The World Tonight

The prime minister has sat down in the White House with President Biden, as tensions grow with Russia over Ukraine. Our political editor joins us live from Washington. How will the two leaders respond to President Putin's warning that their decisions could provoke a wider war? The two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station speak for the first time about how they're coping with being stuck there until next year. We talk to a former Nasa astronaut about the routine of life in space. And as Prince Harry declares he's "excited" about turning 40 this weekend, a discussion on whether our attitudes to the milestone of those birthdays ending in '0' is changing.

The Prime Minister Keir Starmer is travelling to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington DC as momentum grows to permit Ukraine to fire Western long-range missiles into Russia. On the eve of the trip, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would treat any such development as NATO participation in the war. But Starmer told journalists, "Russia started this conflict... Russia can end this conflict straight away." Scotland's only oil refinery is to close by the summer of next year, with the loss of 400 jobs. Petroineos said the closure of Grangemouth was due to it being unable to compete with sites in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. What does it mean for the so-called "just transition" to Net Zero? And an American woman has smashed the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the world on a bicycle.

In a scathing report published tonight, the surgeon tasked by the PM to assess the state of the NHS says it's in a "critical condition". We ask if Sir Keir Starmer has a plan to fix the health service. Also tonight: With the US Secretary of State and British Foreign Secretary in town, Ukraine has urged them to allow the use of long-range missiles against targets inside Russia. The former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps tells us he's not worried about fears of escalation. And on the hunt for the missing blue plaques - as English Heritage calls for people to help track them down.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris will face off in a Presidential debate on ABC in just a few hours. The pair have never met in person and so far this is their only scheduled debate in the presidential campaign as polls remain tight. The government faced down a rebellion over means testing the winter fuel allowance for pensioners. Just one MP rebelled but many more abstained. Will there be consequences for MPs who have opposed the benefit cut? And they say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but if you live in Cornwall that might change, as the council is set to encourage foraging by sowing edible plants.

The chancellor has tonight urged Labour MPs not to rebel against the government in tomorrow's crunch vote to cut the Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners. Diane Abbott, who's critical of the government, joins us live - and we hear from an aggrieved Labour-voting pensioner. Also tonight: More than 1,700 prisoners are getting ready to be released early from jail tomorrow. One recently released prisoner tells us why he fears some of them may return there. As the Princess of Wales reveals she has completed her chemotherapy treatment, but says her path to "full recovery is long" - two cancer survivors on what navigating that path is like. And ahead of the US presidential election TV debate tomorrow - The World Tonight's James Menendez is in Missouri.

The number of inmates held in English and Welsh prisons has reached a new record for the second week running. It now stands at 88,521. The BBC spent time inside HMP Pentonville this week, witnessing the effects of overcrowding. The Prime Minister says he has no choice but to begin releasing prisoners early on Tuesday. Is a rebellion brewing against the government's plans to means test the Winter Fuel payment for pensioners? We speak to one MP urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to row back from the changes. And fifty years after his death in obscurity, a new play celebrates the man behind the iconic map of the London Underground.

Thousands of prisoners will be released early from Tuesday to relieve over-crowding in Britain's prisons. Sima Kotecha gained access to HMP Pentonville to witness the toll the over-crowding is taking on prison guards and the prisoners themselves. A former prison officer who now helps inmates to find employment says he fears the early releases could ruin the chances of offenders rebuilding their lives. France has a new Prime Minister, and he'll be familiar to many Britons. Michel Barnier became the face of the EU during Brexit negotiations, he'll now have to navigate the intractable divisions in the French National Assembly. And English Teacher has won the Mercury Music Prize for their album This Could Be Texas.

The final Grenfell Tower Inquiry has blamed a chain of failures by governments and private companies for the fire that claimed 72 lives. We speak to the Grenfell resident whose warnings were ignored - and ask whether the survivors will now get the justice they want. Also tonight: A first round defeat for Priti Patel in the Tory leadership contest - so who's leading the race to become the next leader? And a quarter-final win at the US Open for the new British tennis star Jack Draper. We get reaction from New York.

A pregnant woman and six children are among the dead after a small boat capsized in the Channel in the worst tragedy of its kind this year. We're live on the French coast - and ask whether the new government's plan to "smash the gangs" will help to prevent future tragedies. Also tonight: The final report into the Grenfell Tower fire is published tomorrow - we hear what it means to survivors. And as a street in Prague is named after Sir Nicolas Winton - we speak to one of the children he rescued from the Nazis and who was there for the ceremony.

The Foreign Secretary has announced that the government is suspending thirty arms export licences to Israel. David Lammy told MPs that there was a "clear risk" that British-made parts might be used to commit acts which violate international humanitarian law. They include components for fighter jets, helicopters and drones. Israel criticised the move as a "disappointing decision" at a "sensitive moment". Also in the programme: Venezuela has reacted furiously to the seizure by the US of its leader, Nicolas Maduro's personal jet; and is it time to end compulsory multiplication tests for nine year-olds?

Hospices say services are at serious risk of being cut because of a crisis in funding. A hospice caring for terminally ill people tells us it's planning to cut jobs - and beds. We ask whether, as well as money, the relationship between hospices and the NHS needs to change. Also tonight: A Labour MP, revealed by the BBC to be renting out flats with black mould and ant infestations, says he's profoundly sorry that tenants have been let down. We have the latest. Is Germany about to face fresh political upheaval? We look ahead to this weekend's crunch elections where the far-right is expected to surge. As Terry's the chocolatier provokes controversy among chocolate lovers by offering a version of its chocolate orange without the orange flavour, a food psychologist explains why it might still taste... orangey.

The World Health Organisation says Israel has agreed to "humanitarian pauses" in Gaza in order to allow the administration of polio vaccines to more than 600,000 children. The agreement comes days after UN officials said a 10-month-old baby had been partially paralysed after contracting Gaza’s first case of polio for 25 years. In the United States, Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris has recorded her first broadcast interview. She sat down with CNN alongside her running mate Tim Walz. And the Met Office has issued its list of storm names for the upcoming year, including one paying tribute to a weather forecaster whose prediction saved the D-Day landings.

The biggest Israeli military operation in the occupied West Bank in years continues tonight. We ask what's behind it - and speak to the head of the city's biggest hospital. Also on the programme: The Paralympics are underway - with a glittering opening ceremony in Paris - we're live in the French capital. After the Prime Minister refuses to rule out the UK entering a youth exchange scheme with the EU - we debate whether that could be a good idea. And why has it reportedly taken an underground practice known as "beaver bombing" to get them back into the wild?

Sir Keir Starmer once again rounded on the Conservative record in government as he promised "tough action" to "fix the foundations of the country". Speaking from the Downing Street garden, the prime minister said people would have to "accept short-term pain for long-term good" ahead of the Budget in October. In the Middle East, another hostage was rescued by the IDF in Gaza. Farhan Elkadi is a Bedouin Arab who worked at a kibbutz in southern Israel from where he was captured on October 7th. He was found in an underground tunnel. And an extremely rare orchid that some people thought was instinct in Britain has been found, but the finder won't reveal where.

The Prime Minister set to warn that "things will get worse before they get better" in a speech from Downing Street’s rose garden. Also in the programme: Ukraine says Russia has used hundreds of missiles and drones to target the country's energy network, in the biggest air attack of the war so far. And, Gallagher brothers tease Oasis reunion – we speak to a fan who manages the rural studio where they recorded 'What's the story morning glory?'.

The independent candidate for US president, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has dropped out of the race and backed the Donald Trump. What impact could his endorsement have on the presidential race? Also on the programme: The sacked BBC presenter Jermaine Jenas has apologised for messages to women which led to his dismissal - but says he did nothing illegal. We have the latest. The artist behind a major new slavery memorial, chosen today by the Mayor of London, tells us what inspires him. And an undelivered postcard has finally arrived - only 121 years after it was first dropped in the post. We discuss the mystery it contains - and in the age of the text and selfie, the postcard's enduring appeal.

The Vice President will take to the stage, at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, to accept the party’s presidential nomination. Her aides say she'll deliver a robust denunciation of Donald Trump, and lay out her plans to tackle the cost of living and protect personal freedoms, including access to abortion. Also in the programme: The first drug to slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease has been approved for private use, but it won't be available on the NHS in England. And, the world's second-largest diamond was found in Botswana.

Aid trucks have entered the Sudanese region of Darfur from Chad after a four month gap, bringing food to a population now at risk of famine. Could this lead to a broader deal to end the country's devastating civil war? We speak to the US special envoy, Tom Perriello, who leads the peace talks in Geneva. Also in the programme: Is it time to scrap the policy of compulsory resits for students who don't make the grade in GCSE English and Maths? And, the life and legacy of Irish feminist icon, Nell McCafferty, who dies at the age of 80.

British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch are among the six people still missing after a British-flagged superyacht, named the Bayesian, sank in a storm off Sicily on Monday. Fifteen people, including a woman and her one-year-old baby, were rescued; one body has been recovered. Divers have been struggling to enter the wreck which is lying on its side, nearly 50 metres under the water. We assess the challenges facing rescue teams with a marine salvage expert. Also on the programme: An exclusive interview with the gay British-Mexican man who has returned to the UK after being convicted of drug charges in Qatar; The Scottish sandwich shop offering customers ‘seagull insurance’ for an extra £1…

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