BBC

Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines are grappling with severe flooding, landslides and storm damage after torrential rain and vast cyclones hit the region over the past few days.

Also, the presidential election in Honduras is too-close-to-call, and the Oxford English Dictionary releases its 'word of the year'.

(Photo: A military rescue team vehicle makes its way through a flooded road after heavy rainfall in a suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 30 November 2025. Credit: Chamila Karunarathne/EPA/Shutterstock)

Floods in Indonesia have killed more than 600 people and left 500 unaccounted for. They were caused by a rare cyclone that that formed over the Malacca Strait. It has hit three provinces and affected around 1.4m people. Also: the young African men being lured to Russia on the promise of well-paid jobs, but finding themselves sent to fight in Ukraine; the "forever chemicals" in our bodies, and what we can do about them; a new podcast that discusses the bomb that changed the world; HIV prevention in South Africa; the former Bangladeshi prime minister's niece is found guilty of corruption charges; South Korea's largest data breach; and a hairy new world record.

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]

South Korea's largest online retailer, Coupang, has apologised for a massive data breach potentially involving nearly 34 million local customer accounts.

And why did China’s factory activity unexpectedly contracted in November?

Also, smartphone makers are asked to preload an India state-owned cybersecurity app that cannot be deleted on all new devices.

Presenter: Hannah Mullane

Producer: Ahmed Adan

Editor: Justin Bones

Zambia: President Hakainde Hichilema faces challenges over proposed constitutional changes

Why Zimbabwean short film RISE deserves an Oscar nomination

Should footballers from the diaspora be allowed to join African national teams after they qualify for the World Cup?

Presenter : Nyasha Michelle

Producers: Sunita Nahar, Yvette Twagiramariya, Alexander Lathbridge, Stefania Okereke, Joseph Keen, and Mark Wilberforce

Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne

Senior Producer: Paul Bakibinga

Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

The Alliance Party leader is in the Nolan studio

Policeman/policewoman, actor/actress - learn about job titles and gender.

FIND BBC LEARNING ENGLISH HERE:

Visit our website ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish

Follow us ✔️https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/followus

NEWSLETTER:

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

LIKE PODCASTS?

Try some of our other popular podcasts including:

✔️ Learning Easy English

✔️ 6 Minute English

✔️ Learning English Stories

They're all available by searching in your podcast app.

The BBC has visited a camp where people are taking refuge after the fall of Sudan's El Fasher - one of the most brutal chapters of the civil war. People fleeing the besieged city described witnessing atrocities by RSF fighters. Also: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asks to be pardoned; an investigation into Georgia's potential use of chemical weapons against anti-government protesters; the US hosts "productive" peace talks to end Ukraine-Russia war; Dignitas founder dies through assisted suicide; the testimony of a woman held captive in Iraq; an update on the rescue operations in flood-hit Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand; the latest from Pope Leo's Lebanon trip; and rage bait is Oxford's word of the year.

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 Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos is renowned for her large-scale sculptural pieces which have featured in galleries across the world. She has used materials such as fabric, plastic and even tampons to construct her works. In June 2018 her exhibition I’m Your Mirror opened at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. For this Joana made a series of new sculptures, including an enormous Venetian-style mask, made of overlapping mirrors. The construction of the huge mask was a process full of challenges as the enormous structure took shape in Joana’s Lisbon studio. In this programme Anna McNamee follows Joana through the process of working with the mirrors and explores how the piece is designed, shaped and packed up ready to begin its journey to Bilbao.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the country's president, Isaac Herzog, for a pardon over corruption cases he has been battling. We speak to an opposition member of the Israeli Knesset who opposes a potential pardon for Mr Netanyahu.

Also on the programme: local media in Hong Kong report that police have arrested a university student who was part of a group petitioning for an independent inquiry into the huge, deadly fire at a housing complex; and the musical featuring Britain’s most beloved bear, Paddington.

(Photo: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a meeting with US Vice President JD Vance at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, October 22, 2025. Credit: Reuters)

Chris makes his feelings clear, and Eddie has a brainwave.