Global News Podcast - Oil and gas prices surge after energy plant strikes

Episode Date: March 19, 2026

Energy prices have surged after strikes on key gas facilities in Qatar and Iran, as the Middle East war continues to escalate. Iran has targeted Qatar's Ras Laffan complex in response to the bombing of Iranian facilities on South Pars gas field by Israel. The US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says the war is on track as the White House asks Congress for an extra $200 billion dollars. There are indications the US and Israel are diverging on their war aims. Meanwhile Iran continues to carry out the executions of Iranians who demonstrated against the regime in January. In South Africa, criminal gangs have infiltrated the water industry charging people for water that should be free. Also, the Nigerian President makes a state visit to the UK for the first time in 37 years, and are doodle dogs a problem?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: [e-mail]

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janet Jaliel and at 16 hours GMT. These are our main stories. Energy prices have surged after strikes on key gas facilities in Qatar and Iran as the Middle East war continues to escalate. The US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegsef, insists that the US is on track in the war as he criticises allies and parts of the media. We hear how in the middle of the conflict, the Iranian regime is still executing people who took part in protests earlier this year. Also in this podcast, President Tanubu becomes the first Nigerian leader to make a state visit to the UK in nearly four decades.

It's a long time coming, but I think that the king chose the right time. Virtually every fabric of our national life is all linked to the United Kingdom. But what was on the menu at the state banquet? The war in the Middle East has escalated dramatically. The price of oil and natural gas has soared and stock markets have fallen after tit-for-tat attacks on crucial energy sites in Iran and Qatar. This latest escalation began when Israel attacked Iran's South Paz gas field on Wednesday. Iran then retaliated by hitting a crucial energy complex in Qatar at Raslafen,

an attack that could severely disrupt future gas supplies if the plant is badly damaged. Qatar's Prime Minister, Mohamed bin Abdul Rahman Al-Tani, condemned the attack at Raslafen. Unfortunately, this sabotage act only indicates an aggression policy and lack of responsibility and a very dangerous escalation by the Iranians

against the state of Qatar. This attack will have huge repercussions on oil or energy supplies around the world. President Trump took to social media to warn that the US would blow up Iran South Pass field if Tehran carried out any further attacks on Qatar's energy facilities. But Iran has continued to carry out strikes on energy facilities across the Gulf. Speaking to the BBC, Hossam Zaki, the Assistant Secretary General of the Arab League,

urged the US to do more to de-escalate the conflict. This is madness. What is going on is pure madness. Someone has got to stop it. And we cannot think of anyone better. than the US president to stop this whole war. Our business correspondent Theo Leggett explained why these latest strikes are having such a big impact on energy prices. One, the fact that these oil facilities and gas facilities

now no longer seem to be out of bounds and also the physical effects of the attack. So if we look at the attack on the Raslafan facility in Qatar, that facility accounts for about a fifth of the world's liquefied national. gas under normal circumstances. The gas is produced from the ground, it's liquefied, refrigerated, and then placed aboard ships for transport mainly to East Asia. Now, the plant had suspended production a couple of weeks ago because the ships simply couldn't get out and storage facilities on site were full. But you still had the prospect of it being reopened relatively quickly. It would

have taken several weeks, but if there had been a ceasefire, the plant could be up and running relatively quickly. The problem now is that according to Cater Energy, which runs the plant, it suffered extensive damage. And in particular, the liquefaction plant has suffered extensive damage. We don't know how extensive, but that's what's been said in the statement so far. Now, that raises the prospect that the plant could be out of action for an extended period. So we're talking months, possibly even over a year. We don't know. And that's what markets have been reacting to this morning. That is why the price of gas in European trading, so far today, spiked more than 25%, is currently still up more than 20%, its uncertainty and

fears of an extended choke on supplies. And let's say this worst case scenario was to happen, that this goes on for months and months. What could the impact on countries be? Which countries would likely to be hardest hit? Well, it means higher energy prices all around, and particularly for countries, in terms of gas, you know, a lot of the gas that's produced in Qatar is exported to the Far East, to East Asia. Now, that gas has to be replaced, which means there would be more competition for supplies from the United States, which would kind of create a competition for those supplies between Europe and East Asia, and that pushes up prices. In terms of crude oil, which let's not forget have also been going up remarkably.

