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Pope Leo XIV has said he has “no fear of the Trump administration”, after his criticism of the Iran war drew scorn from President Donald Trump.

On Sunday, the US President called the Pope “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy”, and posted a now-deleted AI image of himself depicted as a Christ-like figure.The posts caused outrage among Catholics and the religious right, but he has said he will not apologise to the Pope.

We speak to BBC presenter and author Edward Stourton, who has reported on religious affairs and US politics for decades, about what happens when an American president takes on an American Pope.

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00:00 Introduction

01:11 Feud timeline so far

06:28 Confrontation between

08:02 Pope Leo, the diplomat

10:01 American Catholicism

12:36 The 'eternal' viewpoint of the church

13:42 Pope John Paul II comparisons

14:40 Religious rhetoric around the war in Iran

16:48 American evangelisms relationship with the Pope

17:47 Donald Trump's use of Christian imagery

19:50 Who is really the most powerful American in the world?

Talks between the US and Iran are “productive and ongoing”, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

On reports that a second round of in-person negotiations are being planned, she said "those discussions are being had but nothing is official until you hear it from us here at the White House".

Fighting between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah continued after Israel and Lebanon held direct talks in Washington aimed at easing the conflict.

Also on Wednesday, Iran threatened shipping in the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and Red Sea in response to the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

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Today, an undercover BBC investigation has found evidence of law firms and legal advisors helping migrants pretend to be gay to get asylum.

Migrants were advised to take staged photos at nightclubs, attend LGBT events and to go to GPs pretending to be depressed to obtain medical evidence to support their cases.

Adam and Chris are joined by BBC politics investigation correspondent Billy Kenber, who uncovered the story. In response to our findings, the Home Office said: "Anyone found trying to exploit the system will face the full force of the law, including removal from the UK."

Plus, Adam also checks in with Faisal, who’s in the US at the IMF’s annual conference. He fills us in on the indirect war of words between Rachel Reeves and her US counterpart, Scott Bessent.

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The United Nations has said the world is "failing" Sudan, as the country's civil war stretches into its fourth year. The UN has described the situation there as the world's largest humanitarian crisis - with UN Secretary-General António Guterres saying the "nightmare must end".

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the civil war and around 14 million have been displaced according to the UN, who also report widespread instances of sexual violence.

There are now warnings that the use of drone warfare is on the rise, with both sides in the conflict reportedly being supplied by other countries. The UN's humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher has said nearly 700 civilians have been killed by drone strikes in Sudan, since the start of this year.

The conflict began in April 2023 as a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group - who had fought on the same side of a 2021 coup to overthrow a joint military-civilian government.

As international donors meet at a conference in Berlin, with the hopes of raising 1 billion dollars for Sudan, the BBC's Africa correspondent Barbara Plett Usher tell us that world leaders don't have the "bandwidth" to address this conflict.

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A shadow industry of law firms and advisers is charging thousands of pounds to help migrants pretend to be gay in order to stay in the UK, the BBC has found.

In the first part of a major undercover investigation, we reveal how migrants whose visas are due to run out are being given fake cover stories and instructed in how to obtain fabricated evidence, including supporting letters, photographs and medical reports.

They then apply for asylum claiming to be gay and in fear for their lives if they return to Pakistan or Bangladesh.

In response to our findings, the Home Office said: "Anyone found trying to exploit the system will face the full force of the law, including removal from the UK."

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Hungary has seen a historic election result. After 16 years in power, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been ousted from the role.

Péter Magyar’s Tisza party won a comfortable "super majority" with two-thirds of the seats in parliament, meaning the party will be able to change the constitution.

The defeat will mean a huge reset of Hungary's relationships with the rest of the world.

Orbán has been a close partner of both US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin, and he had become a big thorn in the side of the EU and Ukraine.

The BBC’s Europe Editor Katya Adler was in Budapest as the election unfolded, and takes you with her in this video as a historic defeat takes place.

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00:00 - Intro

00:15 - Election eve party

01:16 - Who are the candidates?

01:49 - Trump and Putin

03:04 - Orbán’s Village

03:48 - Speaking to voters

04:54 - Orbán’s final rally

06:02 – Election Day

07:13 – Result and celebrations

Sudan's civil war has left 33.7 million people in need of food, water, shelter and medicine.

It began exactly three years ago following a power struggle between the army and its then-ally, the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.

Some Sudanese citizens are scattered outside the country, having been forced from their homes during the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

A peace plan put forward last September by the United States and the regional countries most involved in the war, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, has gone nowhere.

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In Lebanon, one in five people have been forced to leave their homes since fighting renewed in March.

The BBC's Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega joined paramedics on duty in Nabatieh - a city that was once vibrant, but is now abandoned.

Israel say some ambulances and health facilities in Lebanon are being used by Hezbollah - but paramedics say there is no evidence of this claim.

Elsewhere, the Israel Defense Forces said troops had killed more than 20 Hezbollah fighters operating from a hospital compound in Bint Jbeil on Sunday, the site of fierce fighting during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanon's health ministry denied the claim, accusing Israel of targeting civilians and medical facilities.

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US President Donald Trump said US-Iran talks could restart in Pakistan "in the next two days”, though Iran is yet to comment.

He also said the war is "very close to over", in a preview of an interview released by Fox News.

Meanwhile, Israel's attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon continue, after it held talks with the Lebanese government in the US on Tuesday.

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King Charles III and Queen Camilla will not meet survivors of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during the state visit to the US this month, a Buckingham Palace source confirmed, as further details about the trip were released.

But it is expected the Queen will meet representatives of groups campaigning against domestic abuse and violence against women at some events during the visit, taking place between 27 and 30 April.

Palace sources said the King can play a unique role in supporting a UK and US partnership that has "survived many presidencies and of course many reigns".

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