Global News Podcast

A US woman whose bone marrow saved a father of three in Australia has spent Christmas with him and his family. Gennaro Rapinese, whose leukaemia was cured by the donation, greeted Cassidy Feeney at the airport in Perth with the words 'you saved my life'. Cassidy, who'd never met Gennaro before, says she decided to donate because she'd want someone to do the same for her loved ones - and believes everyone should care more about others and less about themselves. Also: How a community rallied around to help after customers left a restaurant in Montreal without paying a large bill. The owner of Mama Khan's uses his profits to run a soup kitchen and deliver free meals to those in need. The company in Sweden that's tackling loneliness by giving employees time off dedicated to working on their friendships. A chance encounter and a small act of kindness that led to a couple getting engaged. Plus a very rare pink platypus, and why millions of people around the world sing the Scottish folk song, Auld Lang Syne, to mark the new year. Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world. Presenter: Oliver Conway. Music composed by Iona Hampson

Nicolas Maduro has arrived at a detention centre in Brooklyn, New York where he will be held ahead of an expected first court appearance on Monday. Live TV showed Mr Maduro being led away in a hooded jacket and handcuffs by US agents after the plane transporting the captured Venezuelan president and his wife arrived at an air base north of the city. In 2020, Mr Maduro was charged in absentia over alleged drug and weapons offences. He has always maintained that the accusations are a pretext for regime change and denied links to drug trafficking. 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

Following the capture of the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro by the US military, President Trump has said the United States intends to run the South American country until there can be a "safe, proper and judicious transition". The president was pressed by reporters about who would be running Venezuela during the transition period and offered few details on who exactly would be in charge. He added that Washington wasn't afraid of putting boots on the ground. The announcement comes as the United Nations Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss Venezuela's future and the US actions, which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres views as setting "a dangerous precedent." Nicolas Maduro's vice -president has called for his immediate release, but the exiled opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, says Venezuela's hour of freedom has arrived. We look at what may happen next and whether Donald's Trump's actions have any legal justification. 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 United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country", writes President Trump on his Truth Social website. Venezuela has declared a national emergency and says military personnel and civilians were killed in the attacks. Caracas has demanded proof that Mr Maduro and the Venezuelan first lady are alive. The US attorney-general, Pamela Bondi, says the couple will stand trial on charges of drug trafficking and terrorism, and will soon face "the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts". 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

Officials investigating the ski resort fire in Switzerland say they're focussing on the bar's safety measures. Also: Iranian officials warn the US against intervention over protests; swapping life in the US for life in Russia; Argentina's 'tax innocence law'; the AI chatbot, Grok, says it will fix safeguards; and Venus Williams wins a wild-card entry to the Australian Open. 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 by: Reuters

The US President warns his forces will come to the rescue of peaceful Iranian anti-government demonstrators if they are targeted by Tehran. A senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei has responded by saying Donald Trump should know that US interference would lead to chaos across the region. Also: two French managers of the bar in the Swiss ski resort that suffered a deadly fire on New Year's Eve have been interviewed; new mayor Zohran Mamdani is formally sworn in in New York; the difficulty of not having a birth certificate in South Africa; Donald Trump gives an update about his health after concerns were raised; and what to look out for in space travel in 2026. 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 by ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA/Shutterstock

Hundreds take part in a vigil in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana after around 40 people died in a fire at a bar while out celebrating New Year. Also: Colombia's armed forces say they have "neutralised" the main leader of one of Venezuela's most powerful and far-reaching criminal gangs; fresh research indicates that psychedelic drugs could be beneficial in treating a range of mental disorders; the UN children's agency Unicef estimates that more than a million Palestinian children trapped in Gaza desperately need mental health support and we talk to the great grandson of the Czech artist, Alphonse Mucha, best known for his paintings of graceful powerful female figures that helped define the Art Nouveau era. 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

Swiss police say dozens of people have died in a fire at the ski resort of Crans-Montana. They say more than 100 others were injured, many of them seriously. The fire broke out early in the morning in a bar packed with people celebrating the New Year. The cause is still under investigation, but the authorities don't think it was a terror attack. Also: New US travel restrictions have come into force for people from dozens of countries; more than half of them in Africa. New York City has its first Muslim and South Asian mayor as Zoran Mamdani was sworn in at midnight in the historic City Hall subway station, and how one village in China makes 80 per cent of all red lanterns for New Year celebrations. 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

Donald Trump says he is withdrawing the National Guard from the Democrat-led cities of Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland after the Supreme Court blocked the deployment of troops for policing duties. But the president said federal forces would "come back" if crime rates go up. Also: President Volodymyr Zelensky says only 10 per cent of a peace deal with Russia remains to be agreed, but Ukraine is not prepared to sign a "weak agreement" that would prolong the war. We speak to a Syrian refugee who spent years living in Europe but is now ready to move home. The discoveries that could solve the mystery of a medieval Welsh cemetery. And a campaign to build more toilets for women in the Japanese parliament. Photo credit: Reuters. 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

Queen Camilla tells the BBC that as a teenager, she was the victim of an attempted indecent assault on a train journey. She says she fought off her attacker and felt furious about the experience for many years afterwards. The Queen has been a long-standing campaigner against sexual violence. Also: delivery workers go on strike in India; why it's been a bumper year for gold and silver; how to create a factory in space; the peril of the albatross in South Africa; and why American music fans can't get enough of Spanish-language tunes. 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

Protests over Iran's worsening economic problems have spread from the capital, Tehran, to other major cities. University students have now joined the demonstrations, calling for an end to poverty and corruption. How will the government respond? Also: the US places sanctions on Iranians and Venezuelans accused of the "aggressive and reckless proliferation of deadly weapons". Poland considers a bill to recognise same-sex couples for the first time. Some of the world's top aid organisations are set to be barred from Gaza under new Israeli rules. And researchers try a creative way of addressing homelessness. 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 United Arab Emirates says it will end its operations in Yemen, after Saudi Arabia conducts a strike on the southern port of Mukalla. Riyadh claims the target was a UAE-linked weapons shipment, intended for separatists. The attack marks the most significant escalation in a widening rift between the two Gulf powers, who once cooperated in a coalition against the Houthis. Also: protests are spreading in Iran, sparked by rising prices and the plummeting value of the currency. China has launched rockets on a second day of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan. South Korea announces steep fines for companies found guilty of price fixing. BBC analysis suggests Russian losses in the war with Ukraine have been growing faster than at any time since the start of the full-scale invasion. Nepalese authorities are scrapping a clean-up scheme that was meant to encourage climbers to bring down their waste from Mount Everest. A new search for the wreckage of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH-370 begins in the Indian Ocean. We speak to the dinosaur hunters who discovered a spiky “punk rock" dinosaur. And why the Danish Postal Service will stop delivering letters, ending centuries of service. 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

President Trump has warned that Hamas will have "hell to pay" if it does not disarm quickly as part of the Gaza peace deal. He said he hoped to reach phase two "very quickly". He was speaking during a visit by the Israeli prime minister. Also: Russia accuses Ukraine of launching a drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences – a claim Kyiv has denied; the Bangladeshi politician and former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, has died aged 80; researchers monitoring shark populations in the Mediterranean say some shark species are in danger of disappearing; and a young man retraces his father's epic journey and cycles from the English city of Derby to Derby Street in Sydney, Australia. 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

President Zelensky says the US has offered security guarantees for fifteen years although he wished it could be longer. Also; China conducts large-scale military exercises around Taiwan; India’s Supreme Court puts on hold an order that suspended the life sentence of a former member of the governing BJP party for raping a teenager; Israel's announcement that it will formally recognise Somalia's breakaway region, Somaliland, is condemned by regional blocs and neighbouring countries; a crackdown on bird poaching in China and Cristiano Ronaldo says he won't stop playing football until he has scored one-thousand goals. 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

Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky say there's been progress in talks over the Russia-Ukraine war, but difficult issues remain unresolved, including whether Kyiv should give up territory. President Trump said they would know in a few weeks whether a deal is possible. Also: China announces fresh war games around Taiwan. It will practise deterring anyone coming to the island's defence. Myanmar's military is desperate for the country's first general election in five years to be a success, but critics say it's a sham. We look at how Pope Leo is making his mark. And the French film actress and sex symbol Bridget Bardot has died. 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

Voting has begun in the opening phase of Myanmar's heavily restricted general election, the first since the military seized power nearly five years ago in a coup, an act that sparked civil war. The first round of voting takes place in around a quarter of the country; two more rounds are due to take place next month. Also: we look at how deportation fears in the US are driving money transfers to Honduras. A Siberian tiger gives birth to a record five cubs, it's China's first documented case of a tiger having quintuplets in the wild. Research suggests that a mysterious force called Dark Energy - which drives the expansion of the Universe - might be changing, in a way that challenges our current understanding of time and space. And Aryna Sabalenka takes on Nick Kyrgios in what's been dubbed the 'Battle of the Sexes' tennis match. We look at why it's polarising opinion. 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

We look back on our happiest stories from the past year, including: the man who created 'Christina's Corner' for his most loyal customer; the life-saving medical breakthrough in the fight against Huntington's; and the four-legged litter picker taking the internet by storm. Plus: the survivors of an atomic bomb tell us why they want peace; the blood test helping detect ovarian cancer early; the cafe in Tokyo where people with dementia can volunteer; diplomacy through folk music 'From China to Appalachia'; and the rat that helps sniff out tuberculosis. Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, ending weeks of deadly border clashes. It paves the way for prisoner exchanges and for a million displaced civilians to return to their homes. Also: President Trump claims US strikes "decimated" IS targets in Nigeria; the latest on Russia-Ukraine peace talks; Myanmar lifts a curfew after four years; China's high-speed railway races to a new milestone; the Iranian actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, speaks out against women's oppression; how TV adverts fight - and reinforce - stereotypes; an elusive wild cat is rediscovered in Thailand; and we meet the Slovenian ski jumpers heading to the Winter Olympics. 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

Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak has been convicted of abuse of power and money laundering in the biggest case to emerge from the 1MDB state fund scandal. The seventy-two year old, who is already in jail for other charges linked to 1MDB, is sentenced to a further 15 years. His lawyer says he will appeal. Also: there have been demonstrations outside the Delhi High Court against the decision to suspend a life sentence for rape imposed on a former governing party official, Kuldeep Sengar; heavy rain storms across large parts of California have triggered floods and mudslides and left at least three people dead; President Zelensky says he'll meet President Trump this Sunday to discuss the latest peace plan for Ukraine; and hopes for finding a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. 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

Donald Trump says US air strikes have killed multiple Islamic State fighters in Nigeria. He described the group as "terrorist scum" who had persecuted innocent Christians. Also: as Russia considers the latest US-backed peace plan, Ukraine's President Zelensky hails "new ideas" to end the war; former Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, endorses his son Flavio to effectively stand in for him in next year's elections; how neutral Switzerland tried to maintain an uneasy compromise during the Second World War; and how an unexpected knock at the door one Christmas led a homeless man making himself at home - for 45 years. 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