Author: BBC World Service

Britain's King Charles has begun the process of removing his younger brother's "prince" title and told him to vacate the Royal Lodge in Windsor. It comes as controversy swirls over Andrew’s friendship with the late child sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, and allegations of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre. In a statement, Giuffre's family call her "an ordinary American girl who brought down a British prince". Andrew has denied, and continues to deny, all allegations made against him. Also: relief efforts are being stepped up in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa; Victoria becomes the first Australian state to approve a treaty with its Indigenous peoples; the BBC speaks to Russians refusing to be silent in the face of Putin's repression; Hamas returns the bodies of another two hostages to Israel under the Gaza ceasefire deal; President Trump caps refugee admissions with priority given to white South Africans; a squeeze in US public broadcasting funding forces Radio Free Asia off the air; what causes brain fog; and the bizarre deathball sponge lurking on the deep sea floor. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Buckingham Palace says Britain's King Charles is stripping his younger brother, Andrew of his ‘prince’ title, amid continuing controversy over his links to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. It means he will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. The British Royal family has faced growing scrutiny over Andrew's titles and living arrangements. Buckingham Palace described the action as necessary. But it noted that Andrew continues to deny allegations against him. Also in the programme: As President Trump says he's ordered new nuclear weapons tests - the body responsible for monitoring them says - that would be 'harmful' and 'destabilising'- so what's behind his announcement? And 'killer sponges', and zombie worms discovered in the Southern Ocean. (Photo: Handout photo issued by the US Department of Justice (left-right) Prince Andrew, now to be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Virginia Giuffre the prominent accuser of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein)

The UN’s top humanitarian official has said there must be accountability for those carrying out the killings and sexual violence in Sudan's El-Fasher. Tom Fletcher said people who wanted to leave the city, which was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces at the weekend, must be allowed to do so safely, and those who remained must be protected. The leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has declared an investigation into what he called violations committed by his soldiers, but denies accusations they massacred hundreds of civilians at a hospital in El-Fasher on Tuesday. Also: Jamaica counts the cost of Hurricane Melissa; five more suspects are being questioned by police in Paris after they were arrested in connection with this month's robbery at the Louvre museum in the French capital; the Netherlands swings to the centre in elections at the expense of the far-right Freedom party; and Universal Music Group has struck an unprecedented licensing deal with an artificial intelligence music generation startup to launch an AI creation platform.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump have held their first face-to-face talks in six years in a moment of high trade tension between China and the US.

Mr Trump hailed an "amazing" meeting with his Chinese counterpart, but Beijing was less effusive. Thursday's talks did not lead to a formal agreement but the announcements suggest they are closer to a deal. We'll try to work out what has been sorted out at the talks in South Korea.

Also in the programme: The latest mass killings in Sudan spark international outrage, with the RSF rebel leader promising an immediate investigation into the actions of his troops; the Dutch election is a neck-and-neck race between centrist liberals and anti-Islam populists; and five more suspects have been arrested over the Louvre museum jewellery heist.

(Photo shows US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping shake hands in Busan, South Korea on 30 October 2025. Credit: Yonhap/EPA)

Why has the Gambian government issued a strong warning to ex -President Yahya Jammeh following his announcing plans to return from 9 years in exile?.   Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, and Burkina Faso removed from a global money-laundering watchlist. How can they benefit?   And how years of drought is decimating wealth, and thousands of lives in the  self-declared Republic of Somaliland.      Presenter: Nyasha Michelle Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Stefania Okereke and Mark Wilberforce in London. Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have met for the first time since 2019 to discuss a possible truce in the US-China trade war. The leaders of the world's two biggest economies shook hands and spoke of friendship ahead of the "amazing" meeting in South Korea. President Trump said they agreed a cut in tariffs and a rare earth minerals deal. Also: the US says it will begin testing its nuclear weapons to keep up with Russia and China; Hurricane Melissa moves towards the Bahamas and Cuba after causing unprecedented devastation in Jamaica; Brazil's president condemns the police raid that killed more than 130 people in Rio de Janeiro; the long lost wolf spider is re-discovered in the UK; what drives those who want to live forever; and the art of presidential gift giving.

The right-wing governor of Rio state in Brazil has praised Tuesday's controversial anti-gang operation, in which more than a-hundred and thirty people were killed. Claudio Castro said the only victims were the four police officers who died. Two- and- a half thousand police and soldiers took part in the raids against the Red Command. Major gun battles erupted in two Rio favelas in the biggest security operation in the history of Rio state. Brazil's centre-left President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva said he was surprised an operation of this scale was set up without the knowledge of the federal government.

Also in the programme: the Netherlands head to the polls; and a deep dive into presents for US Presidents.

(Photo: Mourners react as people gather around bodies. CREDIT: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes)

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says a wave of Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday night killed more than a hundred people, including a number of children. The Israeli military said it had killed "dozens of terrorists". It launched the attacks after accusing Hamas of killing a soldier in violation of the US-brokered ceasefire. Israel says it's now resuming the truce, which President Trump has warned must not be jeopardised. Also: Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in eastern Cuba after causing widespread damage in Jamaica. As Tanzanians take to the polls in a tense general election, there have been violent clashes between protestors and the police. And messages in a bottle written by two Australian soldiers in 1916 have been found more than a century later on the country's south-western coast. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared a "disaster area" and warned of "devastating impacts". The hurricane has now hit Cuba, bringing heavy winds and heavy rain, with warnings of storm surges.

Also on the programme: we hear about a new breath test which could revolutionise the treatment of pancreatic cancer; and the Spanish city of Valencia remembers the deadly floods of a year ago.

(Image: Broken tree branches lie on the street, after Hurricane Melissa made landfall, in Spur Tree, Manchester, Jamaica, October 29, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Octavio Jones)