SATURDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2025

SAT 00:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh7p17)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 00:06 Unexpected Elements (w3ct72wz)
A keg of beer-based science

A 150-year-old bottle of Arctic Ale is being uncapped, which got the team talking about all things related to yeast, beer, and opening things.

First, we hear about a rare condition where the body brews its own alcohol. Next up, we find out that small amounts of alcohol make male fruit flies more attractive.

We’re then joined in the studio by food historian Pen Vogler, who helps us travel back in time to explore beer’s origins.

Next, we discover how air pollution is affecting our brains, and delve into some surprising ways that yeast could help the climate.

All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Chhavi Sachdev and Candice Bailey
Producers: Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, with Lucy Davies and Robbie Wojciechowski


SAT 01:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh7ssc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mx75sr)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj52y51r)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 01:32 The Global Story (w3ct7152)
Ghislaine Maxwell, the Epstein Files, and the scandal that won’t go away

**This episode contains themes of sexual abuse and grooming**

Calls to release all the Epstein files are growing, after Wednesday’s bombshell release of over 20,000 pages of documents related to the sex trafficking scandal. The private messages released by the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have increased scrutiny on what President Trump may have known about Epstein’s behaviour. The White House has told the BBC the documents ‘prove literally nothing’.

The furore continues to intensify, but there is one woman who has all the answers: Epstein’s long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell. So who is the disgraced British socialite and what is her role in the scandal?

Today we talk to the BBC’s New York correspondent Nada Tawfik, who has covered the case for over a decade.


Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Aron Keller

Executive producer and senior news editor: China Collins

Mix: Travis Evans


Photo: Ghislaine Maxwell with Jeffrey Epstein. US Department of Justice/PA Wire


SAT 02:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh7xjh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mx79jw)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj52y8sw)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 02:32 Stumped (w3ct6zk5)
England Ashes winner Steven Finn on the secret to winning the urn in Australia

With just one week to go until the Ashes in Australia begins, we hear from England captain Ben Stokes and debate how both teams are shaping up and which team has got their preparation ‘correct’ after all the criticism.

Plus, three-time Ashes winner Steven Finn joins Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma to talk about his new book, what this current team can learn from their predecessors and the constant pressure surrounding fast bowlers.

And with the format announced for cricket at the Olympics in 2028, we look at the significance of cricket at the Games.

Photo: Steven Finn and Graeme Swann of England pose with the Ashes Urn during day five of the Fifth Ashes Test match between Australia and England at Sydney Cricket Ground on January 7, 2011 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images)


SAT 03:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh818m)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 03:06 Outlook (w3ct6whs)
Outlook Mixtape: Heavens above

A galaxy of personal stories which might lead you to see the sky in a whole new way.

Javier Rua Restrepo was so captivated by the skies over Colombia's Tatacoa desert that he decided to build his own observatory there. Zoe Gelber went to meet him in 2023.

James Plummer Jr. grew up navigating poverty but ended up studying astrophysics at Stanford. After overcoming drug addiction James, now known as Hakeem Oluseyi, became one America’s best-known cosmologists. Hakeem spoke to us in 2021.

Hugo Sanchez is from El Salvador but lives in Canada now where he heads to remote places to see the amazing night-time displays of the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights. As he explained to Emily Webb in 2022, they help him to connect with a lost loved one.

Ann Druyan is the driving force behind the Voyager Golden Records aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes. Ann was in charge of choosing the playlist and told us in 2022 how she decided on humanity’s message to our celestial neighbours.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: A transparent 60-minute cassette tape spooled halfway through and lying on a white background. It bears a slim white label with the words ‘THE OUTLOOK MIXTAPE’ written in black. Credit: Getty Images)


SAT 03:50 Witness History (w3ct744r)
When Maldives' ministers met underwater

On 17 October 2009, the Maldives’ top government officials donned their scuba gear for the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting.

Fish floated around while ministers communicated with hand gestures, white boards and special underwater pencils. Meanwhile on the surface, journalists jostled to see what was happening.

The watery meeting was filmed and photographed and subsequently broadcast across the world.

The President at the time, Mohamed Nasheed, wanted to show the world the impact climate change would have on his country if carbon dioxide emissions weren’t curbed. Graihagh Jackson speaks to him to find out if the stunt worked.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed presiding over an underwater cabinet meeting. Credit:EPA/Maldives Presidency).


SAT 04:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh850r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 04:06 Unexpected Elements (w3ct72wz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:06 today]


SAT 05:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh88rw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mx7ns8)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj52yn18)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 05:32 Dear Daughter (w3ct7zqx)
Grieving you

Paola’s daughter Camilla was beautiful, with curly hair and big eyes like her mother. She loved bath time and eating mangoes. But she also had a severe mental and physical disability, and died aged 15 after nearly two years of palliative care.

Paola listened to Dear Daughter while she was in the hospital with Cami – and now she writes a letter of her own. She tells Namulanta about the joy her daughter brought into her life, and how she’s dealing with her grief.

Letter writer: Paola

Dear Daughter is an award-winning podcast from the BBC World Service about love, life, family, and raising children. It is the brainchild of Namulanta Kombo, a mother on a quest to create a ‘handbook to life’ for her daughter, through the advice of parents from all over the world.

Each episode, a guest reads a letter they’ve written to their children (or their future children, or the children they never had) with the advice, life lessons, and personal stories they’d like to pass on.

Expect extraordinary true stories, inspirational advice for parents, and moving accounts of families, relationships and raising daughters.

Share your letter! What do you want to say to your kids? Or the next generation? Do you have thoughts on motherhood, fatherhood, or parenthood to share? Whether you are a mum or mom, dad or papa, grandparent, uncle, aunt, daughter, son or just want to write a letter, send us a WhatsApp message on +44 800 030 4404 or visit https://www.bbcworldservice.com/deardaughter


SAT 05:50 More or Less (w3ct6vzt)
Has there been a $50 trillion wealth transfer to the richest Americans?

Bernie Sanders says a vast amount of wealth - $50 trillion - has moved from 90% of the population to the wealthiest Americans since the 1970s.
The figure comes from a study by Carter Price, a senior mathematician at nonprofit research institute the RAND Corporation.

Tim Harford speaks to Carter to understand how he calculated his figures and what they really mean.

If you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Tim Harford
Producer: Nicolas Barrett
Series producer: Tom Colls
Sound mix: Giles Aspen
Editor: Richard Vadon


SAT 06:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh8dj0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 06:06 Weekend (w172zw8fjp4hz6z)
Trump say he'll sue BBC for up to $5bn

President Trump says he’s moving forward with plans to sue the BBC, despite the broadcaster’s apology for misrepresenting a speech he delivered before supporters stormed the Capitol in 2021.

Also in today’s programme: the US has reduced tariffs on key imported food items — including beef and coffee — as concerns continue to rise over the cost of living; and we explore how film tourism is offering visitors a fresh perspective on the British capital.

Presenter Julian Worricker is joined by Hanna Uose, a London-based novelist and strategist, and Afzal Ashraf, a defence, security, and international relations expert at the University of Loughborough in the UK.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump talks to members of the press next to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on board Air Force One en route to Florida, U.S., November 14, 2025. Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)


SAT 07:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh8j84)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 07:06 Weekend (w172zw8fjp4j2z3)
Trump says he'll sue BBC over Panorama edit

President Trump says he is seeking up to $5bn damages from the BBC, despite the broadcaster’s apology for misrepresenting a speech he delivered before supporters attacked the US Capitol in 2021.

Also on today’s programme: The political and diplomatic choices facing India after it declared a bomb explosion near Delhi’s historic Red Fort this week as a “terror” incident; and conversations with two extraordinary female athletes who have been breaking world records in both the marathon and ultra-marathon.

Presenter Julian Worricker is joined by Hanna Uose -a London-based novelist and strategist - and Dr. Afzal Ashraf, a defence, security, and international relations expert at Loughborough University in the UK.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump talks to members of the press on board Air Force One en route to Florida, U.S., November 14, 2025. Reuters /Annabelle Gordon)


SAT 08:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh8n08)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 08:06 Weekend (w172zw8fjp4j6q7)
Trump demands probe into Epstein and Democrats' ties

US President Donald Trump says he has ordered the US attorney general to investigate links between the disgraced billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Clinton, as well as other Democrats. We’ll also hear from a senior Democratic congressman.

Also in today’s programme: why did a chartered plane carrying Palestinians from Gaza mysteriously arrive in South Africa, and why a cosmetic surgery procedure known as the “deep plane facelift” is attracting growing attention, particularly on social media. We are joined by renowned cosmetic surgeon Norman Waterhouse.

Presenter Julian Worricker is joined by Hanna Uose, a London-based novelist and strategist, and Dr. Afzal Ashraf, a defence, security, and international relations expert at Loughborough University in the UK.

(Photo: Speaker Johnson, House approve procedural vote to end the US government shutdown, Washington, USA - 12 Nov 2025. Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Shutterstock


SAT 09:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh8rrd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct6rnh)
Changing religion for love

How difficult is it to stay together when you have different religious faiths?

US Vice President JD Vance spoke recently about his interfaith marriage – he’s a Christian and his wife, Usha, is Hindu. They are raising their children as Christians, and the Vice President said he hopes that his wife will one day convert.

In our conversations, we bring together happily married couples with different faiths –Muslim, Hindu and Christian – to discuss how they navigate religion in their relationships.

We also hear from couples in the US and Malaysia, including Kylie, who converted from Christianity to Judaism. “My husband was very firm that he wanted to marry a Jewish woman,” Kylie tells us. “Looking back if I hadn’t gone on this journey, he probably wouldn’t have ever gotten married and that would have been very sad.”

Presenter: Rahul Tandon
BBC producers: Ben Davis and Angela Sheeran
Boffin Media producer: Richard Hollingham

An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production in partnership with the OS team.

(photo/credit: Kylie and Daniel)


SAT 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj52z40s)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 09:32 Americast (w3ct8byq)
Are cracks showing inside Trump’s MAGA movement?

Fifty year mortgages, recent aid for Argentina, high food prices, a focus on foreign affairs, and Trump telling Fox News that the U.S. needs foreign workers because it doesn’t have enough “talented people”… Americast looks at why some Republicans within the MAGA movement are questioning Trump’s commitment to his campaign promise of “America first”.

Justin, Anthony and Marianna look at how and where Trump is under pressure from within the Republican party, and how serious these ‘cracks’ are within the MAGA movement. Plus, how might Trump satisfy critics who want him to shift his focus back to the economy and domestic policy?

HOSTS:

- Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter
- Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent
- Marianna Spring, Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent

GET IN TOUCH:

- Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB
- Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480
- Email Americast@bbc.co.uk
- Or use #Americast

This episode was made by Purvee Pattni, George Dabby, Grace Reeve and Laura Cain. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app.

You can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers.

US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155#

Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below.

Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl
Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm
Radical: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r
The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd


SAT 10:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh8whj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 10:06 Not by the Playbook (w3ct878m)
Clutch mentality

Imagine being10 metres in the air wearing nothing more than a pair of swimming trunks, with the eyes of thousands of fans staring up. It's 2008 and the Beijing Olympics are in full flow. We're at the aquatic centre as the final round of dives are taking place. Unsurprisingly there is huge backing for the pair of Chinese divers who are sitting in the top spots. Australia's Matthew Mitchum is the penultimate diver. An Olympic medal and a lifetimes dream is there for the taking. He talks us through that moment and keeping cool and executing when it really matters. Mitchum dived into the record book that day. Not only had he set an Olympic record he had won the first Olympic gold medal won by an openly gay athlete. But the media interest in him was there in the build-up to those Beijing games. Answering one question spontaneously and truthfully changed everything for Australia's golden boy.

Brazilian Roger Gracie is one of jiu-jitsu's most decorated athletes. A ten time world champion, many say he is the greatest of all time! It's no surprise that Roger's career saw him rise to and stay at the top. His grandfather created the sport and his father was one of it's greatest proponents, and that brought a pressure to succeed. So how, in the heat of battle did he manage to execute his game plan so successfully? He's recently written a book called "Warrior Mindset" and explained what the title means. And whilst the book is focused on Roger's warrior mindset, writing it caused him to open up about parts of his life that had laid dormant for many years :

One of the big events of next year is the Winter Olympics in Italy. For many sports its a chance to enjoy their moment in the spotlight that only an Olympics can bring. No surprise then there's always a queue of sports lobbying to be included. Hoping for their chance in 2030 is the sport of Freeriding. Unlike traditional slopes, where the runs are marked and controlled, freeriders seek out natural, off piste trails so they can take whatever path they choose. It will come too late for former World Champion Manuela Mandl, now retired but she still gets a buzz when the Winter Olympics comes around. But the truth is that for many winter sport athletes, particularly in a non Olympic discipline, making ends meet can be hard. So how do you execute your game plan when its not just a matter of winning or losing, but whether you can pay the bills? Speaking to us from her home in the shadow of the mountains of Austria, Manuela explained just how difficult it can be

It's nearly 35 years since Wade Leslie stunned the world of professional rodeo by becoming the first – and only – cowboy to achieve a perfect score of 100 points for a bull-ride. Leslie stayed in full control of an angry 1500-pound bull called Wolfman at a meeting in Oregon in 1991. He's been recalling that bumpy, but perfect ride

PHOTO: Matthew Mitcham of Australia competes in the Men's 10m Platform Diving at the London 2012 Olympic Games (CREDIT: Adam Pretty/Getty Images)


SAT 11:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh907n)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mx8d81)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj52zcj1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 11:32 Unspun World with John Simpson (w3ct78c4)
Are Russian forces on the brink of seizing Pokrovsk?

This week John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC’s unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses why Russia is so keen to capture the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, explores how difficult it will be to rebuild Gaza, and looks at how quantum computing could change the way we solve some of the world’s biggest challenges.

Producer: Kate Cornell
Executive Producer: Benedick Watt
Commissioning Editor: Vara Szajkowski


SAT 12:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh93zs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 12:06 The Documentary (w3ct8cb3)
The great hunger: Stalin's famine in Kazakhstan

***This programme includes interviews that listeners may find upsetting, including some that refer to cannibalism, violent death and harm to children***
Few people outside Kazakhstan know of the famine that destroyed nomadic life in the 1930s, and left more than a third of the population dead with countless families displaced to China and far beyond. Even within Kazakhstan you can meet people who know almost nothing about the calamity that touched every Kazakh family and still resonates today. The famine, called Asharshylyk in Kazakh, was among the most deadly man-made famines of the 20th Century, even more so, proportionately, than the much better known Holodomor in Ukraine during the same period. It resulted from the coming of Soviet power, the violent suppression of nomadism and forced settlement into disastrous collective farms. During the Soviet years, no one mentioned the Asharshylyk in public and it was never taught at schools or universities.

Rose Kudabayeva's grandparents did not breathe a word to her about the Asharshylyk although they lived through the worst of it, losing several of their children. Now she travels through Kazakhstan trying to find out the story, meeting archivists, writers, musicians, camel farmers, and her own relatives.

With Smagal Yelubayev, author of The Lonely Yurt trilogy and Bilal Iskakov, professor of traditional music at the Almaty Conservatoire.

Special thanks to Sabit Shildebai, director of the Central State Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Zura Tolenova, Candidate of Historical Sciences, associate professor, head of the Centre for Advanced Research of the Central State Archives.

Producer: Monica Whitlock

(Photo: Yakhya Tajibekov and his daughter-in-law Aliya selling camel's milk near Shymkent, south Kazakhstan. Yakhya's mother, as a baby, was rescued during the famine of 1930-1933. Credit: Monica Whitlock)


SAT 13:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh97qx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 13:06 Newshour (w172zssf8c0fd9j)
President Trump says he'll sue the BBC for up to five billion dollars

President Trump has said he'll sue the BBC for up to five billion dollars, despite the broadcaster's apology for misrepresenting the speech he gave before his supporters attacked the Capitol building.

Also in the programme: settler violence in the West bank; and 25 years of Daft Punk.

(Picture: The BBC logo outside the BBC Broadcasting House. Credit: REUTERS)


SAT 14:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh9ch1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 14:06 Sportsworld (w172ztqvkxrxzvh)
Live sport from around the world with news, interviews and analysis.


SAT 18:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh9vgk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mx97gy)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj5306qy)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 18:32 Dear Daughter (w3ct7zqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 today]


SAT 18:50 Sporting Witness (w3ct7zsk)
Malice at the Palace

On November 19, 2004, a heated NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons spiralled into one of the most infamous brawls in sport's history. What began as a hard foul escalated into chaos as players clashed with fans in the stands, leaving a lasting mark on the league’s image.

Mark Boyle, a veteran radio broadcaster known as "the voice of the pacers’"was there that night. Speaking to Hunter Charlton, he recalls a lucky escape which almost left him with life changing injuries. An Ember Production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.

Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created.

(Photo: Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons is kept apart from Ron Artest of the Indiana Pacers by Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle and official Tommy Nunez Jr. Credit: Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)


SAT 19:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fh9z6p)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:06 The Inquiry (w3ct723h)
Is the world ready for more climate migration?

From floods in Pakistan to droughts in the Horn of Africa, extreme weather events are already forcing millions of people to move. Most are displaced within their own countries but rising temperatures and sea levels could soon push many across national borders.

Yet international law offers little protection for those uprooted by the changing climate, and few countries appear ready for the scale of movement predicted in coming decades.

Charmaine Cozier explores how communities, governments and international systems could respond as the number of people displaced by climate change grows.

This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking: Is the world ready for more climate migration?

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Maeve Schaffer
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey

Contributors:

Amali Tower, founder and executive director of Climate Refugees

Dr Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson, Samoan climate journalist and professor of Pacific Island Studies at Portland State University, US

Alessio Terzi, professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge, UK

Gaia Vince, writer, Anthropocene researcher and the author of Nomad Century: How to Survive the Climate Upheaval

(Photo: Kuakata Sea Beach Patuakhali District, Bangladesh. Credit: NurPhoto/Getty Images)


SAT 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj530bh2)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 19:32 Happy News (w3ct6tz6)
The Happy Pod: Saving a drowning man changed me

We speak to a woman who saved the life of a kayaker, after spotting him floating face down in Idaho's Snake River. Rachelle Ruffing says knowing CPR allowed her to 'make a miracle' which has changed her, and everyone should learn how to do it. She says she still finds it hard to believe that the man made a full recovery and that attending his recent wedding was a privilege.

Also, the Afghan women's football team returns to the international stage, four years after the players fled the Taliban. Fifa changed the venue of the tournament to allow them to take part.

Conservationists find a way to save a rare albatross by getting birds from another species to act as foster parents for their eggs.

We hear how old home movies are being rescued so people can relive precious family moments decades later.

Plus, after the fat bears of Alaska, we find out about the squirrels bulking up for winter in Texas, and we meet the man who can charm animals with his music, even stopping a herd of rhinos in their tracks.

Presenter: Oliver Conway
Music: Iona Hampson

(Photo: credit Rachelle Ruffing)


SAT 20:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhb2yt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 20:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct6zv6)
Booker Prize for Fiction 2025 Special: Who has won?

In a special edition of The Arts Hour, Nikki Bedi talks to two of the judges on this year's Booker Prize for Fiction, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ and Chris Power, before Roddy Doyle announces the winner. We hear from fellow judges Sarah Jessica Parker and all of the writers on the shortlist:

Flashlight by Susan Choi
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
Audition by Katie Kitamura
The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
Flesh by David Szalay

Producer: Ciaran Bermingham

Photo Credit: David Parry for the Booker Prize Foundation


SAT 21:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhb6py)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 21:06 Newshour (w172zssf8c0gc8k)
Thousands march outside COP30 summit

Thousands of people have been marching through the streets of Belem to demand stronger action on tackling global warming, as the UN climate summit continues in the Brazilian city. Indigenous communities, youth groups, and climate activists from across the world were among those joining the rally to mark COP 30's half-way point. We speak to Panama's special representative on climate change Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez.

Also in the programme: President Trump has hit out at Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who had been one of his closest allies; why Iceland's former Prime Minister is worried her native language is under threat; and as Pope Leo holds an audience with some of Hollywood's biggest stars, we speak to a nun who is also a film critic.

(Picture: People join the Global Climate March in Belem on 15 November, 2025. Credit: ANDRE BORGES/EPA/Shutterstock)


SAT 22:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhbbg2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mx9qgg)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SAT 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj530pqg)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SAT 22:32 This Is Africa (w3ct72dv)
Miss Jobizz

Miss Jobizz is one of the Gambia’s most successful female artists. She has released dozens of songs in Mandinka, her native language, and has collaborated with Gambia’s big male stars including Jizzle. She’s also spread her wings beyond her country, winning awards in Senegal and Rwanda and collaborating with the likes of Salatiel from Cameroon and Saifond Balde from Guinea.

But in this episode, Miss Jobizz tells DJ Edu that the Gambia is a traditional country and many believe a woman's place is in the home. She has had to endure serious opposition from family members and contend with a music establishment that has only just begun to take women seriously.

However, Miss Jobizz reveals she has recently been invited to set up a music school to support aspiring Gambian female artists, which is something she would love to do.


SAT 23:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhbg66)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SAT 23:06 Not by the Playbook (w3ct878m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:06 today]

SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2025

SUN 00:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhbkyb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 00:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct6rnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:06 on Saturday]


SUN 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj530y6q)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 00:32 The Documentary (w3ct8cb2)
Striking gas in Bolivia

In July 2024, Bolivia discovered the Mayaya Centro-X1 gas field - its largest find in nearly 20 years. With an estimated 1.7 trillion cubic feet of reserves, the announcement sparked excitement across the country, promising to help reverse a steep decline in domestic production and inject billions into the national economy.

South American based journalist Constance Malleret explores what this discovery means for Bolivia, not just beneath the ground, but above it. We hear from geologists working at the site, government officials spearheading the Upstream Reactivation Plan, and energy analysts questioning whether the country is leaning too heavily on fossil fuel optimism.

But striking gas also ignites debate. Bolivia has pledged to deliver 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2050 and build thousands of kilometres of transmission lines. Can these ambitions coexist with a new wave of gas expansion? Voices from the environmental movement say no, while government officials insist the two tracks are compatible.

Add to that the political tension. Supporters hail the discovery as a chance for Bolivia to reassert its role as a regional energy leader. Critics warn of over-dependence and urge reform, from scrapping fuel subsidies to attracting private investment. Left leaning politicians tend to want state-led growth. Those on the right call for market-driven solutions. And communities near the drilling zone face tough choices - welcome the promise of jobs or challenge potential threats to land and water.

(Photo: President Rodrigo Paz of Bolivia speaks during a celebration following the preliminary results of the presidential run-off election, in La Paz, Bolivia, 19 October, 2025. Credit: Claudia Morales/Reuters)


SUN 01:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhbppg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 01:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mxb2pv)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj5311yv)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 01:32 Dear Daughter (w3ct7zqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 on Saturday]


SUN 01:50 Sporting Witness (w3ct7zsk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:50 on Saturday]


SUN 02:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhbtfl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mxb6fz)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj5315pz)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 02:32 Health Check (w3ct6vk8)
Canada loses measles elimination status

This week it was declared that Canada is no longer measles free and as a result The Americas have lost their measles elimination status. Claudia is joined by Vanessa Apea to understand why this vaccine-preventable disease is continuing to spread in North America.

COP30 is underway in Belém, Brazil, and ahead of the conference’s Health Day we hear from BBC’s Climate and Science reporter Esme Stallard what global health is on the agenda.

Reporter Dorcas Wangira is in Nairobi investigating a crackdown on helmet safety for motorcycle taxi riders.

Plus, can speaking more than one language slow down the rate at which you age? And why politicians in France are suggesting doctors prescribe working from home instead of signing people off sick.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producer: Hannah Robins
Assistant Producer: Katie Tomsett

Image: People stand near healthy awareness posters related to the measles outbreak during a public health awareness campaign, at the Taber Health Centre, in the largely Mennonite community of Taber, Alberta, Canada, October 27, 2025. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot/File Photo


SUN 03:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhby5q)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 03:06 The Documentary (w3ct8cb3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


SUN 04:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhc1xv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 04:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct6tsd)
The shadow of Islamic State in Syria

Pascale Harter introduces correspondents' dispatches from northeast Syria, the Tanzania/Kenya border and the Philippines.

During his visit to Washington this week, Syria’s interim president Ahmed Al Sharaa announced that Syria will join the coalition of 90 countries trying to eliminate the remnants of the Islamic State group. All this as the threat of IS is increasing inside Syria itself. 8,000 suspected IS fighters remain in jails, and 34,000 of their family members are held in camps, run by Syrian Kurdish forces. Orla Guerin has seen how the new generation is growing up in these camps, where the pull of IS ideology is still strong.

Tanzania's re-elected president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, was inaugurated after the country’s electoral commission declared she had won 98 per cent of the vote. In her speech she insisted the election was free and fair - though critics accuse the government of eliminating any credible political competition. There have been violent protests over the election - and a police and media crackdown in response. Victor Kenani reports from Tanzania’s border with Kenya, where he witnessed the tactics Tanzanian security forces were using.

Last week the Philippines was hit by Typhoon Fung-wong - the twenty first big tropical storm to hit the country this year. Jonathan Head reflects on how the country copes with its vulnerability to natural disasters - and the growing anger over where millions of dollars designated for improving flood defences may have gone instead.

Producer: Polly Hope
Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Production Co-Ordinator: Katie Morrison

Image: People in the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected Islamic State (IS) group fighters in the northeastern Hasakeh governorate of Syria. (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)


SUN 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj531f67)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 04:32 Unspun World with John Simpson (w3ct78c4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:32 on Saturday]


SUN 05:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhc5nz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 05:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mxbkpc)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 05:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj531jyc)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 05:32 The Documentary (w3ct8cb2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:32 today]


SUN 06:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhc9f3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 06:06 Weekend (w172zw8fjp4lw42)
Thousands march in the host city Belem calling for stronger climate action

Thousands of people have marched through the streets of Belém, Brazil, demanding stronger action to confront global warming as the UN climate summit reaches its halfway point.

Also in today’s programme: we speak with a Ukrainian opposition MP about a major corruption scandal engulfing the country’s energy sector, which is regularly targeted by Russia; and we ask why the Icelandic language is under threat. We speak to the country’s former prime minister.

Presenter Julian Worricker is joined by Karin von Hippel, defence and security analyst, and Timothy Garton Ash, British historian and author. He is Professor of European Studies at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford.

Photo: Protest to call for climate justice and territorial protection, during COP30, in Belem.15 November, 2025. Reuters/Anderson Coelho


SUN 07:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhcf57)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 07:06 Weekend (w172zw8fjp4lzw6)
Zelensky vows energy sector overhaul after $100m corruption scandal

President Zelensky has announced an overhaul of the energy system, just days after a major corruption scandal involving his minister of energy. We hear from a Ukrainian MP.

Also in today’s programme: Italian pasta prices could more than double under a proposed US tariff of up to 107 per cent — one of the highest tariffs imposed by a U.S. administration on any goods anywhere in the world. We are joined by Italian-American chef and restaurateur Salvo Lo Castro, who previously cooked for two Popes at the Vatican. And the Pope welcomes Hollywood stars to the Vatican and confesses his love for cinema.

Presenter Julian Worricker is joined by Karin von Hippel, defence and security analyst, and Timothy Garton Ash, British historian and author. He is Professor of European Studies at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford.

(Photo:Ukraine's President Zelenskiy visits a front line in Zaporizhzhia region. 17 November/ Reuters)


SUN 08:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhcjxc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 08:06 Weekend (w172zw8fjp4m3mb)
Italian prosecutors probe Bosnian war ‘sniper safaris’

Extraordinary claims dating back to the war in Bosnia that people travelled there from other countries to shoot at civilians in the streets of Sarajevo. We speak to the man behind the claims and also get reaction from the Bosnians.

Also in today's programme: Art historian, writer and podcaster Katy Hessel has been telling the stories of female artists left out of history, which has become an international bestseller. She has released a new book 'How to live an Artful life' and joins us now; and pipers, several hundred of them playing ACDC in Melbourne, Australia.

Presenter Julian Worricker is joined by Karin von Hippel, defence and security analyst, and Timothy Garton Ash, British historian and author. He is Professor of European Studies at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford.

Photo:


SUN 09:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhcnnh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 09:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct6tsd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 today]


SUN 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj5320xw)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 09:32 The Food Chain (w3ct70zd)
Food by drones?

From pizza delivery to emergency aid, are autonomous aircraft the future?

Ruth Alexander looks into whether drones are a feasible alternative to delivery drivers and traditional air drops.

We hear how fast food and groceries are being delivered into suburban back gardens in Helsinki and Dublin and to a waterside collection point in Hong Kong. Is this technology something we might see everywhere soon? Ruth looks at its advantages and limitations and finds out how drones are carrying essential food to remote communities in Madagascar.

Taking part were Danny Vincent, BBC Hong Kong reporter, Ville Lepalä, the CEO and co-founder of Huuva foodhall, Bobby Healy, the CEO of Manna Aero, Santanu Chakraborty, chief executive officer of Bal Raksha Bharat – Save the Children India and Hedley Tah from the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service, which is run by the World Food programme.

Produced by Rumella Dasgupta.

Image: A drone is flying against a stylised blue sky background. It is holding a white box which says Food Delivery on it in black letters. (Credit Getty Images/ sarawuth702)


SUN 10:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhcsdm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 10:06 People Fixing The World (w3ct6xyh)
Saving seabirds and squirrels

How do you save threatened species? This week we look at two novel solutions. In the UK, scientists are developing a unique contraceptive that will be fed in a nutty spread to grey squirrels, an invasive species that threatens the native red squirrel. And how scientists are moving albatross eggs thousands of miles from their low-lying home on Midway Atoll in the North Pacific to a Mexican island to try and protect the under threat Black-footed Albatross.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi
Producer/reporter: Claire Bates
Editor: Jon Bithrey
Sound engineer: Hal Haines

(Image: Scientists remove albatross eggs in Midway Islands, Pacific Ocean, GECI)


SUN 10:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj5324p0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 10:32 The Fifth Floor (w3ct70tw)
The COP 30 summit and the climate change frontline

The 30th COP climate summit is under way in the Brazilian city of Belém. BBC World Service Environment Correspondent Navin Singh Khadka has been covering COP since 2006. He joins us to share his insights on the inner workings of the summit and how it has changed over the years.

