Interviews, news and analysis of the day’s global events.
CrowdScience - Why do people love horror films?
For some they’re the stuff of nightmares, but many of us can’t get enough of horror films. For Halloween, CrowdScience investigates the science of why we enjoy films that scare the living daylights out of us.
CrowdScience listener Maria from Taiwan is one of those people who would rather avoid frightening films, yet her husband loves them and is always trying to get her to watch with him. She wants to know why people like her husband are so drawn to horror films.
To try and find out, presenter Anand Jagatia travels to the Recreational Fear Lab in Aarhus, Denmark, which is dedicated to understanding why people frighten themselves for fun. He meets the research lab’s directors Mathias Clasen and Marc Andersen who explain how horror and recreational fear could help us cope better with uncertainty, bond with those we are frightened beside, and perhaps even have some physical health benefits. They also take Anand to a haunted house, called Dystopia, which has used the Recreational Fear Lab’s research to become as terrifying as possible.
And we hear from horror film music composer, Mark Korven, who creates tension and fear using an invention he calls ‘the apprehension engine’. He speaks to BBC Naturebang’s Becky Ripley who has been investigating sounds that scare us and their evolutionary origins.
Presenter: Anand Jagatia Producer: Jonathan Blackwell
(Photo: Couple watch horror movie with blanket to cover their heads. Credit: WC.GI via Getty Images)
Global News Podcast - Xi Jinping leads summit after Trump leaves
China's President, Xi Jinping, leads the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation summit in South Korea, which President Trump chose to leave. Chinese media said Mr Xi told a closed-door meeting of regional leaders that they should deepen economic co-operation in the face of challenges unseen in a century. Also, the United Nations has said that the "horror" continues in El-Fasher, with aid agencies warning that too few civilians are being allowed to leave the Sudanese city, which has fallen to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. A friend of King Charles tells the BBC that the monarch would have been frustrated and angry with his brother, Andrew, who's now been stripped of the title 'prince' following a damaging sex scandal. Another high-profile, broad-daylight robbery in France, just weeks after a raid at the Louvre museum in Paris. And why bats are finding sanctuary in churches.
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
Focus on Africa - Women in Kenya are facing increasing online abuse, says new report
New research reveals how digital platforms are being weaponised to abuse and exploit women in Kenya. We hear from a victim of online sexual abuse who gives a harrowing account of her experience, and also speak to a Digital Rights adviser on what needs to be done to protect women.
Plastic waste is not only bad for the environment but can also be harmful to human beings. We hear about the risks, and also how one project in Lagos is turning discarded plastic into fashion.
And we hear more about the Seychelles' Kreol Festival, which celebrates the nation's creole heritage and is now in its 40th year.
Presenter: Nyasha Michelle Producers: Mark Wilberforce, Stefania Okereke, Sunita Nahar, Yvette Twagiramariya, and Tanya Hines Technical Producer: Jack Graysmark Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Alice Muthengi, Maryam Abdalla and Sam Murunga
Newshour - A normal girl has taken down the prince: Giuffre’s family speak
Andrew is no longer a British prince. We hear from the brother of the woman whose harrowing experience of sex trafficking, detailed in her memoir, ultimately led to his downfall. We also speak to a close friend of King Charles about what this scandal means for the future of the monarchy.
Also in today’s programme: how the world keeps failing Sudan, researchers in Denmark have created a broad-spectrum anti-venom that could revolutionise life-saving treatment for snake bites, and the Indian women’s cricket team pulls off a record-breaking run chase.
(Photo: Sky Roberts (C), a brother of late financier Jeffrey Epstein's late victim Virginia Giuffre, speaks on the day of a rally in support of Epstein's victims in Washington DC, 3 September, 2025. Credit: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
Unexpected Elements - A science heist
The daylight robbery of precious crown jewels from the Louvre museum in Paris has us stealing your attention to inspect heists and crime scenes in science.
