Podcasts · International affairs
Global News Podcast
BBC World Service
The day’s top stories from the BBC World Service, twice a day.
Audio and descriptions © BBC World Service, played from their official feed “Global News Podcast”. Feed checked 29 Oct 2026, 4:10 AM IST.
28 Oct 2026 · 27 min
Dozens killed in train crash in Spain
More than 60 people have died after two high-speed trains collided south of the Spanish capital, Madrid. The accident happened on the same rail line where 46 people died earlier this year. Also: with most votes counted in the Israeli election, Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is slightly ahead, but short of a majority. A luxury cruise ship on a years-long voyage around the world has suspended operations
Episode page ↗28 Oct 2026 · 25 min
Israel election too close to call
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
Episode page ↗27 Oct 2026 · 28 min
Huge turnout in Israeli election
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 p
Episode page ↗27 Oct 2026 · 27 min
Israel holds first election since October 7th attacks
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 mar
Episode page ↗27 Oct 2026 · 30 min
What's next for China after Xi Jinping?
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
Episode page ↗26 Oct 2026 · 28 min
Leaderless student movement wins Serbian election
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. Aroun
Episode page ↗26 Oct 2026 · 27 min
Brazil's President Lula defeats Bolsonaro
Brazil's left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been elected to a fourth term in office, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in the runoff of the presidential election. The right-wing challenger Bolsonaro has called for the election to be annulled, following in his father Jair Bolsonaro’s footsteps by not recognising the results. Lula becomes the first president in Brazil's history to win a four
Episode page ↗26 Oct 2026 · 34 min
The Global Story: They were loyal Democrats. Then came Gaza
Midterm elections in the United States are normally about domestic issues such as the economy and the cost of living. They’re often a pulse check on voter sentiment towards the party in power, or a reflection of local political battles and regional trends. Midterms are rarely impassioned referendums on a specific foreign policy issue. But this year in Michigan, for some voters, the Senate race is
Episode page ↗25 Oct 2026 · 28 min
French protesters return to the streets
Protests against poor economic conditions have been held across France. Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested after clashes with riot police in cities including Paris and Marseilles. Also: campaigning intensifies ahead of the US mid-term elections. We have a special report from the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Gianni Infantino claims the "vast majority" supports his bid for re-election as he
Episode page ↗24 Oct 2026 · 27 min
The Happy Pod: Lost my ring, found some friends
Patrick Mohr thought his wedding ring was gone after it fell off his hand while he swam in Italy, but it led to an international friendship with three locals who dived to find it. Filippo Palagi, Nicola Malloggi and Edoardo Poggi went on a trip to return it to Patrick in Ireland. Also: the grandmother who competed at Miss Great Britain and made history in the process. Glamour Gran Ann wants other
Episode page ↗24 Oct 2026 · 28 min
Melania Trump brokers ceasefire for Ukrainian city
The White House says the US first lady, Melania Trump, has brokered a local ceasefire for a frontline city in a Russian-occupied part of Ukraine. The truce in Oleshky, in the Kherson region, is due to begin on October 29. The White House says the city is on "the brink of disaster" without medicine, food and clean water. Residents of the city have resorted to eating garden weeds to survive. Also: D
Episode page ↗23 Oct 2026 · 30 min
Sudan's hospitals deliberately targeted by RSF fighters
A BBC investigation has found evidence that Sudanese paramilitary fighters systematically destroyed El-Fasher's healthcare system during their long siege and subsequent takeover of the city in Darfur a year ago. UN human rights chief Volker Türk called the findings "deeply disturbing", saying multiple attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on civilian infrastructure, including health facilities
Episode page ↗23 Oct 2026 · 26 min
Yemen's humanitarian crisis
Our senior international corrrespondent Orla Guerin reports from Yemen where fighting has intensified between government forces and Houthi rebels. Also: Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong steps into the limelight as rumours swirl over the health of the North Korean leader. Demonstrators stage peaceful protests across Venezuela calling for the safe return of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. P
Episode page ↗22 Oct 2026 · 26 min
Ukraine comes under renewed Russian attack
The Ukrainian president has accused Russia of responding to the latest negotiations about ending the war by launching three waves of ballistic missiles. Nine people were killed and more than 30 injured across Ukraine, as homes, power facilities, shops and a medical centre were hit. The attacks came after Russia had said it was "ready in principle" to resume peace talks, and the US said an end to t
Episode page ↗22 Oct 2026 · 27 min
US and European websites go offline over security concerns
A cyber security flaw has prompted governments in Finland and the Netherlands and websites such as Wikipedia and the BBC to go completely dark temporarily. The flaws in a programming language were discovered by AI. PHP is a scripting language that powers 70 per cent of all websites in the world. Also: Three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States are scheduled to take place in Abu
Episode page ↗21 Oct 2026 · 31 min
Witkoff praises Putin as 'a humanitarian'
Russia has released a retired American teacher who was jailed for allegedly fighting on behalf of Ukraine, as President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff. Mr Witkoff praised the decision, calling Mr Putin "a humanitarian", while also thanking him for a diesel deal that has angered Kyiv's allies. The US envoy, who had attended talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Norway on Tuesday, al
Episode page ↗21 Oct 2026 · 27 min
Zelensky says US intelligence sharing is back on
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says intelligence on early warning systems for Russian strikes "works now", and that he is thankful to the US. After meeting President Zelensky, Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff is now in Russia to share peace proposals with President Putin. Also: We report from Kansas ahead of the US midterm elections; Indonesia's worst wildfire season in a decade causes a
Episode page ↗20 Oct 2026 · 25 min
Alberta rejects move towards Canada independence
Canada’s most oil and gas rich province, Alberta, has voted to reject a move towards holding a referendum on independence from Canada. The Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney said they were pleased with the result. More than three quarters of voters said they were against holding a future binding referendum that would have split Alberta from the rest of Canada. The vote t
Episode page ↗20 Oct 2026 · 26 min
France halts protests with curfew crackdown
Overnight curfews are in place in parts of Paris, Lyon, Lille and Nice as the French authorities try to crack down on violence and looting which has scarred the country since Saturday. Demonstrations have been banned in the French capital, which experienced some of the worst unrest that spilled over from massive protests against the cost of living. Also: Japan heads to Mars to make history in spac
Episode page ↗19 Oct 2026 · 28 min
World Food Programme to cut aid to Gaza
Residents of Gaza have described the World Food Programme's decision to drastically reduce lifesaving assistance as "disastrous". The number of people helped by the UN agency will be reduced by around a third to one-point-one million people, as it grapples with a funding shortfall. Also: An Australian lawmaker is in a critical condition after being hit by a car in what the prime minister described
Episode page ↗