Global News Podcast

A car has been driven into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg. There have been a number of fatalities and injuries.

US diplomats are visiting Syria to hold talks with the new de facto leader. Also: a new attempt to find the wreckage of missing flight MH370, and a controversial new TV game show, Beast Games.

Luigi Mangione, the suspect accused of fatally shooting a US healthcare insurance executive, has been extradited to New York to face new federal charges. Also: the ground squirrels in California that are hunting voles.

In a major trial in France, Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men are jailed for repeatedly raping his wife Gisèle. Also, Israeli jets attack Houthi targets in Yemen, and Czech experts restore damaged Ukrainian artworks.

Syria's new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa told the BBC that Syria is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or to the west. Also: listen to the 'earliest known country song' ever recorded.

Russia has detained an Uzbek man suspected of assassinating an army general. Russia says the suspect was recruited by Ukraine. Also: The UN warns Syria is unable to cope with large numbers of refugees returning home.

After months of deadlock, there are new signs that Israel and Hamas could be moving closer to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Also: repairs are to be carried out on Venice's "slippery" glass bridge.

Syria's new rulers pledge to protect minority Alawite community in Latakia after recent attacks. Also: Germany’s chancellor loses vote of confidence, and hundreds of new species are found in Mekong in south east Asia.

France to provide relief and security to people in Mayotte, after Saturday's destructive cyclone. Also: Western powers step up their engagement with the new rulers of Syria. And Serbia accuses journalists of spying.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, are feared dead in cyclone-hit Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. Also: the previously unheard stories of women inside Iran’s Evin Prison, and the world's biggest iceberg - on the move again.

South Korea's Parliament impeaches President Yoon over failed martial law bid. The USA says it’s engaging with Islamists who ousted Syria’s President Assad - and cyclone Chido wreaks havoc on French territory Mayotte.

We hear from a cafe in Massachusetts that spreads joy by asking customers to dance as they enter. Also: the toys made from cigarette butts; a community library destroyed by fire reopens; and Italy's festive Krampus Run.

Revelations of how the secret police controlled society under Assad. Also: the mystery of huge drones spotted in the US, and how fidgeting can drive others mad - and what psychologists can do to help.

Streets were packed and revolutionary music blared out across Syria to mark the end of the Assad regime. Also: health misinformation on the Diary of a CEO podcast, and why pets are the big winners this Christmas.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken holds talks with President Erdogan on establishing stability in Syria. Also: an 18-year-old Indian becomes youngest world chess champion, and Kyrgyzstan wants to update its national anthem.

US president commutes around 1,500 sentences and pardons 39 people. Also: inside Syria's abandoned presidential palace, recreational use of cannabis banned in Japan, and the secret to being happy at work.

Syrian rebel fighters have destroyed the tomb of late president Hafez al-Assad, father of ousted president Bashar, in the family's home town of Qardaha. Also: "Christmas lights" galaxy reveals how Universe formed.

Security guards at presidential office in Seoul try to stop police from getting martial law documents. Also: new Syrian PM promises to guarantee rights for all religions, and humpback whale makes epic migration.

Israel attacks Syria's naval fleet as part of efforts to neutralise the country's military assets after the fall of the Assad regime. Also: New Zealander wins Spanish Scrabble championship - without speaking Spanish.

Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani has met the outgoing PM to discuss the "transfer of power" - a day after Bashar al-Assad fled the country. Also: Google unveils 'mind-boggling' quantum computing chip.