We explore how stealthy spiders use tricks and deceit to rob precious prey from one another, and we look at how seagulls and other birds have the advantage when it comes to stealing food from humans. We also learn how our immunological security systems try to prevent bacteria from doing an iron-heist from our cells and blood.
But what about figuring out whodunnit? Forensic ecologist and palynologist Professor Patricia Wiltshire shares how pollen can be instrumental when solving crimes and how thorough, detailed forensic work can help uncover the truth when unravelling mysteries.
We also hear about the tensions between elephants and humans in Kenya, why we prefer the taste of certain foods, and how the code to a famous puzzle-filled sculpture might have finally been cracked.
All that, plus many more Unexpected Elements.
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Phillys Mwatee and Kai Kupferschmidt Producers: Imaan Moin, with Lucy Davies, Eliane Glaser and Robbie Wojciechowski
Global News Podcast - King strips Andrew of ‘prince’ title amid Epstein scandal
Britain's King Charles has begun the process of removing his younger brother's "prince" title and told him to vacate the Royal Lodge in Windsor. It comes as controversy swirls over Andrew’s friendship with the late child sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, and allegations of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre. In a statement, Giuffre's family call her "an ordinary American girl who brought down a British prince". Andrew has denied, and continues to deny, all allegations made against him. Also: relief efforts are being stepped up in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa; Victoria becomes the first Australian state to approve a treaty with its Indigenous peoples; the BBC speaks to Russians refusing to be silent in the face of Putin's repression; Hamas returns the bodies of another two hostages to Israel under the Gaza ceasefire deal; President Trump caps refugee admissions with priority given to white South Africans; a squeeze in US public broadcasting funding forces Radio Free Asia off the air; what causes brain fog; and the bizarre deathball sponge lurking on the deep sea floor. 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
Newshour - Britain’s King Charles strips his younger brother, Andrew of his ‘prince’ title
Buckingham Palace says Britain's King Charles is stripping his younger brother, Andrew of his ‘prince’ title, amid continuing controversy over his links to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. It means he will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. The British Royal family has faced growing scrutiny over Andrew's titles and living arrangements. Buckingham Palace described the action as necessary. But it noted that Andrew continues to deny allegations against him. Also in the programme: As President Trump says he's ordered new nuclear weapons tests - the body responsible for monitoring them says - that would be 'harmful' and 'destabilising'- so what's behind his announcement? And 'killer sponges', and zombie worms discovered in the Southern Ocean. (Photo: Handout photo issued by the US Department of Justice (left-right) Prince Andrew, now to be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Virginia Giuffre the prominent accuser of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein)
Science In Action - How science got here, and where next
As anti-science leaves research reeling, does evidence-based policy in a scientific society have much of a future? Michael Mann, Naomi Oreskes, Angie Rasmussen and Deb Houry discuss some of the sources and motivations that perhaps belie the current state of scientific affairs.
Presenter: Roland Pease Producer: Alex Mansfield Production Coordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth
(Image: The End street sign. Credit: Sanfel via Getty Images).
Global News Podcast - UN condemns attack on key Sudanese city
The UN’s top humanitarian official has said there must be accountability for those carrying out the killings and sexual violence in Sudan's El-Fasher. Tom Fletcher said people who wanted to leave the city, which was seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces at the weekend, must be allowed to do so safely, and those who remained must be protected. The leader of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has declared an investigation into what he called violations committed by his soldiers, but denies accusations they massacred hundreds of civilians at a hospital in El-Fasher on Tuesday. Also: Jamaica counts the cost of Hurricane Melissa; five more suspects are being questioned by police in Paris after they were arrested in connection with this month's robbery at the Louvre museum in the French capital; the Netherlands swings to the centre in elections at the expense of the far-right Freedom party; and Universal Music Group has struck an unprecedented licensing deal with an artificial intelligence music generation startup to launch an AI creation platform.
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