Newshour

Ukraine's former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov has called for elections - which are barred in wartime under Ukrainian law. A representative of the Presidential Office has told the BBC that it would be bizarre to plan elections amidst missiles and drones. Earlier, around two hundred protestors gathered outside Ukraine's parliament, in protest against the swearing in of the new defence minister, who replaces Mr Fedorov. Also in the programme: Prime Minister Andy Burnham sets out homelessness plan; and what is the future for humanoid robots? (Photo: Ukraine's ousted Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, August 18, 2026. CREDIT: Mykhailo Fedorov/Handout via REUTERS)

A landmark trial has begun in California with the tech giant Meta accused of deliberately making Facebook and Instagram addictive to children. We'll hear the case for the prosecution and the defence. Also on the programme: a court in Damascus sentences to death a cousin of the deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad; and how short-sighted tree-shrews could be a big help to humans. (Photo: A woman holds a smartphone with a Facebook logo in front of a displayed logo for Meta in this illustration picture taken on October 28, 2021. Credit: Reuters)

Nine people have been killed and 23 injured, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on Russia, local officials have said. Russian attacks on Ukraine also killed at least seven people and injured more than 39 on Saturday night. We hear from Kyiv and Moscow. Also on the programme: Pakistan's Supreme Court orders authorities to move former prime minister Imran Khan to hospital from jail for health check-ups, we hear from his adviser; and, how thieves made off with valuable works by Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina.(Photo: Ukrainian servicemen repair anti-drone nets damaged by recent Russian strikes Credit: Tommaso Fumagalli/EPA/Shutterstock)

Lengthy talks between President Trump's envoy, Jared Kushner, and the Israeli Prime Minister have failed to achieve a breakthrough on the Gaza peace proposals. We'll hear from Israel and from a former Hamas official in Gaza. Also on the programme: a prominent Russian anti-war politician, Lev Shlosberg, has been sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony; and the best-selling author Annie Jacobsen tells us what governments are missing when it comes to the threat of biological weapons. (Photo: US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on August 17, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

President Trump's Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, has met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he seeks Israeli backing for the US-backed Gaza peace plan. Mr Netanyahu has rejected the proposals. Israeli officials said today's meeting focused on elements that could be agreed.Also on the programme: Mr Trump says he's scaling back joint military exercises with South Korea, describing them as "inappropriate and hostile" towards the North; after nearly three decades, opening statements are due to begin later today (Monday) in the trial of the only man ever charged with the murder of the American rapper Tupac Shakur; and and the appeal of the Ferrari without the trademark roar! (Photo credit: Getty Images)

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised Brazilians he will not stop fighting to secure them a better future as he launched his campaign for re-election. In a speech in a Sao Paulo stadium, the 80 year-old said he understood his fellow countrymen much better than more privileged people - a dig at his main rival, Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of the former president. The right-wing candidate kicked off his campaign on Copacabana Beach in Rio by promising to get tough on crime.Also in the programme: The 'polar silk road'- a new weekly service that will transit the Arctic passage and bypass the Middle East; and we meet a street performer in Colombia who entertains people with spinning tops. Now he has become an earthquake rescuer, digging people out of the rubble.(Photo: A supporter of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends the launch of his re-election campaign. Brazil, August 16, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Adriano Machado)

About 5000 people have been displaced on Indonesia's Flores island, after an earthquake hit the region, followed by hundreds of aftershocks. Many families spent the night in makeshift shelters outside their collapsed homes. They say they are not receiving enough help from Jakarta.Also in the programme: New South Wales is launching a gun buyback scheme; and President Lula da Silva launches his re-election campaign in Brazil.(Photo: Evacuees affected by an earthquake stay in temporary shelters in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, 16 August 2026. CREDIT: EPA/Shutterstock)

The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have been celebrating the fifth anniversary of their return to power in Kabul. But they continue to face allegations of severe repression of women and girls, who are now virtually excluded from all public life. The BBC's Lyse Doucet has an assessment of life under the Taliban and she talks to two former BBC Afghan journalists who managed to escape rule under the Taliban.Also in the programme: Israel has defended its deadly strikes across southern Lebanon, saying they were in retaliation for a Hezbollah attack on its occupying forces. We find out why the Lebanese president has cast doubts on Israel's sincerity in peace negotiations. And we hear from the soul backing trio, the Womack sisters who've finally released their self-titled debut album this week. (Photo: Members of the Taliban participate in a rally to mark five years in power, in Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Sayed Hassi.)

The Taliban is celebrating 5 years since they seized-back control of Afghanistan - with parades and events that women are banned from joining. The BBC's Lyse Doucet joins us live from Kabul with an assessment of life under the Taliban, and why so many women fear for their safety with the extremists back in charge.Also in the programme: We'll have the latest on the Indonesian earthquake; we'll discuss what impact Ukrainian attacks are having on Russian civilians; and we'll hear from the musician still playing jazz at 100.(Photo shows members of the Taliban attending a rally to mark five years in power in Kabul, Afghanistan on 15 August 2026. Credit: Mohammad Yunus Yawar/Reuters)

