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The US Federal Reserve has slashed interest rates by half a point, the first reduction in more than four years. We talk to experts and businesses about the impact this will have in the economy.A second wave of blasts have taken place in Lebanon, leaving at least 14 dead and more than 450 injured. We hear more about the exploding devices and their origins.And reports of X being available again for users in Brazil have emerged weeks after the social platform was temporarily banned by a judge in the country. We look into what is happening.

Another day of explosions in Lebanon. At least 20 people have died - after walkie talkies blow up - and as Israel says it's opening a new phase in the war. We're live in Beirut - and ask whether the attacks on Hezbollah could be a breach of international law.Also tonight:We report from the US state of Oregon - where drugs like fentanyl are being re-criminalised....just four years after they were de-criminalised.And we speak to a British soldier whose DNA helped identify a relative who died at the World War Two Battle of Arnhem - and who was given a full military burial there today.

Exploding walkie-talkies have killed at least 14 and injure at least 450 in new attacks across Lebanon on Wednesday. The blasts come a day after exploding pagers killed 12 people, including two children, and left almost 3,000 in hospital.Israel still hasn’t commented on the events but its Defence Minister says the country has opened “a new phase in the war”.Also in the programme: the feminist reaction to the rape case of Gisele Pelicot; and as the company Tupperware files for bankruptcy, we explore its beginnings and how it changed the way we eat.(Picture: Funeral of people who were killed following pager detonations across Lebanon on Tuesday, in Beirut suburbs. Credit: REUTERS).

Ian makes a surprising decision, and Fallon doesn’t know where to turn.

Over the past four years, consumer prices worldwide have been on the rise. In the United States, inflation soared to 9.1% in June 2022, marking its highest rate since November 1981. Similarly, advanced economies have faced significant inflationary pressures. Later today, the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, will announce its latest decision on interest rates and is expected to cut rates for the first time in more than four years. Elsewhere, the UK has announced inflation figures of 2.2%, but are consumers feeling any better off? Presenter Sam Fenwick examines if businesses have also been struggling with higher prices for energy and raw materials along with increased wages.

Russian arms depot erupts after a Ukrainian drone attack where explosions can be seen from space. Also: Hezbollah blames Israel for exploding pagers across Lebanon, and US brand Tupperware files for bankruptcy.

Ahead of knife-edge December elections there are demands for an independent forensic audit of the voter register. The electoral commission says it is not needed. Why is the opposition party NDC adamant?Communities in Guinea welcome the return of land taken from them violently by previous governmentsAfrica's future is urban- we explore what's behind the growth of megacities on the continent?Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Sunita Nahar, Bella Hassan, Yvette Twagiramariya, Kaine Pieri and Nyasha Michelle in London. Technical Producer: Nick Randell Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Iran has condemned Israel for Tuesday's synchronised explosions of Hezbollah pagers in Lebanon, calling it 'mass murder'. The Iranian ambassador to Beirut was among nearly three thousand people injured; twelve people died. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, denied that Washington had any prior knowledge of the attack. We speak to Dr Salah Zeineddine, Chief Medical Officer at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, where some of the injured were taken.Also in the programme: Climate change is turbo-charging Somalia’s problems - but there's still hope; and Still reeling from crisis, Sri Lanka holds pivotal election. And we will hear from the US state of Oregon and the debate around decriminalizing hard drugs such as fentanyl.(Photo: Relatives of those injured by the pager blasts gathered at hospitals in Beirut and elsewhere. Credit: EPA)

You can drum up or feign interest in something. These are examples of verbs that are commonly used with the noun 'interest'. You can learn these and more with PhilTRANSCRIPT Find a free transcript for this episode and more programmes to help you with your English at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/english_in_a_minute/240820FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE: Visit our website ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish Follow us ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followusLIKE PODCASTS? Try some of our other popular podcasts including: ✔️ Learning Easy English ✔️ Learning English for Work ✔️ 6 Minute EnglishThey're all available by searching in your podcast app..

The Iranian government is not coy about its silence tactics. Since Iran's Woman Life Freedom Movement began on 16 September 2022, unlawful executions, imprisonment, physical and sexual abuse has dominated headlines across the globe. It is estimated that tens of thousands of people have received some form of government retribution – and at the heart of it is a complex surveillance system that aids security forces in its endeavours. The Supreme Cyber Council oversees digital rule in the country, and combined with FATA (the Cyber police), BASIJ (volunteer law enforcement working with Iran’s security forces) and surveillance spy software amongst other things, clamping down on dissent has never been easier. We speak to the women on the digital frontline between the state and their communities, investigate how court summons are issued based on social media posts and talk to experts about Iran’s surveillance tactics.

