The Global Story

A ceasefire has come into effect in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky, on the front line of the war with Russia. Thousands of residents have been trapped there, cut off from food, water and electricity.
The ceasefire has been brokered by an unexpected figure: the US First Lady Melania Trump. But the Vatican is also claiming credit for the truce, raising questions about who helped bring it about – and what it might mean for the people caught up in the fighting.
After years of war and worsening conditions for civilians, a pause in the fighting could offer some relief. But how much protection will it really provide? And can this ceasefire hold?
(Photo: US first lady Melania Trump, 24 September, 2026. Credit: Finn Gomez/Reuters)
Producer: Josephine Casserly and Xandra Ellin
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Digital producer: Charlie Firth
Senior news editor: China Collins

Brazil has just come through a fierce electoral campaign that saw left-wing incumbent Lula face Flavio Bolsonaro, son of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president convicted of plotting a coup.
Election night brought a series of unexpected turns before incumbent Lula Da Silva was declared the winner. Flavio Bolsonaro refused to accept the result and has called for the election to be annulled. But the result is significant: Brazil, Latin America’s largest democracy, has broken a trend that has seen right-wing candidates, many aligned with Donald Trump, win elections across the region.
So what does a Lula victory mean for Latin America? In this episode, we speak to Nathalia Passarinho, an editor at BBC Brazil and BBC Mundo.
Producers: Valerio Esposito and Aron Keller
Mix: Travis Evans
Executive producer: Bridget Harney
Digital producer: Charlie Firth
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after his victory in the presidential runoff election, October 26, 2026. Credit: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters.

The polls suggest a tight race in Israel’s upcoming election. Candidates are doing all they can to win the approval of young and first-time voters, who are set to play an influential role.
Israel’s security is front and centre in the campaign, as are the events of the Hamas-led October 7 attacks. And polls suggest that young Israelis are increasingly supporting right-wing and far-right parties. In an outcome that will likely be determined by fine margins, that’s important.
In this episode we speak to the BBC’s Middle East correspondent Lucy Williamson, who has been following the candidates on the campaign trail and speaking to young voters.
Producers: Xandra Ellin and Lucy Pawle
Mix: Travis Evans
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Digital producer: Charlie Firth
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, wave flags and cheer at Mahane Yehuda market, ahead of Israel's national election, in Jerusalem, October 22, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

The American journalist and former marine, Austin Tice, disappeared 14 years ago while covering the civil war in Syria. Despite the best efforts of US officials and Austin’s family, what happened to Austin has remained a mystery.
In a new podcast for the BBC and NPR’s Embedded, our colleague Josh Baker, along with his reporting partner Sara Obeidat, spend three years searching for answers - and discover information that provides the clearest account of what really happened.
(Photo: A poster of missing journalist Austin Tice at the National Press Club, May 2023. Credit: Getty Images)
Producer: Mhairi MacKenzie
Executive Producer: Cat Farnsworth
Digital Producer: Charlie Firth
Studio Engineer: Jonathan Greer
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

“They've surrendered their country to vandals,” claimed Donald Trump this week, as videos of protests and looting across France spread across social media and TV news bulletins.

The US president has framed the unrest in France – and similar protests across Europe, as a migration problem. “They’re losing Europe”, he said, at a campaign rally in Kansas this week. But what is actually getting people out on the streets in their thousands?

The BBC’s Europe editor, Katya Adler, joins us to explain how years of discontent and disenfranchisement among young people have coalesced in this period of fiery protest.

(Photo: A protester kicks a tear gas canister during clashes with police at a demonstration against rising living costs and cuts to public services in Paris, France, 17 October 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Producer: Hannah Moore, Aron Keller, Lucy Pawle and Jo Casserly

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins