Emotional reunions for Ukrainian evacuees after years under Russian occupation

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There were emotional family reunions yesterday in Ukraine as hundreds of evacuees left the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky and joined their loved ones in Ukrainian controlled territory. Oleshky has been tightly controlled by the Russian troops since February 2022 and several hundred people are understood to have decided to stay in the war-torn city, despite widespread devastation and the lack of gas, electricity and running water. Also in the programme: A look at how the major political parties are doing just a few days before US voters head to the polls for the midterm elections on Tuesday; and we hear from a Slovenian scientist and astronomer working in Northern Ireland who has had an asteroid named after him. Presenter Julian Worricker is joined by Tim Judah, a journalist, author and special correspondent for The Economist covering the Balkans and Ukraine, and Madeleine Schwartz, a journalist and editor of the Dial Magazine. Photo: Larysa, a resident evacuated during a humanitarian mission from the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, embraces her daughter Anna, who was waiting for her return to Ukrainian-controlled territory, October 31, 2026. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko