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The governor of the US state of Minnesota, Tim Walz, has accused the Trump administration of having immigration policies designed to generate fear and headlines. It comes after a US federal agent shot dead a woman in the city of Minneapolis. The homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, claimed the woman had tried to use her car to run over officers and called it an act of domestic terrorism.

Also in the programme: the United States says it has seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil - one in the Caribbean and a Russian flagged vessel in the North Atlantic. We speak to Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, former commander of the US Fifth Fleet between 2015 and 2017, and to Stephanie Baker, an expert on the "shadow" oil fleet; and the wildcard entrant at an International Tennis Federation event who struggled to even hit a serve.

The United States says it has seized two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil - one in the Caribbean and a Russian-flagged vessel in the North Atlantic. We'll hear from a former head of NATO reflecting on President Trump's recent foreign policy moves.

Also on the programme: we speak to the son of a prominent Venezuelan political prisoner; and the story of Aldrich Ames, the CIA officer who became one of America's most damaging double agents, who has died aged 84.

(Photo: A US Coast Guard official looks through binoculars at the ship Marinera (Ex-Bella 1) in this handout image released January 7, 2026. Credit: X/Reuters)

Emma makes a decision, and Jazzer is surprisingly unwilling.

In a programme which first aired in November 2025, Jonny Dymond chairs a debate about the future of Greenland.

Leading Greenlandic and Danish politicians discuss questions of American territorial ambitions, independence, mining and human rights on this Arctic island.

The United States says it has seized two tankers accused of violating sanctions against Venezuela. One of them, a Russian ship, was boarded in the North Atlantic between Iceland and Britain. The US coastguard had been pursuing the ship for weeks since intercepting it off the Venezuelan coast. During the chase, the vessel underwent a change of name and adopted a Russian flag. Russian support including a submarine was on its way before the tanker was seized. The other tanker, sailing under the flag of Cameroon, was seized in the Caribbean. Also: the White House says that President Trump has been discussing options, including military force, to acquire Greenland, which it says is vital to US security. How a collection of preserved bowel cancer samples could help to unlock the mystery of why the disease is rising around the world, especially among younger people. And the Iron Age battle trumpet discovered in England - the most complete such instrument found in Europe.

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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The US President says the interim authorities in Venezuela will be turning over up to fifty million barrels of what he called sanctioned oil to the United States.

Staying in the US where the Department of Health has frozen child care and family assistance in five Democrat- governed states, alleging -- without providing evidence -- concerns over fraud and misuse of public funds in state- run programmes.

Flights across parts of North Western Europe are continuing to face major disruption due to wintry conditions. One of the worst affected airports is Schipol in the Netherlands - a major hub for travellers.

And – the BBC’s Economics Editor Faisal Islam reports on one of the world’s most advanced computers - Google’s ‘Willow’, a quantum computer which is the centre of a battle between the world’s biggest tech companies.

Burkina Faso’s military government says it has stopped an attempt to assassinate junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré, just hours after soldiers allegedly plotted to remove him and other senior officials. The latest plot follows years of coups and instability in the West African nation.

We then turn to Africa’s digital frontier, where disinformation is evolving fast. Generative AI and deepfakes are being used to manipulate videos and images, especially during elections. In Uganda, authorities are warning political actors to campaign ethically, while experts demonstrate how to spot fake content. The episode explores both the fragility of power and the fragility of truth.

Presenter: Charles Gitonga

Producers: Blessing Aderogba, Ayuba Iliya, Keikantse Shumba, Bella Twine

Senior Producer: Daniel Dadzie

Technical Producer: Terry Chege

Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

US President Donald Trump has been discussing "a range of options" to acquire Greenland, including use of the military, the White House said. The White House has told the BBC that acquiring Greenland - a semi-autonomous region of fellow NAT member Denmark – was a "national security priority". We hear from a former senior commander of NATO and a politician from Greenland's parliament.

Also in the programme: US officials say that a mission to board a Russian flagged oil tanker sailing in the North Atlantic is underway; and the discovery of the trumpet from the Iron Age on the east coast of England.

(File photo: People gather for a protest outside the Embassy of the United States of America in Copenhagen, Denmark on March 29, 2025. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Listening to this podcast is great, but using the phrases in real life is the icing on the cake. Learn four phrases with 'cake'.

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