Right-wing populist party makes big gains in UK elections

Right-wing populist party makes big gains in UK elections

Author: BBC World Service May 8, 2026 Duration: 27:24

Britain's right-wing populist party Reform makes gains as votes are counted in local elections. With a promise to reduce immigration, the party looks set to win council seats across the country, mostly at the expense of the more centrist Labour and Conservatives. Also: South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa faces calls to resign after a court rules he will be investigated over the theft of more than half-a-million dollars. Instagram is ending the option to send direct messages with super secure privacy technology after years of saying it was the future of the platform. The move has been praised by law enforcement groups. And China's new snooker world champion receives a hero's welcome on his return home.


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Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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Podcast Episodes
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Islamabad warns that the gap between the negotiating positions of the US and Iran remains wide. Each has accused the other of breaking the terms of the tentative ceasefire agreed this week. Also: on the first visit by a…
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Duration: 27:33
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructs his cabinet to begin direct talks with Lebanon, but states "there is no ceasefire" and Israel will "continue to strike Hezbollah with force". Also: the US warns Iran against pl…
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Duration: 28:41
The Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Israel's attacks on Lebanon violate the ceasefire agreement with the United States, and warns that upcoming negotiations will be meaningless if strikes continue. In Beirut, re…
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Duration: 26:03
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard says it will deliver a "regret-inducing response" if Israeli strikes on Lebanon don't stop immediately, according to state media. Lebanese officials say Israel has killed more than 250 peo…