NewsHour

Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.

President Trump has announced that there will be a ceasefire in Lebanon where Israel has been engaged in a war with Hezbollah. The US leader said both countries had agreed that a ten day pause in fighting would begin at midnight local time. Mr Trump also said he'd be inviting the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and the Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun to the White House for talks.

Also in the programme: As a dispute with the Vatican over the Middle East war continues, President Trump has dismissed comments by Pope Leo who'd said the world was being ravaged by tyrants; and another missing page in the life story of William Shakespeare has been found - the London home he bought three years before he died.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House before departing on Marine One, in Washington, DC on 16 April 2026. Credit: Graeme Sloan/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)

Iranians tell the BBC's chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, they're unsure the ceasefire will hold. Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned Iran to choose wisely in negotiations with the United States. He said the US military was reloading and ready to go at the push of a button. We have a report from inside Tehran and ask about the prospects for talks between Lebanon and Israel.

Also in the programme: the South African politician, Julius Malema, has been sentenced to five years in prison for violating gun laws; and we find out how sperm whales mirror the language of humans.

(Photo: Lyse Doucet reporting from Tehran: Credit BBC)

The White House says indirect talks about the extension of a ceasefire between the US and Iran were productive and ongoing - hours after Pakistani mediators arrived in Tehran. Meanwhile, hundreds of ships remain stranded due to blockades in the Strait of Hormuz. We hear from a major shipping company.

Also on the programme: a Sudanese author reflects on 3 years of conflict; and we take a tour of a new exhibition celebrating 125 years of Black British music. (Photo: A handout photo made available by the Iranian Foreign Ministry Office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) and Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir during a meeting in Tehran, Iran. Credit:HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Three years since the start of Sudan's brutal civil war, international donors are meeting in Berlin to discuss ways to end the country's dire humanitarian crisis. We hear from a top UN aid official and an acclaimed Sudanese author.

Also in the programme: a new online search engine helps people to discover if their ancestors were members of the Nazi party; and we speak to the director of a new film The Wizard of the Kremlin.

(Photo: Internally Displaced Persons in Sudan. Credit: UNHCR/Ala Kheir)

China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, has described the American blockade as 'irresponsible' while the IMF is warning that the global economy could slip into recession because of the Iran war. Also on the programme: Israel and Lebanon have held direct talks for the first time in decades, to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah; and we hear about the return of a centuries‑old stone carving of the Zimbabwe bird - the country's sacred national emblem.

(A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Credit: Reuters)

Israeli and Lebanese officials to meet to discuss Israel's campaign against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. We report from southern Lebanon.

Also in the programme: a BBC investigation into Greek police recruiting mercenaries to push migrants back into Turkey; the rise and fall of the Chinese property developer who was once Asia's richest person but has now pleaded guilty to fraud; conservation success in Uganda where numbers of mountain gorillas are rising; and could small talk be good for you?

(IMAGE: Israeli soldiers stand among destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in northern Israel, April 14, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Florion Goga)

Péter Magyar is expected to be the new Prime Minister as Orbán's 16-year reign comes to an end. Record numbers of Hungarians showed up at the polls for an election which was seen as pivotal to the future of Hungary and Europe. Magyar has promised closer ties to the EU and an anti-corruption agenda. Our presenter in Budapest Rajini Vaidyanathan speaks to people on the ground to discuss what this new chapter means for the country.

Also on the programme: Donald Trump says he wants to intercept all ships who pay Iran to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. We discuss the legal implications of his suggestion with marine lawyer Caroline Tuckett. And, the British rockband Deep Purple are touring the world where they met an unexpected huge fan - the Japanese prime minister.

(Photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reacts as people applaud after the announcement of the partial results of parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Péter Magyar's centre-right pro-European Tisza party wins crucial two thirds majority in Hungary. The landslide win ends Viktor Orbán's 16 years in power and opens the door to major changes. Newshour is live in Budapest where the news is sinking in; and we get reaction from Europe and Russia.

Also in the programme: the US is set to begin a blockade of Iran's ports in an hour's time – we ask what it could achieve; President Trump denounces the Pope, who's arrived in Algeria at the start of a tour of Africa; and could microscopic fungi hold the key to future supplies of chocolate?

Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.