Global News Podcast - UK threatens to recognise Palestinian state

Britain's prime minister, Keir Starmer, says he'll recognise Palestinian statehood, unless Israel takes measures to end, what he called the appalling situation in Gaza. The dramatic shift in policy comes a week after a similar announcement by France. The British leader gave Israel until the UN general assembly in September to meet conditions, including taking steps towards a ceasefire. Israel's foreign ministry has condemned Britain's move - saying it constitutes an award for Hamas and harms efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

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

Newshour - Britain to recognise a Palestinian state

UK will recognise Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to a Gaza ceasefire and other conditions. Israel says the move rewards Hams.

Also in the programme: Ex-Colombian president Álvaro Uribe has been found guilty of witness-tampering; and an Australian woman - Joan Anderson - who went largely uncredited for her leading role in the creation of the hula hoop has died at the age of 101.

(Photo: UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer making a statement in Downing Street, London, following a Cabinet meeting to discuss the situation in Gaza. The UK will recognise the state of Palestine in September before the UN General Assembly, unless the Israeli government takes steps to end the "appalling situation" in Gaza, the Prime Minister has told the Cabinet. 29 July 2025. Credit: Toby Melville/PA Wire)

Global News Podcast - Worst-case scenario of famine unfolding in Gaza, says UN-backed group

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitoring system, has warned that “the worst-case scenario of famine” is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip. It comes as the territory’s health ministry says 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave since Israel's offensive began. Also: floods hit Beijing; the Ukrainian hackers targeting Russia’s Aeroflot airline; farmers in the US and Mexico caught in a water crisis driven by a decades-old treaty; a gunman kills four in New York; a shaky ceasefire holds along the border with Thailand and Cambodia; the former Colombia president who’s been convicted of witness tampering; and can Greenland’s Inuit majority achieve independence?

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

Focus on Africa - Who is behind a church attack in DR Congo?

More than 40 people including women and children were killed in an attack by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), in the town of Komanda, east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The militia group is linked to the so-called Islamic state, a jihadi militant group. Majority of those killed were worshippers at a local church, nearby shops were also attacked and looted.

Also, why Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto is challenging his disqualification from October’s presidential election list.

And what's the impact of Africa's disappearing Wetlands?

Presenter: Richard Kagoe Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Nyasha Michelle and Yvette Twagiramariya Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Newshour - UN monitoring group warns famine is unfolding in Gaza

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has said what it calls "the worse case scenario of famine" is now unfolding in Gaza. The UN's World Food Programme says that the unfolding disaster is reminiscent of famines seen in Ethiopia and Biafra, Nigeria, in the last century.

Also in the programme: Google launches a new AI search tool in the UK; and as England's women's football squad celebrates its triumph at the Euros with an open-top bus parade in central London, we'll look at how the game is growing commercially around the world.

(Photo: Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen. CREDIT: REUTERS/Khamis Al-Rifi)

Global News Podcast - Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of genocide

For the first time, two leading Israeli human rights organisations, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, have accused their own country of committing genocide in Gaza. In reports published on Monday, they said “Israel is taking co-ordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip" and that it is “systematic” in its targeting of Gaza's healthcare infrastructure. Israel has denied the allegation and has called the case "wholly unfounded" and based on "biased and false claims". Also: The BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen views Gaza from above in one of the Jordanian planes delivering aid from the sky, the investigation into a deadly mass shooting in Ecuador, and why Catholic influencers are gathering in Rome.

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

Newshour - Trump: Gaza starvation is not ‘fake’

President Trump said there is 'real starvation' in Gaza that cannot be ‘faked’, contradicting claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that reports starvation in the territory was exaggerated. We hear from the Doctors Without Borders on the ground in Gaza city, and one of the first Israeli rights groups to label Israel's campaign in Gaza 'genocide'.

Also in the program: Thailand and Cambodia announce an immediate ceasefire after days of border clashes, and the Shaolin Temple's chief monk is stripped of his position after accusations of embezzlement and breaking his vows of celibacy.

Picture: A Palestinian child suffering from malnutrition receives treatment at a healthcare center, amid widespread hunger, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip March 4, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Focus on Africa - Somalia: The “hole” at the heart of a seized arms ship

A stand off as Somalia demands release of a cargo ship carrying military equipment that was seized by semi-autonomous Puntland. The ship was reportedly transporting military equipment to Turkey’s military base in Mogadishu.

Why indigenous plants are making a comeback in African diets?

And after Nigeria's Super Falcons historic victory at WAFCON, in Morocco, we ask what does this mean for the future of African women's sport ?

Presenter: Richard Kagoe Producers: Charles Gitonga in Nairobi with Sunita Nahar and Patricia Whitehorne in London. Technical Producer: Philip Bull Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi.

Global News Podcast - The UN warns that it’s “make or break” for malnourished Palestinians

President Trump has acknowledged that there is real starvation in Gaza and that Israel has a responsibility for the flow of aid. Also in this podcast: Thailand and Cambodia agree a ceasefire, Google admits that its earthquake warning alerts haven't worked, the Chinese monk accused of corruption and womanising, and a BBC editor who has penned a musical satire.

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

Newshour - More than 100 trucks of aid sent to Gaza

More aid trucks have been seen crossing into Gaza where Israel has eased its blockade and military operations under intense international pressure, but humanitarian organisations have warned that the supplies are nowhere near enough to ease the hunger crisis gripping the Palestinian territory.

Also in the programme: as France describes the European Union's trade deal with the US as "submission", the EU's top negotiator tries to make the case for the deal; and Google admits its earthquake warning system failed to alert millions of people in Turkey before the devastation of 2023.

(Photo shows trucks carrying aid lining up near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on 28 July 2025. Credit: Reuters)