BBC

The head of world football's governing body, FIFA, Gianni Infantino says controversial plans to sell off stakes in major competitions, including the World Cup, are an 'opportunity', not an 'obligation'.

Also on the programme: The Environment Agency has declared drought in more than half of England, after record low rainfall and high temperatures; Prime Minister Andy Burnham has held talks with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in an attempt to seek cross-party consensus on reform of adult social care in England; and the Oscar-awarding winning Irish musician Glen Hansard has died aged 56.

FIFA promises national football associations $40m each if they back contentious new plans to sell stakes in major competitions. We hear from a former vice-president of FIFA, who is not impressed.

Also in the programme: the former White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci is warned by Republican senators that he could face charges of contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about the Covid pandemic; a BBC investigation into alleged criminal sexual behaviour by the film star Jared Leto; and the British chemist who's helped find a new way to fight the growing global threat of fungal infections.

(IMAGE: FIFA President Gianni Infantino inside the stadium before the World Cup final, July 19, 2026 / CREDIT: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Mark J Rebilas/File Photo)

Chris takes it a step too far, and Fallon puts her foot down.

There's a growing backlash after Fifa announced plans to sell stakes in a $20bn subsidiary to manage its competitions. The EU's sports chief accused Fifa of relentless and corrosive commercialisation of football, while European football's governing body UEFA said the World Cup was not an "asset to trade". Also: after the resumption of fighting between the US and Iran, we hear more about a militia group in Iraq which was targeted in US-Saudi strikes. At least 14 people are now known to have died in the earthquake that struck the Japanese island of Kyushu. Russia's Federal Security Service has charged the ‌Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activities and issued an international arrest warrant. We speak to one of the people who helped rescue horses from an equestrian centre caught up in the wildfires in France; videos of them galloping through the town have gone viral. The actor and musician Jared Leto is facing allegations of criminal sexual conduct by four women. Nepal says its tiger population is bouncing back... and why raving in a sauna is becoming popular in major cities around the world.

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: Fifa President Gianni Infantino during World Cup 2026 press conference

Credit: Reuters/Henry Romero

Jewellery and a strong North American market helped luxury goods giants LVMH and Kering grow sales even as promblems in the Middle East and China hampered the sector overall. We get insight from the former head of LVMH's head of North America.

Elsewhere, it's "the same again" for tech investors in Asia, as trading on the Kospi index is holted to stave off a rout after Korean chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung saw further sharp falls in their share prices.

World Business Express - Finance, economy and business news from BBC journalists around the world. The stories that matter: World Business Express brings you the essentials on the fast-changing global economy.

South Africa has announced plans to expand its strategic oil reserve for the first time since the apartheid era. this is in its response to the global supply shocks. The proposal aims to reserve approximately 36 million barrels, comprising 70% crude oil and 30% refined petroleum products, to meet 60 days of National demand. The proposal also requires licensed oil marketers to hold an additional 21 days of oil stock as a buffer. The government says this will mitigate oil supply shocks in cases of emergencies.

And an exclusive chat with award winning Ugandan hip-hop artist and pioneer of the music genre Uga-flow, Navio, on East Africa's music scene and how he's stayed relevant, more than 20 years in the industry

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Bella Twine and Ayuba Iliya

Senior Producers: Keikantse Shumba

Technical Producer: Davis Mwasaru

Editors: Rhoda Odhiambo and Maryam Abdalla

Along with the US, the Saudis have carried out missile strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, in a potential escalation of the Middle East conflict. One of the Iran-aligned groups, the Popular Mobilisation Forces, said at least 20 of its members were killed in the overnight attacks.

Also in the programme: the number of settler attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank was the highest on record last month, according to the UN; and the health-conscious ravers swapping nightclubs for saunas.

(Photo: Damage at a site belonging to Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) following joint airstrikes by the US and Saudi Arabia, in Bartella, Nineveh province, Iraq, July 29, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Khalid Al-Mousily)

DUP's Diane Forsythe & veteran journalist John Ware talk to Stephen

Buying a flat used to be a stepping stone to owning a house – but has this all changed?

Research is telling us that the gap in price between flats and houses has hit a 30 year high. According to the property platform Zoopla, so far this this year two-thirds of one and two-bedroom flats listed for sale still haven't been sold.

The leasehold system in England is being blamed, in large part, for the declining popularity of flats. There are concerns about the length of leases and the maintenance and service charges often involved when owning a flat. The Government is in the process of introducing new measures to deal with some of these issues.

So today we're asking - what does buying a flat mean for your finances? Maybe you live in one and love it! Perhaps your children do? Or are you struggling to sell and feeling a bit flattened?

Presenter Felicity Hannah puts listeners’ questions and concerns to an expert panel. Polly Gilbert is a director at the digital mortgage brokers Tembo, and Liam Spender is a trustee at the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership.

Presenter: Felicity Hannah

Producer: Craig Henderson

Editor: Jess Quayle

Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

(First broadcast 3pm Wednesday 1st July, 2026)

US targets militant groups in eastern Iraq aligned with Iran, in strikes co-ordinated with Saudi Arabia. It comes after Iran said it targeted a US military base and command centre in Jordan with ballistic missiles. Also: Donald Trump meets Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington for the first time since the conflict with Iran began; the death toll mounts in Japan's earthquake; FIFA boss, Gianni Infantino, criticised for commercialising football; Jewish settler attacks on Palestinians in the Israeli occupied West Bank reach a record high, according to the United Nations; Keiko Fujimori is sworn in as Peru's first elected female president; and a museum in the US makes the most of a terrible online review.

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: An Iranian woman walks near an anti-US mural in a street in Tehran.

Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock