Global News Podcast

Our new weekly collection of the happiest stories in the world. This week, an unusual cow brings joy to Australia, the happiest places in the world are revealed and how shrimps are saving lives. Presented by Andrew Peach. Music produced by Iona Hampson.

Paul Rusesabagina's life inspired a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide. Also: The UN has expressed grave concern about the summary killings of civilians and prisoners of war during Russia's war in Ukraine, highlighting a litany of other abuses, and The City Killer asteroid that's set to make a close-ish call with earth.

There has been violence in some French cities in the latest round of demonstrations against proposals to raise the state pension age. Also: The US state of Utah gives parents control over their children's social media, and how a drawing by a Russian child sparked a police investigation.

Video-sharing app accused of being an agent of the Chinese Communist party amid calls for it to be banned. Also: The Israeli prime minister vows to press ahead with his planned overhaul of the judiciary but says he wants to unite the country behind the changes, and the campaign in New Zealand to help youngsters navigate their breaks ups amicably.

Israel's parliament has passed a law limiting how a prime minister can be removed from office. The Israeli opposition says the legislation is aimed at protecting the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu who is facing corruption charges. We hear the view of former Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Also: A Nigerian senator and his wife have been convicted of trafficking a man to harvest a kidney for their daughter, and the good and the bad news about drinking coffee.

The former British prime minister was grilled about whether he lied about breaching Covid lockdown rules. Also: The White House warns Uganda of possible economic repercussions if a new law banning people from identifying as LGBT comes into force, and could the mystery surrounding what killed Beethoven finally have been solved?

Overconsumption and climate change threaten future supplies. Also: Volodymr Zelensky visits Ukrainian troops near the embattled town of Bakhmut, Boris Johnson fights for his political life -- and everything you need to know about 3D cheesecake.

The quake, with a magnitude of 6.5, was centred in the Hindu Kush mountains. Also: UK defends sending shells made with depleted uranium to Ukraine after Putin warning, and Gwyneth Paltrow in court as ski crash trial begins.

Xi Jinping calls Moscow and Beijing 'strategic partners and great neighbouring powers'; Also: Britain's biggest police force accused of racism, sexism and homophobia, and why do fish sing?

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres says that all countries should bring forward their net zero carbon plans by a decade. Also: France's government survives a no-confidence vote, and the Chinese city of Guixi launches its own dating app for residents.

Scientists say clean energy and technology can be exploited to avoid the growing climate disaster. But they warn a key global temperature goal will probably be missed. Also: Russia's playing host to the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, in Moscow, and twenty years on - we hear from our correspondent who was there at the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The deal, backed by the Swiss government, follows weekend talks aimed at preventing the collapse of the Credit Suisse bank. Also: Saudi King invites Iran's president to visit Riyadh, and a skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex is to be auctioned in Europe.

The case focuses on alleged hush money paid on Mr Trump's behalf to a former porn star. Also: Russia and Ukraine agree to extend grain deal, and the hunt for olive thieves in Spain.

Our new weekly collection of the happiest stories in the world. This week, how a computer data centre could heat pools around the globe, Paris Opera appoints its first black star ballet dancer, and a robotic elephant helping to improve animal rights in India. Presented by Andrew Peach. Music produced by Iona Hampson.

It alleges the Russian President is responsible for war crimes for the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia. Also: Shares in the troubled banks, Credit Suisse and First Republic, have plunged again as fears persist about their financial health, and the former soldier who has spent nearly 6 years walking the coastline of Great Britain.

The visit comes as Beijing, an ally of Russia, has offered proposals to end the war in Ukraine, to which the West has given a lukewarm reception. Also: Slovakia follows Poland in sending fighter jets to Kiev and scientists say they have found a way to avoid peanut allergies…

The French President used special powers to force the bill through Parliament without a vote. Also: Some of the biggest banks in the US pump billions of dollars into rescuing the struggling lender, First Republic, and the competition to help decipher scrolls that survived the volcanic eruption in Pompeii almost 2000 years ago.

US, Canada and EU have taken similar action amid concerns over data collection that they fear could be accessed by Beijing. Also: A United Nations commission says Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine but a genocide has not taken place, and the 'Home of Cricket' is forced to overturn a plan to modernise because of a backlash from its members.

Swiss financial regulators say they are ready to help the troubled bank. Also: Poland arrests a group of foreigners on suspicion of spying for Russia, and nearly 200,000 are hospitalised in Thailand because of air pollution.

