EU and India announce 'mother of all trade deals'

Summary

Global News Podcast – Episode Summary

Date: January 27, 2026
Host: Oliver Conway, BBC World Service

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Episode Overview

This episode explores a landmark trade agreement between the European Union and India, paints a stark picture of Iran amid ongoing government crackdowns, reports Spain’s groundbreaking move to legalize hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants, introduces an innovative AI project for Holocaust education, discusses the brain changes linked to menopause, covers legal action against social media companies, and examines controversy around fitness wearables at Grand Slam tennis events.

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Key Topics & Insights

1. EU–India Trade Agreement: “The Mother of All Deals”

[00:41 - 05:34]

• Historic Deal Announced:
  The EU and India unveiled a sweeping trade pact described as “the mother of all deals,” creating a joint market of two billion people.

• Leaders’ Celebratory Tone:

  • Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President:
    “We did it. We delivered the mother of all deals. We are creating a market of 2 billion people. And this is the tale of two giants.” [01:58]
  • Indian PM Narendra Modi, via translator:
    “Friends, today India has concluded the largest ever free trade agreement in its history.” [02:36]

• Key Features:

  • Major tariff reductions for European exports (cars, machinery, agricultural goods) into India.
  • Preferential access for Indian goods (especially textiles, manufacturing, engineering) into the EU.
  • Joint security partnership included.

• Context & Implications:

  • Both parties face economic and political pressures from the US, and seek to diversify trade and build resilience against external disruptions.
  • Economist analysis cautions about challenges for Indian sectors needing to upgrade to European safety standards, potentially increasing input costs.

• Notable Quote:

  • Arunide Mukherjee, BBC Reporter (from Delhi):
    “The deal essentially will allow free trade of goods between the bloc of 27 European nations and the world's most populous country... set to lower costs for European products entering India after import duties are significantly reduced.” [03:14]

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2. Aftermath of Iran’s Protest Crackdown

[05:34 - 10:11]

• Currency Collapse & Human Rights Violations:

  • Iran’s rial hits historical lows as tensions with the US rise and a brutal government response leaves thousands dead, according to human rights groups.
  • Eyewitness reports depict mass casualties among young protesters and widespread grief.

• Economic Hardship:

  • Voice note from a young Iranian businessman details a crumbling economy:
    “Raw materials are expensive or impossible to find. The dollars get stronger against the rial everyday.” [07:56]
  • Internet blackouts cripple online businesses, causing an estimated $34 million in daily losses.

• Atmospheric Grief and Suppression:

  • Black funeral banners visible in every street; loss now strikes “closer to home.”
  • Protests have died down due to violence and internet controls.

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3. Spain’s Landmark Legalization of Migrants

[10:11 - 13:10]

• Governmental Policy Shift:

  • Spain to provide legal status to ~500,000 undocumented migrants who meet eligibility criteria.

• Rationale:

  • Practicality: Migrants are vital in sectors with severe labor shortages.
  • Economic integration and tax benefits for the state.
  • Political dimension: Driven by the coalition's pro-immigration junior partner, Podemos.

• Quote:

  • Elmar Saeiz, Immigration Minister:
    “Today we are living a historic day. We are recognizing, dignifying, and guaranteeing opportunities and rights for people who are already in our country.” [10:50]

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4. AI Project Connecting Youth with Holocaust Survivors

[13:10 - 16:09]

• Commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day:

  • New “Testimony360” project uses AI and VR to allow students to interact with virtual Holocaust survivors, like Susan Pollack (95), preserving their stories for future generations.

• First-Hand Testimony:

  • Susan Pollack on Auschwitz experience:
    “This environment that they placed me in in Auschwitz, appearing every morning stark naked in front of Dr. Mengele... I can't describe this to you. How inhuman the conditions were.” [14:55]

• Tech and Education Fusion:

  • The innovative approach ensures the continued teaching of Holocaust lessons as survivors’ numbers dwindle.

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5. US Immigration Clash After Minneapolis Killings

[17:10 - 21:19]

• Backlash Over ICE Operations:
  • Following the killing of two US citizens in Minneapolis, President Trump dispatched his “border czar” amid public and political criticism of harsh immigration tactics.
  • Chris Modell, senior Republican, withdrew from the state governor race:
    “Driving while Hispanic is not a crime. Either is driving while Asian... At the end of the day, I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them I believe I did what was right.” [17:52]
  • On-the-ground reports detail escalating, militarized clashes between agents and protesters.

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6. Menopause and Brain Health

[21:19 - 24:10]

• Scientific Breakthrough:

  • UK study links menopause to decreased grey matter in brain regions affected by Alzheimer’s, explaining increased risk of dementia for women.

• Personal Stories and Expert Opinion:

  • Nicola shares the emotional turbulence of menopause:
    “I don't think, unless you've actually been through it, that you understand the emotional rollercoaster...” [21:42]
  • Prof. Barbara Sahakian, Cambridge University:
    “What we found was that the menopause is associated with decreased brain grey matter volumes in... the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. It does seem that the menopause might make the female brain more vulnerable.” [22:24]

• Advice:

  • Support, exercise, and new learning are recommended to counteract negative effects.

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7. Social Media Companies on Trial

[24:10 - 26:53]

• Pioneering Lawsuit:

  • Californian teenager sues Meta, YouTube, alleging their algorithms caused her mental health collapse.
  • Attorney Matthew Bergman:
    "She’s been robbed of her childhood, her adolescence and her teenage years. She has been subjected to horrific content..." [24:36]
  • Lawsuit targets design choices that maximize engagement at psychological cost.

• Defendant Responses:

  • Meta and YouTube strongly deny claims and defend their practices.

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8. Grand Slam Tennis Bans Fitness Trackers

[26:53 - 30:01]

• Rule Frustration Among Players:

  • Stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Irina Sabalenka forced to remove health-tracking devices at Australian Open.
  • Sabalenka:
    "I don't understand why Grand Slam are not allowed us to wear it..." [27:38]

• Expert Commentary:

  • Jonathan Dureko, BBC tennis reporter:
    “Grand Slams don’t allow it... that inconsistency has baffled quite a lot of people.” [28:29]
  • Players believe continual monitoring crucial for welfare, but Grand Slam tournaments await unified policy.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Ursula von der Leyen: “We did it. We delivered the mother of all deals.” [01:58]
• PM Narendra Modi (translator): “Today India has concluded the largest ever free trade agreement in its history.” [02:36]
• Spanish Immigration Minister Elmar Saeiz: “We are recognizing, dignifying, and guaranteeing opportunities and rights...” [10:50]
• Susan Pollack (on Auschwitz): “I can’t describe this to you. How inhuman the conditions were.” [14:55]
• Chris Modell (withdrawal announcement): “Driving while Hispanic is not a crime. Either is driving while Asian...” [17:52]
• Nicola (menopause impact): “I don't think, unless you've actually been through it, that you understand the emotional rollercoaster...” [21:42]
• Prof. Barbara Sahakian (brain study): “It does seem that the menopause might make the female brain more vulnerable.” [22:24]
• Irina Sabalenka (tennis wearables): “I really hope that they will reconcile, consider the decision and let their players track their health monitor.” [27:38]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------|-------------------| | EU–India Trade Deal | 00:41 – 05:34 | | Iran Protests and Economic Crisis | 05:34 – 10:11 | | Spain Legalizes Undocumented Migrants | 10:11 – 13:10 | | AI Holocaust Survivor Stories | 13:10 – 16:09 | | Minneapolis Killings & US Immigration Protests | 17:10 – 21:19 | | Menopause and Dementia Risk | 21:19 – 24:10 | | Social Media Lawsuit on Mental Health | 24:10 – 26:53 | | Tennis Stars and Fitness Trackers Ban | 26:53 – 30:01 |

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Memorable Moments

• Ursula von der Leyen echoing Trump’s hyperbole to herald the trade pact (“mother of all deals”). [01:58]
• Heart-wrenching testimony of an Iranian eyewitness on mass burials and families’ grief. [06:19]
• Enduring voice of a Holocaust survivor, now immortalized in AI for future generations. [14:55]
• Public political reckoning after Minneapolis, with dramatic resignation and condemnation of ICE. [17:52]
• Menopause’s hidden toll uncovered in neuroscience, offering new understanding and avenues for support. [22:24]
• Tennis champions’ confusion and frustration over rules barring athlete health monitoring in major tournaments. [27:38]

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Conclusion

This episode of the Global News Podcast delivers a comprehensive, global sweep of breaking developments: from milestone diplomatic agreements and social reforms to the human consequences of political turmoil, scientific insight into women's health, emergent legal battles over big tech, and evolving norms in elite sport. Each segment is rich in analysis, features first-hand voices, and underscores the BBC’s mission to probe not just headlines, but their ripple effects across societies and generations.

Transcript

[Narrator/Reporter]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

[Helena Merriman]

If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau. Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Oliver Conway]

You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We're recording this at 16 hours GMT on Tuesday 27th January. The EU and India hail their new trade agreement as the mother of all deals. Following Iran's violent crackdown on protests, doctors and nurses who cared for the injured are now being arrested. And Spain is to grant legal status to half a million undocumented migrants. Also in this podcast, a new AI project in Britain helps schoolchildren connect with Holocaust survivors.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

We were only two children, my brother and myself, but we had a wonderful extended family.

[Oliver Conway]

And how menopause is linked to a loss of grey matter.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

It does seem that the menopause might make the female brain more vulnerable to the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

[Oliver Conway]

So what can be done? India and the European Union have reached a trade deal covering 2 billion people. And they're keen to talk it up. Here's European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, using the kind of language more often heard from Donald Trump.

[Helena Merriman]

We did it. We delivered the mother of all deals. We are creating a market of 2 billion people. And this is the tale of two giants. The world's second and fourth largest economies. Two giants who choose partnership in a.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

True win win fashion.

[Gonche Habibzadeh]

A strong message that cooperation is the.

[Helena Merriman]

Best answer to global challenges.

[Oliver Conway]

And speaking through a translator, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi was equally bullish.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

Friends, today India has concluded the largest.

[Helena Merriman]

Ever free trade agreement in its history.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

This historic agreement will make access to the European markets easier for our farmers and small businesses. It will create new opportunities in manufacturing and will further strengthen cooperation between our service sectors.

[Oliver Conway]

The wide ranging deal, which includes cuts to tariffs and a joint security partnership, comes as both sides face economic and political pressure from the us. I heard more from Arunide Mukherjee outside the talks in Delhi.

[Arunide Mukherjee]

The deal essentially will allow free trade of goods between the bloc of 27 European nations and the world's most populous country, which together make up nearly 25% of global GDP and have a market of, well, you're looking at about 2 billion people at least. And the deal is set to lower costs for European products entering India, namely cars, machinery, agricultural food items, after import duties are significantly reduced. It is also going to allow preferential entry of Indian exports into the European Union at reduced tariffs and aims to boost India's labor intensive sectors, which is why this is important because we're looking at sectors like textiles, apparel and engineering goods, which are some of those sectors which were hit adversely because of the impact of the US Tariffs that India has been reeling under. We got a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well, who said that the deal is likely to make greater access to European markets and make it easier for India's farmers and also smaller businesses and will help boost manufacturing and services sector. So a visit and a summit certainly high on optics and both sides appear to be fairly pleased with what they've got, at least as far as their body language is concerned.

[Oliver Conway]

Yeah. And put this into the broader context. Obviously all the disruption to global trade going around at the moment for both sides.

