Global News Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ex gang member convicted of masterminding Tupac's murder Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

A former gang boss is facing potentially life in prison after being found guilty of murdering Tupac Shakur in 1996. Duane 'Keffe D' Davis masterminded the plan and supplied the gun that killed the rapper. Also, the families of more than 600 workers believed to be trapped in a vast network of mud-filled tunnels along Nepal's Trishuli River are clinging to hope their loved ones can be found alive. In the US, there is pushback about how quickly car licence plate readers made by one company, Flock, are spreading across the country. Argentina great Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football. The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has accused Israel and Russia of spreading disinformation related to the mass influx of migrants. John Galliano has cancelled an upcoming major exhibition celebrating his work as a fashion designer after it prompted criticism due to his previous conviction for making antisemitic and anti-Asian remarks. A team of conservationists in Chile has designed a healing "suit" to help penguins recover from surgery.

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: Duane Davis looks on during his murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur Credit: Reuters

Iran says two killed after US attack on Larak Island Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Iran and the US exchange fire for the first time in a month. The US said it destroyed two Iranian launchers on a small island in the Strait of Hormuz as they were preparing to deploy sea-mine rockets. Iranian state media later said Iran had responded with ballistic missile strikes on two US-operated airbases in Jordan. Also: As teams from Nepal, India and China work to reach people trapped by Wednesday's flash floods in the Himalayas, Chinese police say they've taken action against ten people for allegedly exaggerating the numbers of dead. In Korea the leader of the controversial Unification Church, otherwise known as The Moonies, has been sentenced to two years in prison. Han Hak-ja was found guilty of bribing South Korea's former first lady - the wife of the now ousted Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol - by giving her two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace worth nearly $60,000. And, scientists at a university in Australia are rearing an echidna hoping that the rare, egg laying mammal will help them answer fundamental questions about the evolution of pregnancy in other mammals.

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: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. Credit: Reuters

US and Iran trade fire for first time in a month Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

The US has bombed Iranian launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz - the first known attack in weeks. Tehran has launched retaliatory strikes against American bases in Jordan. Also: rescue efforts intensify after Nepal-Tibet flood; Russia is accused of targeting cultural sites in Ukraine; NASA launches its space telescope; a zoo reopens in Gaza's Khan Younis; and the best movies of the summer.

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: Ships and boats on the Strait of Hormuz, Oman, 29th April 2026 Credit: Reuters

The Global Story: Will the new cancer vaccine survive RFK Jr’s America? Aug 30, 2026

Show notes

A new personalised vaccine given in combination with a drug has stopped skin cancer returning in patients during a trial, representing a potentially watershed moment in cancer treatment. Scientists used mRNA technology, which was used for some Covid-19 vaccines.

But that technology - and vaccines more generally - have become increasingly controversial in the United States since the Covid-19 pandemic. The Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, is a vaccine sceptic. In August 2025 cancelled $500m (£376m) in funding for mRNA vaccine research. The move impacted 22 projects being led by major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, for vaccines against bird flu and other viruses, according to Kennedy’s department.

We speak to Tom Whipple, host of the BBC’s Inside Science programme, about the science of this new vaccine. And we ask how funding cuts for vaccine research could impact health outcomes not just for Americans, but for the world.

For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

Netanyahu condemns West Bank attacks by settlers Aug 30, 2026

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The Israeli prime minister has condemned Jewish settlers who attacked two Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank including Qusra where an earlier siege by settlers sparked an international outcry. Benjamin Netanyahu called the settlers rioters who violated the law and harmed Israel's standing in the world. Also: A Russian drone strike on an ammunition store in Ukraine kills 37 civilians in a residential area of Kyiv. Lake Ontario gets a new sign - the latest salvo in the ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States. The world's number one cyclist Tadej Pogačar requires surgery after crashing out of La Vuelta in Spain, and why the Japanese custom of removing and tidying shoes is causing problems for emergency services.

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: Settlers throwing stones at a house in the Palestinian village of Qusra in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Credit: Reuters

The Happy Pod: My tattoo is his voice Aug 29, 2026

Show notes

Jessica Fletcher wanted to find a way to communicate with her autistic non-speaking son, Hunter, which could be used everywhere. So, she got a keyboard tattooed on her arm. Now they can communicate anywhere they go.

Plus, meet the Plurabelle Paddlers. They are just one group of women competing in a dragon boat race where all the participants are survivors of breast cancer. Also on this podcast, would you eat a cookie which contains recycled plastic? Researchers are finding a way to make it possible. We go to the north of England, where a nursery is set inside a retirement home in the hope of bonding the two generations. In a world first, a patient has had brain surgery assisted by artificial intelligence, and meet Synergy, the mini-pig being used in a campaign to try to help the homeless in Washington DC. Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

(Image: Jessica Fletcher's son, Hunter, pointing at her keyboard tattoo. Credit: Jessica Fletcher)

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson

US and Venezuela agree huge oil deal Aug 29, 2026

Show notes

Washington and Caracas have agreed a "historic" deal, which will more than double US oil reserves and provide investment for Venezuela's energy industry. Also: Emergency aid efforts are stepped up in Nepal and Tibet as nearly 2000 people are feared missing after the floods. Sudan lifts a two-year-old curfew and state of emergency in Khartoum. Experts say Denmark's forced contraception of Indigenous women in Greenland didn't meet the legal definition of genocide. British far-right commentator and MAGA supporter, Milo Yiannopoulos, is detained by ICE. And the surprise hit film about the French wartime leader Charles de Gaulle.

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: An oil tanker near Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela Credit:REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

Rescue efforts after Tibet floods reach ‘critical phase' Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

Two days after massive floods and landslides in the Himalayas, authorities in Tibet have resumed search and rescue operations, despite the ongoing threat that a debris-filled lake could collapse. The Chinese government has offered to send aid to Nepal to help survivors of the disaster. Also: King Haakon VIII has acceded to the throne in Norway after the death of his father, Harald V, at the age of 89. A group of more than 80 actors are calling on the British government to give every person in the UK a legal right to own their voice in response to the rise in the use of AI "voice cloning". And Apple prepares to shake up the tech industry with its first foldable iPhone expected to be unveiled next month.

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: Firefighters conduct search and rescue operations after a mudslide in Gyirong county in Tibet. Credit: Reuters

China warns of further floods near Nepal border Aug 28, 2026

Show notes

There are fears a lake formed by debris after the China-Nepal flash flood could burst, causing further damage and hampering rescue efforts. Nearly 500 people have already been confirmed dead. Also: Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić who oversaw the worst atrocities in Europe since the Second World War dies; President Trump renames Lake Ontario as the trade war with Canada continues; a US jury deliberates whether Lindsay Clancy is responsible for the murder of her 3 children; top tech firms warn about the dangers of AI; Uefa prepares criminal legal action against Fifa president Gianni Infantino; NASA gears up to launch its flagship space observatory; and the highly-anticipated children's fantasy book "The Neverfear" is released.

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: A boy looks at the devastation caused by flash flooding along the Trishuli River in Nepal's Nuwakot district. Credit: AP

Fears of more mudslides in Nepal as death toll mounts Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

The number of people killed by a catastrophic flash flood on the border between Nepal and China has risen to at least 350. More than 1,300 are still missing. Rescue teams are continuing to search for survivors as experts warn that more floods could be coming. It is now believed that "glacial collapse and debris flow" was the cause rather than an earthquake. Also: a trial date has been set for one of the ringleaders of the attack on the twin towers in New York, a quarter of a century later. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is scheduled to stand trial in June 2028. A man in London has become the first person in the world to have a brain tumour removed via AI-assisted surgery. How bats could help us fight cancer and other diseases by revealing some of the biological secrets behind their longevity. And the avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, who became famous for her colourful polka dot-covered sculptures and installations, has died at the age of 97.

Photo: Aftermath of massive flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border, Nuwakot. 27th Aug 2026

Credit: EPA/Shutterstock