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UK’s Starmer meets Xi Jinping as relations warm
1/29/2026
The British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says "good progress" was made in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping of China. Our China correspondent will give us her assessment. Also on the programme: as President Trump steps up the rhetoric on Iran, what could happen if the US strikes it? And the musical director who stood in for Puccini’s challenging Turandot when the star tenor suddenly fell ill. (Photo: UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer shakes hands with President Xi Jinping of China ahead of a bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during his visit to China. Credit: PA)
Duration:00:47:00
Trump : Iran 'needs' to sign nuclear deal
1/28/2026
Is the United States about to launch a larger attack on Iran, than last June, when 'Operation Midnight Hammer' targeted its nuclear programme? Earlier this month President Trump told protesters that "help was on the way," and now thousands are dead. We hear from a former US envoy to Iran.
Also on the programme: Tensions over ICE agents persist in Minnesota - we get a view from the Democrats; and we hear the extraordinary story of mathematician Dr Gladys West, who has died at the age of 95.
(Photo: The USS Abraham Lincoln shown in 2019; Credit : US Navy via Reuters)
Duration:00:47:29
UK prime minister lands in China on trade mission
1/28/2026
The UK's prime minister Keir Starmer has arrived in China for a three-day visit - the first by a British prime minister in eight years.
Sir Keir is seeking to strengthen trading and cultural ties between the two nations after years of acrimony.
Also in the programme: We'll hear from people inside Iran as families and friends try to count the number of dead during the recent crackdown; and new research into the late novelist Terry Pratchett suggests a person's use of words could help diagnose dementia much earlier.
(Photo shows UK prime minister Keir Starmer arriving in Beijing, China on 28 January 2026. Credit: Carl Court/PA)
Duration:00:47:23
Trump border czar arrives in Minnesota
1/27/2026
The new head of the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, Tom Homan, has met the state governor as the White House attempts to address the criticism following the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renée Good by ICE agents in Minneapolis.
Also in the programme: Spain has approved a plan to grant legal status to an estimated 500,000 migrants; and tennis star Coco Gauff calls for privacy after being filmed smashing her racket.
(Picture: Tom Homan, the new head of the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota. Credit: Getty Images)
Duration:00:46:11
India and EU announce the 'mother of all trade deals'
1/27/2026
The European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen has celebrated the signing of a trade agreement with India, saying it sent a message that international cooperation could still work. The remarks have been taken as a dig at President Trump - with the agreement itself partially the result of Europe seeking trade partners beyond the United States. Tariffs will gradually be eliminated, raising expectations of an increase in volumes traded. The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the deal would strengthen stability in the international system.
Also in the programme: News from Iran in the wake of the state's violent crackdown on demonstrations there- doctors and nurses who cared for injured protesters are now being arrested. We also look at The Planets by the English composer Gustav Holst. It was first heard a century ago and is being reworked to address what's happening on planet now.
(Photo: President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen +President of the European Council Antonio Luis Santos da Costa pose for photographs with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi New Delhi - 27 Jan 2026. Credit: Rajat Gupta /EPA/Shutterstock)
Duration:00:46:00
Israel: remains of final Gaza hostage returned
1/26/2026
The Israeli military says it has retrieved the body of the last hostage in Gaza, paving the way for the next phase of US President Donald Trump's peace plan to get under way. Ran Gvili, a policeman, was one of 251 hostages taken in the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 in which about 1,200 people were killed.
Also on the programme: The White House has sharply criticised what it called "hostile" Democrats for the unrest in Minneapolis ; and scientists have gained a new insight into a mind-bending part of the universe- dark matter.
(Photo: Israeli women hold a cutout picture of Israeli police officer, Ran Gvili, in Tel Aviv on the 26th of January, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Moti Milrod)
Duration:00:47:26
Trump says he is 'reviewing everything; about Minneapolis killing
1/26/2026
US President Donald Trump says his administration is now “reviewing” Saturday’s shooting in Minneapolis, where 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot dead by ICE agents during a protest. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Trump also indicated he would eventually remove the agents from the Minnesotan city, but no timeline was given. BBC Verify takes us through the shooting of Mr Pretti step-by-step.
Also on the programme: China’s top general has been accused of bribery and leaking nuclear secrets to the US, and a lost portrait of the Scottish poet Robert Burns has been found after 200 years.
(Photo: President Donald Trump climbs a staircase during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. Credit: Laurent Gillieron/EPA/Shutterstock)
Duration:00:47:28
Minneapolis crowds gather after death of Alex Pretti
1/25/2026
Crowds gather in Minneapolis at the site where US federal immigration agents shot dead 37-year-old Alex Pretti. We'll hear from a friend and colleague.
Also on the programme: the weirdness of election day in Myanmar from our correspondent there; and has Saudi Arabia's hugely ambitious mega city project run into the sand?
(Photo: A woman chants 'peace' at a makeshift memorial for Alex Pretti in south Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 25 January 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)
Duration:00:47:28
Minnesota: Government account of protester killing conflicts with witness testimony
1/25/2026
There's been renewed protests and anger in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of a man by federal immigration agents; the second such incident in the US city in three weeks. Also on the programme, a third and final stage of voting is taking place in Myanmar in what are widely viewed as sham elections; and, a new record for sailing round the world.
(Photo: A federal agent fires a munition toward demonstrators near the site where a man identified as Alex Pretti was fatally shot by federal agents trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24, 2026.REUTERS/Tim Evans)
Duration:00:47:26
Federal immigration agents shoot dead a man in Minneapolis
1/24/2026
For the second time this month, there's been a fatal shooting by federal immigration agents in the US city of Minneapolis. Local police said a thirty-seven year old man, who's believed to be an American citizen, had been killed.
