Global News Podcast

Crunch talks in Brussels on Russia's frozen assets

Thu, 18 Dec 2025

European Union leaders hold high-stakes negotiations over whether to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine's war effort. Belgium - where most of the assets are held - is under pressure to drop its opposition. Without the funds, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said his country's drone production would have to be cut. Also: power cuts in major cities in Sudan are blamed on drone attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. A French doctor is jailed for life for poisoning dozens of patients. Peter Arnett, the Pulitzer prize-winning war reporter, dies at the age of 91. And FIFA links up with Netflix to launch a new football game, which won't need a console.

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

Australia to tighten hate speech laws after Bondi attack

Thu, 18 Dec 2025

In the wake of the shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia's government has announced a number of measures to address antisemistism, including giving officials the power to reject the visas of anyone who engages in religious hate speech. 15 people were killed when two gunmen opened fire at an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.

Also: in an end of year speech, President Trump has been telling the American people about his achievements since returning to office. YouTube has secured exclusive broadcasting rights for the Oscars awards ceremony from 2029. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer orders the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich to donate more than three billion dollars in proceeds from the sale of Chelsea football club to Ukraine, or face having the money confiscated. Human rights groups say the Iranian champion boxer Mohammad Javad Vafaei-Sani is at imminent risk of execution. Officials in Japan warn people not to be fooled by AI-generated videos of bears cozying up to humans, as fatalities from bear attacks are at a record high in the country. And the merits of recording your relatives and getting to know the family history this holiday season.

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

First funerals take place for Australia shooting victims

Wed, 17 Dec 2025

Naveed Akram, the surviving suspect of the Bondi Beach mass shooting, is charged with fifty-nine offences including fifteen counts of murder, as well as committing a terrorist act. He was charged at his bedside in hospital, after coming out of a coma. His father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police during the attack, which targeted Australia's Jewish community at an event celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. Also: the head of the World Health Organisation calls for the immediate release of health workers who are believed to be detained in south-western Sudan. The authorities in the Indian capital, Delhi, roll out strict measures to curb air pollution, that has been in the severe category for the past few days. The tiny mountain kingdom of Bhutan has announced it will spend a billion dollars of the country's reserves to build what it's calling a "mindfulness city." And scientists warn that nature photographers are causing irreparable harm to the endangered Galaxy Frog in India.

Trump defends chief of staff after tell-all interview

Wed, 17 Dec 2025

Susie Wiles, one of the most powerful people in Donald Trump's team, gave a rare insight into the administration in a candid interview with Vanity Fair. The White House chief of staff described the president as having an "alcoholic's personality" and Vice President JD Vance as having been a "conspiracy theorist" for a decade. Wiles has now claimed the magazine disregarded "significant context" to create a "disingenuously framed hit piece". Mr Trump said he had full faith in Ms Wiles.

Also: Donald Trump says he's ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going to and from Venezuela, escalating his pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro. Funerals have begun in Australia for the victims of Sunday’s mass shooting at Bondi Beach. Nick Reiner, son of the Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle, has been charged with their murder. Why having difficulty concentrating or losing personal confidence in midlife may put a person at an increased risk of dementia, according to a study. How a picture of Miss Finland sparked a row over racism and a PR crisis for the Nordic nation. The singer Lizzo is celebrating a legal victory after a judge dismissed allegations of fat-shaming made by three of her former dancers. And after six centuries of male voices, King's College Cambridge finally gets an all female choir.

Police say one Bondi attacker was Indian citizen

Tue, 16 Dec 2025

Australian police say one of the Bondi attackers, Sajid Akram, was an Indian citizen. He and his son Naveed spent weeks in the Philippines, where there's been a long-running Islamist insurgency, before Sunday's deadly attack on a Jewish festival. Also: millions are at risk of starvation in Afghanistan this winter; peace talks continue in Berlin aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war; and the US says it has carried out more strikes on boats it suspects of trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean.