Bernadette Keogh

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernadette Keogh, and at 14 Hours GMT on Wednesday 5th March, these are our main stories. In a marathon speech to Congress, President Trump promised more unrelenting action, including radical shifts in foreign policy and far-reaching cuts to US government spending.

Fergal Keane reporting. It's hard to think of a country that's not embracing artificial intelligence. With its long history of technological innovation, South Korea was one of the first countries to adopt a nationwide AI strategy. Teachers, however, have expressed concern about a growing trend of students taking non-consensual images of staff members and creating AI deep fakes.

With millions of children heading back to their classrooms this week for the start of the school year... BBC Korea's Hyojung Kim has been speaking to educators who found disturbing pictures of themselves uploaded online.

That report from Hyojung Kim. If given the opportunity, would you pack up your life and move to a remote island in the North Atlantic? Beautiful landscapes, but no running water or electricity. Every year, Great Blasket Island off County Kerry in the Republic of Ireland employs two individuals to run holiday cottages and a coffee shop for the 40,000 tourists that come every year.

A newly married couple has signed up for exactly that. Camille Rosenfeld from the US state of Minnesota and James Hayes from Tralee in County Kerry. With all modern conveniences abandoned, and for the most part just seals and seabirds for company, they've been telling my colleague Nick Robinson what made them want to embrace such a huge lifestyle change.

James Hayes and Camille Rosenfeld, the lucky new caretakers of Great Blasket Island. And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global News Pod.

This edition was mixed by Daniela Varela Hernandez and the producer was Ella Bicknell. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernadette Keogh. Until next time, goodbye.

An artillery attack on a camp in Sudan's North Darfur state has killed at least 70 people, including women and children. Also in this podcast, China says it will be difficult to achieve its economic targets, in part because of the challenging international outlook.

A large focus of that congressional address was on the war in Ukraine. As Nomia mentioned, Donald Trump read out a letter from Vladimir Zelensky. In it, the Ukrainian president said he's ready to work under Mr Trump's strong leadership and come to the negotiating table as soon as possible. It follows a White House announcement on Monday that it was freezing all military support for Ukraine.

Just before recording this podcast, the CIA director John Ratcliffe confirmed that the US had also paused intelligence. Our Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse is in Kiev.

James Waterhouse. And if you have questions about the rapidly evolving situation with Ukraine, Russia and the roles of all the world leaders, we'd love to hear from you and get some answers from our correspondents. Send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk.

Reports from Sudan say at least 70 people, including women and children, have been killed in an artillery attack on a camp for displaced people in North Darfur state. Local media say the paramilitary rapid support forces shelled a crowded market in the Abu Shuk camp near the city of Al-Fasha late on Tuesday. For nearly two years, the RSF and the regular army have been in a devastating war.

that's uprooted more than 12 million people and caused what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. I heard more from our Africa regional editor, Richard Kugoy.

Now, the battle for control of Al-Fasha has been going on for months. Why isn't there sort of one side dealing a decisive blow?

And teachers in South Korea raise concerns about the increasing number of AI deep fakes being created by their own students. Donald Trump has listed what he said had been his administration's accomplishments during a lengthy speech to a joint session of Congress, his first in his second term as president.

Richard Kagoi.

A newlywed couple give up their city lifestyle to live and work on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. Every year, nearly 3,000 delegates from provinces all over China meet in Beijing for the National People's Congress. Over the course of this week, they'll usher through decisions that have already been made behind closed doors by party leaders.

One of them, China's premier Li Qiang, gave the opening speech, warning that an increasingly complex global order might impact the country's trade. Tong

He's proposed a growth target of 5% for the economy, with measures to stimulate domestic consumption, cut youth unemployment and encourage foreign investment. As I heard from our Beijing correspondent Stephen McDonnell, it was clear that the changes in the world Mr Lee was talking about include the looming trade war with the United States.

Well, indeed, 5% growth target is much higher than most countries would hope for. Is it realistic?

He taunted opposition Democrats over his cuts to the federal workforce and clamped down on illegal border crossings. He also defended his tariff policies, stating there might be short-term difficulties, but that they would ultimately benefit Americans in the long run. Our Washington correspondent, Nomia Iqbal, watched the nearly two-hour address and sent this report.

Besides the 5% growth target for the economy, China's National People's Congress was presented with a slew of major projects to reach its climate goals, to help emissions peak in five years' time and to become carbon neutral by 2060. Our Asia-Pacific editor Celia Hatton reports.

Celia Hatton. Israel says it's ready to proceed with phase two of the ceasefire in Gaza, on the condition that the territory is fully demilitarized and all hostages are returned. Leaders from Arab countries have been meeting in Cairo to discuss a reconstruction plan for Gaza. On Tuesday, 29 children in need of medical treatment arrived in Jordan from Gaza.

They're the first of 2,000 who are coming under a deal agreed between Jordan and Israel. The children travel to Oman by military aircraft and a land convoy. Our special correspondent, Fergal Keane, watched them arrive.

Dominic Hughes. Russians who sign up to fight in Ukraine earn big money in salaries and bonuses, and the money paid out by the Kremlin to the families of those killed in battle is even higher. Average compensation packages are worth about $130,000. Arseny Sokolov went to meet family members of men Russia has lost in the war and finds out how they spent their money.

