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A huge rescue and recovery operation is under way across northern Venezuela after two powerful earthquakes struck on Wednesday evening, killing more than 160 people and injuring over 1,000. Rescue teams are searching for survivors in Caracas and several other states after the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude tremors hit during a national holiday, when many people were at home. Also: in Washington, a meeting between Donald Trump and Republican senators descends into a heated row over Iran; oil prices fall back to pre-war levels after the US and Iran agree a 60-day ceasefire; police arrest the owners of one of Hong Kong’s last independent bookshops; the Vatican begins a five-year laser restoration of Raphael’s sixteenth-century Loggia in the Apostolic Palace in the Italian city of Trieste; Europe's only gender-segregated beach becomes the centre of a row between tourists and locals; and why young South Koreans are placing orders on fake delivery apps. 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: Apartment buildings damaged by the powerful earthquakes in Catia la Mar, Venezuela, 25 June 2026.​​ Credit: EPA/Shutterstock

A huge rescue and recovery operation is underway across northern Venezuela after two back-to-back earthquakes struck overnight. At least 164 people have died, but experts say the number could well rise to thousands as the extent of the damage becomes clear. Also in the programme: The French government's response to the heatwave; and how Canadian football fans are trying to be cheerful about moving to the US. (Photo: A firefighter in the Venezuelan capital Caracas looks for his sister and nephew in the earthquake rubble of a building in La Guaira, Venezuela. Credit: Reuters/Gaby Oraa)

At the Hay Festival, Misha Glenny and guests discuss the impact of the Norman invasion on the people and land of Wales and across the modern border with England in what became known as The Welsh Marches, march being a term for a militarized borderland. Hay was one of the first Marcher lordships. Even before 1066, William the Conqueror knew that he would have to subdue the Welsh if he were to control the English and he allowed more and more Norman warlords to establish virtually their own private kingdoms in these Marches. Later some of the Lords were to use these bases to invade Ireland rather than conquer the rest of Wales. Marcher Lords built numerous castles such as the one at Hay and many new towns would then grow up alongside these where there was one law for the English and another for the Welsh and, though the Acts of Union under the Tudors brought an end to much of the Marcher Lords' powers, the distinct identity of these Welsh Marches continued. With Rhun Emlyn Lecturer in the Department of History and Welsh History at Aberystwyth University Helen Fulton Professor of Medieval Literature at the University of Bristol And Huw Pryce Emeritus Professor of Welsh History at Bangor University Producer: Simon Tillotson Reading list: R. R. Davies, The Age of Conquest: Wales 1063-1415 (Oxford University Press, 2001) R.R. Davies, Lordship and Society in the March of Wales 1282-1400 (Oxford University Press, 1978) John Fleming, The Welsh Marcher Lordships II: South-West (Logaston Press, 2023) Ben Giles, The Welsh Marches: 40 Town and Country Walks (Pocket Mountains, 2012) Philip Hume, The Welsh Marcher Lordships I: Central & North (Logaston Press, 2021) Max Lieberman, The March of Wales, 1067–1300: A Borderland of Medieval Britain (University of Wales Press, 2018) Max Lieberman, The Medieval March of Wales: The Creation and Perception of a Frontier, 1066-1283 (Cambridge University Press, 2010) D. Huw Owen, The Lordship of Denbigh 1282-1543 (University of Wales Press, 2024) Mike Parker, All the Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places Between (HarperNorth, 2024) Dewi Roberts, Both Sides of the Border: An Anthology of Writing on the Welsh Border Region (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch/Eagle Rock Press, 1998) Christopher Somerville, The Welsh Borders (Philips, 1991) David Stephenson, Patronage and Power in the Medieval Welsh March: One Family's Story (University of Wales Press, 2021) David Walker, Medieval Wales (Cambridge University Press, 2008) In Our Time is a BBC Studios Production Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Misha Glenny and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.

As the knockout stage of the men’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA draws closer, so too does the dreaded penalty shootout. Why do penalties bring so much drama and anxiety to both players and fans when they are used to decide tied games in knockout football? Former South African captain Amanda Dlamini looks back at the history of the shootout with penalty expert and author Ben Lyttleton. South African internationals Nomathemba Ntsibande and Gabriela Moodaly‑Salgado take us through their penalty routines, while West Ham United Women’s sport psychologist Dr Adrienn Szabadics explains the psychology behind the penalty shootout. We hear from 1999 Women’s World Cup winner Brandi Chastain about her winning penalty at that tournament. The coach of Amanda’s former club JVW, in Johannesburg, Alexia Cassar, tells us about the role coaches play in preparing for shootouts. Finally, commentator Andrés Cantor reminisces about the 2022 World Cup final, while South Africa goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams, who is playing in this year’s World Cup, gives us an insight into how he once saved four out of five penalties in a single shootout.

