BBC

She had set herself a deadline: if she reached 30 without finding a partner, she would freeze her eggs. Her name is Amarachi Amusi, a Nigerian influencer and entrepreneur. She is among a growing number of women across Africa turning to the lengthy and costly procedure of egg freezing as a way of preserving their chances of motherhood while they wait to find a life partner.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Fana Negash and Carolyne Wanjiru Jotham

Technical Producer: Davis Mwasaru

Senior Producer: Basma El Atti

Editors: Charles Gitonga and Maryam Abdalla

IPO aims to raise $4 billion for Jio Platforms hopes, the telecom unit of billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance.

Is the UK economy 6% smaller as a result of voting for Brexit in 2016?

And Iran says ships won't be charged for passing through the Strait of Hormuz during the 60 days peace negotiations period.

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire, a senior US official has confirmed to the BBC. Earlier, planned talks to cement the ceasefire between Iran and the US were delayed with reports suggesting it was due to Iranian concern over Israel's actions in Lebanon.

Also on the programme: the by-election result that could decide Britain's next prime minister; and how the resident organist for the Boston Red Sox baseball team has been entertaining visiting Scottish football fans.

(Photo: Khadija Amara, whom local residents said had not left her home, fills a jerrycan with water as she sits among the rubble of a house, which was damaged by an Israeli strike in the Tyre district, southern Lebanon on June 19, 2026.)

Nolan talks to Glynn Brown - whose son Aaron was among those abused in the hospital

JD Vance defends the Iran deal against criticism that it gives too many concessions to Tehran. The Iranian supreme leader says the US signed it "out of desperation". We get our international editor Jeremy Bowen's assessment. Also: Andy Burnham, a rival to the British prime minister Keir Starmer, wins the crucial Makerfield by-election; Cuba announces economic reforms under US pressure; the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago divides opinion; how honeybees make baby food; and we visit the world's first international competition for immersive art.

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: [email protected]

Photo: U.S. Vice President JD Vance holds a press briefing at the White House in Washington.

Credit: Reuters/Eric Lee

Since the outbreak of war involving Iran, Israel and the U.S. in late February 2026, Iranians have been living through months of fear, instability and profound uncertainty. A fragile truce came into effect on April 8, but by May 2026 ceasefire efforts were still under strain, with negotiations continuing and tensions in and around the region far from settled.

In this edition of Heart and Soul, Emily Wither speaks to Iranians inside the country about how war, repression and disillusionment have reshaped their relationship with religion. For some, years of state control in the name of Islam — now intensified by the trauma of recent conflict — have deepened the divide between official religion and personal faith.

Some still pray to God, but in intimate, private ways far removed from state doctrine. Others have drifted away from formal religious belief altogether, finding comfort instead in Persian poetry, music, mysticism and ancient cultural texts such as the Shahnameh. Through anonymous voices from inside Iran, the programme explores a quiet but profound spiritual shift: away from imposed religion, and toward more personal and self-fashioned ways of making meaning.

Can Labour’s Andy Burnham secure the Westminster seat necessary to challenge the leadership of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer? We ask Labour’s Anna Turley and Reform UK’s Alex Wilson.

Also in the programme: a former State Department expert questions whether the United States and Iran will be able to strike a lasting nuclear deal, after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries. And supermarket chain Lidl has opened a pub on the outskirts of Belfast – why?

The US has lifted its Iran naval blockade following the US-Iran deal. Both countries have signed a deal but what does it actually mean for the two nations?

We head to Cuba where the government’s unveiled sweeping reforms, trying to steady an economy that’s really under pressure.

And the Governor of Massachusetts has unofficially "legalised" the Scottish dish haggis, as the state continues to welcome Scotland fans during the World Cup.

Presenter: Vishala Sri-Pathma

Producer: Barbara George and Parisa Qurban

Donald Trump says he expects a ceasefire to take effect "on all fronts", including between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon while Vice President JD Vance says the memorandum signed with Tehran is already bearing fruit and insisted that Washington holds the cards in coming negotiations. Meanwhile, a message attributed to Iran's Supreme Leader says that Tehran will not submit to any excessive demands.

Also in the programme: why one critic calls Barack Obama's Presidential Centre a 'Klingon Prison'; and how Nigerian sisters born conjoined at the head are enjoying life after pioneering surgery assisted by artificial intelligence.

(Photo: US Vice President JD Vance speaks to the media about the Iran-US memorandum of understanding in the White House Briefing Room in Washington, DC, USA Credit: JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/Shutterstock)

Kate struggles to find the silver lining, and Brad opens his heart.