The World Tonight

The US envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff says he had a "productive" meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, as international concern over the humanitarian situation in Gaza grows. Witkoff will visit Gaza tomorrow alongside US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, to inspect food distribution sites. We speak to a conservative pundit in the US about growing unease over US support for Israel in Trump's MAGA base. The first Gazan child to be treated in the UK for war injuries has arrived in London from Egypt. Majid Al-Shagnoobi's mother says his lower face was blown off by an Israeli tank shell in February last year whilst he was out searching for food. His treatment will be funded by private donors. And the children's author Allan Ahlberg has died aged 87. Michael Rosen tells us what made his writing so special.

A difficult day for airline passengers, after a technical fault at the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) led to dozens of flights being cancelled and many others being diverted. We hear from passengers and the managing director of Skybus. Also on the programme: A man whose sister and two nieces were killed in the October the seventh attacks - and who has a relative still being held by Hamas - on Keir Starmer's recognition of a Palestinian State. And a tale of love below stairs, charted - in unusual detail - through dozens of objects donated by the grandson of two servants who met in a stately home. We speak to him.

After the UK says it is prepared to recognise Palestinian statehood, we hear from the co-chair of the Labour Friends of Palestine as well as a former Conservative foreign secretary. Should there be a “right to the riverbank” in England? And the Las Vegas of Europe: why are thousands of foreigners choosing Copenhagen city hall for their weddings?

As Keir Starmer presents Donald Trump with a European-led peace plan for Gaza, what is Britain's role and influence in shaping a peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians? England's star player Chloe Kelly attributes her skill to playing 'cage football' - we go to one of those cages in West London. Also on the programme: how the global charity Cycling Without Age gives the feeling of wind in your hair to elderly people no longer able to ride a bike.

More than one third of MPs, drawn from across the political parties, have signed a letter urging the Prime Minister to give official recognition to a Palestinian state. The letter piles pressure on Sir Keir Starmer after France committed to recognising a Palestinian state within months. Thailand warns two days of border clashes with Cambodia could 'move towards war' And as it gets ready to celebrate its 200th birthday, we take a look at preparations for a street party outside the National Gallery.

President Macron of France says he will recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Macron says the move will fulfil France's "historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East". Israel denounced the move but, speaking to us, the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations called it "an investment in peace". Resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, will begin their five-day strike action in a few hours. The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer used an article in The Times to say doctors should break with the British Medical Association and not go out on strike. And the famous health target of 10,000 steps a day has been revised by one study to 7,000.

The World Health Organisation has warned that Gaza is in the midst of a “deadly surge in malnutrition-related deaths.” More than a hundred aid agencies also warned that starvation is spreading and called on Israel to allow aid into the enclave. An Israeli government spokesman said hunger was “engineered by Hamas”. We hear from doctors, aid workers and civilians inside Gaza. Also on the programme: a second night of protests in Ukraine over a controversial law that limits the independence of anti-corruption agencies; and the revolutionary AI tool that can fill in the missing words in ancient texts.

Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of heavy metal band Black Sabbath, has died in the UK at the age of 76. The band's co-founder and guitarist Tony Iommi said Black Sabbath "have lost our brother". Osbourne's death comes just weeks after the band played their farewell gig in his home city of Birmingham. We hear from two other musical legends who knew and performed with Ozzy. The Syrian government has promised to investigate killings carried out in Sweida. As a ceasefire in the region holds, the BBC's Jon Donnison has visited and spoken to worried Druze. And as the Edinburgh Fringe scraps its "Funniest Joke" award, we speak to a former winner about how it helped her career.

A joint statement says Israel's aid delivery model is dangerous and “deprives Gazans of human dignity". Israel's foreign ministry rejected the statement, saying it was "disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas". Chair of the International Development Committee Sarah Champion tells us the UK could be doing more to pressure Israel. Chinese authorities have begun constructing what will be the world's largest hydropower dam in Tibetan territory, in a project that has sparked concerns from India and Bangladesh. And how the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 tournament is encouraging the spread of women’s sports bars.

