BBC

The United Nations has appealed to the Taliban to immediately restore telecommunications across Afghanistan. UN officials said the ban had far-reaching consequences, including on the banking and financial systems. Access to emergency services and medical care has also been hit. Mobile phone services are still not working and many flights have been cancelled. We'll hear from an Afghan activist about the impact this will have on daily life, and our chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet.

Also in the programme: the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declares a war on woke in the military; and scientists have made early stage human embryos from DNA taken from skin cells, raising the prospect of new fertility treatments.

(Picture: Telecom antennas stand on a mountain amid service shutdown across the country in Kabul, Afghanistan, September 30, 2025. Credit: Sayed Hassib/REUTERS)

George faces a nightmare, and Justin dangles a carrot.

To mark two years of the war in Gaza, our correspondents bring you this special episode of the Global News Podcast from the BBC Bureau in Jerusalem. Jon Donnison is joined by our Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf, our International Editor Jeremy Bowen, and our Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell. They discuss the history of the conflict, their memories of the October 7th attacks, and respond to questions from BBC World Service listeners. As talk of a potential ceasefire brokered by the US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dominates the news agenda, we look back at the impact this war has had on people living in the Gaza Strip and Israel. 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]

President Trump says Hamas has days to accept a 20-point peace plan in Gaza or they will 'pay in hell'. Also: the search for survivors after a school collapses in Indonesia, a BBC undercover reporter investigates illegal dogfights in Europe, and the South African ambassador to France dies after falling out of a hotel window in Paris. Plus we look at the plight of migrants from Haiti who have crossed into the Dominican Republic.

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]

The US government is hours away from shutting down unless a funding deal is struck. Who will feel the impact first? We hear from the people whose jobs and livelihoods are on the line.

In Africa, thousands of jobs are at risk as the US decides whether to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a key trade pact between the countries.

Presenters: Leanna Byrne and Hannah Bewley

Producers: Victoriya Holland and Niamh McDermott

Editor: Shea Conduct

AGOA: Why is a vital US-Africa trade deal set to expire? And why will women be more affected?

Oil workers go on strike at Dangote Refinery in Nigeria following dismissal of hundreds of staff.

And professional boxing suspended in Ghana following the death of two boxers in 6 months.

Presenter Nyasha Michelle

Producers: Tanya Hines, Joseph Keen ,Yvette Twagiramariya, Stefania Okereke, Bella Hassan and Patricia Whitehorne in London

Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga

Technical Producer: Philip Bull

Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Can Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza work? The focus today is on Hamas' response. One Israeli lawmaker tells us he's sceptical. We also get reaction from Gaza City and analysis from the former State Department advisor and negotiator on the Middle East, Aaron David Miller.

Also in the programme: the Taliban turn off the internet in Afghanistan; and a new exhibition on the astonishing life of the artist and Second World War photographer Lee Miller.

Also, the PHA launches the NI winter vaccination programme - what do you need to know?

Teething problems are issues that you have when you’re getting used to something new. Learn how to use this expression with Feifei and Phil.

TRANSCRIPT

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President Trump has declared that peace in the Middle East is "beyond very close" as he presented a new plan alongside the Israeli prime minister, with both men saying Hamas must agree to it or Israel will finish its offensive in Gaza. The Palestinian group is studying the 20 point proposal. Afghanistan is hit by an internet blackout, as the Taliban enforces what it sees as a "morality" crackdown. A federal budget stand-off is threatening to shut down the US government for the first time in almost 7 years. A trade deal that's been the cornerstone of US-Africa economic relations for 25 years expires later today. UN investigators say they've found clear evidence that the Burmese army has replaced the Rohingya villages and homes it destroyed inside Myanmar with military infrastructure. Ukraine and Russia increasingly turn to convicts, as they struggle to recruit more soliders for the war in Ukraine. A convoy including Ecuador's president Daniel Noboa is attacked by protestors angry over a cut in fuel subsidies. Plus, the so-called Bitcoin Queen, accused of stealing more than five billion dollars worth of the cryptocurrency from investors, pleads guilty to charges in London.

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]