Israel and Iran carry out fresh airstrikes

Summary

Global News Podcast – Episode Summary: “Israel and Iran carry out fresh airstrikes”

BBC World Service | Host: Will Chalk | June 8, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on the rapidly escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, as both nations exchange missile strikes, challenging the recently established fragile truce in the region. The episode also covers pivotal events around the globe including the latest updates on the Peruvian presidential election, Armenia’s pro-Western political turn, Xi Jinping’s rare visit to North Korea, cutting-edge obesity drugs, Russia’s recruitment of African soldiers for Ukraine’s war, and notable moments in the world of tennis.

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1. Israel & Iran Exchange Airstrikes

Escalation Details

• [00:53]: Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel, retaliating for Israeli strikes on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
• Israel responded with airstrikes deep inside Iranian territory, reportedly targeting missile launch sites and air defense bases.
• The retaliations follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s explicit warning to Israel not to hit back, aiming to preserve the April truce among the US, Israel, and Iran.

Key Analysis

• Kashiyar Junaidi (BBC Persian, Washington) [02:42–05:37]:
  • "Iran reported launching three rounds of ballistic missiles towards northern Israel…Israeli officials have said all of these ballistic missiles were intercepted and no casualties were reported." [03:21]
  • Israeli air raids caused reported explosions in major Iranian cities, but official details on damage or casualties remain sparse.
  • Junaidi ties the escalation to broader regional and international stakes, including U.S. politics and the impending World Cup:
    “President Trump is very much concerned that these attacks would lead to the relaunch of the war and would derail the peace talks...,” emphasizing Trump’s diplomatic predicament [04:52].

Notable Quotes

• “This ceasefire has been very fragile from day one.”
  — Kashiyar Junaidi [04:52]
• “It seems that at this point, Iran has walked into a trap by Israel...helped Israel to achieve its goal to harm this process.”
  — Kashiyar Junaidi [05:13]

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2. Forced Evictions in East Jerusalem

Human Impact Report

• [05:37]: More than 900 Palestinians face eviction or demolition orders, largely initiated by Israeli settlers.
• [06:17]–[09:35]:
  • Yoland Nell reports from Albustan, where homes are demolished to pave the way for a “biblically themed park.”
  • Fayez Awad: “They destroyed the future and everything else. We spent our whole lives building this house. They brought us back to zero again, me and my children.” [06:45]
  • 97-year-old Yusra Queda, whose home faces demolition: “They want to kick us out of here…We’re counting on God.” [07:05]
  • Aviv Tatarsky (Ir Amim): “The Israeli government…rushing to cement a reality of Jewish supremacy in the city that does not really tolerate Palestinian rights.” [08:53]

International Perspective

• Diplomats present in the neighborhood to observe and show support for a two-state solution, despite current Israeli political direction.

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3. Peru’s Presidential Election Stalemate

Results and Political Stakes

• [09:35]–[12:31]: Exit polls show the right-wing Keiko Fujimori and leftist Roberto Sanchez nearly tied.
  • Sanchez claimed a narrow lead in the rapid "quick count."
  • Fujimori calls for patience and insists on counting every vote.

Candidate Profiles

• Keiko Fujimori: Conservative, pro-market, tough on crime; well-known lineage, controversial legacy.
• Roberto Sanchez: Leftist, favors state intervention, wealth redistribution; policies unsettling to financial markets but popular with those seeking change.

Notable Quote

• “Looking at how close it is suggests that this country is incredibly polarized still.”
  — Ione Wells [12:23]

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4. Next-Generation Weight Loss Drugs

Scientific Insight

• [12:31]–[15:30]: Dr. Marie Spreckley, University of Cambridge, explains ‘retatrutide’—a new obesity drug that not only curbs appetite but may increase fat burning.

