Global News Podcast

President Cyril Ramaphosa pays tribute to those who helped bring white minority rule to an end, but acknowledges the challenges still faced by his country. Also: Hamas releases a video showing the first proof of life of two more hostages held in Gaza, and the passenger aged 101 who was classed as being just 1 year old by an airline.

This week, we meet one of the hundreds of ballerinas who balanced on their toes in New York to set a new world record. Also: how a generous stranger gave a kidney to a five-year-old girl. And we hear from Europe's best seagull impersonator.

The $6bn package comes days after a huge military aid bill was approved in Washington. Also: UN investigators have dismissed or suspended cases against four UNRWA employees accused of involvement in the October 7th Hamas-led attacks because of a lack of evidence from Israel, and King Charles is to start returning to public duties in Britain after reacting positively to treatment for cancer.

The Chinese leader tells the visiting US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, they should work together. Mr Blinken says he raised concerns about China's support for Russia in its war against Ukraine. Also: Britain begins tests of the first personalised vaccine for melanoma skin cancer -- based on the mRNA technology used in Covid jabs. And how talking to Twain the humpback whale could help us communicate with aliens from outer space.

Donald Trump argues he can't be indicted under the constitution for actions while he was in office. The ruling will determine whether the former President should face trial on charges that he plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Also: New York's top court overturns one of Harvey Weinstein's rape convictions -- but the disgraced Hollywood producer will remain in jail, and the British synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys are back with a new album.

Human Rights Watch report says children were among those killed in what it calls one of the worst army abuse incidents in Burkina Faso in nearly a decade. Also: The US Secretary of State is in Beijing as the world's largest economies try to mend their relationship - will it work? We hear mixed reactions to a new tourist tax in Venice, and how did the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret club in Paris lose the sails of its windmill?

US House speaker confronts students, calling the protests anti-Semitic and demanding they stop, while protesters fear loss of free speech. After six months of conflict in Gaza, we look at the impact on the Israeli and West Bank economies. Also: President Zelensky welcomes the long-awaited US aid package to Ukraine. We ask how likely it is to change events on the ground. Portugal's surprise mea culpa as it says it wants to take full responsibility for its involvement in the slave trade, and how easy is it to reconnect with old friends?

America's top diplomat Anthony Blinken arrives in Shanghai amid Chinese anger over Taiwan aid. Also: Relief in Ukraine after US senate approves aid package, and how AI helped discover Plato's grave.

The former US president Donald Trump denies falsifying business records to cover up a payment to a porn actress. Also: the Israeli military has rejected accusations that its forces buried the bodies of Palestinians at a medical compound in Gaza, and at what age do we become 'old'?

Migrants to be sent abroad for asylum processing. Ministers say the legislation will deter small boat crossings. Father begins legal action against BP over son's cancer death in Iraq. Voyager-1 sends readable data again from deep space. Elon Musk Sydney church stabbing video row. The US state that wants to fine homeless sleepers. UK woman races topless in the London marathon to show her mastectomy scars. Shakespeare a man of words and numbers.

Defence lawyers tell jurors in New York there was no crime and the former US president Donald Trump is "cloaked in innocence". Also: Ecuadorean police arrest fugitive gang leader, Fabricio Colón Pico, and have you seen the raccoons that are on the run in the Netherlands?

The Israel Defense Forces said Major General Aharon Haliva would retire once his successor was selected. Also, the UK parliament prepares to vote on a bill to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, and thousands of Filipino and US troops begin three weeks of military exercises.

Reports say the US is planning to cut military aid to the Netzah Yehuda battalion. Speaking on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Passover, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that attacks will be stepped up against Hamas in Gaza. Also: the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says the new US package of military aid could help Ukraine turn the tide in the war against Russia, and tens of thousands of people took part in the London Marathon.

The vote comes as Ukrainian troops face a weapons shortage, with Russia continuing its attacks. We get reaction and analysis from Washington and Kyiv, where President Zelensky says it will help his troops on the battlefield. The aid is worth billions of dollars, and the Kremlin doesn't like it. Also in this podcast covering the world's top news events: Iran's ayatollahs launch a new crackdown on women; a river disaster in central Africa; why people in the Canary Islands want tourists to stay away; the arts and housing complex in central London which has been covered in cloth; why China's swimmers failed drugs tests -- but were still allowed to enter the Olympics; and the major international organisation supporting women in tech runs out of cash and closes down.

