Newshour BBC Podcasts

Israel has shut down international news channel Al-Jazeera, accusing the platform of bias in its coverage of the Israel-Gaza war. The network has called the ban 'a criminal action' aimed at concealing the truth of the war. We get reaction from the International Federation of Journalists. Also: dozens killed in southern Brazil after floods and mudslides; and the death of actor Bernard Hill
(Photo: an Al-Jazeera building in Doha. Credit: Reuters / Arafat Barbakh)

Israel's cabinet votes to shut down the operations of the Al Jazeera news channel in the country As Gaza ceasefire talks continue in Cairo we also hear from an Israeli man whose brother is being held hostage by Hamas, and from our own Gaza correspondent.
Also in the programme: Israeli cabinet votes unanimously to close down the operations of the Al Jazeera TV network in the country.; and Brazil's President Lula visits flood-hit areas in the south of the country.
(Photo: a view of an Al-Jazeera building in Doha, Qatar. Credit: Reuters / Naseem Zeitoon )

Egypt is hosting the latest round of talks on a possible ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of Israeli hostages. Hamas negotiators are in Cairo, where mediators from Egypt, the US and Qatar are awaiting a response to the latest proposal. We'll hear from a former Israeli general.
Also on the programme we hear about three arrests that have been made in Canada connected to a murder that's brought relations with India to a new low; and hear from a Madonna music fan among the big crowds at Brazil's Copacabana beach there for a free concert.
Photo: Palestinians in the aftermath of Israeli bombing in Rafah 3rd May; Credit: AFP.

Efforts have intensified to secure a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages, with talks resuming in Cairo on Saturday.
We hear from a former Israeli negotiator on his experience of dealing with Hamas.
Also on the programme: how warmer temperatures mean Brazil is recording its highest ever rate of the potentially fatal dengue fever;
and we ask what it’s like being a foreigner living in Japan after President Biden suggests the country’s xenophobic.
Photo: Shelters used by displaced Palestinians who fled from the northern Gaza strip at Deir Al Balah beach in the southern Gaza Strip. Credit: MOHAMMED SABER/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

The Sudanese city of El-Fasher is on the brink of a major clash between rival forces, trapping hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Also on the programme: Turkey severs trade links with Israel over the war in Gaza; and Russian troops have been deployed to an airbase in Niger where American soldiers are located.
(Photo: Newly arrived refugees from Darfur in Sudan sit on horse as they head to their shelters in Adre, Chad. Credit: Getty Images)

The UN has warned that Sudan’s civil war is preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid. Toby Harward, the UN’s Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, said fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces around El-Fasher in Darfur has had led to an increase in arbitrary killings and the burning of villages.

Also on the programme: Turkey suspends all trade with Israel over its offensive in Gaza; and China launches a rocket to collect samples from the dark side of the Moon.

(Picture: Refugees from Darfur in Adre, Chad, 4 August 2023 Credit: REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra)