Broadcast timeline
BBC NEWS — BBC News
Wednesday 22 July 2026 · 01:00 BST · 30m · 6 stories · 15 annotated moments · 23 of 30 min on news stories (78%)
Broadcast overview
An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.
The US military launched an 11th consecutive night of strikes on military targets in Iran, with President Trump threatening to escalate by bombing a deeply buried complex near a damaged nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain. Iran's top military command responded by stating it would target US and allied interests if its nuclear sites were targeted. In Washington, Trump held an historic meeting with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun, pledging assistance for Lebanon's disarmament of Hezbollah and peace with Israel, while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before a Senate committee, estimating the war's cost at $37.5 billion and warning that service members' pay and munitions replenishment could be endangered without Congress's funding approval. Democrats pressed Hegseth on what they called contradictory statements about Iran's military capabilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the military's commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, following days of mass protests in Kiev over the earlier sacking of the popular defence minister, Mikhail Fedorov. Zelensky praised Syrskyi's past achievements but announced his replacement by a younger commander, while Fedorov welcomed the news as a breath of fresh air, though he has not yet been reappointed. In Venezuela, former President Nicolas Maduro and his wife are set to appear in a New York federal court on drug trafficking charges, while residents in La Guaira continue to deal with the aftermath of last month's deadly earthquakes, with many focused on searching for missing loved ones and expressing little interest in Maduro's legal proceedings.
France became the first EU state to ban children under 15 from accessing social media, requiring platforms to implement age verification systems and including a ban on mobile phones in high schools. The EU Commission is considering a graduated approach to social media regulation, with an EU-wide age verification app in development, as Commissioner Michael McGrath emphasised the need for swift action and robust enforcement. In the UK, a study found that populations of three common bumblebee species fell by 20 to 35% after the record-breaking heat waves of 2022, with experts warning that this summer's heat waves pose similar risks and suggesting that planting native wildflowers can help support bee recovery.
- 1:01
- 1:05
Claim US strikes Iran for 11th consecutive night; Houthis threaten Red Sea shipping
The US hit 170 Iranian targets over 48 hours, mainly near the Strait of Hormuz.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 1:05-1:12
- 1:19
Claim US strikes Iran for 11th consecutive night; Houthis threaten Red Sea shipping
The US hit 170 Iranian targets over 48 hours, mainly near the Strait of Hormuz.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 1:19-1:26
- 1:19
Claim US strikes Iran for 11th consecutive night; Houthis threaten Red Sea shipping
The US hit 170 Iranian targets over 48 hours, mainly near the Strait of Hormuz.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 1:19-1:26
- 1:32
Claim US strikes Iran for 11th consecutive night; Houthis threaten Red Sea shipping
Trump threatened to bomb a deeply buried complex near a damaged nuclear site.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 1:32-1:39
- 1:32
Claim US strikes Iran for 11th consecutive night; Houthis threaten Red Sea shipping
Trump threatened to bomb a deeply buried complex near a damaged nuclear site.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 1:32-1:39
- 2:27
Claim US strikes Iran for 11th consecutive night; Houthis threaten Red Sea shipping
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Congress for more than $80 billion in additional funding, and the cost of the war so far is over $37.5 billion.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 2:27-2:39
- 2:27
Claim US strikes Iran for 11th consecutive night; Houthis threaten Red Sea shipping
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked Congress for more than $80 billion in additional funding, and the cost of the war so far is over $37.5 billion.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 2:27-2:42
- 6:48
- 6:48
Claim Zelensky sacks commander-in-chief after protests over defense minister dismissal
Zelensky dismissed the commander-in-chief following mass protests over the defence minister's dismissal.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 6:48-7:01
- 7:01
Claim Zelensky sacks commander-in-chief after protests over defense minister dismissal
Fedorov and Syrskyi had been in open conflict for months.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 7:01-7:05
- 8:28
Claim Zelensky sacks commander-in-chief after protests over defense minister dismissal
Zelensky offered Fedorov a position back in government, but his response is unknown.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 8:28-8:34
- 10:14
- 14:17
- 14:19
Claim France bans social media for under-15s, EU considers similar measures
France's National Assembly approved a bill banning children under 15 from social media, requiring age verification and fines for non-compliance.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 14:19-14:30
- 14:19
Claim France bans social media for under-15s, EU considers similar measures
France's National Assembly approved a bill banning children under 15 from social media, requiring age verification and fines for non-compliance.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 14:19-14:26
- 14:30
Claim France bans social media for under-15s, EU considers similar measures
France's National Assembly approved a bill banning children under 15 from social media, requiring age verification and fines for non-compliance.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 14:30-14:35
- 23:01
- 23:25 Story begins UK bumblebee populations crash after 2022 heatwaves
- 23:28
Claim UK bumblebee populations crash after 2022 heatwaves
Populations of three common UK bumblebee species declined by 20-35% after the 2022 heatwaves.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 23:28-23:37
- 24:32
Claim UK bumblebee populations crash after 2022 heatwaves
Bumblebees struggle to fly when air temperature exceeds about 30 degrees Celsius.
BBC NEWS, BBC News, 22 July 2026, 24:32-24:36
- 25:48 ~4 min without annotations
Source: BBC NEWS, "BBC News", Wednesday 22 July 2026. Transcript excerpts and stills are shown only to support the analysis annotated alongside them. Search-result excerpts are distinct from the editorial annotations — see our copyright basis. The full broadcast is not reproduced.