BBC reports on Ukraine's battle with Russia in the Black Sea

Summary

Global News Podcast – August 6, 2026

Host: Oliver Conway, BBC World Service
Episode Theme:
A detailed, frontline report on Ukraine’s ongoing battle with Russia in the Black Sea, alongside major international news: Myanmar’s military diplomacy shift, rising violent crime in Uganda, wildfires’ health impact, Indonesia’s controversial animal exports, Disney’s TikTok deal, and a record-breaking 97-year-old wing-walker.

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1. Ukraine’s Black Sea Struggle: Life and War on the Waterfront

[01:16–07:14]

Overview

BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams brings an exclusive, on-the-ground account of Ukraine’s navy and port workers as Russia escalates attacks on Black Sea maritime trade. Ukrainian morale, civilian casualties, and economic consequences come to the fore.

Key Points & Insights

• Intensifying Attacks: Ukrainian energy sites and supply routes are under sustained assault as Russia targets commerce to impose an economic blockade.
• Civilian Ship Strikes: A Russian strike on Odessa’s port killed a crew member and further disrupted wheat exports ([02:07]).
• Atmosphere in Ukrainian Navy: Constant state of alert due to unpredictable drone and missile attacks ([02:56]).
  • Quote: “This morning, it looks deceptively calm...but what it can’t do is to stop Russia attacking civilian ships…” – Paul Adams ([03:13])
• Ports at a Standstill:
  • Dimitro (alias), a 20-year port veteran, notes, “Official ports are not closed, but vessels are not coming. They are scared of being hit... They [Russians] want to make a blockade of the Ukrainian ports. Because of the economy.” ([04:13–04:30])
• Human Cost:
  • Svetlana, a warehouse shift manager injured in a previous attack, describes ongoing trauma: “A lot of sirens, a lot of drones, a lot of hits. And for morale, it’s even more difficult. People are very tense. What can I say?” ([05:25])
• Daily Reality:
  • During the visit, an air raid siren interrupts the interviews, sending everyone for shelter ([06:03]).
  • Dimitro: “On the port, unfortunately, it became typical for our life.” ([06:23])
• Resilience Amid Destruction:
  • 83-year-old Andre Dudic surveys bomb damage to his home with dry humor.
  • Quote: “If we start crying, it will not lead to anything.” – Andre Dudic ([07:07])

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2. Myanmar’s Coup Leader Gets a Red Carpet Welcome in Thailand

[07:14–10:43]

Key Points & Insights

• Min Aung Hlaing’s Visit: Thailand hosts the first lavish visit by Myanmar’s isolated military leader since his 2021 coup.
  • Jonathan Head (Southeast Asia Correspondent): “Min Aung Hlaing has point-blank refused to honor the promises he made after the coup... There’s been a growing sense...his regime is not going anywhere.” ([07:48])
• Regional Dismay: Some ASEAN members, e.g., Singapore, insist on concessions and conflict de-escalation, criticizing Thailand’s overtures ([09:37]).
  • Quote: “There’s some dismay that Thailand has jumped so quickly to embrace Myanmar’s coup leader…” – Jonathan Head ([10:32])

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3. Tragedy in Uganda: Star Footballer Fatally Attacked

[11:06–14:02]

Key Points & Insights

• Assault on David Owari: Captain of SC Villa, found unconscious after resisting robbers; dies from injuries ([11:06]).
• Sporting Legacy: Owari, prominent in Uganda's football scene, is mourned by teammates, parliament, and the nation ([11:59]).
  • Quote: “He was indeed not just a player, but they saw him as a leader, as a brother... an inspiration to a new generation of footballers across Uganda.” – Richard Kagoi ([12:15])
• Broader Crime Wave: Violent crime is rising, fueled by youth unemployment, with prominent victims highlighting insecurity ([13:20]).

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4. Wildfires Cause More than Flames: Migraine Spike Uncovered

[14:25–15:46]

Key Points & Insights

• Canadian Study: Links increase in migraine emergency room visits to wildfire smoke (PM2.5 fine particles).
  • Quote: “There was also an increase of more than 6% to emergency departments for headaches and migraines because of these tiny PM2.5s.” – Laura Foster ([15:10])
• Dual Threat: Direct particle inhalation and secondary effects—stress, sleep disruption—increase migraine occurrence ([15:40]).

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5. Fauci Held in Contempt by US Senate Committee

[18:28–20:43]

Key Points & Insights

• Senate Committee Vote: Dr. Anthony Fauci found in contempt for invoking his Fifth Amendment rights over 100 times during testimony on COVID origins ([19:01]).
  • Quote: “He didn’t answer any questions...including, for example, ‘What color tie are you wearing?’” – Bernd Debusman ([19:44])
• Political Context: Senator Rand Paul leads the push; prosecutorial decision now with the Justice Department ([20:07]).

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6. Hiroshima Anniversary & Japan’s Nuclear Principles

[20:43–22:23]

Key Points & Insights

• Commemoration’s Context: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reaffirms non-nuclear policies amid debates on Japan’s evolving defense posture ([21:09]).
• Public Sentiment: Attendees focus more on remembrance than politics as survivor numbers dwindle.
  • Quote: “...there’s this growing urgency to preserve their testimony and ensure that lessons of Hiroshima...are not forgotten.” – Kurumi Mori ([22:12])

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7. Indonesia Restarts Endangered Monkey Exports

[22:23–25:01]

Key Points & Insights

• Exports Resume: After a four-year pause, Indonesia begins shipping long-tailed macaques for biomedical research, responding to research demand from the US and China ([22:41], [23:35]).
• Animal Welfare Concerns: NGOs alarmed; officials stress regulation but advocates urge a move toward “modern non-animal testing alternatives.”
  • Quote: “Animal welfare groups are saying this is a setback for the protection of long-tailed macaques, which are native to Indonesia.” – Lisa Tambunan ([24:37])

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8. Disney Embraces TikTok: A Media Revolution

[25:01–27:48]

Key Points & Insights

• Disney x TikTok Deal: Characters like Darth Vader and Moana can appear in user videos; will be integrated back into Disney+ ([25:25]).
• Changing Viewing Habits: Former Disney exec Kevin Mayer emphasizes this move is “an absolute imperative” as youth viewing shifts decisively to social media and short-form content.
  • Quote: “Short form storytelling is the coin of the realm for younger audiences... The biggest risk there is, is not doing this.” – Kevin Mayer ([27:35])

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9. Record-breaking Wing Walker: Betty Bromidge

[27:48–30:10]

Key Points & Insights

• 97-Year-Old Daredevil: Betty Bromidge sets a new age record for wing walking, raising funds for stroke care in Cheltenham.
  • Quote: “I just get bored at life otherwise... I want to do the things that I can do up in the air.” – Betty Bromidge ([28:13])
• Inspiration: Despite being nearly blind and post-stroke, Betty’s feats inspire her community and highlight resilience in later life ([28:49], [29:37]).

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Notable Quotes in Context

• Paul Adams (Ukraine, [03:13]): “What it can’t do is to stop Russia attacking civilian ships coming in and out of Ukraine’s ports. Those attacks are increasing and it’s a major problem.”
• Dmitro (Ukraine, [04:13]): “Official ports are not closed, but vessels are not coming. They are scared of being hit...they want to make a blockade of the Ukrainian ports.”
• Svetlana (Odessa port worker, [05:25]): “A lot of sirens, a lot of drones, a lot of hits. And for morale, it’s even more difficult. People are very tense.”
• Andre Dudic (Odessa homeowner, [07:07]): “If we start crying, it will not lead to anything.”
• Jonathan Head (Myanmar, [07:48]): “Min Aung Hlaing has point-blank refused to honor the promises he made after the coup...his regime is not going anywhere.”
• Richard Kagoi (Uganda, [12:15]): “He was indeed not just a player, but they saw him as a leader, as a brother...an inspiration to a new generation of footballers.”
• Laura Foster (Wildfires, [15:10]): “At the same time, there was also an increase of more than 6% to emergency departments for headaches and migraines because of these tiny PM2.5s.”
• Kevin Mayer (Disney/TikTok, [27:35]): “Short form storytelling is the coin of the realm for younger audiences... The biggest risk there is, is not doing this.”
• Betty Bromidge (Wing walker, [28:13]): “When you get old, you can’t go here, you can’t do this...I want to do the things that I can do up in the air.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:16] Introduction and headlines
• [02:07–07:14] Ukraine Black Sea frontline report
• [07:14–10:43] Myanmar military diplomacy shift
• [11:06–14:02] Uganda crime and death of football star
• [14:25–15:46] Wildfire smoke and migraines
• [18:28–20:43] US Senate holds Fauci in contempt
• [20:43–22:23] Hiroshima anniversary and nuclear debate
• [22:23–25:01] Indonesia resumes endangered monkey exports
• [25:01–27:48] Disney x TikTok deal analysis
• [27:48–30:10] Betty Bromidge’s record-breaking wing walk

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Tone and Language:
The episode balances urgency and human perspective in war and crisis coverage with measured, informed analysis throughout. Personal stories and frontline testimony lend immediacy and authenticity, while newsmaker interviews and expert commentary provide context.

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Transcript

[Oliver Conway]

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[Oliver Conway]

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 15 hours GMT on Thursday 6th August. Today we have an exclusive report on Ukraine's battle with Russia in the Black Sea. Myanmar's military ruler emerges from diplomatic isolation with a visit to Thailand. And after a four year break, Indonesia resumes exports of endangered monkeys to the US for lab testing. Also in the podcast, why wildfires can give us migraines and

[Betty Bromidge]

I just get bored with life otherwise. When you get old, you can't go here, you can't do this, you can't drive, you can't see. I can't see very well and I get a bit frustrated. So I want to do the things that I can do.

[Oliver Conway]

The 97 year old wing walker who's just broken her own record. For months, Ukraine has been hitting Russia's energy sites, warehouses and supply routes to try to drive home to people there the true cost of President Putin's invasion. In the latest attack, Ukraine struck two Russian oil refineries, sending plumes of black smoke into the atmosphere. But along with the air war, Russia and Ukraine have also been battling it out at sea. Ukrainian officials say a Russian strike on the Black Sea port of Odessa overnight damaged a Guinea Bissau flagged ship loaded with wheat. One crew member was killed. Our diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams has been given rare access to the Ukrainian navy.

[Paul Adams]

We're going on patrol with the Ukrainian navy out into Waters made increasingly dangerous by Russian attacks. In a part of the country where a drone or ballistic missile can arrive with little warning, everyone is focused on alert. They fire their guns every day. This morning, it looks deceptively calm with its guns, its netting, and some of the other equipment on board. This vessel can look after itself, more or less, but what it can't do is to stop Russia attacking civilian ships coming in and out of Ukraine's ports. Those attacks are increasing and it's a major problem. There's a war out at sea. Russia and Ukraine hitting each other's ships, hundreds of them.

[Dimitro (Guide)]

Normally, all of them are crowded by vessels. Now you can see how many vessels.

[Paul Adams]

All we can see moving are a couple of tugboats. Nothing else?

[Dimitro (Guide)]

Nothing else.

[Paul Adams]

I'm being shown around one of Ukraine's biggest Black Sea ports. For security reasons, I'm not allowed to say which. And I'm going to call my guide Dimitro. It's not his real name. He's worked here for 20 years. The port is virtually empty. Dimitro's never seen it like this.

[Dimitro (Guide)]

Official ports are not closed, but vessels are not coming. They are scared of being hit, like it was this morning in Odessa Bay. Starting July, they hit trade vessels as a primary target.

[Paul Adams]

Why do you think this changed?

[Dimitro (Guide)]

It's better to ask them. Because, main thing, they want to make a blockade of the Ukrainian ports. Because of the economy.

[Paul Adams]

Yeah. This is a really quite strange experience, driving under these enormous gantries and cranes and the pipes and the buckets and everything that you need for a busy port. And none of it, none of it is working. At the offices of Ukraine's Transport Workers Union, I meet Svetlana, a warehouse shift manager at Odessa's main port. She's limping, fragments of a Russian ballistic missile still stuck in her leg and back following an explosion at the port a year ago. She fights back tears as she talks, and her hands shake as she describes what life is like now.

[Svetlana / Lisa Tambunan]

It's very difficult. A lot of sirens, a lot of drones, a lot of hits. And for morale, it's even more difficult. People are very tense. What can I say? Look at my hands.

[Paul Adams]

Back at Dmytro's port, the air raid siren sounds. We head for the nearest bomb shelter, soon joined by port workers all scanning their phones for updates. Is that the drone or is that a Ukrainian? That's the drone. Okay.

[Betty Bromidge]

Yeah. Okay.

[Dimitro (Guide)]

So you can feel by yourself. How does it look working during the war?

[Paul Adams]

Yes.

[Dimitro (Guide)]

On the port, unfortunately, it became typical for our life.

[Paul Adams]

We're told that two Jet powered drones landed in the area. So we go looking for the scene of one of the explosions. Eventually, several miles from the port, we find 83 year old Andre Dudic surveying the shattered ruins of his house and garden. Somehow he escaped without a scratch.

[Svetlana / Lisa Tambunan]

And I was planning what I would

[Betty Bromidge]

do after my lunch.

[Svetlana / Lisa Tambunan]

But now I understand what I will be doing.

[Paul Adams]

You seem to have a sense of humor about this whole incident.

[Svetlana / Lisa Tambunan]

If we start crying, it will not lead to anything.

[Paul Adams]

Yes, this is true.

[Oliver Conway]

Paul Adams reporting from Ukraine. Next to a warm welcome in Bangkok for a military ruler seen elsewhere as an international pariah. Thailand rolled out the red carpet for Min Aung Lang, leader of neighboring Myanmar, despite his refusal to end the five years of violence sparked by his coup against the government of Aung San SUU Kyi. For more on the visit of the Burmese strongman, I spoke to our Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

[Jonathan Head]

It's a surprise to most of us here that the ties have escalated to what looks like a state visit. It's not a state visit, but Minolin has been given all of the honors and trappings that go with a big official visit. This is a man who's not been able to travel to fellow Southeast Asian countries since he overthrew Aung San SUU Kyi's government. He's been an international pariah, only really traveling to Russia and most recently to China. But Southeast Asian governments have kept him at arm's length because he's caused a real crisis for them. Thailand's got a two and a half thousand kilometer long border. A lot of the civil war that was ignited by the coup is spilling over that border. And Men Online has point blank refused to honor the promises he made after the coup that he would de escalate violence and start negotiating with the opposition. But I think there's been a growing sense in several countries, particularly in Thailand, that minnal line is not going anywhere. His military regime has regained a lot of the territory that it lost over the last year thanks in large part to support from China. And his regime is not going to crumble. And having held this much criticized election earlier this year and turned himself into a notionally civilian president, he's really cemented his hold on power. And I think the Thai calculus is we have to deal with him at some point. You know, we are neighbors. We have a lot of issues to share. We may as well do it now when we say roll out the red carpet. There was an awful lot of red carpet at Government House. There was a full military band and an Honor guard and a lot of meetings, a lot of business meetings as well, trying to build up the economic ties between the two countries. It feels like business as usual between Thailand and Myanmar after five years of the civil war.

[Oliver Conway]

And what will other members of the regional body asean, what will they make of it?

