The World Tonight

Governments and cyber-security agencies around the world are urging online companies to fix flaws in their programming language, or take down their websites. We speak to a technology expert who explains how worried we should be.
Also in the programme, a 74-year-old American man is released from a Russian penal colony. We hear from the lawyer for Stephen Hubbard.
And we take you to the rainforests of Cameroon, where a British music group have been recording the voices and instruments of the people who live in Baka.
(Photo: Hard disk drives at the computer server, as cyber agencies warn that websites may be taken offline while PHP prepares a critical fix, in Berlin, Germany, October 21, 2026. Credit: REUTERS)

With Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities intensifying, we examine Ukraine's resistance to making a deal to end the war.
Also on the programme: The UK is to help defend Saudi Arabia by intercepting drones and missiles from Yemen's Houthi rebels. Why does such a wealthy country need British fire power; and can we avoid mission creep? Is the Government about to give the go-ahead to fresh extraction in the Jackdaw gas field, east of Aberdeen? We'll hear a supporter and an opponent. And what's the appeal of micro dramas?

French cities including Paris, Nice and Lyon have imposed overnight curfews after protests about the cost of living turned violent over the weekend. We hear from the left-wing La France Insoumise party, which has been accused by the Prime Minister of encouraging the violence.
Also on the programme: we hear from a friend of an Australian MP who was the victim of an alleged attack; and the controversial Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is back, this time voiced by an Indian-born actor.

US President Trump is in campaigning mode as the mid-term elections take place in two weeks, but he's simultaneously embroiled in a geopolitical spat with the leader of Ukraine after agreeing to buy millions of barrels of Russian diesel. We look at what impact Trump's foreign policy is having on the mid-term race.
Also on the programme: as Prime Minister Andy Burnham says more power should be devolved from Holyrood to the Scottish regions, we hear from the SNP.
And we hear from the powerchair footballers preparing to take part in the World Cup for electric wheelchair users in Argentina.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting says the US will continue to back Ukraine after meeting with his counterpart in Washington DC Pete Hegseth. That's after critical remarks by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky against Donald Trump in multiple media interviews. Wes Streeting also said he understands that Starlink satellite communications, which Ukraine uses to coordinate its battlefield manoeuvres, have resumed.
Also on the programme: we speak to the lawyer who is representing one of seven men accused of sexually assaulting a woman at Cornell University. And should primary school children have mandatory outdoor play time? We explore a new proposal from the Lib Dems.