Global News Podcast

President Zelenskyy says a fierce battle is underway and people are being evacuated in the Kharkiv region. Also: tensions grow between the US and Israel over the war in Gaza and Israel's offensive on Rafah, the BBC tracks down one of Europe's biggest people smugglers, and is there a future for the African penguin?

The Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country will "stand alone" and "fight with its fingernails", after the US warned it could halt arms shipments if Israel ordered a full-scale invasion of Rafah in Gaza. Also: Israel heads to Eurovision final despite protests; and the tech company Apple faces a backlash over the destruction of musical instruments and books in an iPad advert.

The Rapid Support Forces in Sudan are facing allegations of war crimes and genocide in West Darfur. The New York-based Human Rights Watch says the leaders of the RSF and its Arab allies should be sanctioned for deliberately targeting non-Arab communities. It says the international community has failed to respond to the scale of the crisis in Sudan. Also: Saudi Arabia is accused of using lethal force to clear land for a futuristic desert city, why Russia is opening an embassy in Sierra Leone - after more than three decades, Japan announces expansion of whale hunting, a supplier to the aircraft manufacturer Boeing says major parts left its factory with serious defects, and a trial to send a former Paralympian into orbit.

President Joe Biden has warned that if Israel launches a ground operation into Rafah he will not supply the offensive weapons that have been used in the past. Also: European Union to give profits from Russian assets to Ukraine, and Malaysia offers trade partners "orangutan diplomacy".

Sea temperatures broke records every day over the past year, hitting marine life hard and driving a new wave of coral bleaching. China's President Xi Jinping visits Serbia. A BBC investigation uncovers clear ties between members of Germany's AfD party, and former neo-Nazi networks. Russia's last Eurovision contestant says she won't stop protesting against the war in Ukraine. And how a peanut and milk allergy trial is transforming lives.

The porn star provided a detailed salacious account of her alleged sexual encounter with the former US president Donald Trump. Also: Israel takes Rafah crossing as truce talks continue, and the Swiss army knife maker is to produce a version without a blade.

It says the plot involved recruiting military officers who would abduct Mr Zelensky and then murder him. The assassinations, according to the statement, were to be timed for President Putin's inauguration, as a present. President Putin has now been sworn in for a fifth term. Humanitarian agencies say the closure of the two main crossings into southern Gaza is making it almost impossible to deliver aid, as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas. Rescuers in South Africa have made contact with some of the construction workers trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building. How AI is helping to identify victims of the Holocaust, and how major music artists are turning their attention to India.

Hamas said on Monday it had approved a ceasefire proposal put forward over the weekend. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he could not agree to the proposal - but is willing to negotiate. Meanwhile, the Israeli military is conducting what it called "targeted strikes" against Hamas in eastern Rafah. On Monday morning, Israel urged 100,000 Palestinians to leave eastern Rafah ahead of a "limited" military operation. Also: Russia announces drills involving tactical nuclear weapons near Ukraine, and authorities in South Africa search for survivors trapped in a collapsed building.

The evacuation comes ahead of an offensive in a region where more than 1.4 million people are sheltering. The Israeli military says the operation will be carried out with "limited scope". A senior Hamas official has described the move as a "dangerous escalation that will have consequences". Talks aimed at securing a ceasefire deal and the release of Israeli hostages have stalled. Also: China's President, Xi Jinping, is in France on the first stop of a tour of Europe. Combat veterans in Ukraine say the method of conscription should change. The people of Chad are voting for a new president after three years of military rule. Meanwhile, Argentina’s new president, Javier Milei, speaks for the first time to the BBC and defends his radical austerity plans. Mexican surfers pay tribute to three tourists from Australia and America whose bodies were found in a well, after they went missing on holiday. And correcting a music myth about Mama Cass Elliott. Top news and analysis from around the world.

The Qatar-based news network condemned the confiscation of broadcast equipment. Also: Israel closes an aid crossing into Gaza after three soldiers were killed in a Hamas rocket attack, and why there are Cubans now fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

Officials say another 70 people are missing in Rio Grande do Sul. Also, talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages continue in Cairo, and the Spanish Government tries to calm tensions with Argentina after some unguarded comments about the Argentine President.

This week, the adventures of Galena the cat who ended up hundreds of kilometres from home after climbing into a box. Also: How a stick on patch can vaccinate children against measles and rubella -- without the need for doctors or nurses. And video-calling isn't just for people, it's for parrots too. The happiest stories in the world - our weekly collection.

Police say they've been charged in connection with the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar last June. Also, the Kenyan president issues a warning that a powerful cyclone could be about to hit coastal areas, and Spain's government announces a national prize for bullfighting is to be abolished over concerns about animal welfare.

More than a million on the brink of famine as fighting intensifies around the city of Al-Fashir. A senior UN official tells the BBC there's been a breakdown in the rule of law, a spate of arbitrary killings -- and the burning of entire villages. Also: Turkey bans all trade with Israel -- and Italians face the end of puppy yoga.

The US President Joe Biden has urged pro-Palestinian protesters on university campuses to uphold the rule of law. Police have detained more than 2,000 people nationwide in the past fortnight at college rallies and protest camps. Also: Russia blamed for GPS interference affecting flights in Europe, and a wounded orangutan in Indonesia is seen using a plant as medicine.

Hundreds of officers fire flares and stun grenades on protesters. Also: the EU announces a billion dollar package for Lebanon; and the American 'King of Twang' guitarist Duane Eddy dies at 86.

Riot police in Tbilisi fired tear gas and water cannon into crowds protesting against a law seen by the opposition as targeting media freedoms. The protestors also say that they are concerned about the future of the country - whether it will be closer to Russia or the EU. Also: US universities are gripped by protests over the war in Gaza, and can you be a cage fighter if you hate fighting?

UCLA is the latest US university campus to be hit by clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and their opponents. The American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken pushes to get more aid into Gaza, while urging Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal. Why are women footballers more likely to get injured during their periods? And remembering Paul Auster, the American author who's died at the age of 77.

The judge at the hush money trial in New York fined the former US president and warned him to stop making public statements about witnesses and jurors. Also: Colombian military loses millions of bullets; in the world of gaming, Manchester City's footballer Erling Haaland morphs into the Barbarian King in the Clash of the Clans.

The Israeli PM Netanyahu says war won’t stop until the goal of defeating Hamas was achieved. Also: reports from Mali say senior figure in the Islamic State group in Africa has been killed. A leaked document obtained by the BBC says a teenager found dead during anti-government protests in Iran was sexually assaulted and killed by men working for security forces. The authorities had claimed Nika Shakarami took her own life. In The Gambia - a study has found that a stick-on measles vaccine patch could be an effective alternative to injections. And, a fascinating insight into the final hours of the philosopher Plato.