Global News Podcast

The International Criminal Court will collaborate with French detectives who have been working at suspected crime scenes in Ukraine. Also: few answers at rare US Congressional UFO hearing, and movie stars gather as the Cannes Film Festival gets underway.

The fate of more than 260 soldiers taken to Russian controlled territory on Monday remains unclear. Ukraine suggests a prisoner exchange but Moscow has not confirmed this. Also: a study into the behaviour of mosquitos could change the way malaria is tackled across Africa, and Nasa's rover begins work to find life on Mars.

Many have been admitted to hospital in the Russian controlled town of Novoazovsk. Also: Sri Lanka's new prime minister warns of further difficult months, a huge dust storm hits the Middle East, and how robot-assisted surgery might speed up recovery times.

The authorities in Bucha accuse Russian soldiers of war crimes. Also: North Korea's leader orders his military to help respond to the Covid outbreak; and we report on how some people in the food-producing giant Brazil are struggling to get enough to eat.

They want to join the alliance after Russia's Ukraine invasion. Also, killing of 10 people in US supermarket shooting a “hate crime”, and Tonga's volcano explosion was biggest in a century.

The G7 says it will not acknowledge land seized by Russian military action. Also: thousands of pro-life supporters march in the US, and India bans wheat exports with immediate effect.

Israeli police with riot-gear hit mourners saying they were pelted with stones, as crowds carried the coffin. Also: Russia to suspend electricity supply to Finland, and critics praise "thrilling" Top Gun movie sequel.

Men passing through a transit point in Estonia say they have been questioned for hours. Also, Russian troops fighting in Ukraine have suffered what looks like another major setback, and Platinum Pudding - Britain's new dessert to mark Queen Elizabeth's 70 years as monarch.

The UN Human Rights Council has voted to set up an inquiry into allegations of abuses by Russian forces in Ukraine. Also: astronomers reveal the first ever image of the large black hole in our galaxy, and the Nepali woman who has climbed Everest ten times.

Finland says its decision follows Russia's invasion of Ukraine; Moscow reacts angrily. Also, the White House says more than a million Americans have now lost their lives to Covid-19. And the professional aircraft designer hoping to set a new world record -- with a paper plane. Warning: The report on Nigeria in this podcast contains descriptions of violence that some listeners may find disturbing.

The Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa used a late-night address to offer a number of concessions, but said he needed to stay on to stop the country descending into anarchy. Also: US Democrats' bid for federal abortion law fails, and 'no idea' passenger lands plane in Florida as pilot falls ill.

Shireen Abu Aqla was shot while covering a military operation at a refugee camp. Also, Ukraine says it is suspending the flow of Russian natural gas through a transit point and the authorities in Shanghai extend a coronavirus lockdown.

Troops are on the streets of Colombo after anti-government unrest, fuelled by the economic crisis. Also, US spy chief says Putin preparing for long war in Ukraine, and EA Sports to stop making Fifa video game.

Curfew in force across Sri Lanka amid mounting anger at the economic crisis. Also, the Marcos political dynasty returns to power in the Philippines, and Spain sacks spy chief over phone hacking scandal.

Initial results suggest Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr is heading for a landslide win. Also: Ukraine reacts to Putin's Victory Day attempts to justify the war; and New York considers funding abortions for women from states which ban it.

The Russian president said the invasion of Ukraine was necessary and had been provoked by the West. Eastern and southern parts of Ukraine are still being hit by relentless Russian shelling. Also: The Sri Lankan prime minister has resigned as violence gripped parts of the capital and the machine using light and sound to create illusions in the mind

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky says 60 people have died after a bomb hit a school in the Donbas region. About 90 people had been sheltering in the building which Ukraine says was hit in a Russian strike. Also, the people of the Philippines are voting to choose a successor to President Rodridgo Duterte, and the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has travelled to Iran to meet the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Afghan women already face restricted access to jobs, travel and education. Also: for the first time the Northern Ireland election is won by a party which wants a united Ireland; and Ukraine says all women, children and the elderly have been evacuated from the besieged steelworks in Mariupol.

The human rights group says there is evidence of attacks on civilians and extrajudicial killings. Also: a rescue operation is underway in Cuba after an explosion at a hotel in Havana; and Yemeni prisoners freed by the Saudi-led coalition have been flown back to Yemen.

Ukrainian soldiers accuse Russians of ruining plans for an evacuation ceasefire. The UN and Red Cross are expected to make another attempt to extricate non-combatants from the 'hellscape' of the Azovstal plant. Also: the Philippines prepares to elect a new president; the first African American - and openly gay woman -- to be White House press secretary; and the world's smallest porpoise fights back from the edge of extinction.

Another attempt to get civilians out of the besieged Azovstal steelworks is planned for today. Also:  a number of fatalities in attack in Israeli city of Elad, and Queen Elizabeth to miss upcoming garden parties.

Russia denies storming Azovstal steelworks, saying it's offered a ceasefire instead. Also, World Health Organisation says nearly 15 million people have died due to the Coronavirus pandemic since 2020, and Bill Gates talks to the BBC about divorce, conspiracy theories and his feud with Elon Musk.

Ukraine says Russian forces have entered the city's Azovstal complex. Also: French Left join forces to fight Macron, and Maradona's "Hand of God" shirt sells for millions of dollars.

The head of the European Commission says it should come into force by the end of the year. Also; Sri Lankan government faces no-confidence vote, and the sweaty football shirt worth millions of dollars.

Hundreds of civilians still remain trapped in the bunkers under the industrial site in Mariupol. Also: US Supreme Court says abortion ruling leak is genuine, and the Sex Pistols re-release God Save The Queen song.

