Global News Podcast

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French government holds crisis talks after school protests Oct 07, 2026

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President Macron holds an emergency meeting after more than a quarter of a million French people take part in fresh school protests. Although most gatherings were peaceful, there were sporadic clashes, with police using batons and tear gas to disperse crowds. Lawyers for Christa Pike, the American woman who survived a botched execution attempt last week, say she's regained consciousness and is able to talk. They say she's receiving critical care and remains handcuffed to a hospital bed. Events are being held in Israel to mark the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attacks that triggered the war in Gaza. The Oscar-winning actress and one of the last survivors of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Eva Marie Saint, has died. She was 102. And one of football's greatest ever players, Lionel Messi, makes his final international appearance for Argentina.

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 masked student kicks a tear gas canister amid clashes with French riot police during a demonstration in Paris. Credit: Reuters/Abdul Saboor

Life in Yemen under Houthi sniper fire Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

As fighting surges again in Yemen, government forces supported by Saudi Arabia say they've been making significant gains in an offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis. We hear how the conflict is affecting people in one of the key battlegrounds - the southwestern city of Taiz, which is surrounded by the Houthis. Also: protesters and police clash in several French cities, as students, parents and unions join demonstrations across the country calling for more investment in schools. The space scientist Dame Dr Maggie Aderin on the remarkable story of the Hubble Space Telescope - the subject of a new podcast. Protests spread in Japan over the murder of a woman on the island of Okinawa, allegedly committed by a US marine. We hear tributes to Jeffrey Archer, the British politician and author who died on Monday, and look back at the rises and falls in his life. And a study finds that book bans are on the increase in US public schools.

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 mother with her 11-year-old injured son, Taiz, Yemen. Credit: BBC World Service

Fighting intensifies in Yemen Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

Iran-backed Houthis claim they hit several targets in Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh Airport, while Saudi-led forces attacked Houthi military strongholds on the Red Sea coast. The Yemeni government has launched an offensive against the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa. Also: Student demonstrations intensify in France ahead of a national day of protests. The Nobel Prize in Medicine is awarded to Karl Deisseroth from America and Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel from Germany for their work in the field of optogenetics. Russia downplays reports that a lab technician who died last week may have been exposed to pneumonic plague. The bestselling British author and politician, Jeffrey Archer, has died. A concert pianist invents a "Standing Grand" piano and dust off your CV if you'd like to be Finland's official 'smeller'.

Photo: Saudi-backed Yemeni government fighters advance against the Iran-backed Houthis, near Dhubab. Credit: Southern Giants Brigades/Reuters

Reports say Flydubai suspect was 'lone wolf' extremist Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Investigators believe the co-pilot accused of trying to take over a Flydubai plane heading for Israel was a "lone wolf" extremist who wanted to fly the aircraft into an airport or tower block. Also: why did the US military withdraw expensive bombers from a base in the UK? Oil exports from the Middle East are getting back to levels last achieved before the US began bombing Iran. Spain's prime minister calls an election over a housing crisis. Researchers try to find out why more young people are getting cancer, and what lemurs in Madagascar and trained human singers have in common.

Photo: Flydubai aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport. September 30, 2026. Credit: Reuters

Brazil's presidential election goes to runoff Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Brazilians voted on Sunday in a high-stakes presidential election pitting incumbent left-wing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against the right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro amid a regional shift to the right. Bolsonaro won the first round, but failed to win an outright majority, with a run-off scheduled for 25 October.

Also: The US has pulled its B1 bombers from an airbase in England which was the target of a suspected terror plot. Israel has barred the British Green Party leader after his party passed a motion defining Zionism as racism. Ethiopian troops entering Mekelle have sparked regional fear of a return to active civil war. Tech giants are paying workers in India to record their physical actions so AI can learn human movements. Glastonbury tickets sold out in under an hour despite being the most expensive ever at more than 500 dollars each.

