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We hear about the Dad Letter Project which was set up by a father and daughter in the US to send handwritten notes of love and support to people all over the world. Rosie wants to share her treasured experience of receiving letters from her dad Buz when she was growing up. They've already had thousand of requests, often from young women who've lost their own fathers and need advice -- or just for somoene to say they're proud of them.

Also we meet Logie the litter picking dog, who's helping clean up our oceans by swimming out to fetch plastic bottles and other rubbish.

We find out how cooking classes taught by refugees are helping them learn new skills and build closer ties with their new communities; why knitting and other-old fashioned hobbies are gaining popularity among Gen Z; and what a difference a local shop can have in a remote community.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

When will you retire? And will you have enough money to live comfortably? Big questions and this week the government announced two major reviews to study them after concerns that today's workers will be poorer in retirement than their parents. The first is a revived Pension Commission with a wide remit. The second is a review into the state pension age. We'll speak to Pensions UK, which represents pension schemes that together provide a retirement income to more than 30 million people.

From September working parents of children aged 9 months to school age will get 30 hours of childcare funded by the Government. It simplifies the present system which has different rules at different ages and means working parents of children under three will potentially save thousands of pounds on the cost of childcare. Who is eligible and how does it work?

Thousands of people who were retained firefighters are being urged to claim pension payments worth thousands or tens of thousands of pounds. Retained or on-call firefighters generally work part-time. Sixteen thousand of their colleagues have already claimed but a further 10,000 could be eligible to buy back pensions after two legal changes in the past few years.

And some money saving tips for anyone going abroad for their summer holiday.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Jo Krasner

Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Catherine Lund

Editor: Jess Quayle

(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 26th July 2025)

While US President Donald Trump spearheads efforts to halt the conflict in Ukraine, Russian drones and missiles continue to kill and injure civilians, invaders control around a fifth of the country, and many Ukrainians fear that any peace agreement could result in a permanent loss of territory. Away from the international diplomacy, we wanted to give a sense of how life has changed in Ukraine over the past three and a half years of war. We bring together three soldiers who share their experiences of the frontline. We also hear from Ukrainians forced to leave the country and bring together three women dealing with the trauma of the conflict. Sasha tells us. “Everybody has lost someone or something – be it a home, friend or someone from their closest family.”

This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from BBC OS Conversations, bringing together people from around the world to discuss how major news stories are affecting their lives.

United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, says the famine in Gaza City is a 'failure of humanity' after a UN-backed body raised its food insecurity status in parts of the territory to the most severe. Also: FBI agents search the office and home of President Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton; the head of NATO has called for robust security guarantees for Ukraine; and scientists discover a new species of dinosaur with a sail-like structure along its back.

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]

As Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signals a move to a rate cut in December, we find out what it means for the US economy and the financial markets.

Also, friends again? Canadian PM Mark Carney calls a halt to some of the retaliatory tariffs imposed on the US. We find out what Canada's businesses think of the thaw in trade relations.

And, President Trump says the US government is to take a 10% stake in chipmaker Intel. We'll be hearing what's behind the move.

A major UN-backed report has confirmed that there is a famine in Gaza City and the surrounding area, calling the crisis ‘entirely man-made’. The report was labelled an "outright lie" by Israel.

We speak to a doctor in one of the city’s last remaining hospitals, and former Foreign Secretary and President of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband.

Also in the programme: How Sweden drastically reduced the number of asylum applications; and the Nobel Peace Prize winning Russian historian on opposition to Putin.

The UN's top humanitarian official Tom Fletcher says the report on the famine in Gaza City is 'irrefutable testimony'. But Israel categorically denies any claims of famine.

Also in the programme: the FBI raids the home of President Trump’s former advisor John Bolton; and the Indian government cracks down on online gambling.

(Image: A child reacts surrounded by pots as Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on 21 August 2025. Credit: Reuters/Hatem Khaled)

Writer: Jessica Mitic

Director: Peter Leslie Wild

Editor: Jeremy Howe

Henry Archer…Blayke Darby

Chris Carter … Wilf Scolding

Martyn Gibson … Jon Glover

Amber Gordon … Charlotte Jordan

Ed Grundy … Barry Farrimond

Lawrence Harrington … Rupert Vansittart

Brad Horrobin … Taylor Uttley

Chelsea Horrobin … Madeleine Leslay

Tracy Horrobin … Susie Riddell

Zainab Malik … Priyasasha Kumari

Jazzer McCreary … Ryan Kelly

Freddie Pargetter … Toby Laurence

Fallon Rogers … Joanna van Kampen

Jenna … Nia Gwynne

With unemployment on the rise, Catherine and friends want to know why Britain isn't working. Is it AI? Is it older workers taking early retirement? Or is there something bigger going on?

To find out why, Catherine is joined by Hugo Rifkind, Isabel Berwick, and roving correspondent Sunil Patel - and they've got their work cut out...

Written by Catherine Bohart, with Madeleine Brettingham, Georgie Flinn and Christina Riggs.

Producer: Alison Vernon Smith

Executive Producers: Lyndsay Fenner & Victoria Lloyd

Sound Design: David Thomas

Production Co-ordinator: Katie Sayer

A Mighty Bunny production for BBC Radio 4

A UN-backed body has confirmed a famine in Gaza City after twenty-two months of conflict and warned it could spread to other parts of the territory by the end of September. The UN says it's been caused by Israel's systematic obstruction of aid deliveries. Israel has denied there is a famine. Also: WHO warns of risks of extreme heat in the workplace, and crypto scam fugitive caught after littering in Seoul.