[Arunide Mukherjee]

It was very important given that we've seen the pressures on the European Union either when it comes to Greenland or when it comes to India and it's continuing to purchase Russian oil, which has been something that has upset the US and there's this constant threat of higher tariffs for India. So both sides have felt this urgency to try and get this deal over the line to try and recalibrate trade ties elsewhere and see what are the other alternatives as well, given the unpredictable scenario. So all of this is certainly going to be seen through that prison. But having said that, there was also a note of caution that I picked up from one of the economists who I was speaking to during my coverage who said that this is all very well, yes, there are many, many gains, but there will also be some challenges in terms of implementation because in those labor intensive sectors that we're mentioning, they will also have to ensure that they adhere to a higher European safety standard. So there will be a change there which could invite higher input costs. That's something that we will have to wait and watch. But there is something certainly there to kind of keep watch off as far as being optimistic, but also ensuring that there's some caution as well, as they look forward to what they're calling the.

[Oliver Conway]

Mother of all deals every day. Mukherjee. In the Indian capital, the Iranian currency has fallen to its lowest ever level, 1.5 million rials to the US dollar, the rate offered in exchange shops in Tehran was reached as a US aircraft carrier arrived in the region, raising concerns there that President Trump may follow through on his threat of military action over Iran's brutal response to mass protests. An Iranian human rights group says it's confirmed that almost 6,000 protesters were killed. Colleagues from the BBC Persian Service have been receiving video messages from inside the country. This one, which contains some distressing details, came in yesterday. It has been voiced over.

[Gonche Habibzadeh]

I took this video on the 21st of day 10th of January. It's mid morning in Ber, the largest cemetery in south of Tehran, the capital and you could hear people chanting death to Khomeini, the Supreme Leader. It was shocking to see most bodies brought for burial were people under 30 and 40 years old that day. They must have delivered 30 bodies that morning and not all were from Tehran. Many people came from different cities to identify bodies and take their loved ones for burial to their place of birth. And they also brought bodies of a newlywed couple. It was really upsetting. The body of the person I went for his funeral, got lost. After a few hours a friend managed to identify the body. In fact he found it in the section where women were kept. He said in the morgue where men were kept. They were like body bags on top of each other, many of them. Many of the bodies were not even washed and still in their clothes covered with blood. I just cannot put into words images I witnessed that day.

[Oliver Conway]

Well in the past few hours we got a voice note from a young businessman in his 30s. For his safety, we won't share his personal details.

[Jonathan Dureko]

Iran's economy has been turbulent for years.

[Oliver Conway]

All because of Islamic Republic. Many companies can't survive anymore. Problems are so big that not working is better than working. Prices shoot up fast.

[Jonathan Dureko]

Raw materials are expensive or impossible to find.

[Oliver Conway]

The dollars get stronger against the real everyday bad.

[Jonathan Dureko]

Internet killed many online business too.

[Oliver Conway]

Startups shut down and couldn't go on.

[Jonathan Dureko]

People's online shops on Instagram and Telegram are struggling hard.

[Oliver Conway]

Businesses are dying. Factories close one by one. Stores are empty and quiet. Gonche Habibzadeh is a senior reporter with BBC Persian Television. She's been telling Evan Davis more about the latest situation on the ground.

[Gonche Habibzadeh]

The Internet monitoring platform Netblocks has said that there has been some brief connectivity spikes that give the false impression of a weakness. White restoration. While this has not been the case, I've been talking to my friends and family in Tehran and what they're saying is that their lives has been impacted and some of them had Small businesses and online shops as well. You know, like Iran is under Western sanctions and you do have Amazon or other like platforms and Iran that you can easily buy from and you have to import into the country and that requires Internet. And Iran's communication minister has said that the Internet blackout is causing an estimated damage of about 34 million a day to Iran's economy. It's been really difficult to get a full picture of what's going on inside the country right now with the Internet outage.

[Tom Bateman]

Do you feel as you understand it, that protests are continuing or have the authorities managed to hose them down?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Really with this Internet blackout and a lot of violence against protesters?

