Global News Podcast

Syrian President's grip on power wanes as another strategic city falls to Islamist rebels. Also: Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is rededicated in front of world leaders and the conman in India who duped families into thinking he was their long lost son.

Syria's army says it's bolstering defences around the capital, Damascus, as rebels intent on overthrowing President Assad converge on the city.

We're at an Italian film festival with a difference, for actors who become the voice of Hollywood stars and achieve fame in their own right. Also: California's canine mayor; and why diplomacy can work better in a sauna.

Both candidates in Romania's presidential election have denounced a court's decision to quash the results. Also: why it's hard to be a woman in Iceland, and the bid to save handwriting in the age of the computer.

In Syria, Islamist-led rebels continue their rapid advance. The UN says 300,000 have fled their homes as rebels reach the outskirts of Homs. Also: Romania will rerun its election, and how to survive a polar bear attack.

Islamist rebels celebrate the capture of the Syrian city of Hama. Also: US Police search for the gunman who shot dead a health insurance boss on the streets of New York, and a faster way to predict the weather.

The Syrian army says it's withdrawn from the city of Hama after intense clashes. Also: health workers in Sierra Leone will be among the first to receive an Ebola vaccine, as part of a nationwide campaign.

The French government has collapsed after PM, Michel Barnier, was ousted in a no-confidence vote, after forcing through his budget. Also: Mexican police make their biggest ever seizure of the synthetic drug fentanyl.

South Korean MPs have begun impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk Yeol after thwarting his move to impose martial law. Also: jailed Iranian Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi is temporarily released.

The president of South Korea has reversed his shock decision to impose martial law. Yoon Suk Yeol had ordered the deployment of troops hours earlier, accusing the opposition of being criminals and anti -state forces.

Female students studying midwifery in Afghanistan have been told to stay away from classes. Also: Joe Biden is in Angola on his first visit to Africa as US president, and Jaguar unveils its new luxury electric car.

Israel said it struck targets in Lebanon after vowing to retaliate for an attack by Hezbollah, with both sides accusing each other of violating last week's ceasefire. Also: protecting the price of pasta dishes in Rome.

The UN's humanitarian chief is calling for action to help people in the Darfur region of Sudan - we have a special report on the horrors of the civil war. Also: President Biden pardons his son Hunter.

The Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, has described help from Iran and Russia as "vital" in the fight against a surprise rebel offensive. Also: did Louis the XV really keep a rhinoceros at the palace of Versailles?

Your weekly bonus from The Global Story podcast. Every few years governments around the world compete in school system rankings. But in many countries there are often barriers to even getting children into the classroom - such as poverty, climate change and war.The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide, one big story every weekday, making sense of the news with our experts around the world.For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globalstory or search for The Global Story wherever you got this podcast.

Syria's President Assad has insisted he will defeat the rebels who have attacked Aleppo. Also: Georgia's president vows to remain in post after her term ends, and why killer whales are wearing dead salmon on their heads.

We hear from a Ukrainian refugee who says cold water swimming has helped her tackle depression and keep moving forward. Also: making fuel from washed up seaweed; how a community rescued a pod of whales; and driving rats.

The terminally ill in England and Wales could soon have the right to end their lives as MPs vote in favour of assisted dying. Also: Rebel forces take control of parts of Aleppo in Syria, and a big weekend for Hollywood.

Emmanuel Macron praised workers for restoring Paris's Notre-Dame cathedral, five years after the fire. Ukraine faces blackouts as Russia targets energy facilities, plus an interview with the world's best nurse.

Putin says Russia's attack on Ukraine's power grid was in response to the use of US-made missiles. Also: Syrian rebels launch a major offensive in Aleppo province, and Greenland opens a new international airport.

Hundreds of thousands across Ukraine are without power after Russia launches a massive attack on its energy infrastructure. Also: The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon appears to be holding.

A fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah is holding, but both sides are on alert. In the US, Donald Trump's incoming cabinet have received bomb threats. Also: will Parisians embrace Les Misérables in French?

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is in effect in Lebanon after a deal to end 13 months of fighting. Thousands of Lebanese civilians have started returning to their homes in the south.

President Biden has welcomed a US and French-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He said the deal showed that peace was possible.

President Biden has announced a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah to come into effect on Wednesday. He described it as a new start for Lebanon.

Security forces in Islamabad have clashed with thousands of protestors demanding the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. The army has been deployed to central parts of the Pakistani capital.

A US judge has dismissed the criminal case accusing President-elect Donald Trump of attempting to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election. Also: Israel and Hezbollah said to be close to Lebanon ceasefire deal..

A little known candidate, Calin Georgescu, unexpectedly wins first round of Romania's presential election. Also: Italian museum honours the British poet Byron.

The authorities in the United Arab Emirates say three suspects have been arrested in connection with the killing of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, Zvi Kogan, found dead in the country.

Your weekly bonus from The Global Story podcast.Language is constantly changing. But exposure to social media has seen younger generations, adopting new terms at a pace never seen before. So, how much is online culture influencing the way many of us speak? The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide, one big story every weekday, making sense of the news with our experts around the world.For more, go to bbcworldservice.com/globalstory or search for The Global Story wherever you got this podcast.

At the climate summit in Azerbaijan, richer countries agreed to increase their contribution to $300bn a year by 2035, to help poorer countries most affected. Also: many killed during Israeli air strike in Beirut.

Researchers have found that just as we smile at friends, dolphins change their expression too while interacting. Also: the college baseball star with a prosthetic leg and the first robotic double lung transplant.

President Vladimir Putin said Russia had a stock of powerful new missiles "ready to be launched" and promised to carry out more tests including in "combat conditions".

Satellite images indicate that Russia has supplied North Korea with more than one million barrels of oil. Analysts say the oil is payment for weapons and troops North Korea has sent Moscow to fuel its war in Ukraine.

Israel and the United States have strongly criticised the decision by the ICC to order the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes. Neither country recognise the court's jurisdiction.

Israeli politicians denounce ICC decision to issue arrest warrants against prime minister and former defence minister. Also: the UN chief urges negotiators at the climate summit to do more to reach a final deal.

Apple Daily founder, Jimmy Lai, appears in Hong Kong court and denies foreign collusion. Also: Ukraine uses British-made long-range missiles for first time inside Russia, and ‘manifest' is Cambridge word of the year.

MSF pulls out of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince after attacks on staff. Also: US approves supply of antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine, why olive oil prices are plummeting and tennis bids adios to Rafael Nadal.

The US has confirmed Ukraine used American-supplied missiles to strike Russia. Also: no charges for the Iranian student who stripped to her underwear, and King Richard III of England 'speaks' again after 500 years.

Russia says Ukraine attacked Bryansk region with US missiles, after restrictions on them were lifted. Also, long jail terms for pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, and 40 years of searching for extraterrestrial life.

The US envoy to the UN has said Ukraine will get more American security help. Also: the dozens of medics on trial in Turkey over baby deaths, and a Russian company picks a seven-year-old as its future head of training.

Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to use US long-range missiles sparks angry response from Moscow. Also: Delhi bans diesel trucks because of air pollution, and how organisations in Central African Republic are using radio to combat mpox disinformation.