Global News Podcast

A UN fact-finding mission on Iran says there are reasonable grounds to believe the United States was behind two military strikes on a school and sports facility in Iran in February, and that these constituted war crimes. A State Department official said the US did not give credibility to the findings in the report. The UN experts also accused Tehran of violent repression of anti-government protest...

The UN says climate change is having a serious effect on the global supply of fresh water. Rivers and lakes are drying up while glaciers are retreating according to a new report. Also: South African police have found the body of a ninth murdered woman since July, as concern grows over a string of unexplained deaths near Johannesburg; Canada's prime minister has told the European Parliament he welc...

The US central bank has raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years, to try to curb inflation. The Federal Reserve lifted its benchmark rate by a quarter of a percentage point and suggested it could do so again before the end of the year. In a social media post, President Trump demanded "lower interest rates... and fast." Also: Nepal has sharply revised upwards the number of...

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has backed a proposal for Canada to become the EU's first "associate member". Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has been seeking closer ties with Europe as relations with the United States deteriorate over trade. Also: Rescuers in Gaza are searching for survivors after a war-damaged building collapsed overnight, killing more than...

A conference in San Francisco hears from Open AI's boss, Sam Altman, who says the world should trust his industry's ability to do the right thing, amid concerns that it's developing too quickly. But speakers at a rival conference held in Washington, DC, call for greater regulation. Also: the Pentagon issues a report which says the Iran war has left the US military with a shortfall of munitions. Al...

There's been no pause in fighting between Russia and Ukraine, despite President Trump's claim that both sides would temporarily stop targeting critical infrastructure. Russia says a gas pipeline was hit in the south of the country in an attack overnight, while officials in Zaporizhzhia region in Ukraine said Russian attacks had disrupted power supplies to some areas. Also: a NATO fighter jet shoot...

US Air Force Secretary, Troy Meink, has revealed that America has weapons in space to protect its assets in orbit, but he didn't divulge which weapons were there. His comments will be seen as a warning to Russia and China, raising the prospect of warfare in space. A treaty from 1967 banned weapons of mass destruction in space but the US has, like its rivals, been developing technology that can tar...

A US think tank says NATO should consider intercepting Russian drones in Ukrainian airspace, after a drone struck a train near the Polish border. The strike happened soon after a train carrying senior European officials had passed through the same station. The NATO chief, Mark Rutte, says the attack shows how "desperate" President Vladimir Putin has become. Also: Africa’s biggest ever share sale i...

Centre left coalition in Sweden likely to form new national government despite a slim majority. The far-right Sweden Democrats saw their support fall. Also: The state railway company in Ukraine says it's "quite likely" that a Russian drone attack was targeting a diplomatic train which had some of Europe’s most senior security officials on board. Alexander Zverev wins the men's US Open - his second...

As the summer holiday season draws to a close, foreigners travelling to and from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates are facing delays, cancellations and severe travel warnings. The disruption comes as a result of the UAE’s position in the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran. Throughout the conflict, Iran has attacked the UAE more times than any other country, including Israel. Until the war with Iran b...

The CEO of Anthropic has warned that the increasing rate of development could lead to rogue artificial intelligence agents taking over the internet, potentially causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage. Elon Musk and the OpenAI boss Sam Altman both said they agreed with Dario Amodei whilst a former Anthropic researcher, Jacob Coxon, has told the BBC there was a strong chance that all huma...

The Off-Key Choir in Southport on Merseyside has a simple motto: just because you can't sing doesn't mean you shouldn't. Around 80 members come together every week to sing their hearts out, without the pressure to hit all the right notes. Since it was formed in 2018, the choir has also acted as a support group. It has become so popular there is now a waiting list to join. Also: the successful cano...

Houthi fighters seize control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, following a lightning military offensive that's cemented their grip on a vital maritime corridor. Also: Despite efforts to control the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials have confirmed that the virus has now spread to another region in the North West of the country. The British parliament votes against changi...

Reports from Yemen say fighters from the Iranian-backed Houthi group have taken over the island of Perim, in the Bab el-Mandab Strait - a crucial shipping route. Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed and thousands displaced since the Houthis launched an offensive in the south-west of the country a week ago. Also: the artificial intelligence company, Anthropic, says it's uncovered attempts...

The Israeli army claims to have destroyed a series of underground tunnels used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. They reportedly found Iranian-made rockets, anti-tank missiles, drones and other munitions. Also: the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, initiates defamation proceedings against an Israeli newspaper that alleged he was warned in advance that Hamas was planning the October the 7...

An urgent search for survivors is underway after a ferry in the Philippines catches fire. Dozens are still missing and at least five people are dead. The Philippine coastguard says it's still too dangerous to board the ferry, but they fear people are trapped inside. Also: a port city in Yemen is captured by the Houthi rebel group. Donald Trump promises $5,000 to every adult American if Republicans...

US Republicans have kicked off their first-ever midterm convention to rally voters ahead of November's elections, despite Donald Trump's low approval ratings. In a lengthy speech, the president defended his policies and promised voters a $5000 payout if the Republican party wins and holds on to Congress, although it's not clear if his pledge is legal. We speak to our correspondent at the conventio...

A top safety researcher at Anthropic has warned that AI might be able to improve itself to the point where it poses an existential threat to humanity. Another former employee says that no other human activity poses this level of danger after quiting the company. There has been a growing number of voices within the industry calling for international coordination to slow AI development. Also: The Br...

The Israeli government takes retaliatory action after Britain, France and Canada impose sanctions on illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has announced countermeasures including shutting the UK's consulate in East Jerusalem. Also: fighting between US and Iranian forces flares again with the Americans striking Iranian oil tankers and Tehran targeting...

Twelve countries ban goods from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank; Britain's Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, says plans to build thousands of new homes there are unacceptable. Also: Canada's imposes retaliatory tariffs on various American goods; fighting escalates between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi group; the medical charity, Medecins sans Frontieres, warns that internatio...

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are terrified for their children's lives at school after an increase in attacks by Jewish extremist settlers. Three pupils at a school south of Nablus have been killed since April. Ambulance crews have been stationed on the road outside the school, while several parents have volunteered to stand outside the gates. Meanwhile, the UK is to ban Israeli goods fro...

Friedrich Merz says the decisive win in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt by the far-right Alternative for Germany, AfD, signals the need for a major reckoning. The AfD's national co-leader, Alice Weidel, says it's aiming to win at least forty per cent in the next general election. Also: the funeral of the Bosnian Serb war criminal, General Ratko Mladić, has gone ahead in the Serbian capital, Bel...

Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is heading for a dramatic victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, far ahead of its mainstream rivals. Although it is projected to fall short of a majority, the AfD says it has won a mandate to govern. Commentators and political opponents speak of the outcome as a watershed and break with the past. No far-right party has won control of a German s...

The US is bringing a "proposal to end the war" to Russia and Ukraine - but hopes for progress towards peace are not high. President Trump's top envoys are visiting Kyiv after a "constructive" meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Also: evidence grows of Sudanese army using chemical weapons in civil war against RSF; the US ambassador to Israel visits Palestinian-Americans in the occupied West Bank...

After a week of deliberation, jurors have failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of murdering her three young children. The 12-person jury was made up of nine women and three men and was reportedly split 11 to one. Ms Clancy doesn’t deny killing her children but says she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time. The court wil...