BBC

As a Florida senator, Marco Rubio seemed to hold an opposing world view to Donald Trump; on Russia-Ukraine, on China, on USAID, and more. He notably called Trump a “con man”, and Trump in turn dubbed him, “little Marco”.

And yet now, as US Secretary of State, Rubio has made himself indispensable to the president on foreign affairs, bringing his own background to play in policy on Venezuela and Cuba, and shaping the US’ approach to further interventions abroad. Trump has even indicated that he wants Rubio to run on a joint ticket with JD Vance for the next US presidency.

How has Rubio tailored himself to Trump’s world view? And what difference would he bring as a potential presidential candidate? Tom Bateman, the BBC’s State Department correspondent, regularly travels with Rubio, and he joins Asma on today’s show.

The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

Brian is disturbed to find Kate working at Grey Gables, but Kate assures Brian she isn’t trying to humiliate him. She simply needs a secure income to enable her to keep Spiritual Home going. For Brian the bigger issue is Kate taking a job from smug Oliver. Kate says she’s more worried than ever about Brian, after recent events. Brian wants her to ask Adam about the letter he presented to him. Brian then corners Oliver, who doubts Miranda will ask after Brian any time soon.

At the cricket Alice tells Kirsty she’s not sure what to do on Father’s Day next week – stick with Martha and Chris or spend it with Brian, who’s practically disowned Adam and Debbie. She envies Kirsty’s uncomplicated life with Erik. Later, Alice tells Kirsty she’s making a Father’s Day kit for Martha to give Chris, while Brian will just have to endure the hell of enforced fun with his own children. Back home, Kate’s keen to hear about Kirsty’s scan. Kirsty compares it to Wren’s scan and how that was all she ever got to know of him. Kate hugs Kirsty before Alice arrives and they talk about babysitting arrangements for tomorrow, now Brian’s persona non grata with Adam. Kate wonders if Alice knows what Brian was hinting at about Adam. Alice doesn’t, but Kirsty’s sure they’ll get it out of Adam tomorrow night.

Israel has attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut at what it says was a Hezbollah infrastructure, in response to Hezbollah firing into its territory. The strikes could put the agreement between Iran and the United States to halt their war at risk. We hear from Ali Vaez, the Iran Project Director for the International Crisis Group.  Also on the programme;  Switzerland's proposal to limit the country's population to ten million has been rejected according to early projections, and the New York Knicks win their first NBA title in 53 years.

(Photo: Smoke billows from southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Marjayoun, Lebanon, June 14, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer)

President Trump says a deal with Iran to end the war is scheduled to be signed on Sunday. His comments echo those of the Pakistani Prime Minister, who's mediating talks between the sides. This has been disputed by an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, who ruled out signing a memorandum of understanding this soon. Also on this podcast: we report from the occupied West Bank, after international condemnation of ongoing Jewish settler attacks against Palestinians. Switzerland votes whether to cap its population at 10 million. And a new documentary about the chefs who cooked for brutal dictators such as Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot and Idi Amin.

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.

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Photo: Trump speaks to reporters

Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

Each Monday, Ed Butler takes you around the globe to the heart of the stories and meeting those living through them. West Africa is currently the global epicentre for illegal fishing, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation. An estimated 40% of the world's illegal industrial fishing occurs in its waters, costing the region up to 10 billion dollars a year in lost revenue, and severely depleting stocks essential for the food security and livelihoods of over 7 million people. Ed Butler has been hearing about the practice in Sierra Leone, trying to ascertain who is behind it, and finding out how much the government is doing to help.

To hear more, search Business Daily wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

President Trump has said that a deal with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday, hours after Tehran cast doubt on whether this would happen so soon. We look into Iran's proposal on its frozen assets. 

Also on the programme: a new blood test that can detect thousands of serious genetic conditions in the developing foetus, limiting the need for invasive screening during pregnancy; and why Anthropic has suspended its powerful new AI model just days following its public release.

(Photo: A woman holds an Iranian flag on a street in Tehran on June 10, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

We hear from the man who survived for nearly a week on one of the most dangerous parts of Mount Everest with little food, no water and few supplies. Dawa Sherpa became separated from his group after running out of oxygen during bad weather and his family had begun mourning his death. But, after six days, he was found by a cleaning crew, crawling and sliding his way back to base camp.

Also: The teenager who was surprised to find his exam paper included a poem he'd inspired. It had been written by his mum several years earlier.

How an art student from Germany ended up in charge of a Swedish island.

The US singer Barry Manilow returns to the stage after overcoming lung cancer.

Plus the boy who can impersonate the calls of more than a hundred birds; and the mysterious knitted toys that have been popping up around an English village.

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

(Photo: Dawa Sherpa arriving at a hospital in Kathmandu. Credit: Reuters)

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson

در دیپلماسی کنونی ایران بهره‌برداری حداکثری از امتیازهای میدان جنگ می‌بینم یا آنچه می‌بینیم زیاده‌خواهی و در نهایت فرصت‌سوزی‌ست؟

میهمان‌ها:

علم صالح، استاد دانشگاه در روابط بین‌الملل

علی مهتدی، تحلیل‌گر مسائل خاورمیانه

Lebanese state media say Israel carried out airstrikes in the south shortly after ordering residents to leave about twenty locations. They say three injured people have been pulled from rubble following a strike near Tyre. Iran says that peace in Lebanon must be part of any agreement with the US. Tehran and Washington have both indicated that they're close to an accord, but there have been further hostilities. The US military said it shot down several Iranian drones in the Strait of Hormuz.

Also in the programme: President Trump says the US has killed the leader of a Venezuelan criminal cartel, Tren de Aragua; the UN condemns increasing levels of aggression and intimidation in the occupied West bank; and a new documentary speaks to the people who have worked as private chefs for some of the world's most notorious dictators!

(Photo: Daily life in Tehran as tension between Iran and US continues, Iran Islamic Republic Of - 21 Feb 2026. Credit: EPA)

Ebola is a frightening and deadly disease, killing on average one half of people infected and spreading rapidly without containment measures. So how do BBC journalists report from the centre of an epidemic? BBC West Africa journalist Emery Makumeno has been reporting from Kinshasa in DR Congo on the Ebola outbreak; Musa Sangarie, Country Director for Sierra Leone for BBC Media Action, led public information campaigns in Sierra Leone in the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic; Camilla Mota, journalist with BBC News Brasil, has reported on the fall-out from the country’s Zika virus outbreak in 2015 and 2016; and Mattias Zibell Garcia, producer at BBC Mundo, reported on the recent Hantavirus outbreak in Ushuaia, Argentina.

The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts.

Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India.

If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)