US-Iran ceasefire under strain

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard says it will deliver a "regret-inducing response" if Israeli strikes on Lebanon don't stop immediately, according to state media. Lebanese officials say Israel has killed more than 250 people in a wave of attacks targeting Hezbollah that brought down several buildings in Beirut. The US and Israel say Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire deal.

Despite the internet blackout in most of Iran, we look at how Iranians have been reacting to the two-week ceasefire. And we look ahead to negotiations to end the war due to be held in Pakistan on Saturday.

Also: The challenges facing low-income households across South Africa due to the impact of the US-Israel war with Iran on oil prices. An architect in New York who led a secret life as a serial killer has pleaded guilty to a string of unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings. A drug dealer dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with Matthew Perry's death in 2023.... and the latest from the Artemis II crew as they prepare to re-enter Earth's atmosphere after travelling further into space than anyone before.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: [email protected]

Hegseth claims 'historic battlefield victory' over Iran

As a fragile ceasefire begins, both the United States and Iran claim victory. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says Iran will no longer enrich uranium, and that Operation Epic Fury has destroyed Tehran's ability to build missiles or other sophisticated weaponry. Iran has broadcast triumphant messages of victory on state TV, warning that "the slightest mistake by the enemy will be met with full force".

Despite statements from Iran and mediators Pakistan that fighting will cease on all fronts, Israel says Lebanon is not included in the two-week truce, and has announced its "biggest strikes" since the start of its ground operation there. Our correspondent reports from Beirut, where the government says Israeli strikes have killed dozens and wounded hundreds across the country.

As both parties prepare for negotiations, scheduled for Friday in Pakistan, will they be able to find a long-term agreement to end the war?

The US, Israel and Iran announce two-week ceasefire

Iran and the US have announced a two-week ceasefire which includes the reoping of the Strait of Hormuz and safe passage for ships. Peace talks will continue between the US and Iran in Islamabad on Friday. We have reaction and analysis from the US and Iran. Israel has issued a statement pointing out that Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire agreement. Also: Major divisions surface in Zimbabwe over attempts to amend the constitution and extend the Presidency of Emmerson Mnangagwa. And, the fourteen-year-old set to become the first American under the age of eighteen to appear on the ballot in a US state gubernatorial election.

Trump warns Iran 'whole civilisation will die tonight'

President Trump has warned that "a whole civilisation will die tonight", as his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz approaches. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said they'll retaliate beyond the Middle East, and deprive the US and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crosses 'red lines'. Also, the US Vice-President, JD Vance, is in Hungary, trying to bolster the campaign of Prime Minister Victor Orban's party in advance of Sunday's parliamentary elections; the organisers of the British music festival, Wireless, have cancelled the event following a row over its headline act, the US rapper, Kanye West, who has now been banned from entering the country; and why Australia's most distinguished living war hero has been arrested.

Artemis II astronauts fly around the Moon

The Artemis II astronauts have travelled farther from Earth than any human in history and successfully looped around the far side of the Moon. The NASA crew is now on its way back home after taking photographs of the lunar surface and witnessing a solar eclipse. Also: Donald Trump dismisses concerns that the US targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran could be a war crime; the BBC gets special access to a siezed scam compound in Myanmar; Albanian environmentalists protest against Ivanka Trump's plans for a luxury island resort; and fancy a curling match for a night out?

Intelligence chief of Iranian Revolutionary Guard killed

The intelligence chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, general Majid Khademi, has been killed in a US-Israeli air strike. An Iranian statement said he'd been "martyred" in an attack at dawn. His unit had been accused by the United States of violently suppressing anti-government protests in January. Israel has claimed responsibility for the strike, and defence Minister Israel Katz says general Khademi was a key target. Also, NASA's Artemis Two mission has crossed a key threshold in space on its journey to slingshot around the Moon - the lunar "sphere of influence". It means the Moon's gravitational pull now takes over the trajectory of the Orion spacecraft. And India's Border Security Force has asked security officials on the border with Bangladesh to look at the feasibility of deploying crocodiles and snakes to prevent illegal migration and smuggling.

