Newshour

As confusion surrounds the prospect of talks between Washington and Tehran over a possible end to the war, could Iran's parliamentary speaker play a role? We learn more about that speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.Also in the programme: The AI company Anthropic vs the Pentagon; and rescuing moon bears from captivity in Vietnam.(Photo: A view of a residential building damaged by a strike, in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Tehran, March 23, 2026. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

US President Donald Trump says the US and Iran have held talks on the "complete and total resolution of hostilities" in the Middle East. However, Iran's parliament speaker denies discussions have taken place, saying "fake news" is being used to "manipulate" the oil markets.Also on the programme: With world attention focused on the Iran war, there’s been a new increase in Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank; and we head to a new exhibition which explores the changing relationship between humans and their pets.(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media before departing West Palm Beach aboard Air Force One on th 23rd of March, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

Donald Trump says the US and Iran have held talks on the ‘complete and total resolution of hostilities’ in the Middle East. We discuss what behind-the-scenes discussions may have been taking place between the two sides.Also on the programme: Italian voters consider significant changes in its justice system; and AI-powered glasses that can help people living with dementia. (Picture: President Donald Trump speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, says Israel's military action in the south of his country is a prelude to a full-scale ground invasion. Israel has started blowing up bridges over a crucial river in southern Lebanon, saying it is targeting infrastructure used by Hezbollah. Could Israel be about to take the next step in the Middle Eastern conflict?Also in the programme: French voters have gone to the polls - will they tack to the centre ground or lurch to the far-left and far-right? And a British version of the celebrated US TV show Saturday Night Live has made its debut - did it translate well across the Atlantic?(Photo shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike on a bridge near Qasmiyeh, Lebanon on 22 March 2026. Credit: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)

More than 160 people have been injured - some seriously - in Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns close to a nuclear facility, according to Israeli emergency officials. We hear about the medical situation on the ground and take a look at Israel's nuclear capabilities.Also on the programme: Italian voters give their verdict on a government plan to have more power over the judiciary; and a US comedy institution makes its UK debut as Saturday Night Live hits British screens.(Picture: Ultra Orthodox Jewish residents look on at the scene of a direct hit of an Iranian missile in Arad, Israel. Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA/Shutterstock)

Britain has insisted it will not be drawn into a wider conflict after a key military base in the Indian Ocean was targeted by an Iranian missile attack. Also on the programme: Robert Mueller, who led the investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential election won by Donald Trump, has died; and the K-Pop phenomenon, BTS, has played a massive comeback concert in Seoul. (Photo: A United States Air Force Rockwell B-1 Lancer Bomber arrives at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.Saturday March 7, 2026. Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has said the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in Iran has suffered “some recent damage” as US-Israeli attacks on the country continue. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the damage was confined to entrance buildings to the underground fuel enrichment plant. Also on the programme: a weight loss drug is now off patent in India meaning prices are expected to drop sharply; and the Australian teens grappling with the country's social media ban.(Photo: Satellite imagery taken in January 2026 showing a new roof over a previously destroyed building at Natanz nuclear site, Iran. Credit: Planet Labs PBC/via Reuters)

US President says Nato allies are "cowards" for refusing to help open the Strait of Hormuz, as the head of the International Energy Agency claims the closure of the waterway poses the "greatest global energy security challenge in history”.Also in the programme: Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat on celebrating the ancient Persian festival of Nowruz; and the action movie star, and martial arts expert Chuck Norris has died aged 86.(Photo: US President Trump departs the White House to spend the weekend at Mar-a-Lago on 20 March 2026. Credit: Shawn Thew/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)

Nowruz is a traditional festival that marks the spring equinox, the rebirth of nature and the start of the new year in Iran and other countries. But this year's Nowruz will be the first many in the country have experienced at war. And across the Gulf, millions of Muslims are marking Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, under the shadow of war. We hear from journalists in Iran and the UAE.Also on the programme: Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has announced sheis replacing the country's senior military commanders, a day after replacing the longtime Defence Minister General Vladimir Padrino López; and we examine how artificial intelligence is being used in the publishing industry.(Photo: Iranian people shop at Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, ahead of Nowruz, on the 19th of March, 2026. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency/Reuters)

