Ukraine's former defence minister calls for election

Ukraine's former defence minister calls for election

Ukraine's former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov has called for elections - which are barred in wartime under Ukrainian law. A representative of the Presidential Office has told the BBC that it would be bizarre to plan elections amidst missiles and drones. Earlier, around two hundred protestors gathered outside Ukraine's parliament, in protest against the swearing in of the new defence minister, who replaces Mr Fedorov. Also in the programme: Prime Minister Andy Burnham sets out homelessness plan; and what is the future for humanoid robots? (Photo: Ukraine's ousted Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, August 18, 2026. CREDIT: Mykhailo Fedorov/Handout via REUTERS)

Opening of Meta trial on social media addiction claims

A landmark trial has begun in California with the tech giant Meta accused of deliberately making Facebook and Instagram addictive to children. We'll hear the case for the prosecution and the defence. Also on the programme: a court in Damascus sentences to death a cousin of the deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad; and how short-sighted tree-shrews could be a big help to humans. (Photo: A woman holds a smartphone with a Facebook logo in front of a displayed logo for Meta in this illustration picture taken on October 28, 2021. Credit: Reuters)

Intense overnight attacks in both Russia and Ukraine

Nine people have been killed and 23 injured, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on Russia, local officials have said. Russian attacks on Ukraine also killed at least seven people and injured more than 39 on Saturday night. We hear from Kyiv and Moscow. Also on the programme: Pakistan's Supreme Court orders authorities to move former prime minister Imran Khan to hospital from jail for health check-ups, we hear from his adviser; and, how thieves made off with valuable works by Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina. (Photo: Ukrainian servicemen repair anti-drone nets damaged by recent Russian strikes Credit: Tommaso Fumagalli/EPA/Shutterstock)

No breakthrough on stalled Gaza deal

Lengthy talks between President Trump's envoy, Jared Kushner, and the Israeli Prime Minister have failed to achieve a breakthrough on the Gaza peace proposals. We'll hear from Israel and from a former Hamas official in Gaza. Also on the programme: a prominent Russian anti-war politician, Lev Shlosberg, has been sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony; and the best-selling author Annie Jacobsen tells us what governments are missing when it comes to the threat of biological weapons.  (Photo: US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on August 17, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Kushner meets Netanyahu after Hamas talks on peace plan

President Trump's Middle East envoy, Jared Kushner, has met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he seeks Israeli backing for the US-backed Gaza peace plan. Mr Netanyahu has rejected the proposals. Israeli officials said today's meeting focused on elements that could be agreed. Also on the programme: Mr Trump says he's scaling back joint military exercises with South Korea, describing them as "inappropriate and hostile" towards the North; after nearly three decades, opening statements are due to begin later today (Monday) in the trial of the only man ever charged with the murder of the American rapper Tupac Shakur; and and the appeal of the Ferrari without the trademark roar! (Photo credit: Getty Images)