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

President Trump's Middle East envoy has told a packed rally of relatives of Israeli hostages and their supporters in Tel Aviv that they were coming home. Steve Witkoff's remarks come ahead of Monday's expected release of 48 living and dead hostages by Hamas, as part of the Gaza peace deal. Mr Witkoff praised President Trump -- to cheers -- as well as the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu...

Donald Trump says Hamas is gathering the Israeli hostages "now", adding that he's confident the Gaza deal he helped broker will "hold".As thousands of Palestinians have begun returning to Gaza's north and Hamas has until midday on Monday to release the hostages, we hear from the Gaza Strip and assess what Hamas and Israel are likely to do now. Also in the programme: Donald Trump has said he could...

Palestinians in Gaza returning to their homes following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas say they've been shocked by the scale of destruction. Also on the programme, The Venezuelan opposition leader and democracy activist, María Corina Machado, has been awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize; and, the green turtle has been rescued from the brink of extinction in what scientists are calling a...

Venezuela's opposition leader and pro-democracy activist María Corina Machado has been awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. For years, she has campaigned against Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, whose 12-year rule is viewed by many nations as illegitimate. We'll speak to one of her close allies about what difference the award might make. Also in the programme: Thousands of displaced Palestinia...

Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire and hostage release deal, paving the way for a possible end to the conflict in Gaza. Also on the programme, a Hungarian author of apocalyptic novels wins the Nobel Prize for Literature. (Photo: Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, reacts, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas agreed on the...

US President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of his Gaza ceasefire deal. We'll speak to the father of one of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza and get reaction from Gaza City. We also assess the chances and the many obstacles that remain in the way of a lasting peace deal. Also on the programme: this year's Nobel Prize for Literature has been awarded to the Hungar...

Former FBI director James Comey has pleaded not guilty in a US federal court to charges of making false statements to Congress and obstruction of justice. Also on the programme: President Trump has called for the jailing of Illinois governor and Chicago mayor, accusing them of not doing enough to ensure the safety of federal immigration officers who are conducting raids in Chicago; France's outgoi...

The price of gold has hit a record high of more than $4,000 an ounce as investors look for safe places to put their money over concerns about economic and political uncertainty around the world. Also in the programme: Is time running out for France's President Emmanuel Macron? And we meet the woman trying to become the first person on record to walk the length of Saudi Arabia, from north to south....

The attacks saw over 1,200 people killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages. It was the single deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Israel responded by launching a military offensive in Gaza which has killed more than 67,000 people, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Its figures are seen as reliable by the UN and other international bodies. We'll hear from El...

Israelis are marking two years since Hamas's attacks on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Meanwhile mediators at talks on the US Gaza peace plan are reported to have reached an understanding with Israel and Hamas on a five-point framework for negotiations. Also in the programme: the Nobel Prize for Physics; and some good news about humpback...

France is facing further political chaos after the country's latest prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, resigned after just 26 days in the role. We'll hear from a French parliamentarian with the right-of centre party, Les Républicains - and we'll get the long view on French politics from veteran French journalist Christine Ockrent. Also - as indirect talks begin between Hamas and Israeli delegation...

The chief negotiator for Hamas is reported to be meeting Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo ahead of indirect talks, later in the day, with Israeli negotiators in Sharm El-Sheikh. They're looking to determine a date for the start of a Gaza truce and create conditions for the first phase of the peace plan, in which the remaining Israeli hostages would be swapped for hundreds of Palestinian deta...

The prime minister of Georgia has announced plans to outlaw the main opposition parties. Irakli Kobakhidze was speaking a day after anti-government protesters tried to storm the presidential palace. We hear from opposition activist Giga Lemonjava. Also in the programme: Israel and Hamas prepare for indirect talks; and inside legendary guitar shop Regent sounds.(Picture: Georgian opposition parties...

Syria is holding its first parliamentary elections since the fall of Bashar al-Assad last December -- but the vast majority of the population can't vote and the president is choosing many of the candidates. Also, can the US-led peace plan for Gaza work? We'll hear about the key negotiations due to begin in Cairo and ask whether it's feasible to expect Hamas to disarm. And a bigger question: when d...

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said that diplomatic and military pressure have forced Hamas to agree to free the hostages it is holding. As Israel and Hamas prepare to take part in indirect talks in Cairo, Mr Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump for his peace plan. Also in the programme: protests in Georgia; and 50 years of the Rocky Horror Show.(Picture: Hostages Square 2-Year Rally -...

Israel's military says it's still operating in Gaza City and has warned Palestinians it's too dangerous to return. Earlier, President Trump told Israel to stop bombing the territory after Hamas said it accepted part of his peace plan -- including the release of all the hostages it's holding. But Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence agency says Israeli attacks continued overnight. Also in the programme:...

A representative of the organisation told the BBC that Hamas accepted the proposal in principle - but wished to make some changes on a number of key points. We ask the experts what this might mean for a peace deal in the Middle East. Also in the programme: rap star Sean 'Diddy' Combs sentenced to 50 months on sex-related charges in a New York court; prominent French economist Gabriel Zucman explai...

Dame Sarah Mullally has been named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury designate - the first woman to be chosen to head the Church of England. It is the first time in nearly 500 years of history that the Church has nominated a woman as its head. We'll ask who Sarah Mullally is - and whether she can restore trust and unity in her church. Also in the programme: A senior member of the Jewish communit...

The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain must defeat what he called the "rising hatred of Jewish people", after a deadly attack at a synagogue. Two Jewish people were killed and four others injured after a car was driven towards worshippers at the site in Manchester. Police declared it a terrorist incident. They shot the suspect dead. Also in the programme: Venezuela's opposition leade...

Two people have been killed by a car that drove into a crowd outside a British synagogue on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. Another man was stabbed at the site. We hear the latest news on the incident. Also in the programme: a wide-ranging interview with the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Maria Corina Machado, who is in hiding after being barred from last year's election; and a BBC analys...

EU leaders are meeting in Copenhagen under pressure to boost European defence after a series of Russian incursions into EU airspace, and days after drones targeted Danish airports. Also in the programme: The International Red Cross has been forced to cease operations in Gaza City because of the intensity of the Israeli offensive; Jane Goodall, famous for her ground-breaking studies of chimpanzees,...

The International Red Cross has been forced to cease operations in Gaza City because of the intensity of the Israeli offensive. It’s continuing while Arab and Turkish mediators put pressure on Hamas to accept President Trump's peace plan. Also on the programme: we'll hear from the city at the epicentre of the earthquake in the Philippines where there's only one hospital to deal with the casualties...

The United Nations has appealed to the Taliban to immediately restore telecommunications across Afghanistan. UN officials said the ban had far-reaching consequences, including on the banking and financial systems. Access to emergency services and medical care has also been hit. Mobile phone services are still not working and many flights have been cancelled. We'll hear from an Afghan activist abou...

Can Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza work? The focus today is on Hamas' response. One Israeli lawmaker tells us he's sceptical. We also get reaction from Gaza City and analysis from the former State Department advisor and negotiator on the Middle East, Aaron David Miller. Also in the programme: the Taliban turn off the internet in Afghanistan; and a new exhibition on the astonishing life of the...