It has been a day of turmoil on the world's financial markets after Israel - on Wednesday - struck an Iranian facility in the South Pars gas field, part of the world's biggest natural gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar. That, in turn, prompted Iran to retaliate against energy facilities in Qatar and its other Gulf neighbours sending the price of both gas and oil surging upwards. Also in the programme: a mysterious signal is being broadcast in the Farsi language on shortwave radio from Europe - what is it? And how a conversation in the Caribbean Sea about quantum information led to a big prize.(Photo: Traders work on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) floor after the opening bell in New York, USA, 19 March 2026. Credit: Sarah Yenesel /EPA/Shutterstock)

Oil and gas prices have risen sharply after fresh strikes hit energy infrastructure in the Middle East, including Qatar's main gas facility.Gas prices jumped by about 25% on wholesale markets in the UK and Europe in early trading, before easing slightly. We've also been hearing from the US defence secretary Pete Hegseth who says the Pentagon will go to Congress to ask for funding for the war as it continues on.President Trump says he knew nothing about the Israeli attack on the Iranian South Pars facility; we'll examine what this says about US-Israeli military co-operation.Also in the programme: The world's longest coastal path is opening in England; and newly discovered letters from the renowned palaeontologist Mary Anning show even she got sick of fossils.(Photo shows a file photo of QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas production facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar on 2 March 2026. Credit: Reuters)

There is "extensive damage" from missile attacks on the Ras Laffan industrial site, Qatar's state-owned petroleum company says. The site was among those listed by Iran in a warning that it would take "decisive action" after its South Pars gas field facilities were reportedly hit by Israeli strikes. Earlier, Israel launched a series of strikes on Lebanon's capital Beirut, as it continues its offensive against Hezbollah. We hear voices from across the Middle East.Also on the programme: Senegal has called for an international investigation after its national men's football team is stripped of its African Cup title, following January's chaotic match against Morocco; and we hear from the researchers using maths to understand why some clothes designs keep coming back into fashion. (Photo: A view of the South Pars gas field in Assalooyeh on Iran's Persian Gulf coast south of Tehran Credit: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Israel bombs the heart of the Lebanese capital as it escalates its offensive against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. We hear from a former Lebanese health minister in Beirut and ask a former senior Israeli army officer about his country's aims. Also in the programme: anger and delight in African football after its governing body strips Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations title and hands it to Morocco; and what is "Muskism" and how does understanding Elon Musk's approach to business help us understand the Trump Administration, and our changing world? We talk to the co-author of a new book on the billionaire.(Photo: People stand amidst debris at the site of an Israeli strike, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Zuqaq al-Blat district in central Beirut, Lebanon, 18 March, 2026. Credit: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)

Joe Kent, the head of the US National Counterterrorism Centre and a long-time Trump supporter, has announced his resignation from the role. He said he could not in good conscience back the administration's war. The BBC’s US State Department correspondent gives us more details on this development. Also on the programme: At least 100 people are dead after a Pakistani airstrike hit an Afghan hospital; how Fijian bull sharks appear to have preferred swimming companions while avoiding others; and a man living close to the Ukrainian front line tells us what daily life is like as the war with Russia continues. (Photo: Joe Kent speaking into a microphone. Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Amid the devastation in Gaza, remarkable stories of hope and resilience do emerge. Sixteen-year-old Sama Nijm, a gifted violinist from Gaza, is using music to bring comfort and healing to the youngest victims of the conflict. Some of the children have lost their parents, and in some cases, their limbs or arms. BBC Newsday's Charlene Rodrigues spoke to Sama, and began by asking her what inspired her to become a violin teacher in the midst of war.

Nine people have been killed and many injured in a school shooting in the southern Austrian city of Graz. The shooter also killed himself, and has been identified as a former pupil.Also, Donald Trump sends in the Marines as the president's crackdown on undocumented migrants clashes with California's policy as a Sanctuary State, Syria's jailers under President Assad speak to the BBC anonymously about what they did and those who suffered, plus good news for biodiversity and precious coral reefs in the Zanzibar archipelago, as two new Marine Protected Areas are announced.(IMAGE: General view of the Dreierschutzengasse high school following a shooting in Graz, Austria, 10 June 2025 / CREDIT: Antonio Bat /EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)