Author: BBC World Service

Cameroon's Paul Biya has the distinction of being 'the world's oldest sitting president' and yet at age 92, he is seeking to run for an eighth term, that will see him serve until he is almost 100 years old. How much popular support does he have, and how strong is the opposition?

Sudan's newly appointed prime minister, Kamal Idris, has named his cabinet ministers who will form his "government of hope". How will they function in the country still in the grip of war?

And after the announcement by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is complete and will be officially inaugurated in September, why has US President Donald Trump weighed in on the long-running dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt over the giant construction?

Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar and Mark Wilberforce Technical Producer: Gabriel O'Regan Senior Producers: Patricia Whitehorne and Karnie Sharp Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Dozens die in a fire at a shopping centre in the Iraqi city of Kut, opened only five days ago. Also, Syrian government forces pull out of Sweida province, and a Malian photographer whose work is displayed on local buses.

Syrian government forces have left the southern city of Sweida, where days of sectarian clashes involving the Druze minority have left hundreds dead. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa made a call for unity in the middle of the night.

Also in the programme: proof that a technique using genetic material from three people to create embryos is leading to children born free of incurable and devastating mitochondrial disease; and an interview with Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained for more than 100 days after taking part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.

Syria says its army has begun to withdraw from the mainly Druze city of Sweida - after days of deadly clashes. Also: eight babies have been born in UK using three people's DNA to prevent genetic disease.

After sectarian clashes in southern Syria, Israel launches airstrikes on Syrian government targets, saying it needs to protect the Druze ethnic minority. We attempt to explain a complicated situation with defence expert Dr Robert Geist Pinfold, and hear from an eyewitness in the city of Sweida and an advisor to the Syrian foreign minister.

Also in the programme: continuing controversy in the United States over the legacy of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein; the plight of hundreds of thousands of Afghans who have been abruptly deported from Iran; and a plan to breathe new life into the Victorian glasshouses at London's Kew Gardens.

(Photo: Damaged vehicles outside the Syrian Ministry of Defence building following an Israeli airstrike in Damascus; Credit: MOHAMMED AL RIFAI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Gen Z’s have largely led opposition street protests in Kenya. However, it's taking a toll on their mental health. We talk to an activist and a psychiatrist on how to cope.

Why was a French sports journalist recently sentenced to 7 years in jail in Algeria? Was it for talking to a banned separatist movement- or due to diplomatic rows between Algeria and France?

Plus, a report says more than a quarter of Africa's freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction.

Presenter: Richard Kagoe Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Patricia Whitehorne, Bella Hassan and Mark Wilberforce Technical Producer: Gabriel O'Regan Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi.

Israel carried out a series of drone strike against Damascus, after the breakdown of a ceasefire between the Syrian government and fighters from the Druze community in the south of the country. The IDF says it is acting the protect the Druze community, and stop a military build-up by the government on its northern border. We bring the latest analysis from the region.

Also in the programme: a MAGA backlash after Trump's Attorney General says she won't publish the so called 'Epstein files'; and Labubu, the Chinese 'ugly-cute' elves that have overrun Tiktok.

(Picture:Smoke rises after Israeli strikes on Syria's defense ministry in Damascus, according to Al Jazeera TV, in Damascus, Syria July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi)

Israel launches strikes on Syria, including the capital Damascus. Also: at least 20 people killed by crowd surge at US backed food distribution point in Gaza, and pressure grows on Donald Trump to release Epstein files.

UK government apologises to thousands of Afghans potentially at risk from Taliban after personal details leaked. Also: Trump says Ukraine shouldn’t target Moscow, and 114-year-old marathon runner dies after car accident.

The British Government has revealed it has secretly moved thousands of Afghans to the UK, after a data leak by a defence official. We'll hear from the journalist who fought to reveal the story and an Afghan who says his family's safety has been threatened.

Also on the programme: our Washington correspondent who was having an early evening nap at home when Donald Trump gave him a call; and the world's biggest human imaging project that has scanned the bodies of 100,000 people.

(Photo: A captain of the Afghanistan army boards a British military plane at Kabul airport to be evacuated to the UK. Issue date: Tuesday August 24, 2021. Credit: Ministry of Defence)