BBC

Why would someone live publicly nude for their faith? In parts of India, Jain monks belonging to the Digambara sect permanently renounce all possessions, including clothes. These monks walk naked for hundreds of miles across India as part of their spiritual journey.

Journalist Rajesh Joshi explores this unique spiritual practice, meeting fully fledged monks and disciples on the path to total nudity. While walking with them across the countryside, Rajesh learns about the danger these monks face, and he speaks to villagers to find out what they think of these naked monks whose numbers have unexpectedly grown in recent years. We also speak to female Jain followers to understand how they feel about the nudity they witness.

Israeli strikes in Tehran are continuing tonight after Iran's newly appointed Supreme Leader said the country would keep blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane through which 20% of the world's oil supply flows. Mojtaba Khameini, son of former leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini, provided a statement that was read out on state TV, his physical condition remains unknown. We hear from Iranian refugees at the border with Turkey and from inside Lebanon, where Israel has expanded its operation against Hezbollah.

Also on the programme: does the resignation of the head chef at one of the world's most highly-esteemed restaurants auger a change in kitchen culture? We speak to a protege of Gordon Ramsey.

And after a widely praised speech on the scrapping of jury trials in the House of Commons by Geoffrey Cox, we analyse the ancient art of oratory.

The US is considering temporarily waiving the Jones Act, a century-old law from 1920 that normally requires all goods shipped between US ports to travel on US-built, owned, and flagged vessels. The waiver would allow foreign ships to move fuel between domestic ports for 30 days to help curb rising costs. Meanwhile, the war with Iran has already cost the US at least $11.3 billion in its first week, with global energy markets feeling the ripple effects and consumers facing higher prices.

(Picture: An aerial view of Exxon Mobil’s Beaumont oil refinery, which produces and packages Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil, in Beaumont, Texas, U.S., March 18, 2023. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo)

The US is considering temporarily waiving the Jones Act, a century-old law from 1920 that normally requires all goods shipped between US ports to travel on US-built, owned, and flagged vessels. The waiver would allow foreign ships to move fuel between domestic ports for 30 days to help curb rising costs.

Meanwhile, the war with Iran has already cost the US at least $11.3 billion in its first week, with global energy markets feeling the ripple effects and consumers facing higher prices.

As Iran releases the new supreme leader's first statement, we hear from the country's UN ambassador, Ali Bahreini. We also track the expanding Israeli military assault on Lebanon, and ask how the insurance industry is handling the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies.

Also in the programme: British tourist among those arrested in Dubai for having missile photographs on his phone; and a tribute album for the jazz musician Miles Davis on the centenary of his birth.

(Photo: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei; Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock)

Chris is struggling a bit, and Jakob is bemused.

Iranian state television has broadcast a message in the name of the newly appointed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. The message was read by an announcer and gave no clue as to the state of the leader's health. Some reports say he was injured on the first day of US and Israeli attacks. In the message, he said Iran would avenge the blood of its martyrs, and continue to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world's oil passes. We hear from people in Iran, many of whom say they are now living in constant fear. We also report from the US, where public approval for the war with Iran is the lowest at the start of any conflict since the Second World War, with around 41% agreeing with the US decision to attack Iran. In other news, a court in Russia has given life sentences to four men convicted of carrying out one of the worst terrorist attacks of recent years - the mass shooting at a concert hall outside Moscow. Also: an auction of a remarkable collection of legendary guitars - including Kurt Cobain's trademark 1969 Lake Placid blue Fender Mustang and other famous musical instruments, literary artefacts and sporting and film memorabilia - which belonged to the late billionaire American businessman, Jim Irsay.

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As the Strait of Hormuz remains shut what is being done to keep seafarers safe?

Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep blocking Strait of Hormuz in his first statement released by the regime after more attacks on cargo ships in the Gulf in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, causing another spike in oil prices.

Can American naval power keep those shipping lanes open? We'll assess the options and hear what people in America's heartland think about the war.

Also in the programme: Will a new "ethnic unity" law in China lead to more disunity?; and a piece of rock music history goes up for a sale - a rather battered guitar that belonged to Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.

(Photo shows the Thai-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree on fire after being hit by Iranian missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, on 11 March 2026. Credit: Royal Thai Navy)

During a parliamentary session, legislators in Senegal voted on a bill that was introduced last month by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, doubling the penalty for same sex relationships that are already a crime in the West African country. People convicted under the new law will now serve prison sentences of between 5 and 10 years and face fines of up to 17,600 USD.

We also look at why snakebite antivenom is so expensive in many African countries. In a conversation with Professor John Amuasi of the Global Snakebite Task Force, we discuss what can be done to improve access to treatment for snakebites in remote parts of Africa.

Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Keikantse Shumba, Bella Twine, Basma El Atti and Ayuba Iliya

Technical Producer: Jonathan Mwangi

Senior Producers: Daniel Dadzie and Blessing Aderogba

Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla