BBC

Harj Gahley is a Sikh who began gambling when he was just 23. What started as a ‘fun’ night out with friends at a casino spiralled out of control, nearly costing him his life. For over a decade, Harj kept his addiction a secret, living a double life that led him to borrow, steal and defraud from family and friends. His addiction pushed him to the edge of personal and financial ruin. Eventually, his deception came to light, devastating his wife and family. Harj’s hidden truth also revealed a deeper cultural stigma. When he first turned to his faith and community leaders for help, instead of finding compassion he says he was met with shame and judgement. A painful confession to an elder exposed just how little understanding there was around gambling addiction. Now a campaigner, Harj works to raise awareness about the damage gambling can do, supporting others as they face their own battles with addiction.

This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world

US President Trump has signed an executive order that will hand TikTok to a group of investors who include Larry Ellison, one of the richest men in the world and the founder of the tech company Oracle.

Also, US house prices are climbing, supply can’t keep up with demand, and high interest rates are keeping sellers on the sidelines.

And Starbucks has said it will cut about 900 US jobs and close its worst-performing stores there, as well as shut some UK stores as part of a cost-saving move.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump shows a signed executive order on a deal that would divest TikTok's U.S. operations from its Chinese owner ByteDance, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 25, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque )

The prime minister is to announce a new national scheme of compulsory digital ID for all adults, to crack down on illegal working. We'll debate whether the proposals can stop small boat crossings.

Also on the programme:

Sensitive data about children, and their parents, has been stolen by hackers targetting a chain of nurseries. How alarmed should we be?

France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy becomes its first head of state to be handed a prison sentence in 80 years.

And it's 200 years since Louis Braille invented his tactile rreading system for people with sight loss. We hear about his remarkable work that helps blind musicians.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case related to millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.

Also on the programme: the havoc caused by drones closing airspace and airports in Denmark; and the musician Arlo Guthrie - whose family has been wrecked by Huntington's disease - on the promise of this week's medical breakthrough.

(Photo: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives for the verdict in his trial at the courthouse in Paris. Credit: Reuters)

The former French president, Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail after he was found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case related to millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Also: the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas speaks at the United Nations General Assembly via video link, the BBC releases a film calling for international journalists to be allowed into Gaza, and Bolivia’s former anti-drugs chief is arrested after cocaine lab was found on his property. Fake Labubu dolls make up 90 per cent of all counterfeit toys seized at UK borders, Zimbabwe’s quest to become Africa’s blueberry capital, and how yoghurt might have helped the late Maria Branyas Morera live to 117.

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Epigenetic changes during early brain development, and the complexities of autism. Also, how bacteria learn to parry antibiotics, the subterranean burp that shook the Island of Santorini, and new guidance for sharing land between farming space and living space for the pollinators on which it depends.

Presenter: Roland Pease

Producer: Alex Mansfield

Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

(Image: Blastocyst embryo, light micrograph. Credit: Science Photo Library via Getty Images).

There's a shock for Emma, and alliances are forged at Home Farm.

The former president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, is sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy. Judge Nathalie Gavarino said Sarkozy had allowed close aides to contact Libyan officials with a view to obtaining financial support for his election campaign. Mr Sarkozy insisted he was innocent and said he would appeal the ruling.

Also in the programme: three days after several world powers recognise Palestinian statehood, Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the United Nations General Assembly via video link, having been barred from entry to the US by President Trump; plus how Zimbabwe aims to become the world’s top supplier of blueberries.

(IMAGE: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, leave the courthouse in Paris, France, 25 September 2025 / CREDIT: YOAN VALAT/EPA/Shutterstock)

The world’s biggest polluter, China, is promising to cut carbon emissions for the first time - but what does that mean for businesses trying to keep up?

And Ticketmaster agrees clearer pricing after an investigation in the UK.

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

Presenter: Sarah Rogers

Producer: Victoriya Holland

Editor: Justin Bones

A new HIV prevention drug will be made available at a lower cost in over 100 low-income countries within two years, including across Africa. It's a move expected to give millions access to the breakthrough treatment and potentially bring the world closer to ending the HIV/Aids epidemic. So, how affordable and effective is it?

Also, Zimbabwe continues on a quest to become Africa’s blueberry capital after recently signing a tariff free export agreement with China, one of the largest consumers of the fruit. What impact will it have on the country?

And why students in Europe are learning Hausa, a language spoken by millions of people in West Africa

Presenter: Charles Gitonga

Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya and Patrcia Whitehorne in London. Madina Maishanu in Abuja.

Technical Producer: Chris Ablakwa

Senior Journalists: Sunita Nahar and Karnie Sharp

Editors: Andre Lombard, Samuel Murunga, Maryam Abdalla and Alice Muthengi