Key Details

• Retatrutide combines GLP1, GIP, and glucagon to suppress appetite and promote energy expenditure.
• Early results are “extremely promising” but more trials and regulatory approvals are needed.
• “It needs to be safe, it needs to be effective. But this looks extremely promising and I'm very excited by this.”
  — Dr. Marie Spreckley [01:50]

Notable Q&A

• Owen Bennett Jones: “Does this open up the prospect of you can eat as much as you want?”
  Dr. Spreckley: “No...you still very likely have to decrease the energy you're taking in.” [14:11]

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5. Xi Jinping’s Visit to North Korea

Diplomatic Significance

• [17:48]–[21:34]: First visit by Xi Jinping to Pyongyang in seven years. Agenda likely includes trade, diplomatic symbolism, and missile testing controversies.

Analysis by Stephen McDonnell (Beijing)

• The trip completes a diplomatic “triangle” after Xi recently met Trump in South Korea.
• Missile tests are a friction point; China tolerates North Korea's provocations as a buffer against US troops.
• Kim Yo Jong (North Korean leader’s sister) asserts: “North Korea will, quote, never back down on its status as a nuclear armed state.” [20:46]

Memorable Moment

• “They'll put up with all manner of stuff from North Korea, missile tests...because as long as North Korea is there, they don’t really care that much...”
  — Stephen McDonnell [20:40]

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6. Armenia’s Pro-Western Election Outcome

Results and Geopolitical Impact

• [21:34]–[24:07]: PM Nikol Pashinyan declares victory against pro-Russian challengers, despite Moscow warnings and trade bans.
• Russia frames Armenia’s westward turn as echoing Ukraine’s prior path.
• U.S. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Pashinyan, posting “make Armenia great again” on Truth Social.

Correspondent Context

• Reyhan Dmitry (Armenia): “This country never held elections that were so closely watched by the outside world...” [23:10]

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7. Africans Recruited by Russia for Ukraine War

Ground Report

• [24:07]–[28:09]: BBC’s Sami Awami visits a Ukrainian POW camp housing African recruits who fought for Russia, many tricked into military service believing they had signed up for civilian jobs.

Human Voices

• Richard Kano (Sierra Leone):
  • “I have identity. I'm a Russian. I sign contact for Russia and I want to go back to Russia.” [26:07]
  • Kano’s daughter, Elsie (Freetown): “That's okay, because he hasn't achieved his dream yet. It's best that he stayed in Russia to achieve his dream than returning back to Serbia.” [27:08]
• Willie Macharia (Kenya): "I don't know how long it will take, but I know that one day I'll go back to Russia." [27:30]

Ukrainian Perspective

• Foreign Minister Andrei Sebilla: “They are the victims of these illegal Russian activities, illegal Russian propaganda. Sometimes they were invited to study in Russia and then suddenly they appear on the battlefield.” [27:44]

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8. Alexander Zverev Wins First Grand Slam

Sporting Highlight

• [28:53]–[31:12]: German tennis player Alexander Zverev secures his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros after years of heartbreak.

Commentator Reactions

• Russell Fuller:
  • “He’s for so long been the nearly man in tennis...it feels as though even though it’s later in his career, he’s finally got over the line..." [29:44]
  • “Chaotic. A spectacular tournament of upsets…” (on this year’s tournament) [31:03]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening & Iran-Israel Tensions: [00:53–05:37]
• East Jerusalem Evictions: [05:37–09:35]
• Peruvian Election: [09:35–12:31]
• Weight Loss Drug Innovations: [12:31–15:30]
• Xi Jinping’s N. Korea Visit: [17:48–21:34]
• Armenia Election: [21:34–24:07]
• African POWs in Ukraine-Russia War: [24:07–28:09]
• Zverev Grand Slam Win: [28:53–31:12]

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Notable Quotes Recap

• “This ceasefire has been very fragile from day one.”
  — Kashiyar Junaidi [04:52]

• “They destroyed the future and everything else.”
  — Fayez Awad (Palestinian resident) [06:45]

• “Looking at how close it is suggests that this country is incredibly polarized still.”
  — Ione Wells [12:23]

• “It needs to be safe, it needs to be effective. But this looks extremely promising and I'm very excited by this.”
  — Dr. Marie Spreckley [01:50]

• “He’s for so long been the nearly man in tennis...it feels as though even though it’s later in his career, he’s finally got over the line.”
  — Russell Fuller [29:44]

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Overall Tone

The episode balances urgent breaking news and in-depth international reporting, providing clear-eyed analysis and emotionally resonant accounts from correspondents and those affected by current events. The voices of experts, eyewitnesses, and officials—alongside thoughtful context—capture the tense and complex mood of global affairs at a time of heightened uncertainty.

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Transcript

[Will Chalk]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

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[Will Chalk]

this is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Will Chalk and in the early hours of Monday 8th June, these our main stories. Iran and Israel are firing missiles at each other once again. Both sides too are warning that they won't be backing down. Donald Trump had explicitly told Israel not to retaliate. So where does this leave the fragile truce that's existed since April? With the Peruvian presidential election seemingly on a knife edge, we will hear from our correspondent there. And the pro Western prime minister of Armenia has claimed victory after a general election seen as a contest with pro Russian interests. Also in this podcast, China's President Xi Jinping arrives in North Korea for his first visit in seven years. And how the next generation of weight loss drugs might not only limit appetite but also burn away fat.

[Dr. Marie Spreckley]

It needs to be safe, it needs to be effective. But this looks extremely promising and I'm very excited by this.

[Will Chalk]

Plus, for the first time since Boris Becker did it more than three decades ago, a German tennis player has won a men's grand slam. When does a ceasefire cease to be a ceasefire? A pertinent question right now, with the truce between Iran and the US and Israel that was agreed back in April looking more frayed than ever. First, Iran, angry that Israel had continued its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, launched missiles at Israel. Then, in the hours before we recorded this podcast, Israel retaliated and fired back at Iran. It is exactly what Donald Trump had warned Benjamin Netanyahu not to. Kashiyar Junaidi from BBC Persian is in Washington.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

For us, it's been a very tense period in the Middle east in the past few hours. Immediately after the Israelis hit some Hezbollah positions in the southern outskirts of Beirut, Iranian Officials came out and said that they will retaliate these attacks and retaliation is what happened. Iran reported launching three rounds of ballistic missiles towards northern Israel. And of course, the Israeli officials have said all of these ballistic missiles were intercepted and no casualties were reported. And immediately after this, we heard from President Trump that, okay, the Iranians shot their missiles. Now it's time to go get back behind the table and restart the negotiations. And he also called on the Israelis not to retaliate against Iran. And of course, the Israelis seems that they just ignored President Trump's warning. And some time ago, there were reports of Israeli air force jets striking targets in central and western Iran, as the IDF reported. There has been reports by Iranian state media that explosions have been heard in Tehran, in Tabriz, which is in northwestern Iran, and in Isfahan, which is central Iran. First responders in Tehran have reported that there has been no report of damage in urban areas. And also the provincial governor of Isfahan has announced that there has been explosions in Najafabad, a city close to Isfahan. But this is all the reports that we've received so far. We haven't heard from possible casualties or possible damages. There are some unconfirmed reports that the Israelis had targeted some missile launch bases and air defense bases. That's what we've heard. There are some unconfirmed reports that one of the targets was Tehran's Mehrabad Airport. But these reports have to be confirmed yet. And I have to mention, it's early morning in Tehran and we are waiting to hear more from the targets and the possible casualties of these attacks.

[Will Chalk]

Now, you mentioned that Donald Trump warned Israel not to hit back, which is exactly what Israel did. That means Israel is out on its own here, does it not?

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

This ceasefire has been very fragile from day one. President Trump is very much concerned that these attacks would lead to the relaunch of the war and and would derail the peace talks. And it seems that at this point, Iran has walked into a trap by Israel because Israel wasn't very happy with the possibility of a deal between Iran and the US as it was reported, Iran just helped Israel to achieve its goal to harm this process. Of course, President Trump is also concerned that just before the World cup, which the US Is also hosting, starts such an attack, such escalation of situation in the Middle east would divert attentions from the World cup, which is very important for President Trump himself.

[Will Chalk]

Kasha Junaidi from BBC Persian in Washington. There's been a rise in the number of Palestinians being forced from their homes in occupied East Jerusalem. According to UN figures, some 200 Palestinian households, it's about 900 people are facing eviction cases filed against them in the Israeli courts, mostly by settlers. Israel sees the whole of Jerusalem as its capital. Palestinians want the east to be the capital of their hoped for future state. Our Middle east correspondent Yelam Nell has been to meet Palestinians whose homes are being taken over or demolished.

[Yoland Nell]

From a hillside beneath Jerusalem's walled Old City, I watch a Palestinian house being torn down. Israel is accelerating its efforts to to move Palestinian residents out of the neighborhood below. So I've just come down to this plot in Albustan. The bulldozers have moved away. The top floor of the Awad family house is now just a mess of mangled metal bits of concrete slabs.

[Sami Awami]

They destroyed the future and everything else. We spent our whole lives building this house. They brought us back to zero again, me and my children.

[Yoland Nell]

Fayez Awad despairs. There's long been an Israeli plan to build a biblically themed park here to be run by a settler group. But in the past two years, some 60 homes have gone, more than half of Albustan. The Jerusalem municipality says houses were built illegally. Palestinians say it's almost impossible to get Israeli permits. 97 year old Yusra Queda lives with the constant stress of a demolition order. They want to kick us out of here, she tells me. We're counting on God. In nearby parts of East Jerusalem, Israel uses laws allowing takeovers of land owned by Jews before the state was created in 1948 so that settlers can move in. Palestinians can't claim back property within Israel which they owned historically. In the Old City's Muslim quarter, Israeli flags fly over a Jewish school. It was originally abandoned a century ago when Jews fled during riots. Wow, you've got the golden dome of the rock and then the silvery Al Aqsa. But a Muslim guard, the father of Mufid Basha, kept the building safe in return for being allowed to live in part of it. Nearly 6060 years after Israel captured this area in the Six Day War, his family is now being evicted by the government.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

I don't have another house.

[Yoland Nell]

What do you think your father would think if he knew this was happening now?

[Stephen McDonnell]

He will be very angry. You know he keep the bless the same everything and this is a gift, what we get from him.

[Yoland Nell]

Israel's annual Jerusalem Day flag march has increased increasingly become a display of dominance and racism by the far right. But last month, as Israeli ministers joined in the event in the Old City, Israeli peace activists also came out in force. Aviv Tatarsky is from the group Iramim, which believes the city should be shared.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

We are working for this goal. For decades we have failed. Today, the Israeli government, all restraints are off. They are rushing to cement a reality of Jewish supremacy in the city that does not really tolerate Palestinian rights or maybe even Palestinian presence in Jerusalem.

[Yoland Nell]

Back in Albustan, I join a tour of foreign diplomats. Their countries support the creation of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. But with current Israeli ministers saying they're acting to be bury that idea, Palestinians say it's time for the international community to stand up for international law.

[Will Chalk]

Yoland Nell reporting from East Jerusalem. Next to Peru and a presidential election runoff that appears to be too close to call. After voting on Sunday, exit polls suggest there's very little to choose between the right winger Keiko Fuhimori and her left wing rival, the congressman Roberto Sanchez. Our South America correspondent, Ione Wells has been following development in the Peruvian capital Lima.

[Ione Wells]

We've just had the results of a so called quick count which is essentially a sort of more rapid version of the official results which are still to come. Interestingly, although Keiko Fuhimori had a marginal lead over Roberto Sanchez in that exit poll, in this very quick count, he seems to be ever so slightly ahead of her on 50.3% of the vote. Now, the official results are still yet to be finalized. They are still being counted as I speak. But I think that has certainly energized Roberto Sanchez's camp. He's already been addressing supporters in the capital, essentially claiming this is a victory. Keiko Fuhimori, however, at a hotel in a middle class neighborhood of the capital where supporters are gathering here, has also been addressing the press and supporters, essentially asking people to wait, saying that this could take some time, even some days, and is essentially urging that every single vote be counted. And we don't jump to assumptions before everyone has. So I think at the moment, certainly Roberto Sanchez is claiming this as a victory already. She certainly urging caution at this stage.

