Israel's military has urged all residents of Gaza City to evacuate to what it calls a humanitarian zone in the south, as it expands its military operation in the territory's largest urban area. For a second day running, it's destroyed a high-rise block. Israel says the tower was being used by Hamas, which the group denies.
Also in the programme: the Universal Postal Union says deliveries to the United States have plunged eighty percent in a week because of uncertainty over new tariff laws; Tesla offers Elon Musk a trillion-dollar pay package; and celebrating 60 years of the movie 'The Sound of Music'.
(Photo:The Sussi Tower is the second Gaza City high-rise to be destroyed in as many days. Credit: Getty Images)
A new blood test could dramatically improve survival rates for women with ovarian cancer by detecting it much sooner. The researchers tell us it's a game changer that could go on to save tens of thousands of lives around the world every year.
Also: we meet the female Muslim jockey breaking new ground and inspiring the next generation. Khadijah Mellah has just made her amateur debut.
Plus the woman who underwent a rare triple organ transplant talks about the joy of getting back to normal life; how a hand-cranked washing machine is saving thousands of people from hours of back breaking work; football's Homeless World Cup; and why a member of indie band Kasabian is opening a new music venue in a tiny Welsh town.
Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.
Israel's military has urged all residents of Gaza City to evacuate to what it calls a humanitarian zone in the south, as it expands its military operation in the territory. For a second day running it's struck and destroyed a high-rise block in the territory's largest urban area. Israel says the tower was being used by Hamas. The militants deny this.
Also, totalitarianism in the age of Donald Trump, we hear more about the impact his policies are having on science.
And The Sound of Music at sixty!
(Photo: Smoke and dust fill the air following an Israeli airstrike on the Mushtaha Tower in the west of Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 05 September 2025. Credit: EPA)
Join us for a special episode of World Book Club as we journey into the fog-shrouded moors of Devon to explore The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle—arguably the most iconic and enduring novel in the Sherlock Holmes canon. First published in 1902, this gothic masterpiece has captivated readers for over a century and remains a cornerstone of detective fiction.
Harriett Gilbert is joined by internationally bestselling crime writer Denise Mina whose books include Three Fires, and The Good Liar and Dr Mark Jones, co-presenter of The Doings of Doyle podcast and editor of The Sherlock Holmes Journal. Together, they’ll be answering your questions about The Hound of the Baskervilles and discussing Sherlock Holmes’s lasting influence on crime and detective fiction.
Recorded in front of a live audience at Topping & Company Booksellers in Edinburgh during the Edinburgh Festival, this episode is a treat for mystery lovers everywhere. Expect lively debate as the panel considers whether all great fictional detectives need to be a little insufferable, whether the novel’s gothic atmosphere has had more impact on the genre than Holmes’s famed deductive reasoning—and why the spectral hound continues to haunt readers’ imaginations more than a century after it first appeared.
President Trump has signed an executive order renaming the Defence Department, the Department of War; Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, said the change was to restore a warrior ethos. It must be approved by Congress although it is likely to pass. Also: Darth Vader's light sabre is sold for more than three million dollars, and the power of the washing machine to transform lives.
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
On the 700th day of the war in Gaza Fania Oz-Salzberger, an Israeli historian and daughter of the writer Amos Oz, speaks to us about the prospects for peace with the Palestinians.
Also in the programme: the British prime minister loses his deputy, leading to a sweeping reshuffle of the government; and David Bowie's unlikely ambition to write a musical about 18th century London.
(Photo: Three-year-old Ibrahim Mohammed Ahmad, the only survivor of his family with his grandmother, at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 03 September 2025.Credit: Mohammed Saber /EPA/Shutterstock)
Milk: drink a lot of it and we’ll grow big and tall with strong bones. That’s what many people are told as children, but just how true is this accepted wisdom? CrowdScience listener JJ in Singapore is sceptical. He wants to live a healthy life for as long as possible, and he’s wondering whether drinking cow’s milk will help or hinder him on this mission.
All mammals produce milk, and our mother’s milk is our very first drink as babies. So what actually is the white stuff? Mary Fewtrell, professor of paediatric nutrition at UCL, gives presenter Chhavi Sachdev the lowdown on just how fundamental breastmilk is to us all.
But are we meant to continue drinking milk from other animals once we grow up? This behaviour of ours is rare among mammals… so Christina Warinner, professor of evolutionary biology at Harvard University, tells us when in our history cow’s milk entered our diet, and how we even came to be able to digest it.
And is there any truth in the accepted wisdom that cow’s milk will give us stronger bones? Karl Michaelsson, professor of medical epidemiology at Uppsala University, has researched just this – and the answer isn’t what you’d expect. Karl helps Chhavi sift through the complex evidence to see whether milk is actually any good for us.
Presenter: Chhavi Sachdev
Producer: Sophie Ormiston
Editor: Ben Motley
Zambia's former Foreign Minister Joseph Malanji has been sentenced to four years in prison with hard labour after being convicted, along with a co-accused of corruption. President Hakainde Hichilema promised to root out corruption when he swept to power four years ago, is he now delivering on that pledge?
In Egypt, dozens of teenage TikTok influencers have been arrested in recent weeks on charges such as violating family values, indecency and money laundering. We hear more on why authorities are getting tough with digital content creators.
And the Congolese word Liboke is a new entry in a French dictionary, but why has the given definition sparked a debate?
Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Sunita Nahar and Yvette Twagiramariya in London. Ayuba Iliya was in Lagos
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Technical Producer: Craig Kingham
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
The new Thai leader, Anutin Charnvirakul, has pledged to work his hardest to address the country’s economic crisis. The political conservative becomes the third prime minister in two years, thanks to the support of the largest opposition party. The vote was held a week after the former prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was dismissed by the constitutional court - dealing a blow to the influence of her powerful family. Also: Britain's Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, resigns following an investigation into her taxes; and solving the mystery of the winged bronze lion - a new study sheds light on the orgins of one of Venice's most iconic monuments.
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
The Israeli military says it is stepping up its military operation in Gaza City.
It says it has now captured 40% of the city, which the largest urban centre in the territory - and has announced its intention to strike multi-storey buildings which it says Hamas has converted into military infrastructure. We hear from a Palestinian mother who says she can’t evacuate.
Also in the programme: President Putin says that any western troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets for Russia to attack; and as the UK's deputy prime minister resigns over her tax affairs, what does it mean for Keir Starmer's Labour government?
(Photo shows an Israeli airstrike hitting multistorey building in Gaza City on 5 September 2025. Credit: EPA/Mohammed Saber)
