BBC

Allegations of 'family voting' in the Gorton and Denton by-election are to be raised in parliament on Monday. We speak to Lord Pickles, whose report into electoral fraud called for action a decade ago. We also look at where the by-election leaves Labour strategy: are Reform or the Greens their main opposition now? Also:Bill Clinton testifies in front of a Congressional committee; President Trump says he's "not happy" as concerns grow about a possible US attack. And 30 years of Pokemon.

Bill Clinton has told a Congressional committee that he was unaware of the crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein. Mr Clinton said he saw nothing and did nothing wrong during his acquaintance with the late sex offender. Democrats have described the tone of the closed door hearing as civil, saying Mr Clinton answered every question.

Also in the programme: Pakistan defence minister says country in 'open war' with Afghanistan after strikes; Ramadan in Gaza; and we'll talk to a judge at the International Criminal Court, who was sanctioned by the US after the court issued an arrest warrant for Israel's prime minister.

(Photo credit: AFP)

Writer: Liz John

Director: Kim Greengrass

Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge … Charles Collingwood

David Archer … Timothy Bentinck

Helen Archer … Louiza Patikas

Lilian Bellamy … Sunny Ormonde

Alice Carter … Hollie Chapman

Chris Carter … Wilf Scolding

Susan Carter … Charlotte Martin

Rex Fairbrother … Nick Barber

Chelsea Horrobin … Madeleine Leslay

Tracy Horrobin … Susie Riddell

Akram Malik … Asif Khan

Jazzer McCreary … Ryan Kelly

Kirsty Miller … Annabelle Dowler

Hannah Riley … Helen Longworth

Lynda Snell … Carole Boyd

Finlay … Mark Bonnar

Top of the agenda this week is some royal breaking news - who got a special birthday visit from the police? We’ll be analysing yet another government U-turn and see who’s emerged from the shadows for Nigel Farage’s proposed ‘shadow cabinet'. Plus a couple of stories on robots and aliens - something for everyone.

Joining Andy this week is Mark Steel, Daliso Chaponda, Coco Khan and Bella Hull.

Written by Andy Zaltzman.

With additional material by: Jade Gebbie, Ruth Husko and Peter Tellouche.

Producer: Georgia Keating

Executive Producer: Pete Strauss

Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu

Sound Editor: Marc Willcox

A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Latest attacks mark escalation in long-running tensions between the two South Asian neighbours. Islamabad has repeatedly blamed the Afghan Taliban for supporting militants accused of attacks in Pakistan. Also: Nine senior officers of the Chinese military have been officially removed as delegates to the country’s annual parliamentary session, just days before it's due to start. US says it will ease its economic blockade on Cuba, if oil is sent to the island’s private sector. Epstein files reveal the late convicted sex offender tried to buy a multimillion-dollar palace in Morocco, the day before his arrest in 2019. And the British supermarket chain, Waitrose, suspends sales of mackerel because of overfishing.

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]

Paramount-Skydance is the only show in town for ownership of Warner Brothers, with a deal valuing the movie maker and media empire at $111bn. But even if it seals the deal with shareholders and boards it still needs to get past regulators on both sides of the Atlantic.

We head to the Balkans, where a multi-billion-dollar rail link between Belgrade and Budapest opens for freight today.

We also hear about the secret to Pokemon's success, as the video game characters turn 30.

Pakistani forces struck the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the provinces of Kandahar and Paktika, though the casualty count remains unclear. We speak with a former Pakistani brigadier general and hear from voices on the ground in Kabul.

Also on the programme: an International Criminal Court judge whose life has been impacted by US sanctions, with credit cards and Google accounts cancelled; and celebrating 30 years of Pokemon.

(Photo: Taliban soldiers load a rocket launcher in a vehicle, following exchanges of fire between Pakistan and Afghanistan forces, near Torkham border in Afghanistan on February 27, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Around the world, one in six people will experience infertility in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organisation. In Africa, there is still a lot of stigma that surrounds infertility, but now, more people are starting to speak out about their struggles on social media.

Focus on Africa podcast host, Nkechi Ogbonna, sat down for a chat with Matshepo Segole, from Johannesburg, South Africa who has built a community on TikTok for women navigating infertility, and Jonathan Luwagga, who is British-Ugandan. He has been sharing his story on social media to encourage more men to speak out about this issue.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Fana Negash and Carolyne Kiambo

Technical Producer: Herbert Masua

Senior Producer: Priya Sippy

Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Also Former Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde says 50 /50 recruitment ship has probably sailed

Pakistani military jets have hit targets inside Afghanistan, bombing parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia, as open military conflict surged between the two countries. Pakistan's Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, said Islamabad's patience had run out and declared the neighbours at "open war" following months of tit-for-tat clashes and heavy losses for both sides. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to act against militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government denies.

Also: the BBC has obtained a video that shows how Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian boy and stood around as he bled to death. Netflix drops out of the bidding war for Warner Brothers Discovery, leaving Paramount as the top contender to acquire the legacy studio. As former US President Bill Clinton prepares to testify before a Congressional committee investigating the fall-out from the Epstein files, his wife Hillary, who appeared before the panel on Thursday, says her husband's connection with Epstein ended several years before anything about the sex offender's criminal activities came to light. In a landmark trial in Los Angeles, the woman at the heart of a case against social media giants says she became addicted to their platforms aged six. The British Labour government suffers a by-election defeat in key political test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. How Pokémon's 30th anniversary is being marked worldwide. And we test our spelling skills after a survey reveals the words British pupils most struggle with.

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]