This week, we meet the teenager whose dancing in the rain in Nigeria brought online fame that's inspired a documentary. Also: The Mongolian Yak herders helping to make fashion sustainable. And how a four-legged tour guide is keeping visitors on the right track.

Police say he dowsed himself in an accelerant after throwing pamphlets about conspiracy theories into the air. Also: Iran's muted response to a presumed Israeli drone attack on Friday raises hopes that tensions between the foes can be kept in check, and the American football star Jason Kelce says he's 'incredibly stupid' for losing his coveted superbowl ring...in a tank of chilli.

Iranian state media says air defence systems were activated in several cities including Isfahan and Tabriz. Also: people in India begin voting in the first round of a seven phase general election, and the four fastest finishers in Beijing's half marathon have their prizes withdrawn.

President William Ruto declares 3 days of national mourning. Two survivors have been taken to hospital. Also: A Palestinian bid for full membership of the UN is vetoed by the US at the Security Council, and why so many of China's major cities are sinking.

Talks on the Italian island of Capri also include the Middle East crisis. Also: We hear from an Israeli hostage released last year whose husband is still captive in Gaza, Germany arrests two Russian dual nationals suspected of planning sabotage attacks, and what to do about fire ants in Australia.

The vote on the 95 billion dollar bill is set for Saturday and includes more military funding for Israel, as well as humanitarian aid for Gaza. Also: Israel says it will make its own decision amid calls for restraint in the wake of Iran's unprecedented attack at the weekend, and could 2 fossilised jawbones found in southern England be from the biggest marine reptile ever to have lived?

President Zelensky calls for more air defences after a missile attack kills at least 14. He described the attack in Chernihiv, which destroyed an eight-story building and damaged a hospital, as Russian terror. Also: A BBC investigation uncovers the death of more than 50,000 Russians in the war, and a controversial emoji forces Apple to update its software. All this and more in the podcast with the top news stories from around the world - from the BBC World Service.

All aid for Gaza is subject to strict Israeli security checks. The UN is also calling on Israel to do more to stop the escalating violence in the West Bank. Also: Belgian police told to shut down meeting of right-wing European politicians in Brussels, and is France's culinary reputation in decline?

As Israel's war cabinet meets to decide how to respond to Iran's drone attack, its allies urge restraint. Also: fighting continues in Gaza, and Copenhagen's iconic stock exchange is engulfed by fire.

The former US President Donald Trump denies trying to disguise a hush money payment to an adult film star in 2016. Also, donors pledge more than $2bn in aid for Sudan, and record ocean temperatures have caused the mass bleaching of coral across large parts of the world's seas.

Almost nine million people have been displaced and the UN is warning of looming famine. Also: Israel is still considering its response to Iran's attack at the weekend, and China investigates whether three African runners allowed a Chinese competitor to win a key race.

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, was speaking at a Security Council emergency meeting on Iran's missile and drone attacks on Israel. Also: Haiti's main political parties urge the outgoing prime minister, Ariel Henry, to speed up the installation of a new transitional council, and the teenager with a memory like an encyclopedia..

Israel says it intercepted vast majority of missiles and drones fired by Iran. Iran said the attack "achieved all its objectives". President Biden to discuss diplomatic response with other G7 leaders amid international calls for restraint. The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting later.

The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his military was "ready for any scenario". Sirens were heard as Israel's air defences came into operation.

This week, we meet the 105 year-old man celebrating his thirteenth total solar eclipse. Also: The AI technology giving back a voice to the voiceless. And our intrepid reporter goes in search of the crookie.

A nine-member political body, tasked with filling the leadership vacuum in Haiti, has been created although their names have not been made public. Also: the US says Iran could attack Israel with drones and missiles within hours, and a Norwegian minister resigns over plagiarism claims.

The BBC gets rare access to one affected area in Sudan. Also: Belgium has opened an investigation into suspected Russian interference in the European Parliament, and how did a star manage to explode giving off more light than ever seen before?

In what was dubbed the trial of the century, in 1994 he was accused of murdering Nicole Brown, and her friend. Also: The Colombian capital Bogota begins rationing water to millions because of a prolonged drought that has left reservoirs exhausted, and a Japanese astronaut is set to become the first non-American to set foot on the Moon during one of NASA's upcoming Artemis missions.