The suspension includes all American weapons and equipment that were in transit. Ukrainian officials are in shock. Oleksandr Merezhko is a member of parliament from President Zelensky's party.

That report from Arseniy Sokolov. Could a modern-day version of the woolly mammoth soon be walking the Earth? That's what the US company Colossal Biosciences claim. They're experimenting on genetically modified mice that they claim have mammoth-like traits. And that will pave the way, they say, for hairy elephants with increased body fat to survive in cold environments.

The aim is to repopulate the Arctic tundra with these creatures. Ben Lamb, founder and CEO of the firm, spoke to the BBC.

So what's going on and how will it all work? I asked our science correspondent Pallab Ghosh to tell me more.

Since the invasion in 2022, almost half of military aid going into Ukraine has come from the United States. Our correspondent in Kiev, James Waterhouse, told me that the US announcement is already being felt on the front line.

Tell me more about the concern, because there have been critics of this project.

Palab Gosh. We're going to stay on the topic of those small rodents now. A study has found that mice will perform first aid on other mice if they're unconscious. Researchers at the University of Southern California say they've seen it happen and have released a video to prove it. As Wendy Urquhart reports.

Wendy Urquhart reporting. And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcasts at bbc.co.uk.

And remember to send any questions you have about what's going on with Ukraine, Russia and the involvement of President Trump and European leaders. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global News Pod. This edition was produced by Harry Bly. It was mixed by Derek Clark. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernadette Keogh. Until next time, goodbye.

Is there a real risk, then, that Russian forces could make big gains further into Ukraine?

The pressure is now firmly on Western European leaders to bolster Ukraine's defence. In the last few hours, the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced plans to relax EU fiscal rules on borrowing for defence procurement, a measure she says could raise hundreds of billions of dollars.

For more on what this means for the war and the state of Western diplomacy, here's our international editor, Jeremy Bowen.

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernadette Keogh and at 14 hours GMT on Tuesday the 4th of March, these are our main stories. The US is pausing military aid to Ukraine. The White House decision immediately blocks American supplies going into the country. New US tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China have come into effect, prompting immediate retaliation.

Jeremy Bowen, if you've got questions about the fast-moving situation with Ukraine, Russia and the involvement of President Trump and European leaders, we'd love to hear from you and get some answers from our correspondents. US tariffs are up and markets are down. Late on Monday, President Trump went ahead and slapped 25% import taxes on Canadian and Mexican goods entering the US.

The Canadians are hitting back by imposing their own levies on US exports. Mexico is likely to also reply in kind too. And trade barriers are extending beyond the Americas. Washington's tariffs on China are set to double to 20%. But stock markets are jittery. Asian markets have fallen and European exchanges have opened lower.

Andrew Wilson is the global policy director at the world's largest business organisation, the International Chamber of Commerce.

Our business reporter, Mariko Oi, gave me this assessment of the US move.

Is there a real worry that this actually could end up in a global trade slowdown, Mariko?

Also in this podcast, a report claims half of adults worldwide are predicted to be obese or overweight by 2050. And can mice give first aid?

Mariko Oi. The leader of the rebel group that swept through eastern Congo has told the BBC his fighters will go all the way to the capital, Kinshasa, some 1,500 kilometres away if confronted by government forces. Corne Nanga heads an alliance including the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels. They currently control the two largest cities in the mineral-rich east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This report from our senior international correspondent, Ola Geeren.

Coming up, modified mice that mimic mammoths.

Our science correspondent explains.

This is the Global News Podcast. For years now, the World Health Organization has warned that obesity is a global epidemic, but a new study covering more than 200 countries predicts obesity levels will accelerate rapidly over the rest of this decade. The report in the Lancet Journal found that by 2050, more than half of adults around the world are predicted to be overweight or obese.

You don't have the cards. That's what Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during that diplomatic blowout at the White House on Friday. Now, Ukraine finds itself under huge pressure. The United States has suspended all military aid and says it will continue to do so until the Ukrainian leader demonstrates a commitment to negotiating peace with Russia.

So what's driving this worsening problem? I spoke to our health correspondent, Dominic Hughes.

And it's mainly developing countries that are affected, Dominic?

The girls of Afghanistan still denied education, clinging on to their dreams. We begin in Turkey. Turkey. where thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in cities across the country for the fourth day running following the arrest of Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, who's now in court.

Still to come in this podcast.

Using AI, an iPhone and a magnifying lens to help detect signs of skin cancer.

President Trump's special envoy has described the British Prime Minister's plan for an international force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine as a posture and a pose. Steve Witkoff also repeated Russian claims that Ukraine was a false country and territories occupied by Russia were rightfully theirs. He was speaking to the pro-Trump podcaster Tucker Carlson.

From Kiev, here's our diplomatic correspondent James Landale.

James Landale. Its parliament is expected to approve withdrawing from the 1997 Global Convention against the use of anti-personnel mines in order, the country says, to give it more means and flexibility to defend itself. Its government is also introducing a new law, making it mandatory for all new apartment and office blocks to be built with bomb shelters.

Our Europe editor Katja Adler reports from Estonia, where she met people affected by the current geopolitical changes.

He was arrested on Wednesday and detained on charges of corruption and aiding terrorist groups, allegations that he's dismissed as immoral and baseless. It came days before he was due to be announced as a candidate for the 2028 presidential election. In a televised statement, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the protests.

Artificial intelligence has been hailed as a solution to many of the backlogs faced by healthcare services, but until now it's often worked alongside human doctors. A hospital in London is using AI to diagnose skin cancer with only an iPhone and a magnifying lens, without requiring a doctor to double-check the findings.

The team claim that the tests are 99.9% accurate at ruling out the most serious types of skin cancer. Dr Lucy Thomas, who's a consultant at the Teledermatology Service at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, explained what happened during a consultation.

The boxing legend George Foreman has died at the age of 76. He won the world heavyweight title twice, first in 1973 knocking out Joe Frazier. The following year, Foreman lost the title to Muhammad Ali in arguably the most famous fight of all time, the Rumble in the Jungle in what was then Zaire. He talked about it in a BBC interview in 2016.

In later years, he had huge success marketing his George Foreman grill, which sold millions, thanks in part to his memorable catchphrase, the lean, mean grilling machine. But he'll be best remembered for his time in the ring. Joel Engel co-wrote George Foreman's autobiography, By George.

Joel Engel paying tribute to the legendary George Foreman, who's died at the age of 76. Before we go, we have another Q&A with our colleagues from Ukrainecast coming up soon, and we'd like your questions to put to the team. Our email address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. And if possible, please record your question as a voice note. Thank you.

And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global News Pod. This edition was mixed by Philip Bull and the producer was Stephanie Tillotson.

The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernadette Keogh. Until next time, goodbye.

Our correspondent Emily Wither is in Istanbul.

And clearly the protests have been building up as the week has gone along.

President Erdogan has condemned the protests. How worried do you think he is?

Emily Withers. Pope Francis will be discharged from hospital on Sunday after five weeks of treatment. He's been suffering from a severe respiratory infection. The chief surgeon at Gemelli Hospital is Dr Sergio Alfieri.

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernadette Keogh, and in the early hours of Sunday 23rd March, these are our main stories. In Istanbul, protesters take to the streets for the fourth day running following the arrest of the city's mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, who's appeared in a Turkish court. Pope Francis is being discharged from hospital on Sunday.

Our correspondent Bethany Bell, who's in Rome, gave us this update.

So what will his schedule be like in the coming months because of that?

Bethany Bell. Here, an urgent investigation has been ordered into the power failure triggered by a fire which led to the closure of London's Heathrow Airport for much of Friday. The British government said that lessons must be learned after hundreds of thousands of people's travel plans were disrupted. More from our business correspondent, Mark Ashton.

Mark Ashdown. State media in Lebanon has said that Israeli airstrikes have killed at least eight people. According to the country's health ministry, six of them died in southern Lebanon. One was a child. Israel said that its targets were rocket launch sites belonging to the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

Lebanese state media say eight people have been killed in two waves of Israeli airstrikes. Also in this podcast, an urgent inquiry is ordered into the power outage that closed Heathrow. The airport's chief executive has defended the response.

Israel also said that it was responding to rockets fired over the border by Hezbollah, which denies this and insists that it's committed to November's ceasefire. Earlier, I got the latest from our correspondent in Beirut, Hugo Bechega.

And are there fears of a total breakdown of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon now?

Schools reopened in Afghanistan on Saturday, and for the fourth school year running, girls will be unable to attend. In 2021, the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan and banned girls aged 12 and over from going to school. However, they are permitted to attend madrasas, educational centres focused on religion.

Critics argue madrasas do not replace mainstream schools and that girls are being pushed towards a hardline interpretation of Islam. Maju Ben Arazi from the BBC Afghan service gained rare access to madrasas in Kabul and sent this report.

It's Lebanon now, and it's almost a month since the ceasefire was agreed between Hezbollah and Israel. Hezbollah had been trading attacks across the southern Lebanese border with Israel in response to Israel's bombardment of Gaza following the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

Now, as part of the truce deal, the Lebanese army is tasked with ensuring there are no armed militias, principally Hezbollah, in the south of the country bordering with Israel, a duty it has never undertaken before. Our Middle East regional editor, Sebastian Usher, who is in Beirut, told me more.

Sebastian, you arrived in Beirut a short while ago. What's the mood of the people there? What have people been saying to you?

Sebastian Usher. The authorities in Guatemala say they've rescued 160 children from a farm used by an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect which is under investigation for alleged child sex abuse. The group, Lev Tahor, moved to Guatemala a decade ago from Canada. The Lev Tahor sect accused the Guatemalan authorities of religious persecution. Jodi Garcia is a freelance journalist from Guatemala.

She told Owen Bennett-Jones more about the group.

We start in Germany and Friday evening's attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg. The number of people killed has risen to five. A nine-year-old child was among them. 200 people were injured, around 40 of them seriously. The suspect, who was arrested at the scene, has been identified as a 50-year-old doctor, Taleb al-Abdelmozan from Saudi Arabia.

Freelance journalist Jody Garcia in Guatemala. It's become a familiar ritual in Washington in recent years. Politicians in the US Congress trying to come up with a last-minute deal to agree a budget in order to avoid a partial government shutdown. After two failed attempts and with a Friday night deadline fast approaching, Republicans and Democrats finally voted to pass a spending plan.

Shortly after it was passed, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said he'd been keeping in close contact with Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

After the agreement in the House of Representatives, the budget was also passed by the Senate. Here's the Senate Democrat leader, Chuck Schumer.

While the immediate crisis has probably been averted, all the scrapping and the scraping together of a compromise has also raised pressing questions about who wields real political power in Washington. My colleague Paul Moss got more details about the passing of the bill from our North America correspondent Peter Bowes.

Residents of the city have been laying flowers for the victims of the attack and there's still a sense of profound shock.

Peter Bowes. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there have been people in the US making donations to help Ukrainians. At the beginning, the support was overwhelming, but there are now signs that well away from the front lines, war weariness could be setting in. The BBC's Christina Felk reports.

On Saturday evening, a memorial service took place at Magdeburg Cathedral. Hundreds of people were in attendance, including families of the victims and emergency service workers. Earlier on Saturday, during his visit to Magdeburg, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the attack as a tragedy and called for unity. Our correspondent Bethany Bell has spent the day in the city.

Shanna Galeeva from the charity Bird of Light, ending that report by Christina Filk. And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at Global News Pod.

This edition was mixed by Paul Mason and the producer was Marion Strawn. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernadette Keogh. Until next time, goodbye.

Bethany Bell. Other strands of investigation into the suspect are also coming to light as our security correspondent Frank Gardner explains.

Dr Hans Jakob Schindler is Senior Director at the Counter-Extremism Project in Berlin. He gave his take on why the suspect may have carried out the attack. He spoke to the BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones.

Hans Jakob Schindler of the Counter-Extremism Project in Berlin. The social network TikTok is to be shut down in Albania from the beginning of next year. The decision, announced by the country's Prime Minister, Eddie Rama, follows concerns raised over the influence of social media on children. The ban is part of a broader plan to make schools safer.

With more details, here's our Europe regional editor, Danny Eberhardt.

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernadette Keogh, and in the early hours of Sunday 22nd December, these are our main stories. The German city of Magdeburg is in mourning after a car was driven into a crowd at a Christmas market, killing five. We hear about the possible motives the suspected attacker may have had. Albania is to shut down TikTok for at least a year.

Danny Eberhardt. In talks on Friday in Syria's capital, visiting US diplomats called on the country's new Islamist leaders to respect the rights of all citizens. Syria's musicians will be watching closely. The 14-year civil war gave energy and focus to a nascent heavy metal scene. Electronic music and dance shows also flourished, leading to a resurgence of Syrian nightlife.

Barbara Pletusher talked to musicians in Damascus about how they see this new era for Syria after the fall of the Assad government.

That report by Barbara Pletusher.

Also in this podcast, the US avoids a government shutdown after days of political turmoil. And the musicians of Syria pondering what the new Islamic leadership will mean for creative freedom.

Authorities in Guatemala say they have rescued 160 children from a religious sect.

Iran has responded defiantly to President Trump's warning that it faces possible military action unless it agrees to nuclear talks. Mr Trump says he told the Ayatollah in a letter that Iran must never be allowed to become a nuclear power and could face attack.

The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo has offered $5 million for anyone helping to arrest the rebel leaders who've been capturing territory in the east of the country. Last year, they were prosecuted in absentia by a military court and were given death sentences for treason.

The Congolese government has also offered $4 million for the arrest of two journalists living in exile who've been critical of President Felix Tshisekedi. Africa regional editor Will Ross told me more about those being targeted.

So has the army got no chance of capturing the rebel leaders themselves? No.

The Islamic Republic's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran would not negotiate under pressure from what he called a bullying country.

And Will, the Congolese government has offered the US a deal involving the country's vast mineral wealth. What do we know about that?

The people of Greenland go to the polls next week at a time when Donald Trump says he wants to take over the autonomous Danish territory. He hasn't ruled out using military force, arguing the US needs the world's biggest island for security. And then there's the minerals and rare earth metals beneath the ice. So what do the Danes think?

Our Europe correspondent Nick Beek travelled to Copenhagen to judge the mood.

From Bogota to Berlin, thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday to celebrate International Women's Day. But it's not just a day to bang drums and sing. Many countries are reflecting on the fight for gender equality. In Spain, recent statistics indicate that nearly 400,000 women had reported physical or sexual violence from a past or present partner in the last 12 months.

The newsroom's Madeleine Drury reports.

Tehran has repeatedly denied that it's planning to develop nuclear weapons, but has enriched its uranium supplies to near weapons-grade level. Parham Gabbadi from the BBC's Persian service told me more.

And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global News Pod. This edition was mixed by Rebecca Miller and the producer was Terry Egan.

The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernadette Keogh. Until next time, goodbye.

What's at stake for Iran if it refuses President Trump's demand for a deal?

So how concerned will the Iranian government be at this escalation in tension?

Parham Gabbadi. Now to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Fighting is intensifying in the Ukraine-held Kursk region. Ukraine's military says it was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in over 100 clashes on Saturday after Russian attacks killed at least 25 people overnight. The escalation follows the US limiting Ukraine's access to its military intelligence and satellite imagery.

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernadette Keogh, and in the early hours of Sunday the 9th of March, these are our main stories. Iran's supreme leader rejects the demand from Donald Trump to reach a nuclear deal with the US or face a potential military response.

Major Vladimir Omelyan, a former Ukrainian minister of infrastructure now serving on the front line, says this has crippled Ukraine's ability to anticipate Russian attacks.

America's shifting stance on Ukraine has caused grave concern in Europe. Neighbouring Poland has already announced military training for all adult men this week. And its Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, said this latest attack is what happens when you appease barbarians. Our Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse reports.

In Syria, the first major clashes between the new Islamist government and supporters of the toppled President Bashar al-Assad have taken place. Reports say hundreds of people have been killed in the Latakia and Tartus regions since the government force was ambushed on Thursday. Most of the dead are said to be civilians from the Alawite minority, some of them victims of massacres.

This woman, who has friends and family there, told us what she'd been hearing. She didn't want to be identified, so one of my colleagues has voiced her comments.

Poland's prime minister says overnight Russian air attacks on Ukraine are a result of appeasing a barbarian. Shock and fear in Syria's minority Alawite community as more than 600 civilians are reported to have been killed by Syria's security forces. Also in this podcast, South Korea's impeached president gets out of jail. And International Women's Day through the prism of Spain.

Dozens of Alawites have fled to Lebanon. From Damascus, our Middle East correspondent Lina Sinjab sent this report.

The United States executes dozens of people annually, but Friday was the first time for 15 years that a man was put to death by firing squad. Brad Sigmund was 67 and was executed in Columbia, South Carolina, where he'd chosen to be shot rather than being given a lethal injection or sent to the electric chair.

This more than two decades after he'd confessed to murdering his ex-girlfriend's parents, battering them to death with a baseball bat. Paul Moss spoke to our correspondent in Washington, Merlin Thomas, and asked her first why Brad Sigmund had made that choice.

Still to come on this podcast what the Danes think of Donald Trump's plan to take over Greenland.

South Korea's impeached president, Yoon Sung-yul, has walked out of a detention centre in Seoul after being released. He'd been held on accusations of insurrection after a failed attempt to impose martial law in December. Mr Yoon was met by huge crowds of his supporters, waving flags as he left the prison and greeted them.

Mr Yoon was released after prosecutors decided not to appeal against a court's decision to free him on technicalities. He's still suspended from duties and his criminal and impeachment trials continue. Andrew Peach got more on this from our sole correspondent, Jean McKenzie. Every day we get something I think we're not quite expecting.

Now to a chance meeting that led to an unlikely friendship and ended up changing hundreds of people's lives. Australian Louise Plemming played tennis professionally in the 1990s and still travels the globe as a commentator and elite coach. But during Covid, she volunteered at a soup kitchen where she met a homeless man called Brian Turton.

Brian had always dreamt of a professional tennis career and even played on the circuit in Australia in his late teens. But after developing mental health problems, he found himself living on the streets. Their friendship led to Louise setting up the charity Rally Forever, which uses tennis to help people get back on their feet and gave Brian work as a coach.

As couples around the world have just been celebrating Valentine's Day, we're starting with a truly modern transatlantic love story. It has everything. An American with a broken heart, an elderly dog, a German pilot in shining armour and a happily ever after in Switzerland. And as Nicky Cardwell reports, it all began with a tearful plea for help on social media.

Their friendship featured in an ABC documentary.

Louise spoke to my colleague Katie Smith.

And you can hear more inspiring sports stories on Sports Hour wherever you get your podcasts. Over the last few decades the number of people living in Ireland who can speak Gaelic has almost doubled. In fact the language app Duolingo says roughly one million are actively learning Irish at any given time. As well as technological advances there's been a big change in attitudes towards the language.

Belfast-based graphic designer Rachel Brady runs Askeliger, a small independent business selling colourful designs adorned with Irish phrases. She's been speaking to The Happy Pod's Ella Bicknell.

Rachel Brady. You might have heard our interview last week with the amphibian expert who's helped breed endangered Chilean Darwin frogs at London Zoo. Well, this week we wanted to tell you about another amphibian rescue project.

Every spring, a tiny army of toads, frogs and newts hops, crawls and wriggles on a perilous journey across a country road in southwest England, heading to their ancestral breeding lake. Sadly, money gets squashed by cars. But now, thanks to a road closure and dedicated volunteers spending more than 600 hours on a toad patrol, the casualty rate has gone from 62% to 6%.

Sheila Gundry from the conservation charity Frog Life is a toad patrol volunteer. She spoke to Amal Rajan.

And that's all from The Happy Pod for now. But if you, like Adri and Niklas, have an unusual romance story, we'd love to hear about it. As ever, the address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. This edition was mixed by Matt Hewitt and the producers were Holly Gibbs and Rachel Bulkeley. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernadette Keogh. Until next time, goodbye.

Yeah. Adri Pendleton and Niklas Strutavao. And if you have an unusual or dramatic story about how you met your other half, we'd love to hear about it. Send us an email or a voice note to globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. Now to love of a different kind that's led to a son saving his dad's life twice.

This is The Happy Port from the BBC World Service.

When David Andrew developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, his 12-year-old son Joshua donated bone marrow that helped him beat the disease. Now, ten years later, Joshua has also given his father one of his kidneys. Joshua and David, who are from London, are both recovering well and spoke to Stephen Nolan starting with that first life-saving donation when Joshua was a child.