[Jonathan Head]

Some are unhappy. Governments like Singapore have held out, saying, look, we need to get concessions from Myanmar. We need to see them doing what they promised five years ago and genuinely trying to de escalate this war. And just talking to their opponents, they've gone to war with their own people. There are thousands of volunteer armed groups who've taken extraordinary risks to fight the military, but thousands of civilians as well. Many have fled to the Thai side. This is a military government essentially, despite the election, which is against its own people. And other Southeast Asian countries really want to see some kind of signs of compromise and the military isn't giving that. So I think there's some dismay that Thailand has jumped so quickly to embrace Myanmar's coup leader rather than trying to extract more concessions from him. But, you know, the military is extremely stubborn in its mindset. Minholan has expressed a lot of indignation. He says he feels Myanmar's being treated differently from other members of the association of Southeast Asian nations. And he hasn't made any concessions in five years of this gruesome civil war. So I think Thailand's calculation is he's probably never going to do it. We've got to deal with him now.

[Oliver Conway]

Jonathan Head in Bangkok. The captain of one of Uganda's biggest football teams has died after being attacked near his home in the capital Kampala. Police said David Owari was fatally assaulted by a street gang. His death has prompted an outpouring of grief and renewed anger over violent crime in Uganda. Our global affairs reporter Richard Kagoi told me more.

[Richard Kagoi]

The police are saying that Owari had resisted attempts by a group of robbers. So they're describing them as a street gang operating in a suburb in Kampala just close to his home. So what happened is that he resisted an attempt to steal his mobile phone and other belongings, and as a result of that, he was fatally assaulted. So we don't quite really have the details in terms of really how that transpired. But then what they say is that he was later found by passersby, he was lying unconscious and that they took him to a clinic which was nearby. But then they say that they didn't have the capacity to treat him, so he was transferred to a nearby hospital and unfortunately he died from his injuries.

[Oliver Conway]

And tell us more about David Owari's sporting prowess and the reaction to his death.

[Richard Kagoi]

Well, Owari was a renowned footballer, a very promising star there. He began his career about a decade ago, you know, really starting off from the grassroots level and now rising up even to playing for SC Villa, which was where he was the captain. He also featured in the national team that has the Uganda cranes in the 2021 Africa cup of Nations. And he was also known to be a very prolific defender, you know, playing across the midfield, thereabout. And there has been really lots of attributes that have been pouring in. We've heard even from his football club essay, Villa saying that he was indeed not just a player, but they saw him as a leader, they saw him as a brother. And also the national team saying that he was sort of like an inspiration to a new generation of footballers across Uganda. And it's interesting that even the National Parliament yesterday, during one of its sessions, observed a minute silence just in his honor. So he was somebody who sort of like captured at the imagination of Uganda, especially the sporting scene. And a lot of people really are expressing, you know, anger at just, you know, his death and what really happened to him.

[Oliver Conway]

Yeah, I mean, it comes not long after a rugby player was killed there. How bad is violent crime in Uganda?

[Richard Kagoi]

It's really been a major concern, and it's something that has repeatedly featured in most conversations because you'd have lots of young people, unfortunately, who have not been able to secure gainful employment. And so a lot of them are really resorting to street and violent crime. And so this just happening two months after the famous Ugandan rugby player who was killed, it's really raised concern that, I mean, if notable prominent people can really also fall victim to this, it's not just the ordinary Ugandan who's going through this. And that's why even the deputy speaker and the national assembly really called on the police to address, you know, the wider security challenges in the capital, Kampala, and even just across the country.

[Oliver Conway]

Richard Kogoi talking to me from Nairobi. With wildfires still raging in Western Europe, North Africa and Canada, a new study has highlighted the dangers to human health as well as the immediate risk to life from flames and smoke inhalation. Canadian researchers say they can also cause migraine headaches. And our health reporter Laura Foster has been looking at the findings.

[Laura Foster]

They took various bits of satellite and weather data from Canada, looking at where fires were, how plumes of smoke were traveling during the wildfire season, and they put it all into a computer, which worked out how much the air was filled with very small particles. These are called PM2.5s, and they're called that because they're less than 2.5 micrometers wide. To give you some context, if you take a strand of your hair or if you look at a hair on your arm, that's like 1/30 the width of a human hair. So it really shows how small they are and how they can get into your system. And what they did is they compared all that data from wildfire seasons and looked at admissions to emergency departments in Ontario and Alberta, the researchers found. At the same time, there was also an increase of more than 6% to emergency departments for headaches and migraines because of these tiny PM2.5s. They're so small, they can get into our lungs and they contain these toxic compounds that can trigger various stress and inflammation in blood vessels and that can carry around our systems. It can activate the nerve pathways and it leads to these migraines that require emergency care. But then there's the second effect of wildfires, in that the stress and anxiety and sleep disruption and behavioral changes that come about because you're caught up in a wildfire that also can lead to increase in migraines and headaches.