A court says she was the mastermind behind a scheme to defraud the Saigon Commercial Bank of more than forty billion dollars over a ten-year period. Also: President Zelensky makes a plea for more air defences, and the death is announced in Japan of the first foreign-born sumo champion - Akebono.

In Rafah in southern Gaza, prayers were held beside the ruins of al-Farouk mosque, destroyed in Israeli bombardments. Also: Israel cofirms the killing in Gaza of three sons of the Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and the European Parliament approves sweeping new asylum rules aimed at transforming how refugees and migrants are processed.

More than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate with warnings that the situation will worsen. We hear from the Russian side of the border with Kazakhstan. Also: Chinese President Xi has hosted the former leader of Taiwan in a historic meeting, and we'll tell you what to do when you're angry.

It joins more than 12 other states where abortions have been largely outlawed since the federal right to a termination was removed two years ago. Also: Gaza receives its largest airdrop of aid in six months, and the British scientist who gave his name to a subatomic particle -- the Higgs bosun -- has died at the age of 94.

Europe's human rights court ruled that their rights were violated by climate inaction. Also: trial begins of 27 people charged in connection with the Panama Papers scandal, and Scrabble gets a makeover.

A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle was witnessed by millions across the continent. Also: Trump says let US states decide abortion rights, and scientists say Long Covid blood clues could prompt future trials.

It comes despite the group not being recognised as legal residents of Myanmar. Also: We return to the Ukrainian town of Bucha two years after a massacre by Russian troops, Boeing plane forced to land as engine cover falls off and Back to Black stars defend Amy Winehouse biopic.

Israel's military says it has completed its mission in Khan Younis and its troops will rotate out. Also: IAEA urges restraint after a drone attack on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and a British man becomes the first person to run the length of Africa.

The protests in Israel came after the IDF recovered the body in Gaza of an abducted Israeli. Also: Slovakia's presidential election has been won by a nationalist who's sceptical of sending military aid to Ukraine, and fans from around the world flock to the village where the British popstar Harry Styles grew up.

This week, the remarkable rescue of a reindeer herder from Lapland's frozen wilderness. Also: how music is helping refugees heal from war in Uganda. And how a young sumo wrestler has earned a place in the history books

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called the killing of aid staff in the convoy a "grave accident". Also: thousands evacuated after Russian dam breach, and a missing Californian dog is found over three thousand kilometres from home.

A report says the incident was a grave mistake caused by an identification error. Also, a senior WHO official says the humanitarian situation in Sudan is catastrophic; and flood warnings are issued across south-eastern Australia after heavy rain.

Joe Biden says US support for Israel will depend on steps being taken to 'address civilian harm' and 'humanitarian suffering' in Gaza. Also: Peru's congress votes against impeaching President Dina Boluarte who's being investigated for corruption in a scandal over her Rolex watches, and we mark the 28th anniversary of the Lara Croft video game franchise.

Nato's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, hails its success as Ukraine pleads for more missiles. Mr Stoltenberg stressed helping Ukraine is not in question. Also: Emergency workers in Taiwan say more than 600 people remain trapped after Wednesday's strong earthquake, and as veteran hard rockers Kiss sell off their back catalogue for $300 million we hear from co-founder Gene Simmons.

In a rare admission, Israel said its attack on a humanitarian convoy which killed seven aid workers was a tragic error that had occurred due to a misidentification. Also: The French parliament tries its hand at Britain's often raucous Prime Ministers Questions, and the dead politicians appearing on the campaign trail for this month's general election in India, thanks to AI.

Israel's promised an independent investigation after the air attack on an aid convoy on Monday. Also: the secrets of how a new pope is elected are revealed, and Greenwich Moon Time? US scientists are asked to come up with a universal time zone for the Moon where time moves more quickly than on Earth.

Israel has expressed deep sorrow over the incident, in which at least seven foreign aid workers were killed. Also: Joe Biden and Xi Jinping hold their first direct talks since last November, and why it's been a bumper year for billionaires who've accrued an extra $2trn.

Prime Minister Netanyahu calls the air strike in Gaza on Sunday unintentional. Also, Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal becomes Africa's youngest elected president, and a row about the German national football team's shirts.