In 2023, Algeria experienced devastating wildfires, particularly in the Kabylie region which is home to the Amazigh people. The Algerian government typically broadcasts brief updates in Algerian Arabic, which many people in affected regions do not speak. This lack of linguistic inclusivity means that vital information often fails to reach those who need it most. Khadija Maalej from BBC Media Action explains how a project called WISER has set about improving communications in order to save lives.

For centuries, people fleeing slavery lived in isolation in Jalapão, in the east of Brazil. They survived by raising cattle and used controlled fires to renew the natural pasture for their herds. Then, in 2001, the government banned burning. The ban had the opposite effect to what was desired: Jalapão began to face gigantic wildfires until, in 2014, the state relented and began to encourage controlled burns again. João Fellet of BBC Brasil has travelled to Jalapão, to speak to the Quilombola people, and watch their controlled burns.


This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Caroline Ferguson and Laura Thomas

This is an EcoAudio certified production.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)


SUN 11:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhcx4r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mxc954)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj5328f4)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 11:32 Dear Daughter (w3ct7zqx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:32 on Saturday]


SUN 11:50 More or Less (w3ct6vzt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 05:50 on Saturday]


SUN 12:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhd0ww)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 12:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct6rnh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:06 on Saturday]


SUN 12:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj532d58)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 12:32 Assignment (w3ct6rcg)
Ukraine's Colombian soldiers

From jungle guerrilla warfare to frozen trenches: why did they leave and will they ever return? The story of the Colombian soldiers choosing to fight in the war in Ukraine. 'We heard the Ukranian President’s SOS call" says Castaño, a soldier in his early 30s who paid for his own flight from Colombia to fight in the war in Ukraine. He's not the only one, Colombians are said to outnumber any other nationality of those foreigners who have volunteered to fight. They've even promoted a Colombian to the rank of Sergeant so he can help process the huge numbers of Latino recruits who don't speak any Ukrainian. Some soldiers we meet have already made a huge sacrifice for a country that’s not their own and are learning to walk with new prosthetic limbs. But they're not just drawn to Ukraine to help, a range of factors in Colombia have pushed many soldiers to leave, not least low pay and a feeling that a job in the Colombian Army is no longer worth it.

Marco Pereira travels around Ukraine talking to Colombian soldiers to find out why they have chosen to fight in a punishing war so far from home.

Producer: Phoebe Keane
Voice overs by: Luis Fernando Campos, Felipe Arevalo, Federico Leal, Gerardo J. Escobar V.

(Image: An injured Colombian soldier, at home in Western Ukraine. Credit: Marco Pereira/BBC)


SUN 13:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhd4n0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 13:06 Newshour (w172zssf8c0j96m)
Ecuadoreans vote on foreign military bases

Ecuador holds a referendum on whether or not to allow foreign military bases in the country again to help tackle drug trafficking. There was a US military base on the country’s Pacific coast until 2009, when President Rafael Correa ordered it closed.

Also in the programme: the UK government announces that most refugees granted asylum will have to wait twenty years before they can apply for permanent settlement, instead of five years; and we hear from a critic of the German auction house planning a sale of personal items from victims of the Nazi Holocaust.

(IMAGE: Ballots are placed on a table during a referendum to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases, which Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa says are central to fighting organized crime, and whether they back convening an assembly to rewrite the constitution, at a polling station in Quito, Ecuador November 16, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters / Karen Toro)


SUN 14:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhd8d4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 14:06 Sportsworld (w172ztqvkxs0wrl)
Live sport from around the world with news, interviews and analysis.


SUN 18:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhdrcn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 18:06 The Climate Question (w3ct702t)
How does carbon dioxide shape our world?

Carbon dioxide is a molecule so important it has shaped life on Earth for billions of years. Without it, there would be no plants, no oceans, no people. But now, after centuries of burning coal, oil and gas, it's in the atmosphere at levels that alarm scientists.

In this episode of The Climate Question, Graihagh Jackson speaks to Peter Brannen, science journalist and author of The Story of CO2 is the Story of Everything, and Esme Stallard, BBC climate and science reporter.

They explore what makes this tiny molecule so powerful, how it has driven ice ages and mass extinctions, why the story of CO2 is the story of human progress — and what might come next.

Host: Graihagh Jackson
Production Team: Diane Richardson, Nik Sindle, Graihagh Jackson, Grace Braddock
Sound Mix: Tom Brignell and Ben Andrews
Editor: Simon Watts

Got a question or a comment? Email us: theclimatequestion@bbc.com


SUN 18:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj5333n1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 18:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vps)
Finding my true self through Druidry

When Mhara was a teenager, she often felt lost and out of place. But discovering books about witchcraft and Druidry opened a door to another world, one filled with stories of transformation, enchantment, and connection to nature. Those ideas would stay with her for years.

As an adult, Mhara began to explore her identity as a queer, transgender woman and returned to the spiritual path that had first offered her hope. She discovered a thriving Druid community right on her doorstep in Anglesey, Wales - one of the last strongholds of Druidry after the Roman invasion and still considered sacred land today.

Presenter Mora Morrison joins Mhara on the island, visiting sacred rivers, ancient burial sites, and the headquarters of the Anglesey Druid Order. There, Mora meets Mhara’s mentor and friend Kristoffer Hughes, who has led the Order for 25 years.

Presenter / producer: Mora Morrison
Series Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production co-ordinator: Mica Nepomuceno

(Photo: Mhara Starling, a Welsh witch and Druid. Credit: Kat Arnold Photography)


SUN 19:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhdw3s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mxd845)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj5337d5)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 19:32 In the Studio (w3ct6vv9)
Chef Yoshifumi Yamaguchi

Exploring the culinary artistry of chef Yoshifumi Yamaguchi , a visionary bridging Kyoto and Kampala. As co-founder of Cots Cots, an artistic Japanese landmark in Uganda, he crafts authentic Japanese cuisine with a unique twist - infusing local Ugandan ingredients to create a vibrant fusion of tradition, innovation, and cultural exchange.

Behind the scenes, blending traditional Japanese techniques with Uganda’s rich local ingredients, Yamaguchi says he creates a dining experience that celebrates both heritage and innovation.


SUN 20:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhdzvx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 20:06 Unexpected Elements (w3ct72wz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 00:06 on Saturday]


SUN 21:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhf3m1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 21:06 Newshour (w172zssf8c0k85n)
Britain plans stricter laws for asylum seekers

The British government has set out plans for sweeping changes to its asylum system to address public concerns about uncontrolled immigration. Under the proposals, refugees granted asylum will have to wait twenty years before they can apply for permanent settlement instead of five years.

Also in the programme: a planned auction in Germany of artefacts from prisoners of Nazi concentration camps has been cancelled; people in Ecuador have been voting in a referendum on on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases to help combat organised crime; and we speak to writer Jana Bakunina on her new book The Good Russian: In Search of a Nation's Soul.

(File photo: A group of migrants on an inflatable dinghy leave the coast of northern France in an attempt to cross the English Channel on July 17, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes)


SUN 22:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhf7c5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlf6mxdmck)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


SUN 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj533lmk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 22:32 The Fifth Floor (w3ct70tw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:32 today]


SUN 23:00 BBC News (w172zwwz2fhfc39)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


SUN 23:06 The Climate Question (w3ct702t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:06 today]


SUN 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxsj533qcp)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


SUN 23:32 Assignment (w3ct6rcg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:32 today]

MONDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2025

MON 00:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpskb3l)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 00:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct6tsd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 on Sunday]


MON 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd7pcz)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 00:32 BBC Inside Science (w3ct8txk)
Could technology replace animal testing in science?

This week the UK government set out its vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances. Animal experiments in the UK peaked at 4.14 million in 2015 driven mainly by a big increase at the time in genetic modification experiments. By 2020, the number had fallen sharply to 2.88 million as alternative methods and technologies were developed. But since then that decline has plateaued.

Could we see the end of animals being used in science labs? Presenter Tom Whipple is joined by Dr. Chris Powell, Director of Cambridge BioPharma Consultants Ltd. and honorary visiting scientist at Cambridge University and Dr. Natalie Burden, head of New Approach Methodologies at the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).

And as world leaders gather for the COP30 climate conference in Brazil, we speak to glaciologist Dr. Matthias Huss. In the past decade, his data has shown that a quarter of Swiss ice has been lost, with hundreds of glaciers having disappeared entirely. But part of one of those glaciers remains in the freezer of his basement...

Also Penny Sarchet, managing editor at New Scientist, brings us her take on the new science that matters this week.

To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk, search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

Presenter: Tom Whipple
Producers: Clare Salisbury, Tim Dodd, Alex Mansfield, Jonathan Blackwell
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


MON 01:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpskfvq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 01:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6jtw3)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd7t43)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 01:32 Discovery (w3ct6sww)
The Life Scientific: Kevin Fong

There can't be many people in the world who've saved lives in hospital emergency rooms and also helped care for the wellbeing of astronauts in space – but Kevin Fong’s career has followed a singular path: from astrophysics and trauma medicine, to working with NASA, to becoming an Air Ambulance doctor.

Kevin is a consultant anaesthetist and professor of public engagement and innovation at University College London. He’s worked on the front line in hospitals, dealing with major incidents and helping shape policy; but he's also stayed true to his childhood passion for space, working on multiple projects with NASA and even going through the astronaut application process himself. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also become a well-known figure in science broadcasting through his various radio and TV shows.

Speaking to Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Kevin admits it hasn't always been an easy path – but his passion for both space and medicine have got him through. And today, he's channelling his energies into ensuring we protect the NHS's most precious commodity: its staff.

Presented by Jim Al-Khalili
Produced by Lucy Taylor
Revised for World Service by Minnie Harrop


MON 02:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpskklv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6jym7)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd7xw7)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 02:32 CrowdScience (w3ct6stm)
Do tsunamis affect marine life?

Tsunamis destroy buildings, habitats and danger to everything in its path on land. But how do they affect life under the water? That's what CrowdScience listener Alvyn wants to know, and presenter Anand Jagatia is searching beneath the waves for answers. Anand meets Professor Syamsidik who is learning about how tsuanami waves are formed to help protect against future disasters. He runs the Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center at Universitas Syiah Kuala, Indonesia. With him at this state-of-the-art lab is Dr David McGovern, expert in ocean and coastal modelling at London South Bank University. David tells Anand how the energy of a tsunami is spread across the entire water column. To explain the forces at play, Anand chats to Professor Emile Okal a seismologist from Northwestern University in the United States. Tsunami wave can move as fast as 800 kilometres an hour but, despite this, out at sea you might not notice it - but can the same be said for marine life? We follow the wave as it nears land and all that force is contracted and begins to show its might. Professor Suchana 'Apple' Chavanich from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand was one of the first people to swim off the Thai coast after the 2004 tsunami and remembers how coral reefs were battered.
In Japan, after the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami as the water retracted it pulled with it tons and tons of debris into the water. The fishing communities of the Sanriku Coast lost almost everything, their equipment was destroyed and the water was heavily polluted. Anand meets Hiroshi Sato who set up the Sanriku Volunteer Divers, a team of people who dragged the debris out of the water. One of them was diver and journalist Bonnie Waycott who tells her story of witnesses the destruction first hand and trying to rescue the fishing industry with Hiroshi. Finally, we learnt that the effect of modern tsunamis carries far further than people might have imagined. On the west coast of the United States Professor Samuel Chan is an expert in invasive species at Oregon State University. He explains how modern infrastructure is contributing to some incredible migrations. Presenter: Anand Jagatia Producer: Tom Bonnett Editor: Ben Motley

Photo: USA, California, Sonoma County, Bodega Bay, tsunami evacuation panel - stock photo Credit: Brigitte MERLE via Getty Images)


MON 03:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpskpbz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 03:06 People Fixing The World (w3ct6xyh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:06 on Sunday]


MON 03:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd81mc)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 03:32 The Fifth Floor (w3ct70tw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:32 on Sunday]


MON 04:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpskt33)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6k63h)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd85ch)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 04:32 The Conversation (w3ct709m)
Women at the forefront of medical research

After the discovery of a new gene therapy for Huntington's, a devastating brain disease, Datshiane Navanayagam talks to one of the women in the UK who worked on it and a biologist from India who's made recent discoveries that could improve treatment for TB, which still kills over a million people globally each year.

Anne Rosser is Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at Cardiff University, combining both academic and clinical work specialising in patients with Huntington’s Disease. Huntington’s is an inherited condition caused by a faulty gene which stops the brain working properly, affecting mobility, learning, thinking and emotions. Anne also directs the Brain Repair Group in Cardiff.

Paridhi Sukheja is lead biologist for Tuberculosis drug discovery at Calibr-Skaggs Institute at Scripps Research in the US – a nonprofit research institute looking at drug discovery and treatments for diseases. TB is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases and, while widely treatable, it still kills 1.2 million people a year. Part of this is due to increasingly drug-resistant strains of the disease. Paridhi's work has been instrumental in the discovery of a potential new treatment for TB, including drug-resistant strains.

Produced by Jane Thurlow

(Image: (L) Paridhi Sukheja credit Nick Cusato. (R), Anne Rosser courtesy Anne Rosser.)


MON 05:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpskxv7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 05:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56j9vt)
Verdict expected in the trial of former Prime Minister Hasina

Bangladesh is awaiting the verdict in the case of the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, accused of ordering a violent clampdown on protests which forced her from power. Hasina is being tried in absentia in connection with a crackdown on student-led protests last year in which hundreds were killed.

President Donald Trump has called on House Republicans to vote to release government files relating to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A far-right lawyer, Jose Antonio Kast, is to face a leftist former minister, Jeannette Jara, in a presidential election run-off in Chile

(Photo: Deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina addressing a meeting; Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)


MON 06:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsl1lc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 06:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56jfly)
Security ramped in Bangladesh

The deposed ruler, Hasina is accused of ordering a violent crackdown on student-led protests last year, during which the UN estimates up to 1,400 people died

An about turn from US president Donald Trump who now says he wants to see the release of files related to the sex offender Jeffery Epstein. The President's relationship with Epstein has been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks.

The BBC special investigation has been granted access to never-seen-before evidence and heard testimonies from those affected and impacted by the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians by American Marines 10 years ago in the city of Haditha

(Photo: Bangladesh security personnel stand guard in front of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Dhaka; Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)


MON 07:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsl5bh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 07:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56jkc2)
Prosecutors seek death penalty for Hasina

Rows of armed guards and riot police are stationed outside the court in Dhaka where the International Crimes Tribunal will deliver its verdict against Hasina.

The COP 30 Climate change summit is taking place in the Amazon rain forest in Brazil - we will look at why planting Soya bean has become a topic of contention.

A shock in World Cup qualification as Nigeria are knocked out following a penalty defeat to DR Congo

(Photo: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's oath-taking ceremony as the country's Prime Minister in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 11 January, 2024. Credit: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)


MON 08:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsl92m)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 08:06 The Interview (w3ct7x0k)
Noura Erakat, Palestinian-American humans rights lawyer and professor

BBC North America correspondent Nomia Iqbal speaks to Noura Erakat, Palestinian-American human rights attorney and professor at Rutgers University.

As well as being a legal scholar she is also an outspoken advocate for justice in Palestine, she went on to become one of the first Palestinian women to address the United Nations Security in October this year where she spoke on the situation of women and girls in Gaza

Noura Erakat reflects on the global response to the war in Gaza and what international law can and cannot do in times of crisis. We explore what accountability might look like and why, for many Palestinians, the law has so often failed them.

