BBC

New figures suggest the US economy is powering ahead but questions remain about what that really means for businesses? Leanna Byrne looks at what’s behind the data.

Also, US regulators have approved the first pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy.

And could North Koreans be working remotely for US companies?

Nigeria is facing renewed concern over mass kidnappings, after reports of another abduction involving dozens of people. This happened hours after 130 schoolchildren who were earlier abducted were returned to state authorities.

Also Kenya’s marathon great Eliud Kipchoge speaks to the BBC about discipline and what continues to drive him after years at the top of his sport. Often described as one of the greatest distance runners of all time, he reflects on life beyond records and medals.

Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Bella Twine, Keikantse Shumba, Chiamaka Dike, Blessing Aderogba

Technical Producer: Mbarak Abdallah

Senior Producer: Daniel Dadzie

Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Nigeria is facing renewed concern over mass kidnappings, after reports of another abduction involving dozens of people. This happened hours after 130 schoolchildren who were earlier abducted were returned to state authorities.

Also Kenya’s marathon great Eliud Kipchoge speaks to the BBC about discipline, motivation and what continues to drive him after years at the top of his sport. Often described as one of the greatest distance runners of all time, he reflects on pressure, purpose and life beyond records and medals.

Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Bella Twine, Keikantse Shumba, Chiamaka Dike, Blessing Aderogba

Technical Producer: Mbarak Abdallah

Senior Producer: Daniel Dadzie

Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Ukraine suffers widespread power cuts after a night of Russian air attacks described by President Zelensky as “massive”. We hear from a resident of the city of Odesa on the Black Sea coast.

Also in the programme: a Venezuelan former diplomat tells us what he makes of the current US pressure campaign, and a retired US admiral tells us what he makes of the president's plan for big new "Trump-class" warships; and we hear the story of Mary Ann Macham, an enslaved woman who escaped across the Atlantic from America in the 1830s and was welcomed in by a local community of Quakers in North East England.

(IMAGE: Firefighters extinguish a burning cargo vessel damaged during Russian overnight drone and missile strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a port in Odesa region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released December 23, 2025 / CREDIT: Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Odesa region/Handout via REUTERS).

And - broadcaster Julian Simmons & hairdresser Paul Meekin talk hair dye with Nolan.

Learn a phrase about small gifts with Feifei and Phil.

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A Palestinian baby who was evacuated for medical treatment has returned to Gaza and is back in hospital. The BBC has discussed Siwar Ashour's case with the Jordanian and Israeli governments. Also: President Trump announces new US navy battleships named after himself; Nigeria designates kidnappers as terrorists; Call of Duty creator Vince Zampella dies; Amazon warns of North Korean agents applying for remote IT jobs; and a Spanish town turns its luck around with huge "El Gordo" lottery win.

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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After decades of extinction, wild jaguars are once again roaming in Northern Argentina. It has been at least thirty five years since a wild jaguar cub was spotted in this dry and dusty part of Argentina. But in August 2025, a baby appeared on the chocolatey-brown banks of the River Bermejo. Its existence was a great success for the team from Rewilding Argentina, a non-profit foundation that started reintroducing these magnificent beasts here in 2019. But it has not been easy: hunting is still a problem and the organisation has had to get the locals on board with sharing their home with big cats. Charlotte Pritchard travels to 'The Impenetrable Forest' to find out how the birth of this baby became possible.

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

The government says it will prohibit trail hunting too as part of its Animal Welfare Strategy, 21 years after banning fox hunting. We hear from a former Conservative minister and a Labour MP on a tradition that divides the country - and ask whether Labour's relationship with farmers is terminally broken.

Also:

Remembering Chris Rea, the self-effacing singer-songwriter from Middlesbrough whose deep gravelly voice beguiled millions, though not always himself.

And amid calls for every school to have a choir, we hear what impact regular singing has had in one primary school in London.

The American billionaire Larry Ellison has promised more than $40 billion of his money in support of Paramount to buy rival studio, Warner Bros Discovery. Where does this leave antitrust questions around a Paramount or Netflix takeover? Ed Butler hears from Phillip Berenbroick, who served as chief counsel for the US Senate’s judiciary subcommittee on antitrust matters.

How much money is Morocco spending as host for the African Cup of Nations?

Also, we explore Yiwu, China’s capital of Christmas

(Photo: Paramount, Netflix and Warner Bros logos are seen in this illustration taken December 8, 2025. Credit: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)