Global News Podcast

We hear how a man's search for his birth mother ended in an unexpected but familiar place - his favourite local bakery. Vamarr Hunter was shocked to discover that the bakery's owner, whose company and motherly advice he'd enjoyed for years, was the woman who'd given him up for adoption when she was 17. Lenore Lindsey says being reunited has made her a warmer person and it feels like they were never separated.Also: The international football star who cycles to work, uses public transport and wears second-hand clothes. Héctor Bellerín, who plays for Real Betis in Spain, uses his profile to champion greener choices - arguing that with power comes responsibility.Green turtles have recovered from the brink of extinction, in what scientists are describing as a major conservation victory. They've been classed as endangered since the 1980s but their numbers are bouncing back.The winner of one of the world's most prestigious prizes describes how he initially thought his wife was playing a joke on him. Fred Ramsdell

Tens of thousands of Gazans make the long walk back to where they once lived after a ceasefire comes into force. Meanwhile, families in Israel wait for the return of the last remaining hostages held by Hamas. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Venezuela's opposition leader, María Corina Machado, who expressed shock when first told of the award. Also, Taiwan seeks to protect itself against air attack from China with a defence system similar to Israel's Iron Dome, and the football referee who thinks we shouldn't want to win at all costs.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

Israel's government has agreed to the first phase of President Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of all remaining Israeli hostages. A ceasefire is expected to take effect within 24 hours, with hostage releases to follow within three days. Under the deal, Israel would free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, begin withdrawing troops from parts of Gaza, and allow hundreds of aid trucks to enter the Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the move as a 'momentous development' and thanked President Trump, as well as US aides Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Also: a man convicted of raping Gisèle Pelicot, the woman at the centre of a high-profile trial in France, has had his sentence extended; New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James, has been indicted on federal charges of bank fraud; India's southern state of Karnataka has approved a plan to grant one day of paid menstrual leave per month; how a new AI arms race is transforming the war in Ukraine; a behind-the-scenes look at

A landmark agreement has been reached by Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all the remaining hostages. The deal is expected to come into force later on Thursday, after being ratified by the Israeli government, and would include the release of around two thousand Palestinian prisoners. It's the first phase of a US-led initiative and was agreed after intense negotiations in Egypt.We bring you the latest developments and reactions to the deal from Israel and Gaza. The hostages could be released on Sunday or Monday, but we hear why some families say their joy is mixed with anger that it's taken so long. In Gaza, there were celebrations at the news and relief that the attacks could soon end and desperately needed aid could reach the hundreds of thousands in need. But there's also concern that many of the details of the plan remain unclear.Our correspondents also explain how the deal was agreed overnight, and why it's been possible now, after just over two years of war. And we hear that so

President Donald Trump says Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of his Gaza peace deal and that hostages could be released within days. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu called the agreement "a great day for Israel". Hamas confirmed the deal, but said it's awaiting details of a prisoner exchange. People have flooded the streets in Gaza and Israel to celebrate the announcement. Also: the French President, Emmanuel Macron says he'll name a new premier before the weekend. Ukraine's military accuses Russia of trying to erase Ukrainian culture by looting historical artefacts. US police have arrested a man who they believe intentionally started the Palisades fire, which devastated part of Los Angeles in January. The Portuguese athlete Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first billionaire footballer. UNICEF warns that the number of children displaced by armed gang violence in Haiti has almost doubled in the last year. Meanwhile, the United Nations is said to be intending to cut a quarter of its peacekeepers globa

A minute's silence has been observed across Israel to mark the Hamas-led attacks of 2023. There have been protests in Morocco for eleven straight days, and there's good news for whales off the Australian coast. How France is trying to find a way through its latest political crisis, and a leather-clad Argentine president headlines a rock concert. 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

Solar and wind power have overtaken coal as the world’s leading source of electricity for the first time on record. Record solar expansion and steady wind growth is driving the shift, with China and India among the countries leading the clean energy charge. On the second anniversary of the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel, talks on a Gaza ceasefire are ongoing, with President Trump claiming an agreement on his 20-point peace deal is close. Scientists win a Nobel Prize for discovering why the human immune system does not destroy the body. A rare insight into life in North Korea as a study suggests people are hunting wild animals to the point of extinction due to food shortages. Also: why scientists are freezing the eggs of an endangered butterfly, Bari Weiss becomes the new editor-in-chief of CBS News, and Instagram celebrates its 15th birthday.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. Poli

In France Sebastien Lecornu resigns as prime minister saying the conditions were not fulfilled for him to carry on. He criticised unwillingness by political parties to reach compromises. Several parties are calling for early elections and some are calling for President Macron to go - although he has always said he will not stand down before his term ends in 2027. Stocks fell sharply on the Paris exchange amid concerns about the political parties' ability to tackle the country's economic problems, especially its massive debt. Also: A Sudanese militia leader has been found guilty of war crimes in the first International Criminal Court verdict on atrocities in Darfur more than twenty years ago, Hamas' chief negotiator has met Egyptian and Qatari mediators ahead of indirect talks with Israeli officials later, and the British author and journalist, Jilly Cooper has died at the age of 88. She gained fame for her romantic novels - the best known of which are her Rutshire Chronicles. One of the books - Rivals was su

Delegations from Hamas, Israel and the US meet in Egypt to discuss Trump peace plan for Gaza. Also: a special BBC investigation into the fast-growing crime of online sexual extortion; California Governor Newsom says he'll take legal action to stop President Trump from deploying National Guard troops to a Democrat-run city in Oregon; what's behind the seemingly unstoppable rise of bitcoin; and Norwegian crowned world porridge making champion with Viking recipe using black oats.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

President Trump says Israel has agreed to an initial withdrawal line in Gaza. He says the details have been shared with Hamas and once the Palestinian group confirms it agrees with the line, there will be an immediate ceasefire and an exchange of hostages and prisoners. Also: Japan is on track to get its first ever female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi; Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for an explosion near a high-security prison in the Somali capital, Mogadishu; anti-government protests in Georgia and Madagascar; we look back at the life of the Czech novelist Ivan Klima, who's died aged 94; the US takes on India at a speed chess tournament; and the British and Irish film festival taking place in Dinard in France. 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, de

An 18-year-old entrepreneur who has helped more than twenty thousand teenagers get skills, training and mentoring has been recognised with a global student prize. Adarsh Kumar grew up in poverty in rural Bihar and says he was inspired by wanting to solve the problems he saw around him - and the example set by his hardworking single mother. He plans to use the ten thousand dollar prize to help improve the lives of even more people - and believes the first step in changing the world is to change his home state. Also: we find out how teenagers who've been struggling with school attendance are learning important life lessons - from three year olds. The scheme pairs them with a nursery child to give them a sense of responsibility and helping others. We celebrate the winner of Fat Bear Week in Alaska - which saw tens of thousands of people around the world vote for the brown bear who'd done best at gorging on salmon and berries to prepare for winter. How new technology is helping Premier League football fans with

President Trump tells Israel to stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agrees to release all remaining hostages and seeks further talks on his peace plan. Also: The American rapper, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, is jailed for four years following his conviction on prostitution-related charges; the computers powered by lab-grown mini brains; the cruise company with no ship; and celebrating 75 years of the Peanuts comic strip featuring Snoopy.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

For the first time in its five hundred year history, the Church of England has chosen a woman as its leader. Dame Sarah Mullally will be known formally as the Archbishop of Canterbury and will be the most senior bishop and spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, which has more than eighty five million followers worldwide. Speaking after the announcement she said she intended to be a shepherd to all. Also, British police say that one of the two victims killed in Thursday's attack on a synagogue in Manchester appears to have been hit by police gunfire. Munich Airport in Germany has become the latest European airport forced to halt operations because of unexplained drones. Taylor Swift's highly anticipated 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl", has been released featuring songs that are expected to top charts around the world. 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, economi

Police have named the man who killed two people at a synagogue in Manchester. Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British man of Syrian descent, was shot and killed by officers outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. Also, Donald Trump has declared the US is now in an armed conflict with drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea. A man alleged to be a high-up figure in the Tren de Aragua gang has been arrested in Colombia. A former Israeli hostage who was held in captivity in Gaza for 16 months has called on Hamas to sign President Trump's peace plan. The disgraced rapper, Sean Diddy Combs, is set to be sentenced on prostitution charges. Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri is formally abdicating his throne. There is a rogue planet gobbling up gas and dust at an unprecedented rate. Open AI's Sora app raises yet more concerns about artificial intelligence and copyright.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 aro

At least two people have been killed in an attack outside a synagogue in Manchester in northern England on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Three others are in a serious condition after the incident, in which a car was driven at people and a man was stabbed. Greater Manchester Police have confirmed the suspected assailant was shot dead by armed officers. Detectives have declared it a terrorist attack. Also: the head of Hamas’s armed wing in Gaza tells mediators he does not agree to the plan set out by US President Donald Trump to end the war with Israel. Rescue workers in Indonesia say there are no longer any signs of life under the rubble of a school which collapsed in East Java, with nearly sixty people still missing. Britain's Royal Society is marking 75 years since the mathematician and Second World War codebreaker, Alan Turing, created a test to help distinguish a machine from a human. And an ice core from Antarctica that may be more than 1.5 million years old is being melted down by s

The Israeli navy has intercepted boats carrying aid to Gaza and detained the activists on board. Also: Indonesian rescuers search for 59 children trapped under rubble of collapsed school, BBC analysis finds a surge in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries, the EU considers constructing a drone wall, comedy turns into controversy in Saudi Arabia, the latest on the US government shutdown, a preview of the Czech parliamentary elections, and we look back at the life of world-leading chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall.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

The race to save dozens of students after a school collapses in Indonesia. At least four students were killed and about 100 injured, some critically, after the two-storey Islamic Boarding School in East Java caved in. Hundreds of students, most of them teenage boys, had gathered to pray in the building when it gave way. The authorities on Wednesday said crying and shouting could still be heard from under the rubble, while anxious relatives who had camped out at the school overnight awaited news of their loved ones.Also: shutdown at Oktoberfest after an explosion in Munich, the controversial South African opposition politician Julius Malema is found guilty of gun charges, dozens are dead after an earthquake in the Philippines, and Indian doctors get help with their handwriting.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 al

A partial government shutdown has come into effect in the US. Democrats and Repulicans failed to agree on a spending bill, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal workers face not being paid. Also, the UN is appealing to the ruling Taliban to restore nationwide communications after the internet was cut across Afghanistan. The UN has announced a new security force to try and tackle gangs in Haiti. Leaders of the European Union will discuss how to protect their countries from drone attacks during meetings in Denmark. Scientists in the US are developing a technique that could use almost any cell in the body as the starting point of life. Official figures show Switzerland's glaciers have lost a quarter of their total volume over the past decade. Plus, an AI actor has been unveiled at the Zurich Film Festival.

To mark two years of the war in Gaza, our correspondents bring you this special episode of the Global News Podcast from the BBC Bureau in Jerusalem. Jon Donnison is joined by our Gaza correspondent Rushdi Abualouf, our International Editor Jeremy Bowen, and our Middle East correspondent Yolande Knell. They discuss the history of the conflict, their memories of the October 7th attacks, and respond to questions from BBC World Service listeners. As talk of a potential ceasefire brokered by the US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dominates the news agenda, we look back at the impact this war has had on people living in the Gaza Strip and Israel. 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

President Trump says Hamas has days to accept a 20-point peace plan in Gaza or they will 'pay in hell'. Also: the search for survivors after a school collapses in Indonesia, a BBC undercover reporter investigates illegal dogfights in Europe, and the South African ambassador to France dies after falling out of a hotel window in Paris. Plus we look at the plight of migrants from Haiti who have crossed into the Dominican Republic.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