BBC

Leaders meet in France with Iran and Ukraine high on agenda; and a BBC investigation finds that Russia was behind a series of arson attacks targeting the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, we hear from a Labour politician on how the UK should now respond.

Also in the programme: The grisly trade of cat-meat in Vietnam; and acclaimed British artist Anish Kapoor unveils major new exhibition at London's Hayward Gallery. 

(Image: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian. Credit: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire)

DUP Minister Paul Givan, UUP leader Jon Burrows and Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister react

Sometimes you just want people to stop. That's one way to use 'wrap it up'. Learn how to use this expression with Feifei and Phil.

Find a free transcript and related programmes here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak_2026/ep-260615

Exams coming up? Practise your skills with BBC Learning English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/skills

Sign up to our newsletter to never miss our updates and learning tips: https://www.bbc.co.uk/send/u178220599

Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire again, despite the US-Iran peace deal. It's not clear if the agreement includes an end to the fighting in southern Lebanon. Also: there are protests at Iran's opening match in the football World Cup; how AI can help save plants from extinction; an interview with sculptor Anish Kapoor; and could Sherbro Island be the next Singapore?

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: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a news conference, following a US-Iran deal, in Jerusalem, June 15, 2026.

Credit: Reuters

People who’ve had to abandon their homes because of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah explain what life is like in Lebanon. A social worker says she believes many people now keep a bag of essential belongings packed by the front door in case they need to leave at a moment’s notice. A mother describes rearranging her daughter’s fourth birthday party because of the threat of missile strikes. Israel’s military forces are currently in southern Lebanon. They say they are there for self-defence and to target Hezbollah’s military capabilities. About a million people are estimated to have left their homes as a result. It’s not clear when, or if, they will be able to return, or whether their homes will still be standing.

Presenter: Carine Torbey

Producer: Nick Holland

Sound: Rod Farquhar

Production Coordinator: Janet Staples

Editor Penny Murphy

(Image: Displaced Lebanese people. Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images)

The US and Iran agree deal to end war and could lead to supplies of gas and oil flowing more freely across the world. We hear from the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and from one of the world's biggest container shipping firms - Hapag-Lloyd.

And as the UK ban socials for under 16's is that the right approach? And how it will affecting businesses?

The US president says details of the deal will be released ‘pretty soon’. But how is the agreement being viewed in Israel? We’ll hear reaction from Jerusalem.

Also in the programme: as the UK government announces plans to ban under-16s from accessing social media, just how could age verification checks work? And James Coomarasamy visits the new exhibition from Turner Prize-winning British sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor at the Hayward Gallery.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday a preliminary agreement to end the war in the Gulf has already been signed by the United States and Iran. White House officials have been giving some details about the Iran deal. They say the Strait of Hormuz will re-open on Friday - the same day the deal is formally signed in Geneva - with shipping traffic increasing gradually.

Also on the programme: A wave of Russian strikes on Ukraine has killed ten people and badly damaged one of Kyiv's most sacred and historic cathedrals, we hear from historian and archaeologist Maksym Ostapenko; and scientists have found a new way to detect microplastics in the living tissue of our bodies with a laser, we speak to medical imaging lecturer Stephen Patrick, who led the research.

(Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 15. Credit: Reuters)

Have you ever been told you aren't good enough to do something, then gone ahead and proved the naysayers wrong by doing it anyway - in glorious, headline-grabbing style?

That is the satisfying story of Dr Dean Lomax. Dean grew up in Doncaster with a passion for fossils but after failing various school exams, was told by teachers that he'd never make it as a palaeontologist. Undeterred by leaving school with no qualifications, Dean sold his childhood Star Wars collection to fund a fossil-hunting trip to America that changed his life - after which a chance discovery led to him publishing his first ever scientific paper at the age of just 20.

Today, he’s an expert on ichthyosaurs - the massive marine reptiles that once inhabited our seas - and has discovered and named several new species, written books for both adults and children, and brought the prehistoric world to life on TV. Talking to Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Dean discusses dinosaurs as a 'gateway science', discovering the Rutland Sea Dragon and the importance of cutting out noise from nay-sayers to follow your dreams...

Brian’s feelings are hurt, and Amber is on tenterhooks.