Also in the programme: surviving the cold and war in Kharkiv; and why a beautiful Venetian palazzo is failing to sell.
(Picture: A person holds a placard as federal agents use tear gas to disperse people gathered near the scene where federal agents fatally shot a man while trying to detain him, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 24, 2026. Credit: Reuters)
Duration:00:47:29
Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian urban infrastructure intensifies
1/24/2026
Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko has urged people to leave the city if they have somewhere else to go while the freezing conditions last. We hear from a resident of Kharkhiv in eastern Ukraine after overnight strikes on the city.
Also on the programme: Under a severe crackdown, Iran's protesters question if enough international pressure has come to bear on Tehran's government; and the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets.
(Photo: Firefighters work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Credit: Reuters/Sofiia Gatilova)
Duration:00:47:27
Donald Trump sparks outrage over Nato troops claim
1/23/2026
World leaders and army veterans have rejected President Trump's claim that Nato service personnel did not fight on the front lines or play a key part during the US-led war in Afghanistan. We speak to a former secretary general of Nato, whose alliance sent thousands of international troops to fight during the invasion.
Also in the programme: grim reports continue to emerge from Iran; why Nelson Mandela's family is fighting to keep his belongings from an auction; and does celebrated political scientist Francis Fukuyama believe this is the end of the "rules-based" international order?
(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington DC, US, October 22, 2025. Credit: Reuters)
Duration:00:47:27
Three-way talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine to start
1/23/2026
The first three-way talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine are due to be held later today. It's a new development - but will it bring peace closer? Senior officials from all three nations are involved, but it is unclear whether they will be in the same room together at any point.
Also in the programme: A deal has been done to keep Tiktok in the US; we go inside the secret prisons of southern Yemen; and we find out how to eavesdrop on villains in 17th century London.
(Photo shows Russia's top economic negotiator Kirill Dmitriev and US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on 22 January 2026. Alexander Kazakov/Sputnikl/EPA)
Duration:00:47:25
Trump: Board of Peace to forge 'everlasting peace'
1/22/2026
President Trump says his Board of Peace will help forge 'everlasting' peace in the Middle East and the wider world, but a number of European countries have refused to join the body. We hear from the president’s former Deputy National Security Adviser.
Also on the programme: US envoys head to Moscow to meet with President Putin in latest round of Ukraine peace talks; and the nominations for this year's Oscars are out, with vampire horror Sinners receiving a record-breaking sixteen nods.
(Photo: US President Donald Trump holding charter for his Board of Peace initiative in Davos, Switzerland, on 22 January 2026; Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
Duration:00:47:26
Trump launches 'Board of Peace'
1/22/2026
US president Donald Trump has launched his Board of Peace - promising a new era of peace for the Middle East and beyond.
The board is part of Trump's 20-point plan to end the Israel-Hamas war. The UK says will not yet be signing up the board over concerns about Russian leader Vladimir Putin's possible participation. We'll ask how it will work -- and get the view of a former top UN official.
Also in the programme: Can President Trump pressure President Zelensky over concessions to Russia?; and we'll have the latest on a landslide in New Zealand.
(Photo shows US president Donald Trump taking part in an announcement for his Board of Peace initiative in Davos, Switzerland on 22 January2026. Credit: Denis Balibouse/Reuters)
Duration:00:46:33
Trump drops threat of tariffs over Greenland after Nato talks in Davos
1/21/2026
President Trump says he will not initiate tariffs on those countries opposed to his acquiring Greenland. He was speaking after talks with Nato leaders meeting at Davos. Also in the programme: The Nigerian government plans to restart drilling for oil in the Niger Delta, 30 years after nine people were executed for criticising the damage caused by Shell’s oil operations there; and researchers reveal news of the oldest cave art ever discovered. (IMAGE: US President Donald Trump attends a reception with business leaders during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, 21 January 2026 / CREDIT: photo by REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Duration:00:47:18
Trump says he won't take Greenland by force
1/21/2026
President Trump tells the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he is seeking immediate negotiations to acquire Greenland, but won't use force to take it. We hear live reaction to his speech. Also in the programme: a BBC investigation into the killing of protesters in Iran; and the challenges for athletes of travelling with large sports equipment.
Duration:00:47:29
Greenland tensions continue at Davos
1/20/2026
The World Economic Forum in Switzerland has been dominated by President Trump's ambition to take control of Greenland and his threat to impose tariffs on European countries that resist. President Macron of France accused the US of trying to weaken and subordinate Europe.
Also in the programme: A new ceasefire announced in Syria; and we hear from the Ugandan opposition leader, Bobi Wine.
(Picture: France's President Emmanuel Macron at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Credit: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)
Duration:00:47:24
Europe grapples with transatlantic crisis at Davos
1/20/2026
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Europe's most senior politicians grapple with a transatlantic crisis and a US president speaking to them in a way they have never known before. Can the UK's 'gentle' approach still work?
Also on the programme: The Ugandan singer-turned-opposition leader Bobi Wine gives his first post-election interview to the BBC in hiding; and an Austrian cow that uses a tool, held in its mouth, to scratch its back.
(Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Layen speaks during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos. Credit: Reuters)
Duration:00:47:26
European allies rebuff Donald Trump's latest threats over Greenland
1/19/2026
European allies rebuff Trump over Greenland -- we'll hear the case FOR a US takeover. Dozens dead in Spain as in a high-speed train crash. We speak to a survivor Was it thrilling or was it shameful? The sensational conclusion to Africa's top football tournament. and the Italian fashion legend - Valentino - has died.
Duration:00:47:25
