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This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.
Among critics signed at 5 o'clock GMT on Wednesday 1st October, these are our main stories.
In the US, a partial government shutdown comes into effect.
The UN Security Council approves a much larger international security force to combat Haiti's crippling gang violence,
and leaders of the European Union will discuss how to protect their countries from drone attacks during meetings in Denmark.
Also in this podcast,
the UN appeals to the Afghan Taliban to immediately restore telecommunications across the country,
leaving people helpless.
We start in the US where a partial government shutdown has just come into effect after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree a spending bill because of disagreements about cuts to health care.
In practice,
this could mean everything from museums to courthouses closing and millions of federal workers from soldiers to air traffic controllers,
either going on furlough or working without pay.
The arguments leading up to this moment have been fierce,
with both sides vehemently blaming each other for the stalemate.
First, speaking for the Republicans, Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
I'm hoping there are Democrats out there who are reasonable and understand what's at stake here.
And as they have articulated many times in the past,
the costs associated with the American people with the government shutdown,
this is totally avoidable.