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The World Tonight

BBC Radio 4
The World Tonight
Latest episode

312 episodes

  • The World Tonight

    Prime Minister's dilemma on early release of prisoners

    11/08/2026 | 37 mins.
    The Prime Minister says he wants the killers of PC Andrew Harper to stay behind bars. How will he do it? We ask a senior law professor who advised the government on how to manage early prisoner releases.
    As Simon Levy is set to be sentenced tomorrow, the BBC has spoken to a victim who asks why her own case wasn't enough to stop the rapist and murderer from committing further crimes.
    Just how unprecedented was President Trump's Air Force One sleight of hand as he left the NATO summit in Turkey?
    And the Hallmark Channel has been tugging heartstrings for 25 years. We'll explore the secret of its longevity.
  • The World Tonight

    Over 100 dead after Colombia earthquake

    10/08/2026 | 37 mins.
    At least 111 people have been killed and dozens more are injured after a powerful earthquake hit western Colombia, according to local officials. Dozens of buildings have collapsed. It comes less than two months after a double earthquake killed thousands in neighbouring Venezuela.
    French lifeboat crews have described how a boat carrying a record 230 migrants across the Channel was "buckling" and could have led to a tragedy. The previous record for a single vessel of 165 was set last month. We hear why migrant boats are getting bigger.
    And 40 years on from the release of Paul Simon's celebrated album 'Graceland'; did it raise up, or rip off, the South African artists he collaborated with?
  • The World Tonight

    Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign new defence pact

    07/08/2026 | 38 mins.
    Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have signed a major defence pact in Mecca, saying an attack on one is an attack on all three. A former advisor to Turkey's president tells us what he thinks his country gets out of such an agreement.
    Also in the programme: after the London-based head of Google DeepMind decides to step back, what does his move mean for the UK AI sector? We hear the views of the regulars in Soho about Westminster Council's plan to reduce 'vertical drinking', and we remember the life of William Orbit, groundbreaking producer behind the music of Madonna, Blur and U2.
  • The World Tonight

    Referrals to anti-terror scheme reach record high

    06/08/2026 | 37 mins.
    Prevent referrals in England and Wales were up 39% in the year to September 2025. It’s the highest number in a single year since records began in 2015. Where the age is known, 393 referrals were for children under 10, the largest proportion concerned 11 to 15-year-olds at 36%, followed by 16 to 17 year-olds at 13% of referrals. So, are more young people being radicalised, or are more people reporting concerning behaviour?

    Also in the programme: Policing powers were stepped up in Thetford on Thursday as the Norfolk market town braced itself for further disorder linked to anti-immigration protests. And despite being banned from football at home, the Afghan women's team reunite 8,000 miles away in New Zealand.
  • The World Tonight

    Former neo-Nazi resigns as Conservative council candidate

    05/08/2026 | 37 mins.
    A former neo-Nazi, selected by the Conservatives to contest a council election, withdraws his candidacy
    A prominent professor who denied claims of plagiarism has quit his role at Cambridge
    Germany's Interior Minister has warned about a "new level of danger" after a drone with an explosive was found at Leipzig airport.
    and we speak to the head of a Football Association backing the embattled FIFA President
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In depth reporting, intelligent analysis and major breaking news from a global perspective
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