Author: BBC World Service

Emergency crews are struggling to reach the mountainous eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan where the UN says more than 800 people have been killed in a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. We speak to the Afghan Red Crescent.

Also in the programme: China, India and Russia unite in their criticism of the West at a summit in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin; and why millions of people around the world who take an aspirin a day to ward off strokes and heart attacks might soon be taking a different drug.

(IMAGE: Afghan men search for their belongings amidst the rubble of a collapsed house after a deadly magnitude-6 earthquake that struck Afghanistan around midnight, in Dara Mazar, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, September 1, 2025 / CREDIT: Reuters/Stringer)

Two years on from the devastating fire at an abandoned building in Johannesburg that was occupied by squatters, how much has changed? We revisit the scene of one of South Africa's worst tragedies, in which more than 70 people - including children - died, to find out what happened to the survivors.

Scientists warn that global warming and climate change could be making flight turbulence more frequent. Will bumpier skies put people off air travel?

And lawyers are arguing for easier divorce laws in Uganda. So what are the pros and cons of no-fault, as opposed to, fault divorces?

Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Alfonso Daniels, Sunita Nahar and Priya Sippy in London. Makuochi Okafor in Lagos Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Technical Producer: Ricardo McCarthy Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Rescue workers in Afghanistan are trying to reach villages in remote mountainous areas in the east of the country following a magnitude six earthquake. A Taliban official said more than eight-hundred people had died and more than two-thousand-five-hundred had been injured in the provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar. Helicopters have been deployed to collect the wounded as landslides have cut off roads. The UN says that twenty assessment teams have so far been deployed to areas worst hit by the quake. The emergency comes as Afghanistan is suffering from a severe drought and food crisis. Also: at a summit of world leaders in the Chinese city of Tianjin, the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, said the group would challenge what he called bullying behaviour - in apparent reference to the tariffs that President Trump has imposed on India and other countries, and details of how Queen Camilla fought off an attempted assault when she was a teenager are revealed in a new book about the British monarchy:

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

Israel says it's killed a senior Hamas official in a strike on a block of flats in Gaza City. Abu Obeida was a spokesman for the military wing of the group. Hamas hasn't confirmed his death. Also: China and India pledge to be "partners not rivals"; and seagull screech-off judged by reigning European champ.

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

While the protests have been fuelled by a wide range of issues - including the death of a ride-sharing driver - one core complaint concerns a new monthly allowance for lawmakers. We'll hear from a protester and a member of the country's ruling party.

Also on the programme: China hosts leaders from Russia, India and others nations for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit; and we'll hear about 40 ancient tombs which have been unearthed by archaeologists in Iraq.

(Photo: Policemen during clashes with protesters outside the parliament building in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on 30 August 2025. Credit:MADE NAGI/EPA/Shutterstock)

Indonesia's president has warned that the police and army will take the "strongest possible action" to tackle a wave of violent anti-government unrest. President Prabowo Subianto said some of the protests - including the homes of politicians being looted - amounted to what he called treason and terrorism. We speak to a student leader.

Also in the programme: In France, plans to lend the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK have led to concern from thousands; and China-India relations are warming up as the leaders meet amidst the backdrop of Trump's trade tariffs.

(Photo: Protesters clash with police outside the parliament building in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, 30 August 2025. Credit: Made Nagi /EPA/Shutterstock)

Yemen’s Houthi movement has confirmed that an Israeli airstrike on the capital, Sanaa, on Thursday killed its prime minister as well as other senior officials. The Houthis' have vowed to avenge the PM's death, although Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser al-Rahawi was not considered part of the inner leadership. The Houthis have frequently fired on Israel, and on ships in the Red Sea, in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. Also: Prominent Ukrainian politician Andriy Parubiy is shot dead in Lviv, and an AI stethoscope could detect major heart conditions in seconds.

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

Satellite images show that the rebel Sudanese RSF group has built 31km of fortifications around the last government stronghold in Darfur, as it carries out atrocities in the city's suburbs. The researcher who made the findings says the group is creating a 'kill box' around el-Fasher, while a doctor trapped inside says there is so little food in the besieged city that his hospital cannot feed the children they treat.

Also in the programme: Yemen's Houthi movement confirms that Israel has killed their Prime Minister and other senior figures in an air strike; and we speak to the researchers behind a ground-breaking AI powered stethoscope.

(Pictured:A satellite image of Alsen village, west of el-Fasher, taken on 6 July. Right: An image from 24 July showing a segment of the berm constructed through the settlement; Credit: Maxar Technologies)

President Trump has reacted furiously to an appeals court ruling that found his tariffs policy to be mostly illegal. He said if the judgement was allowed to stand it would destroy the United States. The court ruled that the president had unlawfully invoked emergency powers to justify taxes imposed on America’s trading partners.

Also in the programme: With Gaza City now a 'combat zone', a 21 year-old woman reads to us from her "goodbye letter". We also speak to one of three Scottish brothers who've rowed their way into the record books.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump. Credit: Getty Images)

We meet the woman sending hugs from Texas in the form of a quilt. Connie Kortz set up a network of volunteer quilters, who make them for people who are in need. Called 'Hugs from Texas' -- the group donated quilted blankets to the families affected by the devastating floods earlier this year.

Also, find out about the traditional ceremony that takes place for the first time a baby laughs. We go to the football match between Dulwich Hamlet FC and Altonaer which is celebrating 100 years of friendship.

The Happy Pod is our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.