Ukraine and the US reach a deal on mineral resources. Donald Trump says it’ll help repay US military aid. Also: New investigations into war atrocities in the DRC and a Chinese animation breaks box office records.
Chapter 1: What is the new mineral deal between the US and Ukraine?
This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Andrew Peach and in the early hours of Wednesday the 26th of February these are our main stories. Ukrainian officials say a deal's been reached between Kiev and Washington on the joint exploitation of Ukraine's mineral resources.
Britain is to fast-track planned increases in defence spending two days before Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets President Trump in Washington. Also in this podcast, we hear from survivors of a prison fire in the city of Goma in eastern Congo.
We were woken from our sleep by a fire in the middle of the night. We started to scream, fire, help, but there was no one there and the doors were padlocked shut.
Ukrainian officials say a deal's been reached between Kiev and Washington on the joint exploitation of Ukraine's mineral resources. At the time of recording this podcast, the details haven't been made public, but reports suggest the US has dropped some of its more drastic demands. Rare earths, titanium, graphite and lithium would be hugely lucrative for investors and for Mr Trump.
Speaking from the Oval Office, he said there could be a way of recouping hundreds of billions of dollars of U.S. military aid to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion three years ago.
Lots of equipment, military equipment, and the right to fight on. originally the right to fight. Look, Ukraine, I will say they're very brave and they're good soldiers, but without the United States and its money and its military equipment, this war would have been over in a very short period of time.
Officials in Kyiv say the terms of a deal have been reached and President Zelensky will fly to Washington on Friday, just a week after Mr Trump called him a dictator. For more on this, I've been speaking to our correspondent in Washington, Bernd Busman, but first, Abdul Jalil Abdul Rasulov in Kyiv.
We have spoken to Ukrainian officials in the presidential office here and on the condition of anonymity. They did confirm that terms have been agreed. And judging from the media reports, we can say that the deal includes not just critical minerals and rare earth metals, but also it covers oil and gas. And Ukrainian media also is talking about ports and other related infrastructure.
The agreement would establish a fund into which Ukraine would contribute 50% of revenues that will come from developing mineral resources and infrastructure. And importantly, there is this reference that this fund would invest, reinvest the capital in projects in Ukraine. And this is certainly a positive signal for Ukrainian officials.
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Chapter 2: How did Donald Trump justify the mineral agreement?
The family of a French surgeon accused of raping or assaulting hundreds of children over 25 years has been giving evidence at his trial. It's the largest child sexual abuse case in French history. Our correspondent Andrew Harding is in the western town of Vannes where it's taking place.
Joël Lusquanek sat quietly in court as two sons and an expert witness struggled to make sense of the surgeon's double life. His youngest son called him a cold, intelligent man... The expert witness said the 74-year-old was calculating and manipulative. He also quoted Leskwanek's ex-wife, saying she'd praised him as a gentle, ideal father.
The former hospital doctor has already confessed to multiple heinous acts, and in the coming weeks he will be confronted with evidence from his own diaries, in which he details and boasts of raping children in his care. A few streets away, dozens of his alleged victims and their lawyers have watched proceedings from an overflow room, scattered with emotional support dogs.
For now, the focus is on Lusquanek's actions, but France's medical establishment is also in the spotlight, with evidence suggesting that clear warnings about the surgeon's behaviour and his prior convictions were brushed aside.
A Spanish city has honoured two Senegalese immigrants for their heroism in trying to save a gay man from being beaten to death by a homophobic mob almost four years ago. Ibrahima Diak and Magat Ndiaye were given the status of adopted sons of their city, an informal way of recognising outstanding bravery. The story from Mark Duff.
Towering over A Coruña's diminutive mayor, the two heroes of the hour looked bashful, a bit overawed even, as they were praised for their altruism.
As with all the best heroes, they were modest to a fault.
This was Ibrahima Diak's response to his award.
I was born in a family that doesn't have much, but they gave me many things more valuable than money. They gave me fundamental love. They gave me everything I have with love and affection. They gave me respect, education and, above all, values.
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