
Episodes
Iran protests grow despite regime crackdown
1/10/2026
Anti- government protesters have flooded the streets of the Iranian capital for a third night as Donald Trump repeats his support for the movement. Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran's ousted shah, has called for nationwide strikes as authorities signal intensified crackdown amid internet blackout. Hospital staffs told BBC that facilities are overwhelmed with dead or injured patients.
Also on the programme: Demonstrations take place after new video on deadly Minnesota ICE shooting released; and the earliest Superman comic sells for $15 million, we talk to a comic book artist who's held it.
(Photo: Screen grab obtained from a social media video of protesters gathering in Tehran. Credit: Social Media/via REUTERS)
Duration:00:47:27
Iran: Pahlavi calls for more protests
1/10/2026
After another night of nationwide protests, the exiled son of Iran's ousted shah has urged Iranians to go further and seize and hold city centres. We hear from Iran expert Sanam Vakil of Chatham House.
Also in the programme: we hear from Aleppo after clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish militia; and a trip through David Bowie's London.
(Picture: Protesters gather as vehicles burn, amid evolving anti-government unrest, in Tehran, Iran, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video released on January 9, 2026. Credit: Reuters)
Duration:00:42:23
Reports suggest growing protests in Iran
1/9/2026
Mass protests across Iran: but how will the authorities respond? We hear from the BBC Persian Service, where journalists are trying to monitor events amid an information blackout, and discuss Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's options with Iranian-American journalist Hooman Majd.
Also in the programme: Colombian President Gustavo Petro's views on United States policy in Latin America; and Elon Musk's former partner Ashley St Clair explains her concerns about sexualised images made by the Grok AI chatbot on X, formerly known as Twitter.
(Photo: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, taken on 3 Jan 2026; Credit: IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER OFFICE HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)
Duration:00:47:29
Iranian Supreme Leader denounces protests
1/9/2026
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has described demonstrators as vandals aiming to please a foreign power - as he faces the biggest wave of anti government protests in over a decade.
Also in the programme: we'll hear from the Greenlanders tired of President Trump's talk of take over; and the British government accuses the social media platform X of insulting the victims of misogyny and sexual abuse.
(Photo: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Credit: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/West Asia News Agency)
Duration:00:43:27
Trump officials defend officer who shot woman in Minneapolis while protests continue
1/8/2026
Vice-President J.D.Vance insists Renee Good was shot by an ICE officer in self defence. We hear the latest from the city amid conflicting accounts of what happened.
Also in the programme: reports of clashes between Iranian security forces and protestors across the country; political prisoners released in Venezuela; and what it's like to be sick in space.
(Photo: US Vice-President Vance addresses the media in the White House; Credit: WILL OLIVER/EPA/Shutterstock)
Duration:00:47:30
Hundreds attend Minneapolis vigil after ICE shooting
1/8/2026
Hundreds of people have attended a vigil in the US city of Minneapolis to protest against the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration agent. The woman, identified in the media as 37-year-old US citizen Renee Good, was shot at close range as she drove her car. The mayor of Minneapolis Jacob Frey has bluntly rejected the Trump administration's assertion that the agent had shot her in self-defence. Also in the programme: the Lebanese military says it has completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, and the most exciting new species of plants and fungi identified last year, including a spider-eating fungus. (Photo: People protest against the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. US, 8 January, 2026. Credit: Tim Evans/Reuters)
Duration:00:47:20
US seizes Russian-flagged tanker in Atlantic
1/7/2026
The United States says it has seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil - one in the Caribbean and a Russian-flagged vessel in the North Atlantic. We'll hear from a former head of NATO reflecting on President Trump's recent foreign policy moves.
Also on the programme: we speak to the son of a prominent Venezuelan political prisoner; and the story of Aldrich Ames, the CIA officer who became one of America's most damaging double agents, who has died aged 84.
(Photo: A US Coast Guard official looks through binoculars at the ship Marinera (Ex-Bella 1) in this handout image released January 7, 2026. Credit: X/Reuters)
Duration:00:47:26
US says it could use its military to seize Greenland
1/7/2026
US President Donald Trump has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including use of the military, the White House said. The White House has told the BBC that acquiring Greenland - a semi-autonomous region of fellow NAT member Denmark – was a "national security priority". We hear from a former senior commander of NATO and a politician from Greenland's parliament.
