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The US is holding talks with Hamas over the hostages held in Gaza, the White House has confirmed.

Washington has until now avoided direct engagement with Hamas, as there is longstanding US policy against having direct contact with groups it lists as terrorist organisations.

The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Israel had been consulted prior to the talks.

News of the talks were first reported by Axios, which said the two sides were discussing the release of US hostages as well as a wider deal to end the war.

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Today, we look at former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's first major interview since he left office.

Nick Robinson joins Adam to unpack what Mr Sunak had to say, including why he regrets the ‘Stop the Boats’ slogan, how he felt about a podcast questioning his Englishness and what his political philosophy boils down to.

But first, Adam is joined by BBC Economics editor Faisal Islam to discuss the UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves looking at making spending cuts worth billions to the government’s welfare budget.

The Treasury will put the proposed cuts to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) on Wednesday amid expectations the chancellor's financial headroom has disappeared. Adam and Faisal Islam unpack what we know about the proposed cuts, and the chancellor’s Spring Statement later this month.

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On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump addressed Congress, outlining his vision for his second term after six weeks that have reshaped domestic and foreign policy.

The president acknowledged that adding a tax on imported goods from Canada, Mexico and China might cause a "disturbance" and that US farmers might feel a "period of indigestion".

But nothing he said suggested that he was backing away from a budding trade war that has roiled the stock market in recent days.

In fact, he promised to move forward with reciprocal tariffs on all US trade partners next month.

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The US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip that would allow the 2.1 million Palestinians living there to stay in place.

The proposal, endorsed by Arab leaders at a summit in Cairo, is an alternative to President Donald Trump's idea for the US to take over Gaza and permanently resettle its population.

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas welcomed the Arab plan, which calls for Gaza to be governed temporarily by a committee of independent experts and for international peacekeepers to be deployed there.

But both the White House and Israeli foreign ministry said it failed to address realities in Gaza and stood by Trump's vision.

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As talks continue to try and find a way forward for the Gaza ceasefire deal, a separate agreement between Jordan and Israel, backed by the US, is underway.

The deal saw 29 children in need of medical treatment arrive in Jordan from Gaza on Tuesday.

They're the first of an expected 2,000 children to be allowed out to the territory either because of their injuries or their medical conditions.

The UN says at least 14,500 children are reported to have been killed and many more badly wounded in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to "make things right" after US President Donald Trump paused military aid to Ukraine following a tense meeting in the Oval Office.

But that heated exchange between President Trump and President Zelensky is by no means the first time the two men have crossed paths.

In 2019, President Trump faced an impeachment inquiry over a call with the newly elected President Zelensky.

The BBC's Analysis Editor Ros Atkins takes a look at the wider context.

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For the first time since becoming US president again, Donald Trump addressed Congress on Tuesday, giving his longest speech to lawmakers on record.

He thanked Elon Musk for "working very hard", listing examples of how the billionaire is eliminating wasteful spending.

Trump told Congress he had received a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and that he "appreciated it".

After a second day of Trump's widely-criticised tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China coming into effect, he said "there'll be a little disturbance" but not much.

He also blamed former President Joe Biden for the soaring cost of eggs, which has been in the news in recent weeks.

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President Donald Trump has addressed a raucous joint session of the US Congress for the first time since he returned to power in January, declaring: "The American Dream is unstoppable."

In the longest presidential speech to lawmakers on record, he outlined his vision for his second term, as Republicans applauded a high-octane six weeks that has reshaped domestic and foreign policy.

Trump was heckled by Democrats and he goaded them in turn during the rowdy primetime speech.

The Republican president has moved to slash the federal workforce and crack down on immigration, while imposing tariffs on America's biggest trading partners and shaking up the trans-atlantic alliance over the war in Ukraine.

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President Trump has suspended delivery of all US military aid to Ukraine. The decision affects supplies of ammunition, weapons and other equipment, including shipments agreed to when Joe Biden was president. If sustained it would be likely to have a devastating impact on Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian forces occupying the country.

The announcement follows the angry scenes at a news conference at the White House last week, where Donald Trump told Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky that he was disrespectful and ungrateful towards the US and “gambling with a third world war”.

Ukraine’s president responded to news of the suspension of support with a statement on social media in which he said he was “ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership” to negotiate a peace deal with Russia. He also said he would sign up immediately to a deal allowing the United States to exploit Ukraine’s mineral resources.

The Trump administration has also imposed huge trade tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China, something Mr Trump has been threatening since he returned to the White House in January. Washington imposed 25% tariffs on products entering the US from Canada and Mexico, and has increased a levy on goods coming from China.

The Canadian prime minister announced retaliatory tariffs on US exports and warned that the trade war would be costly for both countries. Trudeau accused the US president of planning "a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us. That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state," he told reporters.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Sarah Smith, James Waterhouse and Faisal Islam.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to "make things right" after US President Donald Trump paused military aid to Ukraine following a tense meeting in the Oval Office.

But that heated exchange between President Trump and President Zelensky is by no means the first time the two men have crossed paths.

In 2019, President Trump faced an impeachment inquiry over a call with the newly elected President Zelensky.

The BBC's Analysis Editor Ros Atkins takes a look at the wider context.

Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/1rbfUog

For more news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com/news

#Ukraine #US #BBCNews