Global News Podcast

There is no clear winner in Israel's election, with results remaining too close to call. As votes are being counted, Benjamin Netanyahu tells supporters he wants to form a right-wing government and "remove the Iranian threat once and for all." His challenger, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, urges the prime minister to step down, saying the country has voted "for change". Arab parties are on track to record their best results ever.
Also: Brazil's defeated right-wing presidential candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, has fled to the United States amid a probe into alleged money laundering. NFL player Colin Kaepernick speaks to the BBC about his choice to protest police brutality by taking the knee on the field in 2016, causing him to lose his career. The Youth Olympic Games, held in the Senegalese capital, is set to be the first Olympic event held on African soil. And why scientists are playing underwater sounds to coral reefs.
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
Picture: Voters wave Israeli flags while awaiting results from the country's first parliamentary elections since the 7 October 2023 attacks.
Credit: EPA/Shutterstock/Atef Safadi

Israelis turn out in large numbers to vote in what many view as one of the most pivotal elections in the country's history. The campaign has been shaped by the issues of democracy and security and is widely being seen as a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership.
Also: Officials aligned with the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan say drone strikes on the city of Nyala have killed over a hundred people. A ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is holding in the Russia-occupied city of Oleshky, to allow in humanitarian aid. Media groups in India have told the country's supreme court that the government’s new privacy law would challenge the entire concept of news and amount to pre-censorship. The US Justice Department is set to file new charges against James Comey, marking the third time in just over a year that the Trump administration has tried to prosecute the former FBI director. Football star Kylian Mbappe has been dropped by two of his Chinese sponsors after a video emerged of the player making fun of China’s revolutionary hero Mao Zedong. As the sixth instalment in Sarah J. Mass’s ACOTAR series is released, we learn why the romantasy genre has become so popular. And finally, a two-metre-tall skeleton of a dinosaur is expected to sell at Southby’s for $9m.
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
Photo: An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man casts his vote for the 26th Knesset elections in the city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, 27 October 2026.
Credit: EPA/ Shutterstock

Israel is holding its first general election since the October 7th Hamas attacks in 2023, with Benjamin Netanyahu seeking to maintain his hold on power after three years of war.
Also: after his shock defeat in the Brazilian election, the right wing opposition candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, says he's now been banned from leaving the country. Anthropic files for a potentially record-breaking stock market valuation. Two Catholic bishops in the US say they regret meeting President Trump, after images of them praying with him are released by a White House aide. Harry Kane becomes the first English footballer in 25 years to win the game's most prestigious individual award - the Ballon d'Or. A convicted murderer in Australia loses his legal challenge against the ban on Vegemite in prisons. 'Maxxing' is selected as Dictionary.com's word of the year.

This week the Chinese President Xi Jinping and his inner circle are meeting in Beijing for a series of closed-door meetings, known as plenums. Once those meetings have concluded, we're expecting to learn more about the senior figures that could shape the look of China's ruling Communist Party in the years to come. In this bonus episode we answer your questions about the next generation of Chinese leaders and how they might run the world superpower. Presenter Celia Hatton is joined by the BBC's China correspondent Stephen McDonell in Beijing and Shawn Yuan from the BBC Global China Unit and other Chinese expert guests.
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
Photo: Chinese President Xi Jinping pictured during a meeting in Beijing, China, May 15, 2026.
Credit: Reuters/Evan Vucci/Pool

Serbia's long-standing leader, Aleksander Vučić, is defeated in parliamentary elections by the Student List Party. The movement grew out of protests against corruption and authoritarianism. Also: we speak to Israelis about what many see as the most critical election in their history. Brazil's incumbent left-wing President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, wins a stunning victory in a run-off vote. Around 300 top politicians gather in Beijing, as China's communist leadership holds its most important meeting of the year. And cars, buses, taxis and bicycles disappear from a section of Oxford Street, as pedestrians take over London's famous shopping thoroughfare.
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
Photo: Supporters of the electoral list, "Student List - Students Win", celebrate after Aleksandar Vučić,, Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) prime ministerial candidate, conceded defeat in the parliamentary election in Belgrade, Serbia.
Credit: REUTERS