[Oliver Conway]

Our health reporter, Laura Foster. And still to come on this podcast,

[Kevin Mayer]

traditional media companies must make this change. It is an absolute imperative. They have to be where the audience is. Short form storytelling is the coin of the realm for younger audiences and those same audiences as they become older.

[Oliver Conway]

Why Disney is giving TikTok users access to its films and TV

[Richard Kagoi]

foreign.

[Matt Rogers / Bowen Yang]

This is Matt Rogers from Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. This is Bowen Yang from Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. Hey, Bowen. Point of order. It feels like nothing is what it says it is anymore. Point of answer. It's because everything has a catch.

[Laura Foster]

Hey.

[Matt Rogers / Bowen Yang]

Or it turns out to be something else entirely. Like a total catfish situation.

[Oliver Conway]

Exactly, Bo.

[Matt Rogers / Bowen Yang]

Except for Hotels.com. yeah, that one's pretty literal because it's Hotels.com it's in the domain. You go there, you book hotels, hundreds of thousands of them, and hold up.

[Oliver Conway]

That's it.

[Matt Rogers / Bowen Yang]

That's it. And when stays are booked as a member, rewards are earned every time. Every stay, every stay. No tracking or managing. Just rewards that can be used like cash on future bookings, which, by the way, already feels nicer than most rewards programs.

[Kevin Mayer]

Okay.

[Matt Rogers / Bowen Yang]

Yeah. Members can also get up to 20% off bookings, so savings start right away. Does that mean no weird restrictions and no blackout dates. Book what works when it works. It's actually really fitting of real travel. So the name is honest you're saying and the rewards are too. Exactly. Hotels.com it's all in the name.

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[Oliver Conway]

In the United States, Anthony Fauci was the face of the COVID pandemic, standing alongside Donald Trump and looking on quizzically as the US President gave his take on how to tackle the virus. The chief medical adviser later became the bete noire of lockdown and vaccine skeptics. Now a Senate committee has voted on party lines to put him in contempt of Congress. The hearing was called after Mr. Fauci refused to answer questions at a hearing on COVID 19. Our White House correspondent Bernd Debusman is covering the story. He spoke to Tim Franks.

[Bernd Debusman]

This vote was from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and it all stems from a separate hearing that had taken place last week in which Dr. Fauci was called in to answer questions about his experience during the COVID pandemic. And specifically, many of these lawmakers wanted to drill down on the origins of COVID and how it was handled afterwards. But during that hearing last week, Dr. Fauci invoked his constitutional right against self incrimination more than 100 times. Essentially, he didn't answer any questions and he sat quite still and just declined to answer questions for hours, including questions for example what color tie are you wearing?

[Richard Kagoi]

Now?

[Bernd Debusman]

The senator who led that effort, Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky, he's held this vote to hold him in contempt, which means that now that case will be referred to the Justice Department and it's up to them whether they actually want to prosecute that case. If they do, it would be a misdemeanor with fines. And in extreme cases in the past, they've sentenced people to brief jail sentences of several months.

[Richard Kagoi]

Right.

[Paul Adams]

And just in terms of process, is

[Jonathan Head]

it now completely in the hands of the Justice Department? Will they sort of refer it back

[Paul Adams]

to a full vote of the Senate?

[Bernd Debusman]

Well, in normal cases it would go to a full vote of the Senate where It would require 60 of 100 votes to pass. At the moment, there are 53 Republicans in the Senate, which would make that unlikely. So Rand Paul, who's again leading this effort, has decided to circumvent that effort and he's going directly to the Justice Department. But at the moment, it's not at all clear that the Justice Department will opt to prosecute Dr. Fauci for this burnt up.