You know, crude oil was trading, Brent crude was trading at $72 a barrel before the conflict. It's now up to $114 a barrel. That cost filters through into a huge number of things. So motor transport, so anything that's transported becomes more expensive, manufactured goods become more expensive, and the most vulnerable countries are the ones which are heavily reliant on energy imports, but which do not have any production themselves. And it's often poorer countries which are very heavily reliance on this kind of stuff.

Theo Leggett. And we have more on this on our YouTube channel. Search for BBC News on YouTube, and you'll find Global News Podcast in the podcast section. There's a new story available. every weekday. Well, nearly three weeks into this war, the U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Higth has given his latest press briefing on what's happening in Iran. He insisted that the conflict was on track and he lashed out at traditional U.S. allies and the media.

The world, the Middle East, our ungrateful allies in Europe, even segments of our own press, should be saying one thing to President Trump. Thank you. Thank you for the courage to stop this terror state from holding the world hostage with missiles while building or attempting to build a nuclear bomb. Thank you for doing the work of the free world. Mr. Hegsef was also asked by a journalist in that news conference about a report that the Pentagon had asked the White House for $200 billion in additional funds for the war. This was his response. As far as $200 billion, I think that number could move, obviously. It takes money to kill bad guys.

So we're going back to Congress and folks there to ensure that we're properly funded for what's been done, for what we may have to do in the future, ensure that our ammunition is, everything's refilled and not just refilled, but above and beyond. I mean, President Trump, as he said, rebuilt the military in his first term, didn't think he'd use it as dynamically. and his second buddy had. So thank goodness he did that. And an investment like this is meant to say, hey, we'll replace anything that was spent. And now that we're reviving our defense industrial base and rebuilding the arsenal of freedom and cutting deals like our great deputy secretaries here is doing, long lead times on exquisite munitions, we're going to be refilled faster than anyone imagined. Well, Julia Manchester is a White House correspondent at the Hill and she watched the U.S. Defense Secretary's briefing. We heard Pete Hags up essentially backing President Trump.

and, you know, his statement. You know, to be honest, I don't think he went, the big news, I think, from an American perspective out of that press conference was the $250 billion. The Pentagon is, you know, planning on asking Congress for in this war. And, you know, Pete Hegseth not really giving a definitive answer as to when the war will be ending. But Pete Hagsif, predictably, backing and echoing President Trump on that statement about the gas field. The Pentagon is asking for $200 billion in terms of how easy it will be to get through Congress. It seems that Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, is on board. He said yesterday that Iran supplemental funding is needed. However, we know that Mike Johnson has a very, very narrow Republican majority, and it doesn't seem like Democrats want to

play ball on this. So you have a number number. of fiscal hawks and Republicans who, you know, are somewhat critical of the president's war in Iran. So the big question is, can Mike Johnson really unite his conference to vote for this funding? The Hills White House correspondent, Julia, Manchester. Well, President Trump also claimed on social media that the U.S. wasn't informed about Israel's attack on Iran's South Pass gasfield. This is reportedly being disputed by Israeli officials who are quoted as saying it was coordinated with the US. This is just the latest indication that America and Israel may not be on the same page

when it comes to the war on Iran. On Tuesday, the US's top counter-terrorism official, Joe Kent, resigned, saying that his country had gone to war because of pressure from Israel. This was a reason for the war that was also given by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, before he hastily withdrew it. Our North America correspondent, Gary O'Donoghue, has this assessment. Israel has always seen this war or seemed to see this war as about its existence. This is an existential threat that it's talked about for a long time in the region

and has wanted help from the Americans to have this threat dealt with over years. And of course, Donald Trump has talked about Iran repeatedly over the years, but stopped short in his first term of taking that action. He's crossed that line, if you're. you like with the attacks last year and now this war this year. But we are starting to see, I think, some differences. And in particular, we're starting to see some differences over the kinds of targets that are being chosen. And this extraordinary post that the president made in the last few hours where he's drawn attention to the targeting of a gas field by

Israel, an Iranian gas field. He says the Americans knew nothing about this strike. And he said it won't happen again. And I think that's where you're starting to see some of the differences between what the Americans want and what Israel wants out of this conflict. But the president is also, I think, indicating here that he, you know, wants to maintain control over the sort of nature of this war and its direction because he has his own domestic concerns, particularly about things like the price of gasoline, which has risen hugely. He's also facing, you know, some criticisms from part of his own support base over this war, who never wanted a conflict with Iran in the first place. So the pressures on him are also from home, as well as from the international community.

I think you'll see a huge attempt, public attempt, to remain in some kind of lockstep over their war aims. America is Israel's most important partner, of course, and America regards itself as being Israel's greatest partner in the region. So you will, I think, see some sort of emphasis on trying to make that work. In the longer run, they may want different things, and that could create huge tensions, I think, with the way this war is conducted. In particular, how it ends and when it ends, and that's a question that's repeatedly being asked here.

What is the end game here? How does it look when this is over? Gary O'Donohue, even as the Iranian regime continues to fight the war on many fronts, It's also going after Iranians who were involved in the nationwide anti-government protests that erupted at the start of the year. They only ended after the security forces killed thousands, possibly tens of thousands of demonstrators, machine gunning some of them on the streets. Now Tehran has executed several protesters.

Baran Abassi from BBC Persian told us more. The repression inside Iran has intensified massively since the start of the war. three people have been executed just today over protest in January. And yesterday, a Swedish-Iranian national was executed. And there have been concerns about the situation of those arrested during protests because the regime is accusing them of collaborating with the enemy during the war. And dozens of people are at risk of being executed. Hundreds of people have been arrested over the past few days accused of sending videos.

of sites that have been damaged in the bombings or the bombings themselves, sending them to international media. And the government has warned them that the militia on the streets, their fingers are on the trigger and they are ready to kill if they see any signs of an uprising or protests against the regime. The situation in the prisons are very difficult. Many prisoners now don't have access to food or medicine because prison guards have left. And the attack on the South Pass gas field has really changed the support of the people inside of the country, those who supported the killing of the officials who had a hand in the crackdown on protesters.

But this gas field is usually for domestic consumption, for electricity and gas inside of the country. the centre of the production in South Park goes to the people's homes. And the Iranians were already suffering from frequent electricity and gas shortages. And this is going to even make it worse. Baran Abasi. The Iran War has had all kinds of unforeseen horrific consequences. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, falling rocket fragments tore through a beauty salon, killing three women.

A fourth woman, who was six months pregnant, died later in hospital. They were all at the salon getting ready for the start of Idhil Fita, the day of celebration that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Around a dozen other people were wounded. The authorities couldn't confirm if the shrapnel came from an Iranian missile or an Israeli interceptor used to shoot it down. Our Middle East correspondent Yoland Nell visited the site. This is where women had come ahead of the Edelphita,

holiday to get their nails fixed to look their best just at the end of Ramadan when an Iranian missile struck. The women who were killed here are the first Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to have been killed as a direct result of the Iran war. And locals in the village of Bittalwa have told us that a bomb or part of a bomb landed here and then ricocheted off. You can see all the damage on the door and it's really obsessing inside. There's a lot of blood. There's nail extensions on the floor, cosmetics, things like that right now. People are just trying to clear up. But what people have been telling us is that because there are no warning sirens in the Palestinian areas

in the same way that you get in the Israeli settlements nearby, they don't have any advance alerts of these bombs coming. And they don't have protected shelters to go to either. The women here told us that there was a group of women. about a dozen of them who were injured, who were just here gathered on the steps and they were waiting to have their nails done too. Yoland Nail.

Still to come in this podcast, a study finds that designer doodle dogs are more difficult to deal with than traditional breeds. She's been on medication since September gone, trying just to keep her calm and be a bit more sedate. She's not as needy. It is working with her, but how long do you medicate a dog for?

Like, I just don't know. You're listening to the Global News Podcast. Indonesia's richest man, Michael Bambang Hatono, has died. He was 86. The billionaire was the co-owner of the tobacco giant Jarum and was also a successful bridge player. Bernadette Keo reports. Michael Hartono built a vast business empire. With his brother, he turned a company founded by their father into a major producer of clove cigarettes, known locally as Kretik. It became one of Indonesia's largest conglomerate.

with interests in technology, consumer goods and crucially banking, which they moved into after the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s. He was a philanthropist and also had another passion in life playing bridge, proudly representing Indonesia in the 2018 Asian Games and helping the national team to secure a bronze medal. Unlike many tycoons, Hartoona rarely spoke to the media or appeared in public, preferring to work quietly behind the scenes. In South Africa, water shortages are causing misery for millions of people.

The problem is mainly down to poorly maintained infrastructure. But there's a darker side to the issue, the so-called water mafia. Criminal gangs have infiltrated the water industry, snapping up water tankers to supply communities that have no running water, charging people for water that should be free, and even reportedly sabotaging regular supplies in order to boost their illegal business. The BBC's Africa correspondent, Manny Jones, sent this report from Johannesburg.

A large group of protesters are waving placards and banging empty plastic bottles together. They're northern Johannesburg, a part of town known for its plush, leafy suburbs. But after years of intermittent water shortages, they say they're fed up. Some have had no running water for over a month. Our pipes have been bone dry and no water coming through at all. It's not very healthy because everyone can get it. sick according to the constitution, it's our right to have water. I am here today because it is actually distraised to begging and protesting for water. A few years ago here in Johannesburg,

South Africa's economic hub, electricity shortages known as load shedding were disrupting the lives of ordinary South Africans and businesses. That's now been replaced by water shortages, which some say are worse because of how essential water is for good health. And, Johannesburg isn't the only area that's affected. This is what is happening in Hammond's ground. There's no water. People are striving for water. Teppo lives in Harmon's crown, more than 100 kilometers north of Johannesburg.

Water is part of Grozer now. We buy it at the shop. Unless the water tanks comes, yes, the water tanks, we get it for free. But otherwise, nothing for free. It's a problem. It takes my humanity away. It breaks my heart. of Harmon Skrall have had no reliable access to clean water for over a decade on and off.

The municipality has resorted to paying for tankers to deliver water to residents. It's meant to be free. But that's not always the case, as Eric tells me. With another tracks, you see another tracks, there's criminals everywhere. Some drivers, they sell us, they sell water. And then they say, when you say you want water, they say you must buy. We just give up. We don't do nothing because of those criminals.

Because everything here is money. When we have no money, you can do nothing. Campaigners say a long-standing lack of investment in infrastructure is worsened by criminal gangs called water mafias. Dr. Ferial Adam is the executive director of Watercan, a non-profit that works to safeguards of Africa's water resources. The water mafia are people that get, tenders to do work for the municipality and then either they don't have the expertise or once they get

hold of a tender to provide alternative supply of water they don't want the tender to end so they would damage and vandalize infrastructure so that they can continue working and then you also have the ones that are charging people for water where they shouldn't be how do these criminal gangs how do they impact ordinary people's lives it creates fear because this is now your supply of water. They're afraid to come out and say the kind of things that are happening because then they won't get water. They feel as if the mafia won't go to their streets anymore. In Harmon's kraal, water tankers are filling up. We contacted the local authority to ask how they're tackling the issue but got no reply. Last year, President Silramaposa urged law enforcement and local

government to put an end to criminal gangs running water tankers. But for residents here, that end can't come soon enough. That report by My Annie Jones. King Charles and Queen Camilla have given a lavish welcome to the Nigerian president at the start of the first state visit to the UK by a Nigerian leader in nearly four decades. President Bola Ahmed Tanubu, who is Muslim and his wife, who is Christian, were guests of honour at a state banquet also attended by Prince William and his wife Kate on Wednesday night. The King spoke of the country's shared values while delivering a speech at Windsor Castle. The friendship between our two countries, Mr President, is a partnership of equals that has brought us both enormous benefits.

It has been described to me as a deeply spiritual connection beyond churches and mosques, a deep bond through which we have strengthened our shared security, ensured our economies are more prosperous, and empowered. each other to believe in a more hopeful future. Daniel Bawala is a special advisor to the Nigerian president. Rob Young asked him first, what was on the menu at the state banquet? I should rather say the menu is to have a lot in common, shared value, shared interest. Virtually every fabric of our national life, whether you look at the civil service structure,

you look at the legal system, you look at the military setup, the security. It's all linked to the United Kingdom. And the king spoke a bit in Yoruba, is that right? How did he do? Can you give him a rating out of 10? No, I think I'll give him 9.5. He did very, very well. I think that this is the right time because it's a long-term coming, but I think that the king chose the right time. A huge and growing economy.