The commercial capital, Blantyre, is worst-affected, with many having died in landslides. Also: the Pakistani authorities say they have suspended efforts to arrest the opposition leader, Imran Khan, because they're disrupting a prestigious cricket tournament, and celebrations - and controversy - over the re-introduction of wolves to Europe.

Washington said it was operating in international airspace, and accused Moscow of recklessness. Also: The former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says police acted outside the law when they tried to arrest him at his home in Lahore, and why the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard is making Tom Cruise's latest mission impossible.

Beijing has described the move as embarking on a 'path of error and danger.' Russia said the submarine pact would bring years of confrontation to Asia. Also: India's supreme court has dismissed an appeal seeking more compensation for victims of the Bhopal gas leak, and riding motorbikes could become harder for tourists in Bali.

Their partnership aims to combat a perceived threat from China. Also: Russia and Ukraine extend a grain deal to prevent a global food crisis, and Dick Fosbury, the man who revolutionised the high jump in athletics has died at the age of 76.

Lineker 'delighted' to return as BBC reviews social media rules. The BBC Director General, Tim Davie, insists he has not backed down. Also: President Biden says the US banking system will hold up despite last week's collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, and the sci-fi movie Everything Everywhere All at Once wins seven Oscars, including best actress for Michelle Yeoh.

The family of Hussein Abu Al-Khair say he was tortured until he made a confession. Also: Nicaragua has suspended relations with the Vatican, and the head of the WHO says it is vital to find the origins of the Covid virus.

The huge sea rescue operation comes nearly two weeks after a deadly shipwreck involving migrants off the Italian coast. Also: South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is cleared of wrongdoing by anti-corruption authorities, and renewed calls to tighten Germany’s gun laws after a deadly shooting in Hamburg.

Our new weekly collection of the happiest stories in the world. This week, sharing the things about your home country that make you happy, NASA's new head of science on how her dad gave her a love of space, and how bees can not only solve puzzles, but teach each other how to do it. Presented by Andrew Peach. Music produced by Iona Hampson.

They broke ties in 2016 and have taken different sides in wars in Yemen and Syria. Also: The US sees its first major bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis, and Donald Trump has been invited to testify to a grand jury over the Stormy Daniels case.

It caps a consolidation of power that has made him China's most dominant leader in generations. Also: rare and deadly Cyclone Freddy is expected to hit Mozambique for a second time, and scientists create the first detailed map of how an insect's brain is wired.

It includes big spending plans, worth more than six trillion dollars, with the focus on social programmes. Also: Italy's prime minister announces tough new penalties for people smugglers, after a cabinet meeting on the coast where dozens of migrants drowned last month, and the UK reveals its entrant for the Eurovision song contest.

Rafael Grossi's remarks came after more Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine. Also: Tens of thousands of Israelis have been staging mass protests against proposed judicial reforms, and we look back at the life of Chaim Topol who's died aged 87.

Demonstrators say the legislation is aimed at stifling the opposition. Also: A US congressional probe into the origins of the Covid pandemic opens, with a former top health official saying he believes the virus probably escaped from a Chinese lab, and the scientist who has created eggs from the cells of male mice.

The United Nations says Afghanistan is the "most repressive country in the world" for women's rights. Also: Demonstrations continue in Georgia over fears a new law could limit free speech, and the world's first 3D printed space rocket prepares to launch.

Israel claims one of the dead killed two Jewish settlers. Also: Five women have sued the American state of Texas, saying they were denied abortions even though their lives were in danger, and we go behind the scenes of David Attenborough’s new wildlife documentary on the British Isles.

Xi Jinping blames it for trying to 'contain', 'encircle' and 'suppress' his country. Also: Britain sets out legislation designed to stop asylum seekers crossing the English channel on small boats, and the head of Japan's space agency apologises for the failed launch of a new flagship rocket.

The city has been under sustained Russian bombardment for months. Also: Turkish opposition parties agree on a single candidate to challenge President Erdogan in elections due in May, and the couple jailed for 4 years in Spain for stealing wine.

UN says millions of people still homeless and living in fear. Also: Elon Musk mocks BBC report about abuse on Twitter, South Korean plan to resolve wartime labour dispute with Japan and Toblerone loses iconic Swiss mountain logo.

Petrol bombs were thrown at police who fired tear gas and stun grenades. Also: A fire in a refugee camp in Bangladesh has left thousands homeless, and a deal has been reached to protect the world's oceans.

Iran has agreed to restore surveillance cameras and allow inspections at its sites. Also: The Russian army and Wagner mercenaries put increasing pressure on Ukraine's soldiers to withdraw from the shattered city of Bakhmut, and the latest on what is believed to be the biggest drug bust in Australia's history.

Our new weekly collection of the happiest stories in the world along with the sounds that bring joy to our listeners. This week, the naughty Finnish huskies who've found a new home, the Caribbean sailor who survived 24 days at sea on ketchup, and the crafty octogenarian who knits for Hollywood. Presented by Andrew Peach. Music produced by Iona Hampson.

Alex Murdaugh shot his wife and son on the family estate in South Carolina. Also: Pressure mounts on the former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over what he said about Covid lockdown parties, and the White House reveals that President Biden has had a cancerous skin lesion successfully removed from his chest.

Bialiatski's protest group Viasna has documented human rights abuses carried out by the regime of the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. Also: Dozens of police officers are taken hostage in Colombia, and women footballers are unhappy with Fifa's choice of ambassador.

Kyiv denies Moscow's claim that saboteurs fired at civilians in a border village. Also: The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence service apologises for MI5's failure to prevent a terrorist attack in Manchester in 2017, and the celebrated jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter has died aged 89.

The meeting fails to produce a joint statement, as US and Russia clash over Ukraine. Also: there's growing anger in Greece after the country's worst ever train crash, and Egyptian archaeologists are celebrating the discovery of a hidden tunnel in the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The transport minister resigns and three days of mourning are declared after more than 40 people are killed in a rail disaster. Also: Guinea and Ivory Coast are sending planes to evacuate their citizens from Tunisia following inflammatory remarks by the president against sub-Saharan Africans, and the singing legend Joni Mitchell is honoured by the US Library of Congress.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with more than 70 people taken to hospital. The Greek prime minister has visited the site of the disaster near the city of Larissa. Also: The FBI chief says Covid-19 most likely originated in a Chinese laboratory, Indigenous protests against wind turbines continue in Norway, and the Bolivian man who spent a month lost in the Amazon.

The electoral commission says complaints should be taken to court once all the results are in. Also: The US Supreme Court is considering a challenge to President Biden's plan to forgive billions of dollars' worth of student debt, and the smart suit that is transforming disabled children's lives.

Opposition parties in Nigeria say the presidential election was a sham and demand for it to be rerun. Electoral officials have rejected the criticism. Also: Tik Tok, the video app, is at the centre of a diplomatic dispute between Beijing and Washington. We hear an Israeli settler's view about the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank, and we find out the secret of health and happiness.

British Prime Minister hails it as a new chapter after years of fraught relations with Brussels. Also: The strange case of the schoolgirls being poisoned in Iran, and Nigeria's main opposition parties allege fraud as votes are still being counted after the presidential election.

His company, China Renaissance Holdings, reported him missing ten days ago. Also: more than 100 people feared dead in Italy migrant shipwreck; and the multiverse drama, Everything Everywhere All at Once, sweeps up the prizes at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, ahead of the Oscars.

Security chiefs from both sides met for talks for the first time in years. Also: A boat carrying migrants has sunk off the coast of southern Italy, killing around 60 people, and Ian Fleming's famous Bond novels are being altered to reflect modern times.

The Nigerian presidential election is the biggest democratic exercise in Africa. Also: G20 deadlock after China refuses to condemn Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, and Australia's PM first to march in gay rights parade.

Moscow is accused of selling embargoed oil and other products through third parties. Also: a humanitarian crisis is deepening in southern Ethiopia due to a severe drought, and elephants may remember the smell of relatives they haven't seen for years.

President Zelensky pledges to do everything to achieve victory in the year ahead. China urges both sides to hold peace talks as soon as possible. Also, health officials in Cambodia test a dozen people for the H5N1 strain of bird flu and, a university in Ireland is asked to return human remains taken without permission more than a hundred years ago.

On the eve of the anniversary, the UN vote called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine and a halt to the fighting. Also: the former US film mogul Harvey Weinstein begs for mercy as he is sentenced for another rape.

Nigeria's political parties urged to stand firm on violence. The appeal comes hours after three separate attacks took place in the south-east of the country. Also: The UN's Middle East envoy is in the Gaza Strip as tensions rise between Israel and the Palestinians, and Europe's first sanctuary of darkness.

