World's oceans hit record-high July temperatures

Summary

Global News Podcast (BBC World Service)

Episode: World's oceans hit record-high July temperatures

Date: August 10, 2026
Host: Janat Jalil

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Episode Overview

This episode focuses on several key breaking news stories from around the world, leading with a troubling new climate milestone: the world's oceans have reached record-high temperatures in July. The episode also covers Ukraine’s escalating drone attacks on Russia and their domestic impact, the ongoing tit-for-tat shelling in Ukraine, developments in the investigation into a murdered South African detective, mass protests in India, upheaval at FIFA over leadership and integrity, new progress in the Tupac Shakur murder case, the effects of "forever chemicals" and documentary activism, and an exploration into the growing use of acupuncture in veterinary care.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. World’s Oceans Reach Record-High July Temperatures

• [02:03] The European Union’s Copernicus climate program reports that average sea surface temperatures (excluding the poles) reached nearly 21°C in July 2026, the highest July temperature on record.
• [03:10] Environment correspondent Matt McGrath highlights regional extremes: in parts of Western Europe, sea temperature anomalies were as high as 8°C above normal.
• Implications:
  • Marine heatwaves threaten sea life and disrupt marine ecosystems.
  • Warming seas contribute to sea level rise through thermal expansion, which, when combined with storms, increases flooding risk.
  • Feedback effects are worsening wildfires and droughts globally.
• Expert Warning:
  • Dr. Diana Urge Forsatz (UN Panel on Climate Change): "Unless we stop global warming, these records are continued to be exceeded and the situation will continue to get worse and worse." ([02:54])
• Compound Effects:
  • Drier soils and increased heat lead to cycles of vegetation growth and combustion, fueling wildfires.
  • Previous wet winters amplified vegetation, creating more fuel for fires in summer. ([04:29])
• Future Outlook:
  • McGrath is pessimistic about short-term prospects for reversing the trend, noting the added impact of El Niño and diminished political focus. ([05:15])

Notable Quote

• Matt McGrath ([03:10]):
  "In some parts of Western Europe, temperatures in the seas were 8 degrees Celsius above the local norm... When you see it on a local level, you see what's really happening in places like that... It has many implications for our oceans. We're creating marine heat waves of intensity which threaten sea life directly."

2. Ukraine’s Largest Drone Strikes on Russia

• [05:44] Ukrainian drones targeted the oil refinery in Nizhne Kamsk, deep inside Russian territory—one of the deadliest Ukrainian strikes.
• Impact:
  • At least 13 people killed (including one child), nearly 40 wounded.
  • Strikes caused fuel shortages in Russia, with the public increasingly aware of the war’s domestic effects.
  • Growing frustration among Russians, as more citizens "feel the consequences of the war in Ukraine." ([07:29])
• Strategic Shift:
  • Ukraine aims to hit military targets deep inside Russia, straining Russia’s logistics and making civilians feel war’s impact.
  • Russia responds with continuing shelling and missile strikes in Ukraine, with civilian casualties reported in Kharkiv region.

Notable Quotes

• Steve Rosenberg ([07:29]):
  "Russians are getting used now to waking up in the morning and hearing news reports that Ukraine has launched a major drone strike... Russians are more than ever feeling the consequences of the war in Ukraine."
• Dan Johnson ([09:50]):
  "Ukraine now has the capability to hit targets hundreds of miles into Russia... This strategy is designed to make the Russian people feel the impact of this war, to give them a taste of what Ukrainians have lived through for the past four and a half years."

3. South African Detective’s Murder Linked to Special Forces

• [10:44] BBC Africa Eye reveals evidence suggesting Lieutenant Colonel Franz Matiba was murdered by members of the South African Special Forces while investigating the disappearance of a suspected ISIS militant.
• Details:
  • Matiba was shot dead after pursuing a case involving alleged wrongful activities by Special Forces.
  • Ongoing trial for seven Special Forces members and others involved.
• Wider Implications:
  • Raises concerns over government accountability and trust in protection agencies.
  • Matiba believed to have been targeted for getting "too close to the truth." ([14:00])
• Emotional Testimony:
  • Matiba’s daughter, Basitsana, mourns: "I'm never going to hug my dad anymore. Why? Why my dad? Because he was doing his job. We need justice." ([14:47])

Notable Quote

• Brigadier Paulina Sekopella ([12:47]):
  "'Is the brother going to kill me? I'm going to die.' ... Two days later, [Matiba] was lured to a petrol station... He was shot dead shortly after."

4. Mass Youth Protests Over India's Civil Service Exam Scandal

• [15:45] Thousands protest in Ranchi, Jharkhand, over alleged manipulation in civil service exams—mirroring broader youth unrest after national medical exam leaks forced the education minister’s resignation.
• [16:39] Young Indians’ frustration over limited government job opportunities and examination corruption is reaching a boiling point.

Notable Quote

• Summary by Ambarasan Etirajan ([15:45]):
  "The demonstrations are seen as reflecting wider frustration among young Indians who see government examinations as a key route to employment in a country where millions compete for limited public sector jobs."

5. FIFA President Faces Calls to Resign Amid Integrity Crisis

• [18:35] Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, is under intense scrutiny after a failed attempt to bring private investment into the World Cup, raising widespread concerns about the integrity of football governance.
• [19:26] Open letter from three major confederations (UEFA, CONCACAF, Asian Football Confederation) questions Infantino’s leadership, with more than 136 national associations represented.
• [20:13] Despite opposition, Infantino might survive due to regional support, but his ability to unite FIFA is in question.

Notable Quote

• Dale Johnson ([19:26]):
  "There is clearly a case here that they feel that Infantino's position is untenable and they feel he should resign and there should be a new FIFA president as soon as possible."

6. Break in Tupac Shakur Murder Case

• [21:17] A major development in the decades-old unsolved murder of rapper Tupac Shakur: Dwayne "Keefi D." Davis, a former gang leader, is standing trial in Las Vegas.
• [21:51] Tupac’s cultural significance and the conspiracy cloud surrounding his murder are explored.
• [22:49] Davis’s own confessions in media and a memoir are central to the case, raising questions about self-incrimination and narrative reliability.

Notable Quotes

• Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty ([21:51]):
  "He kind of transcended being a commercially viable rapper into almost a political figure."
• Dr. Alex Mason ([23:41]):
  "It is Dwayne KE D. Davis against Dwayne KE D. Davis... He wrote a book. In the book, he claims to have been in the white Cadillac, to have supplied the weapon, to have known what was going on... But the judge has said... the book is going to go before the jury."

7. Michael Sheen Campaigns Against Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’

• [24:29] Actor Michael Sheen’s new documentary "Buried" uncovers the environmental and human toll of toxic chemical dumping in Wales and Alabama.
• [25:23] Sheen’s personal connection—having grown up nearby—makes this campaign especially poignant.
• [27:00] U.S. communities have succeeded in legal action and compensation—unlike their UK counterparts.
• Call to Action:
  • Sheen urges for a multinational effort to investigate and remediate toxic contamination, stating, "We have to find a way... that doesn't hold individual councils responsible... It has to be a multinational effort." ([28:35])
• Emotional Weight:
  • Sheen describes his shock at discovering unsafe levels of chemicals in his own blood and the heartbreak of seeing attorneys and scientists moved to tears by the stories.

Notable Quote

• Michael Sheen ([27:13] / [28:35]):
  "The people who are responsible for this have been able to get away with it, so I hope that this will spark enough outrage from the public to push to get something done about this."

8. Veterinary Acupuncture Gains Traction

• [29:42] ZooTampa in Florida has hired a full-time acupuncture therapist for animal treatment, with successful cases including manatees, birds, and elderly ducks.
• Science:
  • Dr. Alex Mason explains acupuncture mobilizes stem cells, increases blood flow, and enables pain relief in animals, mirroring human results. ([30:21])
• Conservation:
  • The therapy is used particularly for animals where conventional treatments are insufficient, with the goal to rehabilitate and release where possible.