Four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan broke into Hollywood at 13 years old with her performance as Briony Tallis in Atonement. She has also appeared as Jo March in Little Women, as the lead actress in Brooklyn and won a Golden Globe for her performance in Lady Bird. She joins Clare McDonnell to discuss her latest role in the film The Outrun in which she plays Rona, a young woman struggling with addiction.Nikki Doucet has been called the most powerful person in English women’s football. She is the newly appointed CEO of the Women’s Professional Leagues Ltd which took over leadership of the two top tiers of women's football from the Football Association this summer. Nikki and her team have big plans to revolutionise the women's game and she joins Clare to tell her about them. The number of children who are fully vaccinated for MMR - measles, mumps and rubella - has fallen to the lowest level in 14 years. According to NHS figures, this year 91.9% of children aged five received one dose of the MMR vaccine and only 83.9% have had two doses. To reach herd immunity – the point where diseases stop spreading - at least 95% per cent of children need to be immunised. Clare discusses the issues with Carly Danesh-Jones, a parent who previously held vaccine hesitancy views and changed her mind, and Dr Vanessa Saliba, a UK Health and Security Agency consultant epidemiologist.It’s been 20 years since the singer, songwriter and actor Joanna Levesque - or JoJo - signed her first record deal at the age of just 12 years old and shot to the top of the pop-and-R&B charts. Her cool-girl appearance and upbeat music with hits such as Leave (Get Out) to Baby It's You earned her millions of fans across the world. She joins Clare to discuss her memoir Over The Influence which delves into the challenges she faced, from her parent’s addiction problems, through to her own struggles growing up in the limelight. Presenter: by Clare McDonnell Produced by Louise Corley

Is the new Grand Central Station adding to the traffic woes of Belfast motorists? Our reporter Taylor Johnson investigates. We also take a look at safety on the roads and what is being done to protect you. Presented by Mark Simpson.

Johnny, Rocky and Rambo were performers in the world’s last travelling dolphin circus and inside a Bali hotel swimming pool. This is the story of the fight to shut the circus down and the long journey to try to return the performing dolphins to the ocean. We hear why the world’s most famous dolphin trainer changed sides - playing a role instead in the fight for their freedom. It is the story of how Femke Den Haas, the Indonesian campaign director of the Dolphin Project, teamed up with former trainer Ric O'Barry.

Hezbollah blames Israel for blowing up hundreds of pagers in Lebanon. Israel has yet to comment. Also: rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs awaits trial over sex trafficking charges; and Instagram boosts privacy on teen accounts.

The US Federal Reserve is likely to cut interests rates tomorrow. We discuss the implications with experts in the United States. And why the Indian Supreme Court is stepping into the row about female doctors' safety at the Kolkata Hospital where a young medic was raped and murdered on her rest break. And on the ground in Sri Lanka ahead of this weekend's election, we hear how the country's slow recovery from economic turmoil will be an important factor in the vote.

Deaths and thousands of injuries in Lebanon after pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah explode. We speak to the Lebanese health minister and ask what's next for the region. Also in the programme: rapper Sean Diddy Combs pleads not guilty to sex trafficking charges; US economy; throat cancer; the future of Oxford Street.

Nine people have been killed and thousands injured in Lebanon by exploding pagers, the sort used by the militant group Hezbollah. We hear from the Lebanese government.In the rest of a special programme live from Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland in the US: as Oregon ends a four- year experiment decriminalising the possession of hard drugs – how can opioid addiction be tackled in the state? And with inflation the number one issue going into November’s US presidential election, we take the economic temperature of Oregon’s famous craft-brewing industry.(IMAGE: Lebanese soldiers and Hezbollah members gather outside the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) after an incident involving Hezbollah members' wireless devices in Beirut, Lebanon, 17 September 2024 / CREDIT: Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Tom struggles to mediate, and Eddie makes his feelings clear.

Bill Gates has told the BBC that governments need to do more to help those living in extreme poverty. Since the pandemic many have cut their aid budgets. A report from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation warns that 40 million additional children will suffer from hunger in the coming years because of climate change and a drop in aid in Africa from nearly 40% of the global total in 2010 to just 25%.Elsewhere, Thailand’s new Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has announced a $13.5 billion cash handout programme for low-income earners and vulnerable groups that will start next week, and will hopefully give the economy a boost. And twenty-four hour party people. How will Montreal's economy benefit from extending their drinking hours?

A disturbing mass-rape trial from Mazan in south west France which has got the whole country addressing its attitude towards gender-based violence.Dominique Pelicot, who is accused of drugging his now ex-wife to sleep and recruiting dozens of men to abuse her, has admitted to all the charges against him. We'll hear from an expert in the psychology behind coercive control.Also in the programme: The head of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the world's media are not giving the crisis in Sudan the attention it deserves; and should there be a legal right to work from home?(Photo shows rape survivor Gisele Pelicot arrives at the criminal court in Avignon, France on 17 September 2024. Credit: Guillaume Horcajuelo/EPA)