BBC

A BBC Disclosure investigation has uncovered significant questions about what happened at the hotel where Charmain Spiers died. In 2015, Charmain's body was discovered in a hotel room, and her death was determined as “heroin poisoning”. Her husband and self-proclaimed prophet, Eric Adusah was seen at the hotel on the night of her death, and a test of her hair showed no long-term heroin use. The BBC Disclosure team has been to Ghana to hear from witnesses about what happened in the days leading up to and the night of her death. 

And the population of mountain Gorillas in Uganda may increase following conservation initiatives aimed at improving the lives of local communities to discourage poaching activities.

 

Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Bella Twine, Chiamaka Dike, and Blessing Aderogba

Technical Producer: Davis Mwasaru

Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga

Editor: Maryam Abdalla

Israeli and Lebanese officials to meet to discuss Israel's campaign against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. We report from southern Lebanon.

Also in the programme: a BBC investigation into Greek police recruiting mercenaries to push migrants back into Turkey; the rise and fall of the Chinese property developer who was once Asia's richest person but has now pleaded guilty to fraud; conservation success in Uganda where numbers of mountain gorillas are rising; and could small talk be good for you?

(IMAGE: Israeli soldiers stand among destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in northern Israel, April 14, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Florion Goga)

In its World Economic Outlook report the International Monetary Fund says that, in a worst case scenario -  where oil, gas and food prices spike and remain high this year and next - global growth could fall below 2% in 2026. That's if the US-Israel war with Iran continues and high energy prices persist. It said the most severe conditions that could lead to a worldwide slowdown would include oil prices reaching an average $110 per barrel this year and hitting $125 in 2027. Based on these assumptions, the IMF said inflation could reach as much as 6% next year. This could force central banks to increase interest rates to slow the pace of price rises. We hear how Africa's fuel crunch continues - and hopes for a more stable future...

Evergrande was once China’s biggest real estate firm, before its debt crisis sent shockwaves through the wider economy.. Today the founder of the collapsed property giant Hui Ka Yan pleaded guilty to a series of fraud charges. It's a case that marks a major moment in the fallout from the company’s collapse.

And - how a gold pocket watch owned by a hero of the Sinking of the Titanic could fetch up to one hundred and thirty five thousand dollars at auction...

Presenter Leanna Byrne

Senior Producer: Craig Henderson

Also, fuel prices shooting up but what are our MLAs doing to help tackle rising costs?

"Stop yapping!" Learn a word to use when someone talks a lot with Feifei and Georgie. For more great language tips and programmes visit bbclearningenglish.com

As always, find a free transcript here:

✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak_2026/ep-260413

And discover the NEW series of Office English. Topics covering small talk, organising meetings and rules. Find it here:

✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/office-english, or search 'Learning English for Work' in your podcast app.

We send a newsletter with our weekly highlights - subscribe here:

✔️ https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/newsletters

If you enjoy this podcast, you might like our others! Search 'BBC Learning English' to discover the range.

JD Vance says progress was made in discussions with Iran at the weekend and the ball is in Tehran's court. But he also accuses the Iranians of "economic terrorism" over the partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He was speaking hours after the US began enforcing its own naval blockade of Iranian ports. President Trump warned that any Iranian vessel that approached the blockade would be "immediately eliminated". He also said Iran couldn't be allowed to blackmail the rest of the world and extort money by imposing restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by calling the US blockade "piracy" and threatened retaliation. Also: After Mr Trump criticised Pope Leo, we look at the history of spats between popes and politicians; Colombia plans to cull its hippopotamus population; a BBC Eye investigation reveals life-threatening malpractice on a Pakistani hospital ward; Hollywood actors, directors and filmmakers oppose the Paramount-Warner Brothers Discovery merger; and Duolingo asks taxi drivers to assess the conduct of job applicants.

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]

Outbreaks of HIV have become regular occurrences in Pakistan. And too frequently it is the children who suffer. In the city of Taunsa, for example, children have tested positive for HIV while their parents have not. So what has been going on? Ghazal Abbasi investigates what and who is to blame. With the help of a staff insider and undercover recording in the city’s main hospital, the BBC finds shocking lapses in medical protocol. Medicine vials and syringes are often reused for different children. Cross-contamination seems inevitable. But the local authorities deny the hospital is at the centre of the problem.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.

As President Trump blocks ships travelling to and from Iran through the Strait of Hormuz, how will this affect Iranian oil exports?

The Philippines has suspended taxes on paraffin and cooking gas to help keep food prices low; we hear from a chef who tells us how this will impact his restaurant business.

With Victor Orban ousted, what does the future hold for Hungary under newly-elected Peter Magyar’s leadership?

And, Bollywood icon, Asha Bhosle has died leaving behind an over $20 million empire of restaurants and music royalties.

An American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has come into force, after the failure of peace talks with Iran at the weekend. Tehran says it'll retaliate, but President Trump has repeated his threat to destroy any Iranian attack vessels which approach the blockade. We speak to a representative of independent tanker owners and operators across the globe .

Also on the programme: The dispute between President Trump and Pope Leo deepens, with Mr Trump saying he would not apologise to the pontiff; and we hear about the life of a self-taught topiary artist who has been called the "Picasso of Plants".

In July 2024 a startling scientific paper was published.

Headlined ‘Evidence of dark oxygen production at the abyssal seafloor’, scientists told how they had discovered oxygen being made two and a half miles down, at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Their claim centred on small polymetallic nodules on the seafloor, and the key question - could these lumps of metal somehow be making oxygen in complete darkness?

It was an extraordinary finding that, if proven, could overturn hundreds of years of scientific knowledge about how this crucial ingredient for life is made. It prompted global headlines and split scientists.

But a year and a half on, are we any closer to knowing the answer... Is dark oxygen really possible?

BBC News science correspondent Victoria Gill investigates for BBC Radio 4, and finds so much more than a scientific anomaly.

Dark Breath is the story of a scientific controversy played out in real time. A row about science that became personal. And a discovery that crashed headlong into the debate about whether we should mine metals from the deep sea.

What does the story tell us about the messy and human scientific process? And what bearing does it have on the decision to exploit some of the last untouched parts of our planet?

Presenter: Victoria Gill

Producer: Gerry Holt

Editor: Ilan Goodman