Jackie Leonard
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Janhavi Mule from BBC Marathi. Police in Liberia are investigating the cause of a huge fire that destroyed much of the country's parliament. No one was in the building at the time. The police say four people are being questioned, including the speaker Jonathan Fanati-Kofa. He is at the centre of a power struggle. Will Ross reports.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Several children have died during a crush at a holiday event in southwestern Nigeria. The crowd of about 5,000 people had gathered for a carnival in Basharun in Oyo State. Nigeria's National Emergency Services say they've deployed a team to help provide assistance to the victims. Chris Owoko reports from Lagos.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
In the Syrian capital Damascus, our international editor Jeremy Bowen met Ahmed al-Sharra, who was relaxed during the interview and was wearing civilian clothes. This is his report.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Chris Ewokor in Nigeria.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Brazil's Congress has been voting on austerity measures proposed by the left-wing government of President Lula da Silva. The voting comes as the local currency continues to lose value against the US dollar. America's regional editor Leonardo Rocha reports.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
It was supposed to be an eight-day mission, which has now extended to beyond eight months. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sonny Williams have been stuck on the International Space Station since their spacecraft malfunctioned in June, and now they've been told they'll have to wait until at least the end of March before they can return home. Our science correspondent is Pallab Ghosh.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
So how are they doing physically and mentally? This must be taking quite a toll.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
So they've still got plenty to occupy them.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Pallab Ghosh. A small record label has reissued what it believes is the oldest recorded country song. The track, Thompson's Old Grey Mule, dates from 1891 and is sung by Louis Vaznier in New Orleans in the United States. The music was first released on a wax cylinder. Now a speciality label, Archeophone Records, has restored and released the record. The quality of the audio is a bit faint.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
The voices we will hear are Richard Martin, the founder of the label Archeophone Records, and the first person we'll hear is John Levin, a wax cylinder collector who discovered it.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Richard Martin, the founder of Archaeophone Records, and before him John Levin, a wax cylinder collector, and of course Louis Vaznier. And finally, we're off to Lapland, the official home of Father Christmas, also known as Santa Claus. The region covers parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Thousands of tourists visit the region every year, generating significant revenue.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Our correspondent Erika Benke put on her warmest winter coat and travelled to Rovaniemi, a town in the very heart of Finland's Christmas industry.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Well, Erica Benke with that report. And just a reminder for all podcast listeners who are on the nice list, on December the 25th, we will be looking back at all the good things that happened this year in the 2024 Happy News Review. Something to look forward to if you deserve it. And that's it from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
If you would like to comment on this edition or the topics covered in it, do please 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 Caroline Driscoll. The producer was Liam McSheffery. Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Jackie Leonard, and until next time, goodbye.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
An out-of-control Indian Navy vessel has collided with a passenger ferry off the coast of Mumbai, killing at least 13 people. And police in Liberia are investigating a fire that has destroyed much of the country's parliament. Also in this podcast, what's believed to be the earliest recording of a country song.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Jackie Leonard and in the early hours of Thursday, the 19th of December, these are our main stories. Syria's new de facto leader has told the BBC that the country is exhausted by war and poses no threat to Western countries or its neighbours.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Well, after that interview at the presidential palace in Damascus, I asked Jeremy about his thoughts on the interview with the Syrian de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharra, his demeanour, his tone.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
That was the BBC's international editor, Jeremy Bowen. Well, Ahmed al-Sharah's Islamist group, Hayat Tariq al-Sham, is now trying to lead the formation of a new national administration. HTS had run Idlib almost like a mini statelet, with taxes, public services and a military force. But they have also faced protests over what's seen as an authoritarian rule.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
So can the way they govern Idlib give us clues about how they're planning to lead the rest of Syria? Our Middle East correspondent Hugo Bashega reports.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharra, says his country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or the West. In an interview with the BBC in Damascus, he called for sanctions on Syria to be lifted. Al-Sharah, who has now discarded his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jalani, led the lightning offensive that toppled the Assad regime less than two weeks ago.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
That was Hugo Bashega. Well, following the rapid developments in Syria, the BBC World Service has launched a special audio news and information service for people in Syria and surrounding countries. It will be mainly in Arabic, but there will also be some English programming. The service is on 24 hours a day on 93.0 FM and on medium wave for eight hours a day on 720 and 639 kilohertz.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Research by the BBC suggests that Palestinian news outlets have found it much more difficult to reach an audience through Facebook during the Israel-Gaza war. A comprehensive analysis of the social media platform's data shows that newsrooms in Gaza and the occupied West Bank suffered a sharp drop in audience engagement after October 2023.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
The BBC's cyber correspondent Joe Tidy told Tim Franks more about the findings.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
He is the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, also known as HTS, the dominant group in the rebel alliance. He said HTS should be delisted as a terrorist organisation. It is designated as one by the UN, the US, EU and UK, among many others. It started as a splinter group of al-Qaeda, from which it broke away in 2016.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Joe Tidy speaking to Tim Franks. Rescuers in India have been searching for survivors after a crowded ferry capsized following a collision with a Navy speedboat. Video footage shows the smaller vessel circling the ferry before colliding head-on. The Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Police have been involved in the search for survivors.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
Janhavi Mule from BBC Marathi is following developments from Mumbai.
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
So what are the authorities doing now?
Global News Podcast
Syria's de facto leader says the country is not a threat to its neighbours or the west
And as you say, the search is still ongoing. What sort of conditions are the rescuers working in?
