Six O'Clock News

Episodes

• 
  French protests turn violent 18.10.2026 16m

  The French President, Emmanuel Macron, prepares to address the nation after protests against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services descended into rioting and looting. Around 1,800 people were arrested yesterday and more than 500 police officers and firefighters were injured. Also: Zack Polanski rules out any immediate attempt to overturn the Green party's policy of describing Zionism as a form of racism. And the Pope makes his first public appearance since he was discharged from hospital, after undergoing lung cancer surgery.
• 
  Hundreds arrested in protests across France 17.10.2026 16m

  There have been outbreaks of violence in cities across France where tens of thousands of people took part in demonstrations against the cost of living and declining public services. Masked groups have set fire to buildings, looted shops and clashed with police. Also: President Zelensky says he fears the United States will lift more sanctions on Russia after President Trump blocked sweeping new measures targetting Russian oil and gas exports. And Pope Leo has been discharged from hospital in Rome, after having a cancerous growth removed from his lung.
• 
  Violence flares in the occupied West Bank during olive harvest 16.10.2026 31m

  Dozens of masked Israeli settlers have attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in the village of Abu Falah, in the occupied West Bank. Also: A teenager who travelled from Norway to the UK to carry out a "hit" for a Swedish organised crime group has been sentenced to 20 years detention and three chefs from the West Country qualify for the Barbecue World Cup.
• 
  Jeffrey Donaldson jailed for 15 years 15.10.2026 30m

  The former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Jeffrey Donaldson, has been jailed for fifteen years for historic child sex offences, including rape. Also: the Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, has expressed the importance of standing with Ukraine in its war against Russia while on a visit to Washington. And the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, has apologised for his plans to commercialise the World Cup and other competitions. (Image: PA)
• 
  Russell Brand goes on trial 14.10.2026 30m

  Witnesses have begun giving evidence in the rape and sexual assault trial of the comedian, Russell Brand. He denies three counts of rape, three counts of sexual assault, and one of indecent assault, made by six female complainants. Also: Andy Burnham has promised to accelerate deliveries of British air defence missiles to Ukraine, after welcoming President Zelensky to Downing Street. And a new research project is allowing scientists, and members of the public, to follow the movements of penguins. (Image: Julia Quenzler / BBC)
• 
  MI5 chief warns of threats to UK from Russia, Iran and AI 13.10.2026 30m

  The head of MI5, Sir Ken McCallum, has warned that one of his key concerns is that artificial intelligence could help terrorists create biological weapons, such as killer pathogens. Also: A man who was killed by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park has been identified as William Chapman. And Pope Leo has surgery to remove a nodule from his lung. (Image: PA)
• 
  Andy Burnham says he will push for closer ties with the European Union 12.10.2026 30m

  The Prime Minister has said it would be a dereliction of duty not to discuss closer ties with Europe which, he says, would boost growth in the UK and help tackle illegal immigration. He told MPs that he would use a UK-EU summit next month to push for new deals, but the British public would remain the "boss", as he put it, at every stage of renegotiation. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, said he would not get a better deal, and accused him of weakening his negotiating hand by openly discussing his aims. Andy Burnham also addressed questions about Russia's involvement in the Brexit referendum in 2016, saying there was evidence Russia had tried to manipulate the 2019 general election, and it was 'inconceivable' Moscow had not been involved before, but he believed the result of the referendum was legitimate. The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called Mr Burnham a liar, and the idea of Russian inteference a hoax.
• 
  Zack Polanski vows to stay on as Green Party Leader 09.10.2026 30m

  Zack Polanski has insisted he will stay on as the leader of the Greens, despite a by-election defeat at a time when he's already under pressure from many within his party. Also: This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the South African judge, Navi Pillay. And ministers have said they will introduce tougher regulation of assessments for autism and ADHD. (Image: PA)
• 
  Police accept Andrew search warrants were unlawful 08.10.2026 30m

  Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has won the first round of his legal case against Thames Valley Police, after the force accepted that the warrants used to search his homes earlier this year were unlawful. The former prince has always denied any wrongdoing. Also: At least thirty people have been killed in Russian air strikes on two buses in Ukraine. And the BBC has announced it is scrapping a number of Radio 4 programmes, including You and Yours. (Image: Reuters)
• 
  Jailed former bankers have their convictions quashed 07.10.2026 30m

  Five former City traders who were sentenced to prison in one of the biggest scandals of the financial crisis have had their convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal. Also: Kemi Badenoch has told the Conservative conference in Birmingham that the party would scrap inheritance tax for family homes and cut welfare spending if it won the next election. And the Nobel chemistry prize is awarded for work on mirror image molecules. (Image: PA)
• 
  French police fire tear gas at school protesters 06.10.2026 30m

  Police in France fire tear gas at protestors during the biggest demonstrations yet about conditions in schools. One of the unions organising rallies claimed 450,000 people took to the streets in more than thirty towns and cities. Police claim around half that number were involved. Many gatherings remained peaceful, but tensions were high in some places after a 15-year-old boy lost his hand when a stun grenade exploded in Lens yesterday. Hugh Schofield reports from Paris, Nick Beake from Lens and Mark Lowen from Marseille, with analysis from our Economics Editor Faisal Islam.Two police officers who used pepper spray and a taser on a 92-year-old disabled man in his care home in East Sussex have been sacked. Stephen Smith and Rachel Comotto were called to Saint Leonards on Sea after Donald Burgess, who had dementia, threatened staff with his cutlery knife. Charlie Rose reports.The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, has ruled out forming a government with Reform UK if the next general election results in a hung parliament. She told the BBC she would rather have another election than do a deal with Reform's leader, Nigel Farage. Mrs Badenoch was speaking at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. Our political editor Chris Mason reports.The online fashion retailer, ASOS, says it is investigating unauthorised pop-up messages appearing on its app which claim the company had been hacked. Dozens of people have told the BBC they received a message on their phones' home screens, saying the firm's data management systems had been “fully compromised”. It's thought to be part of an attempt to blackmail the company. Chris Vallance reports.And Professor Francis Halzen, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. He's behind an ambitious project at the South Pole. It's enabled scientists to detect more of a particular and especially important type of this elusive subatomic particle. Our science correspondent Victoria Gill reports.(Image: EPA/Shutterstock)
• 
  Downing Street insists RAF Fairford is safe 05.10.2026 30m

  The American Vice President, JD Vance, has said the US acted out of an 'abundance of caution' when it removed its bombers from RAF Fairford yesterday. Also: A teenager's hand is blown off during nationwide student protests in France. And the joint winners of this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine are recognised for helping scientists learn more about the inner workings of the brain. (Image: PA)
• 
  UAE prosecutors say co-pilot used cockpit axe in plane attack 03.10.2026 16m

  Investigators in the United Arab Emirates say the co-pilot on a plane bound for Israel used an axe, stored in the cockpit for emergencies, as a weapon to attack the aircraft's captain. Also: Spanish riot police and protesters in Valencia clash at a demonstration over housing. And Tennessee's prison commissioner resigns over the botched execution of Christa Pike.
• 
  G7 releases 100 million barrels of fuel reserves 02.10.2026 30m

  The G7 bloc of major economies agrees the release of a hundred million barrels of strategic fuel reserves, to try to bring down the cost of diesel. Also: Riot police have fired tear gas in Paris, as students continue protests across France demanding more money for education. And Manchester City have confirmed they have launched an appeal against a ruling that the club breached the Premier League’s financial rules. (Image: PA)
• 
  Hundreds of prisoners walk free 01.10.2026 30m

  The first prisoners to be released early under the government's scheme to create more space in prisons in England and Wales have walked free. Victims and probation service staff are among those to criticise the move. Also: Executions in the US state of Tennessee have been halted after the prisoner, Christa Pike, survived two attempts to kill her by lethal injection. And secondary school students in France take part in a fourth day of protests over the education system. (Image: PA)
• 
  RAF Fairford suspects released on bail 30.09.2026 30m

  The British men suspected of plotting a bomb attack on an RAF airbase in Gloucestershire have all been released on bail. The head of counter terrorism police says the investigation is still ongoing. Also: the Chancellor, John Healey, tells Labour Conference delegates that cutting welfare expenditure is a 'moral duty', and not just an economic necessity. And Space X's latest starship mission goes up, but comes down hours earlier than planned. (Image: EPA/Shutterstock)
• 
  Pilot arrested after 'stabbing co-pilot in cockpit' 30.09.2026 30m

  A senior Israeli minister has described an incident on a plane travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv as an 'attempted jihadist terror attack'. Also: Andy Burnham says it's possible Labour will offer a new in-out referendum on the EU in its next election manifesto. And a brown bear known as '89 Backpack' has won the annual fat bear week competition in the US. (Image: Reuters)
• 
  Andy Burnham sets out his vision on social care 29.09.2026 30m

  Andy Burnham has told the Labour Party conference that the existing pension triple lock will end in 2030 to help fund a new national care service. Also: The Premier League has announced that Manchester City have been found guilty of all 150 financial breaches they were accused of. And Spain has agreed to ban evictions until 2030.
• 
  Andy Burnham promises new direction for the UK at Labour Party conference 26.09.2026 16m

  Andy Burnham has promised to set out a new direction for the UK after what he called a decade of drift since Brexit, as he arrived for his first Labour conference as prime minister. He told clapping supporters that he'd outline how he'd deliver growth in every postcode and hope in every heart. He also announced a new scheme to help get young people on the property ladder.
• 
  Man City found guilty of most of 115 financial rule breaches 25.09.2026 30m

  Sources say Manchester City have been found guilty of breaking the majority of the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaching. Also: The Prime Minister has urged the justice system of England and Wales to look at how a paedophile was bailed back to his flat overlooking a playground. And the BBC is bringing back the children's programme, Play School. (Image: PA)