Newshour

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)

A US blockade of the Iranian coastline has come into force, after the failure of peace talks between the US and Iran at the weekend. The US says all vessels will be subject to interception, diversion and capture, except those transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.
Also in the programme: President Trump criticises the Pope; and the controversial ‘taxi test’ being used in job interviews.
(Photo: US President Trump at the White House in Washington, DC,13 Apr 2026. CREDIT: SALWAN GEORGES/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)