Global News Podcast

The Happy Pod: From a small town, to the moon

Sat, 11 Apr 2026

The mayor of Ingersoll beams with pride at the Canadian town being represented on Artemis II. Ingersoll is home to 15,000 people, including the astronaut Jeremy Hansen - who is the mission specialist. Also, we speak to two former NASA astronauts about why the Artemis II mission has gripped people around the world.

Plus, the garden designed to support people with Parkinson's disease. It will go on display in May at the British Chelsea Flower Show, and then find its roots at a specialist hospital. The woman who has a memorial bench in honour of her survival. The couple who held a sustainable wedding in Utrecht Central Station and, the rescue operation in New Zealand which reunited Molly the dog with her owner Jessica, one week after they were separated.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson.

Artemis II splashdown

Sat, 11 Apr 2026

Nasa's four Artemis astronauts: commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen have safely returned to Earth, after a nine-day mission around the Moon. Officials say the crew are "feeling great" and will now undergo full medical checks. The Orion module carrying the team back to Earth splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on schedule after a six-minute communications blackout. Nasa officials say teams in the Houston control room monitoring the crew's re-entry were elated and that the mission exceeded expectations, describing it as a "gift to the world".

Also: Final preparations are being made in Pakistan for talks between the US and Iran, which could pave the way for a lasting peace deal. We get the latest from our team in Islamabad and look at what the Trump administration will want from the talks, as Donald Trump says the Strait of Hormuz will be opened up "with or without" the Iranians. Iran's delegates have arrived in Pakistan ahead of the meeting, saying there would be no negotiation unless there was a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Hungarians are getting ready to go to the polls in a crucial parliamentary election with veteran Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party facing a powerful challenge from the opposition Tisza party. New research suggest that packs of chimpanzees take part in 'civil war' like conflicts... and Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, takes a break from politics to hang out with British rock band Deep Purple.

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.
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JD Vance heads to Pakistan for talks with Iran

Fri, 10 Apr 2026

Islamabad warns that the gap between the negotiating positions of the US and Iran remains wide. Each has accused the other of breaking the terms of the tentative ceasefire agreed this week.

Also: on the first visit by a Taiwanese opposition leader to China in a decade, Cheng Li-Wun meets the Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Her trip has provoked fierce debate back home in Taiwan with many accusing her of cosying up to the communist party on the mainland. As we've previously reported, US First Lady Melania Trump gave a surprise address at the White House, denying any links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein - we hear how survivors of his abuse have reacted. We look ahead to the polls in Hungary on Sunday, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban facing one of his toughest electoral challenges yet, after 16 years in power. A man in his sixties is going on trial in Sweden - suspected of having forced his wife to sell sex to more than 120 men. And the crew of the Artemis II mission make their final preparations to come home.

Israel to hold direct talks with Lebanon

Fri, 10 Apr 2026

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructs his cabinet to begin direct talks with Lebanon, but states "there is no ceasefire" and Israel will "continue to strike Hezbollah with force". Also: the US warns Iran against placing a toll on the Strait of Hormuz; Melania Trump denies having a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein; Cuba's doctor diplomacy is under threat; and Pope Leo is heading to Africa.

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

Iran: Attacks on Lebanon are 'grave violation'

Thu, 09 Apr 2026

The Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says Israel's attacks on Lebanon violate the ceasefire agreement with the United States, and warns that upcoming negotiations will be meaningless if strikes continue. In Beirut, rescue workers are searching through rubble for people missing after Wednesday's bombardments. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to keep attacking the Iran-backed group Hezbollah "wherever necessary". Where does this leave peace talks, currently planned for Saturday in Pakistan?

Also: millions of people are voting in India's state elections, seen as a test for the Hindu nationalist party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Congress in Argentina passes a bill allowing mining in areas where glaciers had been protected. We hear from the family of one of Nasa's Artemis II astronauts, as they prepare their return to Earth. A 300 million year old fossil, described as the remains of the world's oldest octopus, turns out not to be an octopus. And outfits belonging to the late British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II - including her wedding and coronation gown - go on display at Buckingham Palace.