Global News Podcast

US launches 'heavy' strikes on Iran

The US military says American forces hit dozens of targets across Iran in a two-hour wave of strikes after Iranian missile attacks on US forces in Jordan were intercepted. Iranian state media reported that the islands of Qeshm and Abadan, both central to the oil industry, were among the areas hit. Jordan and Kuwait have come under further attack from Iran in retaliation. Also: More than thirty people are known to have died in Japan's earthquake. An object that violated Polish airspace overnight was 'most likely' a Russian missile, according to the Polish Prime Minister. African migrants forced to leave South Africa after a wave of anti-immigration protests speak about their difficulties in rebuilding their lives. A French teenager falls foul of laws in Singapore over an incident with a straw, and in a world dominated by devices how small moments can help us reconnect with the physical world. 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 [globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk] Photo: A U.S. military aircraft takes off from an unknown location during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this screengrab from a handout video released on July 29, 2026 Credit: US Central Command

President Trump suggests AI restrictions

Donald Trump suggests introducing controls on artificial intelligence following OpenAI's admission that it lost control of systems under test. But the US president said any restrictions should not allow China to win the AI race. Also: Germany says deportations to Afghanistan are no longer limited to criminals. A special report from a train journey across Iran. A mystery illness kills elephants in Kenya. BTS decides not to compete in the Grammys - we find out why. And fancy a private tour of Stonehenge? It could be yours. 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 [globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk] Photo: A mobile phone display showing the icons of artificial intelligence (AI) apps Deepseek, Chatgpt and Gemini. Credit: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA/Shutterstock

Fifa faces backlash over proposed World Cup sell-off

There's a growing backlash after Fifa announced plans to sell stakes in a $20bn subsidiary to manage its competitions. The EU's sports chief accused Fifa of relentless and corrosive commercialisation of football, while European football's governing body UEFA said the World Cup was not an "asset to trade". Also: after the resumption of fighting between the US and Iran, we hear more about a militia group in Iraq which was targeted in US-Saudi strikes. At least 14 people are now known to have died in the earthquake that struck the Japanese island of Kyushu. Russia's Federal Security Service has charged the ‌Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities and issued an international arrest warrant. We speak to one of the people who helped rescue horses from an equestrian centre caught up in the wildfires in France; videos of them galloping through the town have gone viral. The actor and musician Jared Leto is facing allegations of criminal sexual conduct by four women. Nepal says its tiger population is bouncing back... and why raving in a sauna is becoming popular in major cities around the world. 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 [globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk] Photo: Fifa President Gianni Infantino during World Cup 2026 press conference Credit: Reuters/Henry Romero

Fighting between the US and Iran flares up again

US targets militant groups in eastern Iraq aligned with Iran, in strikes co-ordinated with Saudi Arabia. It comes after Iran said it targeted a US military base and command centre in Jordan with ballistic missiles. Also: Donald Trump meets Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington for the first time since the conflict with Iran began; the death toll mounts in Japan's earthquake; FIFA boss, Gianni Infantino, criticised for commercialising football; Jewish settler attacks on Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank reach a record high, according to the United Nations; Keiko Fujimori is sworn in as Peru's first elected female president; and a museum in the US makes the most of a terrible online review. 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 [globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk] Photo: An Iranian woman walks near an anti-US mural in a street in Tehran. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock

Many trapped in Japanese mall after earthquake

Japanese firefighters say many people are trapped inside a shopping centre after a powerful earthquake in the southern prefecture of Kumamoto, on Kyushu island. Witnesses say there was an explosion and fire at the mall after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake. Also: French firefighters have likened efforts to contain wildfires there as a David versus Goliath struggle, despite some progress tackling blazes ravaging parts of France and Spain. We report from the front line of Ecuador's war against drugs. The French football star, Zinedine Zidane, has been appointed as the coach of the men's national team. And how to become a Big Ben apprentice. 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 [globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk] Photo: Aerial view showing the damaged Aeon Mall shopping centre, after the earthquake in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture Credit: Kyodo via Reuters