Eleven people have been shot dead in an antisemitic shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach which targeted a Hanukkah celebration. Twenty nine people were taken to hospital including two police officers who are in a serious condition. We hear from an eyewitness, the local member of parliament, and from a senior figure in Australia's Jewish community.
Also in the programme: we hear from Chile, where a Communist Party candidate is taking on the far right in the presidential run-off election today; plus the palm trees that take sixty years to flower – in spectacular fashion.
(IMAGE: (L-R) NSW Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley, NSW Premier Chris Minns and NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon hold a press conference following a shooting incident at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, 14 December 2025 / CREDIT: Dean Lewins / EPA / Shutterstock)
**This episode contains descriptions of abuse and violence**
In November, the Italian parliament voted unanimously to introduce the term “femicide” into the country’s legal code. The murder of a woman – on account of her gender – is now a distinct crime, punishable with a life sentence.
The United Nations reported that last year nearly 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members.
Italy is the latest country to adopt a specific law in an effort to curb violence against women following a string of brutal murders of young women.
One of the most publicized was Giulia Tramontano, who was repeatedly stabbed by her partner while seven months pregnant. Her murder - along with another case – sparked fierce outrage across Italy, culminating in the new law being passed.
In this episode, we hear from Giulia’s sister, Chiara Tramontano and the BBC Southern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford.
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: Valerio Esposito
Executive Producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior News Editor: China Collins
Photo: A photo of Giulia Tramontano. Alessandro Memoli/KONTROLAB/LightRocket via Getty Images
Police in Australia say 12 people have died in an antisemitic terror attack at Bondi Beach; 29 people were taken to hospital, including a child. The shooting targeted a gathering to mark the first day of Hanukkah. One gunman is among the dead, a second is in hospital, and the police are investigating whether a third was involved.
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
President Donald Trump has promised retaliation against the Islamic State militant group after two US soldiers and an interpreter were killed in an ambush in Syria. Damascus has condemned the attack as well. Also: Israel says it has killed the senior Hamas commander Raed Saad. The opposition in Belarus celebrates the release of political prisoners. Chile's presidential election sees a communist candidate take on the far-right. And, with the latest Avatar film about to hit cinemas, we hear from the composer who spent years writing its score.
Belarus has freed 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski, after the US agreed to lift sanctions on the country. Also on the programme, Cambodia has shut its border crossings with Thailand, as fighting continues despite US President Donald Trump earlier saying they had agreed to a ceasefire; and, how the British novelist Charles Dickens is being celebrated this Christmas in a small Dutch town.
(Belarus released over 100 political prisoners form prison, Vilnius, Lithuania - 13 Dec 2025. VALDA KALNINA/EPA/Shutterstock)
After more clashes on the Thai-Cambodian border, we ask a Cambodian official whether the dispute will escalate.
Also in the programme: four months ahead of the elections in Hungary, why has child protection become such a key issue? And as Israel plans to build a new road and barrier in the occupied West Bank, we hear from the head of the UN’s Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
(IMAGE: A handout photo made available by Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) shows a bridge destroyed by Thai F-16 fighter jets in Pursat Province, Cambodia, 13 December 2025 / CREDIT: Handout /EPA/Shutterstock)
A pop-up cafe in Tokyo is giving people with dementia a place to volunteer as well as a sense of community. Its owner Toshio Morita has become something of a local celebrity. At Orange Day Café, muddled orders, long pauses and gentle confusion aren’t mistakes — they’re the point.
Also:
A Northern Irish man who suffered a cardiac arrest had his life saved after his golden retriever, named Polly, alerted his wife after he stopped breathing. Polly the dog has been hailed a hero by the charity, the British Heart Foundation.
A revolutionary gene therapy has successfully treated patients with aggressive and previously incurable blood cancers.
In Kenya, the Rare Gem Talent School has been set up specifically to teach dyslexic children. A condition that is believed to impact around 10% of people globally.
A woman in Kerala, India, has started a camp to help women who are going through a divorce.
And a French man in London has become the face of a homelessness charity after his virtuoso piano playing at a train station went viral.
Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.
Republicans accuse the Democrats of playing politics with release of photos from the estate of late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, that feature rich and powerful people, including Donald Trump. Also: Thailand attacks what Cambodia describes as civilian facilities near their shared border; Iranian security forces use violence to detain Nobel Peace Prize winner, Narges Mohammadi; the curtain is about to come down on John Cena, one of the most celebrated wrestlers from the world of Sports Entertainment and analysis shows pop song lyrics are getting sadder.
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.
Smashing up guitars is a classic rock star activity, but how about drowning them? 7-year-old listener Cornelius has set CrowdScience a challenge: to find out what happens if you play a guitar underwater. Could this be the next avant-garde music sensation?
Host and amateur musician Caroline Steel tackles Cornelius’ question with the help of one increasingly soggy guitar. The UK’s National Physical Laboratory is our first port of call, with a guitar-sized water tank at the ready, and acoustic scientists Dr Freya Malcher and Ben Ford helping tackle our questions.
Since an acoustic guitar’s sound is amplified by its internal chamber, what happens as that chamber starts to fill with water? How about if the whole guitar - strings, body and all - is submerged? What difference does it make if our ears are listening above or below the water? And can special water-adapted microphones help us explore this unusual question, before our guitar disintegrates?
Our guitar then heads off on tour to Denmark, where the band Between Music have teased out questions just like these for their underwater music project, Aquasonic. We talk to violinist and Innovative Director Robert Karlsson, and singer Nanna Bech, who also plays a unique subaquatic instrument. With their help, we discover how to get the best out of a submerged guitar, and find out whether other instruments are better suited to the life aquatic.
Presenter: Caroline Steel
Producers: Cathy Edwards and Florian Bohr
Editor: Ben Motley
National Physical Laboratory: Underwater Acoustics - https://www.npl.co.uk/research/underwater-acoustics
Between Music: Aquasonic - https://www.betweenmusic.dk/aquasonic
Photo – Caroline Steel and Nanna Bech in an Aquasonic aquarium playing a guitar. Copyright BBC.
