Couples looking for surrogates still going to Ukraine

For years, Ukraine has been one of the world’s leading hubs for commercial surrogacy - attracting couples from around the world with lower costs and more relaxed laws. Despite Russia’s full-scale invasion, the industry has continued to operate. But now, a proposed law being debated in Ukraine’s parliament could ban surrogacy for foreign parents. Also: Rumours are swirling that a US-Iran deal could be close. Scientists have verified the existence of the second largest tsunami ever. CNN's founder Ted Turner has died. And a robot has become a Buddhist monk.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]

US media and Pakistan negotiators suggest Washington and Tehran are close to agreeing a deal to end the US-Israeli war on Iran. Donald Trump has warned the bombing would be more intense than before if Iran doesn’t agree to peace deal. Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces continue to strike Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.Also: The World Health Organization has confirmed an eighth case of Hantavirus on board a cruise ship at the centre of a deadly outbreak of the disease. Three passengers have died aboard the ship that is currently stuck at sea near the island of Cape Verde in the Atlantic. Spain insists the MV Hondius will dock in the Canary Islands despite objections from the local authorities. Four women linked to the IS miliant group are returning to Australia from Syria, along with their children and could face the prospect of arrest. Scientists are calling for Pluto to be reclassified as a planet, twenty years after it was demoted to dwarf planet status.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]

President Trump is pausing efforts to help ships get through the Strait of Hormuz, amid what he called "great progress" towards a peace agreement with Iran. Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi holds talks in China to discuss the conflict. Also: President Zelensky has condemned the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine, which left more than twenty people dead; Spain says it'll let a cruise ship hit by an outbreak of hantavirus travel to the Canary Islands from Cape Verde, following a request from the World Health Organisation; remembering Doris Fisher, the co-creator of the Gap clothing chain store, who has died at the age of 94. And, the Whatsapp whistling craze taking Brazil by storm.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]

The World Health Organization says there may have been human-to-human transmission of a rare respiratory virus usually spread by rodents onboard a cruise ship off Africa's west coast. Three passengers have died and another is seriously ill. The ship was denied permission to dock in Cape Verde after cases of hantavirus were confirmed. The WHO says the risk to the global population is "low".Also: the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says the US-Iran ceasefire is ''not over'' despite both sides attacking each other in the Strait of Hormuz. Residents in southern Lebanon say they fear a prolonged conflict with Israel, as the Israeli army instructs more civilians to leave their homes. There is lingering anger in Serbia over a lack of accountability for a railway station disaster that killed 16 people in 2024. A new book explores why so many of the world's languages could be extinct by the end of this century. And Dolly Parton has cancelled her Las Vegas residency because of ongoing health issues.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]

Growing fears for the ceasefire in the Middle East after the US and Iran trade fire as American forces try to open up the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping. President Trump said two US-flagged merchant vessels were able to transit the waterway. The UAE said Iran also launched cruise missiles and drones towards its oil facilities. Also: Two people are killed and several others injured when a car drives into a central pedestrian zone of the eastern German city of Leipzig; the South Korean owners of tech giant Samsung agree to pay a huge inheritance tax bill of eight billion US dollars - the largest such payment in the country's history; stars turn out in all their glory for this year's Met Gala despite fears of a backlash against the new sponsor Jeff Bezos. And, Wu Yize becomes the second Chinese winner of the World Snooker Championship.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]

The US military says its warships have helped two US-flagged vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz, breaking an Iranian blockade. It's denied Iranian reports that one warship had been forced to turn back. Also: More than 30 world leaders - including the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney - attend the European Political Community summit in the former Soviet republic of Armenia, to discuss the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Three people have died on board a cruise ship that was crossing the Atlantic, following an outbreak of a respiratory illness - believed to be Hantavirus. The video game retail chain GameStop launches a $56bn takeover bid for the much bigger firm, eBay. Australia begins public hearings into the killing of 15 people in a gun attack on a Jewish event on Bondi Beach in December. A BBC investigation finds scammers in Uganda are posting online content of dogs in distress in a shelter to get money from international donors. The former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, is in a critical condition in hospital. And a team of North Korean women footballers is due to cross the border to play their neighbours in the semi-final of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League - the first time athletes from the north have travelled to South Korea since 2018.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]

The US is set to deploy navy destroyers, aircraft and troops in an operation to guide stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz from Monday. President Trump called "Project Freedom" a humanitarian gesture, but Iran has warned that any US interference would be considered a violation of the ceasefire. Meanwhile, human rights groups have accused the authorities inside Iran of carrying out widespread arrests, torture and executions - we hear from Iranians who say they’re living in fear. Also: security is tightened at Jewish venues in London following knife attacks; political violence rises ahead of presidential elections in Colombia; the US Supreme Court is asked to restore mail access to abortion pills; global press freedom is at its lowest level in decades; and will celebrities boycott the Met Gala being sponsored by Amazon's Jeff Bezos? 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]

Since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran, there has been an ongoing debate over the role played by Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in convincing Donald Trump to go to war.But when it comes to ceasefire announcements, it has been the US President taking the lead - if the Israelis are present at all. So when it comes to ending the wars in Iran and Lebanon, are the Americans leaving Netanyahu out in the cold?We speak to Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent at The Economist, and author of Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu.The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

President Trump is criticised by senior figures in his own Republican Party, as he doubles down on a plan to pull out more than 5000 US troops from Germany. What will a withdrawal mean for global security? Also: Britain's Prime Minister suggests banning some pro-Palestinian protests; JNIM militants launch a large-scale operation in Mali; we meet a former Russian soldier who's fled the fighting in Ukraine; FIFA allows female Afghan footballers to play in international competitions; and the Paralympic gold medalist, Alex Zanardi, dies.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]

We meet a woman who started running marathons topless after having both her breasts removed because of cancer. Louise Butcher tells us she wanted to display her mastectomy scars with pride. She says she wants to empower other women and show that surviving the disease is about power not pity.Also: Preserving voice notes from almost a hundred years ago. The so called 'speaking letters' were recorded on small discs and sent through the post.Do chips from someone else's plate really taste better? Scientists put the common belief to the test.A project to save bats in Nigeria, where they're often associated with witchcraft.Plus: the comedian making her debut in her eighties; and the choir helping people get their voices back after a stroke or brain injury.Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson. (Photo: Topless marathon runner Louise Butcher. Credit: @louisebutcher39)