US officials are in Moscow to discuss proposals backed by Ukraine for a 30-day ceasefire. A senior Kremlin aide has said they give nothing to Russia. Also- a new UN report details accusations of sexual violence in Gaza
Chapter 1: What are the main topics discussed in this episode?
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Valerie Sanderson and at 1400 hours GMT on Thursday the 13th of March, these are our main stories. A Russian aide to President Putin says the US ceasefire deal is only a temporary help to Ukraine. It comes as President Putin is told his forces are in the final stages of driving Ukrainian troops from Russia's Kursk region.
A new UN report details accusations of widespread sexual violence in Gaza and on the West Bank.
Also in this podcast... You don't try as hard when you're in a relationship and you've met the person that you want to be with, so you do tend to become a bit complacent. So I can see that happening.
New research suggests marriage triples the risk of obesity in men. We asked people in London if they agree. Let's start with the latest on the war in Ukraine. US officials are in Moscow to discuss proposals backed by Ukraine for a 30-day ceasefire. We'll have more on that shortly.
Meanwhile, President Putin has been told his forces are successfully driving out Ukrainian troops from the Russian border region of Kursk. On Wednesday, the president made a surprise visit there for the first time since Ukraine seized territory in the region. Earlier, the defence ministry in Moscow said its troops had recaptured the key town of Suja.
Speaking to reporters by phone, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was confident that a Russian victory in the region was imminent.
The president said it had to be done as soon as possible.
The president said that this must be done as soon as possible, as long as it takes to preserve the lives of our military and civilians. There is no doubt that the Kursk region will be liberated quite soon.
I heard more from our Europe regional editor, Danny Eberhardt.
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Chapter 2: Why is the Ukraine ceasefire proposal controversial?
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And now to New York.
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Chapter 3: What is the current situation in the Kursk region?
Dr Alicia Chika-Mekalajic from Warsaw's National Institute of Cardiology suggested women cannot accept living with obesity and are more often stigmatised by society, so tend to work to keep the weight off. But it's not all brilliant for brides. Marriage markedly ups the risk of being overweight compared with unwed couples. 39% higher for women. In married men, a whopping 62%.
Scientists study the health of more than 2,400 people. Average age, 50. Experts analyse participants' weight and factors, including body shape, marital status and mental health. So do we let ourselves go in married life? I asked these married men near the BBC building in central London what they thought.
You don't try as hard when you're in a relationship and you've met the person that you want to be with. So you do tend to become a bit complacent. So I can see that happening.
Some men probably do get a little bit bigger than normal. You just feel more relaxed. So your body shape doesn't sort of affect you anymore. Whereas when you're single and you're looking for a relationship, you want to present yourself as the best you can. I don't find it true.
I mean, it's obviously down to what you do and how you keep yourself active. It's down to you. Do you think that there's something true that once you get in a relationship, you're like, oh, I can't be bothered to try anymore. I can just let myself go. No, not for me. Not for me. Obesity rates have exploded internationally, doubling over the past 30 years.
Interestingly, poor mental health or a lack of basic medical knowledge also had a significant impact on the risk of women becoming unhealthily overweight. but this wasn't found in men. The Polish team insists education was key. Health knowledge and health promotion across the lifespan could reduce the worrying phenomenon of increasing levels of obesity, they concluded.
Food for thought there from David Lewis. And that's it 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, 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 at Global News Pod.
This edition was mixed by Jack Wilfan and the producer was Stephanie Prentice. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Valerie Sanderson. Until next time, bye-bye.
On our podcast, Good Bad Billionaire, we explain how the world's billionaires made all their money.
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