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Global News Podcast

BBC World Servicewww.bbc.co.uk

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

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Episodes

Largest anti-government protests in Iran since 2009

Protests have been taking place in cities across Iran, in the biggest show of opposition to the clerical authorities for 17 years. Reports of clashes between Iranian security forces and demonstrators in Tehran and other cities. Also: officials in Minneapolis say the FBI has blocked them from investigating the shooting dead of a woman by a US immigration agent. The Trump administration alleges she tried to run over officers - local officials reject that claim. As NASA prepares to evacuate a sick ...

Jan 09, 202628 min

Lebanon completes first phase of plan to disarm Hezbollah

The Lebanese military says it has completed the first phase of its plan to disarm Hezbollah, but Israel has warned far more needs to be done. The army in Lebanon says the south of the country is now free of non- state weapons. The area had long been dominated by Hezbollah. Also: President Trump has signed a memorandum ordering the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organisations -- nearly half of them UN bodies. Cambodia says it has extradited a billionaire businessman from Ch...

Jan 08, 202630 min

Woman shot dead by US immigration agent

The mayor of Minneapolis in the United States has strongly rejected the Trump administration's account of the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the city. Jacob Frey said video of the incident directly contradicted assertions by the White House that the agent had shot Renee Good in self defence. Hundreds of people gathered in protest at the site of her shooting, lighting candles overnight. Video shows she was shot as she drove off when ICE agents were tr...

Jan 08, 202631 min

US seizes two Venezuela-linked tankers

The United States says it has seized two tankers accused of violating sanctions against Venezuela. One of them, a Russian ship, was boarded in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Britain. The US coastguard had been pursuing the ship for weeks since intercepting it off the Venezuelan coast. During the chase, the vessel underwent a change of name and adopted a Russian flag. Russian support including a submarine was on its way before the tanker was seized. The other tanker, sailing under the fla...

Jan 07, 202627 min

President Trump again threatens to annex Greenland

The US claims that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority to deter threats from Russia and China in the Arctic. Washington hasn't ruled out the use of military force. Also: Ukraine and allies say they've made progress in talks to ensure the country's security in the event of a ceasefire with Russia; the Venezuelan military and government crack down on dissent; the anti-government protests that have engulfed Iran; an inside look at one of the world's first quantum computers; and Lego...

Jan 07, 202627 min

Venezuela Special: Q&A

In this special edition of the Global News Podcast, BBC correspondents answer your questions about the US operation to seize Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Why did the US carry out this operation? What will happen to Venezuela's oil reserves? And who will run the country now? Matthew Amroliwala speaks to our South America correspondent Ione Wells, our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams in Washington, and the BBC's Sumi Somaskanda who is on the border between Venezuela and Colombia. The Gl...

Jan 06, 202622 min

Europe tells US ‘Greenland belongs to its people’

European allies rally to support Denmark following renewed calls by the US that it must control Greenland. It comes as talks are held in Paris on security guarantees for Ukraine. Donald Trump has said that the US "needed" Greenland - a semi-autonomous region of fellow Nato member Denmark - for security reasons. Also: Swiss officials say ski bar not checked for five years before deadly fire that killed 40 mainly young people. Security forces patrol Venezuelan streets as opposition calls for relea...

Jan 06, 202630 min

Maduro taken to US court

The ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is transferred by armed forces to make his first appearance in a US court on drug trafficking and weapons charges, alongside his wife Cilia Flores. Both were seized by American forces from their compound in Caracas and flown to detention in New York, before being led in handcuffs into a Manhattan courtroom. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says he's "concerned rules of international law have not been respected", as nations discuss the US actio...

Jan 05, 202627 min

US sends warning to Venezuela's new leader

The US has warned the new interim leader of Venezuela to do as it says - or face the consequences. Donald Trump says if Delcy Rodriguez "doesn’t do what’s right, she's going to pay a very big price". The ousted Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, is due to appear in court in New York. Also in this podcast, Denmark's prime minister has told Donald Trump to "stop threats" about taking over Greenland. Police in Switzerland say they have now identified all forty victims of the New Year's Day fire ...

Jan 05, 202626 min

The Happy Pod: Christmas with the man I saved

A US woman whose bone marrow saved a father of three in Australia has spent Christmas with him and his family. Gennaro Rapinese, whose leukaemia was cured by the donation, greeted Cassidy Feeney at the airport in Perth with the words 'you saved my life'. Cassidy, who'd never met Gennaro before, says she decided to donate because she'd want someone to do the same for her loved ones - and believes everyone should care more about others and less about themselves. Also: How a community rallied aroun...

Jan 04, 202627 min

Captured Venezuelan leader Maduro in New York

Nicolas Maduro has arrived at a detention centre in Brooklyn, New York where he will be held ahead of an expected first court appearance on Monday. Live TV showed Mr Maduro being led away in a hooded jacket and handcuffs by US agents after the plane transporting the captured Venezuelan president and his wife arrived at an air base north of the city. In 2020, Mr Maduro was charged in absentia over alleged drug and weapons offences. He has always maintained that the accusations are a pretext for r...

Jan 04, 202624 min

Trump says US will 'run' Venezuela

Following the capture of the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by the US military, President Trump has said the United States intends to run the South American country until there can be a "safe, proper and judicious transition". The president was pressed by reporters about who would be running Venezuela during the transition period and offered few details on who exactly would be in charge. He added that Washington wasn't afraid of putting boots on the ground. The announcement comes as the United...

Jan 03, 202619 min

President Trump says US captures Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro

"The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country", writes President Trump on his Truth Social website. Venezuela has declared a national emergency and says military personnel and civilians were killed in the attacks. Caracas has demanded proof that Mr Maduro and the Venezuelan first lady are alive. The US attorney-general, Pamela Bond...

Jan 03, 202621 min

More questions about Swiss fire

Officials investigating the ski resort fire in Switzerland say they're focussing on the bar's safety measures. Also: Iranian officials warn the US against intervention over protests; swapping life in the US for life in Russia; Argentina's 'tax innocence law'; the AI chatbot, Grok, says it will fix safeguards; and Venus Williams wins a wild-card entry to the Australian Open. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and c...

Jan 03, 202627 min

Tributes paid to dead and injured after fire at Swiss resort

Hundreds take part in a vigil in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana after around 40 people died in a fire at a bar while out celebrating New Year. Also: Colombia's armed forces say they have "neutralised" the main leader of one of Venezuela's most powerful and far-reaching criminal gangs; fresh research indicates that psychedelic drugs could be beneficial in treating a range of mental disorders; the UN children's agency Unicef estimates that more than a million Palestinian children trapped in...

Jan 02, 202625 min

Trump removes National Guard from some US cities

Donald Trump says he is withdrawing the National Guard from the Democrat-led cities of Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland after the Supreme Court blocked the deployment of troops for policing duties. But the president said federal forces would "come back" if crime rates go up. Also: President Volodymyr Zelensky says only 10 per cent of a peace deal with Russia remains to be agreed, but Ukraine is not prepared to sign a "weak agreement" that would prolong the war. We speak to a Syrian refugee who ...

Jan 01, 202627 min

Queen: I was assaulted on train

Queen Camilla tells the BBC that as a teenager, she was the victim of an attempted indecent assault on a train journey. She says she fought off her attacker and felt furious about the experience for many years afterwards. The Queen has been a long-standing campaigner against sexual violence. Also: delivery workers go on strike in India; why it's been a bumper year for gold and silver; how to create a factory in space; the peril of the albatross in South Africa; and why American music fans can't ...

Dec 31, 202528 min

Iran protests: 'Death to the dictatorship'

Protests over Iran's worsening economic problems have spread from the capital, Tehran, to other major cities. University students have now joined the demonstrations, calling for an end to poverty and corruption. How will the government respond? Also: the US places sanctions on Iranians and Venezuelans accused of the "aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons". Poland considers a bill to recognise same-sex couples for the first time. Some of the world's top aid organisations are set...

Dec 31, 202530 min

Saudi Arabia bombs Yemeni port over alleged UAE weapons

The United Arab Emirates says it will end its operations in Yemen, after Saudi Arabia conducts a strike on the southern port of Mukalla. Riyadh claims the target was a UAE-linked weapons shipment, intended for separatists. The attack marks the most significant escalation in a widening rift between the two Gulf powers, who once cooperated in a coalition against the Houthis. Also: protests are spreading in Iran, sparked by rising prices and the plummeting value of the currency. China has launched ...

Dec 30, 202530 min

President Trump warns Hamas to honour disarming promise

President Trump has warned that Hamas will have "hell to pay" if it does not disarm quickly as part of the Gaza peace deal. He said he hoped to reach phase two "very quickly". He was speaking during a visit by the Israeli prime minister. Also: Russia accuses Ukraine of launching a drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences – a claim Kyiv has denied; the Bangladeshi politician and former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, has died aged 80; researchers monitoring shark populations in t...

Dec 30, 202527 min

Zelensky: US offered Ukraine 15-year security guarantee

President Zelensky says the US has offered security guarantees for fifteen years although he wished it could be longer. Also; China conducts large-scale military exercises around Taiwan; India’s Supreme Court puts on hold an order that suspended the life sentence of a former member of the governing BJP party for raping a teenager; Israel's announcement that it will formally recognise Somalia's breakaway region, Somaliland, is condemned by regional blocs and neighbouring countries; a crackdown on...

Dec 29, 202532 min

Myanmar's military stages controversial election

Voting has begun in the opening phase of Myanmar's heavily restricted general election, the first since the military seized power nearly five years ago in a coup, an act that sparked civil war. The first round of voting takes place in around a quarter of the country; two more rounds are due to take place next month. Also: we look at how deportation fears in the US are driving money transfers to Honduras. A Siberian tiger gives birth to a record five cubs, it's China's first documented case of a ...

Dec 28, 202534 min

The Happy Pod: Our best stories of 2025

We look back on our happiest stories from the past year, including: the man who created 'Christina's Corner' for his most loyal customer; the life-saving medical breakthrough in the fight against Huntington's; and the four-legged litter picker taking the internet by storm. Plus: the survivors of an atomic bomb tell us why they want peace; the blood test helping detect ovarian cancer early; the cafe in Tokyo where people with dementia can volunteer; diplomacy through folk music 'From China to App...

Dec 27, 202534 min

Thailand and Cambodia agree ceasefire

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, ending weeks of deadly border clashes. It paves the way for prisoner exchanges and for a million displaced civilians to return to their homes. Also: President Trump claims US strikes "decimated" IS targets in Nigeria; the latest on Russia-Ukraine peace talks; Myanmar lifts a curfew after four years; China's high-speed railway races to a new milestone; the Iranian actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, speaks out against women's oppression; how TV...

Dec 27, 202530 min

Malaysia ex-PM found guilty in state funds scandal

Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak has been convicted of abuse of power and money laundering in the biggest case to emerge from the 1MDB state fund scandal. The seventy-two year old, who is already in jail for other charges linked to 1MDB, is sentenced to a further 15 years. His lawyer says he will appeal. Also: there have been demonstrations outside the Delhi High Court against the decision to suspend a life sentence for rape imposed on a former governing party official, Kuldeep Sengar; heavy rain...

Dec 26, 202529 min

US military targets Islamic State group in Nigeria

Donald Trump says US air strikes have killed multiple Islamic State fighters in Nigeria. He described the group as "terrorist scum" who had persecuted innocent Christians. Also: as Russia considers the latest US-backed peace plan, Ukraine's President Zelensky hails "new ideas" to end the war; former Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, endorses his son Flavio to effectively stand in for him in next year's elections; how neutral Switzerland tried to maintain an uneasy compromise during the Second...

Dec 26, 202530 min

One million possible Epstein files found

US officials have uncovered a million more documents which could be connected to the dead sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Department of Justice said that given the volume of material, its full release may take a few weeks. Also: Israel's parliament approves the first reading of legislation for a politically controlled inquiry into the October 7th Hamas-led attacks, disappointing families of the victims; Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank celebrates Christmas for the first time since the war i...

Dec 25, 202521 min

Zelensky reveals 20-point plan to end Ukraine war

President Volodymyr Zelensky has presented a draft agreement to end the war in Ukraine, after negotiations with US. It is now being reviewed by the Kremlin. The document includes security guarantees for Ukraine from the US, NATO and Europe, but President Zelensky says the question of ceding territory is still unresolved. Also: France, Germany and the European Union condemn a decision by the US to impose visa bans on the former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and four others involved in regulating...

Dec 24, 202523 min

Australian state passes gun control laws after Bondi attacks

The Australian state of New South Wales has passed gun control laws ten days after the Hanukkah attack in which 15 people were killed. There are also strict limits on how many firearms people can have and the police will have more powers to ban demonstrations. Also: four Palestine Action prisoners in Britain continue a prolonged hunger strike; Libya’s army chief, General Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, is killed in a plane crash shortly after take-off from the Turkish capital of Ankara; in Egypt, ...

Dec 24, 202528 min

Epstein files: New revelations about Trump

In a newly released email, a US government investigator says that President Donald Trump flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane many more times than was previously reported. Also: Ukraine says it's suffering widespread power cuts after another night of deadly Russian air attacks; US regulators approve a pill version of the weight loss drug Wegovy; we hear what it's like to have a baby in Bethlehem; and how can you ensure that you'll keep your New Year's resolutions? The Global News Podcast brings you t...

Dec 23, 202530 min
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