BBC

Will offers George a ray of hope, and Kate is determined to get her own way.

Between 2014 and 2017 thousands of ordinary Chinese people handed their money over to a company that promised them fabulous riches by helping them to ride the wave of the future - cryptocurrency. That vision collapsed when the shadowy figure behind it, Qian Zhimin, fled to the UK with a Bitcoin stash bought with their money.

She settled down in London, planning her comeback as the Queen of Liberland, a scrap of land on the banks of the Danube. But her downfall began when she botched an attempt to buy a north London mansion. This alerted the police, who arrested Qian and seized a stash of Bitcoin now worth billions of dollars.

Many investors put everything they had into the company. Several have now told the BBC how they were persuaded to invest, and how the company’s collapse led to personal and financial ruin.

Now, as Qian is sentenced, the question remains: will the victims get their money back?

The BBC says it will respond in due course to a threat of legal action over a documentary which misrepresented a speech made by President Trump. The BBC chairman apologised for an "error of judgement" over an edit of comments Mr Trump made to his supporters who stormed the Capitol building in January 2021. Also: the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is in the US to hold talks with President Trump. The BBC has been speaking to minority groups in Syria who say he's failing to protect them. A court in Paris has granted the former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, early release from jail, just weeks after he started a five-year sentence. The Cop30 summit opens in Brazil, as the host insists the summit must lead to implementation of critical climate change measures. The former South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol,is facing new charges, related to his decision to declare emergency martial law in December, 2024. And: A cyber-criminal who spent almost 10 years on the FBI's most wanted list has been speaking to the BBC, in an exclusive interview from prison.

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Leanna Byrne looks at signs that the United States may finally be nearing an end to its record-breaking forty-day government shutdown. The Senate has voted to advance a bill to pay federal workers and reopen parts of the government but it still needs approval from the House.

Also, two of Africa’s biggest diamond producers Botswana and Angola, are in talks to take control of De Beers, the world’s most famous diamond company.

And in Japan, a surge in bear attacks prompting the government to roll out emergency measures and forcing companies, farmers, and local authorities to spend millions on safety precautions.

BBC Chair Samir Shah has apologised for an "error of judgement" in how a documentary edited a speech by Donald Trump. Also on the programme, the presidents of the US and Syria will speak at a historic meeting at the White House; and, red kite chicks from England have been sent to Spain in order to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

(People walk outside BBC Broadcasting House after Director General of BBC Tim Davie and Chief Executive of BBC News Deborah Turness resigned following accusations of bias at the British broadcaster, including in the way it edited a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump, in London, Britain, November 10, 2025. REUTERS/Jack Taylor)

The South African city of Johannesburg has well over 100 abandoned and derelict buildings plagued by rubbish and open sewage and some have been taken over by criminal gangs. Many are also home to some of the city's most vulnerable residents. As Johannesburg gears up to host leaders from the world's major economies for the G20 summit, what is being done to address the issue of 'hijacked' buildings? BBC Africa Eye has been there to investigate, and we hear more from their reporter.

For nearly five years, Burundians have endured crippling shortages of fuel, electricity, and clean water. What is behind the triple crisis that is paralysing most of the country?

And why have protesters targeted the new multi-million dollar Museum of West African Art in Nigeria, forcing organisers to cancel preview events ahead of its grand opening.

Presenter: Audrey Brown

Producers: Todah Opeyemi in Lagos. Mark Wilberforce, Sunita Nahar, and Alfonso Daniels in London

Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne

Technical Producer: Jack Graysmark

Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Eating beans and chips for dinner is very student-coded. Learn a different meaning of the word 'coded'.

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Nolan talks to former BBC editor Roger Bolton and ex BBC home affairs corr Danny Shaw

Ice cream, popcorn... Learn about nouns made up of a combination of two words.

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The longest-ever government shutdown in the United States looks to be coming to an end after a vote in the Senate. Several Democrats decided to join their Republican rivals to re-open federal services. Also: Donald Trump has welcomed the resignation of the BBC's director general and head of news following claims viewers were misled by the editing of a speech by the US president. Another typhoon hits the Philippines - but this time the damage isn't as bad as expected. How gangs in the South African city of Johannesburg are bribing officials to keep control of squalid housing blocks. Red Kite chicks are sent from Britain to help the survival of the species in Spain. And a new kind of holiday in Sweden - where you have to stay very quiet.

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]