Syria: Renewed clashes between Bedouin tribesmen and Druze Community
Renewed clashes between Bedouin tribesmen and members of the minority Druze Community have erupted in the south of Syria. A war monitoring group says there's been fighting and shelling in neighbourhoods of the mainly Druze city of Suweida. We'll hear from Damascus and get a US view of Israel's policy.Also, why President Trump and some of his most loyal supporters are at odds over the late, disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein.And some virtuoso piano playing from a performer born with only one hand.(Photo: Syria's interim president said government forces had expelled "outlaw groups" in Suweida. Credit: Reuters)
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EU agrees fresh round of sanctions on Russia
Three and a half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European Union countries have agreed to slap yet more sanctions on Moscow. Slovakia had been blocking the package over concerns regarding a separate EU proposal phasing out gas imports from Russia. This is the EU’s 18th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.Also on the programme: we hear from a British surgeon working in Gaza about what he calls a concerning pattern of injuries in patients being brought to hospital from aid centres; and the North Korean defectors making their debut in a new K-pop boy band.(Photo: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press point on 18th package of sanctions against Russia in Brussels, Belgium, June 10, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Yves Herman)
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Pope renews call for Gaza ceasefire after Israeli strike on church kills three
Pope Leo XIV has renewed his call for a Gaza ceasefire after three people sheltering in the Catholic church in Gaza City were killed in an Israeli strike. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella gives us his reaction to the bombing. The Israeli military says the incident is under review.Also on the programme: We ask whether the Israeli bombing of targets in Syria complies with international law; and the sale of ROSEBUD, the wooden sledge that drove the plot of one of the greatest ever films: Citizen Kane.Photo: Mourners attend the funeral of Palestinian Christians Saad Salama and Foumia Ayyad, who were killed in a strike on the Holy Family Church, according to medics, at the Greek Orthodox Saint Porphyrius Church, in Gaza City, July 17, 2025. (Credit REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alka)
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Syrian forces leave Sweida
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.
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International concern as Israel strikes targets in Syria
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)