BBC

The Chancellor announced major tax increases amounting to £26 billion in her second Budget, as well as ending the two-child benefit cap from April next year. We broadcast from the political bellwether town of Northampton, to get local reaction from business and townspeople, as well as the local MP Lucy Rigby, who is also Economic Secretary to the Treasury.

Also on the programme: two national guardsmen have been critically injured after being shot in Washington DC.

What’s the right approach when major economies are weighed down by growing debt? As the UK Government unveils its latest budget, Will Bain examines how debt is increasingly shaping economic decisions.

We also look at the rise of California-based live-stream shopping platform Whatnot, now valued at around $11 billion and fast becoming a serious challenger in retail.

And finally, what’s the big deal about wearing pajamas on planes?

(Photo: Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves holds her budget box outside number 11 Downing Street in London. Credit: Tolga Akmen/EPA Images)

At least 36 people have been killed in a huge fire that has engulfed multiple high-rise buildings in Hong Kong's Tai Po district. Also on the programme, three people, including two soldiers from the US National Guard, have been shot in Washington, a few blocks from the White House; and, how noise in the ocean is affecting marine life.

(Photo:Fire burns bamboo scaffolding across multiple buildings at Wang Fuk Court housing estate, in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China, November 26, 2025. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)

George's feelings are hurt, and Tracy has concerns.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te says China is stepping up military preparations to take the island by force. He's announced a $40 billion supplementary defence budget that underscores Taiwan's determination to protect itself, with a focus on drones and missile systems. President Lai said giving up and making compromises to aggression would only bring war. Also: the US-Palestinian teenager who's been in detention since February for stone throwing -- with no trial in sight. The joy of discovering a rare flower in Indonesia. Two Australian teenagers go to court to challenge their government's up-coming ban on social media for under-16s. And an elderly couple enjoy a last, surprise dance on the ballroom floor.

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The Malian government and Canadian mining firm Barrick have ended their two year tax dispute and have agreed a multi-million dollar settlement. So what does the agreement involve?

Why did a volcano in Ethiopia erupt after laying dormant for more than 10,000 years?

And we find out why Madagascar's beloved lemurs are at risk.

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle

Producers: Stefania Okereke, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya

Technical Producer: Craig Kingham

Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne

Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

The UK's net financial debt this year will be £2.6tn, meaning "one in every £10 the government spends is on debt interest". How are UK markets reacting to this? Leanna Byrne examines with our experts.

Also, in Australia, two 15-year-olds are taking their government to court over a new law that bans anyone under 16 from using social media.

And Iran is bringing in a higher fuel price, but only in certain situations.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne

Producer: Ahmed Adan

Editor: Justin Bones

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has announced a plan to spend an extra $40 billion dollars on the military over the next eight years to resist Chinese aggression.

Also on the programme: at least 13 people have died in a fire in a tower block complex in Hong Kong; and the new "Russian cultural code” from fashion to music, aiming to define what it means to be Russian.

(Photo: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te gestures as he delivers a speech during National Day celebrations in Taipei on October 10, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Nolan talks to editor of Slugger O'Toole, Mick Fealty

An airline industry body in Venezuela tells Will Bain flights in and out the country have already been cut by half, with major disruption looming as a dispute over the safety of Venezuelan airspace intensifies.

Also, are American consumers starting to feel the pinch? We examine a series of data points suggesting confidence may be on the wane.

And how a misplaced passkey left one of the world’s leading internet security firms red-faced.

(Photo by MIGUEL GUTIERREZ/EPA/Shutterstock: Passengers wait in a line at Simon Bolivar International Airport, which serves Caracas, in Maiquetia, Venezuela, 24 November 2025.)