Newshour

Moldova's pro-EU president, Maia Sandu, has cast her ballot in the country’s parliamentary election, urging voters to join her because the country’s future is "in danger". Ms Sandu, police, and prosecutors say vote buying and disinformation are unprecedented in scale and linked directly to Russia. Moscow denies accusations of interference. Pro-Kremlin opposition parties have also dismissed talk of Russian meddling; they claim the government is making the case in advance for annulling the vote, should the liberal governing party (the PAS) lose its majority.

Also in the programme: With drones increasingly used in offensive military operations, how can you defend against them? Also today, the cricket clash between India and Pakistan; and why Elvis Presley is big in South Wales.

(Photo: Moldovan President Maia Sandu votes at a polling station during the country's parliamentary election in Chisinau, Moldova, September 28, 2025. Reuters/Vladislav Culiomza)

Germany says it's considering the use of military force to protect its territory against drone incursions. Earlier, police in Denmark said several unidentified drones had been spotted flying close to military bases, including Denmark's biggest military site, the Karup Air Base.

Also in the programme: The International Paralympic Committee has voted to lift bans imposed on Russia and Belarus over Moscow's aggression in Ukraine; UN sanctions against Iran to resume over banned nuclear activity; and the mother of a British dual national killed while fighting for Ukraine on her fight to get his body back - and how she found out her son was dead.

(Photo: A mobile radar installation on the coast of Oresund in the aftermath of drone sightings, Dragoer, Denmark - 26 Sep 2025. Credit: EPA)

The US says it will revoke the visa of Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of inciting violence by encouraging American soldiers to disobey orders. When addressing a pro-Palestinian protest in New York, he suggested they should ignore the orders of Donald Trump, and obey the orders of humanity instead. Mr Petro was returning to Bogota when the move was announced. On arrival, he tweeted that he no longer had a US visa and did not care - adding that he considers himself a "free person in the world." The State Department described his actions as reckless.

Also in the programme: The International Paralympic Committee lifts its ban on Russia and Belarus; and as England's women take on Canada in the rugby world cup final - we hear from one former international in a house with divided loyalties.

(Photo: Colombian President Gustavo Petro addresses pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside UN headquarters in New York, September 26, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Bing Guan)

US President Donald Trump denies he's out for revenge, after the former FBI director James Comey is charged with lying to the US Congress. The president says he wants more prosecutions.

Also on the programme: Israel's prime minister tells the UN General Assembly that he's fighting Hamas on their behalf; and two centuries of passenger travel on the train - still going strong.

(Photo: The former FBI director posted a video to Instagram asserting that he is innocent and comparing Trump to a "tyrant". Credit: James Comey Instagram)

Israel leader Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly in Geneva just days after several leading countries announced the recognition of Palestinian statehood. We speak to the father of an Israeli soldier who was captured on 7 October 2023. The father was at the UN and turned his back on the Israeli prime minister.

Also, the former FBI director James Comey, who led the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 Trump campaign, has been indicted. We hear the latest, and after a breakthrough in the treatment of Huntingdon’s disease, we speak to Arlo Guthrie whose father Woody, the celebrated folk singer, died of the condition.

(Photo: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the General Debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations headquarters in New York. Credit: Sarah Yenesel/EPA/Shutterstock)

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 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)