Some might argue why it took 37 years for there to be another state visit. I wonder as well. I wonder as well, because I think the closest country outside of Africa to Nigeria is the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is considered as an elder brother. So anybody who is coming out of Nigeria to anywhere in the world, it is believed that the first point of course should be the United Kingdom. In the speech of the president, he talked about the healthcare system in the United Kingdom, how Nigerians are playing a very good role in the NHS. He talked about sports too, and mentioned a specific number of people who are British, but Nigerians as well.

and that goes to show the kind of link that we have. That was Daniel Bawala, a special advisor to Nigeria's president Bola Tinoubu. And just in case you were interested, the menu at the banquet included soft-boiled quail egg tartlets, fillets of turbot, lobster moose wrapped in spinach and a bourbon sauce, and for dessert there was iced black currant souffle. And a mocktail was created for the occasion using a West African beverage. with the king wishing President Danubu Ramadan Mubarak to mark the end of the holy Muslim month of fasting. Now, doodle dogs have become an increasingly popular choice for pet owners in recent years.

We're talking about cockapoo's, carvapoos and labradoodles, so-called designer crossbreeds. It's commonly believed that these cute-looking canines are easier to train and better behave than other dogs. But new research from the Royal Veterinary College here in the UK shared exclusively. exclusively with the BBC, has revealed that the opposite is true, as Emily O'Nea reports. Good girl. Viv Smith got Dolly, a smooth-coated cockapoo in 2021, after her previous boxer dogs died. Decided I'd get something smaller, something more manageable, something the family could help look after, enjoy. The look of her, I just thought, oh, yeah, beautiful, this is going to be manageable, and they come with less illnesses. But Dolly's behaviour is a lot more challenging than Viv was prepared for.

She has a lot of fear, a lot of uncertainties. She's not very trusting. I know if someone of the dog comes past, she's going to pounce, she's going to growl, she's going to bear her teeth. And I'm aware of how in particular she's going to be. So her anxieties have just overtook the family, really. I haven't really got a lot of choices where we can go with her. Viv went to the vet to get advice about how to make life with Dolly safer.

She's been on medication since September gone. trying just to keep her calm and be a bit more sedate, just not as needy. It is working with her, but how long do you medicate a dog for? I just don't know. Researchers at the Royal Veterinary College asked more than 9,000 dog owners, including those with cockapoo's, cavapos and labradoodles about their behaviour. They compared it to their purebred parents and discovered that the doodle dogs differed in just over half of the 24 behavioural areas compared.

Where there were differences, the doodle breeds' behaviours were more undesirable in eight out of ten cases. The most common issues were fear of loud noises, separation anxiety, aggression and problems with training. Dr Irina Packer is the lead author of the study. Some of the behaviours that we're seeing that are worse or more commonly or severely exhibited in these breeds aren't the kind of behaviours that we want to ignore. They're not benign. They're dogs fundamentally, even if they look super cute. And although we've seen this absolute wave of popularity, we really need people to stop and think, go beyond how they look or what people might think about them and try and use more solid evidence.

But breeders of this type of dog are keen to point out that what really matters is where and how owners source their pets. Carol Watson Todd is a co-director of the Cockapoo Club of Great Britain, which promotes responsible breeding. If you go to a responsible ethical breeder, they will dispel myths. They will talk to you about the requirement for training your puppy. They will try to help match you to that puppy. And it's not about just the puppy. It goes right back to the mother and the father. Because the mother and the father, if they have traits that are undesirable in those parent breeds,

they should not be bred with. Well done, Dolly. For Viv and experienced dog owner who did her research, the learning curve has been steep. Now, she says she'd make a different choice. I love ideally, but I don't think I would do it again. Definitely not. Dog owner Viv Smith, ending that report by Emily Oonier.

And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at global podcast at bbc.com. And don't forget our sister podcast, the global story, goes in-depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the Global News podcast was mixed by Simon Nunn. The producers were Chauvin Lehi and Chantal Hartle. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Jeanette Gilliel.

Until next time. Goodbye.