Notable Quote

• Dr. Alex Mason ([30:21]):
  "It really works through increasing the body's healing response through mobilizing stem cells in the circulation, moving blood flow to the areas you're needling."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• World Oceans Temperature Record: [02:03] – [05:44]
• Ukraine Strikes Inside Russia: [05:44] – [10:44]
• South African Detective Murder Investigation: [10:44] – [15:45]
• Indian Civil Service Exam Protests: [15:45] – [16:39]
• FIFA Leadership Crisis: [18:35] – [21:17]
• Tupac Shakur Murder Case Developments: [21:17] – [24:29]
• Michael Sheen on Toxic Chemical Dumping: [24:29] – [29:02]
• Veterinary Acupuncture at ZooTampa: [29:42] – [31:42]

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• "Unless we stop global warming, these records are continued to be exceeded and the situation will continue to get worse and worse."
  – Dr. Diana Urge Forsatz [02:54]

• "Russians are more than ever, I think, feeling the consequences of the war in Ukraine."
  – Steve Rosenberg [07:29]

• "We need justice. Basit Sana, the daughter of France Matiba, ending that report..."
  – Janat Jalil [14:47]

• "He is the defendant, but he's also the star witness."
  – Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty on Keefi D. [23:41]

• "We have to find a way... It has to be a multinational effort to investigate this, support it, fund it, share data, share evidence."
  – Michael Sheen [28:35]

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This episode underscores the profound interconnections between environmental crises, human conflict and accountability, public trust in institutions, and activism—offering both expert analysis and deeply human stories from around the world.

Transcript

[Janat Jalil]

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[Janat Jalil]

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janat Jalil and at 15 hours GMT on Monday 10th August the these are our main stories. Scientists warn that the world's oceans have hit record high temperatures for July. Drones strike targets deep inside Russia in one of Ukraine's deadliest attacks yet. FIFA's embattled President Gianni Infantino faces yet more criticism from football confederations. Also in this podcast we hear how acupuncture is benefiting animals.

[Dr. Alex Mason]

It really works through increasing the body's healing response through mobilizing stem cells in the circulation, moving blood flow to the areas you're needling.

[Janat Jalil]

We start with more grim news about our warming planet. Scientists have found that the world's oceans were hotter last month than in any other July on record. In a new report, the European Union's Climate Change Monitoring Program, Copernicus says average sea surface temper temperatures outside the polar regions hit nearly 21 degrees Celsius in July. It also says that Western Europe experienced its hottest June and July on record, driven by the El Nino weather pattern developing in the Pacific. Diana Urge Forsatz from the UN's Panel on Climate Change said the data showed that urgent action was needed. Unless we stop global warming, these records are continued to be exceeded and the situation will continue to get worse and worse. More intensive heat waves, more intensive droughts, more intensive downpours, as well as more places where wildfires are burning up territories. And also the smoke is also very bad for an increasing area, our environment correspondent Matt McGrath told me.

[Matt McGrath]

More the figures from Copernicus the 20.96 degrees temperature for the oceans in July, the highest July recording that they've ever had. I think the average in some respects hides the details and the scale of the heating that's going into the oceans right now. So in some parts of Western Europe, temperatures in the seas were 8 degrees Celsius above the local norm that you'd expect for that time of the year. So when we give these global average figures and people say, well, you know, that doesn't sound that much when you see it on a local level. You see what's really happening in places like that, like in the Western Mediterranean. And this is happening in many, many parts of the world. And it has many implications, I think, for our oceans. We're creating marine heat waves of int capacity around the oceans which threaten sea life directly. But I suppose the biggest overall impact of the warming seas is the potential impact in sea level rise. Warming water expands that pushes that water up onto the land in different places, and that can have a tremendous effect when it's combined with storms, heavy winds and other natural phenomena like that. So, yeah, there's a whole range of things hidden in the data here that have real impacts in real people's lives all across the world.

[Janat Jalil]

And this comes on top of all the wildfires that we've seen across Europe and North America.

[Matt McGrath]

Yes, absolutely. We're seeing this, what's called a compound effect, where you have this drying out caused by the intense heat and that soil that dries out then reflects more heat back into the atmosphere, makes the conditions warmer. So you get a vicious cycle, if you like, of drying heat in the atmosphere, drying ground, drying out continuously. And that is leaving a real tinderbox of effect. And we've had in Europe and many other places a very wet winter just a few months ago. Now, it seems unbelievable to talk about it being a wet winter, but that winter fueled huge amounts of growth of grass bushes and other material trees, and they all provided extreme, I suppose, fuel for these fires that have lit in North America, in Europe and many other places too.

[Janat Jalil]

And Matt, can we turn this round? Is there still time?

[Matt McGrath]

I think it's going to be very difficult in the next year or two because we have the impact of El Nino driving up the oceans, making the oceans warmer. We'll really feel the full effect of that next year. So I think for the short term, it's going to be very, very. And longer term, you know, political attention on the climate question has waned considerably. I would be worried about that longer term. And I think short term we're going to see perhaps many more difficult hours, many more Difficult recordings of data over the next 12 months.

[Janat Jalil]

Matt McGrath, in what appears to be one of the deadliest air attacks by Ukraine on Russia so far, at least 13 people, including a child, have been killed by a drone strike deep inside Russian territory. Nearly 40 other people were wounded. Ukraine's military says it targeted an oil refinery in the city of Nizhne Kamsk in Tatastan, which lies a long way east of Moscow. But the Russian authorities say civilian sites were also hit. I got more details from our Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg.

[Steve Rosenberg]

Well, first of all, let me tell you a little bit about Nizhnikamsk. Yes, you're right, it's a long way away from Moscow. 950 kilometers or so. But clearly Ukrainian long range drones able to cover such long distances. Now, earlier today, the mayor of Nizhnikamsk announced that there'd been a drone attack, a Ukrainian drone attack on the city, on civilian and industrial targets. He said, he said there had been fatalities. A short while later, officials confirmed at least 12 people have been killed. The latest information we just received is 13 people now confirmed dead, at least 39 people wounded in attacks there. No official confirmation of which sites were hit. But as I say, this is a major industrial city, a major hub for Russia's oil refining and petrochemical industries. And I would imagine that more information about what was struck will come out through the morning.

[Janat Jalil]

And this is just the latest in a series of attacks by Ukraine, which has been stepping up strikes on Russian oil refineries in recent months, which have caused fuel shortages.

[Steve Rosenberg]

You know, Russians are getting used now to waking up in the morning and hearing news reports that Ukraine has launched a major drone strike on warehouses, on industrial facilities, on oil refineries. This has been going on for weeks now. And yes, this is having consequences in terms of strikes on oil facilities. These have sparked a fuel shortage in Russia during the summer. The situation isn't so bad in Moscow at the moment. The authorities have made sure about that. But fuel shortages remain in other parts of Russia. And because of that, Russians are more than ever, I think, feeling the consequences of the war in Ukraine. You know, for so long, so many people here kind of pretended that it wasn't happening or that they didn't feel in their own lives the effects, the consequences of the war. That has certainly changed now. And judging by recent opinion polls, judging by what people tell us on the streets, more and more people would like this war to be over.

[Janat Jalil]

Steve Rosenberg in Moscow. Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukraine have continued. Officials say five people were killed by Russian artillery in the Kharkiv region. Our Ukraine correspondent, Dan Johnson, who's in Kyiv, told us more.

In a small village close to the front line in Ukraine's east, Russian shelling, which hit residential areas there. The regional prosecutor's office says that five people were killed and that there is an investigation ongoing to gather evidence there into a potential war crime. It shows you the continued threat that people in the east close to the front line are facing. But right across Ukraine as well. There was an air raid alert here in Kyiv, potentially in response to what Russia suffered last night at the hands of Ukraine's long range drones. And the amount and distance of attacks have ramped up, especially over the last few weeks and months. Ukraine now has the capability to hit targets hundreds of miles into Russia and it is doing that repeatedly every night. There were hundreds of drones launched last night. The authorities here haven't, they haven't commented on the civilian deaths that we're hearing from Russia today, but they have confirmed that they struck that oil refinery and that there was an explosion and a fire. The head of Ukraine's unmanned Vehicles unit, essentially the drone unit, said that they were still assessing the consequences of that hit. But they consistently deny targeting civilians and said that this was a target carried out with the aim of reducing Russia's military capabilities. Ukraine feels it is on the front foot here. There is still that vulnerability with the lack of Patriot interceptors, meaning that Russian missiles still pose a real threat right across Ukraine. But the conflict is essentially frozen in the east. Ukraine has had some success in pushing the Russians back there and this strategy of increasingly taking the war into Russian territory is designed to hurt the Kremlin in terms of income damage. Russia's economy mean that there's less fuel and supplies getting to its military. But it's also designed to make the Russian people feel the impact of this war, to give them a taste of what Ukrainians have lived through for the past four and a half years.

Dan Johnson in Kyiv, BBC Africa Eye has seen exclusive evidence that suggests a South African police detective was killed by the country's Special Forces. France Matiba was looking into their alleged role in the disappearance of a suspected Islamic State group militant before he was found shot dead, said in his car on 6 August 2023. Motiba's family and former colleagues are now demanding justice. Seven special forces soldiers and one other are due to stand trial in connection with the detective's murder. Of those seven are accused alongside four others of kidnapping and murdering the suspected is militant. They deny the allegations for The BBC World Service Dino Matani has been investigating in South Africa.

[Dino Matani]

So this is the final road on Mathiba's last journey.

[Dale Johnson]

It is indeed. And we are about to, in just a few meters, approach the site where he died.

[Dino Matani]

On a Sunday evening in August 2023, Lieutenant Colonel Franz Matiba was found shot dead in his car by the side of the N1 motorway outside Pretoria. The 53 year old detective was a veteran of the Hawks, an elite police unit whose responsibilities include investigating crimes against the state.

[Janat Jalil]

He was the finest man. He was a trusted and loyal man. Yeah, that is how France was.

[Dino Matani]

Brigadier Paulina Sekopella was Matiba's commanding officer. She says Matiba was killed while investigating whether Special Forces soldiers were behind the disappearance of suspected IS militant Abdallah Abadiga in December 2022. Matiba had applied for a court order to force the military to hand over information. But after one meeting with the Special Forces, he made a chilling prediction to his boss.

[Brigadier Paulina Sekopella]

He said,

[Janat Jalil]

is the brother going to kill me? I'm going to die.

[Dino Matani]

Police say that two days later, on 6 August 2023, Matiba was lured to a petrol station in eastern Pretoria. Believed he would meet an informant. But they didn't show up. BBC Africa Eye has seen CCTV pictures which show Matiba driving away on the motorway with a black BMW following him. He was shot dead shortly after. Seven Special Forces soldiers and one other are due to stand trial in connection with the detective's murder. Of those, seven are accused alongside four others of abducting and murdering Abadiga. They deny the allegations.

[Janat Jalil]

Give me a lighter. You can just light the papers

[Dino Matani]

over a backyard barbecue. Colonel Tolle Fruchtenberg, a former counterterrorism police chief, tells BBC Africa Eye that South Africans should be concerned by Matiba's murder.

[Janat Jalil]

The lich killers of Matiba. These persons are supposed to protect us. Who can you trust? Can we trust our government?

[Dino Matani]

He believes Matiba was close to uncovering the truth behind Aberdeaga's disappearance. Colonel Fruchtenberg has revealed that before he went missing, Abadiga was being used as an intelligence asset. But he thinks his handlers underestimated him.

[Janat Jalil]

I cannot say which intelligence organization used him. Which intelligence organization, domestic or international? I will go that far. Most probably he's laying somewhere in a shallow grave.

[Dino Matani]

The BBC contacted the Department of Home affairs and the South African National Defence Force for comment. They did not respond. Meanwhile, three years on from Matiba's death, his daughter Basitsana says her family are still waiting for his killers to be held to account.

[Janat Jalil]

I'm never Can I hug my dad anymore? Why? Why my dad? Because he was doing his job. We need justice. We need justice. Basit Sana, the daughter of France Matiba ending that report by Dino Matani Police in eastern India have used tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of young people protesting against alleged manipulation in civil service examination in Yarkan State. Unemployed young people and students launched protests last month alleging wrongdoing in key exams. Last month, in a blow to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's authority, the education minister was forced to resign after similar nationwide demonstrations. Ambarasan Etirajan has more on these latest protests.

[Brigadier Paulina Sekopella]

Thousands march marched towards the state legislature in the capital Ranchi in eastern India, climbing over police barricades, holding placards and waving the national flag. The demands include overhauling of the examination system. The Jharkhand government has sought to defuse the protests by accepting some demands. Several members of the civil service body overseeing the examinations have stepped down. The young protesters are demanding a federal investigation into the irregularities. The protest follows weeks of youth led demonstrations in Delhi that led to the resignation of the country's education minister over national medical school entrance test paper leaks. The demonstrations are seen as reflecting wider frustration among young Indians who see government examinations as a key route to employment in a country where millions compete for limited public sector jobs.

[Janat Jalil]

Ambrasan Etirajan still to come in this podcast we hear from the amazing actor campaigning to bring justice to communities devastated by toxic chemical waste dumped by factories.

[Michael Sheen]

The people who are responsible for this have been able to get away with it, so I hope that this will spark enough outrage from the public to push to get something done about this.

[Janat Jalil]

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[Janat Jalil]

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[Janat Jalil]

This is the Global News Podcast let's turn now to the crisis engulfing world football. FIFA and its embattled president, Gianni Infantino have come under renewed fire as the fallout continues over his controversial plan to bring private investment into the World cup and other tournaments. He's been accused of breaking trust through deception. In an open letter issued by three football confederations from three continents, UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, who between them represent 136 nations. That's more than half of FIFA's membership, said Mr. Infantino's now abandoned plan to sell off stakes in the World cup raised questions about the integrity of the game and those elected to lead it. Our football issues correspondent Dale Johnson told me.

[Dale Johnson]

More the three confederations also cited Infantino shutting out the FIFA council members and basically just creating a meeting of its own staff to assess what happened with this FIFA forward enterprise proposal, which of course was cancelled after just a few days. Now if you look at the way they've approached the much criticism of Infantina, who is not actually named by person, it says things like the integrity of those who were elected to lead it, and it mentions an individual who placed himself above the collective and that duty has been abandoned. So while they're not mentioning Infantino personally, there is clearly a case here that they feel that Infantino's position is untenable and they feel he should resign and there should be a new FIFA president as soon as possible.

[Janat Jalil]

Can he survive this growing pressure?

[Dale Johnson]

Well, this is a big question. Now you mentioned just there that the three confederations have 136 votes. It takes one or six to win an election, but the problem is we do not know if these confederations will all vote to get rid of Infantino. For instance, eight of the Asian nations have already come out in recent days and said they back him for re election. So we're at this stage where he could possibly win an election of the 211 member associations, but the presidents who run Asia concave and Europe may not back him at the FIFA Council meeting. So the next FIFA Council meeting takes place in October where half of the council will be against Infantino and half will be for him. So just how can we get to a stage where FIFA are able to make decisions which are politically viable? It just doesn't seem like there is a way he can continue in his position with that level of authority that he needs. One of the key roles is unifying football, and it doesn't seem like he can do that in his current position.

[Janat Jalil]

Dale Johnson. Tupac Shakur is considered to be one of the most influential rappers of all time. Tragically, he was killed at the age of just 25 in a drive by shooting in Las Vegas 30 years ago. It's one of America's most high profile unsolved murders. Now the trial is due to begin of a former gang leader, Duane Keffi D. Davis, over his alleged involvement in the killing. BBC journalist Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty is host of the Fame Under Fire podcast. She's covering the trial.

[Dr. Alex Mason]

Tupac Shakur is arguably one of the most successful rappers of all time, but he kind of transcended being a commercially viable rapper into almost a political figure. He was rapping about African American experiences, police brutality, black women's position in society. And then he tragically died at 25, five years old, which has kind of cemented him as this legend within the hip hop community. And that death has become very mythologized because nobody was charged until 2023, if you can believe it. In this case, there are so many theories and conspiracy theories about what happened that night. But the prosecutors in Las Vegas are alleging that on in 1996, on the Las Vegas Strip, Tupac was in a car with Suge Knight, the owner of Death Row Records. A white Cadillac pulled up next to him and shots were fired from the Cadillac that ended up ending his life. They have charged Dwayne Keefe D. Davis with being the architect of that crime, so criminally liable for his death, although they haven't accused him of actually firing the gun.