Tourism is taking a hit as an intense heatwave grips Europe. Several countries have issued red weather alerts as temperatures soar. We hear from tourists and a tour guide sweating it out in Paris. Oil prices have fallen to their lowest point since the war began. But when will consumers feel it? Around the world, gamers are bracing to spend $80 on Grand Theft Auto VI. And we speak to the CEO of Patreon on why the creator economy is booming and who's actually making money from it? Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producers: Rob Cave and Niamh Mc Dermott

Helen puts her foot in it, and Keira has a trick up her sleeve.

Police in South Africa have assured the safety of migrants and local businesses as civic organisations including the March and March anti-migrant group intensify calls for foreigners to leave. This precedes heightened tensions towards a June 30 deadline declared by the groups for migrants to leave the country. Meanwhile in Kuwait, the fate of domestic workers mainly from some African countries remains unknown as authorities introduce new labour laws preventing the recruitment of domestic staff from over twenty countries including Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Ayuba Iliya Technical Producer: Herbert Masua Senior Producer: Keikantse Shumba Editors: Charles Gitonga and Maryam Abdalla

Ukraine has been intensifying attacks across Crimea as it attempts to cut off the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. The authorities have been forced to suspend fuel sales to the public. Also on the programme: hundreds of schools in the UK are closed as temperatures in Western Europe hit new highs; and why sperm whales use different dialects depending on where they swim in the Mediterranean Sea. (Photo: A satellite image shows burning oil storage tanks and smoke rising from the Crimea Bridge amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict Credit: Vantor/Reuters)

The Lebanese president says he will not accept any peace deal that does not include the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. The two sides met in Washington on Tuesday for a fifth round of talks. Hezbollah has accused Israel of violating the recently-agreed ceasefire claiming IDF soldiers opened fire on a group of civilians in Lebanon killing two people. Also in this podcast: A United Nations-backed commission accuses Israel of deliberately targeting and killing Palestinian children in what it calls a "genocide". Kim Jong Un announces that he's equipping North Korea's navy with nuclear weapons. People across western Europe brace for what's forecast to be the hottest day of the year. Researchers in Australia discover why some memories are more vivid than others. And we hear from the men being paid $50,000 to watch the World Cup. 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: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a press conference in February 2026 Credit: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir

What happened to mothers and their babies - over more than 10 years - at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust? On Wednesday an independent review into maternity care at the trust will be published. We'll hear from one family about their experience and why they're still calling for a public inquiry. Andy Burnham and Sir Keir Starmer are in a standoff over who should decide future defence spending. And 50 years on from record-breaking 1976 heatwave, how is the current one different? And what could the UK's weather feel like in another 50 years?

A searing heatwave in western Europe is continuing to break records, with France registering its hottest-ever average daily temperature. Forty people have drowned in heatwave-related deaths there since Thursday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said. Also on the programme: Afghanistan’s Taliban government says a delegation has met European Union officials in Brussels, to discuss migration; and the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC is set to be drained as US President Donald Trump again blamed vandals for bright green algae and peeling paint that has appeared just weeks after a multi-million-dollar renovation. (Photo: France's sports minister Marina Ferrari warned that too many people were heading for reservoirs and rivers without taking the risks into account. Credit: Getty)

As a record-breaking heatwave continues in western Europe, the United Nations has warned that fossil fuels are driving a climate crisis. France has endured its hottest night in more than eighty years and temperatures are expected to climb above 41C. Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK are also sweltering. Also: the European Union issues single-day visas to a Taliban delegation to attend a migration meeting in Brussels, despite not recognising the government in Afghanistan; the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to the Gulf for high-stakes talks with Arab allies; a major ransomware attack in Romania forces a hundred hospitals offline; Sri Lanka battles its worst dengue outbreak in years; a new study suggests people may be biologically ageing faster than previous generations, raising questions about a rise in early-onset cancers; and we look at the economic impact of Cape Verde’s remarkable run at the mens football World Cup, as the tiny Atlantic island nation enjoys global attention. 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: People cool off in the Trocadero Fountain next to the Eiffel Tower as temperatures rise during a heatwave affecting a large part of the country, in Paris, France, June 22, 2026. Credit: REUTERS/Abdul Saboor