Global News Podcast

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Houthis attack Saudi airport for third time in four days Oct 12, 2026

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The main international airport in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, is attacked on consecutive days by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. More than a dozen people have been killed and hundreds injured. The Houthis say they launched the strikes because of the Saudis' support for government forces in Yemen's civil war.

Also: a BBC investigation looks into the circumstances surrounding the shooting of mourners in Kenya at a national farewell for a former prime minister. The Pope is to undergo surgery to remove a lump on his lung. A boat carrying hundreds of migrants from Djibouti to Yemen sinks, leaving almost 140 people dead. And why are shark bites on the increase in Australia?

Photo: Surveillance footage shows smoke and fire as people react to the attack at Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on 10th October 2026. Credit: Saudi Ministry of Media, via Reuters

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

The Global Story: Smart glasses or ‘pervert glasses’? Oct 11, 2026

Show notes

At a recent Meta product launch, Mark Zuckerberg promised that the company’s smart glasses would give wearers “new superpowers”, but what are they? Amid criticisms of its privacy and child protection policies, Meta is betting big on smart glasses as a way to restyle the company’s image, but they too have caused controversy – dubbed by critics ‘pervert glasses’ because they have been used to film women without their knowledge. So why are Meta and other big tech firms investing billions in this tech? Who is it for? Lily Jamali, the BBC’s North America technology correspondent, joins us to explain.

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

Trump calls for Zelensky to be replaced Oct 11, 2026

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A major diplomatic row has erupted between President Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. After Mr Zelensky criticised a decision by Mr Trump to buy Russian diesel, the US president lashed out. He called for a new leader in Ukraine, and said Mr Zelensky was prolonging the war with Moscow. Mr Trump warned the Ukrainian leader not to bomb Russian oil refineries. Also: people in Mexico are bracing themselves for another hurricane. The Indian government stops a protest calling for the resignation of the head of the election commission. An AI agent sends a fake tip about an unsolved murder to police in the US city of Philadelphia. And would you like a tattoo that you can turn on and off?

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: President Trump leaves the White House. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

The Happy Pod: Why I danced for seven days straight Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

A Nigerian man has completed a 168-hour dance marathon in a bid to set a new world record. Benjamin Daniel - better known as 'Ben Dancer' - moved and grooved for seven days straight in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest individual dance marathon. The 33-year-old would dance for eight hours before taking a 40-minute rest break. There were many times Ben wanted to give up, but he was spurred on by cheering crowds at Freedom Park in Lagos.

Also: How Dolly Parton's dream of every child growing up in a house full of books is gradually becoming a reality. The 11-year-old chess prodigy who's made history as the youngest Woman Grandmaster ever. How an usher went from sweeping the aisles to performing on stage in the same theatre. And the grand reveal of a prank between friends that lasted 25 years.

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

Image: Ben Dancer dancing on stage at Freedom Park in Lagos. Credit: SAYCHEESE

Presenter: Helena Burke. Music composed by Iona Hampson

Trump strikes deal with Putin to buy Russian diesel Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

President Trump is temporarily lifting a number of sanctions on Russia in a deal which will see Moscow supply the US and global markets with diesel to try to bring down energy costs. President Zelensky of Ukraine said easing sanctions without a clear de-escalation agreement was weak and would allow Russia to continue to wage war. Democrats on the US Senate foreign relations committee called the move a total betrayal of Ukraine, European allies and American national security. Also: the US imposes sanctions on the International Criminal Court hours after one of its former judges wins the Nobel Peace Prize. Prosecutors in the UAE say the co-pilot on the hijacked Flydubai passenger jet was planning a suicide attack on Israel's Tel Aviv airport. Manchester City manager, Enzo Maresca, insists his club will eventually be cleared of breaking football's financial rules. Lost notes indicate Rosalind Franklin understood a DNA breakthrough before her rivals. The tech firm Anthropic raises eyebrows by announcing it will ban users from what it's called abusive or cruel behaviour towards its AI models. The Madame Tussauds wax museum in the German capital, Berlin, has opened a new display with the world's first wax kebab. And 30,000 bottles of wine are stolen in Italy.

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 diesel gas pump at the 76 gas station in Los Angeles. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

Former UN rights chief Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Navi Pillay, the South African former UN human rights chief. The Nobel committee said Ms Pillay had shown that legal measures could help prevent acts of war and violence. At a news conference after being awarded the prize, she warned against growing political attacks on international law.

