US officials say Israel hit Iran with a missile overnight on Friday, in what appears to be a retaliatory strike after weeks of escalating tensions between the two countries. There are competing claims about the scale of the attack on the Isfahan region and the extent of any damage, with Iranian state media downplaying its significance. It comes after weeks of soaring tensions between the regional rivals, which have already seen an Israeli attack on an Iranian compound in Syria, and Iran launch an unprecedented assault against Israel. Also in the programme: we speak to Newshour's James Coomarasamy in Uttar Pradesh as voting has ended in the first phase of India's general election and we hear why so many of China's cities are sinking. (Photo: Anti-Israel billboards in Tehran following explosions around central city of Isfahan, Iran- 19 Apr 2024. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Presumed Israeli attack on Iran

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Efforts have intensified to secure a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, with talks resuming in Cairo on Saturday.
We hear from a former Israeli negotiator on his experience of dealing with Hamas. Also on the programme: how warmer temperatures mean Brazil is recording its highest ever rate of the potentially fatal dengue fever;   
and we ask what it’s like being a foreigner living in Japan after President Biden suggests the country’s xenophobic. Photo: Shelters used by displaced Palestinians who fled from the northern Gaza strip at Deir Al Balah beach in the southern Gaza Strip. Credit: MOHAMMED SABER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Gaza ceasefire talks to resume in Cairo

The Sudanese city of El-Fasher is on the brink of a major clash between rival forces, trapping hundreds of thousands of civilians. Also on the programme: Turkey severs trade links with Israel over the war in Gaza; and Russian troops have been deployed to an airbase in Niger where American soldiers are located.  (Photo: Newly arrived refugees from Darfur in Sudan sit on horse as they head to their shelters in Adre, Chad. Credit: Getty Images)

Darfur’s largest city on the brink of a major clash

The UN has warned that Sudan’s civil war is preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid. Toby Harward, the UN’s Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, said fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces around El-Fasher in Darfur has had led to an increase in arbitrary killings and the burning of villages. 
 
Also on the programme: Turkey suspends all trade with Israel over its offensive in Gaza; and China launches a rocket to collect samples from the dark side of the Moon. 
 
(Picture: Refugees from Darfur in Adre, Chad, 4 August 2023 Credit: REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra)

Situation in Darfur ‘catastrophic’

The US has accused Russia of deploying chemical weapons as a "method of warfare" in Ukraine, in violation of international laws banning their use. We speak to a Ukrainian MP who is near the frontline in Donetsk region. Also on the programme: a UN expert says the death of an 8-year-old boy in the West Bank appears to be a “war crime” after reviewing evidence gathered by the BBC; and a paediatrician tells us how a small change in interior design can make a big difference to neurodiverse people.   (Photo: Russian servicemen march to Red Square for a rehearsal for the annual military parade. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

US accuses Russia of using chemical weapons

The BBC has carried out an investigation into the death of a Palestinian boy in the West Bank - an investigation which a UN expert says may amount to evidence of a war crime. 
 
Also in the programme: as police in Los Angeles dismantle another pro-Palestinian university encampment, we hear from the veteran US senator Bernie Sanders. Plus, how scientists reconstructed a Neanderthal woman's face. (Photo: Adam, eight, was shot in the head as he ran away from Israeli armoured vehicles. Credit: BBC)

Presumed Israeli attack on Iran

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