The head of the World Health Organisation has called for the immediate and unconditional release of health workers who are believed to be detained in south- western Sudan. The Sudanese Doctors Network fears about 19,000 people could be held by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Nyala, South Darfur. We hear from a journalist there about the situation.
Also in the programme: The Secret trial of a Chinese General who defied orders to crush the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square; and Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet on his latest film.
(Photograph: Darfuri children in Tine refugee camp. Credit: Reuters)
Naveed Akram, the surviving suspect of the Bondi Beach mass shooting, is charged with fifty-nine offences including fifteen counts of murder, as well as committing a terrorist act. He was charged at his bedside in hospital, after coming out of a coma. His father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police during the attack, which targeted Australia's Jewish community at an event celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. Also: the head of the World Health Organisation calls for the immediate release of health workers who are believed to be detained in south-western Sudan. The authorities in the Indian capital, Delhi, roll out strict measures to curb air pollution, that has been in the severe category for the past few days. The tiny mountain kingdom of Bhutan has announced it will spend a billion dollars of the country's reserves to build what it's calling a "mindfulness city." And scientists warn that nature photographers are causing irreparable harm to the endangered Galaxy Frog in India.
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
Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group says it will retreat from the captured town of Uvira in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Rebel leader Corneille Nangaa says his fighters will withdraw from Uvira at the request of the US. Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had said the capture of Uvira by rebel forces violated the Rwanda-DR Congo peace deal signed in Washington on 4th December.
And in Kenya, three siblings born deaf are challenging stereotypes by dominating the race track as they gear up towards winning medals on the global stage.
Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna
Producers: Bella Twine and Daniel Dadzie
Technical Producer: Jonathan Mwangi
Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla
President Trump says he's ordered a total blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going to and from Venezuela. In a social media post, he said the US military build-up near Venezuela would only get bigger and described the government of Nicolas Maduro as a terrorist organisation. The Venezuelan government has accused President Trump of launching warlike threats. We hear from a US Democrat congressman.
Also in the programme: The EU waters down its plan to end new petrol and diesel car sales by by 2035 and we hear how the Hollywood star, Timothee Chalamet, spent seven years mastering table tennis for his latest film role in Marty Supreme
Photo: US President Donald J Trump speaks at a round-table with high-tech business executives in Washington DC, USA Credit: AARON SCHWARTZ/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock
Susie Wiles, one of the most powerful people in Donald Trump's team, gave a rare insight into the administration in a candid interview with Vanity Fair. The White House chief of staff described the president as having an "alcoholic's personality" and Vice President JD Vance as having been a "conspiracy theorist" for a decade. Wiles has now claimed the magazine disregarded "significant context" to create a "disingenuously framed hit piece". Mr Trump said he had full faith in Ms Wiles.
Also: Donald Trump says he's ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going to and from Venezuela, escalating his pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro. Funerals have begun in Australia for the victims of Sunday’s mass shooting at Bondi Beach. Nick Reiner, son of the Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle, has been charged with their murder. Why having difficulty concentrating or losing personal confidence in midlife may put a person at an increased risk of dementia, according to a study. How a picture of Miss Finland sparked a row over racism and a PR crisis for the Nordic nation. The singer Lizzo is celebrating a legal victory after a judge dismissed allegations of fat-shaming made by three of her former dancers. And after six centuries of male voices, King's College Cambridge finally gets an all female choir.
Researchers from Yale University say there's evidence that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been trying to cover up mass killings in the Sudanese city of El Fasher by burning and burying bodies. We hear from one of the researchers who analysed satellite images of the area.
Also in the programme: the gunmen who carried out the deadly Bondi Beach attack in Australia spent most of last month in the Philippines; and why next year King's College, Cambridge, will have a new choir - of girls.
(Photo: Handout photograph of a woman and baby at the Zamzam displacement camp in North Darfur. Credit: MSF/Mohamed Zakaria/Handout via Reuters/File Photo)
Australian police say one of the Bondi attackers, Sajid Akram, was an Indian citizen. He and his son Naveed spent weeks in the Philippines, where there's been a long-running Islamist insurgency, before Sunday's deadly attack on a Jewish festival. Also: millions are at risk of starvation in Afghanistan this winter; peace talks continue in Berlin aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war; and the US says it has carried out more strikes on boats it suspects of trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean.
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
Search efforts for missing people continue in Morocco's Safi province after weekend flash floods. This, even as the country is set to host the African Cup of Nations - AFCON football tournament in a few days. We hear from residents in Safi, and whether the disaster has dampened the mood ahead of the continental soccer event.
Also, are solar-powered vehicles the solution to transportation shortages in Benin? We speak to an entrepreneur at the forefront of bringing renewable energy to the country's transport industry.
Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna
Producers: Bella Twine, Basma El Atti and Ayuba Iliya
Technical Producer: Jonathan Mwangi
Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla
Australian Jews are now fearing for their safety after the Bondi beach shooting in Sydney, a survivor has told the BBC.
One of the two men suspected of carrying out a mass shooting at Bondi Beach was originally from southern India but had "limited contact" with his family there, police sources have said. We'll look at what's emerging from the investigation and what the attack means for Australia's Jewish community.
Also in the programme: The scourge of forced marriages in Kazakhstan; Donald Trump files his multi-billion dollar law-suit against the BBC; and 250 years after her birth, we'll look at why Jane Austen still means so much around the world.
(Photo shows an Israeli flag among candles at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia on 16 December 2025. Credit: Hollie Adams/Reuters)
President Donald Trump has filed a multi-billion dollar lawsuit in Florida, accusing the BBC of defamation and violating a trade practices law over the way his speech was edited ahead of the US Capitol riot in 2020. Also: The US President says a Russia-Ukraine peace deal is closer than ever after talks in Berlin. European leaders say they're optimistic, but remain circumspect. Scammers are targeting children with cancer to raise money with online videos, but the donations raised are not reaching the families. Police in Australia say the two men who killed 15 people at a Jewish Hannukah celebration at Sydney's Bondi Beach had ISIS flags in their car. And the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is putting gifts she received from world leaders up for auction.