She talks about growing up as part of the Palestinian diaspora in the United States and how this has shaped her life.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Nomia Iqbal
Producer: Alex Lederman, Farhana Haider
Editor: Justine Lang

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Noura Erakat Credit: Barbara Monteiro)


MON 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd8nc0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct6ryk)
Can global shipping go green?

After the collapse of a landmark deal, with opposition from both the US and Saudi Arabia, we hear from those in the industry.

What's next for a sector responsible for 3% of global emissions?

We also find out what it means for shipping's path to net zero. And ask whether technology and innovation are the answer.

Presenter: Will Bain
Producer: David Cann

(Image: A cargo ship loaded with foreign trade containers heads towards Qingdao Port in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China, on 5 November 2025. Credit: Getty Images)


MON 08:50 Witness History (w3ct7471)
Reagan and Gorbachev: The Geneva Summit

Forty years ago, in November 1985, two of the world’s most powerful leaders met for the first time.

With Cold War tensions running high and the nuclear arms race dominating global politics, US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev came together for the first time at the Geneva Summit.

Using archive recordings, Megan Jones explores what happened during this landmark meeting.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US President Ronald Reagan at the Geneva Summit 1985. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images)


MON 09:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsldtr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6ksv4)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd8s34)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 09:32 CrowdScience (w3ct6stm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


MON 10:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsljkw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 10:06 The History Hour (w3ct71wq)
Speed of Sound and prosecuting Nazis

Max Pearson presents a collection of the week's Witness History interviews from the BBC World Service. Our guest is aviation historian Dr Victoria Taylor.

We start with an archive interview of American Chuck Yeager who became the first pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound in 1947.

Then, a couple who were caught up in the attack on the Bataclan theatre in Paris in November 2015.

We hear from a prosecutor in the Nuremberg trials in 1945 after World War Two.

France’s former finance minister recalls how an economic crisis in the 1970s led to the birth of the G7.

Next, how a heated NBA game in 2004 spiralled into one of the most infamous brawls in sports history.

Finally, we hear the story of the first ever underwater cabinet meeting in 2009.

Contributors:

Chuck Yeager (from archive) - the first pilot to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Justine Merton-Scott and Tony Scott - a couple who survived the Bataclan attack in Paris.

Benjamin Ferencz - a prosecutor in the Nuremburg trials.

Jean-Pierre Fourcade - France's former finance minister.

Mark Boyle - radio broadcaster for the NBA's Indiana Pacers.

Mohamed Nasheed - former President of the Maldives.

(Photo: The first powered take off of Chuck Yeager's supersonic plane in 1947. Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)


MON 11:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpslnb0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6l1bd)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd90ld)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct717c)
Is the world entering a new age of nuclear testing?

In the last 72 hours, comments from President Trump and his administration have sparked fresh debate about whether the US could – or should – resume the kind of nuclear weapons tests that were halted over 30 years ago.

The current debate centres on whether Trump plans to test nuclear delivery systems, such as missiles, or nuclear warheads. The latter would be a major reversal of a long-standing policy, as the US has not tested a nuclear warhead since 1992, but it’s unclear what the plans involve.

Today, Tristan speaks to Serhii Plokhy, a history professor at Harvard and author of The Nuclear Age, about what it would mean to return to an era of nuclear testing.

Producers: Viv Jones, Xandra Ellin, Aron Keller

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Mushroom cloud rises during Operation Crossroads nuclear weapons test. Reuters


MON 12:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsls24)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 12:06 Outlook (w3ct6wql)
The ‘rebel’ teenager Franco tried to silence

Fifty years after General Franco’s death, Spain is still dealing with the shadow of this ruthless dictator. In Franco’s Spain, opponents to his ultra-Catholic and deeply conservative regime – which ended in 1975 – were ruthlessly suppressed. Mariona Roca Tort was a teenager in 1969 when she joined an anti-government protest during which a friend was arrested, forcing her to stay overnight at a stranger’s house . Her family was furious and sent her to a convent where she was locked up under the control of the Patronato de Protección a la Mujer – the Women’s Protection Board. Under Franco, it oversaw a nationwide network of reformatories where girls and young women who refused to conform to the Franco regime’s Catholic values were detained – single mothers, girls with boyfriends, lesbians.

Behind convent walls, Mariona was forbidden to speak to the other women. Silenced and punished, she became seriously underweight, and her memory was badly affected. Eventually released after two years when she was 19, Mariona left her family and started a new life in Barcelona. Now Mariona and her daughter Marina Freixa are speaking out and demanding recognition for all of the forgotten women victims of the Patronato and Franco’s dictatorship. They told their story to Outlook’s Linda Pressly in Barcelona.

Presenter: Asya Fouks
Producers: Linda Pressly, Esperanza Escribano, Maryam Maruf
Voicovers: Alejandra Martins and Regina Brandolino

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: A black and white photo of teenage Mariona. Credit: Family handout)


MON 12:50 Witness History (w3ct7471)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


MON 13:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpslwt8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6l8tn)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd982n)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 13:32 The Conversation (w3ct709m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


MON 14:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsm0kd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 14:06 Newshour (w172zssfmm9r540)
Bangladesh ex-PM convicted of crimes against humanity

Bangladesh's former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity in abstentia over her crackdown on student-led protests, which led to her ousting.

Sheikh Hasina was found guilty of allowing lethal force to be used against protesters, 1,400 of whom died during the unrest last year. Where does the verdict leave Bangladesh?

Also in the programme: Donald Trump u-turns on releasing the Epstein files; Chileans face a presidential choice - the hard-left or the far-right; and the rom-com hero now cast in bronze in London.

(Photo shows the then-Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina visiting New Delhi, India on 22 June 2024. Credit: Harish Tyagi/EPA)


MON 15:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsm49j)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 15:06 The Interview (w3ct7x0k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


MON 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd9hkx)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 15:32 Business Daily (w3ct6ryk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 today]


MON 15:50 World Business Express (w3ct886c)
How is Japan and China's spat affecting the economy?

Shares in Japanese retail and travel-related companies have fallen sharply in Tokyo, after China urged its citizens not to visit the country. The tensions spiked after Japan’s prime minister suggested Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan, which China claims is its sovereign territory.

Meanwhile, why has Bitcoin lost more than $600 billion in market value, just weeks after hitting a record high?

And for Bridget Jones fans, the rom-com icon is getting her own statue, joining the likes of Harry Potter and Paddington Bear on a new trail celebrating 100 years of British cinema.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne
Producer: Niamh Mc Dermott
Editor: Justin Bones


MON 16:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsm81n)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 16:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq5p45m)
Ex-Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina sentenced to death

A special tribunal found Sheikh Hasina was responsible for ordering a violent crackdown on student-led protests last year, during which the UN estimates up to 1,400 people died, most by gunfire from security forces. Hasina has called the court's decision "biased and politically motivated". We hear from protesters who helped drive the political change in the country. Our global affairs reporter explains what happened during the protests and what's expected next with Sheikh Hasina's verdict.

The BBC’s Tech Editor Zoe Kleinman has shared how her on-air “brain fog” moment sparked a huge online debate. We speak to women about their experiences with perimenopause and brain fog.

The Amazon rainforest could face a renewed surge of deforestation as efforts grow to overturn a long-standing ban that has protected it. Our climate editor joins from the UN's climate conference in Brazil.

Presenter: Luke Jones

(Photo: Sheikh Hasina speaks during a meeting with foreign observers and journalists at the Prime Minister's residence in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 8 January, 2024. Credit: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)


MON 17:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsmcss)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 17:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq5p7xr)
Trump urges own party to vote to release Epstein files

US President Donald Trump has urged lawmakers in his own party to vote to release files relating to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. President Trump wrote on Sunday night that Republicans in the House of Representatives should do so "because we have nothing to hide". We get more details from our correspondent in Washington.

A BBC Eye investigation has uncovered evidence raising serious doubts about the longest war crimes investigation of the US war in Iraq. We speak to our reporter who has been investigating.

The UN Security Council will vote on a US-drafted resolution advancing President Trump’s Gaza peace plan later today. We find out what's expected.

Our Security Correspondent Frank Gardner has been looking into how concerned Europe should be about drones buzzing around airports, military bases and power plants.

Britain has set out plans for sweeping changes to its asylum system. Our political correspondent explains.

Presenter: Luke Jones

(Photo: President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he boards Air Force One en route to Washington, at Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, US, 16 November, 2025. Credit: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters)


MON 18:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsmhjx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 18:06 Outlook (w3ct6wql)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


MON 18:50 Witness History (w3ct7471)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


MON 19:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsmm91)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6m09f)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfd9zkf)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct6z5x)
2025/11/17 GMT

BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.


MON 20:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsmr15)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 20:06 From Our Own Correspondent (w3ct6tsd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:06 on Sunday]


MON 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdb39k)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 20:32 Discovery (w3ct6swx)
Bodies

The London Anatomy Office accepts around 350 human bodies donated for medical research and education annually. You may imagine that these bodies are presevered in chemicals for medical students to study over weeks and months. And some are. But many are used - almost fresh - to train surgeons in the procedures which may one day save your life.

Journalist Jenny Kleeman gains rare access to a surgical training course at Brighton and Sussex Medical School which uses these "fresh" donor bodies. She talks to the people who work with them every day and the surgeons who have come to be trained to find out how they feel about the people who have given the ultimate gift and if we still need real human cadavers in medical education.

Presenter: Jenny Kleeman
Producer: Ella Hubber


MON 21:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsmvs9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 21:06 Newshour (w172zssfmm9s0bx)
Former Bangladesh PM sentenced to death

Sheikh Hasina, in exile in India, was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity. The former Prime Minister was found guilty of ordering the use of lethal force against protesters, resulting in the deaths of around 1,400 people. Hasina denies the charges and her supporters say they are politically motivated.

Also on the programme: we ask what led to Donald Trump’s sudden U-turn on the Epstein files; and the discovery of two organ pieces by a teenaged Johann Sebastian Bach.

(PICTURE: Bangladeshi Attorney General Md Asaduzzaman addresses the media in Dhaka, 17 November 2025 CREDIT: MONIRUL ALAM/EPA/Shutterstock)


MON 22:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsmzjf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6mcjt)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


MON 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdbbst)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct76tq)
Thousands leave Myanmar after scam hubs raid

Myanmar government takes effort to dismantle Southeast Asian-based call centre scams and human trafficking networks. We hear more from Erin West, Founder and President of Operation Shamrock and former Deputy District Attorney in Santa Clara County.

Also, why are we witnessing so many mergers in the US business environment?

And the Amazon rainforest could face a renewed surge of deforestation as efforts appear to be growing to get a long-standing ban on deforestation overturned.

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


MON 23:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsn38k)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


MON 23:06 The Interview (w3ct7x0k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


MON 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdbgjy)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


MON 23:32 The Conversation (w3ct709m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

TUESDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2025

TUE 00:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsn70p)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 00:06 The History Hour (w3ct71wq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:06 on Monday]


TUE 01:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsnbrt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 01:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6mqs6)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdbq16)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 01:32 The Global Story (w3ct717c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:32 on Monday]


TUE 02:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsnghy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6mvjb)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdbtsb)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 02:32 Assignment (w3ct6rch)
Fifty years since Franco: Spain, the valley and a troubled legacy

Fifty years after the death of the dictator Francisco Franco, Spain continues to feel its way towards an accommodation between its once-warring factions. And nowhere in Spain is more emblematic of the lasting divisions provoked by the Spanish civil war than the place known for decades as El Valle de los Caidos – the Valley of the Fallen.

Built partly with the forced labour of political prisoners, this is a monument that symbolised Franco’s Nationalist victory over Republican Spain. The Valley became a pilgrimage place for people who revered the dictator – especially after he was buried behind the basilica’s altar.

But in the 21st Century, the debate has been about the place of such a monument in modern Spain. And since 2018, Spain’s Socialist government has been determined to change the narrative. In 2019, the remains of Francisco Franco were removed. Then the site was renamed El Valle de Cuelgamuros. And just this year - after lengthy negotiations - the Vatican and the Catholic Church in Spain accepted the government’s plans to make the site, ‘a place of democratic memory’, rather than somewhere paying homage to the dictatorship.

But it seems no one is happy. Esperanza Escribano and Linda Pressly explore the story, legacy and future of El Valle de Cuelgamuros.

Producer/presenter: Esperanza Escribano and Linda Pressly
Editor: Penny Murphy
Sound engineer: James Beard
Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison

Photo: El Valle de Cuelgamuros, previously known as the Valley of the Fallen, completed by Spain's dictator, Francisco Franco in 1959. Credit: Esperanza Escribano)


TUE 03:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsnl82)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 03:06 Outlook (w3ct6wql)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Monday]


TUE 03:50 Witness History (w3ct7471)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Monday]


TUE 04:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsnq06)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6n30l)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdc28l)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 04:32 In the Studio (w3ct6vvb)
Film director Gurinder Chadha

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is the inspiration behind Gurinder Chadha's new film Christmas Karma. Scrooge becomes Mr Sood, a miserly businessman in contemporary London, with a loathing of the weak and the homeless. In a series of fantastical scenes he is confronted by the ghosts of past, present and future Christmas. With more than a hint of Bollywood, the film is shot as a vibrant musical. In the Studio follows Gurinder in the making of the film - from shooting on set, through the music making and the edit, to the final presentation of the movie.

Along the way, Gurinder explains her ways of working, her serious interest in some of the darker themes of the film, and why it was her children that made her persist in getting the film done.

Presented and produced by Susan Marling
A Just Radio production

Image: Gurinder Chadha, pictured in October 2024 (Credit: James Manning/PA Wire)


TUE 05:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsntrb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 05:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56m6rx)
UN Security Council approves Trump's Gaza plan

Trump called the Security Council vote on Gaza "historic" and said it was a way of "acknowledging and endorsing" the Board of Peace, with its final membership to be announced soon. He is expected to chair it.

We'll hear from the head of Google about the potential for Artificial Intelligence to transform our world - positively and negatively.

Following the decision by a Bangladeshi court to sentence former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death, for her role in the killing of 1400 anti-government protesters. The new interim government has demanded she be returned from India where she has been living in exile.

(Photo: China's representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Fu Cong, abstains from voting on the U.S.-drafted resolution; Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)


TUE 06:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsnyhg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 06:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56mbj1)
UN resolution endorses Gaza peace plan

UN Secretary General said the resolution on Gaza was an important moment for the consolidation of the ceasefire - and called for aid deliveries to be stepped up.

Today we hear from one the most important people in the Artificial Intelligence revolution , CEO of Google Sunder Pichai. He tells us about how the technology will change our working lives.

The company behind Baby Shark launches on the South Korean stock market.

(Photo: UN Security Council members sit at a round table in the Security Council Chamber at United Nations; Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)


TUE 07:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsp27l)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 07:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56mg85)
Trump hails the UN passing of Gaza peace deal

Trump Gaza plan envisages Hamas disarming and an international stabilisation force being sent into Gaza. Hamas swiftly rejected the proposals.But the UN secretary-general said the resolution was an important moment for the consolidation of the ceasefire - and called for aid deliveries to be stepped up.

The head of Google warns no company is going to be immue if AI bubble bursts . Speaking exclusively to BBC, Sundar Pichai said while the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) investment had been an "extraordinary moment", there was some "irrationality" in the current AI boom.

At cop 30 in Brasil, negotiators are trying hard to to get compromises on the most contentious issues. we get the latest from our correspondent there

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks; Credit: Reuters)


TUE 08:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsp5zq)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 08:06 People Fixing The World (w3ct5tvr)
How literacy can change a life

Learning to read empowers people, reduces poverty and increases their job chances. Yet more than 700 miliion adults are illiterate, the majority of them women. We look at innovations to help adults learn how to read from flatpack classrooms in flood-prone regions of Bangladesh, to an app teaching tens of thousands in Somaliland. Plus how adults in the UK are improving their reading skills thanks to an army of volunteer teachers using a method developed in prison.

Presenter: Myra Anubi
Reporter/producer: Claire Bates
Series producer: Jon Bithrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood
Sound mix: Andrew Mills

(Image: Jahura Begum, Shabnur Akhter, Rashida Begum at Friendship class in Bangladesh, Friendship)


TUE 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdck83)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct6s7l)
A special interview with Google CEO Sundar Pichai

We speak to the tech executive leading Google and its parent company Alphabet Inc.

Sundar Pichai gives us his take on the 'AI bubble', saying no company is immune if the bubble bursts on the "irrational elements" of the boom.

He says AI will cause "social disruption" for jobs, even replace CEOs, and says people will have to adapt. Is the world ready?

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Faisal Islam
Producers: Priya Patel, Elisabeth Mahy, Hannah Bewley

(Picture: Google CEO, Sundar Pichai. Credit: Getty Images)


TUE 08:50 Witness History (w3ct74nm)
Angela Merkel suspends EU asylum rules in 2015

In the summer of 2015, there was a surge in the number of people from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, seeking asylum in Europe.

Social Democrat politician Aydan Özoğuz was Angela Merkel's minister of state concerned with immigration, refugees and integration from 2013 to 2018. She describes to Josephine McDermott visiting her father's home city of Kilis in Turkey, near the Syrian border in 2015, where refugees were being sheltered.

And she recalls the motivation for Mrs Merkel's decision to suspend the EU's Dublin Regulation, which temporarily allowed free passage for Syrian asylum seekers, but drew opposition from critics.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: A migrant from Syria holds a picture of Angela Merkel as he arrives at a railway station in Munich. Credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images)


TUE 09:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsp9qv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6npr7)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdcp07)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 09:32 Assignment (w3ct6rch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


TUE 10:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpspfgz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 10:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct6zv6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:06 on Saturday]


TUE 11:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpspk73)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6ny7h)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdcxhh)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct71cw)
The Saudi prince's long road to rehabilitation

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – MBS – will be welcomed at the White House on his first visit to Washington since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi led to global outrage. MBS has always denied involvement in Khashoggi’s murder. Nevertheless, both he and Saudi Arabia were ostracised after the killing.
Tuesday’s meeting between President Trump and Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler will build on a relationship between the two leaders which has endured the scandal. But can both parties walk away from these strategic talks with what they want? On Trump’s part, some movement towards the Abraham Accords; and for MBS, a chunky defence package.
We talk to BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner.

Producers: Cat Farnsworth and Lucy Pawle
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Brian Snyder/Reuters


TUE 12:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpspnz7)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 12:06 Outlook (w3ct6x58)
The US twins who built their dream anime studio in Japan

Creative twins Arthell and Darnell Isom were gifted both as musicians and visual artists. While their father hoped they would pursue stardom in music, their true passion and talent lay in art. Growing up in Paterson, New Jersey, the brothers spent their childhood bringing vivid characters and imaginative storylines to life on paper. Their realisation that this passion could become a career came when they discovered the world of anime and the 1995 Japanese classic Ghost in the Shell.

Inspired by the film's distinctive art style, Arthell and Darnell made a secret pact: one day, they would create their own film and animation studio. To prepare for that dream, they pursued different paths. Darnell focused on live-action filmmaking, while Arthell travelled to Japan to study anime and train under Ghost in the Shell’s renowned art director, Hiromasa Ogura.

At Japan’s prestigious Yoyogi Animation Academy and later at Ogura’s studio, Ogura Koubou, Arthell contributed to iconic franchises such as Naruto, Bleach, and Black Butler. Eventually, he left the company to join forces with his twin brother once more. Together, they co-founded the animation studio D’Art Shtajio – turning their childhood dream into reality.

Clips used in this programme are courtesy of Syfy / NBCUniversal Media Group, Toei Animation, Production I.G., D'ART Shtajio and OLM Incorporated.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Tommy Dixon

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Two photos set against an anime-style background. In the left photo, twins Arthell and Darnell are wearing white graduation robes and caps. In the right photo, Arthell is seated at a desk, drawing a brightly coloured picture. Credit: Arthell Isom)


TUE 12:50 Witness History (w3ct74nm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


TUE 13:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpspsqc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6p5qr)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdd4zr)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 13:32 In the Studio (w3ct6vvb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


TUE 14:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpspxgh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 14:06 Newshour (w172zssfmm9v213)
Google boss sees 'elements of irrationality' in AI investments

If the artificial intelligence bubble were to burst, every company would be affected, the head of Google's parent firm Alphabet has told the BBC.

Sundar Pichai said, while the growth of AI investment had been an "extraordinary moment", there was some "irrationality" in the current AI boom. Is a bubble burst inevitable and would it be painful?

Also in the programme: the US hails UN security council backing for its Gaza peace plan; and does the world -- or the world's restaurants -- need a universal spice index?

(Photo shows Sundar Pichai during an interview at Google's California headquarters on 17 November 2025. Credit: BBC News)


TUE 15:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsq16m)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 15:06 People Fixing The World (w3ct5tvr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


TUE 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdddh0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 15:32 Business Daily (w3ct6s7l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 today]


TUE 15:50 World Business Express (w3ct888f)
Three things we learnt from the Google Boss interview

Global stocks and shares have plunged for the fourth day in a row. The markets are falling as worries about AI valuations, the US economy and central bank rates hit sentiment.

What happens if the AI bubble burst? We hear from the boss of Google in an exclusive BBC interview.

What's next for the global car industry? Next year, one in four global car sales will be electric, that's according to a report by the International Energy Agency.

A court in France will rule today if Perrier bottles will be forced to remove their bottles from shelves.

And in the UK, selling tickets for a profit could be banned.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne
Producer: Niamh Mc Dermott
Editor: Justin Bones


TUE 16:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsq4yr)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 16:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq5s12q)
Google boss says AI boom has 'elements of irrationality'

Every company would be affected if the AI bubble were to burst, the head of Google's parent firm Alphabet has told the BBC. Speaking exclusively to BBC News, Sundar Pichai said while the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) investment had been an "extraordinary moment", there was some "irrationality" in the current AI boom. We hear some of the interview and speak to journalists covering AI to get their views.

Problems that have hit the internet infrastructure firm, Cloudflare, have resulted in a number of websites around the world being affected, including the social media platform X. Our tech reporter explains.

And we bring you live coverage of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the US to meet President Donald Trump. It is the first time they have met in 7 years.

OS presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: Sundar Pichai during an interview with BBC News from Google's California headquarters. Sundar, the head of Google's parent firm Alphabet, was speaking with BBC Economics Editor Faisal Islam for pre-recorded interview on November 17th 2025. Credit: BBC)


TUE 17:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsq8pw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 17:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq5s4tv)
Survivors call for Epstein files release

Survivors of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein have been joined by politicians outside the US Capitol ahead of a vote on the release of official files on the late sex offender. The Republican congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's been pushing for the documents to be made public, said the victims would never give up. We bring you the latest.

US rapper Eminem has taken legal action against an Australian beachwear company called Swim Shady, saying its name is too similar to his trademarked rap pseudonym Slim Shady. We explain more and hear about other famous trademark disputes.

And the star of Netflix's chart-topping animated film KPop Demon Hunters, Arden Cho, has been speaking to the BBC. She talks about growing up in Texas as the eldest daughter of Korean immigrant parents and her struggle for acceptance in American society. We speak to Asian women in the US about their experiences.

OS presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: Survivor Lisa Phillips holds up her picture as she speaks during a press conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act ahead of a House vote on the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 18, 2025.Credit: Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)


TUE 18:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsqdg0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 18:06 Outlook (w3ct6x58)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


TUE 18:50 Witness History (w3ct74nm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


TUE 19:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsqj64)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6px6j)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfddwgj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct6zbf)
2025/11/18 GMT

BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.


TUE 20:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsqmy8)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 20:06 Assignment (w3ct6rch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


TUE 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdf06n)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 20:32 Tech Life (w3ct6zpq)
Living the digital nomad life

We look at how tech and visas have freed some employees from their desktops, allowing them to continue their work from other parts of the world. They're called digital nomads.

Also in this edition: Shiona McCallum speaks to a victim of online bullying in Kenya, and finds out about a charity trying to help. And tech startups in Finland are turning to Slush.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum
Producer: Tom Quinn

(Image: A photo of a laptop near a swimming pool on a sunny day. Credit: Getty Images)


TUE 21:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsqrpd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 21:06 Newshour (w172zssfmm9vx80)
Trump defends Saudi leader over Khashoggi killing

The Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, has been welcomed to the White House by President Trump; it's his first visit to the US since the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents seven years ago.

Also in the programme: the US House of Representatives has voted in favour of compelling the Justice Department to release its files on the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein; and an Asian-American star of the hit TV series K-pop Demon Hunters talks about her experience of racism growing up.


(Photo credit: Getty Images)


TUE 22:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsqwfj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6q8fx)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


TUE 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdf7px)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct76c0)
AI bubble rattles global markets

We look at the AI boom in detail, in the wake of comments by Sundar Pichai, the head of Google, in a BBC interview. He acknowledges the risks of a potential AI bubble.

We hear the thoughts of a Nobel Prize-winning economist as well. Also, what have the US and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince gained by the latest state visit to the White House?

And why TotalEnergies, the French oil giant, is facing charges over a massacre in Mozambique.

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

Picture: Getty Images: Confident Asian business woman working on laptop at sidewalk cafe in the city


TUE 23:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsr05n)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


TUE 23:06 People Fixing The World (w3ct5tvr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


TUE 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdfcg1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


TUE 23:32 In the Studio (w3ct6vvb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2025

WED 00:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsr3xs)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 00:06 The Arts Hour (w3ct6zv6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:06 on Saturday]


WED 01:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsr7nx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 01:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6qmp9)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdfly9)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 01:32 The Global Story (w3ct71cw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:32 on Tuesday]


WED 02:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsrcf1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6qrff)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdfqpf)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 02:32 The Climate Question (w3ct702t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:06 on Sunday]


WED 03:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsrh55)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 03:06 Outlook (w3ct6x58)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Tuesday]


WED 03:50 Witness History (w3ct74nm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Tuesday]


WED 04:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsrlx9)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6qzxp)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdfz5p)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 04:32 Cyber Hack (w3ct89yd)
Evil Corp

5. Game over

As the cyber criminals reinvent themselves, FBI Special Agent Keith Mularski goes undercover to infiltrate the operation. But as kingpin Tank is finally arrested, another leader rises with the creation of a new crew: Evil Corp. The group’s alleged leader, Maksim Yakubets, would go on to steal millions using “one of the most prolific and successful malware strains” in the history of cyber-crime.

Hosted by Joe Tidy, the BBC’s cyber correspondent – one of the few Western journalists to have met an alleged member of Evil Corp – and the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford, who spent more than two decades reporting from Moscow.


WED 05:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsrqnf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 05:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56q3p0)
Survivors welcome move to release Epstein files

Both chambers of Congress have agreed to order the US justice department to release its files on sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes days after President Trump reversed his positon and urged Congress to vote to disclose the records.The survivors of the late sex offender have welcomed the decision.

President Trump has said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman"knew nothing" about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The President rejected a US intelligence assessment from 2021 which determined the crown prince had ordered the operation that led to the journalist's death.

And local officials in Nigeria have told the BBC that two girls, who were among at least 25 children and a teacher kidnapped from their boarding school in north-western Nigeria's Kebbi state on Monday, have managed to escape.

Presenters: James Copnall and Catherine Byaruhanga.

(Photo: Jeffrey Epstein survivors Danielle Bensky and Liz Stein hold electric candles as they react to the Senate's passing of the bill to force the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Credit: Annabelle Gordon/Reuters).


WED 06:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsrvdk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 06:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56q7f4)
Congress votes to release Epstein files

The US Senate has followed an overwhelming vote in the lower house to unanimously pass a bill to bring about the long-awaited release of the Justice Department’s files on the late billionaire sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. This means it only remains for President Trump to sign off in order for the documents to be made public. Victims of Jeffrey Epstein have welcomed the news.

The head of Estonia's navy has told the BBC that there's been what he called an alarming rise in sanctioned ships bound for Russia that are sailing without a valid flag. Such 'stateless' vessels are heightening fears about ageing oil tankers sailing through Europe’s waters without proper insurance. Russia uses what's known as a 'shadow fleet' to bypass Western sanctions on fuel exports, imposed after its full- scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The US President Donald Trump hosted Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. It's his first visit to the US since the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, seven years ago. The Washington Post columnist, and critic of the Saudi regime, was killed in Turkey by Saudi agents. President Trump said the Saudi leader knew nothing about it, contradicting US intelligence.

Presenters: James Copnall and Catherine Byaruhanga

(Photo: Lauren Hersh, National Director of World Without Exploitation, comforts Jeffrey Epstein abuse survivor Danielle Bensky at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. Credit: Luke Johnson/EPA).


WED 07:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsrz4p)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 07:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56qc58)
Vote passed to release Epstein files

In the United States both chambers of Congress have agreed to order the US justice department to release its files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The House of Representatives voted 427 in favour, with just one person opposing the release. Republicans changed their position after President Trump dropped his long standing opposition to making documents from the criminal investigations public.

The head of Estonia's navy has told the BBC that there's been what he called an alarming rise in sanctioned ships bound for Russia that are sailing without a valid flag.

And President Donald Trump has hosted Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. It's his first visit to the US since the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, seven years ago. The Washington Post columnist, and critic of the Saudi regime, was killed in Turkey by Saudi agents. President Trump said the Saudi leader knew nothing about it, contradicting US intelligence.

Presenters: James Copnall and Catherine Byaruhanga.


(Photo: U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) departs the House floor, following the vote of the U.S. House of Representatives, which passed the bill seeking to release files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstei. Credit:Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)


WED 08:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpss2wt)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 08:06 The Interview (w3ct7x7b)
Sir Anthony Hopkins: I turn turmoil into energy

‘So-called turmoil or shortcomings in my life? I turn them into power or energy’

Best known for playing the serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the 1991 thriller ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, Sir Anthony’s journey to Hollywood stardom started with humble beginnings.

Born into a working class family in the Welsh steel town of Port Talbot in 1937, his parents first ran a bakery, and then later a pub. Their strong work ethic was imparted on their son, who, despite struggling socially and educationally in his early years, was determined to make a success of himself. Throwing himself into reading and creative pastimes like music and art, Sir Anthony studied at both the Welsh Royal College of Music and Drama and the Royal Academy for Dramatic Art.

His early career saw him working alongside greats including Katharine Hepburn, Lawrence Olivier, Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole across both stage and screen, with his international breakout coming in the 1980 film ‘The Elephant Man’, which received multiple Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.

It would be another decade before he truly cemented his place as a Hollywood A-lister: playing the infamous serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, regarded by many critics as one of the greatest film villains of all-time. The role won him the first of his two Oscars, with the second coming for his performance in the 2020 film ‘The Father’.

But the 87-year-old’s long journey to the very top was not only a professional struggle, but at times a personal struggle too, having also battled alcoholism early on in his career - which he says made him a difficult person to work with.

Thank you to the Culture team for their help in making this programme.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Katie Razzall
Producers: Ben Cooper, Roxanne Panthaki and Lucy Sheppard
Editor: Justine Lang

Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

(Image: Sir Anthony Hopkins Credit: Darren Arthur/Getty Images for GEA)


WED 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdgg56)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct6sd3)
Is cricket financially healthy?

One of world sport's biggest rivalries gets underway this week, with England and Australia going head to head in the Ashes. Most matches will last around four or five days, but it's actually the short form of the game that is growing the fastest - and bringing in big audiences and revenues.

The IPL or Indian Premier League, has recently been valued at $18.5bn - that's a T20 format played over a few hours.

So has the sport now changed irreversibly? And does the longer form of the game have a future?

Presenter: Will Bain
Producer: Matt Lines

(Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli, along with his former teammates AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, celebrate with the trophy after winning the Indian Premier League T20 final in June 2025. Credit: Getty Images)


WED 08:50 Witness History (w3ct74qw)
The death of Franco

General Francisco Franco died in November 1975, ending 36 years of dictatorship over Spain.

The general had been in power since 1939 after winning the country’s bloody civil war, and his death followed a long illness.

He was mourned by conservative Spaniards but those on the left celebrated, calling him a fascist who had once been an ally of Hitler and Mussolini.

In 2015, Louise Hidalgo spoke to Jose Antonio Martinez Soler, a young journalist about the ending of an era.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: General Francisco Franco lies in state in Madrid, 1975. Credit: Central Press/Getty Images)


WED 09:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpss6my)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6rlnb)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdgkxb)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 09:32 The Climate Question (w3ct702t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:06 on Sunday]


WED 10:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpssbd2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 10:06 The Documentary (w3ct8cb3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


WED 11:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpssg46)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6rv4l)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdgtdl)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct71g4)
The oil lobbyist who tried to sink the first big climate deal

The American lawyer, oil lobbyist and master strategist Don Pearlman is said to have chain-smoked his way through almost every UN climate gathering from the early 1990s until his death in 2005.

Some of those who saw Pearlman operate in Kyoto, where the first legally binding international agreement on climate change was agreed in 1997, say he created the playbook for stalling climate talks. The Kyoto protocol was never ratified by the United States, and Pearlman is now the subject of a major play, Kyoto, which has just transferred from London to the Lincoln Center in New York.

As the COP30 climate summit takes place in Brazil, we speak to BBC climate journalist Jordan Dunbar, who’s been trying to piece together the true story of the man once nicknamed ‘the high priest of the carbon club’.


Producers: Aron Keller and Cat Farnsworth

Eexecutive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins


Photo: Don Pearlman at the Kyoto summit / BBC.


WED 12:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsskwb)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 12:06 Outlook (w3ct6xd5)
Miriam Toews: A loud voice in a town once ruled by silence

Miriam Toews is one of Canada's most acclaimed novelists, but her journey began far from the literary world. Raised in the conservative Mennonite town of Steinbach, Manitoba, she grew up surrounded by deep faith, strict expectations, and a culture where silence often covered over difficult truths. The town didn't even have a train station to keep it separate from the 'worldy' practices of contemporary society. At home, her devout father Mel's lifelong battle with mental illness and her mother Elvira's rebellious streak created a world of tenderness and tension - one Miriam would later transform into funny and powerful fiction.

Miriam reflects on how she became a writer: the restless imagination that sparked during childhood, her early escape from the confines of her community, and the personal losses that shaped novels such as A Complicated Kindness, All My Puny Sorrows, and Women Talking. With success also came the cost of telling stories about identity, family, mental health and faith - stories her community never dare speak aloud.

This programme contains references to suicide. If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support.

Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide - www.befrienders.org

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producers: Laura Thomas and Edgar Maddicott

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Image: Miriam Toews with long, light brown hair, smiling at the camera, leaning against a wooden fence. Credit: Mark Boucher)


WED 12:50 Witness History (w3ct74qw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


WED 13:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsspmg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6s2mv)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdh1wv)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 13:32 Cyber Hack (w3ct89yd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


WED 14:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsstcl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 14:06 Newshour (w172zssfmm9xyy6)
Trump welcomes Saudi crown prince’s diplomatic comeback

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told US President Donald Trump that he wants Riyadh to join the Abraham Accords, the framework for the normalisation of ties between Israel and several Muslim states, but also wants to secure a “clear path” to Palestinian statehood. Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader was speaking during a visit the White House, his first since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which occurred inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Also in the programme: Europe’s uneasy standoff with Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”; and we hear from one of the scientists behind a new study which traces the origins of kissing back more than 21 million years...

Photo: Donald Trump speaking at black-tie dinner. Credit: REUTERS/Tom Brenner


WED 15:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpssy3q)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 15:06 The Interview (w3ct7x7b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


WED 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdh9d3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 15:32 Business Daily (w3ct6sd3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 today]


WED 15:50 World Business Express (w3ct88bh)
Nvidia results: What does it mean for AI?

The global markets are on edge, fears of an AI bubble burst are circling and investor anxiety is building as the world awaits Nvidia's earnings report. The chip giant which is the world’s most valuable company, has powered the AI boom and helped drive stock markets to record highs. But what could the results mean for the future of AI?


We hear how online retail giant, Amazon, lost a legal battle with a European court after requesting to be exempt from the EU's Digital Services Act.

The period of volatility and tensions in global trade is far from over, according to the boss of parcel delivery giant, DHL Group. We hear from their CEO, Tobias Meyer, whose company is investing €1 billion in India.

And why is a court in Paris suspending the sale of the world’s ‘first calculator’ invented in 1642?

Presenter: Leanna Byrne
Producer: Niamh McDermott
Editor: David Cann


WED 16:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpst1vv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 16:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq5vxzt)
Kidnapping and church attack in Nigeria

Police in Nigeria say two people have been killed after gunmen stormed a church and opened fire on worshippers in the south western state of Kwara. Our correspondent explains what happened.

Meanwhile, authorities are pursuing the gunmen who abducted more than 20 girls from a boarding school in north-western Nigeria's Kebbi state on Monday. Two girls escaped. We hear from a family member affected, and we speak to two people who live in the north about the the instability in the region.

We find out why Rwanda wants to end its eight-year sponsorship deal with Arsenal football club next year.

And, we speak to football fans in Curaçao after the tiny Caribbean Island made history as the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup.

Presenter: Rob Young.

(Photo: Amina Hassan, wife of the killed vice principal, speaks to the media, after gunmen attacked a government girls' boarding school in Nigeria's Kebbi State on November 17. Credit: Video released on November 18, 2025. Africa Independent Television/Handout via REUTERS)


WED 17:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpst5lz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 17:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq5w1qy)
At least 25 killed in Russia's strike on western Ukraine

Ukrainian officials say at least 25 people have been killed by a Russian attack that struck two high-rise residential buildings in the western city of Ternopil. It's one of the deadliest recent attacks on western Ukraine. We get more details from our colleagues with BBC Ukraine.

Scientists believe they've traced the origins of kissing, saying it dates back some 21 million years. The Oxford University-led team gathered evidence of animals that kiss each other on the mouth, including chimpanzees and polar bears, and worked out their evolutionary relationship to each other and to humans. We speak to our science correspondent and to an expert who has explored both biological and cultural aspects of kissing. We also hear from listeners around the world who share their first kiss experiences.

International experts in a global review of research say action is needed now to reduce ultra-processed food (UPF) in diets worldwide because of their threat to health. We find out what a typical ultra-processed breakfast includes.

Presenter: Rob Young.

(Photo: Rescuers work at the site of the apartment building hit by a morning Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Ternopil, Ukraine November 19, 2025. Credit: Andriy Bodak/Reuters)


WED 18:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpst9c3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 18:06 Outlook (w3ct6xd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


WED 18:50 Witness History (w3ct74qw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


WED 19:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpstf37)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6st3m)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdhscm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct6zdp)
2025/11/19 GMT

BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.


WED 20:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpstjvc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 20:06 The Climate Question (w3ct702t)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:06 on Sunday]


WED 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdhx3r)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 20:32 Health Check (w3ct6vk9)
The disappearing mid-life crisis

Global health journalist Andrew Green has been looking at the impact of US funding cuts on the global HIV response, and reports his findings from Botswana about the impact is it having on HIV and AIDS services there, and what new agreements may be reached on healthcare funding.

New research shows that the trend in human happiness is changing, with young people now experiencing more unhappiness than those in middle-age. Claudia speaks to Alex Bryson, Professor of Quantitative Social Sciences at University College London, to find out what is driving this change.

How can we reduce phantom limb pain in war amputations? Professor of anaesthesiology and pain medicine at Northwestern University, Doctor Steven Cohen, explains how Botox injections are helping Ukrainian patients recover post-amputation and improving their quality of life.

A new law in Karnataka, India will allow women a day of paid menstrual leave each month – but how is it being received? Plus, the remarkable HPV vaccination success story, and what that means for global cervical cancer rates.

Presenter: Claudia Hammond
Producers: Helena Selby & Georgia Christie


WED 21:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpstnlh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 21:06 Newshour (w172zssfmm9yt53)
Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.


WED 22:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpstsbm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6t5c0)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


WED 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdj4m0)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct76jp)
Do NVIDIA results suggest AI boom or bubble?

Nvidia has smashed market expectations with more than $57bn in revenues in its latest results. It's a sign from the world’s most valuable company that the AI boom may be far from over. Andrew Peach hears reaction from a company which owns Nvidia shares.

Also, why the Dutch government has reconsidered taking control of Nexperia, the Chinese computer-chip firm.

And ahead of the Ashes tournament, why the global growth of cricket increasingly favours shorter formats.


WED 23:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpstx2r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


WED 23:06 The Interview (w3ct7x7b)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


WED 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdj8c4)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


WED 23:32 Cyber Hack (w3ct89yd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

THURSDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2025

THU 00:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsv0tw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 00:06 The Documentary (w3ct8cb3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Saturday]


THU 01:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsv4l0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 01:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6tjld)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdjhvd)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 01:32 The Global Story (w3ct71g4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:32 on Wednesday]


THU 02:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsv8b4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6tnbj)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdjmlj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 02:32 The Documentary (w3ct8p0q)
China’s global spending spree

China has been on a giant global shopping spree. Since 2000, Chinese state banks have fueled investments and acquisitions at a surprising rate- some four times what was previously thought. Brand new data, shared exclusively with the BBC, reveals that many of Beijing’s state-backed spending has targeted rich countries. Such deals are strictly legal, though not always easy to trace. Observers in the United States, Europe and elsewhere are alarmed at the potential for Beijing to dominate key technologies and turbo charge its technological might.

Celia Hatton investigates the sometimes murky ways in which Chinese state money can be traced to sensitive industrial sectors. But she also discovers that shutting out Chinese influence is not easy or, in some cases, desirable.

Producer: Mike Gallagher


THU 03:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsvd28)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 03:06 Outlook (w3ct6xd5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Wednesday]


THU 03:50 Witness History (w3ct74qw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Wednesday]


THU 04:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsvhtd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6twts)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdjw2s)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 04:32 The Food Chain (w3ct70zf)
The servers: The highs and lows of waiting on tables

What are the highs and lows of waiting on tables? Ruth Alexander speaks to restaurateurs from London, New York and Mumbai to find out about the inner workings of one of the hardest jobs in the business.

Ruth hears from French celebrity Maitre D, Fred Siriex, Mumbai based restaurateur Gauri Devidayal and Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, the New York based author of Your Table Is Ready.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Image: The torso of a waitress, carrying two plates of food, against a purple background. Credit: Maria Korneeva/Getty Images)


THU 05:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsvmkj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 05:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56t0l3)
Trump approves bill to release Epstein files

President Donald Trump has announced that he's signed a bill ordering the release of all files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The bill requires the justice department to release all information from its Epstein investigation within 30 days. We get the view of a survivor in the story and ask what she wants the world to know.

Several reports suggest US and Russian officials have prepared a new peace plan, which would require major concessions from Ukraine, including surrendering territory and reducing the size of its military. This would almost certainly be unacceptable to Kyiv. Neither Washington nor Moscow has officially confirmed the plan.

And we go to the Caribbean island of Curaçao which has became the smallest-ever country to qualify for a World Cup. We speak to the President of the Curaçao Football Federation, Gilbert Martina.

Presenters: James Copnall and Catherine Byaruhanga.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. Credit:Evelyn Hockstei/Reuters).


THU 06:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsvr9n)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 06:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56t4b7)
Trump signs bill to release Epstein files

President Trump says he's signed a bill passed in Congress that forces the Justice Department to release documents held about the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. We hear from a survivor on what she hopes from the release of the files.

Senior Pentagon officials have arrived in Ukraine to discuss efforts to end the war with Russia the US military has said. This comes amidst reports that the US and Russia are working on a new peace plan, containing major concessions from Ukraine. Neither Washington nor Moscow has officially confirmed the plan.

And we go to the Caribbean island of Curaçao which has became the smallest-ever country to qualify for a World Cup. We speak to the President of the Curaçao Football Federation, Gilbert Martina.

Presenters: James Copnall and Catherine Byaruhanga.

(Photo:Marina Lacerda, victim of late financier Jeffrey Epstein, speaks during a press conference to discuss the Epstein Files Transparency bill. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters


THU 07:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsvw1s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 07:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56t82c)
A bill to release Epstein files signed by US President

President Trump says he's signed a bill approving the release by the US Justice Department of documents from its criminal investigation into the late sex- offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The department now has thirty days to release them.

A court in the Philippines has found a former mayor, Alice Guo, guilty of human trafficking linked to a scam centre in her town. Guo was sentenced to life in prison.

Senior Pentagon officials visiting Ukraine are expected to meet President Zelensky later for discussions that will include President Trump’s efforts to end the war. It comes amid unconfirmed media reports that US and Russian envoys have drawn up a set of proposals for restarting negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Those proposals would reportedly require Ukraine to completely withdraw from the eastern Donbas region and limit the size of its military.

Presenters: James Copnall and Catherine Byaruhanga.

(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington DC. Credit:Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)


THU 08:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsvzsx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 08:06 The Inquiry (w3ct723j)
Is the new Pope woke?

Cardinal Robert Prevost made history earlier this year, when he became the first American pontiff to lead the Catholic Church. And when he stepped out onto the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica as Pope Leo XIV, dressed in traditional papal robes, some conservatives in the church took it as a sign of a symbolic shift away from what they saw as the liberal drift of his predecessor the late Pope Francis.

Francis, who had put social justice at the heart of his papacy, divided opinion. Some Catholics praised his stance on issues like same-sex blessings, whilst others claimed that he had abandoned tradition for wokeness.

Now six months into his papacy, Pope Leo XIV is also coming under similar scrutiny, he’s already been criticized by some Catholics from the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement in the United States for blessing a block of Greenland ice. Whilst on the issue of same-sex blessings, his stated intention is to continue the same course as Pope Francis, that the Church’s teaching is not going to change on this issue.

