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What phrases do you know with the word 'big'? Learn some in this podcast.

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Buying a new car last year increasingly meant going electric. Around one in four new car buyers made that choice with almost half a million electric cars registered over the year, according to industry figures. That means there are more than 1.8 million fully electric cars driving around the UK, which is still only just over 5 per cent of cars on the road. But in the next few years, more motorists will start navigating the change because by 2030 the UK government is banning the sale of new petrol and diesel, with hybrids allowed until 2035. So how much do electric cars to buy and run, and how easy is it to travel long distances in them?

Joining Felicity Hannah are Stuart Masson from the website The Car Expert and Melanie Shufflebotham from Zap Map, which is an app and website showing where public charging points are.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

Producer: Sarah Rogers

Editor: Jess Quayle

Senior Editor: Sara Wadeson

(This episode was first broadcast on Wednesday the 21st of January 2026)

Iran's foreign minister said the two sides agreed on a set of principles that could pave the way for a possible deal. But the US vice president, JD Vance, gave a cautious assessment telling Fox News that Iran had not agreed to "red lines" set by President Trump. Also, Peru has been plunged into renewed political chaos after congress removed the seventh president in a decade on corruption allegations, there are growing fears that a major regional conflict could be about to break out between the Ethiopian federal government and forces in Tigray in the north of the country. NASA warns that there's no known protection against thousands of asteroids which space chiefs say they can't track down and, the Grammy-winning American songwriter, Billy Steinberg, has died at the age of 75.

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]

The hottest ticket at this year's Australian Open tennis tournament wasn't to see Novak Djokovic or Iga Swiatek, or even the tournament's eventual winners, Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina. Instead, the longest queues were to watch the world number 49, Alexandra Eala of the Philippines. Her first round match, which she lost, drew thousands of fans to Melbourne Park, with many being left disappointed as they were unable to find a seat on what was one of the smaller courts.

In a bonus episode from More than the Score, the BBC World Service podcast that scours the globe to tell stories from beyond the scoresheet, journalists Kate Reyes and Ben Rothenberg talked to Ed Harry where Eala came from, how far she could go, and what her popularity might mean for the future of tennis and sport in the Philippines.

Every Monday to Friday, More than the Score tells stories beyond the scoresheet from all over the world of sport. From the Winter Olympics to the Super Bowl, the Australian Open to the Diamond League, and netball to Formula 1. For more episodes, follow and subscribe to More than the Score wherever you get your podcasts.

With the European Union launching a formal investigation into fast fashion giant Shein over the Chinese business’ possible breaches of digital law, we hear from Thomas Regnier on what the EU Commission’s concerns are.

Andrew Peach speaks to Oscar-winning film and TV producer Tom Nunan on the latest in Netflix and Paramount’s tug-of-war over Warner Bros.

Elsewhere, German drugs giant Bayer proposes to pay more than US$7.25bn (£5.35bn) to settle claims that its weedkiller Roundup causes cancer.

And Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz for military drills... but will it affect global oil prices?

The latest business and finance news from around the world, on the BBC.

(Picture: People walk past a Shein pop-up store at immersive retail space Future Stores, ahead of its grand opening in London, Great Britain, on 24 September, 2025. Credit: Isabel Infantes / Reuters.)

Reverend Jesse Jackson, a giant of the civil rights movement, has died at the age of 84. As politicians from across the spectrum pay tribute to his legacy, we speak to his son, who was with him when he died. 

Also on the programme: Labour faces a mass resignation of councillors in Hartlepool over funding for children in care. The local Labour MP tells us he’s “furious”. 

And as China celebrates the Lunar New Year, an astrologer tells us what to expect from the Year of the Fire Horse.

Politicians from across the spectrum have been paying tribute to the life and legacy of Jesse Jackson, the US civil rights leader who has died aged 84. We talk to the US Congressman Danny Davis who's known personally since he was a young man

Also on the programme: Iran has said it has reached an understanding with the US on the main "guiding principles" to resolve their dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme; and we ask whether Russian athletes will be allowed again to take part in the Olympics?

(Photo: US civil rights campaigner Reverend Jesse Jackson stands on the Thames riverside in Lambeth, south London, after launching Operation Black Vote in upcoming UK general elections. Credit: PA John Stillwell)

Ruairi exceeds expectations, and Rex gets the wrong end of the stick.

The American civil rights leader, Jesse Jackson, who twice ran for the Democratic nomination for president, has died aged 84. Tributes have been flowing in, with President Trump describing him as a good man and a force of nature. In a statement, Reverend Jackson's family called him a "servant leader to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world". Also: Iran says the latest indirect talks on its nuclear programme with the US in Geneva have been more constructive than previous discussions, but warns that more work is needed; one of the world's biggest AI summits is beginning in India this week, with up to 50,000 people gathering in Delhi; and China and other Asian countries are celebrating the Lunar New Year - the start of the Year of the Fire Horse.

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 credit: PA

A $35 billion deal would see France delivering over 100 Rafale jet fighters. The talks are taking places as a major conference on AI gets underway in Delhi. Also, Warner Brothers Discovers says it will temporarily re-open negotiations with Paramount Skydance in another takeover twist. And we hear about a mini gold rush near Johannesburg in South Africa.

Presenter: Leanna Byrne

Producer: Craig Henderson