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3 days ago

Clancy trial ends in deadlock

After a week of deliberation, jurors have failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of murdering her three young children. The 12-person jury was made up of nine women and three men and was reportedly split 11 to one. Ms Clancy doesn’t deny killing her children but says she was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time. The court will reconvene at the end of the month to decide what happens next. Also: a Russian drone has struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, in central Kyiv; OpenAI hijacks a German website, raising questions around AI safety; the UN General Assembly passes a resolution to replace the traditional world map with one that more accurately reflects the size of Africa; Houthi fighters and pro-government forces in Yemen battle each other in some of the worst clashes in years; Naomi Osaka has urged social media influencers attending the US Open to respect tennis "etiquette"; and as Giorgia Meloni celebrates her government becoming the longest-serving in Italy's postwar history, we hear why she has outlasted her predecessors. 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: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Lindsay Clancy listening to testimony at her trial, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, US, August 26, 2026. Credit: Greg Derr/Pool via REUTERS

3 days ago

Judge declares mistrial in Lindsay Clancy murder case

A US judge has declared a mistrial in the high-profile Lindsay Clancy murder trial. We hear from our reporter outside the courtroom. Also on the programme: Houthi fighters and pro-government forces in Yemen have been battling each other in some of the worst clashes for years, with at least 122 people reported to have been killed in the fighting. And months on from OpenAI's systems going "rogue" and attacking another tech company, we hear more on the latest investigation into what actually happened. (Photo: Lindsay Clancy in courtroom, Credit: Reuters)

2 days ago

US envoys meet Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin

Vladimir Putin is holding talks at the Kremlin with Donald Trump's envoys, who are making a renewed push to end Russia's war with Ukraine. The Russian president told Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner that the talks raised difficult issues and expressed gratitude to Mr Trump for the diplomatic momentum. Also in the programme: the US ambassador to Israel visits the West Bank and condemns violence by Jewish settlers; and the tennis player from the Philippines who is exciting fans at home and abroad. (Picture: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin in Moscow on 5th September, 2026. Credit: MIKHAIL METZEL/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock)

1 day ago

Rene Haas, Arm CEO: AI demand won’t slow

“Let's go back to the timeframe with the internet building out. We didn’t have an issue that the internet 20 years later is not a valuable utility… If you don't have access to a smartphone, try to get into a sporting event or a concert - it’s not going to happen. That's the internet at its backbone. So artificial intelligence will be the same. It's going to be table stakes for everything that we do. We may see a short-term bump in the road or some pause or whatever you want to call it, and then people will freak out and say ‘AI's dead’, which is complete nonsense because it's only going to get better from here and it's going be a greater utility. So I don't worry about it too much.” Faisal Islam speaks to Rene Haas, CEO of UK-based computer chip firm Arm Holdings, about the current boom in the industry being driven by the growth of AI and data centres. Although some people may not be familiar with the Arm name, their silicon chips are present almost everywhere - from smartphones all the way up to supercomputers. Founded in the early 1990s, the firm began its life operating out of an old turkey barn in the English countryside near Cambridge. As technology shrank and became increasingly mobile, Arm, whose main focus is the design of efficient chips, positioned themselves at the heart of the tech revolution. It is now mostly owned by a large Japanese tech investment group and their chips can be found in almost every part of modern life - from smartphones and cameras through to cars and supercomputers. With the AI revolution continuing apace, analysts have said that Arm will have a key role to play in the coming years. The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC, including episodes with AI expert Parmy Olson, Hinge CEO Jackie Jantos, and McKinsey China’s Jo Ngai. You can listen on the BBC World Service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 0800 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out three times a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts. Presenter: Faisal Islam Producers: Ben Cooper, Priya Patel and Danielle Codd Editor: Damon Rose Get in touch with us on email TheInterview@bbc.co.uk and use the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media. (Image: Rene Haas. Credit: Getty)

4 days ago

Star Trek: America's first interracial TV kiss

In 1968, American television boldly went where it had never gone before, broadcasting what's claimed to be the country's first interracial kiss in a TV programme. The moment of passion was between Captain Kirk of the starship USS Enterprise and communications officer Lieutenant Uhura, in Star Trek. Nichelle Nichols played Uhura in the cult series, and she was one of the first black women to be featured on American TV in a non-subservient role. Through archive BBC interviews, Nichelle explains the story behind that famous scene. Produced and presented by Reena Stanton-Sharma. Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories. When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations. You’ll discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal's worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. You’ll explore culture and ideas too: Sweden’s Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles’ George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy’s show to a sudden end. And if you’re curious about inventions, we’ll tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created. If you’re new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history – all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of BBC World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you. (Photo: Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek in 1967. Credit: CBS via Getty Images)

4 days ago

US State Department defends Venezuela oil deal

The Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says that her country needs democracy rather than an oil deal. But a US State Department spokesman tells Newshour that the agreement involved "a very transparent process". Also in the programme: Indonesia battles huge wildfires as toxic haze spreads across southeast Asia; and we mark the legacy of the American feminist icon, Gloria Steinem. (Photo: Oil drilling platforms at Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. Credit: Reuters)