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Torsten Benner, director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin. Now, it's long been thought that the staple diet of squirrels was mainly seeds, nuts, fruits and acorns. But now scientists in California have made a remarkable discovery, observing ground squirrels hunting, killing and eating voles.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Dr Jennifer Smith, the lead author of the study in Contra Costa County, California, told Evan Davis what she observed.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare's chief executive, was shot dead outside a hotel in Manhattan earlier this month. Our correspondent, Neda Tawfiq, spoke to us from outside the court in New York.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Behavioural biologist Dr Jennifer Smith.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
A group of care home residents set a new record as the world's oldest choir.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
President Macron has promised to rebuild the French island territory of Mayotte, where a cyclone caused widespread destruction last Saturday. He's on a visit to the territory to assess the destruction wrought by the storm. More than 30 people are known to have died and thousands are still missing. Mr Macron promised to tackle the crisis as quickly as possible.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Our correspondent Mayenne Jones is in Mayotte.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Thousands are still missing, aren't they? Are there still hopes of finding survivors?
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Mr Macron is there. We've heard a little from him. He was promising to tackle the crisis as quickly as possible. Tell us a bit more about what he's doing and what sort of response, what sort of welcome he's received there.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
That was Mayani Jones in Mayotte. To Nigeria next and an update on a deadly crush that we told you about in a previous edition of the podcast. The police now say 35 children are known to have died and six others are critically injured. It's thought more people than expected turned up at the high school in Ibadan after organisers had promised free food and money.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
The BBC's Chris Sawako reports from Abuja.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Chris Ewokor. In football, the takeover of Everton by the Texas-based Friedkin Group has been completed. The deal is thought to be worth in excess of £400 million or $500 million and makes Everton the 10th club in the Premier League to be under majority American control. It also ends a turbulent time for Everton and its supporters, as the BBC's chief football writer Phil McNulty explains.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
That was Phil McNulty. A group of care home residents in Britain, many with dementia, have set a new Guinness World Record for being in the world's oldest choir. The average age of the group is 94 and they were crowned after performing at a Christmas carol concert in Stratford-upon-Avon in central England.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
The singer, Tony Christie, who is best known for his song Is This the Way to Amarillo, performed as the warm-up act. But at 81, he was too young to be in the choir. The BBC's Phil Mackie was in the audience.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
And you mentioned the overlapping federal and state cases. Tell us a bit more about the significance of federal charges.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
That report by Phil Mackie. And that's it from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you'd like to comment on this edition or the topics covered in it, do please 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 Javid Ghilani. The producer was Liam McSheffrey.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Jackie Leonard, and until next time, goodbye.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
This was the formal arraignment. What happens next? Talk us through the process and the sort of timeframe we're looking at.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
That was Neda Tawfiq in New York and staying in the U.S. where the last outstanding criminal case against Donald Trump has been thrown into disarray. That's after the prosecutor bringing the case, Fannie Willis, in the state of Georgia, was disqualified. Our correspondent in Washington, Rowan Bridge, explained what the case against Mr Trump was about.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
And why did it end up in the Court of Appeal for Georgia?
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Jackie Leonard, and in the early hours of Friday, the 20th of December, these are our main stories. Luigi Mangione, who's accused of killing the head of America's biggest health insurance company, has appeared in court in New York for the first time after being extradited from Pennsylvania.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
I introduced you by saying that the case had been thrown into disarray, but where does this actually leave things?
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Rowan Bridge in Washington. The French Prime Minister, François Bayrou, has praised the courage of Gisèle Pellicot following a mass rape trial in which her ex-husband and 50 other defendants were found guilty. Dominique Pellicot was jailed for 20 years for organising the repeated drugging and rape of his former wife by dozens of strangers over a decade.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
The Prime Minister said everyone in society should take up the struggle of Giselle Pellicot to eradicate violence against women. Ms Pellicot says she does not regret making the trial public and throughout she has received widespread support. Our Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield sent us this report on the last day of proceedings.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
The French Prime Minister has praised the courage of Giselle Pellicot, the woman at the center of the mass rape trial that has ended with the convictions of her husband and 50 other men. And President Putin says he's ready to compromise on the war in Ukraine. Our Russia editor talks us through his end-of-year news conference.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
It lasted about four and a half hours. In Moscow, President Putin used his end-of-year news conference and phone-in, as he always does, to try to reinforce his authority. He said Russia had become much stronger since it invaded Ukraine in 2022, and there had been progress in what the Kremlin always calls the special military operation.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg gave us this assessment from Moscow.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
He also spoke about the killing of a senior Russian general in Moscow, didn't he?
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Now, obviously, you were there, Steve, and you've seen many of his speeches over the years. What's your assessment? Do you pick out anything that's changed?
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
That was Steve Rosenberg in Moscow. In November, there were two mysterious acts of vandalism under the Baltic Sea. Two fibre-optic cables were severed, one linking Finland with Germany, the other connecting Sweden and Lithuania. The German defence minister declared it must have been an act of sabotage and quickly suspicion zeroed in on a Chinese ship, a bulk carrier, which had been in the area.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
On Thursday, the Chinese authorities, who said they're conducting their own investigations on the vessel, invited officials from four of the affected European countries on board to observe those investigations. Torsten Benner is the director of the Berlin-based think tank the Global Public Policy Institute and has been looking into the security of submarine cables.
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
Tim Franks asked him first, what does he make of the visit to the Chinese ship?
Global News Podcast
Murder suspect Luigi Mangione faces charges in New York court
A surprise discovery about the diet of squirrels. We begin in New York. The man accused of gunning down the head of America's biggest health insurance company has made his first court appearance in the city after being extradited from Pennsylvania. Luigi Mangione is facing new US federal charges, including murder with a firearm and stalking, in addition to previous state charges.