[Will Chalk]

And for people who aren't familiar, you've got two drastically different candidates here. So there's a lot at stake, isn't that.

[Ione Wells]

That's right. They both have very, very different visions for the country. Keiko Fuhimori is one of the most well known faces in Peruvian politics. She's a conservative who's run four times now to be president. She very much aligns herself with free market ideologies. She wants to increase US investment in Peru, for example, but she's also pledged a very hard line on crime and violence, something which her late fear father, the former president Alberto Fujimori, was known for. He was eventually jailed for crimes against humanity. But his supporters saw him as someone who tackled violent insurgencies and brought a lot of social programs to some of the poor areas of Peru. Roberto Sanchez, on the other hand, is very much a classic left wing South American politician. In some ways he wants to expand the state, he wants to give the state more control over Peru's natural resources for review the tax system. He says that this will address inequality and redistribute wealth, although some of his policies have certainly spooked some of the financial markets, even though his supporters say that they will address inequality and help to redistribute wealth more fairly. So we do have two very different visions for the country and I think looking at how close it is suggests that this country is incredibly polarized still.

[Will Chalk]

Ione Wells speaking to me from Peru. Right, let's talk about weight loss drugs like Ozempic and WeGovy. Around 100 million people around the world are already taking them. Their long term impact on society is still to be seen. But trials have shown that by making people lose weight, they are also reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. And now there's a new drug on the horizon, retatreide, which scientists say goes one step further. It doesn't just suppress your appetite, but burns fat as well. Dr. Marie Spreckley is a specialist in prevention of diabetes at the University of Cambridge. Owen Bennett Jones asked her to explain how retatrutide works.

[Dr. Marie Spreckley]

So this one has the addition of glucagon. So we had Simaglutide which was Ozempic and it was GLP1. And then we had Tirzepatide which was mounjaro, that had GLP1 and GIP. And this one now has GLP1, GIP and glucagon. So this is another additional components GLP1 and GIP mainly work on reducing appetite and increasing blood glucose control. And now the emerging evidence is suggesting that glucagon also really helps with energy expenditure and fat utilization. But this is emerging and they're looking into this now.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

So you expend more energy or it sort of feigns expending more energy and therefore that's what reduces the fat.

[Dr. Marie Spreckley]

Yeah, it helps with energy expenditure. So usually when people lose weight, unfortunately metabolic rate also goes down, but this may potentially alleviate some of that.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

So this, I mean does this open up the prospect of you can eat as much as you want?

[Dr. Marie Spreckley]

No. No. And again this is very much emerging. So we need to look into how these mechanisms work. If you're struggling with excess weight, you still very likely have to decrease the energy you're taking in.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

You know, some of the articles about this are talking about its use in diabetes, but is that the most important thing or is the most important thing for most people weight loss?

[Dr. Marie Spreckley]

So for patients with type 2 diabetes, that often goes hand in hand with excess weight. So 80 to 90% of individuals who have type 2 diabetes also tend to have a weight problem. So not everyone, but often it goes hand in hand. Absolutely. And blood glucose control obviously is very relevant to type 2 diabetes, which is one of the benefits of these medications.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

You've made the point that more testing is needed. How long before this generation of drugs might get to the market?

[Dr. Marie Spreckley]

So just specifically, we need to go through multiple trials and we need to get through all the approvals and we need longer term data. It really just depends on there are other trials ongoing to see what their outcomes are going to be. Approvals need to be applied for as well in various countries. So it really depends on all of those steps in between. So I can't unfortunately give you a conclusive response, but hopefully, you know, within the next two years.

[Will Chalk]

Dr. Marie Spreckley speaking to Owen Bennett

[Russell Fuller]

Jones

[Will Chalk]

still to come in this podcast, could the number of Africans enlisted by Russia to fight in Ukraine have been underestimated?

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

Sometimes they were invited to study in Russia and then suddenly they appear on the battle.

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[Yoland Nell]

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[Will Chalk]

This is the global news podcast An Invincible Friendship the words of Xi Jinping ahead of his state visit to North Korea later today in this first trip to Pyongyang in seven years, Mr. Xi will hold talks with Kim Jong Un in a bid to kickstart trade between the two countries, which has been in the doldrums since COVID I asked our China Correspondent Stephen McDonnell what's on the agenda for this visit.

[Stephen McDonnell]

Not surprisingly, we don't have one because we're fully reliant on the readout from the state controlled Chinese and North Korean media outlets and sometimes we don't even find out about it until either well into the trip or even after he's gone. What they did, you can imagine there'd be some sort of visit to some sort of site and then talks where they'll discuss their friendship etc etc and how they can try and further this relationship. When North Korean leaders have come here, the Chinese have kind of encouraged them to just ease up a bit on the full tilt authoritarianism. I know people are going to think that sounds weird, but it's true. I mean, they take them to cities which have flourished with an open market economy to try to say to them, look, you can still retain political control and have all of this. And of course North Korea's well behind China on that. I mean, it's a bit of a basket case of an economy. They struggle to feed their people at the best of times, so you can see what the Chinese would show off, but it's hard to think what the North Koreans might want to show off to Xi Jinping. It could well just be a sort of more of a historic thing.

[Will Chalk]

And with China in its position as almost the center of the world in some ways, you know, it's got these ties with North Korea and Russia but it's also got these relationships with the likes of Donald Trump to maintain.

[Stephen McDonnell]

Yeah, exactly. And if you think of Xi Jinping's triangle of interaction over the last sort of six months, the North Koreans and Russians have come here for the military parade. Xi Jinping's gone to South Korea where he met Donald Trump. And so then it kind of makes sense that you'd have to complete the triangle, if you like, with him then going to North Korea. But he hardly goes anywhere. This is, I think, his first international trip this year and that he's gone to North Korea is really significant. He's not just packing up his bags for anyone. So in that way, the North Koreans will be quite impressed. I'm sure they will be discussing Donald Trump and the west and South Korea and how that should all be treated, especially given that, as you say, Xi Jinping has had talks recently with Donald Trump.

[Will Chalk]

Well, another thing that might be on the agenda is missile tests, because Pyongyang has recently been doing some. Do you think that will be something that they'll be discussing?

[Stephen McDonnell]

It's a testy issue if they do bring that up, because the Chinese government doesn't like North Korea doing all this missile testing and destabilising the region. And China want to have a buffer, basically. They don't want to have a united Korea with US troops on the border of China. And so they'll put up with all manner of stuff from North Korea, missile tests, ranting and raving, blood curdling threats of violence from the North Koreans, because as long as North Korea is there, they don't really care that much that it's a bit of a basket case, as long as it's stopping the US troops from being on the border with China were Korea to be at some point unified. But we have just heard from Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong. According to her, North Korea will, quote, never back down on its status as a nuclear armed state. So she's come out and said this just before Xi Jinping's visit. So I guess that's a way of saying, in case you had any ideas, China, that we're going to wind back our nuclear program. Well, you can Forget it.

[Will Chalk]

Stephen McDonnell speaking to me from Beijing. Another election to update you on now this one, a pull between east and west for ar, and it looks like the west has come out on top. The country's Prime Minister, Nicole Pashinyan, has declared victory in Sunday's election. Early results showed him well ahead of his two main challengers. That's the Russia based businessman Samvel Karapechian, followed by the Armenia alliance of former President Robert Kochuyan. Mr. Pashinyan's governing civil Contract Party's success comes despite threats from Moscow and claims of Russian interference. Armenia and Russia are technically allies, but Moscow has compared the former Soviet republic's ambitions to join the European Union to the path it claims triggered its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin has warned Armenia that if it moves too far towards Europe, it could suffer the same fate as Ukraine. Here is what the newly re elected Prime Minister Nicole Pashinyan had to say to reporters. On June 7, 2026, regular elections to

[Stephen McDonnell]

the national assembly were held and as

[Will Chalk]

a result of the elections the Civil

[Russell Fuller]

Contract Party won and it is the

[Will Chalk]

Civil Contract Party that will form a single party government. I express my gratitude to all the

[Russell Fuller]

citizens of the Republic of Armenia who cast their votes.

[Will Chalk]

Our correspondent in Armenia, Reyhan Dmitry, is following developments and gave us this update.

[Reyhan Dmitry]

This country never held elections that were so closely watched by the outside world in the run up to these elections since Russia imposed a number of bans on Armenian produce. Armenia is a member of the Russia led Economic Union, so that is going to hurt the economy here. Russia has also warned against Armenia forging closer ties with the EU, but only last month Yerevan hosted over 40 European leaders for the European Political Community summit. Right in this square we've seen President Macron going for his morning jogs and of course those visits by European leaders were seen as an endorsement of the incumbent, Nicole Pashinyan. There has also been a very direct endorsement by the US President Donald Trump, who only last week posted on Truth Social urging people in Armenia to make Armenia great again.

[Will Chalk]

Reyhan Dimitri in Armenia Russia and Ukraine have recruited military personnel from all over the world to fight in their war, but the number of African soldiers joining up on the Russian side could be far higher than previously thought. According to the Ukrainian government, nearly 3,000 African fighters have been recruited by Moscow and more than 300 have been killed on the battlefield. A handful of governments, including Kenya and Ghana, have raised concerns over their recruitment and the fate of those who've been captured. The BBC's Sami Awami gained rare access to a prison prisoner of war facility in western Ukraine, where African men are now caught between war, politics and an uncertain future.

[Sami Awami]

I'm in a dining room and the prisoners are having lunch. They have bread, they have soup and porridge sprinkled with some meat on top of it. I see access to this camp is tightly controlled. The media is invited here every Month as part of Ukraine's effort to show the world it is complying with international standards on prisoners of war. Inside, I meet Lud Beverly, a former soldier from the Republic of the Congo. He spent seven years in Russia and speaks fluent Russian.

[Stephen McDonnell]

I was at the training center for foreign military personnel for the Naval Polytechnic Institute in Russia.

[Sami Awami]

From the food to the health care, the facility can feel almost ordinary. But nothing about it is. It holds captured fighters from across the world. One in eight of the men here are from Africa.

[Stephen McDonnell]

That's why sometimes during interviews, among them

[Sami Awami]

Richard Kano from Sierra Leone. He said he thought he was going to work as a security guard, but he still has hope of a better life, just not back home. If you are released here and you are given an option or a chance to choose whether to go to Russia or go back to Sierra Leone, where would you go?

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

I would 100% choose to go back to Russia.

[Sami Awami]

Why?

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

I have identity. I'm a Russian. I sign contact for Russia and I want to go back to Russia.

[Sami Awami]

Richard says he did not choose to join the Russian Army. He believed he was signing a contract for a security job only to find himself in a military camp. Russia is widely accused of launching an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, a claim the Kremlin rejects, arguing it acted to protect Russian speaking populations and counter what he describes as expanding security threats from NATO.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

Hello.

[Will Chalk]

Good day, sir.

[Sami Awami]

I went to visit Richard's family in Freetown, and the reality he left behind is clear. His daughter Elsie lives with her mother and two younger sisters in a cramped makeshift home of corrugated iron and scrap metal. It's about 2 by 2 meters.

[Yoland Nell]

They are fighting for me too, to have a better life.

[Sami Awami]

When I spoke to your dad, he also said that he would like to go back to Russia.

