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.

(Photo: 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)

Syria's interim president has told the UN General Assembly that his country has reclaimed its "rightful place" on the world stage. Ahmed al-Sharaa is the first Syrian leader to address the assembly since 1967. Last December, the former Islamist fighter headed a rebel alliance that overthrew the Assad regime. Twenty years ago, Sharaa was a devotee of al-Qaeda and detained in an Iraqi prison. As a leader of Islamist militants, the US Government put out a bounty of $10 million for his arrest.

Also in the programme: A generic HIV drug for $40 US dollars per person per year; and from Adam Ant to Culture Club - a look back at London's influential Blitz Club of the 1980's.

(Photo: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters in New York, September 24, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Jeenah Moon)

Typhoon Ragasa has made landfall in southern China, where nearly two million people have been evacuated in preparation for its arrival.

It comes after authorities said at least 17 people had been killed and more missing in Taiwan after a lake burst on Tuesday, causing severe flooding in the island's east. We hear from a reporter in Taiwan

Also in the programme: Syria's interim president is due to address the UN General Assembly, making him the first Syrian head of state to do so in nearly 60 years; and for the first time, doctors have used gene therapy to significantly slow the progression of the deadly, degenerative disease Huntington's.

[Photo shows a drone view of buildings and fields submerged in flood waters in Guangfu, Hualien County, Taiwan on 24 September 2025. Credit: The Warthog Air Squadron/Reuters)

President Trump has delivered a blistering speech to the United Nations General Assembly, telling European countries they were “going to hell” if they did not stop mass migration.

We’ll analyse what the US president said and how it is being received in European capitals.

Also on the programme: health groups push back against President Trump's linking of vaccines to autism; and Palestinians react to the wave of countries including France and the UK recognising their state.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump speaks during the General Debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

International pressure is ramping up on Israel over the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza and settlement building in the West Bank.

France has formally recognised a Palestinian state, becoming the latest in a wave of countries to take the step. We’ll hear from Gaza.

Also in the programme: After President Trump told pregnant women they shouldn't take paracetamol, claiming the painkiller was linked to autism, we'll hear from an autistic activist who fears it could lead to greater stigmatisation; and we'll find out why the world's most valuable company, Nvidia, has announced it's investing up to a hundred billion dollars in another tech giant for what it calls the next generation of Artificial Intelligence.

(Photo shows the seat of the Israeli delegation at the United Nations in September 2025. Credit: Salvatore Di Nolfi/EPA)

President Macron of France has formally recognised a Palestinian state. He made the announcement at a UN summit aimed at rallying support for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict. He began his speech by calling for the release of Israeli hostages and an end to the war in Gaza.

Also in the programme: Egypt's president has pardoned the jailed activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who played a key role in the Arab Spring uprising of 2011; and South Korea's president tells the BBC of his hopes that North Korea will pause it nuclear weapon programme.

(Photo credit: EPA)

France is due to be the latest country to recognise the state of Palestine. But could it spark a backlash from Israel? Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said recognition gives "a huge reward to terrorism".

We hear from a member of France's national assembly, and from both Israelis and Palestinians.

(Photo:The Grabels mayor's house flies the Palestinian flag next to the French and European Union flags, in Grabels, Southern France on 22 September 2025. Credit: Photo by GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO/EPA/Shutterstock)

Portugal has joined Britain, Canada and Australia in formally recognising Palestinian statehood. It comes after their growing criticism of Israel's military offensive in Gaza -- and is meant to revive hopes of a two-state solution to the conflict. Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a Palestinian state would not happen and denounced recognition as a huge reward to terrorism. Palestinian leaders welcomed recognition. We will hear from Palestinians and an Israeli official.

Also in the programme: We will hear from the Hollywood star Leonardo Di Caprio about his new film; Martin Luther King the Third on political violence in America and trying to bridge the divide; and talking statues of the gardens of Versailles.

(Photo credit: PA)

The British deputy prime minister, David Lammy, has insisted that now is the right time to recognise a Palestinian state ahead of an expected announcement by London later Sunday. We hear from a Palestinian representative and Adam Ma'anit, whose cousin was murdered by Hamas on October 7th.

Also in the programme: Moldova battles online Russian propaganda; we preview the Charlie Kirk memorial service.

(Picture: People participate in a "Free Palestine" protest in support of Palestinians, in Nairobi, Kenya, September 21, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Several major US companies are said to have advised staff on highly skilled visas not to leave the United States after the Trump administration suddenly increased the annual visa fee to a hundred-thousand-dollars. Reports say the firms - including Microsoft and Amazon - told those outside the country to return before midnight on Saturday when the rules come into effect, fearing they will be barred entry. More than 70 percent of H-1B visa-holders are Indian nationals.

Also in the programme: Russian military jets enter Estonian airspace; and President Trump steps up his pressure on Venezuela.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump displays a signed executive order. CREDIT: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno)