Newshour

Donald Trump has met the interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa -- a day after Washington announced it would lift all US sanctions placed on Syria. The meeting, which took place in Saudi Arabia, is seen as a significant moment for the new Syrian leader, who is a former jihadist, once linked to al-Qaeda. Newshour hears from US businessman Jonathan Bass, who led a US delegation earlier this month to Damascus, and from Syria's minister for social affairs and labour, Hind Kabawat. Also in the programme: chimps using first aid; and an interview with author Isabel Allende. (Picture: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Credit: Saudi Press Agency)

The US and Saudi Arabia say they have signed commercial deals worth $142bn during Donald Trump's ongoing trip in the Middle East. Also on the programme, the head of the UN agency for Palestinians has told the BBC that Israel's blockade of food deliveries to Palestinians inside Gaza constitutes a war crime; and, a self-declared "king" of Germany and three of his senior "subjects" have been arrested and their group banned for attempting to overthrow the state. (Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman exchange a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) during a ceremony at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder)

US president Donald Trump has arrived in Saudi Arabia on his first major overseas tour of his second term. He attended a lavish lunch with some of America’s most prominent economic and tech leaders He will then fly on to Qatar - which has controversially gifted him an airliner to replace Air Force One - and then the United Arab Emirates. Also in the programme: the head of the main UN agency for Palestinians has told the BBC that Israel's blockade of food deliveries to Palestinians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, a claim that Israel denies; and we speak to the British adventurer who climbed Mount Everest to complete the world's longest triathlon. (Picture: US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman after arriving in Saudi Arabia. Credit: Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court)

The Israeli military says Edan Alexander, the last living hostage in Gaza with US citizenship, has returned to Israel after being released by Hamas. Also on the programme, global stocks have risen after the United States and China agreed to reduce tariffs on each other's goods, pausing a trade war that's caused huge economic disruption; and, how Britain's prime minister is making a risky move on immigration. (Photo: A woman touches a picture of the Israeli-American hostage, Edan Alexander, who was kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack, on the day Edan Alexander is expected to be released from captivity by Hamas in Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Israel May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

China and the United States have agreed to major tariff cuts during talks in Geneva. US tariffs on most Chinese goods will drop to 30%, while China will charge US products 10%. We hear from economist Alicia Garcia Herrero. Also in the programme: Kurdish militants PKK to disarm; Afrikaner refugees arrive in the US. (Picture: US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference after two days of closed-door discussions on trade between the United States and China, in Geneva, Switzerland. Credit: Photo by EPA)

After pressure from President Trump, President Zelensky has dropped his previous insistence on a ceasefire before negotiations. He says he is prepared to meet President Putin face-to-face in Istanbul on Thursday. Also in the programme: The US government is "actively looking at" suspending 'habeas corpus' - the right of a person to challenge their detention in court - according to one of President Trump's top aides; and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria at the end of the Second World War.. (Photo: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures as he addresses a joint press conference following a meeting of the 'Coalition of the willing' at the Mariinskyi Palace, the official residence of the president of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, 10 May 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. 'Coalition of the willing' leaders meet in Kyiv, Ukraine - 10 May 2025. Credit: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has given a cautious response to Vladimir Putin's offer of direct peace talks. Mr Zelensky said it was a positive sign that Russia was beginning to consider an end to the war - but again called on Moscow to commit to a ceasefire, starting on Monday. In a surprise late night statement, President Putin proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday. He said the talks would address what he described as "the root causes of the conflict." Also in the programme: As Pope Leo gives his first Sunday address at the Vatican, we speak to two young Catholics; and the South African jazz musician paying homage to a Zulu rain goddess. (Photo: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Credit: Getty Images)

Pakistan and India have accused each other of violating the ceasefire brokered after four days of cross-border attacks. Explosions have been heard in the disputed region of Kashmir an hour after the ceasefire came into effect. We get the latest updates from the region and speak to a former US diplomat about the role played by the United States in mediating the deal. Also in our programme: European leaders meet in Kyiv in a show of solidarity for Ukraine; and the chimpanzees who have found peace after a life of being experimented on. (Photo: Flashes are seen in the sky over Indian-administered Kashmir after India-Pakistan ceasefire announcement. Credit: Reuters).

President Trump says India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire -- after four days of cross border attacks. He said the agreement had been reached after a long night of talks mediated by the United States. Mr Trump congratulated both sides on "using common sense and great intelligence." Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar confirmed the agreement, saying Islamabad had always strived for peace and security, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity. There's been no word yet from India. Also in the programme: The Syrian Jews visiting Damascus; and the Soviet spacecraft that's fallen back to Earth. (Photo: Police officers inspect metal debris, amid hostilities between India and Pakistan, in a field on the outskirts of Jalandhar, India, May 10, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Stringer)

