Global News Podcast

An Israel-bound flight with about 170 people on board has landed safely in Saudi Arabia after a fight broke out between pilots, triggering a hijacking alert. Two Israeli officials said the co-pilot is believed to have stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane. Officials from Tabuk airport, where the Flydubai flight landed, say they are being treated in hospital. Also; Russia has carried out another massive overnight attack on Ukraine's Kyiv region, hitting energy infrastructure and residential buildings. President Zelensky says seven people have been killed and 24 injured across Ukraine in the latest drone and missile strikes. Africa's richest man has launched the construction of a giant oil refinery on Kenya's coast, describing it as a new chapter in the continent's industrial journey, and we find out the winner of the 2026 Fat Bear Week in Katmai National Park in Alaska, a contest in which 16 bears took part with two million votes cast from 100 countries around the world.
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 Flydubai aircraft sits on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, 30 September 2026.
Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

After talks with AI industry executives at the White House, President Trump says they've signed a deal to police themselves which is "morally binding". Meanwhile, he has ruled out a joint venture with China on Artificial Intelligence, saying it would amount to "giving away secrets" to Ameria's main economic rival. Also: South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the nation amid growing alarm about violence against women. The English Premier League confirms Manchester City have been found guilty of serious breaches of its financial rules. A man who spent 41 years on death row in the US for murder is released on bail after newly analysed DNA evidence did not link him to the crime. The UK's Prime Minister Andy Burnham sets out an ambitious agenda in a major speech to his party. A rare painting of Rome by the renowned artist William Turner returns to the eternal city. And a week-long dance-a-thon in Nigeria.
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: Anthropic's Tom Brown, SpaceXAI's Elon Musk, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Atreides Management's Gavin Baker at the launch event for America.gov, a new AI-powered US government website.
Credit: Reuters/Kylie Cooper

More than 100 Israeli settlers have attacked a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, preventing the return of a family who'd been forced to flee their home. The Israeli army said settlers, defying a High Court order which allowed the return of the Palestinians, had hurled rocks, blocked roads and set fire to houses and vehicles in Jalud. Also: Spain's government has agreed plans to ban evictions until 2030, as it attempts to deal with a housing crisis. The proposal follows nationwide protests after an 87-year-old woman was forced to leave her home in Madrid because of a massive rent increase. The Malaysian government has started repatriating about 5000 asylum-seekers from Myanmar, including many Rohingyas, under a controversial deal agreed with Myanmar’s military ruler; and, a film about social media takes another critical look at Facebook.
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 destroyed vehicle sits in the estate of Palestinians, Mahmoud al-Tubasi, 60, and his wife Aida, 51, which they say was attacked by Israeli settlers, in Jalud in the Israeli-occupied West Bank

Credit: Reuters

Researchers at the University of Calgary say spending too much time on social media, gaming or streaming can affect young people's wellbeing in similar ways to being poor, born prematurely or having bad parenting.
The study also links excessive screen time to obesity, diabetes and heart problems. Critics say the findings are "not insignificant" but insist that screen time is not the only reason teenagers become emotionally distressed or fail to reach their academic goals. Also: Russian drone strikes Ukraine's National Academy of Science in Kyiv, sparking a huge fire; prosecutors in New York reopen an investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University in 2024; Google Earth's updated satellite imagery shows the scale of destruction in Gaza; a special report on the brutal kidnappings plaguing Nigeria; the backlash over plans to build data centres; and an 11-year-old British girl becomes the youngest chess player in history to earn the woman grandmaster title.
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: Social media app icons, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp, displayed on a mobile phone screen
Credit: Yui Mok/PA Wire

The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have asked the UAE leader to deny reports by Haaretz newspaper that he had been warned about an imminent Hamas attack just days before October 7th. With elections now just a month away, Mr Netanyahu's rivals have seized on the report as just the latest example of warnings that he ignored. Also: we hear how unproven rape claims led to violent demonstrations erupting at an Indian university this weekend; we have the latest on protests in Spain sparked by the forced eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her flat; how scientists came up with a solution to help bananas stay yellow even when they're old or damaged; and the South Korean boy band, Big Bang, returns to London 20 years after they burst onto the music scene and helped turn KPop into a global phenomenon.
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: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 24, 2026.
Credit: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid