After 15 months of war, Hamas and Israel have agreed a ceasefire agreement which will come into force on the 19th January. The deal will enter a 42-day first phase, after which the second phase of the ceasefire and further release of hostages will need to be agreed. We speak to the brother-in-law of one the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, an Israeli Member of the Knesset who is opposed to the deal, a Palestinian journalist living in Gaza and a representative of UNRWA, the main United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. Also in the programme: how wildfires in LA have destroyed thousands of homes in working class neighbourhoods. Photo: Palestinian supporters celebrate news of a ceasefire with Israel, in Berlin, Germany, January 15, 2025. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben
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47:30
South Korea's suspended president arrested over his attempt to impose martial law
South Korean investigators say the impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, is refusing to answer questions under interrogation. He was arrested on Wednesday in relation to his short-lived imposition of martial law in early December. In a video message the president said he had agreed to appear before the investigators to prevent any bloodshed, though he described the investigation as illegal.We speak to a member of the opposition and to a prominent South Korean writer about the mood in the country.Also in the programme: an international panel of experts says we need to improve how we diagnose obesity to avoid over-diagnosis; firefighters in LA brace for new high winds; Is Space being privatised - and is that fair? And Kenya's only ice hockey team goes international.Photo: Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol rally near the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking officials following his arrest in Gwacheon, South Korea, January 15, 2025. Credit: Soo-hyeon/ REUTERS
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47:29
Trump's choice for Defence Secretary in front of senate committee
Former Fox News host and military veteran Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's nominee for defence secretary, faced four hours of grilling by the Senate Armed Services Committee. He was challenged over previous comments made about women in the military; elsewhere he vowed to restore a "warrior ethos" to the Pentagon.Also on the programme: how Russians have been trying to get Ukrainians to sabotage their military, to secure the release of a loved one; and a Canadian pilot, whose skill has impressed the world in scooping up seawater to put out the LA fires.(Picture: US Secretary of Defence nominee Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington DC. Credit: SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
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47:32
How close is a ceasefire for Gaza?
Qatari mediators say major differences have been overcome in negotiations on a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. What will it mean for Palestinians there and for the relatives of Israeli hostages, who are anxiously waiting for news of the negotiations? Also on the programme: the BBC investigates new evidence after the deaths of tourists on a boat that capsized off Egypt; and why Starbucks is about to get less welcoming to people who hang around in its shops without buying anything.(Photo: Supporters of Israeli hostages, kidnapped during the deadly October 7 2023 attack by Hamas, protest amid ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire in Tel Aviv. Credit: Reuters)
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48:28
Biden: Gaza ceasefire deal close
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken by phone - in Biden's final week in office - as momentum builds towards a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Israel and Hamas are understood to be making progress but uncertainty remains over key aspects of the potential agreement.Also on the programme: Twenty-six men have been rescued from a mine shaft in South Africa after spending more than two months trapped underground; and research from Nasa tells us that we are less likely to notice when a woman is tired than a man.(Photo: Protest in Tel Aviv calls for Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)