Global News Podcast

Deadly Russian drone hits Ukrainian railway station

Thu, 29 Oct 2026

More than a dozen people are killed by a jet-powered drone from Russia as they board a train from a crowded platform in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Also: following the election in Israel, Arab-led parties could hold the balance of power. Would they ever agree to join a coalition government? Rescuers are still searching the wreckage of a crash involving two high-speed trains in Spain. There's been outrage in South Korea after the makers of the video game Call of Duty include footage from a real-life tragedy that killed nearly 160, most of them young people. And Britain is looking at ways to verify the age of teenagers ahead of a social media ban for under-16s - but will it work?

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Photo: emergency workers at railway station in Dnipro, Ukraine after Russian drone strike
Credit: Reuters

Bolsonaro declares himself 'Brazil's leader'

Thu, 29 Oct 2026

Flávio Bolsonaro insists he is Brazil’s rightful leader, claiming fraud in the election he lost to President Lula da Silva - without providing evidence. He is currently in Miami in the United States but denies fleeing Brazil where he is under investigation. Also: Spanish investigators examine if negligence played a role in deadly rail crash; forest fires spark anti-government protests across Indonesia; the woman who pet a great white shark; and the art of short films, and even shorter microdramas.

Photo: Flávio Bolsonaro lands in Florida after fleeing Brazil following his defeat in the presidential election.
Credit: Reuters/Eva Marie Uzcategui

Dozens killed in train crash in Spain

Wed, 28 Oct 2026

More than 60 people have died after two high-speed trains collided south of the Spanish capital, Madrid. The accident happened on the same rail line where 46 people died earlier this year.

Also: with most votes counted in the Israeli election, Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is slightly ahead, but short of a majority. A luxury cruise ship on a years-long voyage around the world has suspended operations because of high fuel costs, leaving passengers stranded in Cambodia. King Charles has begun his tour of the Caribbean by acknowledging the "great suffering of the past" as he faced calls for slavery reparations. And the two-time Oscar winner, Michael Douglas, tells the BBC that writing a memoir was an important legacy to leave his “nepo baby” children.

Photo: two high-speed trains collide in Urda, Spain.
Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

Israel election too close to call

Wed, 28 Oct 2026

There is no clear winner in Israel's election, with results remaining too close to call. As votes are being counted, Benjamin Netanyahu tells supporters he wants to form a right-wing government and "remove the Iranian threat once and for all." His challenger, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, urges the prime minister to step down, saying the country has voted "for change". Arab parties are on track to record their best results ever.

Also: Brazil's defeated right-wing presidential candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, has fled to the United States amid a probe into alleged money laundering. NFL player Colin Kaepernick speaks to the BBC about his choice to protest police brutality by taking the knee on the field in 2016, causing him to lose his career. The Youth Olympic Games, held in the Senegalese capital, is set to be the first Olympic event held on African soil. And why scientists are playing underwater sounds to coral reefs.

Picture: Voters wave Israeli flags while awaiting results from the country's first parliamentary elections since the 7 October 2023 attacks.
Credit: EPA/Shutterstock/Atef Safadi

Huge turnout in Israeli election

Tue, 27 Oct 2026

Israelis turn out in large numbers to vote in what many view as one of the most pivotal elections in the country's history. The campaign has been shaped by the issues of democracy and security and is widely being seen as a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership.

Also: Officials aligned with the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan say drone strikes on the city of Nyala have killed over a hundred people. A ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is holding in the Russia-occupied city of Oleshky, to allow in humanitarian aid. Media groups in India have told the country's supreme court that the government’s new privacy law would challenge the entire concept of news and amount to pre-censorship. The US Justice Department is set to file new charges against James Comey, marking the third time in just over a year that the Trump administration has tried to prosecute the former FBI director. Football star Kylian Mbappe has been dropped by two of his Chinese sponsors after a video emerged of the player making fun of China’s revolutionary hero Mao Zedong. As the sixth instalment in Sarah J. Mass’s ACOTAR series is released, we learn why the romantasy genre has become so popular. And finally, a two-metre-tall skeleton of a dinosaur is expected to sell at Southby’s for $9m.