[Will Chalk]

How do you feel about that?

[Yoland Nell]

That's okay, because he hasn't achieved his dream yet. It's best that he stayed in Russia to achieve his dream than returning back to Serbia.

[Sami Awami]

That sentiment echoes across the camp. Not necessarily a desire to fight again, but a sense that home is no longer an option. 23 year old Willie Macharia is from Kenya.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

I don't know how long it will

[Will Chalk]

take, but I know that one day

[Stephen McDonnell]

I'll go back to Russia.

[Sami Awami]

And yet Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrei Sebilla, does not see the African prisoners of war as enemies.

[Kashiyar Junaidi]

They are the victims of these illegal Russian activities, illegal Russian propaganda. Sometimes they were invited to study in Russia and then suddenly they appear on the battlefield.

[Sami Awami]

For now, they wait and remain trapped in a war that is not theirs and facing home countries that are either hesitant or unwilling to try to bring them back.

[Will Chalk]

Sami Awami, reporting from Ukraine. The Kenyan government said in March that it had agreed with Russia that Kenyans would no longer be eligible to be enlisted. And after interviewing those prisoners of war, you just heard the BBC asked the Congolese government if it had engaged Ukraine over its POWs. We received no reply. We also put the same question to the Sierra Leonean government, and again we received no reply. Before we go, the man who was regarded as the best men's tennis player to have never won a major has now won a major with German Alexander Zverev beating Italian Flavio Caboli. Our tennis correspondent Russell Fuller watched Zverev win at Roland Garros. He's been speaking to Ankur Desai.

[Russell Fuller]

The relief will be enormous, I'm sure, because there were one or two shades of his first Grand Slam final in New York in 2020, where he led by two sets to love and lost a fifth set, tiebreak and the title to Dominik Thiem of Austria, who was watching today. Both players in this final were just as tense as those two had been in New York, really struggling to swing freely through the ball because so much was on the line. Kaboli does not have the experience of playing in a Grand Slam final before Zverev does, but had lost his three previous matches and having lost the fourth set on a tie break, he was comfortably the better player in the deciding set and credit must be given to him for that as he won it by six games to one. And certainly that made crossing the finishing line finally that much easier. There was little resistance from Caboli in the final set.

[L]

He's for so long been the nearly man in tennis and he's had such dramatic moments on Chatrier as well, having had that a horrific injury against Rafa Nadal when he had to retire in the semi final. He lost when he had the lead against Alcaraz in the final on that court as well previously. So it feels as though even though it's later in his career, he's finally got over the line and maybe it could propel him to maybe more Grand Slam success in the future.

[Russell Fuller]

Yes, that's the great unknown. He is 29 years of age. He had come very close, as we have been saying, and this was an opportunity for him and that brought with it its own pressure. I personally don't think it matters who wasn't here or who lost early, but he knew that he had an opportunity with Carlos Alkarath absent through injury, and Yannick Sinner losing in the second round. He was my favorite from that point, and that's because of the way he's played at Roland Garros before, the way he plays most of the time on the men's ATP tour. But that does bring with it those extra pressures. And there was a wobble today, but he was still the one lifting the Coupe de Mousquetaire at the end.

[L]

Russell, how would you sum up this tournament as well, a teenage winner in the women's side of the draw, Maya Hualinska's fantastic journey to the final, some dramatic exits as well, the likes of Yannick Sinner, who is the overwhelming favorite. How would you sum up the last two weeks in Paris?

[Russell Fuller]

Chaotic. A spectacular tournament of upsets on both the men's and the women's draw. I cannot remember that happening in the 12 or 13 years I've been doing the job.

[Will Chalk]

Russell Fuller speaking to Ankur Desai. That's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email [e-mail] we are also on XBCWorldService. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. We have a sister podcast, the Global Story, which goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Daniel Daniel Fox. The producer was Emma Joseph. The editor is Karen Martin and I'm Will Chalk. Until next time. Goodbye.

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