Newshour

American schoolteacher and former diplomat Marc Fogel has been released from prison in Russia and is on the way home to the US. The sixty-three year old teacher was detained in 2021 after he was found to be carrying a small amout of medical marijuana. He was then given a fourteen year prison sentence. Newshour speaks to his sister, Anne Fogel.

Also in the programme: Donald Trump faces Jordan's King Abdullah in The White House in their first meeting since the US president proposed moving Gaza's population to Jordan; the European Union says it will respond "fimly" to Trump's new proposed steel tariffs while also adding the EU is committed to finding a mutually beneficial solution; and mounting concerns over the Covid-19 whistleblower's health in a Chinese prison as reports suggests she's on hungar strike.

(Photo: Marc Fogel (right) pictured with his sisters. Credit: Anne Fogel)

As the Gaza ceasefire comes under increasing strain, the King of Jordan prepares for a tough meeting in the White House with President Donald Trump insisting Jordan, like Egypt, should make room for two million evicted Gazans.

Also on the programme: at an international summit on Artificial Intelligence in Paris, the UK and the US refuse to sign the final communique; and we will hear from the governor of Kentucky on how his state could be caught in a new international trade war.

(Photo: Palestinians make their way after Israeli forces withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, near Gaza City, February 9, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

The Palestinian militant group accused Israel of "delaying the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza", "targeting them with shelling and gunfire in various areas of the Strip", and of breaching the agreement on aid supplies. In response, Israel accused Hamas of a "complete violation of the ceasefire agreement and the deal to release the hostages."

Also on the programme: A global AI summit has kicked off in Paris- we'll hear from one of French President Emmanuel Macron's tech advisers; and we'll speak to Oscar-nominated actor Renée Zellweger on her reprise of the character of Bridget Jones for the film Mad About The Boy.

(Photo: Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, attends a protest in Tel Aviv in support of the hostages kidnapped during the October 7th attacks in Israel on February 10, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Shir Torem)

President Trump has said he'll announce further tariffs on America’s trading partners in the coming days, including a 25% charge on all steel and aluminium imports. We'll hear from the country most exposed - Canada.

Also on the programme: Can an Artificial Intelligence summit in Paris deliver new global rules; and the East Jerusalem bookshop raided by Israeli police, and its owners in court, over disrupting public order. One of their brothers says it's an assault on free speech.

(File Picture: Workers weld steel at Steelcon, a structural steel design and fabrication company, January 31, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio)

Israeli forces have withdrawn from a military zone cutting off northern Gaza from the rest of the territory, allowing hundreds of Palestinians to return home. The Netzarim Corridor had effectively cut the Gaza strip in two, trapping hundreds of thousands of people in the south. Meanwhile, Israeli negotiators have returned to Qatar to continue talks on the ceasefire agreement with Hamas. We speak to our correspondent in the region as well as an analyst on Middle Eastern conflict resolution.

Israeli forces withdraw from a corridor bisecting the Gaza Strip - will they now commit to pulling out of Gaza entirely? We hear from an Israeli government minister.

Also in the programme: President Trump accuses South Africa of seeking to seize white-owned land with a new law - we ask the minister responsible if that's true; and the joys of going to a concert in the dark.

(IMAGE: Palestinians wait to cross through a checkpoint run by U.S. and Egyptian security contractors after Israeli forces withdrew from the Netzarim Corridor, allowing people to travel in both directions between southern and northern Gaza, February 9, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters / Dawoud Abu Alkas)

The Red Cross says it's uncomfortable with the way the exchange of hostages for prisoners under the Gaza deal is handled. It's urged both sides to conduct future exchanges in a private and dignified way.

Also in the programme: Why Baltic nations are only now joining the European energy grid – we hear from Latvia’s energy minister; and a Spanish member of the European Parliament tells us why the new Patriots Group of radical parties of the right believe they can change Europe.

(Photo: Hamas fighters escort Ohad Ben-Ami, one of the three Israeli hostages released today, onto the stage before handing them over to the Red Cross. Credit: Haitham Imad / Shutterstock)

Three more Israeli hostages are released in Gaza: we hear from the brother-in-law of one of the hostages and about the medical challenges that lie ahead.

Also in the programme: African leaders call for an immediate ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo; and as the Trump administration slashes the 'indirect' element of all National Institute of Health grants, how will this affect medical science in the US?

(IMAGE: Or Levy, Eli Sharabi and Ohad Ben Ami, hostages held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, are released by Hamas militants as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, February 8, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters/Hatem Khaled)

Dozens of countries have expressed "unwavering support" for the International Criminal Court (ICC) after US President Trump imposed sanctions on its staff. We'll hear from a leading French politician.

Also, meeting violence with violence - critics say that the crackdown on crime by Ecuador's president has eroded human rights, but the security forces defend the approach.

Plus, the similarity between whales' song and human speech astonishes scientists.

(Photo: The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands. Credit: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)

The International Criminal Court has said it will continue to provide justice and hope to the victims of atrocities, after Donald Trump signed an order to impose US sanctions on its staff. The court said it stood firmly by its personnel. Mr Trump signed the order during a visit by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an ICC arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza. We hear reaction from the former ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo.