BBC

US inflation figures are higher than forecast in September. With the price of diesel and food increasing, lower income Americans have been hit the hardest. We hear from a saw manufacturer in Iowa and a computer repair shop in New York on how they’re coping with the higher prices. In China, many leave home for big cities in search of work and livelihoods. Our China correspondent reports Beijing on...

SpaceX’s Starlink and Starshield satellites systems help guide drones towards military targets in Russia and track incoming threats to Ukraine. Elon Musk suggests that the Pentagon, or President Trump, may be behind restrictions on the speed at which some of Ukraine's weapons can travel and still stay connected to the network. Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a member of the Foreign Relations Commi...

Britain's prime minister, Andy Burnham, has promised to speed up the delivery of British-made air defence missiles to Ukraine. Kyiv has expressed concern that it did not get advance warning from allies ahead of a wave of missile strikes coming from Russia. It said it also experienced restrictions on its access to the Starlink communications network. Also, a British orthopaedic surgeon currently su...

Stella puts her foot in it, while Jazzer gets a worrying insight.

Former Democratic Republic of Congo president Joseph Kabila has been named the head of a new political and military alliance that includes M23 rebels, who control vast swathes of Congo’s mineral-rich eastern region. The Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, or FRN movement says it wants to remove the government of President Félix Tshisekedi. M23 leader Sultani Makenga will serve as one of Kabi...

US inflation rose more than expected, climbing to 3.7% from 3.4% in the year to September. We'll look at what's driving the surprise increase in prices. China's exports are getting a boost from strong demand for AI-related products and electric vehicles. And despite tougher US sanctions, American exports to Cuba have reached record levels. Presenter: Luke Wilson Producer: Barbara George

Russian missile and drone strikes hit "critical" infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv despite US President Donald Trump's claim on Sunday that an "energy ceasefire" was in place between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine says it received no warning from allies and was hampered by restrictions to the Starlink communications network during another night of intense attacks. Separately, speed restrictions on t...

Ukraine says another major attack on its energy infrastructure has left six hundred thousand people without power. At least six people were killed in the overnight bombardment, which targeted the greater Kyiv area and Kharkiv in the northeast. President Zelensky has said that for a second night, his forces received no warning of the attacks from its allies. Also on the programme: the trial has beg...

And, NI faces detrimental winter due to impending industrial action Health Minister warns

A medical bulletin from the Vatican has announced that Pope Leo has undergone a successful operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. It said the Pope had woken up normally and returned to his room after a brief period of observation. Pope Leo had announced on Sunday that his operation was imminent but the cancer diagnosis only came after the procedure had been carried out. Also:...

We travel to the Italian island of Sicily to see how Palermo residents are fighting back against the influence of the mafia. Presenter Myra Anubi meets people from the charity Addiopizzo, which encourages residents to stop paying protection money known as "pizzo." Meanwhile we visit a neighbourhood regeneration scheme which encourages young people to get involved and resist the temptation of joini...

More than 320,000 households in England and Wales complained to their water supplier last year. A rise of 56% on the year before, according a report from the industry watchdog the Consumer Council for Water. It also says the number of people escalating complaints to them has rocketed 84% - the biggest rise in the watchdog's 20-year history. The topic of water is huge conversation right now, from w...

IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva warns that if an AI bust occurs it would wipe 1% off global GDP rising to 1.8% in the U.S. The warning came as stocks and shares in global tech and semiconductors fell. In the U.S. data centres are a key battleground in the mid-term elections, with many communities opposing them. We go to Arizona and Ohio to hear from those on the ground. Formula One has...

Doctors took out the tumour during a ninety-minute procedure at the Gemilli Hospital in Rome. Also on the programme: a warning from MI5 on terrorists using AI; the woman who cast RJ Mitte in Breaking Bad remembers a star who broke down barriers for actors with disabilities; and computer-generated birdsong to help endangered species.

The head of Britain's intelligence agency, MI5, has warned of the growing threat posed by extremists and artificial intelligence. We hear from biological weapons expert Nikki Teran. Also in the programme: Breaking Bad's casting director remembers RJ Mitte who has died aged 34; and the magnetic millirobots aiming to cure heart infections. (Picture: Director General of MI5 Sir Ken McCallum speaking...

Vince expresses concerns for a loved one, and Keira is angling for an invitation.

Survivors of the boat accident where 139 migrants died off the coast of Djibouti have recounted their ordeals to the BBC. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that among those died were 15 children, marking one of the deadliest shipwrecks ever recorded on the Eastern Migration Route. The vessel was carrying 305 people, most of them Ethiopians, heading from Djibouti to Yemen....

Rwanda will host the F1 African Grand Prix in a 10-year deal starting in the early 2030s. We delve into why F1 wants Africa back on the calendar. Earnings season gets underway with results from some of America's biggest banks. And Netflix has secured the rights in Spain and Andorra for the next men's football World Cup. Presenter: Luke Wilson Producer: Barbara George

The International Monetary Fund says in its latest report that global growth has weathered the Middle East conflict better than had been feared, with rerouting of oil supplies and the release of energy stocks helping reduce the negative impact of the Iran war. But the IMF also warns that emergency stocks are now depleted. Also; the authorities in the American state of Tennessee release dramatic ph...

Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi made the comments in an exclusive interview, his first since he was dramatically forced from his post in the summer. He addressed his sacking, disagreeing with his critics who declared him too "old school" to command Ukraine's new, technologically advanced forces. Also on the programme: The International Monetary Fund says the global economy is doing better than expected - bu...

More on Drumcree & Nolan speaks with a concerned father about Daisy Hill maternity ward.

As fuel prices continue to put pressure on the global economy, we ask which has the greatest impact: the conflict in the Middle East or Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Hundreds of supermarkets across France were hit by a cyber-attack that has left supermarkets empty. We're joined by a journalist in Paris who tells us how shoppers have reacted. And why are so many of us watching horror movies? What d...

Try your patience means 'test your patience'. Find out how to use it here with Phil and Feifei. Get a free transcript for this episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak_2026/ep-261012 Have you signed up to our email newsletter yet? If not, what are you waiting for?! Get weekly tips from your favourite presenters: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599...

Researchers in Australia say there were 11.4 million new dementia cases in 2023. They expect that number to more than double to 24.7 million by 2050. Women and people from lower- and middle-income countries are most likely to be affected. We speak to Professor Henry Brodaty, co-author of the study, who tells us this is because of "an epidemic of ageing". Also: the BBC reports from the frontline of...

Hungary under Viktor Orban was a model for the populist right the world over. But in April 2026 he and the party he led, Fidesz, was decisively defeated in an election that brought an end to his 16 years in power. In the six months since the election some of what Viktor Orban had institutionalised has been rolled back. The state-funded media is no longer under government control. Hungary has a new...