Newshour

Itamar Ben-Gvir is a far right politician who, if he does resign, could bring down the Israeli government. He says a ceasefire would be a win for Hamas,

Also on the programme: the American director David Lynch, whose work included films like The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet as well as the TV series Twin Peaks, has died at the age of 78. Nicholas Cage, the star of his classic film Wild At Heart, pays tribute: and animal rights campaigners in France are celebrating the saving of a tame wild boar named "Rillette", who was named after a meat pâté. We hear from the woman who saved him.

(Picture: Israel's Minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir. Credit: Reuters)

An Israeli cabinet meeting to ratify the ceasefire agreement for Gaza between Israel and Hamas is delayed, with the government accusing Hamas of reneging on the terms. We hear from a member of the governing coalition and from Hamas, which denies Israel's accusation.

We also hear from one man in Gaza about his hopes for the deal - and from the family of one Israeli hostage. And we talk to the co-author of a new study reassessing the number of those killed in Gaza, who explains why current estimates are likely to be far too low.

(Photo: A Palestinian child jumps down from the rubble of a building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, ahead of a ceasefire set to take effect on Sunday, in Khan Younis, Gaza, 16 January, 2025. Credit: Hatem Khaled/Reuters)

After 15 months of war, Hamas and Israel have agreed a ceasefire agreement which will come into force on the 19th January. The deal will enter a 42-day first phase, after which the second phase of the ceasefire and further release of hostages will need to be agreed. We speak to the brother-in-law of one the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, an Israeli Member of the Knesset who is opposed to the deal, a Palestinian journalist living in Gaza and a representative of UNRWA, the main United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. Also in the programme: how wildfires in LA have destroyed thousands of homes in working class neighbourhoods. Photo: Palestinian supporters celebrate news of a ceasefire with Israel, in Berlin, Germany, January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben

South Korean investigators say the impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, is refusing to answer questions under interrogation. He was arrested on Wednesday in relation to his short-lived imposition of martial law in early December. In a video message the president said he had agreed to appear before the investigators to prevent any bloodshed, though he described the investigation as illegal.

We speak to a member of the opposition and to a prominent South Korean writer about the mood in the country.

Also in the programme: an international panel of experts says we need to improve how we diagnose obesity to avoid over-diagnosis; firefighters in LA brace for new high winds; Is Space being privatised - and is that fair? And Kenya's only ice hockey team goes international.

Photo: Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol rally near the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking officials following his arrest in Gwacheon, South Korea, January 15, 2025. Credit: Soo-hyeon/ REUTERS

Former Fox News host and military veteran Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's nominee for defence secretary, faced four hours of grilling by the Senate Armed Services Committee. He was challenged over previous comments made about women in the military; elsewhere he vowed to restore a "warrior ethos" to the Pentagon.

Also on the programme: how Russians have been trying to get Ukrainians to sabotage their military, to secure the release of a loved one; and a Canadian pilot, whose skill has impressed the world in scooping up seawater to put out the LA fires.

(Picture: US Secretary of Defence nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington DC. Credit: SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Qatari mediators say major differences have been overcome in negotiations on a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza.

What will it mean for Palestinians there and for the relatives of Israeli hostages, who are anxiously waiting for news of the negotiations?

Also on the programme: the BBC investigates new evidence after the deaths of tourists on a boat that capsized off Egypt; and why Starbucks is about to get less welcoming to people who hang around in its shops without buying anything.

(Photo: Supporters of Israeli hostages, kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, protest amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Tel Aviv. Credit: Reuters)

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken by phone - in Biden's final week in office - as momentum builds towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Israel and Hamas are understood to be making progress but uncertainty remains over key aspects of the potential agreement.

Also on the programme: Twenty-six men have been rescued from a mine shaft in South Africa after spending more than two months trapped underground; and research from Nasa tells us that we are less likely to notice when a woman is tired than a man.

(Photo: Protest in Tel Aviv calls for Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The BBC has heard allegations about working conditions at Shein. Some workers have claimed that they are working for more than 75 hours a week, which would contravene Chinese labour laws. We explore Shein’s business model.

Also in the programme: South Korea’s spy agency gives new figures of North Korean soldier casualties in Ukraine; and the European island that celebrates New Year’s Day in mid-January.

(Photo: A shopper carries a bag while visiting Shein's Christmas bus tour, in Manchester, Britain, December 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja)

Two of the four Los Angeles wildfires have been contained, while the Palisades and Eaton Fires rage on. We hear the latest news from the city, as well as reports of landlords who are hiking rental prices as people who have had to leave their homes seek temporary housing. Also in the programme: the North Korean soldiers who have been captured in Ukraine; and a conversation with the renowned British artist Tracey Emin.

(Photo: A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles, California. Credit: REUTERS/Ringo Chiu)

Firefighters in California say calmer winds and higher humidity have helped their efforts to prevent wildfires in Los Angeles from reaching the city's expensive Brentwood neighbourhood. However, strong winds are forecast to return, and the fire risk remains high. Sixteen people are now known to have died over the past five days.

Also on the programme: Sudanese army claims capture of key eastern city from rebels; Donald Trump's expansionist foreign policies, wanting to take over Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal; and we speak to Fernanda Torres, the first Brazilian to win Best Actress Golden Globe Award.

(Photo: A firefighter watches as the Palisades Fire, one of simultaneous blazes that have ripped across Los Angeles County. Credit: REU)