Author: BBC World Service

Liverpool and Portugal footballer, Diogo Jota, killed in car crash in Spain, aged 28. He had 3 young children and had just married his long-term partner. Also: Thailand gets a second caretaker Prime Minister in a week.

The UN's special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has accused dozens of companies of being complicit in war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank in a UN report. They include arms producers, manufacturers whose vehicles are used to demolish homes, technology companies and banks. Israel rejects the charge of genocide and has called the report groundless, defamatory and a flagrant abuse of office. We'll hear from the report’s author Francesca Albanese. Also on the programme: President Trump's huge tax and spending bill is heading for a final vote in the US House of Representatives - we'll have the latest from Washington; and astronomers have discovered only the third known object to enter our solar system from interstellar space. (Photo: UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, speaks during a press conference at the European headquarters of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland on 11 December, 2024. Credit: REUTERS/Pierre Albouygives)

Jihadist militants have launched a series of simultaneous attacks on military posts across numerous towns in Mali. It's the third major assault on Mali's army over the last month. Why is there an increase in these attacks, and what's the impact on neighbouring countries?

Also, the kidnapping epidemic in Nigeria that's got many living in fear.

And did you know that Ghana shares an old friendship with India? But how does the recent visit by India's Prime Minister benefit Ghana?

Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya and Tom Kavanagh Technical Producer: Philip Bull Senior Journalists: Karnie Sharp and Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

A New York jury clears Sean "Diddy" Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering but finds him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. Also: Dining on foie gras in space, and marking moths' decline in sound.

The US rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs is awaiting a bail decision after being found guilty on prostitution charges relating to his sex parties. He was cleared of three more serious charges including sex trafficking and racketeering. The closely-followed trial in New York lasted almost two months, featuring sometimes emotional testimony from more than 30 witnesses including his ex-partners. The courtroom heard lurid details about Mr Combs' so-called "freak-off" hotel sex parties that involved women including his girlfriends, male escorts and copious drug taking. Also in the programme: Ukraine wants answers from America over a scaling back of military aid, warning the move will embolden Russia; and the composer who has written a piece of music based on the movements of moths. (File photo: Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, New York City, 1 May, 2017. Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson/File Photo)

Mothers in the DRC struggling to raise children fathered and abandoned by UN peacekeepers amid fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Also in the programme: we ask South Africa's minister of police whether he's lost control of the spiralling gang violence in Cape Town.

And the rising wave of South Korean culture sweeping across Africa.

Presenter: Richard Kagoe Producers: Blessing Aderogba, Nyasha Michelle, Bella Hassan Yvette Twagiramariya, Amie Liebowitz Technical Producer: Philip Bull Senior Journalist: Sunita Nahar Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Ukraine fears US suspension on weapons deliveries could "encourage" Russia. Also: Trump says Israel has agreed to a 60 day ceasefire in Gaza and tells Hamas to accept. Plus, the killer whales offering food to humans.

After being passed by the Senate, President Trump's bill returns to the House. We speak to rural healthcare provider Karen White on its possible impact on healthcare for poorer people.

Also in the programme, the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has confirmed that he will have a successor; renewed talk about a ceasefire in Gaza; and the composer who has written a piece of music based on the movements of moths.

(Photo: The U.S. Capitol building in Washington; Credit: REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz)

US Senate approves Trump's mega-bill on tax and spending, after Vice-President JD Vance casts tie-breaking vote. Also: Delhi bans fuel sales to old cars to tackle air pollution, and TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart dies.

The US Senate has narrowly approved President Trump's major tax and spending bill. The chamber was evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, meaning the Vice President, JD Vance, cast the deciding vote. The legislation will now return to the House of Representatives.

Also, will the M23 militia "disarm and disengage" in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in line with the US brokered peace deal? We speak to Dr Massad Boulos, President Trump's Senior Advisor for Africa.

And the remarkable story of how a father and young daughter miraculously survived falling off a cruise ship.

(Photo: Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski supported the passage of the bill after intense negotiations. Credit: Getty Images)