Iran prisoner swap: US citizens freed in $6bn...

There's been a blackout of communications in Gaza since Friday night. The Israeli military is intensifying its bombing of Gaza and says its troops and tanks remain on the ground. We hear from our reporter in southern Gaza, a medic who hasn't heard from colleagues since last night ...  Show more

Israel says it's increasing air strikes and ground operations in Gaza and has again warned Palestinians in Gaza City to move south. Mobile phone and internet services in the territory have been shut down. Also in the programme: the latest on the Maine shooter; and Israel's former ...  Show more

Washington and Tehran have reached a deal to swap prisoners and unblock Iran’s frozen assets in South Korea. Iran will release a number of American prisoners in exchange for the U.S. releasing a number of Iranian prisoners and unblocking $6 billion of Iranian funds to be used for ...  Show more

On Monday, five Americans who were imprisoned in Iran, stepped off a plane in Doha, Qatar. They were freed as part of a prisoner exchange deal between the U.S. and Iran. Despite the happy news, the Biden administration is facing a lot of criticism for this deal, which also gave I ...  Show more

“Hostage diplomacy” is a term you’ll frequently see in the media, but it's a misleading term. What we’re really talking about: Dictators kidnapping and torturing innocent foreign civilians.

 In some cases, the leaders of free countries pay ransom to get them back. In som ...

Iran’s rocky relations with the West have cost a host of individuals their freedom. The Islamic republic has imprisoned citizens from the US, Britain and a number of other countries for spying. The charges may be trumped up, but Tehran’s determination to use western prisoners for ...  Show more