Newshour BBC Podcasts

South Africans have been voting in the most pivotal election since the end of apartheid, which could see the African National Congress lose its majority for the first time. Newshour gets the latest and speaks to voters.
Also in the programme: the impact on civilians as Israel pushes ahead with its military operation in Gaza; and the table tennis player who's qualified for the Paralympics tell us how he competes with no hands.
Photo: People queue to cast their votes in the South African elections in Durban, South Africa Credit: REUTERS/Alaister Russell

South Africans go to the polls today in what is predicted to be the most competitive election since the end of apartheid. Also in the programme, Delhi hits record-level temperatures and South Korea's clean-up effort after North Korea sends hundreds of balloons of rubbish that land across the country.
(Photo: People wait in line to cast their votes in Johannesburg, South Africa. Credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Officials from Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry say Israeli strikes on a tent camp for displaced Palestinians to the west of Rafah have reportedly killed at least twenty-one people. The tents that were reportedly hit were in Al-Mawasi. Israel has denied targeting the area. Newshour hears from James Smith, a British doctor working with the NGO Cadus, currently based in Al Mawasi.
Also in the programme: closing arguments in the Trump trial; and why peanut butter can help counter peanut allergies.
(Picture: A girl looks on, while Palestinians travel on foot along with their belongings, as they flee Rafah due to an Israeli military operation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Credit: Reuters)

Increased Russian shelling in the north-east city of Kharkiv has left residents feeling exposed calling into question how far Western allies of Ukraine can support the country by lifting restrictions on armaments.
Also in the programme: a BBC World Service investigation has revealed that children as young as five are working in the fields in Egypt - picking jasmine for a global perfume industry that’s worth billions; and we speak to an Irish Minister about why it's important for Spain, Ireland and Norway to recognise Palestinian statehood.
Image: Sergii Polituchyi, Ukrainian publisher and businessman, stands between shelves with burned books in his printing house, which was badly damaged by a recent Russian missile strike. Credit: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken of the killing of dozens of Palestinians in a fire in Rafah after an Israeli air strike as a tragedy. We hear from a journalist in Rafah and get reaction from Amir Avivi, a retired IDF brigadier general.
Also in the programme: Norwegian author Asne Seierstad; and China cracks down on influencers.
(Picture: Palestinians search smouldering debris in the aftermath of a fatal Israeli air strike at a camp in Gaza. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

There's been condemnation by European and Arab countries of Israel's continuing bombardment of Gaza. Last night, Israel launched an air strike in Rafah that killed at least 45 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The Israeli military says it's reviewing the incident. But it said the air strike targeted a Hamas compound, killing two senior members of the group.
Also in the programme: Emergency teams in Papua New Guinea say recovery efforts in the wake of a devastating landslide are being complicated by further ground movement; and the story of the rare painting by the Italian artist Caravaggio that nearly sold for a fraction of its value.
(Picture: Palestinians try to put out a fire at the site of an Israeli strike near an area designated for displaced people, in Rafah on May 27, 2024. Credit: Mohammed Salem/REUTERS)