Newshour

Ukrainian soldiers on the eastern frontline have told the BBC they're suffering high casualty rates, as they continue to repel Russian attacks.We'll hear from those on the frontline in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a region Russia's president Vladimir Putin wants to control.Also in the programme: As Israeli strikes hit Gaza's last functioning hospital in the south, we hear from an eye witness; and we have an appreciation of Jerry Adler - the man who played the fixer for one of TV's most memorable crime families.(Photo shows a mother hugging her son before he is evacuated from Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Credit: BBC News)

Israel says its latest airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen have destroyed the presidential palace in Sanaa along with the city's power station. Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iranian- backed group was paying a heavy price for its attacks on Israel. The Houthis say the Israeli strikes killed four people. Also in the programme: Serbia's president promises to lower the cost of living to quell anti-government demonstrations; what Spotify playlists tell us about the habits of moguls and politicians; and the children learning to make music in the midst of the war in Gaza.(Photo: Photo: Child overlooking smoke rising in Sanaa. Credit: Shutterstock)

Ceremonies have been taking place today in Ukraine to mark 34 years since the country gained its independence from the Soviet Union. President Zelensky said that, three-and-a-half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Ukraine would not settle for anything less than a just and lasting peace. The BBC’s Zhanna Bezpiatchuk tells us about the mood in Kyiv today.Also in the programme: the Nigerian military says it’s killed more than 30 jihadists in recent air strikes; and the Palestinian teachers in a displacement camp in Gaza City who are sharing their musical knowledge with children. (Photo: A Ukrainian flag flutters next to the Independence Monument at the Independence Square in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, 23rd August 2025. Credit: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA/Shutterstock)

The US justice department has released transcripts of its recent interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell, the jailed associate of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In them, Maxwell denied the existence of any "client list" kept by Epstein. She also said she'd never seen President Trump acting inappropriately.Also in the programme: A day after a famine is declared in Gaza City - aid agencies in the Gaza Strip say they're afraid the hunger will spread; the folk singer who found she'd released a new album when she hadn't; and we'll hear the case for and against the sensitivity reader. (Photo: Court sketch of Ghislaine Maxwell during jury selection in New York, November 17th 2021 Credit: REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)

A day after a famine is confirmed in Gaza City, a spokesperson for the UN children's agency UNICEF tells us she's afraid hunger will spread. We ask the Norwegian government what other countries can do to put pressure on Israel to let in aid.Also in the programme: Jeffrey Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell tells the authorities she never saw President Trump in any compromising situations, and there is no ‘list’; but how credible is a convicted criminal seeking release? And we discuss whether novels really benefit from “sensitivity readers”.(IMAGE: Palestinian doctor Ahmed Basal examines a child for malnutrition at Al-Rantisi Hospital in Gaza City, August 7, 2025 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas)

The UN's top humanitarian official Tom Fletcher says the report on the famine in Gaza City is 'irrefutable testimony'. But Israel categorically denies any claims of famine. Also in the programme: the FBI raids the home of President Trump’s former advisor John Bolton; and the Indian government cracks down on online gambling.(Image: A child reacts surrounded by pots as Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on 21 August 2025. Credit: Reuters/Hatem Khaled)

A report by the internationally recognised body for determining global food insecurity has confirmed that there is now famine in Gaza City. The IPC warns that the dire situation is likely to expand to other parts of the territory by the end of next month - with half-a-million people in Gaza facing catastrophic conditions. Israel denies there is famine in the territory.Also in the programme: Spain’s most famous architect on the path to sainthood; and the dinosaur with the 'eye-catching sail'.(File photo: Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, August 21, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Hatem Khaled)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the start of negotiations to end the war in Gaza on ‘Israel’s terms’. He said those included the release of all hostages held by Hamas. This comes as he approves plans to take over Gaza City. Also in the programme; why political parties in the United States are seeking to manipulate the boundaries of electoral constituencies; the new research that confirms there are four species of giraffe.(File Picture: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a reception in Jerusalem on August 13, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool)

