Newshour

The United States and Russia say they are ready to resume three-way peace talks with Ukraine. Earlier, Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a retired US schoolteacher, who had been held in custody since 2022. We speak to Mr Hubbard's American lawyer, Martin De Luca.Also on the programme: the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control has urged countries to share information about Nigeria’s first confirmed case of Ebola; and we hear from one of France's leading public intellectuals, Edouard Louis, on the wider reasons behind the country's demonstrations. (US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff arrives in Saint Petersburg Credit: Reuters)

The Kremlin says President Putin is ready in principle to resume three-way peace talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia in mid-November. But a Kremlin spokesperson said Ukrainian and European plans lacked substance.Also in the programme: How Mahvash Sabet, a prisoner from Iran's Baha'i religious minority wrote her memoir in prison; why the British government is giving the green light to more production of natural gas; and how will President Trump's deportation drive play in next month's midterm elections.(Photo credit: Getty Images)

After the Sudanese army is blamed for killing more than 300 civilians in two separate drone strikes, we hear how both adversaries and their backers are using the country as a 'laboratory for drone technology'.Also on the programme: US author Michael Lewis on his latest book "Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State", about career civil servants resisting the sweeping cuts sought by the short-lived Department for Government Efficiency; and a young Palestinian writer reflects on food in Italy, where she now studies, and back home in Gaza.(Photo: Medical workers treat injured people at Ameth Bek hospital after a drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei region along the border between South Sudan and Sudan, 19 October 2026. Credit: Reuters/Medecins Sans Frontieres/Handout)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has rejected as "scandalous" accusations that Ukrainians are dying because the US is withholding intelligence from Kyiv.He was speaking after President Zelensky's military technical adviser, Serhii Beskrestnov, told the BBC that the lack of reliable US warnings meant lives were being lost.Also in the programme: how many young Israelis appear to have tilted rightwards ahead of next week's election; how an AI tool can appear to predict cancer survival chances from a single selfie; and new research unlocks a Shakespearean mystery.(Photo shows US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Mumbai, India on 20 October 2026. Credit: Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

A Kenyan court has found the doomsday cult leader Paul Mackenzie and 29 accomplices guilty of the murder of 190 children and one adult. Also on the programme: the French government imposes overnight curfews in parts of central Paris and other major cities in a bid to end the violence and looting that has scarred France since Saturday; and as the western Canadian province of Alberta votes in a referendum on independence, we hear from one of the leaders of the separatist movement.(Photo: Paul Mackenzie, a Kenyan cult leader accused of ordering his followers, who were members of the Good News International Church, to starve themselves to death in Shakahola forest, appears in court for his judgement at the Mombasa High Court, Kenya 19 October 2026. Credit: Reuters/Laban Walloga)

After a weekend of violent protests, the French prime minister has given some cities the power to impose curfews to try and bring order back to the streets. We hear from a French senator who is part of the Centrist Union Group.The United Nations World Food Programme is warning that funding for its operation in Gaza has fallen by half, warning that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians will go hungry this winter. We hear from a resident in Gaza City.Also in the programme, the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan is hoping to travel to the planet - grab a sample - and be the first to make a return trip.(Photo: Police clash with protesters during second day of high cost-of-living protests in Paris, France, Oct 18, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock) Mohammed Badra,

French President Emmanuel Macron has addressed the nation following days of violent protest. He claims his country feels ‘anger and shame’ and vows ‘full transparency’ over the disorder. We get the latest from a BBC journalist on the ground.Also in the programme: A rare look at the frontline in Ukraine; the new project aiming to reduce sports clothing waste; and we head to Canada to get a preview of Alberta’s non-binding independence referendum.(Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a press conference of the European Council summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 2026. Credit:Olivier Mattheys. EPA/Shutterstock)

A rare glimpse into life in Russian occupied Ukraine. We hear about the dire conditions in the town of Oleshky near the city of Kherson. Also in the programme: we speak to a left-wing French MP after 1,800 people were arrested in France during protests and rioting on Saturday; and the musicians who blend Celtic folk music with singing from Cameroon.(Photo: Aerial image of ruined buildings in Oleshky, Kherson. Credit: Reuters)

There's been violent disorder in Paris and other French cities during a day of mass protests over the cost of living. Also in the programme: President Zelensky says restrictions on Starlink systems over Ukraine were a planned operation rather than a technical issue, so how is the US using Elon Musk's technology to limit Ukraine's ability to fight? And a rare pink diamond goes on display in France for the first time, 100 years after an amateur heist. (Photo: French firefighters work to extinguish burning car amid clashes during a day of demonstrations against the cost of living and rising fuel prices in Paris. Credit: Reuters)

Two days before they were due to take effect, US President Donald Trump has blocked several sanctions on Russia. The news comes as the rift between him and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky deepens, following Ukrainian strikes on a Russian oil refinery during the week. We speak to an official from the first Trump administration, who has publicly supported the sanctions.Also in the programme: we explore why youth protests have been happening across Europe; and Brazil records its lowest deforestation rate in the Amazon, according to government figures.(Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels, Belgium October 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Yves Herman)

French president Emmanuel Macron has vowed Europe will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia, at a time in which tensions are growing between Kyiv and Washington. We get the latest news from the EU summit in Brussels.Also in the programme: we hear from the occupied West Bank, where Israeli settlers continue to violently attack local Palestinians; and we look at Elon Musk's newly unveiled flying car: is he a boy with a toy or is this the start of something new? A futurist weighs in.(Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron speaking at the second day of the European Council summit in Brussels. Credit: O. Matthys / EPA / Shutterstock).

Dozens of masked Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in the village of Abu Falah in the occupied West Bank.The settlers beat and threw stones at villagers and burned olive trees and cars, while two people were taken to hospital. We'll hear from a Palestinian olive farmer who has suffered an attack.Also in the programme: Donald Trump hits out again at Volodomyr Zelensky, while the Ukrainian president praises what he calls the "real leaders" of Europe; we'll hear from a student protester in Albania, as violence rocks the streets of the capital; and will Tesla's new flying car really get off the ground?(Photo shows Palestinian families harvesting their olive trees following a settlers' attack in Abu Falah in the West Bank. 16 October 2026. Credit: Atef Safadi/EPA)

Romania has accused Russia of carrying out an attack on an oil tanker in the Black Sea. Seven crew members remain missing in the latest of a spate of drone attacks on merchant shipping off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania. We hear from the Romanian foreign minister, Oana Țoiu. Also on the programme: we speak to the lawyer of one of the seven Cornell University students accused of sexually assaulting a classmate; and we go to a Republican heartland in Iowa, where there is speculation the state could flip to the Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. (Picture: The tanker Wine Trader that caught fire in Romanian territorial waters, released October 15, 2026. Credit: Romanian Interior Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)

Russia has made fresh claims of Ukraine attacking Russian infrastructure, after the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that strikes on the country would resume. Ukraine had previously paused strikes at the request of US president Donald Trump. We will also hear how Starshield works after the security network faced restrictions in its activity inside Ukraine.Also in the programme: Retired US generals call for the planned live-streamed execution of Nidal Hasan to be cancelled; and why have garbage trucks in one part of the Netherlands been granted special cultural status?(Photo: Volodymyr Zelensky during a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Credit: Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

Britain's prime minister, Andy Burnham, has promised to speed up the delivery of British-made air defence missiles to Ukraine. Kyiv has expressed concern that it did not get advance warning from allies ahead of a wave of missile strikes coming from Russia. It said it also experienced restrictions on its access to the Starlink communications network.Also, a British orthopaedic surgeon currently supporting medics in Gaza tells us there isn't enough basic medical equipment,including dressings. She says people are still coming into the hospital with fresh gun shot wounds, a year after a ceasefire was agreed. And award-winning Turkish writer, Elif Shafak tells us about her new novel, set in 19th century FrancePlus how in China you can hire-a-friend for a chat! (Photo credit: Getty Images) and the oldest ship wreck in the world - at more than 4 thousand years old

Ukraine says another major attack on its energy infrastructure has left six hundred thousand people without power. At least six people were killed in the overnight bombardment, which targeted the greater Kyiv area and Kharkiv in the northeast. President Zelensky has said that for a second night, his forces received no warning of the attacks from its allies.Also on the programme: the trial has begun of a Ukrainian man accused of blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline in 2022; and the new plan to protect the endangered Emperor penguin.(Picture: A worker cuts branches of a tree in front of an apartment building which was damaged by a late evening Russian missile strike in Kyiv. Credit: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)

The head of Britain's intelligence agency, MI5, has warned of the growing threat posed by extremists and artificial intelligence. We hear from biological weapons expert Nikki Teran. Also in the programme: Breaking Bad's casting director remembers RJ Mitte who has died aged 34; and the magnetic millirobots aiming to cure heart infections.(Picture: Director General of MI5 Sir Ken McCallum speaking at Thames House, the headquarters of the UK's Security Service in London. Credit: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi made the comments in an exclusive interview, his first since he was dramatically forced from his post in the summer. He addressed his sacking, disagreeing with his critics who declared him too "old school" to command Ukraine's new, technologically advanced forces.Also on the programme: The International Monetary Fund says the global economy is doing better than expected - but may soon be "tested"; and if A-lister Tom Cruise can't even sell movie tickets, is Hollywood in trouble?(Photo: Ukrainian servicemen ride an APC on a road in the Sumy region near the border with Russia. Credit: George Ivanchenko/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Flights across Saudi Arabia have been heavily disrupted as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement have fired missiles. There's been a series of deadly attacks on airports and energy facilities across the peninsula over the last few days. We hear from the vice minister of foreign affairs from Yemen's internationally recognised government.Also on the programme: a major cyber attack overheats fridges and freezers in hundreds of supermarkets across France; and we feature the winners of two Nobel Prizes – peace and economics.Photo: Houthi fighters in Sanaa; Credit: European Photopress Agency

How are the Houthis able to launch these attacks and how far might they go?Also on the programme: This year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Navi Pillay tells Newshour that international law is 'under attack'; and did the world's biggest accountancy firm help the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to evade tax?(Photo: Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea delivers a televised statement as Yemen's Houthis claim responsibility for four missile-drone attacks on Saudi positions Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)