BBC

The US government shutdown appears on course to be the longest in history after President Trump made clear he has no plans to negotiate with Democrats over healthcare costs. Leanna Byrne hears from a worker and a food bank in New York.

Also, Kimberly-Clark, the company behind Huggies and Kleenex, is buying the maker of Tylenol and Kenvue, in a forty-nine billion dollar deal.

Almost ten years after launching its ambitious Vision 2030 plan to diversify away from oil, Saudi Arabia is pouring billions into artificial intelligence and high-tech infrastructure.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne

Producer: Ahmed Adan

Editor: Olie D'Albertanson

South Africa's municipality of Ekurhuleni's attempt to expropriate land without compensation is under mediation after the private owners of the land sought compensation. The outcome of this landmark case will shape the future of land ownership and property rights across South Africa.

Why illegal mining is a public health concern in Ghana.

Are young Africans really among the most lonely on the planet?

Presenter: Audrey Brown

Producers: Elphas Lagat ,Mark Wilberforce, Bella Hassan and Makouchi Okafor in Lagos.

Technical Producer: Jonny Hall

Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga

Editors Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been sworn in for a second term after an election marred by violent protests and rejected by the opposition as a sham. The inauguration ceremony was closed to the public. The president was declared the winner on Saturday with 98% of the vote. She faced little opposition with key rival candidates either imprisoned or barred from running. International observers have raised concerns about the transparency of the election and its violent aftermath, with hundreds of people reportedly killed.

Also in the programme: The former top lawyer for the Israeli military is arrested in a scandal over a leaked video; and the actor Sir Anthony Hopkins opens up about his tough upbringing in a biography.

(Photo: A Tanzanian riot police officer throws a used teargas canister near a vandalised campaign poster of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, after a protest following a general election marred by violent demonstrations, October 30, 2025. Credit: Reuters Thomas Mukoya)

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Mick Fealty - Editor of Slugger O'Toole - gives analysis.

Donald Trump has suggested the US could deploy troops to Nigeria or carry out air strikes to stop what he called the killing of Christians by Islamist insurgents. Unfounded claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria have been circulating in American right-wing religious circles for months. A Nigerian presidential adviser said jihadists in the Muslim-majority north of the country were attacking all religious communities, but that Abuja would welcome US help in tackling the Islamist insurgents.

Also: the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash has told the BBC that he feels he is the luckiest man alive. Officials in Iran warn the main source of drinking water for residents of Tehran is at risk of running dry within two weeks. Flight delays continue across the US, as air traffic controllers working without pay due to the government shutdown are now calling in sick. The Maldives brings in the world's only generational smoking ban, and cricket fans across India celebrate the women's national side winning their first ever World Cup.

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Kurdish designer Lara Dizeyee is preparing a couture collection for Milan Fashion Week. Dizeyee fled Iraqi Kurdistan as a child, grew up in the US, and later returned to Erbil. Her designs draw on traditional Kurdish dress - layered garments, capes, and ornate headpieces - reimagined as bold evening wear. Her work is celebrated in Kurdistan, across the diaspora, and in the Arabian Gulf. Yet despite her growing profile, she lacked the funds to stage a show on the scale Milan demands. Arts journalist Melissa Gronlund follows her as she secures backing and races against time to source fabrics, sketch and sew designs, and collaborate with Kurdish artisans on jewellery and bespoke accessories. More than 30 outfits are completed and packed into suitcases carried by her extended family. On the big day, Dizeyee fits each model and navigates last-minute crises - models too short, earrings that won’t fit, designs that misfire. But as the models walk out in her reimagined Kurdish looks, the emotion in the room is unmistakable. And in that final moment, as the Kurdish flag is symbolically recreated on the runway, Dizeyee presents her culture to the world.

British police say a 32-year-old man is now being treated as the only suspect in a mass stabbings on a train in England on Saturday. A second man detained at the scene has been released.

Also in the programme: New York is about to grab the headlines all over again - we look forward to a mayoral election for the ages on Tuesday; the Maldives brings in the world's only generational smoking ban; we speak to acclaimed South Korean author Bora Chung about her latest book, 'The Midnight Timetable'; and the wartime message in a bottle found ashore after more than 100 years.

(Photo: Police met the Doncaster to London King's Cross train as it made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon. Credit: PA MEDIA)

Helen goes further than she meant to, and Jolene plays matchmaker.

British police say there is nothing to suggest a mass stabbing incident on a train on Saturday was a terrorist incident. Doctors continue to treat seven passengers, two of whom have life-threatening injuries. Armed police arrested two suspects at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire, where the train made an emergency stop after terrified passengers alerted the crew.

Also in the programme: we'll speak to Nigeria's presidential adviser after US president Donald Trump threatened to take military action to protect the country's Christian population; and the wartime message in a bottle found ashore after one hundred years.

(Picture: Forensic teams work at the scene at Huntington railway station in Britain after a number of passengers were stabbed on a train. Credit: Tayfun Salci/EPA/Shutterstock)