Newshour

President Trump has announced that there will be a ceasefire in Lebanon where Israel has been engaged in a war with Hezbollah. The US leader said both countries had agreed that a ten day pause in fighting would begin at midnight local time. Mr Trump also said he'd be inviting the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and the Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun to the White House for talks. Also in the programme: As a dispute with the Vatican over the Middle East war continues, President Trump has dismissed comments by Pope Leo who'd said the world was being ravaged by tyrants; and another missing page in the life story of William Shakespeare has been found - the London home he bought three years before he died. (Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before departing on Marine One, in Washington, DC on 16 April 2026. Credit: Graeme Sloan/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)

Iranians tell the BBC's chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, they're unsure the ceasefire will hold. Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned Iran to choose wisely in negotiations with the United States. He said the US military was reloading and ready to go at the push of a button. We have a report from inside Tehran and ask about the prospects for talks between Lebanon and Israel. Also in the programme: the South African politician, Julius Malema, has been sentenced to five years in prison for violating gun laws; and we find out how sperm whales mirror the language of humans. (Photo: Lyse Doucet reporting from Tehran: Credit BBC)

The White House says indirect talks about the extension of a ceasefire between the US and Iran were productive and ongoing - hours after Pakistani mediators arrived in Tehran. Meanwhile, hundreds of ships remain stranded due to blockades in the Strait of Hormuz. We hear from a major shipping company. Also on the programme: a Sudanese author reflects on 3 years of conflict; and we take a tour of a new exhibition celebrating 125 years of Black British music. (Photo: A handout photo made available by the Iranian Foreign Ministry Office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) and Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir during a meeting in Tehran, Iran. Credit:HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Three years since the start of Sudan's brutal civil war, international donors are meeting in Berlin to discuss ways to end the country's dire humanitarian crisis. We hear from a top UN aid official and an acclaimed Sudanese author. Also in the programme: a new online search engine helps people to discover if their ancestors were members of the Nazi party; and we speak to the director of a new film The Wizard of the Kremlin. (Photo: Internally Displaced Persons in Sudan. Credit: UNHCR/Ala Kheir)

China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, has described the American blockade as 'irresponsible' while the IMF is warning that the global economy could slip into recession because of the Iran war. Also on the programme: Israel and Lebanon have held direct talks for the first time in decades, to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah; and we hear about the return of a centuries‑old stone carving of the Zimbabwe bird - the country's sacred national emblem. (A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Credit: Reuters)

Israeli and Lebanese officials to meet to discuss Israel's campaign against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. We report from southern Lebanon. Also in the programme: a BBC investigation into Greek police recruiting mercenaries to push migrants back into Turkey; the rise and fall of the Chinese property developer who was once Asia's richest person but has now pleaded guilty to fraud; conservation success in Uganda where numbers of mountain gorillas are rising; and could small talk be good for you? (IMAGE: Israeli soldiers stand among destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in northern Israel, April 14, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Florion Goga)

Péter Magyar is expected to be the new Prime Minister as Orbán's 16-year reign comes to an end. Record numbers of Hungarians showed up at the polls for an election which was seen as pivotal to the future of Hungary and Europe. Magyar has promised closer ties to the EU and an anti-corruption agenda. Our presenter in Budapest Rajini Vaidyanathan speaks to people on the ground to discuss what this new chapter means for the country. Also on the programme: Donald Trump says he wants to intercept all ships who pay Iran to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. We discuss the legal implications of his suggestion with marine lawyer Caroline Tuckett. And, the British rockband Deep Purple are touring the world where they met an unexpected huge fan - the Japanese prime minister. (Photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reacts as people applaud after the announcement of the partial results of parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Péter Magyar's centre-right pro-European Tisza party wins crucial two thirds majority in Hungary. The landslide win ends Viktor Orbán's 16 years in power and opens the door to major changes. Newshour is live in Budapest where the news is sinking in; and we get reaction from Europe and Russia. Also in the programme: the US is set to begin a blockade of Iran's ports in an hour's time – we ask what it could achieve; President Trump denounces the Pope, who's arrived in Algeria at the start of a tour of Africa; and could microscopic fungi hold the key to future supplies of chocolate? IMAGE: Leader and prime ministerial candidate of the Hungarian opposition Tisza Party Peter Magyar holds a press conference after winning two-thirds of the votes in parliamentary elections, Budapest, Hungary, 13 April 2026 / CREDIT: Photo by TIBOR ILLYES/EPA/Shutterstock (16827419d))

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

The United States and Iran are blaming each other for their peace talks in Pakistan ending without agreement. The leader of Iran's negotiating team has said that the United States 'ultimately failed' to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation. The US vice-president JD Vance said Washington's terms had represented its "best and final offer". Also in the programme: Hungarians are voting in an election that could see an end to Viktor Orban's 16 years as prime minister; and legendary Indian singer, Asha Bhosle, has died at the age of 92. (Photo: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (L). Credit: Reuters)

