dc

President Trump has said he'll "permanently pause" immigration from what he called Third World countries, following the shooting of two young National Guard soldiers in Washington on Wednesday, allegedly by an Afghan gunman. In a strongly worded post on social media, he said immigration had eroded living conditions in the United States and that he would remove or denaturalise migrants who "undermi...

The authorities in Hong Kong say more than 80 deaths have now been confirmed after the city's worst fire in decades. Officials think that number will grow, with more than 200 people still missing. It's unclear what caused the fire but the eight residential blocks were undergoing renovations. The contractor is reported to have breached safety requirements on multiple occasions during construction p...

Emergency teams in Hong Kong are still working to extinguish fires at a giant housing complex a day after the blaze broke out. Sixty- five people have now been confirmed dead. Over two hundred are still missing. Also in the programme: Hamas has urged mediators to pressure Israel to grant safe passage for dozens of its fighters holed up in tunnels in southern Gaza; the Australian fifteen year-olds...

At least 36 people have been killed in a huge fire that has engulfed multiple high-rise buildings in Hong Kong's Tai Po district. Also on the programme, three people, including two soldiers from the US National Guard, have been shot in Washington, a few blocks from the White House; and, how noise in the ocean is affecting marine life.(Photo:Fire burns bamboo scaffolding across multiple buildings a...

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has announced a plan to spend an extra $40 billion dollars on the military over the next eight years to resist Chinese aggression. Also on the programme: at least 13 people have died in a fire in a tower block complex in Hong Kong; and the new "Russian cultural code” from fashion to music, aiming to define what it means to be Russian. (Photo: Taiwan President Lai Ch...

Ukraine's President Zelensky says he's ready to meet President Trump to discuss the most sensitive points of US- drafted peace agreement with Russia. But he said his country's European allies should also join the meeting. Mr Zelensky was addressing a gathering of the Coalition of the Willing - a group of nations which supports Kyiv. We will hear from an Ukrainian MP who is in London to meet with B...

As American officials brief that they're making progress in peace negotiations over the Russia-Ukraine war, we get a view from Moscow on what kind of deal might be acceptable to Russia. Also in the programme: why is femicide – the killing of women – especially by intimate partners or close relatives, still so common around the world? We hear from the UN about what needs to happen to bring the numb...

President Zelensky has hailed what he called "important steps" in peace talks for Ukraine, but said making territorial concessions to Russia's leader would be rewarding him for theft. Also in the programme: A judge has dismissed charges against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James; we meet the 3 year old with a deadly genetic disorder who's been treated with...

Negotiations on a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine are continuing after the United States said progress had been made on Sunday. Moscow says it's not been informed of changes to a draft widely seen as favouring Russia. Also on the programme: a three year old boy from California suffering from a rare, genetic disorder called Hunter syndrome, has become the first person in the world to be treate...

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says a “tremendous amount of progress” has been made in talks to finalise a Ukraine peace deal. Talks in Geneva between Ukrainian, US and European officials are focusing on a 28-point draft plan and will continue on Monday. Kyiv and its European allies have raised concerns about the proposals, saying they mirror Russia’s demands, and that more work is needed to re...

The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that President Trump's 28 point plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war was drawn up by the US -- contradicting senators who said he told them it was a Russian "wish list". We look into that suggestion. Also in the programme: What do the bandits kidnapping schoolchildren in Nigeria really want? How a celebrated Argentinian writer discovered that her na...

Nearly 200 nations agree on a compromise deal on tackling climate change at the COP30 summit in Brazil - but without any commitment to phase out fossil fuels. We speak to Sierra Leone Minister of The Environment and Climate Change Jiwoh Abdulai, who represented the Least Developed Countries group on finance and transition talks. Also in the programme: All educational institutions in Niger state ha...

US and Ukrainian talks set to take place in Switzerland, but will Ukrainian public opinion accept the proposals? Also in the programme: Key MAGA figure Marjorie Taylor Green to quit Congress after falling out with President Trump; and Rosalia, the multilingual Spanish singer on her new album. (Photo: Zelensky and his wife place wheat sheaves at statue. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

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

The US has presented Kyiv with a draft peace plan that appears to favour many of Russia's demands over those of the Ukrainians. The widely-leaked US plan includes proposals that the Ukrainian government had previously ruled out, such as ceding areas of the eastern Donetsk region that it still controls. Will Ukraine and Europe accept it? Also in the programme: Why some South African women are train...

US President Donald Trump has accused Democratic legislators who urged members of the armed forces to disobey unlawful orders of sedition and suggested they should face the death penalty. Also on the programme: a journalist who has followed the Epstein story for years tells us what might be in the files to be released; and American filmmaker Wes Anderson on the pros and cons of AI in the movies. (...

Senior EU politicians say Kyiv and Europe must be involved in any peace plan for Ukraine, as the US pushes for proposals that reportedly echo Russian demands. Some of the reported plans being discussed involve Ukraine giving up territory and dramatically shrinking its military. Also in the programme: We'll hear about the Filipino mayor busted as a human trafficker and online scammer; one of the su...

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

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told US President Donald Trump that he wants Riyadh to join the Abraham Accords, the framework for the normalisation of ties between Israel and several Muslim states, but also wants to secure a “clear path” to Palestinian statehood. Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader was speaking during a visit the White House, his first since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal...

The Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, has been welcomed to the White House by President Trump; it's his first visit to the US since the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents seven years ago. Also in the programme: the US House of Representatives has voted in favour of compelling the Justice Department to release its files on the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein; and an A...

If the artificial intelligence bubble were to burst, every company would be affected, the head of Google's parent firm Alphabet has told the BBC.Sundar Pichai said, while the growth of AI investment had been an "extraordinary moment", there was some "irrationality" in the current AI boom. Is a bubble burst inevitable and would it be painful? Also in the programme: the US hails UN security council...

Sheikh Hasina, in exile in India, was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity. The former Prime Minister was found guilty of ordering the use of lethal force against protesters, resulting in the deaths of around 1,400 people. Hasina denies the charges and her supporters say they are politically motivated. Also on the programme: we ask what led to Donald Trump’s sudden U-turn on...

Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity in abstentia over her crackdown on student-led protests, which led to her ousting. Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year. Where does the verdict leave Bangladesh? Also in the programme: Donald Trump...

The British government has set out plans for sweeping changes to its asylum system to address public concerns about uncontrolled immigration. Under the proposals, refugees granted asylum will have to wait twenty years before they can apply for permanent settlement instead of five years. Also in the programme: a planned auction in Germany of artefacts from prisoners of Nazi concentration camps has...

Ecuador holds a referendum on whether or not to allow foreign military bases in the country again to help tackle drug trafficking. There was a US military base on the country’s Pacific coast until 2009, when President Rafael Correa ordered it closed. Also in the programme: the UK government announces that most refugees granted asylum will have to wait twenty years before they can apply for permane...