An inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, the woman who died after she came into contact with poison intended for a former Russian agent, has reached the conclusion that President Putin was “morally responsible for her death”. Adam is joined by Marie Lennon the host of the BBC’s podcast Crime Next Door: The Salisbury Poisonings and news correspondent, Tom Symonds to explore what else the inquiry found out. Plus, Alex drops by to unpack why the government has postponed four mayoral elections that were set to take place next year. They say they need more time to prepare for the changes, but some of the candidates preparing to run in opposition have accused the government of being afraid of poor results.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing [email protected] or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Anna Harris with Jem Westgate. The social producer was Beth Pritchard. The technical producer was Michael Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.