Photo: Brazil's presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party Credit: Reuters/Diego Herculano

The Global Story: The Super El Nino - what happens when it hits us? Oct 04, 2026

Show notes

Climate scientists have put out a dire warning about this year’s El Niño; that it will likely be the worst in recorded history. And if previous ‘super’ El Niños are anything to go by, that means that this cycle will bring extreme weather - flooding, drought, wildfires, and hunger- across the world. But how do scientists know what the effects of an El Niño will be? And how do they communicate that information to governments and the public in a way that causes calm preparedness instead of panic? Tom Di Liberto is a former climate scientist for the US government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a science communicator, who specialises in monitoring El Niño phenomena. He joins us on today’s show.

Failed US execution sparks death penalty debate Oct 04, 2026

Show notes

Christa Pike's botched execution has reignited the debate surrounding the death penalty in the United States. Tennessee's head of prisons is to resign amid growing scrutiny. Also: Ethiopians fear a return to civil war after government forces take control of the Tigrayan regional capital. Tens of thousands of people protest against the housing crisis in Spain. Investigators say the co-pilot of the FlyDubai plane attacked his captain with an axe kept inside the cockpit. Nearly 200 people are under medical observation after a Russian lab worker reportedly died from pneumonic plague. Germany's Oktoberfest is handing out shorts to female riders after a surge in upskirting videos. And a new species of lizard has been discovered living high up in the Peruvian Andes.

Photo: Death chamber seen through the steel bars from the viewing room at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas in September 2010. Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice via Reuters

The Happy Pod: Fat Bear Week returns Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

Fat Bear Week is back! The annual contest sees people around the world vote for their favourite bear, ahead of hibernation season. More than two million votes were cast this year's tournament which is based at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

Also, meet the tattoo artist covering people's scars with artwork to make them feel more confident.

Cath Bowie, aka GrumpyGran 1948, tells us how she got into streaming and the game Fortnite. She's just been recognised by Guiness World Records as the world's oldest female Fortnite streamer at the age of 78.

Plus, 'Walk with a Doc', a scheme that gets people out walking with their local doctor and, have you ever heard an Elephant's rumble? We find out what it means.

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

Image: Fat Bear Week winner, 'Backpack'. Credit: Katmai National Park and Preserve/Explore.org

Christa Pike: What next after failed execution? Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

Christa Pike's legal representatives say the convicted murderer is unconscious and on a ventilator in hospital in Tennessee, after surviving two lethal injections on Wednesday. They have requested that all evidence related to the incident be preserved. We hear the account of Nashville reporter Steven Hale, one of a small number of journalists who witnessed the botched execution.

Also: G7 leaders agree to release up to 100 million barrels of diesel and crude reserves, days after President Trump's threat to ban diesel exports from the US. New York Governor Kathy Hochul says the woman at the centre of the Cornell University rape case was "failed" at "every turn". She also announces plans to change state law around consent. Argentina becomes the latest nation to offer citizenship to foreigners who invest large sums of money in the country. The swimming classes helping child amputees in Gaza. SpaceX astronaut Jessica Watkins has made history by becoming the first black female commander to lead a crew into orbit, breaking a US speed record in the process. And what is the true cost of buying a home for just one euro in Italy?

Photo: Emergency vehicles at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Tennessee, from where Christa Pike was taken to hospital following her botched execution. Credit: Denny Simmons/The Tennessean/USA Today Network

Hero pilot tells his story from hospital bed Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

An Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, says he fought to open the cockpit door of the stricken Flydubai airliner because he was determined to save the lives of his passengers and crew. Also: Washington urges European countries to start using their diesel reserves. We look at the student demonstrations against school conditions in France, where there have been more violent clashes. Kenya is at a crossroads, as its young people challenge the political elites who've governed the country for decades. The English football club, Manchester City, files an appeal against an independent commission's ruling that found it guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. London's Kew Gardens prepares to undergo a major refurbishment. Starbucks opens two branches in the Chinese region of Xinjiang - but the move is criticised by US congressman, John Moolenaar; and the attempt to free a large shark trapped in a canal in the South Korean city of Busan is halted.

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: Indian pilot, Smit Machchhar, speaking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his hospital bed Credit: Narendra Modi YouTube Channel

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