But though he may also be advocating diversity, equity and inclusion, Pope Leo XIV may not necessarily be a carbon copy of his predecessor. As he prepares for his first apostolic visit to Turkey and Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV already appears to be charting a more nuanced path, grounded in pastoral instincts rather than divisive politics.

So, on The Inquiry this week we’re asking, ‘Is the new Pope woke?’

Contributors:
Dr Massimo Faggioli, Professor in Ecclesiology, Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Inés San Martín, Vice President of Communications, The Pontifical Mission Societies, New York, USA
Christopher White, Author ‘Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of New Papacy’, Associate Director, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
Elise Ann Allen, Senior Correspondent for Crux, Author ‘Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the 21st Century’, Rome, Italy

Presenter: William Crawley
Producer: Jill Collins
Researcher: Maeve Schaffer
Production Management Assistant: Liam Morrey
Technical Producer: Craig Boardman
Editor: Tom Bigwood

(Photo: Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in May 2025. Credit: Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Images)


THU 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdkc29)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct6s32)
What's next for USAID funded projects?

We examine the fallout from the cuts to US foreign aid.

We meet projects in Rwanda and Nepal that were close to shutting down - and hear the story of a mystery donor who stepped in to keep them going.

But how long will the support last?

Presented and produced by Sam Fenwick

(Image: Beatha making soap in Rwanda as part of one of the projects funded by USAID. Credit: Village Enterprise)


THU 08:50 Witness History (w3ct74k6)
The Spanish king reclaims his throne

In 1975, the death of General Francisco Franco was announced in Spain, bringing to an end 36 years of dictatorship.

Franco had already chosen his successor: Prince Juan Carlos, grandson of the last monarch, Alphonso XIII. This was the man who - Franco thought - would continue his authoritarian, anti-democratic and deeply conservative regime.

But Juan Carlos defied expectations. In the years that followed, he would lead Spain from a dictatorship to a democracy until, in 1977, the country held its first free elections for 41 years.

Jane Wilkinson tells the story using excerpts from the 1981 BBC and TVE documentary, Juan Carlos: King of Spain. This episode was made in collaboration with BBC Archives.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: King Juan Carlos on his proclamation day as king. Credit: Jacques Pavlovsky/Sygma via Getty Images)


THU 09:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsw3k1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6vhkf)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdkgtf)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 09:32 The Documentary (w3ct8p0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


THU 10:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsw795)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 10:06 The Explanation (w3ct7ysz)
The Media Show: Ed Sheeran’s one-shot film

A new Netflix documentary captures Ed Sheeran performing live across New York in a single continuous take. Its executive producer, Ben Winston, reveals how the show – One Shot – was made, and discusses some of his company’s other TV hits including Carpool Karaoke.
Also on the show, as Donald Trump vows to take the BBC to court, where might the corporation go next as the crisis at the top continues. With Rosamund Urwin, Media Editor of The Sunday Times, Baroness Tina Stowell, Former Chair of the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee, Phil Riley of Boom Radio and Jordan Schwarzenberger of Arcade Media.

Presenters: Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Martha Owen
Researcher: Ruth Waites
Technical Coordinator: Ozgur Cevik
Sound: Dafydd Evans


THU 10:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdklkk)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 10:32 Over to You (w3ct8sh0)
The climate and COP30

With COP30 taking place, presenter Qasa Alom looks at how climate is covered on the network. He hears from listeners and speaks to Angus Foster, the BBC News climate and science lead.He explains how climate is prioritised when there are competing stories.

The flagship climate programme for the BBC World Service, The Climate Question, launched its first visualised episode in November 2025. Anna Doble, the commissioning editor, talks to Qasa about how visualisation is helping the network reach a younger audience.

And finally, Qasa speaks to Richard Kenny, a producer on People Fixing the World, about how the stories they cover help give listeners a “a sense of hope and agency that they can do something”.

Presenter: Qasa Alom
Producer: Jill Achineku
Executive producer: Robert Nicholson
A Whistledown production for BBC World Service


THU 11:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpswc19)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6vr1p)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdkq9p)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct719m)
What is Sudan’s war really about?

** This episode contains some very distressing details, including of killings, sexual violence and the experiences of children in war**

More than 150,000 people have been killed and about 12 million have been forced from their homes since Sudan's civil war began in 2023.

But more than two years on, the reasons for the conflict are still not clear. And there are questions about why the international community - including the United States - isn’t doing more to try and stop the supply of weapons to Sudan, and to bring the fighting to an end.

On today’s episode, we are joined by BBC Africa correspondent Barbara Plett Usher, who has been reporting on Sudan since the 1990s, and Nawal Al-Maghafi, a senior investigations correspondent, whose recent reporting from Khartoum has brought to light the particular tragedy facing children in this war.

Producer: Hannah Moore

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior News Editor: China Collins

Photo: A child who lost his leg due to artillery shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), stands at a displacement camp in Al-Dabbah, Sudan. Credit: El Tayeb Siddig/Reuters.


THU 12:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpswgsf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 12:06 Outlook (w3ct6wyc)
The artist-adventurer who paints in extreme conditions

Tony Foster always knew that he was destined for a life outdoors, but when he found himself as a teenager on the bustling streets of London in the 1960s, he realised he also had a talent for painting. For seven years he taught art at schools around the world, and then, in his mid-thirties, the urge to get out there and simply paint got the better of him. His plan was to combine his love of nature and watercolours to become an artist-explorer. What started as a hike with paintbrushes across an English moorland has taken him to painting all three sides of Everest, to the rainforests of Costa Rica where he faced a charge by hungry white-lipped peccaries, through canyons and deserts and even to draw underwater in the Cayman Islands with an over-affectionate grouper. His ambition is to capture the beauty of some of the world's most bewitching and remote locations, many of which are facing environmental threats, before they disappear. A documentary has just been released about Tony's life called Painting at the Edge.

Eduardo Puppo is an Argentine tennis journalist who spent twelve years researching the results of 22,000 tennis matches to try to prove that tennis great and fellow Argentine Guillermo Vilas had been denied a number one ranking by the ATP in the 1970s. He didn't tell Vilas about the work he was doing for seven of those years, the two are now the closest of friends. This interview was first broadcast in 2021.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producers: Marcia Veiga and Andrea Kennedy

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Artist Tony Foster stands in front of an epic view of the Grand Canyon. In front of him is his painting of the scene, he is midway through, his camping stool, tiny paint palette and brushes. Credit: Chris Chapman. Courtesy of The Foster Museum)


THU 12:50 Witness History (w3ct74k6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


THU 13:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpswljk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6vzjy)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdkysy)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 13:32 The Food Chain (w3ct70zf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


THU 14:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpswq8p)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 14:06 Newshour (w172zssfmmb0vv9)
Europe warns against US-Russia peace plan for Ukraine

Senior EU politicians say Kyiv and Europe must be involved in any peace plan for Ukraine, as the US pushes for proposals that reportedly echo Russian demands.

Some of the reported plans being discussed involve Ukraine giving up territory and dramatically shrinking its military.

Also in the programme: We'll hear about the Filipino mayor busted as a human trafficker and online scammer; one of the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking network on the promised major release of new information; and social media networks are turned off for Australia's under-16s.

(Photo shows A Russian flag waving in front of a US flag at the US Embassy in Moscow. Credit: Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA)


THU 15:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpswv0t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 15:06 The Inquiry (w3ct723j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


THU 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdl696)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 15:32 Business Daily (w3ct6s32)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 today]


THU 15:50 World Business Express (w3ct88qw)
Nvidia results: three numbers that matter

Is the AI boom far from over? Yes, according to Nvidia, the world's most valuable company. The chip giant that's been at the heart of the boom has beaten market expectations again. We’ll break down the important numbers from its latest results.

Why is Meta under pressure on two sides of the world?

And, who bought a famous solid gold toilet for more than $12 million?

Presenter: Leanna Byrne
Producer: Niamh McDermott
Editor: Stephen Ryan


THU 16:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpswyry)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 16:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq5ytwx)
Europe warns against reported Russia peace plan

EU foreign ministers say Kyiv and Europe must be involved in any peace plan for Ukraine, as the US pushes for proposals that are said to echo Russian demands. Some of the reported plans being discussed involve Ukraine giving up territory. We bring reactions from Ukrainian MPs and everyday citizens.

As the UN climate summit nears its conclusion, our climate editor speaks with delegates about the toughest issues nations are racing to resolve before Friday’s deadline.

We also hear a conversation with two women, both passionate about the climate, and who have grappled with the decision of whether to have children or not.

Presenter: Rob Young.

(Photo: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, speaks to the media upon arrival for the EU Foreign Affairs Council, in Brussels, Belgium, 20 November 2025. Credit:OLIVIER HOSLET/EPA)


THU 17:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsx2j2)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 17:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq5yyn1)
UK Covid Inquiry: Response 'too little, too late'

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry says the government response to the pandemic in March 2020 was "too little, too late". The inquiry report says imposing lockdown a week earlier could have saved 23,000 lives in the first wave in England. It also says lockdown could have been avoided altogether if steps such as social distancing and isolating those with symptoms had been introduced earlier. We get more details from our reporter and hear from people who suffered from long Covid symptoms.

Medical sources in Gaza say that four people, including a young girl, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in the south of the territory today. We have been hearing from her since she was 16 when the war started. She has now passed her exams and secured a scholarship to go to university.

A fire has broken out in one of the pavilions where COP30 - the UN Climate Conference - is taking place in Belém. We speak to our climate editor there.

We hear a conversation with two women, both passionate about the climate, and who have grappled with the decision of whether to have children or not.

Presenter: Rob Young.

(Photo: Coronavirus - Tue Jan 12, 2021: A "Stay Home Save Lives" government sign in Portsmouth during England"s third national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. Credit should read: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)


THU 18:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsx686)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 18:06 Outlook (w3ct6wyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


THU 18:50 Witness History (w3ct74k6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


THU 19:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsxb0b)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6wq0q)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdlp8q)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct6z85)
2025/11/20 GMT

BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.


THU 20:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsxfrg)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 20:06 The Documentary (w3ct8p0q)
[Repeat of broadcast at 02:32 today]


THU 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdlt0v)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 20:32 BBC Inside Science (w3ct8txl)
What’s in the wording of the COP 30 negotiations?

COP 30 delegates from around the globe are about to depart the Amazon city of Belem in Brazil. But not before some very important documents are drawn up. Camilla Born, former advisor to Cop 26 president Alok Sharma speaks to Tom Whipple about the scientific significance of the language negotiators choose to use.

And it’s the eve of The Ashes. As England Men’s Cricket Team line up against their Australian counterparts in Perth, cricket fans on both sides will be hoping for sporting records to fall. But is breaking those records getting increasingly less likely? And can some maths explain all? Tom asks Kit Yates, author and Professor of Mathematical Biology and Public Engagement at the University of Bath.

Plus science broadcaster Caroline Steel is in the studio to discuss this week’s brand new scientific discoveries.

If you want to test your climate change knowledge, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University to take the quiz.

Presenter: Tom Whipple
Producers: Jonathan Blackwell, Ella Hubber, Tim Dodd, Alex Mansfield and Clare Salisbury
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth


THU 21:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsxkhl)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 21:06 Newshour (w172zssfmmb1q26)
President Trump accuses Democrats of 'seditious behaviour'

US President Donald Trump has accused Democratic legislators who urged members of the armed forces to disobey unlawful orders of sedition and suggested they should face the death penalty.

Also on the programme: a journalist who has followed the Epstein story for years tells us what might be in the files to be released; and American filmmaker Wes Anderson on the pros and cons of AI in the movies.

(Photo: President Trump gestures after speaking during a meeting of senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia on September 30, 2025. Credit: Reuters)


THU 22:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsxp7q)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6x283)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


THU 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdm1j3)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct75yl)
Is the Trump effect working on the US economy?

Is the “Trump Effect” working on the US economy? New figures show 119,000 jobs were added in September, sharply beating expectations after a slow summer. We’ll look at what’s driving the pickup.

Also, novelists are increasingly worried that AI could replace them. Andrew Peach asks one writer whether a computer could ever produce a book as good as a human.

And how seafood has become a weapon in the latest row between China and Japan.

Photo by WILL OLIVER/EPA/Shutterstock
A member of the public passes the US Department of Labor in Washington DC, USA, 05 September 2025.


THU 23:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsxszv)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


THU 23:06 The Inquiry (w3ct723j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


THU 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdm587)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


THU 23:32 The Food Chain (w3ct70zf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]

FRIDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2025

FRI 00:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsxxqz)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 00:06 The Explanation (w3ct7ysz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:06 on Thursday]


FRI 00:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdm90c)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 00:32 Happy News (w3ct6tz6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 19:32 on Saturday]


FRI 01:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsy1h3)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 01:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6xfhh)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 01:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdmdrh)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 01:32 The Global Story (w3ct719m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:32 on Thursday]


FRI 02:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsy577)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 02:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6xk7m)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 02:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdmjhm)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 02:32 Tech Life (w3ct6zpq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Tuesday]


FRI 03:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsy8zc)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 03:06 Outlook (w3ct6wyc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 on Thursday]


FRI 03:50 Witness History (w3ct74k6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 on Thursday]


FRI 04:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsydqh)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 04:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6xsqw)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 04:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdmrzw)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 04:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vpt)
Navigating faith on the road

Canada is home to thousands of Sikh truck drivers, crossing North America in cabs that double as kitchens, bedrooms and places to pray. In a single week, some will see more of the continent than most people will in a lifetime, from major cities to mountain ranges and endless miles of road.

But the road can be a hard place to practise faith built on family, community, and a vegetarian diet. Journeys can be long, food options limited, and drivers say discrimination is rising. Yet many choose to respond with acts of kindness, carrying their faith with them.

The BBC’s Megan Lawton travels to Ontario to join Sikh truckers on the road. She stops at a local Gurdwara, where drivers reconnect with community, and come together to instil the values of their faith in their children.

[Credit: Megan Lawton. Picture description: Sukhpal Singh is a long-haul truck driver, who travels across North America each week. He sits behind the wheel of his truck, during a break from driving]


Presenter: Megan Lawton
Producer: Sam Gruet
Executive Producer: Rajeev Gupta
Editor: Chloe Walker
Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno


FRI 05:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsyjgm)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 05:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56wxh6)
President Zelensky responds to US plan to end Ukraine war

President Zelensky has given a guarded response to a plan drafted by the Trump administration for ending the war in Ukraine, insisting his country needs a dignified peace. The plan was reportedly drafted by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart Kirill Dmitriev, without Ukraine's involvement and is said to favour many demands made by Russia.

We speak to our Latin America correspondent who has travelled to Colombia and is reporting on the airstrikes carried out by the United States on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean.

Following a meeting between the Saudi Crown Prince and President Trump, the US President says he's ready to help end the war in Sudan. We speak to a US lawmaker who has been pushing for greater American involvement for some time.

Presenters: James Copnall and Catherine Byaruhanga.

(Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll in Kyiv, Ukraine. Credit: (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP).


FRI 06:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsyn6r)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 06:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56x17b)
New US peace plan for Ukraine

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has given a guarded response to new proposals drafted by Washington to end the war with Russia. Details of the plan have not been confirmed officially, but media reports indicate it's heavily based on Russia's demands.

