NewsHour

Five months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, we ask can Syria overcome its immense problems under its new Islamist rulers? Also in the programme: Europe commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Nazi surrender in 1945; and the end of the road for Skype.

Photo: A torn poster of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus suburb. Credit: Reuters.

Israel military has confirmed that tens of thousands of call-up orders are being sent to reservists, to prepare for another expansion of the war in Gaza. Israel says it's aiming to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages. Aid agencies have condemned Israel’s continued blockade of the territory.

Also, Newshour's Tim Franks reports from Syria, looking at the huge challenge of rebuilding this shattered country.

And as Cardinals concentrate on the spiritual aspects of a new pope, we look at the sartorial side.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Romanians vote for a new president after suspected Russian interference in 2024 poll. The nationalist presidential candidate, George Simion, a self described MAGA candidate, has said his only objective is “to put the Romanian people first”.

Also in the programme: We explore the ongoing impact of President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal repression tactics on ordinary Syrians; and we hear from International Booker prize nominee Solvaj Balle, alongside the translator who brought her work 'On The Calculation Of Volume' into the English literary canon.

(Photo: Banners showing U.S. President Donald Trump and Marian Cucsa, candidate of Republican Party of Romania, on the day of Romanian presidential election, in Bucharest, Romania, May 4, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki)

Labor's Anthony Albanese has defied the so-called "incumbency curse" to be re-elected Australia's prime minister in a landslide. Also on the programme, the medical charity, Medecins Sans Frontieres, says one of its hospitals in South Sudan has been bombed and that there are reports of deaths and injuries; and, Warren Buffett - regarded as one of the world's most influential investors - has surprised shareholders by announcing he'll retire from his firm by the end of the year.

(Photo: Australia holds Federal Elections, Sydney - 03 May 2025 LUKAS COCH/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Less than a week after the Liberals came from behind to win in Canada, Australia's governing Labor Party has won the election there. Is the Trump effect in play once more?

Also in the programme: Israel ramps up airstrikes on Syria, claiming to be defending the Druze minority; Poland boosts its defences in the face of the Russian threat; and we hear from an author shortlisted for the International Booker Prize – whose novel’s main character is based on her late sister.

(IMAGE: Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese celebrates at a Labor party election night event, after local media projected the Labor Party's victory, on the day of the Australian federal election, in Sydney, Australia, May 3, 2025 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Hollie Adams TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

The German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has been classified as extreme-right by the country's intelligence agency. This will allow for closer surveillance of the party - and potentially even a total ban. We hear from the party’s deputy leader who calls the decision ‘totalitarian’.

Also on the programme: The crew of a boat transporting aid to Gaza claims it was attacked by drones in international waters near Malta, and; Prince Harry tells the BBC that his father King Charles won't speak to him because of a dispute over who should pay for his security.

(Supporters of the Eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party wear morph suits and wave flags during an event to rally support for Sunday's European Parliament elections at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin May 23, 2014. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo)

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says an Israeli strike close to the Presidential Palace in Damascus is a message to Syria's government not to threaten the Druze community. The new Syrian government says any breach of the country's sovereignty is unacceptable -- but Mr Netanyahu insisted that Israel would "not allow" Syrian forces to deploy south of the capital. Sectarian clashes in Syria this week killed dozens of people.

Also in the programme: First Canada, now Australia - how the Trump factor is shaping tomorrow's election; and a surprise at the polls for Britain's governing Labour Party.

(Photo: Syrian security forces check vehicles at the entrance of Druze town of Sahnaya, Syria, May 1, 2025. Reuters/Yamam Al Shaar)

The US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has been demoted to UN Ambassador after a controversy involving sensitive military plans and a Signal group chat.

Also on the programme: the US and Ukraine clinch a natural resources deal but an agreement to end the conflict remains elusive; and with Roman Catholic cardinals readying to elect a new Pope, British author Robert Harris talks about his book Conclave.

And Newhour’s Julian Marshall presents his last programme after 51 years of reporting and presenting for the BBC World Service. We bid him farewell.

(Photo: US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz joins US Vice President JD Vance for a visit to the US military's Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on March 28, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Ukraine and the US have signed a much-anticipated natural resources deal, after months of tense negotiations. The deal - which says the US will share profits from future sales of Ukraine's mineral and energy reserves - aims to incentivise Washington to invest further in Ukraine's defence and reconstruction.

Also in the programme: Syrian officials say they have regained control of a Damascus suburb which had seen a surge in fighting between a Druze militia and government troops; and we look at the children's book The Gruffalo. Are you excited about the first new book in more than 20 years?

(Photo: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko sign the deal. Credit: Reuters, picture obtained from social media. Yulia Svyrydenko via Facebook)

The US economy shrank in the first three months of 2025, with GDP falling 0.3 per cent, partly because of a surge in imports in anticipation of President Trump's tariffs. Mr Trump says growth is on track; we hear from an economist.

Also in the programme: the US and Ukraine appear poised to sign a revised minerals deal; 50 years after the fall of Saigon, we hear from the former US marine who flew one of the last helicopters out of Vietnam; plus the Rwandan vet who's just won a prize for saving the majestic grey-crowned crane.

(IMAGE: US President Trump hosts Cabinet Meeting at the White House, Washington, USA - 30 Apr 2025 / CREDIT: Ken Cedeno/Pool/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)