Global News Podcast

President Trump has threatened to attack Iran's power plants, if Tehran doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days. Iran has said it will target energy infrastructure in the region belonging to the US if that happens. Iranian missiles have hit the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona, injuring at least 100 people. Dimona is near a key nuclear facility. Also: Robert Mueller, the man who led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election, has died; how Islamophobia has risen in Australia in the wake of the Bondi attacks last year that killed 15 people; and the popular boy band, BTS, return to the stage after taking a four-year break to do their mandatory national military service.

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

We meet the men on a mission to help fellow Dads connect with their daughters, through a movement called 'pints and ponytails'. It's a chance to learn how to do a range of girls' hairstyles, over a couple of beers. But organisers say they leave with more than just salon skills - as the shared experience encourages men to open up about other parenting challenges.

Also: an unexpected solution that could help in the fight againt both plastic pollution and Parkinson's disease.

Rhinos return to a national park in Uganda for the first time in more than forty years. It's hoped they'll help establish a thriving population -- improving the ecosystem, creating jobs and attracting tourists.

Plus - aging well: Researchers found that around a third of people over the age of 65 saw improvements in their physical and mental abilities.

And how a holiday souvenir from Morocco turned out to be a previously unknown type of rock.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson

President Trump posted on social media that the US was getting very close to meeting its objectives in Iran. Earlier he told reporters he didn't want a ceasefire. The BBC's US partner, CBS, has reported that US military officials are making detailed preparations for the possibility of deploying ground troops in Iran. Also: we hear from the journalist in Israel who's been pressured by online gamblers to change a story; why social media is awash with chat about how thin everyone was at the Oscars - and it's not just about the women; and the new research which calls into question the march south by English troops, ordered by King Harold, to face the Norman invasion in the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066.

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

Tehran has fired missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours causing blazes at a Kuwait refinery and a Bahrain warehouse. Israel has launched more air attacks against Iran. Powerful explosions were reported in the capital. Iranian media said sixteen of its cargo ships anchored in the Gulf had been burnt out after being targeted there. There's been a warning that the world faces its greatest ever energy threat from the Iran war. Also, weight loss drugs are set to become much cheaper as patents expire in India and elewhere. A cyclone has hit Australia's northeastern coast bringing fierce winds, heavy rain and floods. An international aid convoy arrives in Cuba. Actor and martial artist Chuck Norris dies at 86. And Mission to the Moon, NASA’s huge rocket - now repaired - heads back to the launchpad at Cape Canaveral in Florida in preparation for the first crewed flight in more than half a century.

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

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said Israel will hold off future attacks on Iranian gas fields after being asked to do so by President Trump. An Israeli attack on Iran's South Pars gas field on Wednesday, followed by Iranian attacks on Qatari gas installations caused steep rises in the price of gas and oil. Also, we get the view from Iran from our BBC Persian correspondent. We hear how life has changed in Jerusalem's Old City now that its most sacred Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites are closed to the public. And we talk to the scientist behind a new documentary about microplastics - and fertility.

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