Global News Podcast

BBC World Service

<p>The breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Hear the most important global stories from the BBC, the most trusted name in international news. With reporters on the ground in every country, we’re always where the story is. We bring you unparalleled access and exclusive updates that you won’t get anywhere else. </p><p>Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. From Trump’s White House to Putin’s Kremlin, from the Ukraine War to the Israel-Gaza conflict. From Damascus to Delhi, from Silicon Valley to Singapore, from Washington DC to Wuhan. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.</p><p>Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Subscribe now and never miss a moment.</p><p>Also listen to The Happy Pod, every Saturday, for the best global good news.</p><p>Get in touch: [email protected]</p>

  • 28 minutes 41 seconds
    Iran: Attacks on Lebanon are 'grave violation'

    The Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Israel's attacks on Lebanon violate the ceasefire agreement with the United States, and warns that upcoming negotiations will be meaningless if strikes continue. In Beirut, rescue workers are searching through rubble for people missing after Wednesday's bombardments. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to keep attacking the Iran-backed group Hezbollah "wherever necessary". Where does this leave peace talks, currently planned for Saturday in Pakistan?

    Also: millions of people are voting in India's state elections, seen as a test for the Hindu nationalist party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress in Argentina passes a bill allowing mining in areas where glaciers had been protected. We hear from the family of one of Nasa's Artemis II astronauts, as they prepare their return to Earth. A 300 million year old fossil, described as the remains of the world's oldest octopus, turns out not to be an octopus. And outfits belonging to the late British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II - including her wedding and coronation gown - go on display at Buckingham Palace.

    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: [email protected]

    9 April 2026, 3:50 pm
  • 26 minutes 3 seconds
    US-Iran ceasefire under strain

    The Iranian Revolutionary Guard says it will deliver a "regret-inducing response" if Israeli strikes on Lebanon don't stop immediately, according to state media. Lebanese officials say Israel has killed more than 250 people in a wave of attacks targeting Hezbollah that brought down several buildings in Beirut. The US and Israel say Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire deal.

    Despite the internet blackout in most of Iran, we look at how Iranians have been reacting to the two-week ceasefire. And we look ahead to negotiations to end the war due to be held in Pakistan on Saturday.

    Also: The challenges facing low-income households across South Africa due to the impact of the US-Israel war with Iran on oil prices. An architect in New York who led a secret life as a serial killer has pleaded guilty to a string of unsolved crimes known as the Gilgo Beach killings. A drug dealer dubbed the "Ketamine Queen" has been sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with Matthew Perry's ​death in 2023.... and the latest from the Artemis II crew as they prepare to re-enter Earth's atmosphere after travelling further into space than anyone before.

    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: [email protected]

    9 April 2026, 4:25 am
  • 26 minutes 25 seconds
    Hegseth claims 'historic battlefield victory' over Iran

    As a fragile ceasefire begins, both the United States and Iran claim victory. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says Iran will no longer enrich uranium, and that Operation Epic Fury has destroyed Tehran's ability to build missiles or other sophisticated weaponry. Iran has broadcast triumphant messages of victory on state TV, warning that "the slightest mistake by the enemy will be met with full force".

    Despite statements from Iran and mediators Pakistan that fighting will cease on all fronts, Israel says Lebanon is not included in the two-week truce, and has announced its "biggest strikes" since the start of its ground operation there. Our correspondent reports from Beirut, where the government says Israeli strikes have killed dozens and wounded hundreds across the country.

    As both parties prepare for negotiations, scheduled for Friday in Pakistan, will they be able to find a long-term agreement to end the war?

    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: [email protected]

    8 April 2026, 3:37 pm
  • 27 minutes 8 seconds
    The US, Israel and Iran announce two-week ceasefire

    Iran and the US have announced a two-week ceasefire which includes the reoping of the Strait of Hormuz and safe passage for ships. Peace talks will continue between the US and Iran in Islamabad on Friday. We have reaction and analysis from the US and Iran. Israel has issued a statement pointing out that Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire agreement. Also: Major divisions surface in Zimbabwe over attempts to amend the constitution and extend the Presidency of Emmerson Mnangagwa. And, the fourteen-year-old set to become the first American under the age of eighteen to appear on the ballot in a US state gubernatorial election.

    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: [email protected]

    8 April 2026, 5:04 am
  • 29 minutes 21 seconds
    Trump warns Iran 'whole civilisation will die tonight'

    President Trump has warned that "a whole civilisation will die tonight", as his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz approaches. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said they'll retaliate beyond the Middle East, and deprive the US and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crosses 'red lines'. Also, the US Vice-President, JD Vance, is in Hungary, trying to bolster the campaign of Prime Minister Victor Orban's party in advance of Sunday's parliamentary elections; the organisers of the British music festival, Wireless, have cancelled the event following a row over its headline act, the US rapper, Kanye West, who has now been banned from entering the country; and why Australia's most distinguished living war hero has been arrested.