[Gonche Habibzadeh]

From what I'm hearing, the protests are no longer happening. But so many families have lost their loved ones during the protests. I've been hearing that there are black banners on almost every street and Tehran, black banners indicating that someone has died. And you know, every time that the protest happens, people have been telling me that the deaths and the number of deaths comes closer to home. Like before that it was like cousin of a cousin, a friend of a friend. But this time it's like a father of one of my friends has died during these protests. And it's getting closer and closer to home.

[Oliver Conway]

From the BBC Persian service and we have more on this story on our YouTube channel. Search for BBC News on YouTube and you'll find Global News in the podcast section there. Many European politicians are becoming increasingly hostile to immigration. But Spain's left wing government is going the other way. It's set to approve a decree granting legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants. It'll apply to those without criminal records who arrived before the start of this year once they've been in Spain for more than five months. The Immigration minister, Elmar Saeiz says around half a million people will benefit.

[Helena Merriman]

Today we are living a historic day. We are recognizing dignifying and guaranteeing opportunities and rights for people who are are already in our country. From the moment their application is accepted, they will be free to work in any sector, anywhere in the country.

[Oliver Conway]

Our global affairs reporter Paul Moss told me more about the scheme and Spain's experience of migration.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Spain is the nearest European country to Africa. So many migrants come from Africa on small boats smuggled into the country. Also from Asia and the Middle east coming via Africa. But that said, a recent survey suggested the most common nationality of immigrants in Spain are actually or illegal. Immigrants come from Latin America, particularly Colombia, Peru and Honduras. A lot of those arrived legally but outstayed their visas and the reason why they're there. Well, one simple reason is this. It is very easy for them to find work, even if it is illegal work. Spain has a very severe labor shortage, particularly in agriculture, construction and hospitality. I mean, I remember talking to a construction industry manager in, in Spain a few years ago when my recording machine was switched off. He said, look, let me be honest, if we didn't employ illegal immigrants, the whole thing would fall apart. So for that reason, people still come to Spain simply because they can find jobs. And if you're eating a Spanish orange or perhaps a tomato, there is a very high possibility it's picked by someone who was there working illegally.

[Oliver Conway]

Well, you may have hinted at it there, but why would the Spanish government make this offer for people who arrived illegally?

[Narrator/Reporter]

Well, yeah, in some ways it's just a matter of practicality. If you have so many people working illegally, they're working in illegal conditions and crucially, of course, they're not paying any taxes. So the argument is it's better to accept reality that everyone knows these people are there, half a million, maybe more, working illegally. Let's regularize their position and that way they'll become part of the economy and of course, yes, they'll be contributing to government coffers. That said, there is also politics going on here. This policy has been pushed by the junior partner in Spain's ruling coalition, a party called Podemos, which means we can. Podemos have always had a very pro immigration stance. I've just been looking at their website and they argue that globalization shouldn't mean just free movement of money and goods, it should also mean people. So this is them pushing their policy in government.

[Oliver Conway]

Paul Moss. Today marks Holocaust Memorial day, commemorating the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered by the Nazis, as well as many other victims of the German occupation in the Second World War. It also remembers other genocides such as Cambodia, rwanda and Bosnia. 27 January was chosen as it marks the liberation day of the largest Nazi death camp, Auschwitz Birkenau in Poland. The Polish president will be attending a memorial event there, while in Ukraine, President Zelensky has laid a memorial in Kyiv to those killed. Here in the uk, the charity the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is launching a project where school children can speak to concentration camp survivors who, via AI John Maguire, met one 95 year old Susan Pollack.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Susan, can you tell me about your childhood in Hungary?

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

We were only two children, my brother and myself, but we had a wonderful extended family.

[Narrator/Reporter]

It may seem strange to ask a virtual Susan questions about her long life when sitting beside the real one. But she wanted to demonstrate how she'll be able to answer questions long after she's gone.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

Well, I'm just overwhelmed with the technology and the science and whatever it involves. Remarkable.

[Narrator/Reporter]

The Testimony360 project gives school children the chance to immerse themselves in a Holocaust survivor's life story. Using virtual reality headsets, they can walk around places from Susan's life, including the Nazi concentration camps where she was taken as a young teenager.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

This environment that they placed me in in Auschwitz, appearing every morning stark naked in front of Dr. Mengele, I knew his name. And looking at our body, who's lost so much weight and who is still able to do some work. I can't describe this to you. How inhuman the conditions were.

[Narrator/Reporter]

She was filmed answering around a thousand questions and using artificial intelligence, can respond to whatever the students ask. The objective is to educate young people about what previous generations had inflicted and their victims endured. Lessons from history that resonate today. Susan has always visited schools to tell them about her life and near death at the hands of the Nazis. These days, she can't commit as much time or travel as far as she used to. But with the Testimony360 project, her experience, wisdom and humanity is immortalized. The lessons from history of Susan's story will live on.

[Oliver Conway]

John Maguire still to come in this.

[Helena Merriman]

Podcast, I don't understand why Grand Slam are not allowed us to wear it, and I really hope that they will.

[Oliver Conway]

Reconsider why tennis stars have been told to take off their fitness trackers.

[Helena Merriman]

If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Oliver Conway]

This is the Global News Podcast. After growing anger over the killing of two US citizens in Minneapolis, President Trump has sent in his border czar, Tom Homan, to try to defuse tensions. Despite his reputation as an immigration hardliner, he is seen as more sympathetic than Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noemi and Border Patrol Chief Greg Bevino, who were seen as cheerleaders for the ice crackdown in the city. Mr. Bevino, who has been pictured hurling tear gas at protesters, is expected to leave the city at the same time, the fallout from the violence has led the Republican Chris Modell to pull out of the race to become state governor. Here's an extract from the video he posted announcing his decision.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Driving while Hispanic is not a crime.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

Either is driving while Asian.

[Narrator/Reporter]

At the end of the day, I.

[Helena Merriman]

Have to look my daughters in the.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Eye and tell them I believe I.

[Oliver Conway]

Did what was right.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

And I am doing that today.

[Oliver Conway]

Our correspondent Tom Bateman in Minneapolis told us why that announcement is so significant.

[Tom Bateman]

He is a senior Republican in the state of Minnesota, and so to have him very publicly in a video online calling ICE operations, all directed from the top of the Trump administration, an unmitigated disaster, saying it's expanded well beyond its stated focus, you know, that matters. And clearly he feels strongly enough about this that he has pulled out of the race. But the other point is he's a Minnesota attorney. He had given legal counsel to Jonathan Ross, who was the ICE agent who had shot dead Renee Goode, who, you know, was killed nearly three weeks ago now. And it actually sort of risen to prominence because of that fact and become quite controversial because of it. So you're seeing, you know, both senior Republicans across the states now, including the Oklahoma governor, for example, openly expressing criticism, concern about the Trump administration's approach here. And, you know, I think the White House and Mr. Trump himself, the radar is always switched on to what the base is feeling. I think they know that his poll rating is suffering because of this immigration.

[Narrator/Reporter]

Drive, all this crucial context for the decision of Greg Bevino, a hugely controversial figure, to leave the state.

[Tom Bateman]

Yeah, and I mean, we've just been down at a hotel where the protesters say he is staying and decided well over 100 of them tonight to show up. Well, what we have here now are a line of agents that have found out some have tear gas guns. I can see others wearing gas masks, some have baton sticks. And I mean, this is suddenly escalated the crowd here banging bits of wood and drums. Because that hotel there, the building there, is where they say Greg Provino, his commander at large of the Border Patrol, is staying. They say they want to give him a loud goodbye. So they come here to protest. And then suddenly we saw these agents push forward. One of them, I saw one fire some kind of irritant into the ground several times, a few rounds of that. It was then very hard to breathe. You can see more agents and gas masks coming forward now. They're clearly determined to push this crowd back. And it was really a sudden escalation as they came forward. I mean, Basically, this was a peaceful protest. Some people have taken it a bit far in terms of hitting one of the signs at the car park of the hotel. But then we saw masked agents with tear gas, rifles and other sort of irritant guns show up. And the situation really quickly escalated, firing some of that irritant into the crowd. It was very hard to breathe. They were pushing people back. And then I was seeing, you know, at least one person sort of dragged over towards these federal agents. So, you know, although it feels like there is a toning down of the rhetoric both from the White House and the Democrat leadership here, you know, certainly a sense that the mood on the streets is in itself, tensions are staying pretty high. And that felt like it was escalating tonight.

