BBC

Vladimir Putin says the White House plan can “form the basis of a final peace settlement”. President Trump believes Thursday is an appropriate deadline for Kyiv to accept the proposals. But Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley tells us “if this is what the President is really proposing, I’m honestly embarrassed for my country".

Also on the programme: the family of a missing Colombian man seek answers after the US strikes a boat alleged to have been involved in drug-trafficking.

And proposed regulations governing wood from an endangered tree could spell trouble for musicians who use bows made from brazilwood, also known as pernambuco.

Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.

CAST AND CREW

Writer: Liz John

Director: Rosemary Watts

Editor: Jeremy Howe

Helen Archer … Louiza Patikas

Henry Archer … Blayke Darby

Natasha Archer … Mali Harries

Tony Archer … David Troughton

Tom Archer … William Troughton

Lilian Bellamy ... Sunny Ormonde

Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman

Justin Elliott … Simon Williams

Jakob Hakansson … Paul Venables

Kate Madikane … Perdita Avery

Kirsty Miller … Annabelle Dowler

Leonie Snell … Jasmine Hyde

Phoebe Aldridge … Lucy Morris

Finlay … Mark Bonnar

This week, The Naked Week fundraises for the BBC, welcomes a traitor, and necromances a potato.

From host Andrew Hunter Murray and The Skewer's Jon Holmes, Radio 4’s newest Friday night comedy The Naked Week returns with a blend of the silly and serious. From satirical stunts to studio set pieces via guest correspondents and investigative journalism, it's a bold, audacious take not only on the week’s news, but also the way it’s packaged and presented.

Host: Andrew Hunter Murray

Guests: Paul Gorton, Milo Edwards, and The BNC Players James Akka, Holly Skinner and Amy Small

Investigations Team: Cat Neilan, Cormac Kehoe, Freya Shaw

Written by:

Jon Holmes

Katie Sayer

Gareth Ceredig

Jason Hazeley

James Kettle

Additional Material:

Sophie Dickson

Ali Panting

Darren Phillips

Cooper Mawhinny Sweryt

David Riffkin

Live Sound: Jerry Peal

Post Production: Tony Churnside

Clip Assistant: David Riffkin

Production Assistant: Molly Punshon

Assistant Producer: Katie Sayer

Producer and Director: Jon Holmes

Executive Producer: Phil Abrams.

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4.

The US has handed Ukraine a draft peace plan which reportedly reflects many of Moscow's demands, like giving up land. Ukraine's president has held a call with the leaders of Germany, France and Britain. Berlin says the three leaders welcomed US efforts but stressed the need to safeguard European and Ukrainian interests. Also: officials in Nigeria say dozens of pupils and staff have been abducted from a Catholic school - the third mass kidnapping in a week; The United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, says almost seventy children in Gaza have been killed in conflict-related incidents since Israel's US-brokered ceasefire with Hamas took effect last month; A growing number of women in South Africa learn to use guns to protect themselves against gender-based violence; The UN climate summit in Brazil is heading for a showdown over a draft text proposed by the hosts that fails to refer to the phasing out of fossil fuels; In a dramatic development - Mexico's Fatima Bosch, who walked out on organisers after she was publicly berated, is crowned Miss Universe; And how artificial intelligence is helping scientists differentiate between different lion roars.

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.

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Japan has signed off a $135 billion stimulus package aimed at lifting wages, easing living costs, and boosting the economy. But can the country really afford it?

We look at why some major airlines are banning power banks on flights.

Is AI putting graduate careers at risk? The BBC speaks to the boss of accountancy giant, PwC.

And it’s Wicked day! With the hit musical’s sequel finally landing in cinemas, how much could the box office magic be worth?

Presenter: Leanna Byrne

Producer: Niamh McDermott

Editor: David Cann

The US has presented Kyiv with a draft peace plan that appears to favour many of Russia's demands over those of the Ukrainians.

The widely-leaked US plan includes proposals that the Ukrainian government had previously ruled out, such as ceding areas of the eastern Donetsk region that it still controls. Will Ukraine and Europe accept it?

Also in the programme: Why some South African women are training to use guns; the latest controversy around this year's Miss Universe; and  we'll talk about Frida Kahlo's art and the pop-culture phenomenon the Mexican artist has become.

(Photo shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on 19 November 2025. Credit: Umit Bektas/Reuters)

South Africa's president declares gender-based violence and femicide a national crisis after planned protests

 

A campaign to encourage us to donate our bodies to medical science

 

And Audrey Brown bids farewell to Focus on Africa

 

 

Presenter Audrey Brown

 

Producers: Nyasha Michelle, Yvette Twagiramariya, Patricia Whitehorne, Stefania Okereke and Sunita Nahar in London. Charles Gitonga is in Nairobi.

Technical Producer: Francesca Dunn

Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga

Editors:  Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Nolan talks to Alliance MLA Eoin Tennyson and Ulster University's Prof Deirdre Heenan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will speak to Donald Trump in the coming days about the new peace deal put forward by the US. Mr Trump's plan includes significant concessions to be made by Kyiv. What is his strategy with this provocative proposal? Also: Schools have been closed in parts of Nigeria after a new wave of attacks and abductions. Spain's attorney general has been found guilty of leaking confidential information about the boyfriend of a leading politician. And the old VCR gathering dust in your basement could be worth good money at auction.