Israel has launched a new assault on Gaza, stepping up its bombardment of northern suburbs Gaza City. We’ll hear from a journalist in the city.Also in the programme: A torrent of Russian drones and missiles have hit Ukraine; a warning that AI might bring on psychosis; and the impact of tourism on Antarctica.(Photo:  Palestinian family fleeing Gaza City.  Credit: Reuters)

Israel says it's widened its offensive in Gaza City has begun, while also approving the construction of a settlement that largely splits the occupied West Bank. Newshour hears from Israeli politician Simcha Rothman, a member of the Religious Zionism party, and from Mustafa Barghouti, general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative.Also in the programme: the ongoing deportation raids in California; and the battle to save one of the world's tallest trees from fire.(Picture: Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich speaks at a press conference regarding settlements expansion, near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim)

A report by Human Right Watch alleges the M23 rebel group killed at least 140 people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last month in one of the worst atrocities committed since its insurgency in 2021. The overall number of victims could exceed 300. We hear from an eye witness and the DRC foreign minister, who says the alleged massacres violated a ceasefire agreement.Also in the programme: the Israeli Defence Force has called around 60,000 reservists in what is being seen as evidence of an imminent operation to take over Gaza City; and the scientific research giving hope to people who have lost their sense of smell. (Photo: a member of the M23 rebel group walks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, March 2025. Credit: Reuters / Z. Bensemra)

A day after Hamas accepts a new ceasefire proposal in Gaza, an Israeli government spokesman tells us Israel is not interested in a “partial deal. We ask what's changed since Israel backed a very similar proposal three months ago.Also in the programme: the White House says work continues on hammering out security guarantees for Ukraine; and a cocoa connoisseur on new scientific insights into what makes great chocolate.(IMAGE: Israeli tanks deployed along the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, 19 August 2025. / CREDIT: Photo by ATEF SAFADI/EPA/Shutterstock (15447793c))

President Volodymyr Zelensky says work has already started on security guarantees for Ukraine after talks in Washington about how to end the war. But there's been no let up in Russian attacks on Ukraine - with oil and gas infrastructure targeted overnight.Also in the programme: Mediators await Israeli response to new Gaza ceasefire proposal; entire church begins two-day journey across Swedish city; and the women trapped in Afghanistan's mental health system. (Photo: President Volodymyr Zelensky. Credit: EPA)

The Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky visits the White House, six months after an Oval Office dressing down, and three days after Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin. Several European leaders also flew to DC to show support for Ukraine. But is there any evidence of any progress towards peace? And on what terms? Also in the programme: as Hamas says it accepts the latest Gaza ceasefire offer, our correspondent Lucy Williamson reports from the West Bank, where she witnessed Palestinian farmers being attacked by settlers; plus a cartographer explains why many maps literally distort our picture of the world - a problem the African Union has now joined calls to correct.(IMAGE: United States President Donald J Trump (R) meets President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (L) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 18 August 2025 / CREDIT: Photo by PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Amid the devastation in Gaza, remarkable stories of hope and resilience do emerge. Sixteen-year-old Sama Nijm, a gifted violinist from Gaza, is using music to bring comfort and healing to the youngest victims of the conflict. Some of the children have lost their parents, and in some cases, their limbs or arms. BBC Newsday's Charlene Rodrigues spoke to Sama, and began by asking her what inspired her to become a violin teacher in the midst of war.

Nine people have been killed and many injured in a school shooting in the southern Austrian city of Graz. The shooter also killed himself, and has been identified as a former pupil.Also, Donald Trump sends in the Marines as the president's crackdown on undocumented migrants clashes with California's policy as a Sanctuary State, Syria's jailers under President Assad speak to the BBC anonymously about what they did and those who suffered, plus good news for biodiversity and precious coral reefs in the Zanzibar archipelago, as two new Marine Protected Areas are announced.(IMAGE: General view of the Dreierschutzengasse high school following a shooting in Graz, Austria, 10 June 2025 / CREDIT: Antonio Bat /EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)