BBC

Last week, the American government charged the former Cuban leader, Raúl Castro, with conspiracy to kill US nationals. They accuse him of playing a part in the downing of two planes in 1996, which were flying between Cuba and Florida. This comes after months of the US putting increasing pressure on the country. In January, President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country who supplied oil to the island, resulting in huge energy shortages ever since, with some parts of the country being without power for 22 hours a day. But Cubans have been living under a strict trade embargo for decades, so they are not unfamiliar with such hardships. José Carlos Cueto López of BBC Mundo is from Cuba, and knows exactly what it's like for people living in such challenging circumstances.

 The UN says that at least 32 political prisoners have been executed in Iran since February this year. The UN's Human Rights Office has warned that the death penalty is increasingly being used to silence political dissent. Last year, Iran carried out 2,159 executions according to Amnesty International, the highest number since 1981. The Iranian government says that the vast majority are for drugs related offenses or murder. Ghoncheh Habibiazad of BBC Persian has been trying to find out more about the political prisoners who've been executed this year, and she told me about her findings.

The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.

Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.

If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

Some bereaved listeners whose relatives had money put away with National Savings and Investments are facing weeks and months of delay in getting their own money. It comes as NS&I works to track down the accounts of tens of thousands of people who had died, after it admitted keeping nearly half a billion pounds in its coffers that should have been passed to their estates. The state-owned bank has apologised and says its working hard on its plan to ensure those affected are paid what is owed to them, along with returning the processing of current and new bereavement claims to their normal time-frame.

The cost of borrowing has been held steady by the Bank of England. On Thursday its Monetary Policy Committee held the Bank Rate at 3.75%. How is that affecting mortgage deals?

And, how can young people, who’re out of work, find a job? Dan Whitworth reports on a scheme run by the charity Spear to address barriers to work. It comes as University College London publishes research which finds being out of work and education between ages 16 and 24 has long-term consequences for people’s employment and finances in midlife.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner

Researcher: Catherine Lund

Editor: Jess Quayle

Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast 12pm, Saturday 2nd May 2026)

Ghana's parliament has approved a bill that contains some of the most repressive anti-LGBTQ laws in the world. The legislation bans any promotion of LGBTQ rights and activities. It still needs to be approved by the president. Also: A US judge orders the removal of Donald Trump's name from the Kennedy Center; Laos rescuers extract the first of seven men trapped inside a flooded cave; Novak Djokovic is knocked out of the French Open; the former head monk of China's "kung fu temple" is sentenced to 24 years in jail; and the hugely popular video game Call of Duty is under fire for its Korean war storyline.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.

Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.

Get in touch: [email protected]

With the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the head of the World Health Organization warned this week that the country faces a “catastrophic collision” of disease and conflict. Ebola is a disease caused by a virus, and outbreaks between people start when somebody catches it from an infected animal. Ebola is rare but the symptoms are severe, often leading to death. To compound matters, not only is this area of central Africa badly affected by conflict, there is also not currently a vaccine for this strain of the virus. Two aid workers in the region share their experiences of containing the disease. We also hear from journalists tackling misinformation, and we meet Harriet in Liberia who contracted Ebola during a previous outbreak.

With an uncrewed Blue Origin rocket exploding during a hot fire test at Cape Canaveral, Florida, we speak to former NASA engineer Sinead O’Sullivan about how much of a setback it is for Jeff Bezos business in the space race while Elon Musk's SpaceX firm's IPO gets ever closer.

Leanne Byrne finds out why the US travel industry is warning that plans being considered by Donald Trump's administration could cost the economy billions of dollars and disrupt one of America's busiest international gateways just weeks before the FIFA World Cup.

Elsewhere, we discuss why tech companies in Silicon Valley are hiring philosophers, and do Africa's wealthiest people have a responsibility to help tackle inequality?

Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Africa, Europe and the USA.

(Picture: Fire during an explosion of the uncrewed Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket during a test on a launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, on 28 May 2026. Credit: NASASpaceflight.com / Reuters.)

The Russian President says it was likely a Ukrainian drone that was responsible for hitting the block of flats in the Romanian town of Alati. The UK’s Europe Minister Stephen Doughty gives his reaction.

Also in the programme: businessmen Shiv Malik explains his plans to build a new city east of Cambridge that could house one million people in affordable homes. And Shaun Ley speaks to Hong-Kong-born conductor Elim Chan, who’ll become the first woman to lead one of the United States’ leading orchestras.

US president Donald Trump announced that he was meeting with close advisers in the White House situation room to make a ‘final determination’ on whether to extend a ceasefire agreement with Iran. Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran had not yet reached a decision on a deal.

Also on the programme: a Canadian man has pleaded guilty to helping fourteen people take their own lives by selling them legal but highly toxic chemicals; and after a Russian drone hits an apartment block in Romania, we ask how NATO should now respond.

(Picture: Trump during a cabinet meeting in the White House, in Washington, D.C., May 27, 2026 Credit: REUTERS/Evan Vucci/File Photo)

24th May – 29th May 2026

Writer: Katie Hims

Director: Jessica Bunch

Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge … Charles Collingwood

Natasha Archer … Mali Harries 

Tom Archer … William Troughton 

Lilian Bellamy … Sunny Ormonde

Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman 

Susan Carter … Charlotte Martin

Ian Craig …  Stephen Kennedy 

Alan Franks … John Telfer

Brad Horrobin … Taylor Uttley

Tracy Horrobin … Susie Riddell 

Adam Macy … Andrew Wincott

Kate Madikane ... Perdita Avery

Zainab Malik ... Priyasasha Kumari

Kirsty Miller …. Annabelle Dowler 

Lynda Snell ... Carole Boyd

Carol Tregorran … Mia Soteriou

Anna Tregorran … Isobel Middleton

Midwife … Tian Chaudhry

Recorded at Hay Festival, Andy asks the panel the dreaded question - is Brexit back on the table? Also on the menu is Welsh independence, the National Conversation and an update on just how much money has been wasted on HS2.

This week’s panellists are Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Robin Morgan, Stephen Bush and Chloe Petts.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Maisie Adair, Catherine Brinkworth, Angela Channell and James Farmer

Producer: Georgia Keating

Executive Producer: James Robinson

Production Coordinator: Asha Osborne-Grinter

Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

Recorded at Hay Festival

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Romanian authorities say a Russian drone has crashed into a residential building in eastern Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people in the major port city of Galati. The episode has sparked a chorus of condemnation from NATO and EU leaders, who have accused Russia of acting recklessly. The Romanian president, Nicușor Dan, has described this as the most serious security incident to occur on Romanian territory since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Also: eight students have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a deadly fire at a girls school in Kenya; Anthropic, the firm behind the Claude chatbot, overtakes OpenAI to become the world's most valuable AI startup; WHO chief lands in the Democratic Republic of Congo to address rare Ebola outbreak; what two decades of anonymous Google searches tell us about our habits over time; and Lucian Freud’s muse Sue Tilley tells us what it’s like to be the subject of a painting worth a fortune.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.

Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.

Get in touch: [email protected]