EU leaders are meeting in Copenhagen under pressure to boost European defence after a series of Russian incursions into EU airspace, and days after drones targeted Danish airports.

Also in the programme: The International Red Cross has been forced to cease operations in Gaza City because of the intensity of the Israeli offensive; Jane Goodall, famous for her ground-breaking studies of chimpanzees, has died at the age of 91; and as one Hollywood star, Julie Andrews, turns 90, we'll hear about a new young actor who'll never grow old.

(Photo: Denmark has reinforced security for the summit and allies have beefed up air defences. Credit: Reuters)

The International Red Cross has been forced to cease operations in Gaza City because of the intensity of the Israeli offensive. It’s continuing while Arab and Turkish mediators put pressure on Hamas to accept President Trump's peace plan.

Also on the programme: we'll hear from the city at the epicentre of the earthquake in the Philippines where there's only one hospital to deal with the casualties; and the AI-generated actress causing a stir in Hollywood.

(Photo: Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation, after Israeli forces ordered residents of Gaza City to evacuate to the south, 1 October, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

The United Nations has appealed to the Taliban to immediately restore telecommunications across Afghanistan. UN officials said the ban had far-reaching consequences, including on the banking and financial systems. Access to emergency services and medical care has also been hit. Mobile phone services are still not working and many flights have been cancelled. We'll hear from an Afghan activist about the impact this will have on daily life, and our chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet.

Also in the programme: the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declares a war on woke in the military; and scientists have made early stage human embryos from DNA taken from skin cells, raising the prospect of new fertility treatments.

(Picture: Telecom antennas stand on a mountain amid service shutdown across the country in Kabul, Afghanistan, September 30, 2025. Credit: Sayed Hassib/REUTERS)

Can Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza work? The focus today is on Hamas' response. One Israeli lawmaker tells us he's sceptical. We also get reaction from Gaza City and analysis from the former State Department advisor and negotiator on the Middle East, Aaron David Miller.

Also in the programme: the Taliban turn off the internet in Afghanistan; and a new exhibition on the astonishing life of the artist and Second World War photographer Lee Miller.

(IMAGE: US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu press conference at the White House, Washington, USA - 29 Sep 2025 / CREDIT: Jim Lo Scalzo/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

President Trump says the Israeli Prime Minister has agreed to his peace plan to end the war in Gaza. It's been drawn up following extensive talk with US allies in the Middle East, and provides for an end to the fighting once it's accepted by Israel and Hamas.

Also in the programme: we explores the hopes and obstacles of Moldova joining the European Union; and President Trump has threatened to impose one-hundred percent tariffs on movies made outside the United States.

(Picture: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump participate in a joint press conference at the White House on 29 September, 2025. Credit: WILL OLIVER/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

Can President Trump broker an end to the war in Gaza? He says everyone is on board. So how much pressure is Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under as he heads to the White House?

Also in the programme: the president of Moldova hails an election result she says was a victory in the teeth of Russian interference; and a billionaire art collector's plan to sell off shares in his Dutch master paintings.

(IMAGE: An Israeli armoured personnel carrier (APC) manoeuvres on Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border, in Israel, September 29, 2025 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Amir Cohen)

President Trump has expressed renewed optimism about reaching a deal to end the war in Gaza, ahead of talks on Monday with the Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a social media post, Mr Trump said there was a 'real chance for greatness in the Middle East'. He's subsequently said that he's received what he called a 'very good response' from Israel and Arab leaders to a new US proposal that he says is aimed not just at Gaza but at reaching a broader peace in the region.

Also in the programme: Misinformation has disrupted a vaccination programme in Pakistan against cervical cancer; we take a look at today's elections in Moldova; and we hear from a very bad tempered Ryder Cup!

(Photo: Residents of Gaza City are still evacuating as the fighting intensifies. Credit: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Moldova's pro-EU president, Maia Sandu, has cast her ballot in the country’s parliamentary election, urging voters to join her because the country’s future is "in danger". Ms Sandu, police, and prosecutors say vote buying and disinformation are unprecedented in scale and linked directly to Russia. Moscow denies accusations of interference. Pro-Kremlin opposition parties have also dismissed talk of Russian meddling; they claim the government is making the case in advance for annulling the vote, should the liberal governing party (the PAS) lose its majority.

Also in the programme: With drones increasingly used in offensive military operations, how can you defend against them? Also today, the cricket clash between India and Pakistan; and why Elvis Presley is big in South Wales.

(Photo: Moldovan President Maia Sandu votes at a polling station during the country's parliamentary election in Chisinau, Moldova, September 28, 2025. Reuters/Vladislav Culiomza)

Germany says it's considering the use of military force to protect its territory against drone incursions. Earlier, police in Denmark said several unidentified drones had been spotted flying close to military bases, including Denmark's biggest military site, the Karup Air Base.

