Author: BBC World Service

Ecuador holds a referendum on whether or not to allow foreign military bases in the country again to help tackle drug trafficking. There was a US military base on the country’s Pacific coast until 2009, when President Rafael Correa ordered it closed.

Also in the programme: the UK government announces that most refugees granted asylum will have to wait twenty years before they can apply for permanent settlement, instead of five years; and we hear from a critic of the German auction house planning a sale of personal items from victims of the Nazi Holocaust.

(IMAGE: Ballots are placed on a table during a referendum to decide whether to allow the return of foreign military bases, which Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa says are central to fighting organized crime, and whether they back convening an assembly to rewrite the constitution, at a polling station in Quito, Ecuador November 16, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters / Karen Toro)

Donald Trump has spent this year trying to negotiate a deal to end the war in Ukraine. So far, Vladimir Putin doesn’t seem interested in the US’s proposals. One man who has successfully negotiated with Russia – and with many of America’s adversaries – is Roger Carstens, former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. From 2020 to 2025 he worked to free dozens of US citizens taken hostage and wrongfully detained around the world, including in Russia. Securing their release often required complex deals that took years to put together. What does it take to successfully negotiate with Putin’s Russia?

With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

Producer: Lucy Pawle Executive producer: James Shield Senior news editor: China Collins Mix: Travis Evans Photo: Roger Carstens. Credit: BBC

Thousands of indigenous people and activists demonstrate against global warming in the Amazonian city of Belém, where COP30 is taking place. It's the first time since 2021 that people have been allowed to protest outside the UN climate talks. Also: Palestinian families suffer, as heavy rains destroy camps in Gaza; Pakistan's Balochistan province bans child marriage; Mexican cities see protests over growing violence and insecurity; Ecuadorians are set to vote on allowing foreign military bases back into their country; and Pope Leo hosts some of Hollywood's biggest stars, describing them as "pilgrims of the imagination".

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

Thousands of people have been marching through the streets of Belem to demand stronger action on tackling global warming, as the UN climate summit continues in the Brazilian city. Indigenous communities, youth groups, and climate activists from across the world were among those joining the rally to mark COP 30's half-way point. We speak to Panama's special representative on climate change Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez.

Also in the programme: President Trump has hit out at Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who had been one of his closest allies; why Iceland's former Prime Minister is worried her native language is under threat; and as Pope Leo holds an audience with some of Hollywood's biggest stars, we speak to a nun who is also a film critic.

(Picture: People join the Global Climate March in Belem on 15 November, 2025. Credit: ANDRE BORGES/EPA/Shutterstock)

President Trump has said he'll sue the BBC for up to five billion dollars, despite the broadcaster's apology for misrepresenting the speech he gave before his supporters attacked the Capitol building.

Also in the programme: settler violence in the West bank; and 25 years of Daft Punk.

(Picture: The BBC logo outside the BBC Broadcasting House. Credit: REUTERS)

We speak to a woman who saved the life of a kayaker, after spotting him floating face down in Idaho's Snake River. Rachelle Ruffing says knowing CPR allowed her to 'make a miracle' which has changed her, and everyone should learn how to do it. She says she still finds it hard to believe that the man made a full recovery and that attending his recent wedding was a privilege.

Also: the Afghan women's football team returns to the international stage, four years after the players fled the Taliban. FIFA changed the venue of the tournament to allow them to take part. Conservationists find a way to save a rare albatross by getting birds from another species to act as foster parents for their eggs. We hear how old home movies are being rescued so people can relive precious family moments decades later. Plus, after the fat bears of Alaska, we find out about the squirrels bulking up for winter in Texas; and we meet the man who can charm animals with his music, even stopping a herd of rhinos in their tracks.

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

The US President has said he will begin legal action against the BBC within the next few days after receiving an apology but no financial compensation over a misleading edit in a documentary about him. Lawyers representing Donald Trump had asked for a retraction, an apology and a payout after it was revealed that his speech at a rally on 6th January 2021, the day of the Capitol riots, was edited to give the impression he'd made a direct call for violence. Meanwhile, leading Democrats have accused President Trump of trying to deflect attention from questions about his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after he announced he was asking the attorney general and FBI to investigate prominent Democrats who he claims "spent large portions of their life with Epstein, and on his island". Also: the BBC speaks to Palestinian farmers who have been attacked by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank; the AI company that claims its chatbot has been used by Chinese spies to hack organisations around the world; the mining giant BHP is found responsible for the collapse of the Mariana dam in Brazil ten years ago; and film tourism is a multi-million dollar global business, but is it always a good thing?

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

A court in Britain has ruled that the mining company BHP is legally responsible for the collapse of a dam in 2015 which caused one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters. The failure of the Mariana dam (in southeastern Brazil) unleashed a wave of toxic waste that killed nineteen people and polluted a major river. It was owned by a joint venture between the Brazilian firm, Vale, and BHP - which was headquartered in Britain at the time. Hundreds of thousands of Brazilian victims are seeking what could amount to billions of dollars in compensation. BHP says it intends to appeal.

Also in the programme: controversy in Turkish football; and we hear from a mystery person photographed during the Louvre heist.

(Photo: A view shows the BHP Group logo at their headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. CREDIT: REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo)

Russian drones and missiles hit an apartment block in eastern Kyiv, killing at least six people. President Zelensky has accused Moscow of deliberately targeting civilians. Also: The UN approves a formal investigation into allegations that the Rapid Support Forces massacred 2,000 people in the Sudanese city of El Fasher; Japan summons the Chinese ambassador, as a row over Taiwan escalates; high blood pressure in children has doubled in 20 years; and the Japanese woman who 'married' her AI boyfriend.

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