BBC

For every £1 a man has in his private pension pot a woman has just 42p according to research from pension company Royal London.

When it comes to the State Pension, the gap has closed considerably for people retiring today. But women in their 80s are still getting up to 25% less than men.

This week on Money Box Live, we're looking at the reasons behind is as well as what can be done to boost savings.

Find out more about a little known pot of money the government has set aside mainly for women, who didn't work because they were looking after children, between 1978 and 2010 - which is largely going unclaimed. We also hear the struggle of a woman who struggled after the state pension age for women was raised from 60 to 66 and what might happen next with the campaign against it.

With Felicity Hannah is Sir Steve Webb, former pensions minister and and now partner at pensions consultancy Lane Clark and Peacock and Daniela Silcock who has her own pensions research company.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

Producer: Sarah Rogers and Helen Ledwick

Editor: Jess Quayle

(This episode was first broadcast on Wednesday the 16th of July 2025)

As President Zelensky says he won't agree to hand over Ukrainian territory, we hear about Russia's latest push to capture more of it before Friday's summit between presidents Trump and Putin.

Also on the programme:

As the fourth heatwave of the summer kicks in, we hear from the farmers crying out for water.

Why cats brains could help to find new treatments for Alzheimer's in humans.

And a new sound at The Proms: we speak to the Nigerian brothers bringing "highlife" music to the Royal Albert Hall.

US inflation held steady in July despite import tariffs, bolstering bets that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates next month.

After the partial dollarisation of the economy in Cuba, the country’s peso is trading at an all-time low of 400 to 1 dollar on the informal market.

And horror films are at a record high in shares of the US box office. Weapons took $42.5m in its opening weekend in US movie theatres, and Sinners has become the highest-grossing original movie of the 2020s.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine will not abandon the eastern Donbas region -- which has been partially seized by Russia and its proxy forces since Twenty- Fourteen. He warned doing so would give Russia a springboard for future attacks on other areas.

Also in the programme: We'll hear from the UN investigator on systematic abuses spreading in Myanmar; a warning over changes to federal funds for scientific research in the US; North Koreans tell BBC they are being sent to work 'like slaves' in Russia; and can cats get dementia?

(Photo credit: EPA)

As the US and China pause any hike in tariffs for 90 days, we’ll be in Beijing looking at what soybeans have to do with the trade truce.

Meanwhile, could US recognition of Somaliland finally become a reality? A former diplomat in Somaliland explains what it could mean for both sides.

And in South Korea, Starbucks has asked customers to stop bringing items like printers into its cafes. We look at whether the trend of working in cafes has gone too far.

Amid the devastation in Gaza, remarkable stories of hope and resilience do emerge. Sixteen-year-old Sama Nijm, a gifted violinist from Gaza, is using music to bring comfort and healing to the youngest victims of the conflict. Some of the children have lost their parents, and in some cases, their limbs or arms.

BBC Newsday's Charlene Rodrigues spoke to Sama, and began by asking her what inspired her to become a violin teacher in the midst of war.

Russia has been trying to tackle a significant labour shortage by recruiting North Koreans; the BBC has been speaking to some of them.

Also in the programme: the American surgeon recycling surgical pins and plates in Gaza; and how studying cat dementia can help humans.

Photograph: President Putin and Kim Jung Un meeting in Pyongyang in 2024. Credit: Reuters.

Dozens of soldiers have been arrested in Mali accused of plotting to topple the country's military leaders, sources say. The wave of arrests reflect tension within the military government. The authorities have not yet commented on the arrests. We'll hear analysis.

Also, more than 400 people have died and over 6,000 have been affected following a cholera outbreak in Sudan's Darfur region. What are the challenges when it comes to dealing with an epidemic within IDP camps?

And how and why an AI generated model sparked international debate? We hear from the creators.

Presenter: Richard Kagoe

Producers: Bella Hassan, Mark Wilberforce and Nyasha Michelle in London. Makuochi Ofakor in Lagos.

Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris

Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp

Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

South Korean intelligence officials have told the BBC that 10,000 North Korean workers were sent to Russia in 2024. They were used to fill a labour shortage created by the invasion of Ukraine. Six North Korean workers who fled Russia say they were subjected to abysmal working conditions, with most of the money they earned sent straight back to the North Korean regime. Also: The US and China agree a further postponement of hefty trade tariffs on each other's goods, and could holiday postcards make a comeback?

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Also, people over 70 could be banned from roads if they fail eye test in England & Wales.