Also in the programme: US officials say that a mission to board a Russian flagged oil tanker sailing in the North Atlantic is underway; and the discovery of the trumpet from the Iron Age on the east coast of England.
(File photo: People gather for a protest outside the Embassy of the United States of America in Copenhagen, Denmark on March 29, 2025. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
Duration:00:47:30
European leaders commit to post-ceasefire security guarantees for Ukraine
1/6/2026
After a meeting in Paris of the European allies who call themselves the "coalition of the willing", with the Ukrainian president and two senior US envoys also in attendance, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky signed a joint declaration on security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire. We hear military analysis of the Ukraine agreement and also the latest US threats to annex Greenland.
Also in the programme: as the authorities in Venezuela turn up the repression, we hear from a one-time protestor in Caracas; and why anger is growing over an AI-powered tool for sexual content on Elon Musk's social media platform X.
(IMAGE: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, France's President Emmanuel Macron and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer deliver a press conference upon the signing of the declaration on deploying post-ceasefire force in Ukraine during the so-called 'Coalition of the Willing' summit, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, January 6, 2026 / CREDIT: Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS)
Duration:00:47:25
From the sidelines, Venezuela's opposition praises US intervention
1/6/2026
The Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, has said the removal from power of President Nicolas Maduro by US special forces is a huge step for freedom despite being sidelined by Trump. We hear from inside the country amid a crackdown in Caracas. Also on the programme, European leaders meet in Paris to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine; and a battle to save an historic monument to one of the great Antarctic explorers, Ernest Shackleton.
(Photo: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado looks on, outside the Grand Hotel after she was in the audience at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway, December 12, 2025. NTB/Ole Berg-Rusten via REUTERS)
Duration:00:47:21
Venezuela's Maduro pleads not guilty to drug charges
1/5/2026
The Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro pleads not guilty in New York to drug trafficking and other charges while Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president. Can she command the support of regime insiders as well as Washington? Also on the programme: we'll hear how ordinary Venezuelans are responding to the upheaval; and ask a Republican member of congress about President Trump's astonishing use of raw American power and the diplomatic conundrum for the US allies. (Photo: A screen grab taken from a handout video screenshot made available by Venezuela's state television VTV shows Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez being sworn in as acting president of the country in Caracas, Venezuela. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)
Duration:00:47:27
Trump warns new Venezuelan leader as Maduro set to appear in court
1/5/2026
The Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife are being transferred to a court in New York to face drugs charges -- two days after they were seized by US troops. Meanwhile in Caracas, Delcy Rodriguez is due to be sworn in as Venezuela's interim leader. She's offered to cooperate with Washington, after President Trump threatened further action.
Also in the programme: A French court has found ten people guilty of spreading lies online about President Macron's wife Brigitte; as protests in Iran continue for a ninth day, the Speaker of Parliament has said that the protesters' demands must be heard; and Venezuela has the world's biggest oil reserves, what happens to that now?
(Photo credit: Reuters/Adam Gray)
Duration:00:47:29
Rubio defends US actions in Venezuela
1/4/2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS news that the US will defend its interests in its own western hemisphere and insists Maduro is an indicted criminal.
In this edition dedicated to the Venezuelan crisis; we hear from a Caracas resident; and the intriguing details of the operation to extract Nikolas Maduro.
(Photograph: a supporter of President Maduro in Caracas holding dolls of Maduro and his wife. Credit: Shutterstock)
Duration:00:47:25
What happens next in Venezuela?
1/4/2026
The US will "run" Venezuela until a "safe, proper and judicious transition" can be ensured, Donald Trump has said, after US strikes led to the capture of the Latin American country's president and his rendition to New York.
What happens next in Venezuela? There's been celebration and condemnation of America's intervention. We'll hear from in Caracas and also the Colombia-Venezuela border.
Also in the programme: We also hear from a former Trump insider who worked with him on Venezuela, ask a leading international criminal lawyer about the legality of the situation; and we'll hear about weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.