The COP30 climate summit in Brazil enters its final day today. Delegates from around the world have been working on how the world can address climate change and achieve the long-held goal of restricting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C. We get an assessment of what's been done so far.

And leaders from the world’s biggest economies will be flying to South Africa this weekend for the G20 summit, the first time the gathering has taken place on the continent. US President Donald Trump declined to attend the meeting and refused to send a US representative saying South Africa’s government was allowing a genocide of South Africa’s white minority. We speak to the South African trade minister.

Presenters: James Copnall and Catherine Catherine Byaruhanga.

(Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Credit: Sarah Meyssonnier/EPA)


FRI 07:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsyryw)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 07:06 Newsday (w172zspyy56x4zg)
Zelensky says he's ready for honest work

The Ukrainian President says he's ready for "honest" work with America to end the war with Russia. This comes as details of a fresh US proposal to end the war would see Ukraine handing over land now under Ukrainian control. We get a Ukrainian reaction to the plan.

We'll speak to our Latin America correspondent, who has travelled to Colombia to assess the reaction there to US airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats - and the largest US military build up in the region for decades

And Mexico's Fatima Bosch is crowned Miss Universe. The 25 year old contestant came to the public attention last month after a very public row with one of the event's organisers.

Presenters: James Copnall and Catherine Byaruhanga

(Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensk. Credit: Sarah Meyssonnier/EPA)


FRI 08:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsywq0)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 08:06 The Interview (w3ct8c41)
Sundar Pichai CEO of Google: AI prone to errors

“The current state of the art AI technology is prone to some errors… you have to learn to use these tools for what they are good at, and not blindly trust everything they say.”

Faisal Islam speaks to Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google and its holding company Alphabet, about artificial intelligence and its impact on how we live and work.

He tells me that we are at an extraordinary moment in technology, with the potential for enormous benefits but also risks. AI should not be blindly trusted, he says, as it is still prone to errors. And it will disrupt society through its impact on jobs, but also on the climate, thanks to its “immense” energy needs.

Trillions are being invested in artificial intelligence, raising fears it could create a bubble reminiscent of the dotcom boom in the 1990s. If it were to burst, Sundar Pichai warns no company, not even his, would be immune.

Thank you to Faisal Islam and Priya Patel for their help in making this programme.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.


Presenter: Faisal Islam
Producers: Lucy Sheppard and Priya Patel
Editor: Justine Lang

(Image: Sundar Pichai. Credit: CAMILLE COHEN/AFP via Getty Images)


FRI 08:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdn7zd)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 08:32 Business Daily (w3ct6rt1)
What happens when the aid money runs out?

In the second of our two-part series on tightening aid budgets, Sam Fenwick explores what shrinking donor support means for global health — from the sudden halt to major US-funded projects, to the pressure on low-income countries to increase their own health spending.

As G20 leaders gather in Johannesburg for the Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment Summit, we hear from Zambia’s minister of commerce on how his country is trying to plug the aid gap through investment in critical minerals, and from Peter Sands, head of the Global Fund, on why he believes wealthy nations must keep funding global health even as more countries take on greater responsibility for their own systems.

With global aid budgets under strain, we examine what’s at stake at today’s summit — and what the future of funding for essential health programmes might look like.

Produced and presented by Sam Fenwick

(Image: An anonymous woman looks out over her local fishing community near the Zambezi River in Zambia. Credit: Action Aid)


FRI 08:50 Witness History (w3ct744s)
How the Bosnian war ended

The Dayton Peace Accords were signed on the 21 November 1995, ending the three-and-a-half-year war in Bosnia.

The war was part of the break-up of Yugoslavia; it is estimated that 100,000 people were killed.

In 2010, Lucy Williamson spoke to Milan Milutinović who was one of the leading negotiators for the Serbian delegation about the final 24 hours of negotiations.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.

For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.

We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.

You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia (left), President Alija Izetbegovic of Bosnia-Herzegovina and President Franjo Tudjman of Croatia sign the Dayton Agreement. Credit: Paul J Richards/AFP via Getty Images)


FRI 09:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsz0g4)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 09:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6ydgj)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 09:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdncqj)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 09:32 BBC Inside Science (w3ct8txl)
[Repeat of broadcast at 20:32 on Thursday]


FRI 10:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsz468)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 10:06 Unexpected Elements (w3ct72x0)
Some Beautiful Science

The Miss Universe pageant final has us considering the science of beauty. How much of our perception of beauty is genetic, and how much is down to personal experiences? We also look at the science behind competitions and the audience effect. Why do we sometimes perform better when we’re watched?

Also on the show, Oxford professor Marcus du Sautoy explains why maths can be beautiful, and former Miss Universe Ireland and NASA datanaut Fig O’Reilly talks about balancing pageants and a career in science outreach.

Plus, the science behind death metal singing, why civet coffee tastes so good, and how ugly plants inflame allergies, on this week’s Unexpected Elements.

Presenter: Caroline Steel, with Katie Silver and Sandy Ong
Producers: Margaret Sessa-Hawkins with Alice Lipscombe-Southwell, Lucy Davies, Robbie Wojciechowski and Alice McKee


FRI 11:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpsz7yd)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 11:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6ymys)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 11:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdnm6s)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 11:32 The Global Story (w3ct7153)
Is there a genocide of white South Africans as Trump claims?

The US is essentially boycotting this weekend’s G20 summit in South Africa over accusations that the white Afrikaners are ‘being killed and slaughtered’ and that white farmers are having their land ‘illegally confiscated. The South African government say the claims are "widely discredited and unsupported by reliable evidence".

Today we speak to BBC correspondent Andrew Harding, who lived and worked in South Africa for over a decade, to find out where these claims came from.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Xandra Ellin

Executive producer: China Collins

Senior news editor: China Collins

Mix: Travis Evans


Photo: Afrikaner farmers rally to show support for President Trump in Pretoria, South Africa. Credit: Kim Ludbrook/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock


FRI 12:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpszcpj)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 12:06 Outlook (w3ct6wht)
Outlook Mixtape: The butterfly effect

Rena Effendi felt she barely knew her father. Rustam Effendi was one of the most notable butterfly scientists in the Soviet Union but Rena only remembers meeting him for the first time when she was six years old; just seven years later he died of cancer. Decades later Rena, now a professional photographer, discovered that one of Rustam’s friends had named a butterfly after him – the Satyrus effendi. But she would have to cross a warzone to find the butterfly. She shared her journey with Outlook earlier this year in an episode called ‘The rare butterfly that led me to my father.’

Romy McCloskey is an American costume designer and butterfly enthusiast whose embroidery skills came in handy when one of her beloved butterflies suffered a broken wing. Her mother’s death from cancer left her with a love of butterflies. 'Anytime you see a butterfly, know that I am always there,' her mother told her. Romy spoke to Outlook in the January 2018 episode ‘Performing surgery on a butterfly wing.’

Andrew Fusek-Peters turned the fear of a cancer diagnosis into something remarkable. As he was undergoing treatment, he worked on new techniques to photograph butterflies in flight and taking off from flowers. Since he first spoke to us in October 2023 he's published a book with pictures of all the UK's native species of butterfly, called Butterfly Safari.

Isaac Kehimkar from India is also known as the 'Butterfly Man'. This is because he's spent forty years chasing butterflies and he reckons there's nothing more beautiful in nature... Outlook's Divya Arya went to meet him in this interview first aired in January 2017.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Hetal Bapodra

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: A transparent 60-minute cassette tape spooled halfway through and lying on a white background. It bears a slim white label with the words ‘THE OUTLOOK MIXTAPE’ written in black. Credit: Getty Images)


FRI 12:50 Witness History (w3ct744s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


FRI 13:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpszhfn)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 13:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6ywg1)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 13:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdnvq1)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 13:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]


FRI 14:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpszm5s)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 14:06 Newshour (w172zssfmmb3rrd)
Will Ukraine and Europe accept a US-Russian peace plan?

The US has presented Kyiv with a draft peace plan that appears to favour many of Russia's demands over those of the Ukrainians.

The widely-leaked US plan includes proposals that the Ukrainian government had previously ruled out, such as ceding areas of the eastern Donetsk region that it still controls. Will Ukraine and Europe accept it?

Also in the programme: Why some South African women are training to use guns; the latest controversy around this year's Miss Universe; and  we'll talk about Frida Kahlo's art and the pop-culture phenomenon the Mexican artist has become.

(Photo shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a joint press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on 19 November 2025. Credit: Umit Bektas/Reuters)


FRI 15:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpszqxx)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 15:06 The Interview (w3ct8c41)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


FRI 15:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdp369)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 15:32 Business Daily (w3ct6rt1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:32 today]


FRI 15:50 World Business Express (w3ct88gm)
Can Japan afford its billion dollar economic package?

Japan has signed off a $135 billion stimulus package aimed at lifting wages, easing living costs, and boosting the economy. But can the country really afford it?

We look at why some major airlines are banning power banks on flights.

Is AI putting graduate careers at risk? The BBC speaks to the boss of accountancy giant, PwC.

And it’s Wicked day! With the hit musical’s sequel finally landing in cinemas, how much could the box office magic be worth?

Presenter: Leanna Byrne
Producer: Niamh McDermott
Editor: David Cann


FRI 16:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpszvp1)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 16:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq61qt0)
Mention of fossil fuels dropped from COP30 draft deal

The final day of the UN climate summit in Brazil is heading for a showdown over a draft text that fails to refer to the phasing out of fossil fuels. Several countries have said they cannot accept such a deal. Our climate editor joins from Belém and speaks to activists there.

President Zelensky has said Ukraine faces one of the most difficult moments in its history, as it risks losing US support over President Trump's plan for ending the war caused by Russia's invasion. Our newsroom reporter explains.

Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch has been crowned Miss Universe at a ceremony in Bangkok, marking the end of an exceptionally scandal-filled pageant season. The chaos surrounding this year's Miss Universe pageant has left the event facing questions over its relevancy. We discuss this with two women who work in the industry as pageant coaches.

And, the Eurovision Song Contest is introducing new rules on voting and promotion after controversy over Israel’s result in this year’s competition. We explain what’s changing.

Presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: Brazil's Minister of Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva and other negotiators gather for a marathon session to push for key decisions at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem, Brazil, November 21, 2025. Credit: Adriano Machado/Reuters)


FRI 17:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpszzf5)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 17:06 BBC OS (w1730683vq61vk4)
South Africa calls gender violence a national disaster

South Africa has classified violence against women a national disaster following an online campaign culminating in countrywide protests on Friday. We speak to our correspondent and hear from two women who have been victims of sexual violence.

President Zelensky has said Ukraine faces one of the most difficult moments in its history, as it risks losing US support over President Trump's plan for ending the war caused by Russia's invasion. Our US correspondent joins from Washington.

There are fears nearly 100 pupils and staff have been abducted by armed men from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, the second mass school kidnapping this week. Our reporter has been speaking to people in Niger state where the attack happened.

Presenter: Luke Jones.

(Photo: People carry a banner during a nationwide shutdown called by the advocacy group Women for Change to ask the government to declare gender-based violence and femicide a national disaster, ahead of the G20 summit, in Pretoria, South Africa, November 21, 2025. Credit: Alet Pretorius/Reuters)


FRI 18:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpt0359)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 18:06 Outlook (w3ct6wht)
[Repeat of broadcast at 12:06 today]


FRI 18:50 Witness History (w3ct744s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:50 today]


FRI 19:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpt06xf)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 19:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6zlxt)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 19:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdpl5t)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 19:32 Sport Today (w3ct6z3n)
2025/11/21 GMT

BBC sports correspondents tell the story behind today's top sporting news, with interviews and reports from across the world.


FRI 20:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpt0bnk)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 20:06 BBC OS Conversations (w3ct6rnj)
Raising children on a warming planet

Another round of global climate talks has been taking place, but some are questioning whether there is much point to these gatherings. In our conversations we bring people together who have decided to take their own action.

One of our guests, Gwynn, suggests the best way to save the planet is to not have children. She has even had surgery so she cannot get pregnant.

“Forests and oceans and prairies are being destroyed so I can exist, so I can have my life,” Gwynn tells us. “I decided that I didn’t want to do that, I didn’t want to continue that, and I realised that the most impactful thing I could do is to not make more people.”

Gwynn, who is in the US, is joined in conversation with another environmental campaigner, Maja in Sweden. She has three children.

We also explore what happens when families disagree about the environment. We hear from an airline pilot, Rich, and his son, Finn, a climate activist. Can they find common ground?

Presenter: Luke Jones
BBC producers: Luke Hastings and Angela Sheeran
Boffin Media producer: Richard Hollingham

An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production in partnership with the OS team

(photo/credit: Maya, who lives in Sweden and has three children)


FRI 20:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdppxy)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 20:32 CrowdScience (w3ct6stn)
Why do we cry?

Tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of frustration or tears of pain - humans are thought to be the only animals that cry tears of emotion. CrowdScience listener Lizzy wants to know: why do we cry for emotional reasons? What is its evolutionary benefit? And why do some people cry more than others?

It turns out that humans cry three types of tear: basal, reflex and emotional. The first kind keeps our eyes nice and lubricated and the second flushes out irritants such as fumes from the pesky onion, but the reasons for emotional tears are a bit harder to pin down.

Using a specially designed tear collection kit, presenter Caroline Steel collects all three kinds of tears. With them safely stashed in tiny vials, she heads to the Netherlands, to Maurice Mikkers’ Imaginarium of Tears. Looking at her crystallised tears under a microscope will hopefully unveil a mystery or two.

Marie Bannier-Hélaouët, who grew tear glands for her PhD, explains how the nervous system processes our emotions into tears. But why should we cry for both happiness and sadness, and for so many other emotions in between? Ad Vingerhoets, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Tilburg University, suggests we cry for helplessness - our bodies do not know how to process such intensity of feeling.

But do these tears bring relief? Lauren Bylsma, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, has been studying heart rates during crying episodes to find out. With her help, we also explore if women do in fact cry more than men, and why that might be.

Presenter: Caroline Steel

Producer: Eloise Stevens

Editor: Ben Motley

Photo: Fisheye woman having a cry - stock photo Credit: sdominick via Getty Images)


FRI 21:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpt0gdp)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 21:06 Newshour (w172zssfmmb4lz9)
Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.


FRI 22:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpt0l4t)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 22:06 The Newsroom (w172zwlfkx6zz56)
The world's Newsroom brings you global events as they happen


FRI 22:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdpyf6)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 22:32 World Business Report (w3ct76p6)
G20 summit opens in South Africa, despite US absence

Today, as world leaders gather in South Africa, Andrew Peach takes a look the agenda for the G20 and asks whether it matters that Donald Trump isn't there.

Plus, The International Committee of the Red Cross is cutting thousands of jobs after losing aid funding.

And why millions of Mexicans are holding on to bank notes.

A man walks past a G20 South Africa 2025 sign inside the secured area of the G20 Summit venue at the Nasrec Expo centre, ahead of the summit scheduled for November 22–23 in Johannesburg, South Africa. November 21, 2025. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko


FRI 23:00 BBC News (w172zwwzfpt0pwy)
The latest five minute news bulletin from BBC World Service.


FRI 23:06 The Interview (w3ct8c41)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:06 today]


FRI 23:30 BBC News Summary (w172zwxswfdq25b)
The latest two minute news summary from BBC World Service.


FRI 23:32 Heart and Soul (w3ct6vpt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 04:32 today]