Julia McFarlane

Still to come in this podcast...

Scientists here in Britain name nearly 200 new plants and fungi, but some are already at risk of extinction despite only just being discovered.

Protests in Iran are now entering their 12th day and there are reports they are spreading to towns and cities that haven't been affected until now.

On Wednesday, two police officers were killed in the western town of Lordogan.

At least 36 people have been killed since the protests began over worsening economic situations.

Paham Gabbadi from BBC Persian told James Copnell more.

Paham Gabbadi.

Cambodia says it's extradited a billionaire businessman from China who's accused of masterminding a vast cryptocurrency scam in which trafficked workers were lured to labour camps and forced to defraud victims around the world.

Chen Zhou was one of three Chinese nationals arrested on the 6th of January following a joint investigation with the US into transnational crime.

Our Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head told me what he knows about the case.

Jonathan, last year, you reported in nearby Myanmar from this booming city, which was also being accused of enriching itself from these types of scams.

Why are these cyber fraud empires really booming in Southeast Asia in some of the poorest countries in the region?

Jonathan Head.

Scientists at the world-renowned Botanic Gardens at Kew here in London, along with their collaborators, have named nearly 200 new plants and fungi in 2025.

The list includes some of the weirdest new finds in the plant world, including a zombie fungus from Brazil, a blood-stained orchid from Ecuador and a fiery plant named after a Studio Ghibli character.

But despite only being recently discovered, some are already at threat of extinction.

Professor William Baker, a senior research leader at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, told Tim Franks about some of the new plants.

Professor William Baker.

And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later.

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