than 300 migrants heading to the UK last summer were kidnapped, tortured and threatened with forced organ removal. The young men, all from Iraqi Kurdistan, were captured in Libya by a militia which demanded a ransom of $5,000 from each of their families. Newshour hears from Libya expert Tim Eaton. Also in the programme: the chief executive of US Soccer on th...

Iran's military has said it's halting military operations against Israel and media reports in Israel say that it is stopping attacks on Iran “at Trump’s request”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)

Iran's military has said it's halting military operations against Israel, after the first direct hostilities between the two sides in two months. We examine the links between Iran and Hezbollah. 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 b...

The Israeli military has carried out deadly airstrikes on the southern districts of Lebanon’s capital, claiming it is targeting Hezbollah sites. In response Iran has fired ballistic missiles towards Israel, the first attack of its kind by Tehran since the ceasefire in April. Also on the programme: Armenians vote in a general election that could determine whether the country looks to Brussels or to...

The people of Armenia are voting in a parliamentary election- a test of whether the country in the Caucasus moves closer to Europe, or remains within Russia's sphere of influence. We hear from both sides. 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: Armen...

The strikes on the city were timed to coincide with the final day of a prestigious international economic forum. Russian authorities called the attack ‘unprecedented’, and St Petersburg residents were advised to remain indoors for the first time since the start of the war. We hear from a Ukrainian drone commander and the UK’s former Ambassador to Moscow, Sir Tony Brenton. Also on the programme: mi...

Iran targets Bahrain and Kuwait after renewed US strikes. We speak to a former Kuwaiti minister as the American-Iranian stalemate continues. Also in the programme, India's Cockroach Janta Party takes to the streets to demand the resignation of the education minister; and the African-American musician Brian Jackson on his work and collaboration with Gil Scott-Heron.(Photo: CCTV image of Iranian dro...

Astronauts onboard the International Space Station were ordered to prepare for evacuation after an air leak suddenly got worse. The situation returned to normal after two Russian cosmonauts completed repairs. We talk to retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who served as commander of the ISS in 2013.We'll also hear from the Sherpa who went missing on the upper slopes of Mount Everest for six...

One of the biggest artificial intelligence developers, Anthropic has warned that the latest models might escape human control. It has proposed a co-ordinated global slowdown on building AI systems. One of the firm's co-founders, Jack Clark has been speaking to BBC.Also in the programme: the latest from Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg; and how an outsider reached the French Ope...

Lebanon's government says it will use the army to keep Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon, following a truce with Israel. But can that work without Hezbollah’s consent? 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...

The US State Department has announced Israel and Lebanon have agreed to renew their fragile ceasefire and create a number of "pilot" security zones inside Lebanon in which Hezbollah operatives would be banned. Hezbollah has rejected the agreement. 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...

It's now five months since the United States removed the then Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from Caracas by force to face trial on drug charges. What has changed in the interim in Venezuela? 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 sa...

Ukraine says it hit a warship and an oil terminal in a large-scale drone attack on Russia's second city St Petersburg - just ahead of a major international economic forum being held there. 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 unc...

Diplomats from Israel and Lebanon have been meeting in Washington for a fourth round of talks as Israeli forces continued to carry out strikes in southern Lebanon. We speak to a member of the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah on why it has no plans to give up its weapons. Also in the programme: As the head of the UN gives a stark warning about the most catastrophic El Niño yet, farmers around the...

Just hours after the US announced a fresh ceasefire in Lebanon, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have started - again. We hear from Lebanon's deputy prime minister, Tarek Mitri. 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...

Lebanon says Hezbollah has agreed to stop firing into Israel in exchange for the Israelis halting attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut. We hear from a resident who has fled Beirut, and an Israeli MK who says his country has the right to occupy Lebanese territory. Also in the programme: the first women with stage four cancer to reach the summit of Everest; and we hear from a biographer of Mari...