Suicide bomber kills at least 14 in Pakistan

Summary

Global News Podcast (BBC World Service) Episode: Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 14 in Pakistan Date: August 3, 2026 Host: Nick Miles

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into a deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan's Swat Valley, analyzing its regional implications and the wider context of rising militant violence. Alongside breaking news, the episode covers major global stories: deadly wildfires and helicopter collision in Greece, the political hunt for a European drug lord in Sierra Leone, Ariana Grande’s retreat from public life due to scrutiny, discoveries about Ice Age mammoth hunting, a terrorist attack in Moscow, the migrant crisis in Ceuta, and an ultramarathoner’s record-breaking feat across the Alps.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pakistan Suicide Bombing and Regional Tensions

• [01:15] Host Nick Miles introduces the primary story: a suicide bombing at a police station in Swat Valley, Pakistan, during an anti-militant peace rally, killing at least 15.
• [02:59] Mohammad Umar Khan (local police): Describes the scene and impact on civilians and police.
  • Quote: “The deceased and injured include police officials as well.” (02:59)
• [03:18] Amhra San Ettarajan (Global Affairs Reporter):
  • Explains the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), their ideological links with the Afghan Taliban, and the historic back-and-forth of militants between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
  • Notes that Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of sheltering terrorists—a claim denied by Kabul.
• [04:15] The TTP’s aims: To impose Islamic governance, exemplified by their harsh rule in Swat 15 years ago.
  • Quote: “They want an Islamic governance in areas under their control.” – Amhra San Ettarajan (04:15)
• [05:16] Surge in attacks over the past year, use of drones, cross-border strikes, over 500 killed, escalating Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions.
• [05:59] Impact on locals: Threats to business, tourism, safety, women’s education, and daily life. Kidnapping, extortion, and fear of militant reprisals are rampant.
  • Quote: “That is why there was quite a substantial amount of people in this pro-peace rally asking the government to intervene.” – Amhra San Ettarajan (05:59)

2. US-Iran Relations and the Strait of Hormuz

• [06:39] Updates on US-Iran tensions: Following Trump’s announcement canceling airstrikes on Iran, negotiations resume regarding navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
• [07:08] Sivaj Ardalan (BBC Persian): Details the diplomatic maneuvering between Iran, Oman, the US, and Israel, and speaks to psychological and economic stresses on Iranians from conflict threats.
  • Quote: “Each time this threat is delivered... it puts an enormous psychological stress on the people involved.” (09:07)

3. Greece Wildfires and Helicopter Crash

• [09:10] Flames rage across mainland Greece and its islands, exacerbated by gale-force winds and complicated by two firefighting helicopters colliding mid-air.
• [09:44] Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis pays tribute to fallen firefighters.
  • Quote: “I would like to begin by expressing our deep sorrow for the loss of the two firefighters... We still have difficult days ahead of us.” (09:44)
• [10:12] Sarah Rainsford (South Europe Correspondent): Describes dangerous conditions, evacuations, and the scale/intensity of the wildfires.
  • Quote from a volunteer fireman: “It was like Dante’s Inferno.” (Paraphrased, 10:34)

4. Manhunt for Jos Lydeckers: The Dutch Drug Lord in Sierra Leone

• [11:36] Ed Butler (Special Report): Chronicles Europe’s most wanted drug fugitive, Jos Lydeckers, openly residing in Sierra Leone with alleged high-level connections, even rumored ties to the president’s family.
  • Quote: “He controls all the cocaine from Sierra Leone to other parts of the world.” – Dutch Drug Expert (13:22)
• [14:39] Attorney General Alpha Sise (Sierra Leone): Responds to BBC questioning about Lydeckers, maintains uncertainty while promising action if “confirmed.”
• [15:56] Dutch Justice Ministry calls for EU sanctions due to Sierra Leone’s perceived non-cooperation with the extradition request.

5. Russia: Terrorist Attack in Moscow

• [17:20] Three killed and 20+ injured in a bomb blast at a Moscow restaurant.
• [17:51] Steve Rosenberg (Russia Editor): Reports eyewitness accounts—public speculation about Ukrainian links, shocked and fearful locals.
  • Quote: “A mixture of shock and anger, and deep concern about what will happen next.” – Steve Rosenberg (19:23)

6. Ceuta Migrant Surge and Drowning Tragedy

• [19:26] 72 migrants drowned attempting to swim to Spain’s Ceuta from Morocco amid a massive 2-day influx.
• [20:04] Spanish and Moroccan officials trade blame, debate responsibility for border management.
  • Quote: “It’s not acceptable that Morocco can simply do away with its responsibility managing... the external border of the European Union.” – Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, MEP (20:04)
  • Quote: “Everyone should look at their borders... Short of shooting at those people, what do you do?” – Lachen Haddad, Moroccan MP (20:47)
• [21:39] Susanna, local nurse, recounts harrowing scenes of mass drownings and survivors needing urgent care.
  • Quote: “We got shocked to see thousands of people crossing through the water. Whole families... The whole shore was full of shoes.” (21:39)
  • Quote: “Yesterday night I was crying because I was thinking of all these people, all the disappointment, the dream that they have...” (23:00)

7. Ariana Grande Withdraws from Public Eye

• [23:21] Announcement: Ariana Grande will step back from public appearances post-tour due to “endless public scrutiny” surrounding her appearance and health. She also withdraws from an upcoming London theatre production.
• [25:31] No timeline given; focus is on well-being.
  • Quote: “Her publicist is saying look, she’s had enough and she actually now just wants to take some time out away from public life and visibility.” (26:01)

8. Ice Age Hunters Targeted Female Mammoths

• [26:37] New research shows Ice Age humans hunted mostly female mammoths; DNA from bone piles reveals sex bias at hunting sites.
• [27:16] Hannah Mutz (archaeogeneticist) discusses findings, implications for social structure of mammoth herds and human survival strategies.
  • Quote: “At the accumulation sites, they were mostly females, and then at these dispersed contexts, they were mostly males.” (28:14)
  • Quote: “They [females] were really important to these people.” (29:07)

9. Ultra-Running: Via Alpina Record Smashed

• [29:17] Sophie Woods, a 42-year-old New Zealander, breaks the running record for the 2,000km Via Alpina by six days.
  • Quote: “If I started thinking about the end, then for sure I was going to twist an ankle or, you know, faceplant.” – Sophie Woods (30:44)
  • Quote: “Obviously ecstatic, but knackered. I have definitely got some trainers for the bin. They’re disgusting.” (31:39)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They want an Islamic governance in areas under their control.” – Amhra San Ettarajan (04:15)
• “Each time this threat is delivered... it puts an enormous psychological stress on the people involved.” – Sivaj Ardalan (09:07)
• “It was like Dante’s Inferno.” – Volunteer fireman in Greece (Paraphrased, 10:34)
• “He controls all the cocaine from Sierra Leone to other parts of the world.” – Dutch Drug Expert (13:22)
• “A mixture of shock and anger, and deep concern about what will happen next.” – Steve Rosenberg, Moscow (19:23)
• “We got shocked to see thousands of people crossing through the water... The whole shore was full of shoes.” – Susanna, nurse in Ceuta (21:39)
• “Her publicist is saying look, she’s had enough and she actually now just wants to take some time out away from public life and visibility.” – Greg McKenzie on Ariana Grande (26:01)
• “Obviously ecstatic, but knackered. I have definitely got some trainers for the bin. They’re disgusting.” – Sophie Woods, ultramarathon runner (31:39)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:15] – Main headlines; Pakistan suicide bombing introduced
• [02:59]–[06:39] – In-depth analysis on Pakistan attack and militant resurgence
• [06:39]–[09:10] – US-Iran updates on the Strait of Hormuz
• [09:10]–[11:36] – Greece wildfires, helicopter tragedy
• [11:36]–[16:10] – Europe’s most wanted drug lord living in Sierra Leone
• [17:20]–[19:26] – Terrorist bombing in Moscow, public and official reaction
• [19:26]–[23:21] – Migrant tragedy in Ceuta, local and political responses
• [23:21]–[26:37] – Ariana Grande withdraws from public life
• [26:37]–[29:17] – Ice Age mammoth hunting discoveries
• [29:17]–[31:47] – Sophie Woods completes ultramarathon across the Alps

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Tone and Language

Clear, urgent, yet empathetic—a hallmark of BBC reporting. The episode balances analytical rigor (in political and scientific segments) with journalistic storytelling and deeply human voices, regularly foregrounding on-the-ground perspectives and eyewitness testimonies.

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For anyone who missed this episode, the summary above captures the critical news developments, expert insights, and notable moments with precision, providing essential context and the flavor of each story as discussed by BBC World Service correspondents and their sources.

Transcript

[Podcast Advertiser]

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[Choiceology Host]

If you are currently overpaying on software to run your business, remember this number 10,000. That's the number of new businesses that join Odoo per month. Join odoo [e-mail] that's odoo.com Ever wonder why we make the choices we do and how to make smarter ones? Introducing Choiceology, an original podcast from Charles Schwab. Join Wharton Professor Katie Milkman, an award winning behavioral scientist and author of the best selling book how to Change as she shares true stories from Nobel laureates, authors, athletes and everyday people about why we do the things we do and how to make better choices to help avoid costly mistakes. Each episode covers the latest research in behavioral science and dives into themes like the power of self control, shaping your mindset for success, navigating new beginnings and why starting over can feel so hard. Listen to Choiceologywab.com podcast or wherever you listen.

[Nick Miles]

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Nick Miles and in the early hours of Monday 3rd August. These are our main stories. A deadly attack in Pakistan. We examine who's behind it and what it means for tensions in the wider region. Two people have been killed in Greece after helicopters tackling wildfires crashed into each other mid air and he was hanging

[Local Informant]

around where the resorts are but also at the casino at the spa. The authorities said we don't know him but local people tell us we do know him and we know he's connected to the President.

[Nick Miles]

We're in Sierra Leone on the trail of one of Europe's most wanted drug dealers. Also in this podcast, the pop star Ariana Grande is withdrawing from public appearances because of what her representatives call endless public scrutiny. And scientists find evidence that ice age hunters targeted female woolly mammoths more than males. For decades, Islamist groups have plagued parts of northwestern Pakistan, abducting civilians, attacking the authorities and destroying infrastructure. Those groups have coalesced into the Tehrik e Taliban or Pakistani Taliban. It's that group that says it carried out a suicide bomb attack earlier on Sunday that killed at least 15 people in an area called the Swat Valley north of the Kappa capital Islamabad. The attack took place as people were gathered to take part in an anti militant peace rally. Mohammad Umar Khan is a local police officer.

[Mohammad Umar Khan]

There was a protest going on at the center of Kabul. The town police station is located directly opposite from it. There were police lines. The suicide attack took place at the police station. The deceased and injured include police officials

[Nick Miles]

as well, our global affairs reporter Amhra San Ettarajan told me more about the

[Amhra San Ettarajan]

Pakistani Talib, the Tehraki Taliban. Pakistan is an alliance of various Islamist militant groups and they have been operating in northwestern part of Pakistan for a long time. They were driven out. Some of them were said to be inside neighbouring Afghanistan. In fact, they share the same ideology as the Afghan Taliban who are currently in power. And several experts pointed out that the ttp, the Pakistani Taliban, helped the Afghan Taliban during the war against the Western backed government and before the Taliban seized power in Kabul. And this has also led to tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan because Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration of providing safe haven to militants who are carrying out attacks on its security forces and civilian targets. An accusation strongly denied by the Afghan Taliban government.

[Nick Miles]

And briefly, this group, their overall ideology is to overthrow the Pakistan government.

[Amhra San Ettarajan]

They want an Islamic governance in areas under their control. And they were imposing strict controls like this when they were partly controlling this area in Swat valley itself about 15 years ago. But there have been a number of social media messages about increasing attacks and there have been attacks on security forces not at the same level as in other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkoa. And that is why people got worried. That's why they were holding this peace rally. And when the final speaker was speaking, this blast took place in one corner. So it's not very clear they were targeting the police officers or a police station or the peace rally or anti militant rally. So among those dead were several civilians. And in fact, that is exactly the concern of the local people because this is a well known tourist area. The speakers were talking about we want to give education to our kids, we want to live a normal life and do our business. And they were criticizing the government for not taking enough action.

[Nick Miles]

And why is this militant group increasing its attacks right now?

[Amhra San Ettarajan]

They have been attacking for the past year or so on various targets and the intensity of the attacks have increased. In fact, in the last few months, both sides have been using drones. And this also led to tensions between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban. And Pakistan carried out several airstrikes and drone attacks on what it said were militant targets inside Afghanistan. The UN said that more than 500 people have been killed so far in these attacks. And again, Afghan Taliban also launched attacks on Pakistani forces. And this is the latest in a series of attacks.

[Nick Miles]

From what you're saying, these attacks in and around the Swat Valley are making life extremely difficult for ordinary people there because attacks aren't necessarily just affecting the military or the police.

[Amhra San Ettarajan]

There are other concerns for the local population. One is, of course, if the attacks are going to increase, that is going to have an impact on business, on tourism. That means loss of jobs. And second, you never know which militant group or armed group can abduct you, ask you for extortion and asking people to come and pay the ransom money. Or if you want to do business, you have to pay some money to the militant groups there. And then they're worried about women's education, women's safety. So if increasing violence, how can you sit peacefully at home to sending your children to school or nearby? That is why there was quite a substantial amount of people were in this pro peace rally asking the government to intervene.

[Nick Miles]

Ambrasan Etirajan Just a day after Donald Trump said that he had cancelled further airstrikes on Iran, the US President now says new negotiations with Tehran will begin later on Monday. Earlier in Iran said it was close to a deal with Oman on managing traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The two countries control each side of that vital waterway. Sivaj Ardalan from BBC Persian told us what the Iranians have been saying about those talks.

[Sivaj Ardalan]

The spokesman of the foreign agency was speaking with reporters on the state TV and he was saying that discussions are taking place. The spokesman, however, stressed that this is not because of US Threats. These talks have been ongoing for seven or eight days and they're just now close to completion on choosing a route for the ships to pass through the Strait of Hormu. Another route close to the northern side, closer to Iran, neither to the south, but some middle route. But there's been intense diplomatic scrambling behind the scenes now ever since these reports came out that the US and Israel intend to attack Iran's infrastructure. So we don't know whether this is related to those threats or whether, as they say, it just was an ongoing talks and now it's reached almost, as the foreign minister said, its final stages. That memorandum understanding that they had, which established a ceasefire and it held up for just a few weeks, that was ridden with sentences and statements that were open to interpretation. Iran was to decide the arrangements for the passing of the ships, but that could have meant anything. Apparently during that time, the Americans tried to establish a route through Oman and that freaked the Iranians out and they started attacking those ships. Now the US Is saying no, you know, Iranian control doesn't mean that they can, you know, get tolls and they can charge ships for passing through. So whether they can go back to that memorandum from understanding, given that they've gone at each other's throats again. And there's so much distrust that remains to be seen. But nerves are on edge in Iran. I've heard some people say that, you know, Iranians don't believe Donald Trump anymore when he threatens to destroy their infrastructure. That may be the case for some. But let's not downplay this, because a lot of people, when they hear Donald Trump saying that they would destroy power plants and electricity, these are hospitals, schools, businesses that rely on electricity. And each time this threat is delivered, as much as they may think it may not happen, it puts an enormous psychological stress on the people involved, not to mention the Gulf countries as well.

[Nick Miles]

Silivash Adelan of BBC Persia. More than 150 firefighters have resumed their battle to contain raging wildfires on mainland Greece and some of its islands. Strong winds have been making their job difficult and dangerous. Two helicopters collided on Sunday as they were dropping water on the flames. The crew of one helicopter survived after making an emergency landing, but the other crew were killed. The Greek prime minister, Kayakos Mitsotakis, paid tribute to the two men.

[Kyriakos Mitsotakis]

I would like to begin by expressing our deep sorrow for the loss of the two firefighters who fell while battling the flames trying to save their fellow citizens and their property. We still have difficult days ahead of us and the month of August is traditionally a difficult one. I truly want to ask all our fellow citizens to exercise the utmost caution. Unfortunately, even as we speak today, we have many fires that start due to gross negligence.

[Nick Miles]

Our South Europe correspondent, Sarah Rainsford has more.

[Sarah Rainsford]

They were sent to battle the wildfire down below. Two helicopters working west of Athens when one veered towards the other and they collided. Rescuers rushed to the crash site where one helicopter had plunged to the ground, but its two crew were killed in the other. A British pilot made an emergency landing and he and a Greek colleague survived. Greece is now gripped by wildfires. There is a history of them here, but this time fierce winds, at times gale force, are making things worse. They are fanning the flames and they're also making it dangerous for the aircraft that drop water from above. It's not clear yet whether wind was a factor in this crash. Bell helicopters like the ones that collided have been grounded for now during an investigation. On the coast, Porto Gemeno and other villages were evacuated on Friday by police going house to house, calling for anyone still left rescuing their animals. This volunteer fireman says it was like Dante's Inferno. Hundreds of firefighters have been deployed trying to stop these flames, scaling the mountains and heading for Athens. There are fires in Crete to contend with too. And on Kefalonia and other islands popular with tourists, the wind has dropped a little, but it is still complicating this battle.

[Nick Miles]

Sarah Rainsford. One of Europe's most wanted drugs fugitives, Jos Lydekkers, is living freely and with government protection in West Africa. That's according to the government of the Netherlands. Last year, the Dutch Justice Ministry sent an extradition request to the government of Sierra Leone who have so far fail to acknowledge his presence in their country or his alleged close links to the country's first family. Lydicus has been convicted in his absence on multiple counts of cocaine trafficking and crimes of violence. Ed Butler has been to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, to find out more about this Dutch fugitive.

[Ed Butler]

May 1 this year and the head of the Spanish Coast Guard's anti drug operation, Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Ramacca, receives a tip off. A cargo boat is travelling across the Atlantic. It's about to transfer a large shipment of cocaine, he's been told to smaller speedboats off the southern coast of Spain.

[Dutch Official / Drug Expert]

Some part is for the Spanish market, but other part is spread through the European countries.

[Ed Butler]

Customs offices board the ship. What they found was no ordinary haul. Some 30 tons of cocaine packaged in plain view along a corridor running from bow to stern. It was the biggest seaborne seizure of cocaine ever made. 22 crew members from Europe, Africa and Suriname were arrested. But the suspected mastermind behind the shipment was a Dutch drug dealer called Jos, or Jos Lideckers, who's based in Sierra Leone. Well, he remained at large.

[Dutch Official / Drug Expert]

He controls all the cocaine from Sierra Leone to other parts of the world. He is put in big warehouses. He's the boss in Sierra Leone, but he has his fingers in other parts of the world.

[Ed Butler]

This was when the Sierra Leonean public first learned of the mysterious and clearly very wealthy foreigner living in their midst. A violent brawl at a nightclub in the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown caught on camera. Sophie van Leeuwen is a Dutch TV reporter covering Africa for NTL News.

[Local Informant]

There's been a shooting. He was involved. Other people were involved.

[Ed Butler]

Mysteriously, despite one man suffering two gunshot wounds to his kneecaps, the Sierra Leonean police dropped all charges. People could hardly help noticing him around town, though. A conspicuous and flamboyant foreigner, he was

[Local Informant]

hanging around where the resorts are, but also at the casino restaurants. He visits the president's daughter and he gives her presents, flowers. They also like to go out together, the authorities said. We don't know him, but local people tell us we do know him. And we know he's connected to the President.

[Ed Butler]

The story really gained international attention when a silent video emerged of a church service attended by the President, Julius Mardebio and his wife Fatima. Just one row behind them sits a clearly identifiable Lydeckers alongside the President's eldest daughter. The couple are now rumoured to have a child together. When questioned by the BBC, though, the First Lady, Fatima Biot, denied all knowledge of Lydekker's. But the rumours of sightings of drug shipments arriving on beaches late at night, these persist. I requested an interview with Sierra Leone's President. The request was declined. Julius Mardobio has never spoken publicly to the media on the subject. But I did visit the office of the Attorney General, Alpha Sise, who also serves now as Sierra Leone's Justice Minister.

[Alpha Sise]

Well, of course I've been speaking with the Dutch government. We do note that the Dutch government is interested in an individual who is alleged to be based here in Sierra Leone, running operations in the drug trade.

[Ed Butler]

So, I mean, he's been widely seen. There are photos and videos of him with the President and the first lady in the last couple of years. Isn't he raising a family with the President's daughter?

[Alpha Sise]

I mean, I wouldn't know. Look, it's a matter that we take very seriously. If he's confirmed to be the person of interest, that person will be arrested.

[Ed Butler]

Well, in the last few weeks the Dutch Justice Ministry has gone further, calling on Brussels to introduce EU wide sanctions against Sierra Leone for its perceived refusal to extradite this wanted fugitive.

[Nick Miles]

Ed Butler reporting. And you can hear more from Ed's report in a two part investigation from Business Daily on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sophie Woods]

Still to come in this podcast, obviously aesthetic, but knackered. I've definitely got some trainers for the bin. They're disgusting.

[Nick Miles]

The ultra marathon runner Sophie woods there on how she feels after her latest record breaking race across the Alps.

[Choiceology Host]

Choiceology, an original podcast from Charles Schwab, is a show about the psychology and economics behind our decisions. Join host Katie Milkman, an award winning behavioral scientist and author of the best selling book how to Change, as she shares true stories from Nobel laureates, authors, athletes and everyday people about why we make the choices we do and how to make better ones to help avoid costly mistakes. Listen to [e-mail] podcast or wherever you listen.

[Nick Miles]

This is the global news podcast. Security officials in Russia have described an explosion at a restaurant near the center of Moscow as an act of terrorism. Three people were killed on Saturday and at least 20 others were injured when the device, which state media described as homemade, was detonated. Officials have not yet said who they believe was responsible, although there's speculation about a possible link to the war in Ukraine. Our Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg has visited the scene of the explosion.

[Steve Rosenberg]

The morning after. You could see some of the detail, some of the signs of what had happened at this Moscow restaurant. A shattered window, holes in walls, a pair of blood stained glasses on a table. The authorities say last night a woman had tried to bring a homemade explosive device inside. A courier, perhaps with a package for a guest at a private function. A security guard stopped her and then the bomb detonated. Today, Moscow's mayor, Sergei Sabyanin, described the attack as a brutal act of terror. In terms of official information, nothing yet from the authorities on who they think was behind this and very little official information about who the guests were. But most of the people I spoke to outside the restaurant suspected that what had happened here was connected to the war in Ukraine. Explosions, the deaths, they frighten me. Lyudmila says it's probably linked to the war that's going on. This is the work of Britain. This is your work, Galina tells me. Then it gets very personal. I've seen you asking our president nasty questions. Galena says, it makes me want to come up and punch you. Alexandra heard the bomb explode. It happened right in front of me, she says. It was terrible. I don't know how I'm going to get over this. A mixture of shock and anger and deep concern about what will happen next.

[Nick Miles]

Steve Rosenberg, Spain's delegate to its autonomous North African exclave of Ceuta, says the number of people who drowned trying to reach the territory from Morocco last week has risen to 72. Miguel Angel Perez added that 3,000 security personnel deployed to Ceuta will remain there for as long as necessary. Tens of thousands of migrants surged into the territory from Morocco last Thursday, prompting a security and diplomatic crisis for Madrid. A member of the European Parliament for Spain's governing party, Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar,

[Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar]

had this to it's not acceptable that Morocco can simply do away with its responsibility managing side of the external border of the European Union. We are ready to stand for Spanish sovereignty and protecting the rights and liberties of the Spanish population living both in Ceuta and Melilla. And of course, we are expecting that with cooperation with Morocco, the situation will be sorted out as it has been sorted out before.

[Nick Miles]

Well, the unprecedented surge caused alarm across the European Union, and questions have swirled world about whether it was staged by the Moroccan authorities. A Moroccan MP and former Tourism Minister Lachen Haddad defended his country.

[Dutch Official / Drug Expert]

Everyone should look at their borders. We don't ask Algeria or Mauritania to protect us. We protect ourselves. What do people ask Morocco to do if you have, like, tens of thousands of people like that are coming and swarming towards Fenida in order to swim to Sota? I mean, short of shooting at those people, what do you do?

[Nick Miles]

The surge of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta on Thursday lasted barely 48 hours. During that time, the Spanish territory, which measures just 18 and a half square kilometers, saw its population explode from 80,000 to 140,000 people. Many of those arrivals forced their way through the border fence or swam around it from neighboring Morocco. The vast majority have now been returned to Morocco. But many of the people who try to enter Ceuta by sea got into difficulties. Susanna, a local nurse, was among those who gave emergency treatment on the beach.

[Susanna]

We got shocked to see thousands of people crossing through the water. Whole families, father, mother, children, all together, coming out of the water with fear, without shoes. The whole shore was full of shoes. Every once in a while they were taken out of the water. Dead people. We tried to do the resuscitation, but most of them were all dead. It was absolutely overwhelming. We had to get IVs and get fluids because some of them were dehydrated, also with hypothermia, also injuries in their arms, in their foot, giving stitches. Some of them had to be taken to the hospital because they seemed that they had hit the rocks badly. Women that were pregnant. One of them was rushed to the hospital and she had two of them. She was pregnant with twins. At first we felt fear because we didn't know these people what they were going to do. But afterwards we felt mercy and sadness because all of them, no place to stay, no place to buy water. In my opinion, people are just looking for a better life in Morocco. They don't have that opportunity. But Ceuta doesn't have any opportunities either. This city is very small. Yesterday night I was crying because I was thinking of all these people, all the disappointment, the dream that they have, that they're going to come to Europe and they're going to have a happy life.

[Nick Miles]

Susanna, a Spanish nurse in Ceuta and the European Union, will hold emergency talks on Tuesday to discuss the situation. Ariana Grande is one of the most recognizable faces in the entertainment world. The American pop star and actress has been performing before huge crowds on her latest concert tour. But it's been announced that when that tour ends next month, she will withdraw from public appearances and and the 33 year old won't now star in an upcoming musical production in London. Grande's physical appearance and health have been a topic of speculation in recent years. That intensified following the release last week of a video for her latest album, Petal, in which she appears to have lost significant weight. I got more details from our reporter Greg McKenzie.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Well, representative for Ariana Grande says that once her internal Shine tour finishes next month month she'll be taking what they've described as a step back from visibility. Now they say that's because what they call endless ongoing public scrutiny thought to be surrounding her appearance and personal life. Now, at the same time, she's withdrawn from a planned revival of Stephen Sottim's Sunday in the park with George which was due to open at London's Barbican in 2027. Now, the production company says that it fully understands and supports her decision, adding that the show will go ahead without her.

[Nick Miles]

Is this decision a surprise for many people?

[Podcast Advertiser]

It certainly had been growing discussions online around this following the release of her last album Petal. Now the level of commentary about her appearance intensified again over the past few days, but there hadn't been any indication that she would step away from public life altogether. So while fans may have expected her to take some time off after a lengthy world tour, which isn't such an unusual thing for an artist to do, the decision to also withdraw from such a high profile London theatre production has made this announcement much bigger.

[Nick Miles]

Do we know how long a break this might be?

[Podcast Advertiser]

There's no indication thus far from her representative, but they haven't given a time frame of her return to public life while performing. The message is very much that the priority is for her to complete the current tour before stepping away from public facing work to focus on her well being. So whether that's for a few months or considerably longer simply isn't clear at this stage.

[Nick Miles]

And it's worth saying that this is a big deal in the entertainment world because she is a huge star, isn't she?

[Podcast Advertiser]

Well, she's by far one of the biggest pop stars in the world and a very successful actress as well. She's faced a lot of criticism online, constant trolling and reading between the lines. Her publicist is saying look, she's had enough and she actually now just wants to take some time out away from public life and visibility. I guess we'll have to wait and see whether she returns, but she's accomplished pretty much more than many other 33 year olds have in terms of Accolades, awards and just global prominence in terms of her music and as a performer.

[Nick Miles]

Greg McKenzie. For millions of years, woolly mammoths roamed the world. They even lived alongside early humans until they became extinct around about 4,000 years ago. There have long been questions about why they disappeared. Was it climate change or was it human hunters? Now, scientists say they found evidence that Ice Age people were more likely to kill female woolly mammoths than male ones. Which begs the question why? Hannah Mutz is an archaeogeneticist who was part of the Swedish research team examining bones and DNA from the long extinct animals. She spoke to Sean lay.

[Hannah Mutz]

We studied 11 different sites that during the last Ice Age, northern Europe was covered in glaciers. And then south of that, there were these communities that were relying really heavily on mammoths. One is Krakow Svagista, which is in Poland, and it's this hill that's rising above the river plain. And archaeologists have excavated and found layer upon layer of mammoth bones, over a hundred of them, which is pretty cool. And we were interested in looking at the demographics of these mammoths to see if we could get a better understanding of what was happening here. Is this related to humans hunting? The. We extracted ancient DNA from these bones to get a sense of the mammoths that were there.

[Mohammad Umar Khan]

So this was a site of human habitation, and in a sense, this was almost like the butcher's cast offs, as it were.

[Hannah Mutz]

Yeah. Although it had been hotly debated because, I mean, mammoths are very difficult to transport. And so some people were saying maybe this was some sort of natural trap.

[Mohammad Umar Khan]

Now, the results are fascinating because presumably from the DNA you extracted, you established that a lot of these bones were from female mammoths.

[Local Informant]

Absolutely.

[Hannah Mutz]

At the site that were associated with hunting, we compared those also with mammoth remains that were found dispersed in the landscape that didn't have signs of anthropogenic either hunting, scavenging or butchering. And we found that at the accumulation sites, they were mostly females, and then at these dispersed contexts, they were mostly males.

[Mohammad Umar Khan]

And have you had any thoughts as to why the disproportionate number at this location where the bones were, were female mammoths?

[Hannah Mutz]

Perhaps they moved more predictably, which modern elephants also do. And that's because essentially you have this herd structure where females are leading the herds. They also have calves with them, so they're a little more constrained. They need to find predictable sources of food and water.

[Mohammad Umar Khan]

So if humans kind of twigged that this was a place where you could get a significant number of mammoths all together, they just happened to be female, but accessible. That might have been a reason for them to all have ended up killing the females more than the males.

[Hannah Mutz]

Absolutely. And mammoths were very important to these people. I mean, not only would they have been used for meat and for hides, but also the bones were used in building structures. So they were really important to these people.

[Nick Miles]

Hannah Mutz now, how's your stamina? If you're a competent runner and pretty fit, you may be able to jog about 20 kilometres or so. The Via Alpina is something else altogether. It's a hundred times that length. It's one of the world's toughest athletic challenges. But one ultra runner has not only just completed it, she's shattered the previous record by six days. Wendy Urquhart has the details.

[Wendy Urquhart]

New Zealander Sophie woods is 42 years old and she's got guts. She's been running in ultramarathons for the last 10 years. And although the Via Alpena is tough, it's a challenge she couldn't resist.

[Sophie Woods]

I'd never heard of the Via Alpena and I wasn't particularly interested in doing an fkt, which is the fastest known time. But when my husband said to me, do you want to have a crack at running around the owl? It was like, wow. Imagine like, what an incredible experience.

[Wendy Urquhart]

The Via Alpina is not for the faint hearted. It starts in Italy and runs the entire length of the Alps through Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and France. It's also 2,000 kilometers long, and it's not even just about the distance the elevation involved has been compared to climbing Mount Everest 12 times. Sophie admits it was tough, but says thinking about it in bite sized pieces got her through.

[Sophie Woods]

I really had to make sure that through the whole thing I was only ever thinking about the day, the hour, the, the sort of minute that I was in, because if I started thinking about the end, then for sure I was going to twist an ankle or, you know, faceplant.

[Wendy Urquhart]

Keeping her energy up was a major factor and Sophie made sure she stocked up on all the important things.

[Sophie Woods]

I was probably consuming around 6 to 7,000 calories a day. A huge amount of that was coming from high carb sports drinks, from energy gels. We went through two heat waves, so we had magnum slushies. Can't recommend them enough.

[Wendy Urquhart]

Despite heat waves, storms and a 5 kilometer detour to avoid wildfires, Sophie crossed the finish line in Monaco in just 29 days, breaking the previous record by six whole days. So how's she feeling now?

[Sophie Woods]

Obviously ecstatic, but knackered. I have definitely got some trainers for the bin. They're disgusting.

[Nick Miles]

And that's all from us for now. This edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Masoud Ibrahim, and the producer was Emma Joseph. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nick Miles, and until next time, goodbye.