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US and Iran trade strikes in Gulf

US and Iran trade strikes in Gulf

The US has carried out a second wave of airstrikes on Iran after Tehran attacked tankers in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week. The perimeter of Iran's main nuclear plant, at Bushehr, was reported to have been hit. Iran said attacks on its civilian infrastructure could be war crimes. Tehran ordered retaliatory strikes on neighbouring Bahrain and Kuwait. Also: the toll of the war on tanker sailors in the Gulf; scandal forces a leading US Democratic Senate candidate to suspend his campaign; Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler dies at 75; rising false claims about the Ebola outbreak in the DRC; why young people may be best placed to take advantage of AI; the danger facing a little-known desert rain frog; and scores to settle: Morocco take on France again in the World Cup.

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: [email protected] Photo: Explosion at unknown location, Iran Credit: Reuters

ICC says war crimes committed in Sudan

ICC says war crimes committed in Sudan

The International Criminal Court says it has "concrete evidence" the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces committed crimes against humanity in Darfur during Sudan's civil war. The RSF says the scale of the atrocities in el-Fasher and el-Geneina has been exaggerated. Also: Iran attacks Gulf nations in response to a new wave of US strikes; Bangladesh battles a deadly measles outbreak; scientists warn that men's testosterone levels are declining; the last woman hanged in the UK gets a posthumous pardon; and the Wimbledon Fery tale continues.

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: [email protected] Photo: A woman from El Fasher prays surrounded by displaced women, in a camp in Al-Dabbah, Sudan, November 3, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

Trump says ceasefire with Iran is 'over'

Trump says ceasefire with Iran is 'over'

President Trump says the ceasefire agreement with Iran is "over", blasting the country's leadership as "scum" and "cuckoo" after fresh exchanges of fire. Mr Trump has warned the US will hit Iran 'hard' again tonight, but added that talks could continue if they want. Speaking with President Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, he also promised to license the manufacture of vital Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine. Also: French MPs have approved a bill that would automatically presume police officers acted lawfully in shootings; The United Nations is warning of an impending catastrophe in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid which is home to half a million people; The opening ceremony takes place in Paris for the Esports World Cup; And our culture editor speaks to Christopher Nolan, Tom Holland and Anne Hathaway about The Odyssey, a retelling of Homer's epic story.

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: [email protected] Photo: US President Donald Trump during the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, 08 July 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

US strikes Iran after accusing Tehran of targeting shipping

US strikes Iran after accusing Tehran of targeting shipping

The US carries out strikes in Iran, in retaliation for what it says is renewed Iranian targeting of commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has condemned the attacks. Also: the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen confirms she will contest next year's presidential election. China is dealing with severe rain and flooding that's left more than 20 people dead. Super-strength cannabis is flooding Britain. The line-up for the quarter-finals of the World Cup is now complete, and a Manhattan skyscraper has been evacuated after fears that it could collapse.

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: [email protected]

Photo: Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer

French court clears way for Marine Le Pen presidential run

French court clears way for Marine Le Pen presidential run

French hard-right leader Marine Le Pen could now run for president next year after a court in Paris upheld her embezzlement conviction, but reduced the length of her ban on running for public office. Also: Ukraine's president has used a speech at the Nato summit in Turkey to urge allies to deliver the air defence systems Kyiv urgently needs. In Syria, explosions have been heard in central Damascus, reportedly near the hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron had been staying. The woman suspected of carrying out a parcel bombing in Monaco which injured a sanctioned Ukrainian multi-millionaire and his family has been found dead. In Britain, the leader of right-wing party Reform UK, Nigel Farage, says he will resign as an MP, triggering a by-election which he says he will stand in. New research from Italy suggests women hit a fertility tipping point at 49, even if using younger donor eggs during the process of IVF.

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: [email protected] Photo: French hard-right leader Marine Le Pen leaves a Paris court after her appeals trial. Credit: Reuters

Ukraine requests more air defences after Russian attacks

Ukraine requests more air defences after Russian attacks

The Ukrainian Air Force says a shortage of interceptor missiles meant none of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia at Kyiv on Sunday night were shot down. It was the second large-scale deadly Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital in a week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on allies to take "strong decisions" at this week's Nato summit to provide Kyiv with air defences. Also, huge crowds fill the streets of Tehran for the funeral procession of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Three of his sons prayed beside his coffin at the Grand Mosalla mosque but Motjaba, the son who succeeded him as supreme leader, did not make an appearance; President Trump has been justifying his intervention in FIFA's decision to lift a one-match ban on Folarin Balogun, America's top scorer at the World Cup. Speaking to reporters in the White House, Mr Trump said it was unfair to take out one of the US's best players, and all that he had done was ask FIFA for a review. As fighting intensifies in Sudan's civil war, the UN Human Rights council has ordered an urgent investigation into allegations of abuses in and around the city of El-Obeid.