How a cry for help on social media led to love and marriage. I got a man who's completely obsessed with me. I love it.

Yes. Yes. Also saving your dad's life twice.

Joshua Andrew and his dad, David. We all know that eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones can make a huge difference to our well-being. But with food prices rising around the world, it can be difficult to maintain a healthy diet, especially if you don't know how to cook nutritious meals from low-cost ingredients. So a project here in the UK is teaching people to do just that.

And organisers say those taking part can save around $1,200 a year. Myra Anubi spoke to Alicia Weston, who started Bags of Taste.

Joshua gave stem cells when he was 12 and has now donated a kidney. How learning to cook at home is saving people money and improving their health... and a chance encounter that led to a project using tennis to help homeless people.

Yeah, I sometimes cry.

Alicia Weston. And you can hear more about this and other schemes helping those on low incomes on People Fixing the World, wherever you get your BBC podcasts. coming up in this podcast.

Why Gaelic is growing increasingly popular in Ireland.

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernadette Keogh, and in the early hours of Tuesday 25th February, these are our main stories. On the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the US and French presidents discussed the conflict at the White House.

Judith Morris reporting. In the US, the heads of various government agencies have found themselves issuing conflicting advice in the wake of a demand from Elon Musk that all federal workers outline by email what they did at work last week.

While some agencies, such as the Department of Transport, have told staff to respond, others, including the FBI and the Department of Defence, have told their staff to hold off on replying. Here's our North America correspondent, John Sudworth.

John Sudworth. It's long been accepted that if you're paralysed from a spinal cord injury, it's incurable. But the results of a medical trial using electronic stimulation therapy has produced some very interesting results. It was a very small study, just 10 participants.

Over a year, they took part in regular physical rehab sessions, hooked up to pads which transmitted electrical pulses into the dormant spine. Claire Trevedi was paralysed when a group of abnormal blood vessels in her spinal cord burst. She explains the effects the trial has had on her.

Tara Stewart is chair of Spinal Research, which funded the pilot. Tara also took part in the trial after a horse riding accident left her paralysed from the chest down.

Up until President Biden left the White House last month, there was little sign that America or Europe was willing to try to end the war in Ukraine anytime soon. But President Macron said that so much had changed since Mr Trump took office that it was time to speak to Mr Putin.

Tara Stewart. To China now, where the government is taking on a unique approach to encourage couples to get married. Rates of marriage are currently the lowest they've been since record-keeping began in 1986, with just over six million couples tying the knot in 2024, over a million less than the year before. Celia Hatton's been looking at this for us.

So they're blaming the cost and the extravagance that these things are a deterrent to people getting married?

And why do the authorities think more young people should get married? Why do they believe in marriage so much?

Celia Hatton. The American jazz and soul singer Roberta Flack has died at the age of 88. She won four Grammys during a career that spanned some five decades. But in 2022, it was announced that she was suffering from ALS, a form of motor neurone disease that left her unable to sing. Electra Naismith looks back at her life.

Elettrin A. Smith on the life of soul icon Roberta Flack, who's died at the age of 88. A marathon runner has set a new Guinness World Record for completing the course on crutches. Chris Terrell, who was 72 when he ran the Brighton Marathon last April, finished it in six hours, 11 minutes and 11 seconds. Our correspondent Ben Schofield has been to meet him in Brighton in southern England.

Listening to both presidents was our reporter in Washington, Bernd Debusman.

Ben Schofield reporting. And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global News Pod.

This edition was mixed by Caroline Driscoll and the producer was Stephanie Tillotson. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernadette Keogh. Until next time, goodbye.

At the UN, the US has joined Russia and North Korea in voting down an EU resolution which condemns the invasion and backs Ukraine's sovereignty. The man poised to become Germany's next Chancellor, Friedrich Metz, says defence, the economy and what he called the unresolved issue of migration are among the key issues facing a new government.

And what did they agree on substantively? And also, were there any areas of real difference?

And did President Zelensky appear to be mentioned?

Bernd Debusman. It's Ukraine where the war really matters. So what do Ukrainians think about a possible peace deal? Our correspondent in Kiev, James Waterhouse, has been finding out.

James Waterhouse in Kiev. Well, in New York, the cracks in the Western alliance which we heard about earlier have also been played out at the United Nations General Assembly. It's adopted resolutions drafted by Ukraine and its European allies which America described as pursuing a war of words rather than an end to the war.

In a further sign of those gaps between the USA and its once close allies in the West, the UN Security Council has adopted an American resolution, backed by Russia, which calls for an end to the war. Our correspondent Neda Taufik is at UN headquarters.

a potential breakthrough for people with spinal cord injuries. And the singer Roberta Flack has died. When he was last in office, President Trump considered his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron as one of his closest allies in Europe. Their friendship was on display again at the White House when Mr Macron became the first European leader to meet Mr Trump there since he returned to office.

Neda Taufik in New York. The man poised to become Germany's next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, says defence, the economy and what he calls the unresolved issue of migration are among the key issues facing a new government.

His Conservative Christian Democrats came first in yesterday's elections and he promised to hold coalition talks soon with the third-placed Social Democrats to have a cabinet in place by Easter. But he's ruled out bringing the far-right AFD into government, even though they finished second. And he now faces protracted negotiations. Our Berlin correspondent Jessica Parker sent this report.

Jessica Parker Still to come in this podcast, a marathon runner has set a new Guinness World Record for completing the course on crutches.

Survivors of a stabbing attack in England have spoken for the first time about what happened last July when three girls were murdered by a teenager. 26 children were taking part in a yoga and dance workshop in the seaside town of Southport when Axel Rudacabana, who was 17, burst in wielding a knife.

A teacher and a 13-year-old girl both helped children to safety despite having been stabbed themselves. They've spoken to the BBC's special correspondent Judith Moritz. A warning, parts of her report are distressing.

The French president's priority was to find common ground with him on ending the war in Ukraine and ensuring that Europe plays a role in any negotiated peace with Russia. President Trump said that he wanted a deal with President Putin as soon as possible.

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernadette Keogh, and in the early hours of Monday 24th February, these are our main stories. Friedrich Metz is in poll position to become Germany's next Chancellor, as exit polls show his centre-right grouping has won the general election. The far-right AFD appears to have come second.

Lina Sinjab. Sudan's army says it has ended the rapid support forces' nearly two-year siege of El Obeid, the strategic capital of North Kordofan. On Saturday, the RSF paramilitaries and allied groups signed a charter to form a rival administration in rebel-held areas, a move condemned by Sudan's foreign minister. Our Africa regional editor Richard Kagoi reports.

Richard Kigoy. In its latest update on the Pope's health, the Vatican says the 88-year-old remains in a critical condition but hasn't had any further respiratory attacks. Pope Francis is spending a tenth night in hospital in Rome where he's being treated for double pneumonia. On Saturday, a statement said his condition had worsened and he'd been given oxygen as well as blood transfusions.

Our correspondent Sarah Rainsford is at the Vatican.

The Film Awards season is well underway. As we record this podcast, the Screen Actors Guild Awards are about to start and in a week's time, Hollywood will be hosting the Oscars. Tom Brook has been the BBC's film correspondent since the early 1980s and has been listening back to some of the thousands of interviews he's done over the years with famous film stars, starting with Bette Davis.

The Social Democrat Party, led by Olaf Scholz, is predicted to have had its worst ever result at 16.5%. Speaking after the exit poll, he said he was realistic about the scale of the potential defeat.

Ethan Hawke and the BBC's film correspondent Tom Brook were speaking there to Paddy O'Connell. And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service.

Use the hashtag Global News Pod. This edition was produced by Judy Frankel and mixed by Caroline Driscoll. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernadette Keogh. Until next time, goodbye.

The anti-immigration far-right AFD welcomed the result. Addressing supporters at the party's headquarters in Berlin, the co-leader Alice Weidel said it was an important moment.

James Kumarasamy spoke to the BBC's Jessica Parker at the headquarters of the Christian Democrats.

Vladimir Zelensky has told reporters he'd be willing to give up his presidency if it would help bring peace to Ukraine. Tens of thousands of mourners in Lebanon have taken part in the funeral of the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Also in this podcast, the Sudanese army says it's made another significant advance against its rivals.

Hayao Funke is an expert on the AFD who studies youth movements. James Kumarasamy asked him what he made of the AFD's results.

Hiya, Funka. On the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's full invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky has said he's willing to give up the presidency of Ukraine if it would help bring peace to his country and speed up admission to NATO. But he told a news conference in Kiev that he wasn't prepared to pay any price for peace.

Our Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse was there and sent this report.

My colleague, Julian Woreka, has been speaking to a 23-year-old Ukrainian soldier, Ivan, who signed up to fight on day one of the full-scale war and is now serving on the Eastern Front.

The BBC's veteran film correspondent remembers interviewing Betty Davis. Exit polls from Germany's snap general election suggest the conservative Christian Democrats have won with about 30% of the vote. The far right, alternative for Germany, appears to have come second with around 20%, its highest national share ever. If confirmed, the figures are in line with polling before the election.

Ukrainian soldier Ivan speaking to Julian Warricker. Still to come, the Vatican says the Pope remains in a critical condition. We get an update.

There were extraordinary scenes in Beirut on Sunday morning when, in a defiant show of strength, tens of thousands of people packed into a stadium in Lebanon's capital for the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than 30 years until he was assassinated by Israel five months ago. Many were heard declaring, we follow your steps, Nasrallah.

Fighter jets from Israel flew overhead. The country's defence minister, Israel Katz, said they were sent as a clear message to anyone who threatens the Jewish state. I heard more from our correspondent in Beirut, Lina Sinjab.

And it wasn't just Hassan Nasrallah's funeral, but his successors as well.

Speaking afterwards, Friedrich Merz promised to waste no time during negotiations to form the next government, but he's made clear that it will be without the AFD.

Well, clearly Hezbollah can still mobilize its supporters. But how weakened has it been, Lina, not just by the war in Israel, but by a change of leadership in Syria?

In Romania, President Claus Iohannis has resigned three months before a delayed election to choose his successor. He's been under growing pressure from opposition parties in Parliament and on the streets and made this announcement earlier today. I want to thank Romania and the Romanian citizens.

Our Central Europe correspondent Nick Thorpe told me more about Romania's political crisis.

It also saw tens of thousands of Palestinians returning to their homes, many of which have been destroyed following the Israeli bombardment. But now Hamas has said it's postponing the next scheduled handover of hostages due for this Saturday because it says Israel has failed to keep to its side of the ceasefire agreement.

Now, just remind us of the background of why that election was annulled.

And just next steps politically?

Nick Thorpe. Children are among the biggest casualties of war. There are, of course, the deaths and the injuries, but there's also the education that they're denied. In Sudan, for instance, nine out of ten schools have been forced to shut down because of the conflict. This week, the BBC World Service has launched an Arabic edition of the award-winning education programme Dars, meaning Lesson,

to try to give children in these war zones a chance still to learn. Hanan Razek reports.

But they did add that the door remained open to this weekend's hostage prisoner exchange. Our correspondent in Jerusalem, Wura Davis, told me more about the reasons for Hamas's decision.

Scheduled power cuts are continuing for millions of people in Sri Lanka after the country's electricity grid went dark on Sunday. The government says a primate monkeying around in a power station is to blame. The incident has caused some Sri Lankans to go ape on social media, questioning the reliability of the island nation's power grid. Our South Asia correspondent Yogita Lamai has the details.

It's almost a quarter of a century since the first Bridget Jones film, in which the American actor, Renée Zellweger, was cast as that most British of icons. She was Oscar-nominated for her portrayal of the 30-something singleton, who counted her calories, had a disastrous love life and wore big pants on the wrong occasions.

Now Bridget's back in a fourth film, Bridget Jones, Mad About the Boy, in which she's a widow with two children following the death of her husband, Mark Darcy. And she's just starting to date again, having a fling with someone more than 20 years her junior. Our entertainment correspondent, Colin Patterson, has been speaking about all this to the actress.

Renée Zellweger talking to Colin Paterson. And that's all from us for now, but there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global News Pod.

This edition was mixed by Caroline Driscoll and the producer was Isabella Jewell. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Bernadette Keogh. Until next time, goodbye.

Well, how much of a risk is that, Wura, that that could happen?

Well, Israel's prime minister is still under a lot of pressure from the families of hostages to get them home under a ceasefire deal. What's been their reaction?

There have been protests outside a court in Jerusalem in support of two Palestinian booksellers who've been accused of stocking texts that incite terrorism. Authors, journalists, international diplomats and local MPs have demanded that Mahmoud and Ahmed Muna be immediately released amid growing fears that this could be part of a campaign of harassment of Palestinian intellectuals.

Mahmoud and Ahmed own the educational bookshop in occupied East Jerusalem, which is frequented by Palestinians, Israelis and foreigners alike. Police requested that the booksellers be held in custody for eight days. The court granted an extension of just one day.

Speaking to reporters outside court, Nasser Odeh, a lawyer representing the booksellers, accused Israeli authorities of suppressing Palestinian free speech.

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Bernadette Keogh, and in the early hours of Tuesday 11th February, these are our main stories. Hamas is delaying the release of hostages, blaming Israeli violations. Israel responds by putting its military on high alert. There have been protests in Jerusalem after two Palestinian booksellers were arrested.

Ayad Mona is the brother of one of the bookshop owners who was taken into custody.

Ayad Muna. Israel's police, Ministry of Justice and the Criminal Division of the District Attorney Office said they were unavailable to be interviewed. The police sent us a statement. As part of the investigation, it says, detectives encountered numerous books suspected of containing insightful material. The Israel police will continue its efforts to thwart incitement and support for terrorism.

Two planes are heading to Venezuela, carrying migrants deported by the Trump administration. These are the first Venezuelan nationals repatriated since Mr Trump's return to the White House. The flights are part of a wider programme to repatriate some of those who fled the country over the past decade. Our America's regional editor, Leonardo Rocha, tells us more.

As you say, no diplomatic relations between the two countries. So how did the deal come about?

So two planes carrying a significant number of migrants. What's going to happen to the people when they get back to Venezuela?

The Trump administration begins deporting migrants back to Venezuela.

In August of 2022, a man launched a frenzied attack against the British-American author Salman Rushdie, ahead of a book event at an education institute in New York State. The suspect is said to have plunged a knife into Mr Rushdie repeatedly, leaving him blind in one eye and nearly killing him. Speaking to the BBC last year, Mr Rushdie described his experience of the attack.

Today, 27-year-old Hadi Matar, who's accused of carrying out the attack, has gone on trial in upstate New York and pleaded not guilty. Salman Rushdie previously spent several years in hiding after the publishing of the Satanic Verses, a fictional story inspired by the life of the Prophet Muhammad, which led to threats against his life.

Our BBC North America correspondent, Neda Tawfiq, has been following the case.

The trial has opened of a man charged with trying to murder the author Salman Rushdie and how a monkey brought Sri Lanka's energy grid to a standstill.

Neda Tawfiq. Only a handful of countries have hit a UN deadline to submit plans on cutting greenhouse gas emissions to help keep global temperature rises below a key threshold. That's despite warnings that the world is fast running out of time to keep such rises below 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. Danny Eberhard has more details.

Since a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect just over three weeks ago, a fragile peace has seen 21 hostages held in Gaza being released in exchange for more than 500 Palestinian prisoners, much to the delight of their families and supporters.

Still to come in the Global News podcast, Renée Zellweger on returning for another Bridget Jones film. It's 25 years on.