[Janat Jalil]

And why has it taken so long to come to trial?

[Dr. Alex Mason]

Well, I mean, a lot of this has to do with the undercurrent of gang ties. Tupac was associated with mob pyro. So the Bloods. The other car, the white Cadillac Kee, they're saying was in there, who was quite high up in the Compton Crips gang. And there's just a do not talk to police rule. You know, this is set against the backdrop of police brutality. So there was a high level of skepticism about speaking to law enforcement. Those who did speak didn't offer anything very helpful. It wasn't actually until 2018, 2019 when Dwayne Davis, Dwayne Ke Davis started talking about what he says happened on that night of podcasts, in interviews and then eventually wrote his own book on it, that the investigation was reopened into what happened that night.

[Janat Jalil]

And this is an interesting case because it's Mr. Davis's own words that will be used in the this is evidence against him. He is the defendant, but he's also the star witness.

[Dr. Alex Mason]

Yeah, it's a legally very interesting case. It is Dwayne KE D. Davis against Dwayne KE D. Davis. He wrote a book. Here's the interesting legal distinction. In the book, he claims to have been in the white Cadillac who have supplied the weapon, put it in the back seat, to have known what was going on. He's since come out and said the book's fictionalized. I made this up to sell copies. But the judge has said, sir, you kept co signing on the veracity of the book. You kept going in public places and saying, if you want the truth, read the book. So therefore the book is going to go before the jury. Now he has every single right to get up on the stand. He doesn't have to, but he can get up on the stand and say, ladies and gentlemen, the jury, I'm a liar. I made all that up. Don't listen to a word I said. Don't read the book, don't listen to the book. But essentially if he does that, he will be cross examined using his own words.

[Janat Jalil]

Anushka mutanda doughty. In 1967, a farming consultant named Douglas Gowen was called to look at a badly deformed calf at a farm in South Wales. Gowan came to believe that the cause was the dumping of highly toxic chemicals from a Welsh factory. Such practices have since been banned in the uk. Over years of campaigning, he fought to raise awareness of the impact of these so called forever chemicals on the environment and on humans. Decades later, at home in Los Angeles, the actor Michael Sheen stumbled upon the story online. He chased down Douglas Gowan and asked if he could meet him. Him come quickly was the reply. I only have months to live. It's a journey which took the actor back to Wales and to the U. S state of Alabama and has now culminated in a documentary, Buried with Michael Sheen. He's been speaking to Henry Zeffman.

[Michael Sheen]

The more I found out about it, it started to push all kinds of buttons in me. So obviously the fact that it was happening sort of just up the road from where I, you know, grew up, it turns out that when I was born And I was born in Newport in South Wales. Douglas was there. He was doing his, you know, investigations and exploratory stuff around that time about the Monsanto plant in Newport. So, you know, without me knowing, I was. I was connected to it from when I was born. But finding out more and more about the possibility that these communities and the places where this happened had a pattern to it, whether it was in Wales or in Anniston, Alabama, or wherever that this tended, this dumping, tended to happen in places where there was a history of chronic illness, so it could be masked potentially. They also tended to be places that didn't necessarily have much of a voice, that wouldn't be heard. They tended to be places that were desperate for employment. And all of these things started to just outrage me more and more. And it felt more and more personal as it went along. And of course, once I'd met Douglas and I spent time with him and had that sort of personal connection, and then him. Him dying so soon afterwards, and he believed as a result of contaminated contact with PCBs and that kind of stuff, you can't help but feel it personally then. And so, yeah, so it was a combination of factors, really, I think. And you mentioned Anniston, Alabama, there, because

[Janat Jalil]

one of the things you do in this documentary is you go to Alabama

[Dale Johnson]

and you meet people who'd been waging

[Janat Jalil]

a pretty similar campaign in Alabama to the campaign that you encountered in Wales.