13/06/2025

Colossal Creatures

How big can animals really get before they collapse under their own weight or run out of snacks? Could a 12-foot comedian survive their first punchline without snapping in half? Listener Andrew sends Hannah and Dara on a deep dive into the science of supersized species. With evolutionary biologists Ben Garrod and Tori Herridge as their guides, they explore the quirky rules of scaling: why giant bones need air pockets, how pressure stockings aren’t just stylish but essential, and why massive creatures have to choose between inefficient chewing or letting dinner ferment in their cavernous stomachs. Discover why scaling up a mouse would turn it into a blood-boiling disaster and learn the curious logic behind whether the meat bear should eat the two meat dogs, or vice versa (it’s a maths thing…you’ll have to listen). Oh, and here’s the weird constant: whether you’re a mouse or an elephant, everyone takes roughly the same time to pee! Join Hannah and Dara for a colossal romp through the wild world of ancient giants and the gross super blobs of the (possible) future. Contributors: Tori Herridge - Senior Lecturer in evolutionary biology at the University of Sheffield Ben Garrod - Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the University of East Anglia Martin Sander - Professor of Palaeontology at the University of Bonn Producer: Ilan Goodman Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem A BBC Studios Audio Production

6 days ago

‘Genius’ sci-fi writer Octavia E Butler

In 1995, Octavia E Butler became the first author to receive a MacArthur “genius” award for science fiction writing. From a young age she dreamed of writing books, but faced many challenges, including poverty, sexism and racism in the publishing industry. Her sci-fi books are now taught in schools and universities across the United States. She died aged 58 in 2006. Her friend Nisi Shawl spoke to Alex Collins in 2023. Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories. When you subscribe to Witness History, you’ll be taken inside turning points in world affairs from West Africa’s fight back against Boko Haram in 2015 to the behind-closed-doors talks that led to the US-Cuba “thaw” and the surprise announcement of restored relations. You’ll discover what it was like to experience disasters and how people recovered from them, including the Tabasco floods in Mexico, Portugal's worst train disaster, and the huge clean-up after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. You’ll explore culture and ideas too: Sweden’s Expedition Robinson, often credited as the first modern reality TV game show; the friendship between The Beatles’ George Harrison and Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar; and the night a tiger attack brought Las Vegas superstars Siegfried and Roy’s show to a sudden end. And if you’re curious about inventions, we’ll tell you how air fryers, BlackBerry, YouTube, Alexa, GPS, superglue, the shopping cart (shopping trolley) and bubble tea were created. If you’re new to Witness History, the appeal is simple: real voices, one strong true story, and a fresh way to understand today through events from history – all in the time it takes to enjoy a cup of tea or a walk around the block. Join millions of BBC World Service podcast listeners around the globe and enjoy the insight, context and detail Witness History will bring you. (Photo: Mural depicting Octavia Butler. Credit: The Washington Post/Getty Images)

31 Aug

Iran says two killed after US attack on Larak Island

Iran and the US exchange fire for the first time in a month. The US said it destroyed two Iranian launchers on a small island in the Strait of Hormuz as they were preparing to deploy sea-mine rockets. Iranian state media later said Iran had responded with ballistic missile strikes on two US-operated airbases in Jordan. Also: As teams from Nepal, India and China work to reach people trapped by Wednesday's flash floods in the Himalayas, Chinese police say they've taken action against ten people for allegedly exaggerating the numbers of dead. In Korea the leader of the controversial Unification Church, otherwise known as The Moonies, has been sentenced to two years in prison. Han Hak-ja was found guilty of bribing South Korea's former first lady - the wife of the now ousted Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol - by giving her two Chanel bags and a diamond necklace worth nearly $60,000. And, scientists at a university in Australia are rearing an echidna hoping that the rare, egg laying mammal will help them answer fundamental questions about the evolution of pregnancy in other mammals. 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: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: Vessels near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 31, 2026. Credit: Reuters

20/10/2016

The 12th Century Renaissance

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the changes in the intellectual world of Western Europe in the 12th Century, and their origins. This was a time of Crusades, the formation of states, the start of Gothic architecture, a reconnection with Roman and Greek learning and their Arabic development and the start of the European universities, and has become known as The 12th Century Renaissance. The image above is part of Notre-Dame de la Belle-Verrière, Chartres Cathedral, from 1180. With Laura Ashe Associate Professor of English at Worcester College, University of Oxford Elisabeth van Houts Honorary Professor of European Medieval History at the University of Cambridge and Giles Gasper Reader in Medieval History at Durham University Producer: Simon Tillotson.

BBC

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Clancy trial ends in deadlock

Judge declares mistrial in Lindsay Clancy murder case

US envoys meet Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin

Rene Haas, Arm CEO: AI demand won’t slow

Star Trek: America's first interracial TV kiss

US State Department defends Venezuela oil deal

Colossal Creatures

‘Genius’ sci-fi writer Octavia E Butler

Iran says two killed after US attack on Larak Island

The 12th Century Renaissance

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Cashing in on Taylor Swift's wedding trash

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Halloween Countdown. Case 27: A Phantom in Florida

Ruthless Red Roses thrash Scotland

John Mitchell special

Champions Cup launch part 1: Curry, Spencer & Rhule

The pod's favourite number 9

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