The Global Story: The rehabilitation of Syria’s ex-jihadist president

After getting the red-carpet treatment at the UN in New York last week, the former al-Qaeda fighter who now leads Syria is about to hold an election. But is Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, really about to transition the country into democracy? Or does he have other plans? The BBC's senior international correspondent Orla Guerin joins us from Damascus, where she’s been speaking to Syrians about the country’s future.With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, 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. . Producers: Cat Farnsworth and Valerio Esposito Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior News Editor: China Collins

Iran says water supplies in Tehran will suffer scheduled cuts, as the country struggles with severe shortages. The announcement came after President Masoud Pezeshkian warned of rationing and suggested the capital might have to be evacuated if there's no rainfall in the next two weeks. Also: Bolivia and the United States agree to restore diplomatic relations - at ambassador level - after a 17-year break; a storm bearing down on the Philippines has intensified to a super typhoon; and Saudi Arabia's plans to attract 150 million tourists a year.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]

In this Happy Pod special we're in Munich, Germany for One Young World. We speak to survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and their families as they turn their painful memories into a call for peace and the end of nuclear weapons. They're part of a group that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024. Also: The young Argentine harnessing Artifical Intelligence to spot wildfires; Zaynab Mohamed - the first Muslim woman elected to Minnesota's Senate at just 25; the 'TikTok Mayor' using social media to show life in charge of a tiny Spanish village; and the England football star, Georgia Stanway, who's using Euros success to change the game for the next generation of female players. Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson

President Trump grants Hungary a one-year exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil and gas purchases during a visit to the White House by his right wing ally, Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban. The sanctions were introduced in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Also: Senators fail to agree a compromise to pay essential federal workers, including air traffic controllers, during the US Government shutdown; more than 200 people have been charged with treason after protests against the disputed election in Tanzania; Nobel Prize-winning American scientist James Watson, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, has died aged 97; and archaeologists have compiled the most detailed map yet of the roads that criss-crossed the Roman Empire from Great Britain to North Africa. 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 Sudanese government calls for international guarantees that RSF rebels will stick by a ceasefire they have signed up to, before it agrees to do the same. Fears grow of a return to conflict in neighbouring Ethiopia, where government forces and rebels from the northern Tigray region accuse each other of launching attacks. A 17-year-old student in Indonesia is suspected of carrying out a bomb attack at a school in Jakarta, which injured more than 50 people. The EU tightens visa rules for Russian citizens amid growing security fears, after nearly four years of war in Ukraine. The musical composition inspired by a world-leading space observatory. And the government tax lawyer in Washington who is using the federal shutdown to realise a childhood dream: to run a hot dog stand.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]

Tesla shareholders have approved a record-breaking pay package that could make the electric car company's founder Elon Musk a trillionaire if he can deliver a future filled with self-driving taxis and humanoid robots. More than three quarters of shareholders backed the plan which requires Mr Musk to substantially raise Tesla's market value over a period of years. Also: Typhoon Kalmaegi is weakening but the devastation and lives lost in the Philippines and Vietnam has been overwhelming; Artificial Intelligence and the chatbot which has been encouraging a young woman to kill herself; the Kashmir cricket scandal; and Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to serve as the speaker of the US House of Representatives, bows out of politics at 85.

The leaders of the three greatest producers of carbon emissions — the US, China and India — are staying away from the COP30 summit, which officially starts on Monday. The UN says it's now "virtually impossible" to achieve the international target of limiting global warming to 1.5C. Also: South Africa says it's received distress calls from 17 citizens lured into fighting for Russia in the war in Ukraine; and China's astronauts say they've held the first ever barbecue in space.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 Federal Aviation Administration in the US has said that if the government shutdown continues, it will cut air traffic by ten per-cent across forty busy airports from Friday, in order to maintain safety. Air traffic controllers have been working without pay for more than a month and some of them are now calling in sick. The Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, insists air travel is still safe, and the decision to cancel the flights is being made to ensure efficiency. Also: the BBC has been allowed to enter Gaza for the first time since the ceasefire was declared last month; Mexico's first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has called for sexual harassment to be made a crime in the country after footage showed a man trying to grope her in the street; and a typhoon which has caused devastating floods across the central Philippines has killed at least 114 people.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]

Zohran Mamdani is promising change and a template to defeat Donald Trump after winning the vote to become the New York City mayor. Also: the United Nations calls for more action to halt atrocities in Sudan; Chinese fast-fashion brand Shein launches its first store in Paris; and Monopoly is 90 - we look at the history of the popular board game.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]

Zohran Mamdani has won New York’s mayoral election after defeating former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, making history as the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest in more than a century. The 34 year old surged to victory with promises to tax millionaires to pay for expanded social programmes. Meanwhile, Democrats are projected to win governor races in Virginia and New Jersey. Also: a cargo plane has crashed at Louisville airport in Kentucky, sparking a huge fire and killing at least seven people; the UN says new restrictions by the Taliban have forced it to suspend operations at a crucial border crossing between Afghanistan and Iran; Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said his government will seek an independent investigation into a police raid in Rio de Janeiro that left more than 120 people dead; the American man who faked his own death and fled to Scotland after being accused of rape; and Paris residents are offered a chance to be buried alongside the rich and famous.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]