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Trump extends Iran's deadline to open Strait of Hormuz

Donald Trump has changed the deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Tuesday, and threatened to bomb Iran's bridges and power plants if his demands are ignored. Tehran has dismissed the warnings as "nonsense". And US forces have rescued the missing American aviator whose fighter jet was shot down in southern Iran. Also: The challenges that autistic children and their parents face in Malawi. Sponsors pull out of Britain's Wireless music festival because Kanye West is headlining. And how one 77-year-old museum curator is trying to get Gen Z into the arts.

US gives Iran 48 hours to make deal or open Strait of Hormuz

President Trump has given Iran 48 hours to make a deal or open up the Strait of Hormuz - an ultimatum Tehran has rejected. Both countries are trading threats to unleash "hell" as the search continues for a missing American aviator. The diplomatic fallout has also seen the US revoke the green cards of two women thought to be related to the late Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. We'll get analysis from our correspondents on the ground and a military expert. Also: Bangladesh launches an emergency measles vaccination programme; the Ukrainian project creating dishes from demined fields; how the manosphere is poisoning the atmosphere in British classrooms; and the Artemis II astronauts catch their first glimpse of the far side of the Moon.

The Happy Pod: The decades long wait for the World Cup

We now know the 48 nations that will be competing in the summer's FIFA World Cup. The final two sides to qualify - Iraq and the DRC - have each waited decades to return to the competition. We hear from jubilant fans of both teams.

Also, a small rural village in South Korea, which is at risk of extinction, is celebrating the birth of a baby for the first time 17 years. A community in Washington DC has come together to rebuild a bookshop that was destroyed in a fire. An ancient abbey in the north of England is experiencing a tourism boost thanks to a Taiwanese pop star. A British schoolgirl has invented a pair of glasses designed to help people with dyslexia. In Japan, people have been taking part in a Grand Prix like no other: an office chair race.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson.

Iran says it has shot down US fighter jet

Iran says it has shot down a US fighter jet over the west of the country. Iranian state media has published pictures and videos purporting to show parts of the downed plane and one of the ejector seats. American aircraft and reconnaissance drones are said to be involved in the search, but there has been no official confirmation from the Pentagon or the White House.

Also: Despite President Trump's claims that Iran's military capacity has been decimated by almost five weeks of US-Israeli strikes, Iranian missiles and drones damaged oil, natural gas and water desalination facilities in Gulf nations on Friday. The UN says food prices have risen to their highest level in six months and could increase further if the war in the Middle East continues. A French court has overturned an attempt by the government to ban a Muslim event which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people over the weekend. Burkina Faso's leader has told the people there they can forget about democracy in an interview on national TV. South Sudan is facing a rapidly worsening security and humanitarian crisis. We look at how Easter festivities are going ahead in Jerusalem, despite challenges... and scientists answer a long standing mystery of how octopuses mate.

UK and allies discuss reopening Strait of Hormuz

Representatives from more than 40 countries took part in a virtual summit on Thursday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz crisis. French President Emmanuel Macron says using force to open the vital shipping lane is "unrealistic", and criticises the US for its mixed messages on the war. Also: a 200-year old discovery off the coast of Denmark, the latest on the Artemis II Moon mission. Plus: the blind man running a marathon with the help of strangers talking through his glasses.

Reach for the Moon

Nasa has said it's back in the business of sending astronauts to the Moon, after the Artemis II mission successfully blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It said there had been a temporary loss of communications but all was now well, and the four astronauts on board were safe, secure and in great spirits. The spacecraft is expected to circle the far side of the Moon and eventually return to Earth. In other news, in a TV address President Trump has said the US is close to meeting its objectives in the war against Iran. And police in the Chinese city of Wuhan are investigating a malfunction which led to at least 100 self-driving cars stopping in the middle of the road.