A draft opinion leaked from the top court in the US appears to show that the judges will reverse Roe vs. Wade, the landmark ruling which guarantees abortion rights nationwide. Also, Washington accuses Russia of trying to legitimise its occupation of eastern Ukraine with a sham referendum on independence. And in Somalia, Al-Shabaab militants attack an African Union peacekeeping base.

The Ukrainian defenders of the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol say Russian troops are using planes, tanks and warship missiles to pound the sprawling industrial site. Also: EU divided over how to step away from Russian energy, and the hunt in Alabama for missing prison inmate and guard.

Israel demands an apology and summons the Russian ambassador for clarification. Also: Spain says the mobile phones of the prime minister and his defence minister have been infected with spyware, and New Zealand reopens to tourists.

Evacuees speak of desperate conditions for those holding out there against Russian forces. Also: a week-long protest march against the Sri Lankan government's mishandling of the economy has culminated in a mass demonstration in the capital, and three critically endangered Asiatic cheetah cubs are born in Iran as part of a captive breeding programme.

A Ukrainian spokesman says Moscow's objectives remained to surround Ukrainian troops. Also: an MP in the UK announces his resignation after admitting watching pornography in the House of Commons, and the story of the Duke and the Queen - the jazz legend and the British monarch.

Religious leaders in Afghanistan say at least fifty people have been killed. Also: the former tennis star, Boris Becker, is jailed, and preparations for biggest fight in female boxing.

Operations could begin next month but many are weary of more conflict. Also: the World Health Organisation accuses baby milk producers of unethical social media practices, James Corden announces his departure from The Late Late Show, and why assumptions about certain breeds of dogs may not be true.

Antonio Guterres criticises Security Council's failure to end the war in Ukraine. Also: Indonesia bans exports of palm oil, people in China rail against Covid measures, and evidence of a fearsome prehistoric predator is found in the Swiss Alps.

Human rights groups say tens of thousands are being relocated. Also: The United States and Russia carry out a prisoner swap, the 3D printed wind turbines, and why virtual meetings could limit our creativity.

The statement comes after Russia stopped gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. Also: Bitcoin becomes legal tender in the Central African Republic; and calls for action to save reptiles from extinction.

Both countries have refused Russia's demand to pay for gas in roubles. Also: Aung San Suu Kyi is sentenced to jail for corruption; and a methane mask for cows wins a climate design award.

Antonio Guterres said he was deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. Also: Gazprom to suspend supplies to Poland, and the tiny book that sold for more than one million dollars.

António Guterres says he is "messenger of peace". Also: reaction to Elon Musk's Twitter deal and we hear from the Oscar winning star Viola Davis.

The billionaire said he would unlock the social media firm's potential. Also: US judge holds Donald Trump in contempt, and smelly art at the Prado Museum in Madrid.

Washington pledges another $700 million in military aid to Ukraine, as US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin says Moscow should not be left with the capability to launch another invasion. Also: panic buying in Beijing, as the Chinese capital braces for another potential Covid lockdown; and the Ethiopian town of Lalibela — once a major tourist site — struggles to regain its footing in the midst of a pandemic and a war.

Emmanuel Macron triumphs over his far-right rival and becomes the first French president to win re-election in 20 years. Also: a father of a baby killed in a missile attack in Odesa says his world has been destroyed, and on the ganja trail in Jamaica.

Ukraine says the fatalities in Odesa included a baby. Also: new Ebola case confirmed in DR Congo, and how does a mountain lion cross a major highway in California?

The attack happened during Friday prayers in the northern province of Kunduz. The Taliban say children are among the dead. Also: Indonesia bans the export of palm oil, researchers say Anglo-Saxon nobles were mostly vegetarian, and music lovers get ready for Record Store Day.

The UN Human Rights Office said that respect for international law has been "tossed aside". The UN monitoring mission has received allegations of more than 300 unlawful killings in Ukraine. Also, Shanghai escalates Covid lockdown restrictions, and an international arrest warrant has been issued for Carlos Ghosn, the former executive of the car maker Nissan, who escaped from Japan hidden in a box.

One of the city's last defenders tells the BBC conditions are dire and they won't surrender. Also: the Honduran ex-leader is extradited to the US on drug charges, and how dressing up as a vampire could break a world record.

President Putin says Russia controls the strategic port city, and tells his troops to seal off the Azovstal steel plant. Also: clashes between Israelis and Palestinians at the al-Aqsa Mosque; and Manchester United confirm their next boss.

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen argued over her links to Vladimir Putin. Also: the anguish continues for thousands trapped in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, and the producers of a film whose cinematographer was accidentally shot dead by Alec Baldwin have been given the maximum fine possible.

In a video sent from the besieged city, a Ukrainian marine says his men might have only hours left. Also, French presidential rivals Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen prepare to go head to head in a televised debate, and China signs a controversial security pact with the Solomon Islands.

Dozens of missiles are launched as Russian and Ukrainian forces fight along a 480km front in the Donbas region. Also: British PM sorry for party during Covid-19 lockdown as opposition calls apology a joke, and what are the rules determining a double-barrelled name?

Also: Israel has carried out its first air strikes on the Gaza Strip for months in response to a Palestinian rocket attack, and The World Food Programme is warning that up to twenty million people are at risk of hunger in the Horn of Africa.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says he can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the second phase of the war. Also: Libya's National Oil Corporation says a wave of protests affecting the energy sector are likely to get worse, and British PM's Downing Street network targeted with spyware.