BBC

In a week of budget talks, IMF forecasts of Inflation on the British horizon, flood risk reports and approval of solar farms, Andy Zaltzman is joined by Adam Kay, Zoe Lyons, Ria Lina and Stephen Bush to break down this weeks news.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Daman Bamrah, Ruth Husko, Christina Riggs and Peter Tellouche.

Producer: Rajiv Karia

Executive Producer: Pete Strauss

Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu

Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Donald Trump calls off trade talks with Canada over an anti-tariffs advert. Also: Kim Jong Un attends a ground-breaking ceremony for a new memorial to honour North Korean soldiers who died fighting for Russia; doctors in Gaza struggle to identify bodies sent back from Israel as part of the ceasefire deal; we look at cloud seeding in Delhi; find out what happened when nearly all of Iceland's women went on strike; and how one German firm is making the most of some unlikely publicity after the multi-million dollar robbery at the Louvre museum in Paris.

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]

We mark the 80th anniversary of the Fifth Pan-African Congress- a landmark event in Manchester, England that changed Africa

Why people with albinism in Tanzania face rising fear ahead of elections

The plight of Cameroon's female gold miners

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle

Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Stefania Okereke, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya in London.

Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga

Technical Producer: Craig Kingham

Editors: Sam Murunga and Maryam Abdalla.

Donald Trump says he's ending trade talks with Canada, all over an ad. He accused Canada of fraudulently using Ronald Reagan’s words in what he called a “fake” advertisement. We hear from a Canadian business owner.

China calls for calm ahead of trade talks with Washington…

And Russia faces fresh sanctions as it sets interest rates. We speak with the former Russia Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne

Producer: Victoriya Holland

Editor: Justin Bones

The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says lots of countries are interested in contributing troops to the planned international stabilisation force for Gaza. He did not specify who but insisted that Israel had to be comfortable with those chosen. Speaking at the coordination centre set up to oversee the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Mr Rubio said talks were continuing on the future governance of Gaza.

Also, how warming seas are endangering the lives and livelihoods of South Korean fishermen, and we speak to author Frank Cottrell-Boyce on a new prize for children's literature.

(Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media after visiting the Civil-Military Coordination Center in southern Israel, 24 October, 2025. Credit: adel Senna/Reuters)

& sources reveal unions to ballot for strike action after pay offer from Health Minister

President Trump says declaration of war on drug cartels by Congress is not needed. Mr Trump said his government is just going to kill people smuggling drugs instead. Thirty-seven people have been killed so far, with no evidence provided that the boats were used for drugs-running. Also, the US Department of Defense publishes its "new generation" of approved journalists, after the mainstream media walked out in protest over stricter rules. Stars from the NBA are among those who've been arrested in an investigation into alleged illegal gambling. A record-breaking heat wave in 2023 left two vital coral species "functionally extinct" in Florida's vast Coral Reef, according to a new study. There are calls for Prince Andrew to travel to the US and testify about his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. There has been a drastic spike in the number of fishermen being killed at sea in South Korea. Trailblazing black ballerina Misty Copeland has retired from the American Ballet Theatre.

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]

***This programme contains references to imprisonment, child abandonment and references to suicide which some listeners may find upsetting***

Since the 1950s, North Korea has been an authoritarian, isolationist state, and in practice there is no freedom of religion. Timothy Cho and his schoolteacher parents had learned to distrust and even fear Christianity. But the faith was going to play a significant role in Timothy’s life.

At the age of nine, Timothy returned from school, to find that his parents had fled the country, leaving him behind. So, at the age of 17, he decided to follow them, but was captured by Chinese soldiers when he crossed the border and returned to prison in North Korea. Timothy made his second attempt at escape in the same year, and this time he was successful, arriving in the city of Shanghai with a group of other North Korean refugees. The group broke into the American school in Shanghai, thinking they would get asylum that way, but the school handed them over to the Chinese police. Back in prison, feeling hopeless and fearful, Timothy met a South Korean gangster, who taught him how to pray. Timothy made a deal with God, that if God gave him his freedom, he would dedicate his life to his faith.

If you are If you are affected by anything you hear in this programme, it is important to talk to someone about it and get support. You can find help by visiting the Befrienders Worldwide website: befrienders.org

The search is expected to take months after two leading candidates pulled out. We speak to survivor Samantha Walker-Roberts who’ll only support the inquiry if Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips continues in her role.

Also on the programme: A new report concludes support for children with special educational needs in England is fundamentally flawed.

And former judge on Strictly Come Dancing, Dame Arlene Phillips, on whether the show can survive the announced departure of hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

Two leading US basketball figures are among thirty-four people arrested as part of FBI investigations into illegal gambling and the Mafia. The Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is accused of playing in rigged poker games in New York.

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has described this week's new US sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil companies as an unfriendly act. But at the same time, he's claimed they won't have a substantial impact on Russia's economy.

And we will look at the cost of insurance for museums after the priceless jewels thieves stole from the Louvre museum in a brazen heist this week, which were not privately insured.

(Picture: Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) handles the ball during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in March 31, 2025: Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images/File Photo)