NewsHour
Global news and analysis from the BBC World Service, twice a day, every day of the year. Join our leading team of presenters for the best interviews, features and analysis of world events.
Australia PM: Beach attackers 'motivated by extremism'
As Australia mourn the victims of a shooting, during a Jewish holiday gathering at Bondi Beach, its prime minister pledges solidarity. Anthony Albanese says the attackers were not part of a terror cell, but "clearly, they were motivated by this extremist ideology". The father of a Syrian bystander who was…
Deadly shooting in Australia targets Hanukkah celebration
Several gunmen attacked Jews celebrating the start of Hanukkah on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. One gunman is dead and a second suspect is in critical condition. We hear from an eyewitness, the local member of parliament, and from a senior figure in Australia's Jewish community. Also on the programme: a communist…
Eleven people killed in antisemitic attack in Australia
Eleven people have been shot dead in an antisemitic shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach which targeted a Hanukkah celebration. Twenty nine people were taken to hospital including two police officers who are in a serious condition. We hear from an eyewitness, the local member of parliament, and from a senior…
Belarus frees 123 prisoners as US lifts sanctions
Belarus has freed 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, after the US agreed to lift sanctions on the country. Also on the programme, Cambodia has shut its border crossings with Thailand, as fighting continues despite US President Donald Trump earlier saying…
Thai-Cambodian border clashes continue
After more clashes on the Thai-Cambodian border, we ask a Cambodian official whether the dispute will escalate. Also in the programme: four months ahead of the elections in Hungary, why has child protection become such a key issue? And as Israel plans to build a new road and barrier in…
12/12/2025 21:06 GMT
Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.
Flood risk for the people of Gaza
According to the UN's humanitarian affairs agency, more than 800,000 displaced Gazans could be affected by flooding, as a winter storm surges along the coast. Most of them are living in tents. Also in the programme: we meet the man who smuggled opposition leader Maria Corina Machado out of Venezuela;…
Could Maria Corina Machado's influence wane now she's out of Venezuela?
The Trump administration is ramping up its efforts to derail the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which he has accused of turning Venezuela into a "drug-running regime". The leader of the country's opposition, Maria Corina Machado, travelled to Norway in secret to collect her Nobel Peace Prize. We ask if…
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado vows freedom for her country
The Nobel Peace Prize winner arrives in Oslo after a clandestine journey from her hiding place in Venezuela. We hear the inside story of how she slipped out of the country. Also in the programme: French police's crackdown on drug gangs in Marseilles, and a rare public display for Mary…
The US seizes a tanker off the coast of Venezuela
President Trump has said the US has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela - an operation reported to have been led by the US Coastguard. The seizure is certain to increase tensions between the United States and Venezuela, which is already being threatened by the deployment of…
Sperm with cancer-causing gene used to conceive almost 200 children
A sperm donor who unknowingly harboured a genetic mutation that dramatically raises the risk of cancer has fathered at least 197 children across Europe, a major investigation has revealed. Also on the programme, 5alf a million people have been forced from their homes in Thailand and Cambodia as their deadly…
President Trump lashes out at European allies
In a wide-ranging interview with the Politico news website, President Trump said "decaying" European countries had failed to control migration or take decisive action to end Ukraine's war with Russia, accusing them of letting Kyiv fight "until they drop". We hear from a German parliamentarian and envoy. Also in the…
Heavy fighting at the Thailand / Cambodia border
The Thai military said there were clashes in five border provinces, and three of its soldiers had been killed since hostilities resumed. Cambodia says Thai attacks have killed seven civilians. We explain why this has happened. Also on the programme: in Australia, the law banning children under 16 years from…
SPECIAL EPISODE: The Elizabeth Tsurkov interview
An Israeli-Russian woman held for two and half years by militants in Iraq has told the BBC how she was trussed and hung from the ceiling, whipped, sexually abused and electrocuted. Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was freed in September, suffered extreme abuse for over 100 days, leaving her physically and mentally…
Syria celebrates a year since the fall of Assad
Syria celebrates a year since the fall of Assad, and an end to a brutal fifty-year dictatorship. But what sort of rule and what sort of future does Syria face? Also in the programme: Ukraine's President Zelensky pleads for Europe and the US to remain to united over ending the…
One year since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria
Syrians are holding celebrations to mark the first anniversary since Bashar al-Assad was toppled from power after a lightning rebel offensive. Also on the programme, President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet key European leaders in London amid peace negotiations; and, the making of the very first dictionary of ancient Celtic.
Syrians mark one year since the fall of Bashar al-Assad
UN human rights investigators have said that the cycles of vengeance and reprisal must be brought to an end in Syria, as the country commemorates the first anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. A UN independent commission of inquiry commended the steps taken by Syria's new leadership to address…
Low voter turnout at today's Hong Kong polls
Will the recent deadly fire at a housing complex in Hong Kong - and the angry response to it - have an impact on today's elections to the Legislative Council? Also on the programme: a failed coup attempt in the west African country of Benin; we'll be in Syria -…
Fifa reveals 2026 World Cup match locations
It's the most widely viewed sporting event in the world. The 2026 World Cup will be played across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Today fans and teams discovered where matches will be played and at what sorts of temperatures. Also today: A survivor of Sri Lanka's devastating floods tells…
What's behind Gianni Infantino's new peace prize?
Fifa's president gave Mr Trump the award at the draw for the 2026 World Cup. It was widely expected that the US president would receive the award, but for critics the move is a threat to Fifa's commitment to political neutrality. Also in the programme: We reflect on the life…