Author: BBC World Service

As the strongest storm the island of Jamaica has ever known approaches landfall, we hear from people on the ground, from the Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change, and from a meteorologist.

Also in the programme: with more evidence of atrocities emerging from the Sudanese city of El Fasher, we hear from the United Nations' Coordinator on Sudan; and Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, talks to Newshour about the meaning of trust.

(IMAGE: a man wearing a protective suit cycles on a street, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 27, 2025 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Octavio Jones)

As the strategic city of el-Fasher finally falls to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, we analyse what it means in Sudan’s ongoing civil war. How the world’s oldest president, Paul Biya of Cameroon, is set to change things as he wins a disputed eighth term that could keep him in power until the age of 99. And why are South Africans trying to save an ancient language, which has just one speaker?

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Stefania Okereke, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya Technical Producer: Pat Sissons Senior Producer: Piers Edwards Editors: Maryam Abdalla and Sam Murunga

World's strongest storm of 2025 expected to cause widespread damage in Jamaica. The Caribbean island braced for record winds and catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Melissa. Also: record numbers of racehorses die in Australia from injuries in the past year; Korean beauty products trend investigated; one long walk beats short strolls for healthy heart, says new study; and US pop star Katy Perry and former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau make relationship public in Paris as they are pictured holding hands.

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

Hurricane Melissa has intensified into the strongest possible storm category, five, as it heads towards Jamaica -- where it is expected to make landfall in the early hours of Tuesday. The authorities fear it could be the fiercest hurricane ever to hit the island. Meteorologists have described what they're seeing as 'satellite history'. We hear from Jamaica's information minister, Dana Morris Dixon.

Also in the programme: The Rapid Support Forces in Sudan claim to have taken the city of El-Fasher, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are trapped; and ten people have gone on trial in France accused of cyber-bullying against the country's first lady, Brigitte Macron.

(Picture: Jamaica aid worker Craig Brown wraps a gas pump as Hurricane Melissa approaches in Kingston, Jamaica on October 27, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Octavio Jones)

Rebels from the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, in Sudan claim to have taken El Fasher, the strategically important city in the western Darfur region. The army has so far not acknowledged the capture of the city, and the governor of Darfur calls for civilians there to be protected. Also, the leader of Cameroon, Paul Biya, is declared winner of the presidential election, for what will be his eighth consecutive term in office, and King Charles unveils Britain's first national memorial to LGBT military personnel.

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

As Tanzania gears up for elections on 29 October, we hear from two young people about the issues that matter to them and whether youth concerns have been featured in the electoral campaigns.

How a young Senegalese footballer's dream of joining a professional club ended in tragedy after he was tricked and lured to Ghana by fake football agents.

And how Africa is rapidly becoming a compelling destination for outsourcing services.

Presenter: Nyasha Michelle Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Stefania Okereke, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya Technical Producer: Craig Kingham Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Maryam Abdalla and Sam Murunga

Argentina's President Javier Milei has led his party to a landslide victory in Sunday's midterm elections, after defining the first two years of his presidency with radical spending cuts and free-market reforms. Also on the programme: Cameroon's 92-year-old President Paul Biya has been declared the winner of the heavily disputed presidential election; and scientists in India have discovered that playing music to unconscious patients significantly reduced the amount of anaesthetic needed to keep them under. (Photo: Argentina's President Javier Milei reacts after the La Libertad Avanza party won the midterm election. Credit: Reuters)

The BBC visits camps and a prison in north-eastern Syria where Islamic State fighters and their families are being held. The caliphate has been regrouping in the vacuum left by the collapsed Assad regime. Also: Victory for President Javier Milei's party in midterm elections in Argentina; tensions rise as another US warship joins those floating off the coast of Venezuela; two arrested in connection with the Louvre jewel heist; India and China resume direct flights; mechanics take on Tesla in Sweden; and the importance of rebuilding Gaza's heritage sites.

Another US warship has sailed into waters near Venezuela, adding to the growing presence of American warships and warplanes. The US has said it is fighting against drug traffickers, but there is a growing sense it might not be the full picture, as a US Senator has said they could soon launch a military attack on Venezuelan soil.

We speak to Venezuela's attorney general and close ally of President Nicolas Maduro about what he thinks the United States is up to.

Also in our programme: Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claim they have captured the army headquarters in the besieged city of El Fasher; and we hear about Argentina's most controversial mid-elections.

(Photo: The US Navy destroyer USS Gravely arrives in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, a few miles off the coast of Venezuela. Credit: Andrea de Silva / EPA / Shutterstock)