Global News Podcast
BBC World Service
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
Episodes
Mentioned books
65 snips
May 8, 2026 • 27min
Right-wing populist party makes big gains in UK elections
Mayani Jones, Africa correspondent based in Johannesburg, reports on a constitutional court ruling that could revive impeachment moves against President Cyril Ramaphosa. She discusses the court’s finding and the mounting calls for resignation. Short, sharp coverage of the political fallout and the crucial next steps for South Africa’s leadership.
29 snips
May 8, 2026 • 30min
US, Iran exchange fire in Strait of Hormuz
Catherine Belton, Washington Post Russia reporter and author, outlines Russia's economic strain and elite tensions. Steve Rosenberg, BBC Russia editor in Moscow, reports on scaled‑back Victory Day plans and security fears. David Willis, BBC North America correspondent, covers the US‑Iran naval clash in the Strait of Hormuz and its diplomatic fallout. Multiple short, sharp conversations explore these unfolding stories.
33 snips
May 7, 2026 • 32min
Iran considering US proposal to end the war
Niko Keolbakiani, a BBC Monitoring journalist on Iranian media, and Caroline Davies, a BBC correspondent on Pakistan and diplomacy, unpack Iran’s response to a reported 14-point US plan. They look at nuclear talks, Pakistan’s mediation role, and Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz. The conversation also turns to shipping costs, blackouts and economic pressure inside Iran.
31 snips
May 7, 2026 • 30min
Couples looking for surrogates still going to Ukraine
Sofia Bettiza, BBC global health reporter, reports from Kyiv on Ukraine’s wartime surrogacy trade, abandoned babies and a proposed ban on foreign parents. Jeremy Bowen, BBC International Editor, follows the rumoured US-Iran deal and its political stakes. Helen Briggs, BBC science correspondent, explores a giant Alaska megatsunami linked to glacier melt. There is also a robot Buddhist monk.
28 snips
May 6, 2026 • 29min
Trump: Iran war could end with a deal
Dr Isabella Eccolet, a viral diseases specialist at Geneva University Hospitals, joins as a cruise ship hantavirus outbreak sparks alarm. The conversation tracks fragile US-Iran deal talk, Israeli strikes in Lebanon, women returning to Australia from Syria, deepening hunger in Somalia, civilians trapped in occupied Ukraine, and the fresh campaign to make Pluto a planet again.
42 snips
May 6, 2026 • 30min
US pauses operation to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Nawal Al-Maghafi, a BBC investigations correspondent focused on the Middle East and human rights, recounts a powerful investigation into Israel's strikes on Lebanon. The conversation also tracks Trump's pause in the Strait of Hormuz, China's role in Iran talks, ceasefire posturing between Russia and Ukraine, a mystery virus at sea, and Brazil's wild WhatsApp whistling craze.
47 snips
May 5, 2026 • 26min
WHO: Hantavirus may have spread between humans
A cruise ship outbreak raises fears about a rare virus possibly passing between people. Tensions flare again in the Strait of Hormuz as a shaky US-Iran ceasefire is tested. Southern Lebanon faces more displacement, Serbia’s station tragedy still fuels anger, a new book tracks vanishing languages, and a deadly factory blast in China sparks fresh scrutiny.
32 snips
May 5, 2026 • 28min
US strikes Iranian boats in Strait of Hormuz
Tensions spike in the Strait of Hormuz as US and Iranian forces trade fire and fears grow over a fragile ceasefire. A deadly car attack shocks Leipzig. Samsung’s ruling family faces a record-breaking tax bill. The Met Gala dazzles amid backlash over Jeff Bezos. China’s snooker surge gets a new champion.
43 snips
May 4, 2026 • 28min
US denies Iran's claim that it hit American warship
Tension rises in the Strait of Hormuz as Washington and Tehran clash over a naval standoff. European leaders gather in Armenia to tackle Ukraine and the Middle East. A deadly illness hits a cruise ship mid-Atlantic. GameStop makes a bold move on eBay. There is also a shocking dog shelter scam in Uganda and a rare North Korean football trip south.
24 snips
May 4, 2026 • 26min
Trump plans to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Bahman Kalbasi, a BBC Persian journalist covering Iran, unpacks the Strait of Hormuz standoff and the risk of a fragile ceasefire collapsing. He also looks at fear inside Iran as arrests, torture and executions mount. Elsewhere, the conversation turns to a global press freedom slump, rising election violence in Colombia, tighter security at Jewish venues in London, and backlash around Jeff Bezos and the Met Gala.