Sectarian fighting has resumed in southern Syria, prompting the government to redeploy forces to the region, which had pulled out after a ceasefire was brokered. Bedouin tribesmen and other militias have clashed with the Druze minority and hundreds are reported dead. The UN says it has credible evidence of summary executions and killings. We heard from a Druze woman who described how her family was killed. US President Donald Trump has sued Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal after the newspaper reported allegations that Trump's name appeared on a "bawdy" 2003 birthday card to Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019. And as a Russian conductor who is close to Vladimir Putin is invited to a music festival in Italy, we discuss whether culture can be separated from those who promote it.

Child dies in Somerset bush crash Diane Abbott has been suspended by the Labour party for a second time President Trump says he wants Coca-cola to replace high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar and we speak to two teenagers about the government's plans to lower the voting age to 16

The former Conservative leader, Sir Iain Duncan-Smith has described a leak by the Ministry of Defence - which made public the personal data of thousands of Afghans who worked with British Forces - as "a complete screw up". We also speak to an Afghan man, now in the UK, whose name was on the leaked list. Also: Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers Mansion House speech; and the two men who cut down the Sycamore Gap tree are sentenced.

Major shift by Trump on Ukraine war. Russia and trading partners threatened with "very severe" tariffs Ed Miliband's plays the patriotism card in his fight for net zero and is Prince Harry offering an olive branch to the King?

Labour's biggest union backer Unite has suspended Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner as a member, and threatened to pull the plug on party funding over the Birmingham bin strike. We get reaction from a local Labour MP. Also on the programme: The preliminary report into the Air India plane crash last month has just been released. We find out what's in it. A new book recreates the day Joe Biden lost his temper and Donald Trump nearly lost his life. One year on from that failed assassination attempt, we hear from one of the authors of a new insider account of the campaign. And it's 40 years since two billion people tuned in for Live Aid. We discuss the complex legacy of the "concert of the century".

Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have announced a ‘one in, one out’ agreement aimed at deterring migrants from crossing the Channel. The UK and France also agreed to coordinate their nuclear weapons for the first time. Also on the programme: scientists think they've found a new way to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy; and part of the Sycamore Gap tree gets a new life as a work of art. We hear from the artist who created it.

French President Emmanuel Macron is tonight being feted with a white tie dinner in the City of London. But is the "entente" not so "amicale" when it comes to migration? A Labour MP who wants tougher curbs to stop small boats crossing the Channel tells us talks between Britain and France to get a deal announced tomorrow are proving tough. Also tonight: It's a departure that's stunned Silicon Valley - why is the chief executive leaving Elon Musk's platform, X? A BBC investigation verifies a leaked recording in which Bangladesh's then-prime minister says she's authorised shoot-to-kill during violent protests against her. We have a special report. And the Iranian musician - banned from singing in her homeland - who fell in love with Flamenco, and now performs it in her native Farsi.

Donald Trump has said that the US will restart shipments of defensive weapons, including Patriot missile systems, to Kyiv. Trump appeared frustrated with Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian president’s words were ‘meaningless’. Also on the programme: during a visit to the UK French President Emmanuel Macron calls for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and we hear about the devastating environmental cost of China’s rare earth mineral mining.

Flash floods which hit the US State of Texas are now known to have killed ninety-one people. At Camp Mystic, a girls' summer camp, at least 27 girls and staff were among the dead. Also on the programme: ministers are facing calls not to cut education plans for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities; and the FBI concludes that sex offender Jeffrey Epstein did not have a so-called ‘client list’ implicating high-profile associates.

Hamas has said it has submitted a positive response to mediators about a ceasefire proposed by the US. The BBC has been told that it has requested some key changes but is prepared to enter negotiations ‘immediately’. Also on the programme: frustration in Ukraine over the Trump administration’s decision to halt missile deliveries; and sixteen years after Oasis's split, Noel and Liam Gallagher renew their musical vows in Cardiff.

The US Congress has passed Donald Trump's huge budget bill after days of votes in the Senate and House of Representatives. The final vote was delayed when Democratic Minority House Leader Hakeem Jeffries broke a record by speaking for more than eight hours on the floor. We hear from a Republican Congressman who backed the bill. A former security contractor at the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has told the BBC that he witnessed colleagues opening fire on civilians who were waiting for aid. And as the footballing world mourns Diogo Jota, who died alongside his brother Andre in a car crash in Spain, we reflect on his legacy.