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The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, says the world must treat the new phase of the weather pattern, El Niño, as an urgent climate warning. He said it would pour fuel on the fire of a warming globe. The World Meteorological Organisation says preparations are needed for a potentially strong El Niño event with an eighty percent chance of conditions developing in the next few months. Also: Israeli forces have continued hitting targets in southern Lebanon after an agreement backed by President Trump stopped them from striking the capital, Beirut. Two people have died in Kenya during protests against plans to establish a US-backed Ebola isolation centre. A British man could become the first astronaut with a disability to live and work in space; and Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are back as Woody and Buzz in Toy Story 5, as they try to make sense of a world dominated by technology.

Photo credit:

Photo by ANDREW KASUKU/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock (14248301d) A man rides a motorcycle on a flooded road in Chamwanamuma village, Tana Delta region, in Kenya, 07 December 2023.

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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Ghana’s President John Mahama has said the recently passed anti-LGBTQ+ bill will undergo a review by the Attorney General and legal advisers at the presidency before he decides to sign it into law. The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, was approved by parliament last Friday. The legislation proposes a three-year prison sentence for same-sex relations and up to five years imprisonment for promoting LGBTQ+ activities. The law has attracted mixed reaction within the country. This is not the first time Ghana has come up with such a proposal. A previous bill approved in 2024 recommended stricter punishment but was never signed into law.

Also, we hear about a controversial multi-million dollar sports event allowing participating athletes to use performance enhancing drugs, usually banned in international competitions.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna

Producer: Bella Twine, Priya Sippy and Ayuba lliya

Technical producer: David Nzau

Senior Ppoducer: Keikantse Shumba

Editors: Charles Gitonga and Maryam Abdalla

More than 30 years after the original movie, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are back as Woody and Buzz in the fifth instalment of one of the most lucrative franchises in film history. Plus, with inflation rising above 3%, is a rate hike back on the table for the Eurozone? And, Nvidia doubles down on Taiwan despite the self-governed island's tensions with China.

Just hours after the US announced a fresh ceasefire in Lebanon, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have started - again. We hear from Lebanon's deputy prime minister, Tarek Mitri.

Nearly 250 people in Africa have died of Ebola over the last few weeks. We speak with the regional director of the World Health Organization, who has just visited the epicentre of the outbreak.

And a Paralympic athlete who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident may become the first person with a physical disability to live in orbit. What would that look like?

(Photo: Smoke billows from southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, as seen from Nabatieh, Lebanon, June 2, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/ Stringer)

Also, grieving parents appeal for newborn heel prick testing for degenerative disease.

Moths are winged insects which are attracted to light sources. Learn the metaphorical use of this expression in this programme with Feifei and Georgie.

As always, find a free transcript here: ✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak_2026/ep-260601

Practise your listening in The Listening Room. Find it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the_listening_room

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Russia uses drones and missiles to bombard Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. A number of people were killed and injured. Kyiv's mayor said two high-rise apartment buildings in the capital had been hit, and people could be trapped under the rubble. President Zelensky had earlier warned that intelligence suggested Russia was preparing for a major attack, and urged people to pay special attention to air raid alerts. Also: President Trump says Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to stop attacking each other; Florida sues the maker of ChatGPT over allegations the chatbot is endangering children, aiding and abetting mass shootings and giving advice on suicide; Serena Williams confirms her return to competitive tennis at the age of 44; and an actress takes a stand against audience members texting in the theatre.

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]

In Italy, Georgia Meloni’s coalition government gained power on an anti-immigration political platform. But faced with low birth-rates and a dwindling workforce, the prime minister has had to be pragmatic. Over the next two years, hundreds of thousands of temporary visas are being offered to migrant workers, mainly from Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, to help fill the gaps. In the far south of Italy, one of the country’s poorest regions, Calabria, is famous for its citrus fruit, and thousands of farms need workers to pick their produce. Some of the migrant workers live in terrible conditions. Lizzy McNeill reports on what the reality is on the ground.

Long-awaited documents published by the government have revealed messages between Lord Mandelson and ministers strongly criticising the prime minister, No 10 and Labour MPs. We hear reaction from Labour MP Kim Johnson.

Also in the programme: a new proposal could see abusive air passengers placed on a national blacklist and prevented from flying. And on what would have been her 100th birthday, we reflect on how Marilyn Monroe’s legacy has evolved over the years.

Big tech firms race to cash in on the AI boom. Anthropic, the firm behind chatbot Claude went public in the US, filing paperwork for a stock market listing later this year while Nvidia launched a new processor they say could reinvent the PC in the age of artificial intelligence.

In India, fertilizer supplies are under strain from shipping disruptions caused by the Middle East war. Our correspondent explains how this will affect farming and food prices in Asia's third largest economy.

And, a supermarket chain in Belfast has added a pub to one of their stores, but it's proven controversial because of Northern Ireland's strict licensing laws.

Plus Backrooms, a new horror film, created by a young YouTuber, earned over $80 million in its opening weekend. Could digital creators be the next generation of filmmakers?