Also: More airlines are suspending flights to Saudi Arabia after three people were killed in two Houthi attacks on Riyadh's international airport. The US Defense Department is facing criticism over plans to livestream the execution of a man who killed 13 people at an army base. Demonstrations are taking place in New York after ICE agents shot and wounded a man with his child inside his car. The BBC speaks to Ukrainians rushing to leave Kyiv before winter. Malaysia shuts schools as haze from Indonesian fires chokes South East Asia. How technology which can track the division of cells in a mouse could help scientists understand how diseases take hold in humans. And the artist behind a statue that depicted President Donald Trump naked and sitting on a man explains the artistic vision behind the work.

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: South African lawyer Navi Pillay at a news conference in Nuremberg, Germany after winning the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

US military execution to be livestreamed Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

Nidal Hasan, a former army psychiatrist who killed 13 unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas, will not only be the first person to die by a US military firing squad since 1945. His execution, which is set for December, would also be the first to be seen by the public in the US for 90 years. Also, cars have been set on fire and shops owned by foreigners were reportedly targeted during violence in South Africa because of tensions surrounding illegal immigration. Police in Britain have accepted that they behaved unlawfully when they searched the homes of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles and former prince who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He denies any wrongdoing. Microsoft has been suspended from a US visa programme that hires skilled foreign workers as the Vice President, JD Vance, accuses the software giant of giving away American jobs. And could Jonathan the tortoise, who is 194, help humans live longer lives?

Russian strike on buses in Ukraine kills at least 30 Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

At least 30 people have been killed in a Russian air strike at a bus stop in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk. Eighteen others were wounded. The attack follows a dramatic surge in Russian attacks across the country and a heavy increase in civilian casualties. President Volodymyr Zelensky says the attacks will not go unanswered.

Also: Israel has downgraded the British consulate in East Jerusalem, after threatening to close the site completely over the UK's decision to sanction Israeli goods from illegal West Bank settlements. It’s been nearly a year since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but most of Gaza remains destroyed as a peace deal continues to stall. Recent successful recovery efforts show that species loss can still be reversed, according to a report by the environmental group WWF. The veteran Indian actor Nana Patekar, one of the most outspoken figures in the Indian film industry, has died aged 75. A BBC investigation has found workers in South East Asia are being paid less than $2 an hour to make official football shirts. Margaret Hamilton, the pioneering computer scientist who helped land US astronauts on the Moon, has died aged 90. And a man who spent 28 years walking from the UK to Chile has finally returned home.

Woman at the centre of Spain's housing crisis dies Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Hundreds of protesters have demonstrated outside parliament in Madrid after the death of an 87 year old woman who became a symbol of Spain's housing crisis. Maricarmen Abascal was forcibly removed on a stretcher from her apartment of more than 70 years last month after she was unable to afford big rent increases. The company that owned the flat later offered to allow her to return at a lower rate - but she was unable to sign an agreement as she had been admitted to hospital. Also, US prosecutors are expected to bring new charges against the former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores for the alleged torture of American citizens. And a judge in the US state of Tennessee has ordered officials to preserve all evidence from the botched execution of Christa Pike last week.

Photo: Candles and messages in memory of Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old Spanish woman whose eviction sparked nationwide housing protests. Credit: Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura

Israelis mark three years since 7 October attacks Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

Israel has been remembering the deadliest single day in its history on 7th October 2023 when Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups stormed communities along the border with Gaza, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. The anniversary comes weeks before an election in which the question of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal culpability for the country's worst-ever security failure will be a central issue.

Also: the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described Moscow's latest round of attacks on his country as ''the Russian army's birthday gift for Vladimir Putin''. The World Health Organization has requested more information from Russia following unconfirmed reports that a second employee at a plague research lab in Siberia has contracted pneumonia. Malaysia pushes ahead with a ‌controversial move to repatriate thousands of migrants from Myanmar, where they could face persecution. The BBC visits a men's community group in South Africa where participants are encouraged to speak out about violence against women, and confront their own behaviour. Scientists Henri B. Kagan and Kenso Soai have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for solving the mystery of life's asymmetry. And could the gender pay gap extend to AI agents?

Photo: Israeli family members at a memorial site for victims of the Nova music festival on the third anniversary of the 7 October attacks near Re'im, southern Israel Credit: EPA

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