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: [email protected]

Photo: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the site of an apartment building damaged during overnight Russian missile and drone strikes in Kyiv on the 2nd of July.

Credit: Reuters

Controversy after World Cup red card overturned

Controversy after World Cup red card overturned

FIFA suspends a one-game ban imposed on a USA star footballer given a red card, after a reported phone call from President Trump. The decision to allow Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium at the next World Cup fixture has been condemned. Also: wildfires force evacuations across southern Europe; a report on how Russia's war in Ukraine is affecting Crimeans; we meet the Nigerian women taking security into their own hands; why men are more likely to "hit the wall" in a marathon; and the mysterious space balls on Australian beaches.

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: [email protected] Photo: Referee Raphael Claus looks on after showing a red card to Folarin Balogun of USA during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match USA against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Credit: BENJAMIN FANJOY/EPA/Shutterstock

The Global Story: US at 250 – your questions answered

The Global Story: US at 250 – your questions answered

As the United States celebrates 250 years since its founding, this week The Global Story has been exploring the surprising and often hidden ways the US has shaped the modern world. In this episode, listeners from The Global Story and Global News Podcast ask their questions to hosts Asma Khalid, Tristan Redman and Celia Hatton. BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen, who has reported from more than 90 countries over the past 40 years, also joins.

To hear more of the US and the World at 250 special episodes, search for The Global Story, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

US July 4th celebrations disrupted

US July 4th celebrations disrupted

Severe weather forces thousands to evacuate the National Mall in Washington ahead of the president's July 4th speech, marking 250 years of US independence. In a delayed address, Donald Trump said no one will ever take America's freedom away. Also: Venezuela earthquakes death toll rises to nearly 3000; Iran mourns the death of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei; Ukraine strikes targets in the Russian city of St Petersburg; Germans protest against the far-right AfD party; FIFA confirms time for the England vs Mexico World Cup match; and we speak to a pioneer of wheelchair tennis.

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: [email protected] Photo: Spectators at Great American State Fair in Washington celebrating 250th anniversary of US independence.  Credit: Graeme Sloan/EPA/Shuttercock

The Happy Pod: Meeting a princess while climbing a mountain

The Happy Pod: Meeting a princess while climbing a mountain

Pete Haslam was carrying his paraplegic son Ted up a mountain, helped by friends and family, when they bumped into Catherine, Princess of Wales. She was doing the same climbing challenge, known as the Three Peaks, and stopped to chat to them three times. Pete says he almost didn't recognise Catherine in her walking gear but, when they got talking, she was very kind and motherly to Ted.

Also: in a story suggested by a listener, we hear from the US man who crossed Africa on a skateboard. Jason Vanporppal was raising money for a skatepark in Uganda which he hopes will inspire young people.

The unusual object that saved a man's life after an accident at sea. He survived by clinging to a cool box for four hours.

Plus the twins who married twins, the Nigerian chef awarded 'icon status'.

And the surprise school trip to a star studded movie premiere. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson arranged for the pupils to see his latest film, Moana, after they'd tagged him in a socials video.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

(Photo: Pete Haslam talking to Catherine, Princess of Wales, on Ben Nevis. Credit: Pete Haslam)

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson

Donald Trump begins the 250th anniversary of US independence

Donald Trump begins the 250th anniversary of US independence

Speaking at Mount Rushmore in the state of South Dakota, President Trump said that the United States would celebrate the American Declaration of Independence of July 4th, 1776 as "one of the most extraordinary days in the world". In a politicised speech he told the gathered audience that "communism was the greatest threat facing America". Also, the United Nations has said the world must act now to prevent a human rights catastrophe in the Sudanese city of El Obeid. The underdogs Cape Verde take the title holders, Argentina, into extra time in the knockout stage of men's football World Cup. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are now husband and wife following their star studded wedding in New York where the pop superstar and the American football player were married. Keir Starmer, the outgoing British Prime Minister, has said that his successor will have little choice but to focus, as he has, on foreign affairs. And Nasa launches a rescue mission to try to save a space telescope that started sinking after recent solar storms.

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: [email protected] Photo: Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills, Keystone, South Dakota, USA Credit: BBC

The Global Story: Abdi’s American Dream

The Global Story: Abdi’s American Dream

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, The Global Story podcast is exploring the surprising and often hidden ways the US has shaped the modern world. One of the most powerful and enduring American ideas is that of the American Dream. In this episode, Asma Khalid hears the story of one extraordinary American Dream seeker. The BBC first spoke to Abdi Nor Iftin in 2014, when he was living in one of Kenya's toughest neighbourhoods after fleeing conflict in Somalia. When he won the US green card lottery his problems seemed to be solved – but it turned out to be the start of a whole new struggle. The Global Story tells in-depth stories from where the world and America meet. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

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