The countries - known collectively as the Bucharest Nine - denounced Russia as a significant threat to Nato security in the region. Also: Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in Nablus, and do you want an olive oil latte?

The Bucharest Nine are set to discuss security guarantees and regional defence with Mr Biden who is coming under pressure to offer further support. Also: A British woman who joined ISIS at fifteen loses her citizenship appeal, Haiti reaches the Women's World Cup for the first time, and we hear from a storytelling festival in Morocco.

US President says democracies are stronger and autocracies weaker in defiant speech in Poland. Also: A court in New York finds Mexico's former anti-narcotics chief guilty of pocketing millions in return for allowing safe passage for drugs, and what could be the oldest flushing toilet in the world has been discovered in China.

Mr Putin accuses the West of trying to dissolve Russian culture and values in his State of the Nation address. President Biden is expected to challenge Mr Putin's vision of the war in a speech in Poland. Also: Yet more devastation in Turkey from the latest earthquake, and the world's biggest trial of a four-day working week.

How the US President's surprise visit to Ukraine was kept a secret. Also: another earthquake hits south-eastern Turkey, and the experimental therapy restoring movement in stroke victims.

US President assures Ukrainians American support will continue. Also: heavy flooding and landslides in Brazil lead to carnival cancellations, and we look back on the life of Japanese legend of Manga, Leiji Matsumoto.

Beijing says it won't be dictated to over its relationship with Moscow. Also: Burkina Faso marks the official end of the French military operation there amid speculation it could turn to Moscow for support for its fight against Islamist insurgents, and why it was a big night for the German language film All Quiet On The Western Front at the BAFTAS.

World leaders are discussing their next steps at the Munich security conference. Also: The UN announces the largest-ever allocation from its Central Emergency Fund to help Africa tackle what it calls "forgotten crises," and why the language used in Roald Dahl's classic children's books is being reviewed.

We hear from our Indigenous and tribal listeners around the world, as we mark US Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We also meet an Amazon tribe defending their land from illegal loggers; a Maori singer who makes pop music in his traditional language; Native American chefs bringing cultural foods to the restaurant scene; and more.

The global price crisis. Our first ever “live audience show” – recorded in Malaysia. Listeners around the world and in the audience in Kuala Lumpur share their experiences and ask questions about spiralling costs and what can be done. Hear from our panel of BBC correspondents. What are the implications of the increases in food and fuel prices? How are governments and communities responding - and what does the future look like?

In June, the US Supreme Court overruled Roe v Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion in America. In a special episode, we investigate the changing dynamic of abortion rights globally in countries like Colombia, China and Ireland. We'll also be examining the restrictions still faced by women in Africa and places like Malta and El Salvador. Audio for this episode was updated on 4 July 2022, due to a factual error in an earlier version.

Is the nuclear threat real? What does Putin want? Who is winning the war in Ukraine? We took questions on the invasion from young people around the world and looked for answers from BBC correspondents. Jackie Leonard speaks to Martin Forster, a senior child psychologist with the healthcare company, Kry, in Sweden. Listeners' questions are tackled by Vitaliy Shevchenko, Paul Adams, Theo Leggett, Lyse Doucet and Mark Lowen.

A month since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are collaborating with Ukrainecast again. We answer more of your questions. Jackie Leonard, presenter of the Global News Podcast, alongside Gabriel Gatehouse and Vitaliy Shevchenko from Ukrainecast, guide us through questions about civilian life in the country, military tactics, and the international response to the invasion. BBC chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, joins us from Kyiv to talk through what is happening on the ground there, and BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, tells us the latest on the physical and information war. This episode was made by Chris Flynn. The studio director was Ash Taylor. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.

Our experts in Moscow, Kyiv and London answer your questions about the crisis.

As the Omicron variant spreads around the world and cases surge, BBC correspondents tell us how Covid-19 is impacting our lives, our businesses and our economies.

BBC correspondents answer your questions about the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. We ask how did the Taliban overthrow the Afghan government so quickly? What now for human rights, the economy and international relations? Photo:People on board an evacuation flight out of Kabul airport, August 21, 2021 Credit:MoD/PA Wire

We team up with the award-winning Brexitcast team to bring you a special update on what Britain leaving the EU means for you. You’ve sent us questions from around the world and Jackie Leonard puts them to the experts from the podcast that’s all about Brexit. There’s also cake, phew. Spread the word! #GlobalNewsPod #Brexitcast Find the Brexitcast podcast here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/brexitcast