The BBC's Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, returns to Afghanistan to report on the state of the country after five years of Taliban rule. She also brings us an interview with Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Later, we hear from the American four-star general David Petraeus, who led US forces in Afghanistan for a year. Also in the programme: Colombian Vice-President Jose Manuel Restrepo on how his country has handled the aftermath of last week's earthquake; and the BBC Proms festival of classical music celebrates the legacy of the Motown musician Marvin Gaye.(Photo: An Afghan boy sells flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban's return to power. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

This week marks five years since the Taliban swept into Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, seizing back power. In those five years, girls’ and women’s rights have drastically worsened, as has the country’s humanitarian situation. We hear from the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet, who has been travelling to Afghanistan for many years and has returned again now to report on life under Taliban rule, five years on from the 2021 Taliban takeover.Also in the programme: extreme rainfall in Japan has led to the deaths of several people and caused major travel disruption near Tokyo; new research by the artificial intelligence giant Anthropic finds autonomous AI agents engage in “turf wars” when pitted against each another; and builders renovating a building in Belgium have struck gold, after they discovered a stash of treasure sealed into the walls of its cellar.(Photo: women walk through a market in Kandahar, Afghanistan, 4 August 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

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

The US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has said that Washington has been very involved in efforts to end the siege in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers and remove what he called “Israeli terrorists”. Also on the programme: Taiwan's Foreign Minister tells us Pacific nations need to act together to counter Chinese aggression while hoping the US will remain involved; and why did Joshua Kushner buy the LA Lakers for more ⁠than $12.5bn in a record-breaking ⁠deal?(Photo: Israeli settlers wait during a military raid in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus, West Bank on August 13, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Millions of people on the western fringes of Europe have witnessed their first total solar eclipse of this century.Also in the programme: Israeli settlers are continuing to trap two Palestinian families in their homes in the occupied West Bank, after clashing earlier with the Israeli security forces; what was behind the mass poisoning of 14 elephants in Kenya -- a terrible accident or deliberate harm?; and Spotify says it's cracking down on AI generated music to protect HUMAN artists.(Photo: Partial solar eclipse in Britain, London, United Kingdom - 12 Aug 2026. Credit: EPA)

The security forces moved in to try to force the settlers away from the homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus. But reports from the scene say more settlers then arrived, and the security forces withdrew.Also on the programme: Germany is planning to loosen restrictions on its spy agencies to counter domestic and foreign threats; and we hear from an Italian scientist preparing a new solar instrument to measure the Sun's corona during the eclipse.(Photo: A view shows Nablus city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 16, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Torokman)

A court in Syria has sentenced the ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, to death for crimes against humanity committed during the country's civil war. His cousin who was in charge of political security in Daraa province where the uprising began was also sentenced to death. We find out how the ruling has been received in Syria and whether justice has been served.Also in the programme: Does the earthquake in Colombia pose a challenge for the newly inaugurated president, Abelardo de la Espriella? And we hear about the scramble for the right glasses in Europe to catch a safe glimpse of Wednesday's solar eclipse. (Photo: Syria's President Bashar al-Assad speaks during an interview with Australia's SBS News channel in this handout picture provided by SANA on July 1, 2016. Credit: Sana/Handout via Reuters.)

Rescuers worked through the night looking for survivors trapped under dozens of collapsed buildings. The cities of Cali and Pereira were among the places worst hit. Also on the programme: A Palestinian family in the West Bank says their house has been surrounded by Israeli settlers who they say have cut off their water and electricity; and Chinese authorities are warning of a rise in fake matchmaking agencies preying on the country's growing number of single men. (Photo: Dozens of buildings have collapsed in the city of Cali. Credit: Reuters)

An earthquake in western Colombia has killed more than 100 people and caused significant damage. The seven point four magnitude quake's epicentre was in the Choco region between Medellin and Cali - where dozens of buildings have collapsed. We talk to the mayor of Cali, Alejandro Eder.Also in the programme: Police in eastern India have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of young people protesting against alleged corruption in civil service examinations. And 40 years on from its release, we've been hearing about the singer-songwriter, Paul Simon's controversial album, Graceland, from Ashley Kahn, the former member of the Graceland-tour production team.(Photo: People search through the rubble of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Cali, Colombia, 10 August 2026. Credit Ernesto Guzman JR/EPA/Shutterstock )

The world's oceans hit their hottest ever recorded temperatures for July, partly fuelled by developing El Niño conditions in the Pacific, according to the EU's climate monitoring service Copernicus. The average sea surface temperature outside the world's polar regions was 20.96C last month, beating the previous high of 20.89C, set in 2023. Also in the programme: Ukraine strikes a Russian oil refinery - with at least 13 killed. And Harry Potter fans force the rerouting of a multi-million dollar cable project to preserve the mock grave of the much-loved character.(Picture credit: Getty Images)

Prime Minister Netanyahu rules out any Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza before Hamas is totally disarmed. We ask Israeli official Fleur Hassan-Nahoum what her government's objections are to the peace plan and get an American perspective from former US special envoy for the Middle East Frank Lowenstein.Also in the programme: we hear from a Canadian mayor, Doug Homes, about the wildfires that are devastating British Columbia, driving tens of thousands of people from their homes and leading to a state of emergency across the province; and a champion Italian spear-fisherman and free diver, Giacomo de Mola, tells us how he stumbled upon a Roman shipwreck while searching for fish.(Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends funeral service for late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham in Washington, D.C., July 28, 2026; Credit REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)