Global News Podcast

Spain dismisses reports US wants it suspended from Nato

Nato says there is no provision for members to be suspended - after reports the US is considering trying to suspend Spain over its stance on the Iran war. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez has dismissed the reports. Also, the BBC has uncovered evidence that women who were abused by Jeffrey Epstein were housed by him in at least four London flats after the British capital's police force decided not to investigate the convicted sex offender. A US special forces soldier involved in the military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro has been arrested after he allegedly bet on the removal of Venezuela's former leader before the information was publicly available. The Israeli military has issued an urgent evacuation warning to the residents of the southern Lebanese town of Deir Aames, saying it wants to carry out operations against alleged Hezbollah militants there. Around sixty countries are attending a climate conference in the Colombian city of Santa Marta. And the Chinese artificial intelligence company, DeepSeek, has unveiled its long-awaited new model which achieves strong performance compared with other AI models. 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

The Lebanon ceasefire is 'extended by three weeks'

President Trump says the Lebanon ceasefire has been extended for another three weeks, after hosting talks with diplomats from Israel and Lebanon at the White House, but insisted he won't "rush" a deal with Iran. Also: the Kremlin battles to control cyber space. The tech giant Meta plans to cut 10% of its global workforce. A huge chunk of ice blocks the route to the summit of Everest, at the start of the peak climbing season. A new study says giant octopuses may have been among the top predators of the world’s oceans when dinosaurs still roamed on land. And the last surviving pupil of the composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff, dies at the age of 101. 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

Lebanon accuses Israel of war crime after journalist killed

The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, accuses Israel of deliberately targeting journalists, a day after another reporter, Amal Khalil, was killed in an Israeli attack. Also: a UN official tells the BBC that even if the Iran war ends tomorrow, at least 32m people around the world will be pushed back into poverty. The UK and France sign a new three-year deal to try to stop migrants crossing into Britain on small boats. For the first time the Tanzanian authorities admit hundreds were killed in protests after the presidential election last October. A South African court blocks the repatriation of the body of the former Zambian president Edgar Lungu - halting plans for a state funeral in his homeland. Pope Leo ends his 11-day trip to Africa, visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, highlighting reconciliation, migration and inter-faith dialogue. The International Criminal Court says the former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte will face trial for crimes against humanity over war on drugs. And artificial intelligence experts at the Sony corporation have built a table tennis robot that's defeated elite players. 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

Iran seizes two cargo ships in Strait of Hormuz

Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, says the US blockade is the main obstacle to peace negotiations and accused Washington of using "endless hypocritical rhetoric". The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said President Trump was "satisfied" with the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. She also insisted the blockade was proving successful, by "strangling" Tehran's economy. Also, billionaire Justin Sun has sued Donald Trump's crypto investment firm after suffering hefty losses. A court in Moldova jails an oligarch and a former senior politician over the theft of a billion dollars from banks. And, the monkeys of the rock of Gibraltar start eating soil to counteract the ill effects of their junk food diet. 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

EU approves $100bn loan to Ukraine

EU ambassadors approve a promised $100bn loan to Ukraine after Hungary dropped its veto, following Viktor Orban's election defeat. Ukraine has now started pumping Russian oil towards Hungary again. Also: three container ships have been targeted by Iranian gunfire trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz; a new report says Colombian mercenaries backed by the UAE helped Sudanese paramilitary fighters capture the city of el-Fasher last year; why South Korean police are preparing to arrest the mogul who created the Kpop supergroup, BTS; how weather and natural disasters influence elections; a new book gives a voice to the many extraordinary women at the Nuremberg trials; and how an amateur fossil hunter found a rare fragment of the world's oldest marine crocodile. 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