Newshour

Western diplomats have expressed 'cautious optimism' over a potential ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Our Gaza reporter and an Israeli journalist tell us more about the negotiations in Cairo.

We also speak to the family of one of the hostages still being held captive in Gaza and we hear about the realities of reporting from the territory.

Also in the programme: women in Amsterdam win the right to 'urination equality'; and the twelve-sided Roman mystery object that has been baffling experts for centuries.

(Photo: U.S.Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks to the U.S.-Arab meeting with representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian Authority in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Credit: REUTERS / Evelyn Hockstein / Pool)

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is talking up an Israeli offer to Hamas – does this mean Israel and Hamas are on the verge of a new deal to pause hostilities? We also hear about the perils of being a journalist in Gaza.

Also in the programme: Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says he'll stay on, despite allegations about his family; and Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz on competing freedoms and the dangers of neoliberalism.

(IMAGE: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the World Economic Forum's special meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - 29 Apr 2024 CREDIT: Deepu Das/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Ministers in Israel’s government are divided over a possible ceasefire deal with Hamas, which could see the return of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Benny Gantz, a member of the war cabinet, said the government would have no right to exist if it prevented a deal, but far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said a ceasefire would amount to a humiliating surrender.

Also on the programme: As South Africa marks 30 years since the end of apartheid, voters ask whether the ANC can still deliver on the promise of freedom and democracy; and Iranian authorities clamp down on the Egyptian hit TV series Assassins.

(Picture: Benny Gantz at a march by supporters of hostages in Gaza near Beit Shemesh, Israel, March 1, 2024 Credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

The Palestinian President says only the US can prevent an Israeli attack on Rafah. Efforts are underway to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas to safeguard the southern Gaza city where more than a million have fled. The US Secretary of State is meeting Arab leaders to discuss the situation.

Also in the programme: South Africa's democratic credentials, 30 years after the country's first true elections; Sophie Trudeau, wife of the Canadian prime minister, on separation and survival.

(Photo: A Palestinian girl at the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah last week. Credit: Reuters)

About 100 people have been detained at Northeastern University in the US city of Boston as police broke up a pro-Palestinian protest. It's the latest standoff in a wave of pro-Palestinian sit-ins at campuses around the United States.

Also in the programme: A resident of Haiti tells us he wants his country to be "occupied" to stop gang violence; and celebrations in South Africa marking 30 years since the first ever free and fair election in 1994.

(Photo: Police watch as pro-Palestinian students occupy a tent encampment in the grounds of Northeastern University while calling for the school to divest from Israel. Boston, USA, 26 April 2024. Credit: CJ Gunther/ EPA-EFE /REX/Shutterstock)

South Africa is marking 30 years since its first democratic elections, but the ANC could lose its grip on power due to endemic corruption, record levels of crime and unemployment, and infrastructure problems.

Also in the programme: thousands of people in Australia take to the street to demand action following a surge in violence against women; and a hole in the ozone layer is causing problems for wildlife in the Antarctic.

(Photo: Supporters of the African National Congress (ANC) in Soweto, South Africa. Credit: Reuters).

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

In an interview with the BBC, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says China is “helping Russia perpetuate its aggression against Ukraine”. But is there anything the US can do to stop it?

Also in the programme: large scale trials begin of the first personalised anti-cancer mRNA vaccines, given in combination with antibodies as a treatment for the skin cancer melanoma; and Denmark abolishes a public holiday - to spend more money on defence.

(IMAGE: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, April 26, 2024. / CREDIT: Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

At a hearing in Washington DC, Donald Trump's lawyers have been arguing that he cannot be tried for his alleged crimes, which include conspiring to overturn the 2020 US presidential election. We ask lawyer Amy Howe what this all means for him and his political future.

Also in the programme: a new transitional council is sworn in to lead Haiti amid continuing violence and chaos; and the so-called 'Pushkin plot' to steal rare books from libraries across Europe and replace them with fakes.

(Photo: US Supreme Court hears Trump immunity case, Washington. Credit: SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a visit to China - offering a mixture of friendliness and warnings. We assess US-China relations and ask what, if anything, this visit could change.

Also in the programme: the father of a US-Canadian aid worker killed in Gaza tells us the message he'd like today’s memorial service to send to the world; and the possible dangers of yet another artificial sweetener - one that's hard to avoid if you like soft drinks, cakes or chewing gum.

(MAGE: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport, in Beijing, China, April 25, 2024 / CREDIT: Mark Schiefelbein / Pool via REUTERS)

US President Joe Biden says Ukraine will receive more arms and equipment within the week after the US Senate approved a $60bn aid package. But what difference will this make to the people there?

Also on the programme: we hear the conflicting claims about the mass graves found in Gaza; and the ‘lost’ painting of Austrian artist Gustav Klimt that has been sold at auction in Vienna.

(Photo: US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the National Security Supplemental. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

US to deliver more arms to Ukraine after Congress approved multi-billion dollars aid package to Kyiv; also in the programme we look into claims of mass graves in Gaza; why have Tesla’s profit’s dropped?; and a lost Klimt painting goes on auction in Vienna.

(Photo: Ukraine supporter holding American and Ukrainian flags outside Congress. Credit: Shutterstock)

The US government says allegations that Israeli forces buried more than three hundred Palestinians in a mass grave at a medical complex in Gaza are incredibly troubling. A spokesman for the US state department said it was seeking a response of the Israeli government. Israel's military had earlier rejected the Palestinian allegation as baseless and unfounded.

Also the US Senate is set to vote later today on a major aid package for Ukraine, with its passage all but certain after the House of Representatives approved the assistance with broad bipartisan support. And more than a hundred and thirty people have been arrested during pro-Palestinian demonstrations at New York University in the United States.

Unseasonably warm temperatures in southern Russia and Kazakhstan have triggered fast-melting snow, causing unprecedented high rivers and flooding close to major cities. We speak to residents in Kazakhstan's badly affected areas.

Also in the programme: Arizona Supreme Court reinstates near-total abortion ban from 1864; and we hear about the contentious reform adopted by the EU parliament to adopt stricter migration rules and shared responsibility.

(Photo: KAZAKHSTAN EMERGENCIES MINISTRY HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The Israeli military has recovered the body of a hostage in Gaza. It accused the Islamic Jihad group of murdering Elad Katzir, who was snatched from a kibbutz in southern Israel during the Hamas attacks in October. His sister blamed the Israeli government for his death, saying it had failed to strike a second ceasefire deal to allow his release. There have also been protests in Israel demanding the release of all the remaining hostages in Gaza.

It’s six months since the beginning of the war in Gaza – we speak to our chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet in Jerusalem. Also on the programme: Ecuador sparks international outrage by storming the Mexican Embassy in Quito; and why boxing icon Muhammed Ali's shorts might sell at auction for six million dollars.

Picture: People attend protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, calling for the release of the hostages in Gaza. Credit: Hannah McKay/Reteurs)

Aid organisations have stressed the need for an independent investigation into the deadly Israeli drone strike on an aid convoy after the IDF published its first account of the event.

Also in the programme: The BBC's analysis of Israel's evacuation warnings in Gaza; we remember the Nirvana singer, Kurt Cobain, thirty years after his death; and will a new currency stabilise Zimbabwe's economy?

(Photo: Clothes of members of the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) inside their destroyed car in southern Gaza Strip. Credit: EPA).