The new leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, was born in Chicago but spent many years living and working in Peru where he was made a bishop. We speak to a Peruvian Catholic, who welcomes Leo's election, and hear from our correspondent, Ione Wells, in the Peruvian city of Chiclayo where the new Pope lived. Also in the programme: Russia celebrates the 80th anniversary of Victory Day and the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. We speak to a former Russian military officer; and two men are convicted of cutting down an iconic tree on the historic Hadrian's Wall in the north east of England. They could face up to 10 years in prison. We hear why trees are so important to people and the environment. (Picture: Sister Margarita Ramos Chanduvi poses with an image of Pope Leo XIV at a convent in Lima. Credit: RENATO PAJUELO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Pope Leo has delivered his first homily as spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Also on the programme, Russia is holding a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War; and the first samples of rock drilled from the Moon in nearly 50 years have arrived in the UK. (Photo: Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass with the Cardinal electors in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Vatican City State Holy See - 09 May 2025 VATICAN MEDIA HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock )

US-born Robert Prevost, who once lived as a bishop in Peru, has been chosen as the new pope. It marks the first time an American man will serve as the leader of the Catholic Church. We hear from the BBC’s Mark Lowen at the Vatican and get reaction from the US on this historic day. Also in the programme: we speak to billionaire Bill Gates who says he will give most of his wealth away by 2045; and on the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we hear the memories of a woman who lived through the Blitz in London. (Photo: Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost of the US, delivers the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world) message from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, 8th May 2025. Credit: Yara Nardi, REUTERS.

Britain has held a service at Westminster Abbey in London to mark the eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. The King and Queen and Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer attended. Other European capitals are holding their own events. Also in the programme: there's been two inconclusive votes by Cardinals this morning on who will succeed Pope Francis; India and Pakistan have accused each other of mounting drone attacks, including on targets far from the disputed region of Kashmir; and the American academic and policymaker Joseph Nye, who coined the phrase "soft power", has died aged 88. (Picture: King Charles III speaks to a veteran at the end of the Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Credit: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)

Pakistan has condemned India’s overnight missile strikes on its territory as acts of war. We hear from the Pakistani cabinet minister Ahsan Iqbal. Also in the programme: The Papal conclave in the Vatican begins to elect a successor to Pope Francis; and in his first interview since leaving the White House the former US President, Joe Biden, tells the BBC that the Trump administration is guilty of what he described as "modern-day appeasement" because of the way it has been pressuring Ukraine to give up territory to Russia. (Photo: Members of the media film the inside of a building after it was hit by an Indian strike in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, 7 May 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Pakistan says Indian missile attacks on its territory have "ignited an inferno in the region," and Delhi shall bear the responsibility for its consequences. It said twenty six people were killed in the attacks. After a meeting of its National Security Committee, Pakistan said it reserved the right to respond. India said it had targeted terrorist camps at nine locations, in response to a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir two weeks ago. Also, the former US President, Joe Biden, has condemned Donald Trump's position on Ukraine - saying that putting pressure on Kyiv to give up territory to Russia amounts to "modern day appeasement". And cardinals from around the world have gathered in the Vatican to begin the secretive process of electing a new Pope. (Photo: A city view of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administrated Kashmir. Credit: Getty Images)

Newshour reports from Syria again, as the country tries to emerge from the ruin of civil war and dictatorship. Tim Franks has met a man whose job under Bashar al-Assad was to collect bodies from a military hospital: "the hardest part to see was how they were tortured". Also in the programme: Canadians elected Mark Carney to see off Donald Trump's ambition to annex Canada - today they met at the White House; and Germany has a new Chancellor, after a rocky start. (Photo: Fighters inspect the site of a mass grave from the rule of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, according to residents, after the ousting of al-Assad, in Najha, Syria, December 17, 2024. Reuters/Ammar Awad)

Newshour reports from Damascus on the doctors who say they are fighting against crippling sanctions when trying to look after their patients. Also on the programme: Friedrich Merz has suffered a shock defeat in a parliamentary vote, failing to win the majority needed to become Germany's new chancellor; and Port Sudan is again attacked by paramilitaries. (Photo: A child injured in an airstrike receives medical treatment at a hospital in Idlib, northern Syria, 01 December 2024. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Five months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, can Syria overcome immense problems under its new Islamist rulers? Also in the programme: an army reservist speaks about the plan by Israel's government to send more troops into Gaza; and Donald Trump says he could hit movies made in foreign countries with a 100% tariff - but how? (File photo: A drone view shows people waving flags adopted by the new Syrian rulers during celebrations in Umayyad Square, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 20, 2024. Reuters/Amr Alfiky/File Photo)

Five months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, we ask can Syria overcome its immense problems under its new Islamist rulers? Also in the programme: Europe commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Nazi surrender in 1945; and the end of the road for Skype. Photo: A torn poster of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus suburb. Credit: Reuters.

Israel military has confirmed that tens of thousands of call-up orders are being sent to reservists, to prepare for another expansion of the war in Gaza. Israel says it's aiming to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages. Aid agencies have condemned Israel’s continued blockade of the territory. Also, Newshour's Tim Franks reports from Syria, looking at the huge challenge of rebuilding this shattered country. And as Cardinals concentrate on the spiritual aspects of a new pope, we look at the sartorial side. (Photo credit: Getty Images)