[Michael Sheen]

Did it feel like essentially the same

[Janat Jalil]

frustrations even across that wide Atlantic Ocean?

[Michael Sheen]

Well, of course, the story of what happened for the community in Anniston, Alabama, is. Is different to what's been going on, particularly in Wales, in that they were the first ones to be actually take a case to court, take Monsanto to court and get compensation. But they. They are a long, long way down the track from. From where things are actually that certainly in Wales. And, and just to see, you know, I spoke to Donald Stewart, who was one of the attorneys who, who represented the community over there, and to see him breaking down in tears when I'm asking him about, you know, why was this community chosen? Why did they do it here? And him saying, because they have no voice. Our chemist, Dave Megson, who did the testing over here and tested my own blood, when he was describing the results of the tests, seeing him, you know, start to break down as well, you don't expect to see these sort of things. But then when I actually sat there and I was told what I've got in me and what the more dangerous ones are and which ones of those I've got and the levels they're at and explained that that is not a safe amount. That is just what you would expect to find anywhere. I, I, I was, I was really shocked. But then of course, when we saw the results for other people, people who, who might be even more exposed to it and saw the kinds of levels there, that was, that was incredibly shocking. The thing that we always have to remember is the people who are responsible for this have been able to get away with it up till now, pretty much, and it's very difficult to get at them. So in the light of that, I think we have to find a way, a way to move forward with this that doesn't hold individual councils responsible so that it goes beyond individual councils and possibly beyond individual governments. I think it has to be a multinational effort to investigate this, support it, fund it, share data, share evidence. So I hope that this will spark enough outrage from the public to push to get something done about this Actor

[Janat Jalil]

Michael Sheen Monsanto doesn't exist anymore. But Eastman Chemical Co. Responsible for Monsanto's legacy production in the UK, did not respond to the BBC's request for comment. There are plenty of people who swear by acupuncture for pain relief to treat problems such as migraines. But it seems this type of therapy using needles on pressure points on the body is effective when used on animals as well. Zootampa in the U.S. state of Florida has hired a full time acupuncture therapist to work alongside its vets. As Nikki Cardwell reports,

[Nikki Cardwell]

on a wooden platform next to a deep pool, Dr. Alex Mason carefully placed places long acupuncture needles into a manatee's nose below its eye. And at a couple of other points on the sea cow's head and neck sloth, the manatee was brought to Zoo Tampa with nerve damage to one side of his face. There are few conventional treatments for this kind of injury, but the team has seen improvements using acupuncture, using different sized needles. No creature is too big, big or too small to be treated. Dr. Mason, who's also a qualified vet, says acupuncture works the same on animals as it does on humans.

[Dr. Alex Mason]

A lot of the acupuncture points are located in areas where we know now that there's a lot of nerves coming into certain areas. And so it really works through increasing the body's healing response through mobilizing stem cells in the circulation, moving blood flow to the areas you're needling, in addition to allowing your body to release its own pain relief in the form of endorphins.

[Nikki Cardwell]

Sutampa specializes in conservation and rehabilitation. It frequently gets calls to come to the aid of injured and distressed creatures. The aim is to return them to the wild wherever possible. The zoo's Senior Vice President, Dr. Meredith Persky, says, this is about giving every animal the best chance of recovery.

[Dr. Alex Mason]

We definitely tailor every single treatment plan towards specific animals. It might not be the first step, but it typically comes along when we have cases that when we reach our limit of traditional medicine, this really allows us to give animals a chance that

[Janat Jalil]

they may never have.

[Nikki Cardwell]

And they've already had some successes. There's the spoonbill chick, born unable to walk, which was treated with some rather tiny needles and is now back in its nest. And for one elderly dog, duck, acupuncture has meant a new lease of life. It's helped restore strength, movement and agility to its rather gammy leg.

[Janat Jalil]

Nicky Cardwell. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email [e-mail] this edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Mark Pickett. The producer was Adrian. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janat Jalil. Until next time. Goodbye.

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