Global News Podcast

Russian missile and drone strikes hit "critical" infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv despite US President Donald Trump's claim on Sunday that an "energy ceasefire" was in place between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine says it received no warning from allies and was hampered by restrictions to the Starlink communications network during another night of intense attacks. Separately, speed restrictions on the key Starlink communications network have disrupted Ukraine's battlefield "missions", President Volodymyr Zelensky's adviser has warned. Also: A Ukrainian man goes on trial in Hamburg accused of blowing up Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines to Germany; Saudi Arabia's Supreme Court overturns a death sentence imposed on a Sri Lankan worker for blasphemy; The Global Penguin Society says more needs to be done to protect the birds from the impact of climate change, the El Niño weather pattern, deep sea mining and oil development; In China how the "loneliness economy" is growing to help people deal with feelings of isolation; and archaeologists in Turkey say they’ve found the world’s oldest shipwreck.
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:
Residents look on from a balcony of an apartment of a residential building which was damaged by a late evening Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 14, 2026.
Credit:
Reuters

A medical bulletin from the Vatican has announced that Pope Leo has undergone a successful operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his right lung. It said the Pope had woken up normally and returned to his room after a brief period of observation. Pope Leo had announced on Sunday that his operation was imminent but the cancer diagnosis only came after the procedure had been carried out.
Also: 30 years after the American rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, a former gang boss has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for his part in the murder. Cornell University in the US has suspended some campus parties in response to a former student’s gang rape allegations. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said anonymous contributors to the Israeli documentary "NAZA" about the war against Hamas in Gaza must have their identities revealed; we speak to the film's directors. A major report by England's football regulator has warned that many clubs are living on edge of financial disaster. How minuscule robots piloted by magnets could deliver doses of medicine to specific parts of the body. And a new species of dinosaur is discovered by a British scientist.
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: Pope Leo XIV arriving at the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, 13th October.
Credit: EPA

The International Monetary Fund says in its latest report that global growth has weathered the Middle East conflict better than had been feared, with rerouting of oil supplies and the release of energy stocks helping reduce the negative impact of the Iran war. But the IMF also warns that emergency stocks are now depleted. Also; the authorities in the American state of Tennessee release dramatic phone calls that were made to the emergency services after the botched execution of Christa Pike; Pope Leo has been admitted to hospital for a lung operation; a leading Iraqi human rights organisation says the government must do more to protect women who speak out about sexual violence, and Rwanda has agreed to host Formula One races, bringing the sport to Africa for the first time since the South African Grand Prix in 1993.
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: Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund Silvana Tenreyro at annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank Group in Bangkok
Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

Researchers in Australia say there were 11.4 million new dementia cases in 2023. They expect that number to more than double to 24.7 million by 2050. Women and people from lower- and middle-income countries are most likely to be affected. We speak to Professor Henry Brodaty, co-author of the study, who tells us this is because of "an epidemic of ageing".
Also: the BBC reports from the frontline of the conflict in Yemen. US federal agents have raided the home in Washington of the Democratic congresswoman, Ilhan Omar. Elon Musk has given what's believed to be a record amount of money to Republican groups ahead of the US midterm elections. We're in Hungary, six months on from the defeat of Viktor Orbán's party in parliamentary elections. And the actress Selma Blair is charged with assault after an alleged incident on a flight from Los Angeles to New York City.
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: A 90-year old man uses a walking stick at the Forget Me Not, Dementia Friendly Cafe, in Salford, England.
Credit: Reuters

Major French supermarket chains have reported being hit by a cyberattack that caused their refrigerators to defrost. More than 150 Intermarché stores were targeted, along with almost 100 Coopérative U outlets. The hackers may have also hit other major chains in France and neighbouring countries.
Also: Saudi airspace remains heavily disrupted, as Yemen's Houthis continue a barrage of missile attacks. President Zelensky says Washington has to make Russia respect the energy ceasefire announced by President Trump, after Russian strikes hit Ukrainian power plants overnight. Thousands have rallied in Delhi for what they call a March for Democracy, aimed at removing the head of India's electoral commission, following fraud allegations. Why AI data centres could be a major issue for voters in the US midterms. Pakistan detains the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province after sacking him and his government and declaring a local emergency. We speak to the president of Microsoft about the dangers of AI going rogue... and the case of a Qing period porcelain bowl found mysteriously smashed inside the British Museum.
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: FILE PHOTO: A customer shops in a supermarket in Nice, France, March 1, 2023.
Credit: REUTERS/Eric Gaillard