    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: [email protected]

    7 April 2026, 3:39 pm
  • 30 minutes 56 seconds
    Artemis II astronauts fly around the Moon

    The Artemis II astronauts have travelled farther from Earth than any human in history and successfully looped around the far side of the Moon. The NASA crew is now on its way back home after taking photographs of the lunar surface and witnessing a solar eclipse. Also: Donald Trump dismisses concerns that the US targeting civilian infrastructure in Iran could be a war crime; the BBC gets special access to a siezed scam compound in Myanmar; Albanian environmentalists protest against Ivanka Trump's plans for a luxury island resort; and fancy a curling match for a night out?

    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: [email protected]

    7 April 2026, 4:41 am
  • 27 minutes 47 seconds
    Intelligence chief of Iranian Revolutionary Guard killed

    The intelligence chief of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, general Majid Khademi, has been killed in a US-Israeli air strike. An Iranian statement said he'd been "martyred" in an attack at dawn. His unit had been accused by the United States of violently suppressing anti-government protests in January. Israel has claimed responsibility for the strike, and defence Minister Israel Katz says general Khademi was a key target. Also, NASA's Artemis Two mission has crossed a key threshold in space on its journey to slingshot around the Moon - the lunar "sphere of influence". It means the Moon's gravitational pull now takes over the trajectory of the Orion spacecraft. And India's Border Security Force has asked security officials on the border with Bangladesh to look at the feasibility of deploying crocodiles and snakes to prevent illegal migration and smuggling.

    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: [email protected]

    6 April 2026, 3:38 pm
  • 26 minutes
    Trump extends Iran's deadline to open Strait of Hormuz

    Donald Trump has changed the deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Tuesday, and threatened to bomb Iran's bridges and power plants if his demands are ignored. Tehran has dismissed the warnings as "nonsense". And US forces have rescued the missing American aviator whose fighter jet was shot down in southern Iran. Also: The challenges that autistic children and their parents face in Malawi. Sponsors pull out of Britain's Wireless music festival because Kanye West is headlining. And how one 77-year-old museum curator is trying to get Gen Z into the arts.

    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: [email protected]

    6 April 2026, 4:25 am
  • 29 minutes 56 seconds
    US gives Iran 48 hours to make deal or open Strait of Hormuz

    President Trump has given Iran 48 hours to make a deal or open up the Strait of Hormuz - an ultimatum Tehran has rejected. Both countries are trading threats to unleash "hell" as the search continues for a missing American aviator. The diplomatic fallout has also seen the US revoke the green cards of two women thought to be related to the late Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. We'll get analysis from our correspondents on the ground and a military expert. Also: Bangladesh launches an emergency measles vaccination programme; the Ukrainian project creating dishes from demined fields; how the manosphere is poisoning the atmosphere in British classrooms; and the Artemis II astronauts catch their first glimpse of the far side of the Moon.

    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: [email protected]

    5 April 2026, 3:49 am
  • 26 minutes 35 seconds
    The Happy Pod: The decades long wait for the World Cup

    We now know the 48 nations that will be competing in the summer's FIFA World Cup. The final two sides to qualify - Iraq and the DRC - have each waited decades to return to the competition. We hear from jubilant fans of both teams.

    Also, a small rural village in South Korea, which is at risk of extinction, is celebrating the birth of a baby for the first time 17 years. A community in Washington DC has come together to rebuild a bookshop that was destroyed in a fire. An ancient abbey in the north of England is experiencing a tourism boost thanks to a Taiwanese pop star. A British schoolgirl has invented a pair of glasses designed to help people with dyslexia. In Japan, people have been taking part in a Grand Prix like no other: an office chair race.

    Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

    Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson.

    4 April 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 27 minutes 49 seconds
    US in desperate search for missing aviator in Iran

    American forces are searching for a missing crew member after a US fighter jet was downed in Iran. Iranian state media says Iran's security forces are also looking for the aviator. Iran is also claiming to have shot down a second US warplane over the Gulf. US media says the A-10 combat plane was shot at near the Strait of Hormuz during a search-and-rescue mission for the first downed aircraft. The pilot ejected and was rescued. Also in the podcast, Cuba begins releasing more than 2,000 prisoners as US pressure mounts. We'll hear about the Oscar winning documentary focusing on the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings. Why the recent Winter Olympic Games in Italy are being called the cleanest on record - but could this change? And the crew of Artemis II take "spectacular" image of Earth.

    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: [email protected]

    4 April 2026, 3:45 am
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