BBC

Hundreds of protesters have demonstrated outside parliament in Madrid after the death of an 87 year old woman who became a symbol of Spain's housing crisis. Maricarmen Abascal was forcibly removed on a stretcher from her apartment of more than 70 years last month after she was unable to afford big rent increases. The company that owned the flat later offered to allow her to return at a lower rate...

Electoral battle lines are being drawn and redrawn in the United States right now, as Republicans and Democrats up the ante in an electoral redistricting war that many fear is undermining democracy. BBC North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher looks at how a once-a-decade act of political admin has turned into a rolling process of political partisanship, as parties compete to redraw voting dist...

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to scrap inheritance tax on family homes. But rival parties have criticised the proposal saying it would prioritise support for the wealthiest people in the country. We speak to a leading economist and a member of the shadow cabinet. Also on the programme; we'll hear about the legal arguments over the botched execution of Christa Pike in Tennesse...

Buying a home in America has just become even more expensive as mortgage rates have gone up for a seventh straight week to their highest level in nearly three years. We'll find out what's pushing the rate up further. We hear from the first black woman in the world to own and run a billion-dollar company who says she had to forgive herself for being 'black, female and smart' when setting up her bus...

People across Israel and around the world have been marking the third anniversary of the October the seventh attacks -- which saw Hamas- led fighters kill around twelve- hundred people. Hamas officials say Israel's subsequent offensive in Gaza has killed more than seventy- five- thousand people. Also in the programme: The World Health Organisation has warned against using surgery and weight loss d...

Clarrie’s concerns bubble to the surface, and Amber becomes overwhelmed.

Interest rates rise in the world's most-populous country for the first time in four years: will it curb inflation? Also, are hybrid vehicle prices about to jump in the EU? World Business Express - Finance, economy and business news from BBC journalists around the world. The stories that matter: World Business Express brings you the essentials on the fast-changing global economy. What forces are dr...

Israel has been remembering the deadliest single day in its history on 7th October 2023 when Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups stormed communities along the border with Gaza, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The anniversary comes weeks before an election in which the question of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal culpability for the country's worst-e...

Kenya has allocated $538 million to its Ebola response after confirming the country’s first case, linked to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The money will support efforts to prevent further spread as health authorities step up surveillance and contact tracing. We look at whether Kenya and its neighbours are prepared as transmission continues in eastern DRC. In Liberia, hu...

People across Israel and around the world have been marking the third anniversary of the October 7th attacks which saw Hamas-led fighters kill almost 1200 people and take 251 hostages. Israel responded by launching a military offensive in Gaza that Hamas officials say has killed more than 75,000 Palestinians. We'll get reflections on the anniversary from Israel and Gaza. Also on the programme: Arg...

Nolan talks to BMA's Dr Alan Stout, Ulster University's Prof Deirdre Heenan and callers

For International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (October 13th), we're finding out how technology can help prevent disasters, save lives and help rescuers. In Argentina, we’ll meet Franco Rodríguez Viau whose family friends lost their home in a fire, inspiring him to find a way of tracking wildfires. He was just a teenager when he began developing an app that combines NASA satellite imagery with...

When someone you love needs financial help, lending them money can seem like the easiest way to support them. And when you're the one facing financial difficulties, turning to someone close to you for a loan can feel like the most natural solution. Around 1 in 4 of us borrow from family and friends when times are tight according to a survey from the not for profit, Fair4All Finance. It found many...

President Macron holds an emergency meeting after more than a quarter of a million French people take part in fresh school protests. Although most gatherings were peaceful, there were sporadic clashes, with police using batons and tear gas to disperse crowds. Lawyers for Christa Pike, the American woman who survived a botched execution attempt last week, say she's regained consciousness and is abl...

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across France, as a wave of protests by high-school pupils spread to their parents, university students and unions. There was less violence than in previous days, though some protesters clashed with police, who responded with tear gas. We hear from Marseille and Paris and look behind the protests to the acute fiscal and political difficulti...

Paramount Skydance has officially taken over Warner Bros Discovery in a $110bn merger that is set to change the entertainment industry. We hear what this mean for cineme goers across the globe. As Lionel Messi prepares to play his final match for Argentina, we look at the extraordinary fortune the football superstar has built alongside his record-breaking career. And we will tell you why the price...

The French government has denied it ordered police repression against students, after hundreds of young people were injured in nationwide protests. The Interior Ministry said more than a quarter of a million people took part today. Also on the programme: our reporter meets Yemeni civilians determined to defeat the Houthis; and hundreds of items from the personal archive of the influential American...

There’s a complication at the vets, and Alan offers some comfort.

As fighting surges again in Yemen, government forces supported by Saudi Arabia say they've been making significant gains in an offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis. We hear how the conflict is affecting people in one of the key battlegrounds - the southwestern city of Taiz, which is surrounded by the Houthis. Also: protesters and police clash in several French cities, as students, parents and...

Mass protests and school blockades have swept across France as teenagers, teachers, and unions demand more investment in dilapidated classrooms and smaller class sizes. India says its trade talks with the United States have now reached a “plateau”, after Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal wrapped up negotiations in the US without the breakthrough many had hoped for. OpenAI’s chief strategy officer has...

Burkina Faso's military-led government has opened a gold refinery in a bid to tighten its grip on one of the country's most important industries. The $19 million facility known as Raffinor-BF is financed by the state, including through the National Precious Metals Company (Sonasp), in partnership with Burkina Faso's private sector. The plant will initially be capable of refining 164 tonnes of gold...

There have been clashes between protesters and police in several French cities, as demonstrators call for more investment in schools. Police fired teargas in the southern city of Toulouse, while in Lyon police say they responded when missiles were thrown at officers. The student protests - over a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms and run-down buildings - started last month in Paris then spr...

Nolan talks to comedian Paddy McDonnell, Belfast Telegraph's John Laverty and callers

I’ve got too many plans. I’m going to sack them off and just chill out this week! Learn how to use 'sack something off' in this programme with Georgie and Feifei. Get a free transcript for this episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak_2026/ep-261005 Have you signed up to our email newsletter yet? If not, what are you waiting for?! Get weekly tips fr...

Iran-backed Houthis claim they hit several targets in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh Airport, while Saudi-led forces attacked Houthi military strongholds on the Red Sea coast. The Yemeni government has launched an offensive against the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa. Also: Student demonstrations intensify in France ahead of a national day of protests. The Nobel Prize in Medicine is awarded to Karl Dei...