[Oliver Conway]

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has led commemorations in hiroshima on the 81st anniversary of the world's first use of nuclear weapons. 140,000 people died when the US dropped an atomic bomb on the city as part of efforts to end the Second World War. In her address, Ms. Takeichi reaffirmed Japan's non nuclear principles to. So how significant is that? Here's our Tokyo correspondent, Kurumi Mori.

[Kurumi Mori]

This message, though, carried particular weight this year. Japan is set to revise its key national security strategy later this year. And that's prompting questions over whether its long standing commitment to those principles could face a new pressure at a time when we're seeing East Asia rapidly changing with its security environment. And did not address addressed those concerns directly in her speech. And inside she stressed Japan's responsibility as the only country to have suffered atomic bombings in war and renew that commitment to pursue a world with no nuclear weapons. But the issue has become increasingly sensitive in Japan. Online, some questioned whether Takuchi, who is widely regarded regarded as having a more hawkish national security stance, will maintain that pledge as the regional attention just grow further and defense spending here continues to rise. You know, for many in Hiroshima, the ceremony is less about politics than about remembrance. As the number of atomic bomb survivors continues to decline in Japan, there's this growing urgency to preserve their testimony and endure that lessons of Hiroshima and make sure that they are not forgotten.

[Oliver Conway]

Kurumi Mori in Tokyo, Indonesia is resuming the export of long tailed Macaques for use in laboratory experiments. After a four year pause, animal welfare groups have strongly condemned the move, saying it threatens the monkey's survival. Our correspondent in Jakarta, Lisa Tambunan, told me more.

[Svetlana / Lisa Tambunan]

If we go back to 2022, the IUCN updated the status of the long tailed macaques from vulnerable to endangered. And in Indonesia, there was growing pressure from animal welfare groups campaigning against the capture and live export of these macaques. This pressure prompted the Indonesian authorities to pause wild captured quarters and also halt export permits in order to align with international compliance and prevent further depletion of wild monkeys. Since then, there have been discussions with CITs, which is the international regulator of trade in endangered species. And this year, Indonesia was allocated by CITS almost 2000 monkeys for export.

[Oliver Conway]

Okay, why are these creatures in demand for testing?

[Svetlana / Lisa Tambunan]

There are two sides to this. On one side is the medical one. So long tailed macaques are the most widely used non human primates in biomedical research globally. And with past research showing their immune system reacts similarly to human immune system, making these monkeys what researchers say ideal models for testing vaccines and treatments for viruses. On the other side is a financial one. Indonesian officials justify the trade by highlighting lucrative research demand from the US especially as one of its biggest markets. And there is also ongoing negotiations with China, where according to Indonesian officials, the demand is double the US for its potential market value, with demands estimated to reach up to 20,000 macaques annually at prices between 3,000 and 4,000 US dollars per animal.

[Oliver Conway]

And briefly, is there any opposition in Indonesia to this export trade?

[Svetlana / Lisa Tambunan]

Yes. Animal welfare groups strongly condemn this move. They warn it threatens the species survival. As you said earlier, Indonesian authorities insist the process is strictly regulated. But animal welfare groups are saying this is a setback for the protection of long tailed macaques, which are native to Indonesia. These groups are now urging Indonesia to suspend exports and shift toward modern non animal testing alternatives.

[Oliver Conway]

Our correspondent in Indonesia, Lisa Tambunan. Disney characters could soon become official TikTok stars after what's been called a first of its kind deal between the Hollywood studio and the video sharing platform.

[Betty Bromidge]

Hulk.

[Oliver Conway]

Good to finally meet you guys. Why you be more handsome in person.

[Richard Kagoi]

What are you doing?

[Svetlana / Lisa Tambunan]

Stories are true.

