Newshour

Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Qatar have condemned Israeli plans to push forward with the registration of parts of the occupied West Bank as Israeli state land. The move will pave the way for further settlement expansion in the Palestinian territory. Decades-old regulations barring non- Muslims from buying land in the West Bank will no longer apply.

Also in the programme: The pioneering black figure skater whose backflip at the Olympics thirty years ago was a brilliant move marked down by the judges; how AI is already transforming farming; and we look back at the life of the acclaimed american actor Robert Duvall - who's died at the age of ninety-five.

(Photo: A woman walks past a dirt barrier that was recently placed by the Israeli military, at the main entrance to Luban e-Sharkiya, between Nablus and Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 16, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Ammar Awad)

European leaders and military chiefs make the case for increasing defence spending. A former head of the British military tells us investment is needed across the board, and that Europe is – and must be - able to defend itself without the US.

Also in the programme: Israel's cabinet votes in favour of beginning a process of land registration in the West Bank, a move condemned by Palestinians as ‘de-facto annexation'; and a row breaks out over potential cheating in the curling - at the Winter Olympics.

(IMAGE: Dutch Navy ship Johan de Witt heads to Arctic for NATO exercise, Den Helder, Netherlands - 16 Feb 2026/ CREDIT: Dingena Mol/EPA/Shutterstock)

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Aragchi is on his way from Tehran to Geneva, for the second round of nuclear talks with the US which take place on Tuesday. The country’s deputy foreign minister speaks to the BBC about these discussions and says the next steps lie with the US. We get reaction to this interview from a US congressman.

Also in the programme: Nigeria says Russia is recruiting its citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine; and how AI has given a folk singer with motor neurone disease a new voice.

(Photo: Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's deputy Foreign Minister, during an interview with BBC News in Tehran; Credit: BBC)

Iran's deputy foreign minister has told the BBC that Tehran is ready to consider compromises to reach a nuclear deal with the US, if Washington is willing to discuss lifting sanctions. The US has sent two aircraft carrier groups to the Middle East, ratcheting up pressure on Iran to reach an agreement.

Several European countries, including the UK, have blamed the Kremlin for the killing of the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. They say his murder was likely carried out, using a poison developed from a toxin in a rare frog. We get reaction to these updates from a friend of Navalny’s, alongside on Oscar-winning director who produced a documentary on him.

Also in the programme: Mass rape survivor Gisele Pelicot speaks to the BBC about trauma and healing ahead of her memoir being published; and an an exciting paleontological discovery has been made in Costa Rica.

(Photo: Flowers lay near a portrait of Russian late opposition leader Alexei Navalny in front of the Russian embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, February 2024. Credit: David Mdzinarishvili, EPA-EFE, REX, Shutterstock).

The US Secretary of State has told the Munich Security Conference that Washington is seeking to "revitalise" its alliance with European countries. Marco Rubio said the US would always be a "child of Europe", insisting that his country wants to preserve that relationship rather than end it. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said she was "very much reassured" by his remarks, adding that Europe "needs to step up" and take more responsibility for its own security. A day earlier, the leaders of Germany and France had warned of frictions in the transatlantic alliance.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has told other world leaders that 'our freedom is not guaranteed' in an era of big power politics. Opening the annual Munich Security Conference, Merz said that Europeans must be ready to make a 'sacrifice'. He also admitted that 'a deep divide has opened between Europe and the United States'. We'll speak to a senior German politician and a former member of the first Trump administration.

Also in the programme: a BBC Investigation uncovers devastating side effects of a set of widely used prescription drugs that can trigger impulsive behaviours; and we speak to the Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins about his memoir.

(Picture: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during the Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen)

Tarique Rahman is set to become the country's next prime minister. He comes from a family dynasty and has been living in self-imposed exile in London for the past 17 years. After a period of violent upheaval, what comes next for Bangladesh?

Also on the programme: reaction from Ukraine after skeleton bob racer Vladyslav Heraskevych is disqualified from the Winter Olympics; and award-winning British cinematographer Roger Deakins has written a memoir. We hear from the man behind Fargo, the Big Lebowski, Skyfall and others.

(Photo: Tarique Rahman greets supporters during an election campaign rally in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 09 February 2026 / Credit: MONIRUL ALAM/EPA/Shutterstock)

More countries advise against all but essential travel to Cuba, as US squeeze on oil supplies bites. It follows moves by the Trump administration to impose what is in effect an oil blockade on the island by threatening tariffs on any country supplying Havana.

Also in the programme: President Trump has repealed a government scientific finding that carbon emissions endanger human health, removing the legal basis for federal climate change regulations; and we ask, is the artificial intelligence revolution going to transform humanity?

(Photo: A man fishes near the Cuban-flagged tanker Alicia, docked at the Matanzas terminal, in Matanzas, Cuba, February 10, 2026. Credit Reuters/Norlys Perez)

Vote counting is underway in Bangladesh after its first election since the protests that overthrew the authoritarian Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024. We hear about the circumstances surrounding these elections.

Also on the programme: in China, annual emissions of carbon dioxide fell for the first time last year. Lauri Myllyvirta of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, which compiled the data, explains the significance behind this, and the Berlin film festival opens tonight with an Afghanistan romcom. We hear from its writer, director and star, Shahrbanoo Sadat.

(Photo: Electoral workers count the votes, during the 13th general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 12 February, 2026. Credit: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)