Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Aragchi is on his way from Tehran to Geneva, for the second round of nuclear talks with the US which take place on Tuesday. The country’s deputy foreign minister speaks to the BBC about these discussions and says the next steps lie with the US. We get reaction to this interview from a US congressman.
Also in the programme: Nigeria says Russia is recruiting its citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine; and how AI has given a folk singer with motor neurone disease a new voice.
(Photo: Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran's deputy Foreign Minister, during an interview with BBC News in Tehran; Credit: BBC)
Iran's deputy foreign minister has told the BBC that Tehran is ready to consider compromises to reach a nuclear deal with the US, if Washington is willing to discuss lifting sanctions. The US has sent two aircraft carrier groups to the Middle East, ratcheting up pressure on Iran to reach an agreement.
Also in the programme: The French navy seizes a large shipment of cocaine in the Pacific; and how Artificial Intelligence has helped create a new voice for a folk singer with motor neurone disease.
(Photo: Iranian protesters and supporters rally against Iran's ruling establishment during a demonstration in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, February 14, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Wa Lone)
Two weeks after the latest release of the Epstein files, the headlines keep pouring in.
In just the past few days, revelations in the documents have nearly brought down a British prime minister, and implicated politicians and royals from around the world. The files are even fuelling speculation about whether the late sex offender could have been a spy.
We speak to Nomia Iqbal, BBC World Affairs Correspondent, about what we’ve learned this week about the international fallout of the Epstein scandal.
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.
Producers: Viv Jones, Valerio Esposito and Xandra Ellin
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Epstein files. Credit: Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA/Shutterstock
European countries say tests show Russia's Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a substance developed from a toxin found in Ecuadorian dart frogs. But the Kremlin denies killing the opposition leader. Also: Marco Rubio delivers a softer line to America's European allies at the Munich Security Conference; there are more global protests against the Iranian government; families of Venezuelan political prisoners go on hunger strike; the "Trump slump" affects US tourism; Cuba's cigar festival is snuffed out; palaeontologists discover giant sloth and elephant-like mastodon fossils; and we visit the British inmates learning how to garden.
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
Several European countries, including the UK, have blamed the Kremlin for the killing of the Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. They say his murder was likely carried out, using a poison developed from a toxin in a rare frog. We get reaction to these updates from a friend of Navalny’s, alongside on Oscar-winning director who produced a documentary on him.
Also in the programme: Mass rape survivor Gisele Pelicot speaks to the BBC about trauma and healing ahead of her memoir being published; and an an exciting paleontological discovery has been made in Costa Rica.
(Photo: Flowers lay near a portrait of Russian late opposition leader Alexei Navalny in front of the Russian embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, February 2024. Credit: David Mdzinarishvili, EPA-EFE, REX, Shutterstock).
The US Secretary of State has told the Munich Security Conference that Washington is seeking to "revitalise" its alliance with European countries. Marco Rubio said the US would always be a "child of Europe", insisting that his country wants to preserve that relationship rather than end it. The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said she was "very much reassured" by his remarks, adding that Europe "needs to step up" and take more responsibility for its own security. A day earlier, the leaders of Germany and France had warned of frictions in the transatlantic alliance.
Also in the programme: Newshour's Lyse Doucet speaks to traders at a market in Iran about protests, the dire economy and the possibility of a nuclear deal; and on Valentine's Day - we talk about the science behind a good kiss.
(Credit: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio walks to a meeting of G7 foreign ministers at the Munich Security Conference, Germany, February 14, 2026. Alex Brandon/Pool via Reuters)
We meet a Ghanaian woman who is challenging stereotypes of beauty and disability by modelling with her prosthetic leg wrapped in colourful kente fabric. Abena Christine Jon'el had her leg amputated when she was just two years old because of an aggressive form of cancer. She says she's fought through so much to survive that she's determined to fight for anyone who's ever felt defeated by life.
Also: A mobile gaming app that's helping teenagers in Brazil learn how to support their friends with mental health issues.
A scheme teaching gardening skills to prisoners in the UK to help cut the numbers who reoffend after their release.
The Washington museum curator who's adopted Gen Z slang to get younger people interested in its works of art. Alison Luchs has attracted over nine million views with two social media posts, and is challenging others to submit similar videos about other exhibits.
Plus big baby elephant news, some unusual guard animals, and how one new family helped bring an entire community together, just by showing they cared.
Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.
(Photo: Abena Christine Jon'el on the catwalk in Ghana. Credit: Vino Studio / Nineteen57 Events)
The Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, and opposition leaders have laid flowers at a memorial in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, to the eight victims of a teenage killer. The estranged father of the suspect has offered his condolences. Also: the leaders of France and Germany have urged the continent to be more assertive in President Trump's new world order. The UN calls on Israel to reverse plans to give itself new powers in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, saying it jeopardises the prospect for a two-state solution. With inflation at around sixty per cent in Iran and the local currency in free-fall against the dollar, we talk to locals in a market in the capital, Tehran. Gisèle Pelicot, the woman at the centre of the largest rape trial in French history, tells the BBC she was "crushed by the horror" of her ordeal - but describes herself as a "survivor". And as couples across the world mark Valentine's Day, we look at why people are increasingly drawn to romantic historical dramas?
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
Simon and Zing bring you a weekend listening recommendation: The Interface, the BBC's fiercely informed, fast and funny take on how tech is changing everything.
Hosted by three leading tech journalists whose work covers every aspect of the subject, each episode unpacks week-by-week the unfolding story of how technology is shaping all our futures. No guests. No jargon. Just three sharp voices debating the tech news stories that matter - whether they shook a government, broke the internet, or quietly tipped the balance of power.
As TikTok shifts geopolitics, Trump drives digital shockwaves, Elon Musk expands his space-internet empire and AI reroutes the routines of everyday life - the trio ask: what world are the tech titans building for us? And do we want to live in it?
If you’re in the UK, you can listen to The Interface on BBC Sounds. Everywhere else, find it on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has told other world leaders that 'our freedom is not guaranteed' in an era of big power politics. Opening the annual Munich Security Conference, Merz said that Europeans must be ready to make a 'sacrifice'. He also admitted that 'a deep divide has opened between Europe and the United States'. We'll speak to a senior German politician and a former member of the first Trump administration.
Also in the programme: a BBC Investigation uncovers devastating side effects of a set of widely used prescription drugs that can trigger impulsive behaviours; and we speak to the Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins about his memoir.
(Picture: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during the Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen)