[Oliver Conway]

The story has just begun. Under the agreement, characters like Darth Vader, Spider man and Moana from Disney Films and its subsidiaries will be allowed in TikTok videos, which will in turn be shared on the Disney plus app. Disney said the move reflects how fans are engaging with its stories in entirely new ways. Kevin Mayer is a former senior Disney executive who Also once served as the boss of TikTok.

[Kevin Mayer]

I think that Disney has seen the light. I know they have actually about the permanence and the importance of this crater led economy and the vertical video that comes from that. So they have to find a way to combine these experiences and look, Disney is the way to do it. I don't think Disney is going to end up being a social media storytelling operation. It's still going to be based on and focused on the storytelling that they've been doing for decades. But this new component will open up a different avenue, different use case. The change in consumer behavior is impossible to overstate. For users that are 13 and younger, 75% of their usage of media is on social media platforms. YouTube and TikTok especially, and video games. I should throw that in there too. Only 25% of those young persons time is spent with TV shows that are either streamed or on a TV channel. More and more streaming obviously and movies including theatrical releases. So there's been a dramatic shift in where their audience wants to be and where the audience wants to interact with not only Disney programming, but all programming. Traditional media companies must make this change. It is an absolute imperative. They have to be where the audience is. They have to tell stories in a way that this new audience likes those stories being told. And this extends to sports and ESPN as well. Short form storytelling is the coin of the realm for younger audiences and those same audiences as they become older. That math has already shown that audiences hang on to this usage paradigm as they get older. So Disney has to do it. And could it fall flat? Certainly possible. Could they iterate a bunch of times and see what works and what doesn't and ultimately come up with a product that doesn't fall flat that takes advantage of this interaction with their creators in a very robust and fan friendly way? Likely. I think Disney is really good about this. The biggest risk there is is not doing this.

[Oliver Conway]

Entertainment analyst Kevin Mayer, finally a 97 year old woman here in the UK has broken her own Guinness world record to become the old person to complete a wing walk. Betty Bromidge started doing the stunts a decade ago. Steve Nibs has the story.

[Steve Knibbs]

Betty's back 97 years young and taking to the skies again.

[Betty Bromidge]

I just get bored at life otherwise. When you get old, you can't go here, you can't do this, you can't drive, you can't see. I can't see very well and I get a bit frustrated. So I want to do the things that I can do up in the air.

[Steve Knibbs]

Betty's at home, inner element on the ground. Her friends and neighbors from her retirement village in Cheltenham watch on nervously.

[Oliver Conway]

God, Betty, what was it like watching

[Steve Knibbs]

her doing those loop the loops in there?

[Laura Foster]

I was here four years ago. Awful.

[Jonathan Head]

Makes you want to cry.

[Laura Foster]

But yeah, she got on fantastic. Yeah. So proud of her.

[Betty Bromidge]

That's incredible. I mean, she's partially sighted, in fact almost blind and yet she can do this. This isn' first time she's done something like this, but at her age, it's just amazing, isn't it? So, no, she's a wonder.

[Steve Knibbs]

Betty started all this 10 years ago at the age of 87. She since abseiled down a tower in Cheltenham and took on a zip wire in Snowdonia. And today she pushed the envelope even further, asking the pilot to throw in a barrel roll.

[Oliver Conway]

She explains to me inside that it's something that she really is keen to do even at her age. So I just think it's absolutely fantastic and for me it's such a privilege to be able to do that.

[Steve Knibbs]

All of this was done to raise money for the stroke unit in Cheltenham. They helped Betty when she had a stroke last year.

[Betty Bromidge]

So kind to me and straight away the treatment I got, it affects my words. I go to say a word and it doesn't always come out. But the rest of me, I'm physician. Well, for a 97 year old.

[Steve Knibbs]

Today the staff sent her a good luck message. Grateful for the support. Back on the ground, Betty took it all in her stride. With confirmation that she broke her own world record yet again is the oldest

[Oliver Conway]

female wing walker, Steve Knibbs reporting. And that is all from us for now, but the global news podcast will be back very soon. This edition was mixed by Jack Wilfan and produced by Alfie Habershon and Stephanie Zacharison. Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time. Goodbye.

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