Also in the programme: The International Paralympic Committee has voted to lift bans imposed on Russia and Belarus over Moscow's aggression in Ukraine; UN sanctions against Iran to resume over banned nuclear activity; and the mother of a British dual national killed while fighting for Ukraine on her fight to get his body back - and how she found out her son was dead.

(Photo: A mobile radar installation on the coast of Oresund in the aftermath of drone sightings, Dragoer, Denmark - 26 Sep 2025. Credit: EPA)

The US says it will revoke the visa of Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, accusing him of inciting violence by encouraging American soldiers to disobey orders. When addressing a pro-Palestinian protest in New York, he suggested they should ignore the orders of Donald Trump, and obey the orders of humanity instead. Mr Petro was returning to Bogota when the move was announced. On arrival, he tweeted that he no longer had a US visa and did not care - adding that he considers himself a "free person in the world." The State Department described his actions as reckless.

Also in the programme: The International Paralympic Committee lifts its ban on Russia and Belarus; and as England's women take on Canada in the rugby world cup final - we hear from one former international in a house with divided loyalties.

(Photo: Colombian President Gustavo Petro addresses pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside UN headquarters in New York, September 26, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Bing Guan)

US President Donald Trump denies he's out for revenge, after the former FBI director James Comey is charged with lying to the US Congress. The president says he wants more prosecutions.

Also on the programme: Israel's prime minister tells the UN General Assembly that he's fighting Hamas on their behalf; and two centuries of passenger travel on the train - still going strong.

(Photo: The former FBI director posted a video to Instagram asserting that he is innocent and comparing Trump to a "tyrant". Credit: James Comey Instagram)

Israel leader Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly in Geneva just days after several leading countries announced the recognition of Palestinian statehood. We speak to the father of an Israeli soldier who was captured on 7 October 2023. The father was at the UN and turned his back on the Israeli prime minister.

Also, the former FBI director James Comey, who led the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 Trump campaign, has been indicted. We hear the latest, and after a breakthrough in the treatment of Huntingdon’s disease, we speak to Arlo Guthrie whose father Woody, the celebrated folk singer, died of the condition.

(Photo: Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the General Debate of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations headquarters in New York. Credit: Sarah Yenesel/EPA/Shutterstock)

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in jail after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case related to millions of euros of illicit funds from the late Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi.

Also on the programme: the havoc caused by drones closing airspace and airports in Denmark; and the musician Arlo Guthrie - whose family has been wrecked by Huntington's disease - on the promise of this week's medical breakthrough.

(Photo: Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrives for the verdict in his trial at the courthouse in Paris. Credit: Reuters)

The former president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, is sentenced to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy. Judge Nathalie Gavarino said Sarkozy had allowed close aides to contact Libyan officials with a view to obtaining financial support for his election campaign. Mr Sarkozy insisted he was innocent and said he would appeal the ruling.

Also in the programme: three days after several world powers recognise Palestinian statehood, Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the United Nations General Assembly via video link, having been barred from entry to the US by President Trump; plus how Zimbabwe aims to become the world’s top supplier of blueberries.

(IMAGE: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, leave the courthouse in Paris, France, 25 September 2025 / CREDIT: YOAN VALAT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Estonia has requested a consultation with other Nato members after Russian warplanes violated its airspace on Friday morning. Russia issued a denial. But tensions have been escalating after Poland and Romania said Russian drones had breached their airspace. We'll hear from Estonia's ambassador to Britain.

Also, several European airports have reported delays and cancellations after a cyberattack, and Newshour's Lyse Doucet on her book that details the rise and fall of Afghanistan through the lens of a luxury hotel in Kabul.

(Photo: A photo published by the Swedish armed forces that it says shows a Russian fighter jet that violated Estonian airspace. Credit: Swedish Armed forces/Reuters)

Amid the devastation in Gaza, remarkable stories of hope and resilience do emerge. Sixteen-year-old Sama Nijm, a gifted violinist from Gaza, is using music to bring comfort and healing to the youngest victims of the conflict. Some of the children have lost their parents, and in some cases, their limbs or arms.

BBC Newsday's Charlene Rodrigues spoke to Sama, and began by asking her what inspired her to become a violin teacher in the midst of war.

Nine people have been killed and many injured in a school shooting in the southern Austrian city of Graz. The shooter also killed himself, and has been identified as a former pupil.

Also, Donald Trump sends in the Marines as the president's crackdown on undocumented migrants clashes with California's policy as a Sanctuary State, Syria's jailers under President Assad speak to the BBC anonymously about what they did and those who suffered, plus good news for biodiversity and precious coral reefs in the Zanzibar archipelago, as two new Marine Protected Areas are announced.

(IMAGE: General view of the Dreierschutzengasse high school following a shooting in Graz, Austria, 10 June 2025 / CREDIT: Antonio Bat /EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)