(Photo shows Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro at the offices of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York. Credit: White House's Rapid Response 47 account on X.com)
Duration:00:47:30
Trump: US intends to 'run' Venezuela, after the capture of President Nicolas Maduro
1/3/2026
President Trump has announced the United States will run Venezuela until an orderly transition can be achieved, saying he wasn't afraid of putting boots on the ground. His comments came hours after US forces captured the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro (and his wife) during an overnight raid in Caracas. Mr Trump said Mr Maduro would soon face narco-terrorism charges in New York, posting a picture of the Venezuelan leader blindfolded and handcuffed. Mr Trump warned the US military would remain engaged to prevent resistance, but US Democrats have condemned a prolonged American involvement. The president also pledged that US oil companies would take over and rehabilitate Venezuelan oil facilities.
(Photo: Trump earlier shared a photo he said was of Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima. The image shows him blindfolded and wearing ear defenders)
Duration:00:47:28
US launches strikes on Venezuela and captures president
1/3/2026
The United States has captured Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and launched a “large-scale” strike against the country, according to US President Donald Trump. It follows weeks of heightened tension as the US president ramped up pressure on the Venezuelan leader. We get reaction from the US and wider region.
Also in the programme: the Swedish workers trialling a “friendship hour” to combat loneliness.
(Photo: Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro holds Simon Bolivar’s sword as he addresses members of the armed forces, Bolivarian Militia, police, and civilians during a rally against a possible escalation of US actions toward the country, at Fort Tiuna military base in Caracas, Venezuela, November 25, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo)
Duration:00:46:54
Swiss officials believe that the fatal fire was started by sparklers
1/2/2026
Investigators have questioned two French managers from the bar and are looking into the insulation foam used on the ceiling.
Iran has warned President Trump against interference, after he said the US would come to the rescue if protesters were killed. We hear from a protester. And President Zelensky of Ukraine has appointed the country's military intelligence chief as the new head of his presidential office. But what do we know about Kyrylo Budanov?
(Picture: Tributes left in the town of Crans Montana in Switzerland. Credit: Bott / EPA)
Duration:00:48:08
Swiss fire families face agonising wait
1/2/2026
As new images emerge of the fire at "Le Constellation" bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, the families of those still missing face an agonising wait for news: we have the latest from the investigation.
Also in the programme: President Trump says he's ready to step in to defend the anti-government protesters in Iran; we hear from a protester. Plus life at a hundred – we speak to one woman, still laughing - and still performing – at 100 years old.
(IMAGE: People pay their respects to the victims with flowers near the area where fire broke out at the 'Le Constellation' bar leaving people dead and injured, during New Year's celebration, in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, 02 January 2026 / CREDIT: Jean-Christophe Botte/EPA/Shutterstock)
Duration:00:47:28
Around 40 people killed and 115 injured in New Year fire at Swiss bar
1/1/2026
The President of Switzerland says the fire at a ski resort early on New Year's Day which killed around 40 people is one of his country's worst tragedies. Witnesses at the bar in the ski resort of Crans Montana say the entire ceiling was ablaze within seconds.
Also in the programme: There have clashes in a number of small towns across Iran, on the fifth day of anti-government protests; China has introduced a series of tax incentives - including levies on contraceptives and exemptions for childcare - to try to boost its falling birth rate; and new tax regulations are taking effect today in forty-eight countries over the personal ownership of cryptocurrency.
Plus punk rock is 50 years old this year. Why does this rather simple music keep influencing musicians even now?
(Photo: Officials say around 40 people were killed and 115 injured in the fire. Credit: Getty Images)
Duration:00:42:31
Dozens of people die after fire at Swiss ski resort
1/1/2026
Swiss police say dozens of people have died in a fire at the ski resort of Crans-Montana. More than a hundred others were injured, many seriously. The fire broke out early in the morning in a bar packed with people celebrating the New Year. We hear from the scene.
Also in the programme: as the latest US visa bans and restrictions take effect in a large number of countries, mainly in Africa, we hear from the Nigerian government; plus what's behind the latest purges of China's top military officers?
(IMAGE: Furniture pieces lie on the ground as an ambulance stands at the site of an explosion and fire at the "Le Constellation" bar, where several people died and others were injured after an explosion tore through a crowded New Year’s Eve party, according to Swiss police, in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 1, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from video / CREDIT: Valais Canton Police/Handout via REUTERS)
Duration:00:47:20