Author: BBC World Service

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Newshour - US Senate Republicans narrowly pass Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ bill

The US Senate has narrowly approved President Trump's major tax and spending bill. The chamber was evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, meaning the Vice President, JD Vance, cast the deciding vote. The legislation will now return to the House of Representatives.

Also, will the M23 militia "disarm and disengage" in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in line with the US brokered peace deal? We speak to Dr Massad Boulos, President Trump's Senior Advisor for Africa.

And the remarkable story of how a father and young daughter miraculously survived falling off a cruise ship.

(Photo: Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski supported the passage of the bill after intense negotiations. Credit: Getty Images)

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Focus on Africa - Why has polio re-emerged in Angola?

Angola was certified as polio-free in 2015, but is now combatting a new outbreak of the disease after several cases were reported in a Western province. What has caused the virus to come back?

A new report says Islamist militants are using Starlink technology to ramp up operational capabilities in Niger.

And why are South Sudanese women fashion's favourites and are being sought after on the catwalk?

Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Charles Gitonga in Nairobi. Yvette Twagiramariya, Bella Hassan and Alfonso Daniels in London Senior Producers: Patricia Whitehorne and Richard Kagoe Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

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Newshour - USAID cuts risk causing 14 million deaths -report

New research has predicted that more than 14 million of the world's most vulnerable people, a third of them small children, could die because of the Trump administration's dismantling of US foreign aid.

Also on the programme: Thailand's constitutional court has suspended the prime minister over comments she made in a leaked phone conversation; and US Senate Republican leaders are struggling to secure the 50 votes needed to pass President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”.

(Photo: People hold placards, as the USAID building sits closed to employees after a memo was issued advising agency personnel to work remotely, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 3, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

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Newshour - What is Netanyahu’s Gaza strategy?

Israel has carried out waves of airstrikes and artillery fire in Gaza, reportedly killing at least 60 people, some of them while queuing for aid. Medical officials say about 20 people were killed in an airstrike on a beachfront site in Gaza City. One eyewitness said women and children were present when a warplane fired. What is the strategy of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, when it comes to the war in Gaza? Also in the programme: We get a rare glimpse of life in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, under Russian occupation for three years; and we hear from a Norwegian lottery winner who was a millionaire for 15 minutes. (File photo: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a statement during a visit to the site of the Weizmann Institute of Science, which was hit by an Iranian missile barrage, in the central city of Rehovot, Israel June 20, 2025. Credit: Jack Guez/Pool via Reuters)

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Newshour - US and Iran step back from nuclear talks

Prospects for negotiations between the United States and Iran on nuclear proliferation have dimmed significantly.

Just a few days ago, it seemed the two sides were ready to return to negotiations. But US President Donald Trump then said he was not speaking to Iran and was not offering Tehran anything. Iran's deputy foreign minister has told the BBC his country won't enter into talks on its nuclear programme.

Also in the programme: We'll get a rare glimpse at life inside the Ukrainian city of Mariupol after three years of Russian occupation; and after calling the shots for 148 years, tennis tournament Wimbledon says goodbye to human line judges.

(Photo: Iran's deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi in an interview with the BBC's Lyse Doucet. Credit: BBC)

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Focus on Africa - Deaths after anti-government protests in Togo

At least seven people reportedly killed, and many others wounded during recent anti-government protests in Togo’s capital Lome. The Togolese government denies the allegations.

Who is Victoire Ingabire and why has the Rwandan government locked her up again?

Plus, a look ahead to the Women's African Cup of Nations in Morocco

Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Blessing Aderogba in Lagos, Victor Sylver, Yvette Twagiramariya and Tom Kavanagh in London Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi.