Global News Podcast

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Rapid new test transforms brain tumour diagnosis Sep 25, 2026

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A rapid new test for brain tumours can slash the time it takes for an accurate diagnosis from up to eight weeks to two hours. It means surgeons can get results even while they are operating, and patients are spared weeks of uncertainty whilst being able to start their treatment sooner. Also: Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky says that President Trump has made a “final decision” to give Ukraine licences to produce patriot missiles. Indonesia pardons a former Filipino maid, who was sentenced to death after being found carrying heroin through an airport. We hear the latest about the Ebola outbreak from a doctor who spent six weeks in Northern Congo. Nepal’s Prime Minister, Balendra Shah, says flooding in his country “was a warning to the world” and calls for cooperation to deal with climate change. An organisation in the United Kingdom says better regulation of beauty products is needed as young children continue to use skincare and makeup. And Pope Leo visits Paris for a mass, but his first engagement gives a warning about artificial intelligence and assisted dying.

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: Neurosurgeon Stuart Smith in operating theatre Credit: Nottingham University Hospitals

Trump hosts President Xi at state banquet Sep 25, 2026

Show notes

Tech billionaires join Donald Trump and Xi Jinping for dinner at the White House at the end of the first full day of the Chinese President's visit to the US. Mr Xi said that in their discussions earlier, he and his host had reached "common understanding on many issues" but didn't elaborate. No concrete breakthroughs have been reported on contentious matters such as Iran and AI. Also: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fiercely defends military action in the Middle East to a half empty UN General Assembly. Earlier, the Palestinian leader told the same gathering Israel was threatening his people's existence. The Italian government approves a ban on the burqa and niqab in schools. Hundreds of people gather in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, to call for the return of the exiled opposition figure, Maria Corina Machado. The eviction of an 87-year-old in Spain triggers angry protests and put the country’s housing crisis under the spotlight. And new research on how well dogs can understand the human language.

Photo: Annabelle Gordon/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock

Image description: US President Donald J. Trump and first lady Melania Trump greet President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan at the White House in Washington

Rogue OpenAI agent hacks government site Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Australia launches an urgent review after an AI agent belonging to OpenAI hacked a government healthcare portal. The government has set up a taskforce to examine what happened and whether laws were broken. The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused OpenAI of an "unacceptable delay" in informing the authorities about the intrusion. In response, OpenAI said "our models took actions we did not intend" and that it found no record of patient data being accessed. Also: Three US news outlets are denied access to the White House despite a ruling from a US judge overturning President Trump's ban. Tigrayan rebels say they are in a "full-blown war" with the Ethiopian government. As he begins a state visit to Washington, President Xi Jinping says China and the US should be partners, not rivals. Researchers find elephants use medicinal plants to treat themselves. The Afghan cyclist who disguised herself as a man to evade Taliban, wins a silver medal at the Asian Games. And joy in Thailand as a young Thai singer wins America's Got Talent.

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: Illustration showing the Australian Medicare smartphone app and medicare card. Credit: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

China's Xi Jinping meets Trump for high-stakes summit Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Xi Jinping has arrived in Washington for a three-day state visit and was met by Donald Trump in a rare planeside welcome. As President Xi touched down, the US treasury secretary announced that a bilateral trade truce has been extended.

Also, the US-backed group, known as the Board of Peace, has presented a partial plan for reconstruction in Gaza, despite the lack of progress in the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas. An AI agent developed by OpenAI hacked Australia's government health website earlier this year, without the company's knowledge. Meta has announced a new model of audio-only smart glasses. Britain has expanded its defence into space, calling it the next battleground. An ancient wall discovered beneath Paris has been described as a “major breakthrough” in archaeology there. France imposes restrictions on the "wrong type" of hikers visiting Mont Blanc and is bringing an iced coffee to a job interview acceptable or unprofessional?

(Photo: US President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)

Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

Gunmen attack South African house party Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

Gunmen kill 11 people after storming a house in KwaMakhutha township near Durban in South Africa. Police are investigating links to a feud between rival groups, as the nation grapples with sky-high murder rates and violence. Also: the IMF warns that record global debt requires urgent fiscal action, urging economies such as the US and UK to reduce borrowing. China's plans for the future of AI. The family feud over Dolly Parton's estate involving the country music star's nephew Bryan Seaver. Astronomers discover the youngest planet on record, Elias 2-24 b, about 450 light years from Earth. And could the lost hidden tomb of Egyptian queen Nefertiti finally be found?

Photo: Mass shooting in KwaMakhutha, South Africa, Durban - 23 Sep 2026 Credit: EPA

US and Iran hold talks on sidelines of UN General Assembly Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

President Donald Trump says talks held in New York between US and Iranian officials were productive. Earlier in a speech to the UN General Assembly he threatened to annihilate Iran if a deal was not agreed. Also: the US introduces global sanctions that could ground most Iranian aircraft. A Sri Lankan court hands long prison sentences to 15 men in connection with the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in 2019 that killed 270 people. The British broadcaster Piers Morgan calls for a newly-released book by Earl Spencer about Princess Diana to be pulled from the shelves because of a factual error. Colombia's president sends the army into a city on the Caribbean coast to quell attacks by an armed group there. Scientists warn that the current El Nino weather system hasn't finished setting new records. A Ghanaian entrepreneur turns waste plastic into school desks. And a six-year-old girl sets a new women's world record for solving the Rubik's Cube.

Photo: US President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly in New York Credit: Toby Melville/PA Wire

UN accuses Nicaragua of crimes against humanity Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Nicaraguan authorities are alleged to have carried out enforced disappearances, torture and arbitrary detention of political opponents as part of widespread and systematic attacks on civilians. Also: weather experts warn that the El Niño developing in the Pacific Ocean is already the strongest ever recorded. The Star Wars museum, housing George Lucas' vast art collection, finally opens in Los Angeles. The purchase of a 17th-century painting in the Netherlands reignites debate about the origins of golf. A study by the University of Cambridge reveals baby girls tend to be more people-focused than boys from the first hours of their lives. How to make driverless cabs less enticing venues for backseat romance. And wildcats, long considered functionally extinct, are being successfully reintroduced to the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland.

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: Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega with a Nicaraguan flag. Credit: Leonardo Fernández Viloria - Reuters

US media outlets take legal action after White House ban Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

Several US news organisations have temporarily stopped their pooled coverage of White House events, after Donald Trump revoked access for CNN, Politico and MS NOW. The president accused them of writing "lies" about him. Donald Trump has launched his own TV channel in response. Also, the UK's prime minister Andy Burnham has said Britain will provide "defensive air-to-air refuelling" support for Saudi Arabia. World leaders are gathering in New York City for the UN General Assembly. Fifa president Gianni Infantino has proposed an external review of how world football's governing body operates, and says he is open to reform. A Rwandan man has become the first person charged in the UK with offences relating to the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Lithuania's prime minister has told the BBC his country has made evacuation plans in the face of threats from Russia. The media giant Paramount Skydance has reached a settlement with a California-led group of US states. Darts world champion Luke Littler has threatened to stop playing in the Netherlands after being booed and whistled at in Amsterdam.

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: MS NOW journalist Vaughn Hillyard outside the White House after US President Trump barred reporters from MS NOW, CNN and Politico from entering the White House press room Credit: EPA/Shuttershock

Typhoon hits Japan causing landslides and cancelled flights Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

A powerful typhoon passing Japan's east coast is bringing heavy rainfall and major disruption. More than 1.9 million people in and around Tokyo have been told to evacuate. Winds from Typhoon Dujuan have caused power cuts for thousands of people, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled. Large events - including the Asian Games and Tokyo Game Show - have been postponed or called off.

Also in this podcast: Nearly 500 people have been arrested in a major transatlantic operation targeting criminal gangs; officials in Gaza have announced plans to demolish more than 250 buildings; Vladimir Putin's political party is on course to retain its majority in Russia's parliamentary elections; a new trial aims to help dementia patients remain in their own homes and out of care facilities; and how arguments over sunbeds on European beaches have turned deadly.

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: Pedestrians wait at Shibuya crossing under heavy rainfall triggered by Typhoon Dujuan in Tokyo. Credit: Franck Robichon - EPA/Shutterstock

Elections pile pressure on German chancellor Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls a state election result in Germany a "disaster" for his ruling CDU party but vows to remain in office. Preliminary results indicate the CDU has suffered heavy losses to the far-right AfD party in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while in Berlin it was defeated by the far-left party Die Linke. Also: US officials say 18 suspects in the assassination of the Haitian president Juvenal Moise five years ago are being extradicted to Florida to face trial. The sister of Pakistan's imprisoned former prime minister, Imran Khan, has been arrested ahead of planned opposition protests. President Trump speaks about plans to turn his triumphal arch in Washington DC into a military complex. In Indonesia, BBC Eye investigates allegations of sexual abuse at a  prominent  Islamic boarding school. And Earl Spencer says the treatment by the press of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan echoes that of his sister Princess Diana before she died in a car crash.

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: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz addresses the media following the state elections in Berlin, Germany, 20th September 2026. Credit: EPA/Shuttershock

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