US and Iranian officials are continuing with their direct talks with Pakistan in Islamabad on bringing an end to conflict in the Middle East. The US Central Command says two American navy ships have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, in the first such move since the war with Iran began. President Trump had earlier said Washington had started clearing mines from the waterway, a claim denied by Tehran. Also in the programme: Hungary prepares to go to the polls; and how British exceptionalism led the Cambridge five who spied to despise the people they betrayed. (Photo: Vice President JD Vance walks up a flight of stairs to meet with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks about Iran, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Islamabad. CREDIT: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS)

US and Iranian officials are meeting the Pakistani prime minister separately to discuss extending the two-week ceasefire between their two countries. Iranian TV, however, says talks could be cancelled if Tehran’s conditions are not met. We hear the latest from the BBC’s Chief International correspondent. Also on the programme: A look ahead at tomorrow’s elections in Hungary where Prime Minister Viktor Orban could fall from power after 16 years; and a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean for the returning Artemis II astronauts. (Photo: US Vice President JD Vance waves after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday 11th April 2026. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS)

Iran has set pre-conditions for the start of negotiations with the United States including a ceasefire in Lebanon. President Trump insisted that Iran had only one card to play in the negotiations - its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Also on the programme: the four astronauts on board the Artemis mission are preparing to return to Earth. We speak to someone who went before them and we hear from a 13-year-old girl in Beirut who witnessed an Israeli strike on the city. (Wreckage after Israel launched a blitz of air strikes on Lebanon on Wednesday CREDIT: AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan has said it is confident that talks between Iran and the United States will begin on Saturday in Islamabad as planned, despite both sides complaining of ceasefire violations. Also on the programme: Melania Trump makes a rare statement to reporters, denying she had a relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; and Hip-hop pioneer, Afrika Bambaataa, dies aged 68. (Photo: Pakistani security officials stand guard at a checkpoint as security has been intensified ahead of the visit of US and Iranian delegations in Islamabad, Pakistan on April 9, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

The Israeli prime minister says he's ready for direct negotiations with Lebanon, as Iran says the continuing Israeli attacks on Lebanon violate Iran's ceasefire with the US. We hear the latest from Israel, Lebanon and the US. Also in the programme: the UK says three Russian submarines have conducted a "covert" operation over Britain's vital underwater cables and pipelines; and as the crew of the Integrity spacecraft on the Artemis II mission around the Moon hurtle back towards Earth, we hear from the wife of the Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. (IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. CREDIT: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo)

A top Iranian official has told the BBC the US must choose war or peace, as the ceasefire appears compromised. Iran's deputy foreign minister said Tehran had warned Washington, after Israel's massive strikes on Lebanon, that it could not have it both ways. Saeed Khatibzadeh accuses Israel of a "massacre" in Lebanon - 203 people were killed on Wednesday, according to the health ministry. Also, Argentina's Congress has passed a controversial amendment making it easier to mine in glacier regions, a move environmentalists say weakens protections for crucial water sources. And a Los Angeles woman dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for selling drugs that led to the death of Friends actor Matthew Perry. (Photo: Aftermath of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Ain Al Mraiseh in Beirut. Credit: Reuters)

Israel and the US say Lebanon is not included in a two-week ceasefire deal with Iran. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps says it will deliver a “regret-inducing response” if Israeli strikes on Lebanon don’t stop immediately, according to Iran’s state media. American Vice-President JD Vance is expected to lead a US negotiating team at peace talks in Pakistan this weekend. Also in the programme: we hear more about one of the fastest growing disability sports around the world, powerchair football. (Photo shows civilians and emergency responders standing amid rubble at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, April 8, 2026. Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

The US and Iran have agreed a two-week ceasefire and as part of the agreement Iran says it will reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Both sides have claimed victory, with the US defense secretary saying it "offers chance at real peace". Also in the programme: Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued pummelling what it says are dozens of command centres belonging to Hezbollah, Iran's proxy force in Lebanon; and we'll hear more about the impact of powerchair football for participants with life-limiting disabilities. (Photo shows U.S. President Donald Trump at a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C. on 6 April 2026. Evan Vucci/Reuters)

The White House says Donald Trump is the only person who knows his plans for Iran, after his threat that a ‘whole civilisation will die’ if Tehran doesn't do a deal to end the war. The President's latest deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face the destruction of key infrastructure, expires within hours. Also in the programme: As the Artemis II astronauts make their way home from the far side of the Moon, we speak to former Nasa boss Charles Bolden; and Kanye West, now known as Ye, won't be allowed to perform in London this summer because of antisemitic remarks. (Photo: An Iranian national flag is placed on the debris of a damaged building at the Sharif University after an airstrike in Tehran, Iran, 07 April 2026. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA)

The Artemis II astronauts are bound for a return to Earth after conducting a historic lunar fly-by and witnessing a total solar eclipse from their spacecraft. The spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth - 252,756 miles (406,771km), the furthest distance humans have travelled into space. We'll hear from NASA's Head of Science. Also in the programme: Multiple reports indicate new US strikes on Kharg Island in the Gulf as President Trump posts that "a whole civilisation will die tonight" unless a deal is reached; US vice-president JD Vance visits Hungary ahead of elections; Cambodia says it's cracking down on scammers; and Kanye West has been blocked from travelling to the UK over anti-Semitic comments. (Photo shows the Moon rises over the Halde Hoheward near Herten, Germany on 7 April 2026. Credit: Christopher Neundorf/EPA)