How US model agencies helped Epstein access victims

A BBC investigation uncovers new evidence about how model agencies, scouts and powerful fashion figures helped Jeffrey Epstein gain access to young women after his conviction for sex offences. A woman raped by the financier says the president of her model agency put her in danger when he sent her to two photoshoots at Epstein's Florida beach house. At the time, in 2009, Epstein was serving a jail sentence for sex offences against a minor but was allowed to work each day from his home. Also: dozens of soldiers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are sentenced to death by a military court for offences including cowardice and mutiny. Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US begin two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, aimed at ending the war. One of Russia's few independent news outlets, Novaya Gazeta, is shut down. In a unique experiment, movie fans in the Netherlands are hypnotised before watching their favourite film, so they can experience the movie as if for the first time. A round-the-world cruise ship, which left passengers stranded in Cambodia after its operator ran out of money, has been seized in Singapore. And five stars are shortlisted for the 2026 BBC World Service Women’s Footballer of the Year. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Jeffrey Epstein Credit: New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services sex offender registry