US government shutdown begins

The Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service presents several main stories: a partial government shutdown in the US due to disagreements over healthcare cuts, a UN Security Council approval of a larger international security force to combat gang violence in Haiti, and European Union leaders discussing drone attack protection. The podcast also covers the UN's appeal to the Afghan Taliban to restore telecommunications, the impact of the internet shutdown on the Afghan people, the escalating gang violence in Haiti, Europe's response to drone incursions, a potential breakthrough in fertility science involving the creation of early-stage human embryos from skin cells, the rapid melting of Switzerland's glaciers, and the controversy surrounding the debut of an AI-generated actress. It also includes an interview with Dr. Mohamed Abu Muhaseb, a senior figure with the medical charity MSF, who discusses his experiences working in Gaza.