[Oliver Conway]

Tom Bateman in Minneapolis talking to Nick Robinson. The menopause can have a significant impact on women's physical and mental health. Now, a large UK study has found that it can also cause a loss of gray matter in the brain, affecting memory and emotions, the kind of changes also seen in Alzheimer's. A woman called Nicola told us how she was affected by the menopause.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

I don't think, unless you've actually been through it, that you understand the emotional rollercoaster that everybody goes through.

[Helena Merriman]

You can be all right one minute.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

And then psycho the next.

[Helena Merriman]

You just have to say when you.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

Knew that you weren't feeling very well as to hide away kind of thing or take it out like gardening. I used to take a carrot on.

[Helena Merriman]

Doing that digging or a lot of exercise and walking.

[Oliver Conway]

When I've got a brain fog. I'm just saying I've got another blonde moment, but probably isn't a blonde moment.

[Helena Merriman]

It could be the little gray soul.

[Oliver Conway]

Professor Barbara Sahakian of Cambridge University told us these brain changes could help explain why women are more likely to develop dementia.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

What we found was that the menopause is associated with decreased brain gray matter volumes and these important areas for learning and memory, such as the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. And those are two of the first areas to be affected by the changes that we see in Alzheimer's disease. So it does seem that the menopause might make the female brain more vulnerable. So this may be part of the explanation for that symptoms. Very commonly reported are increases in anxiety and depression and problems with sleep. And we know that the anterior cingulate, that was one of the areas where we found these decreased brain gray matter volumes is associated with emotional regulation. So where you have difficulty with your emotions and maybe get more anxious and Depressed probably relates to those changes there. But there are things that you can do to improve that transition through the menopause by having a healthy lifestyle. So, you know, making sure that you get exercise, that you have good social support, that you activate your brain by new learning. Because Eleanor McGuire has shown in one of her studies that you can actually increase the volume of the hippocampus, that brain area, if you learn and remember the location of places in space. And we all know that women during the menopause, many of them are dealing with teenage children or they may be still at work. And so the amount of stress that they have to cope with during that time can be quite a lot. So if you're struggling and having problems to make sure that you have good social support so you can discuss the issues and not sort of suffer on your own.

[Oliver Conway]

Barbara Sahakin of Cambridge University, a 19 year old woman is suing social media companies like Meta and YouTube, saying their algorithms ruined her mental health by populating her feed with damaging content. There are thousands of similar lawsuits in train around the world, but this one in California is the first to come to trial. Matthew Bergman is representing the plaintiff, Rachel Burdon asked him how her life had been affected.

[I]

She's been robbed of her childhood, her adolescence and her teenage years. She has been subjected to horrific content that she has been forced to become addicted to and has suffered severe and ongoing mental health harms.

[Helena Merriman]

You talk about the design decisions that these social media companies have taken. Can you be a bit more specific? What are you looking at here?

[I]

What we're looking at is companies that make money by selling advertising. The more time they can keep a young person on their platforms, the more advertising advertising they sell, the more money they make. So they show kids content not that they want to see, but what they can't look away from. And they do that by exploiting the vulnerabilities of an adolescent brain as well as the social insecurities that young people have and the fact that by seeing material that is psychologically discordant and unpleasant to look at, they actually get a better dopamine response, ergo addictive behavior, than showing material that is benign or uplifting. So they show you not what you want to see, but what you can't look away from. And when you're on social media, you are not the customer, you are the product. And that's why we're bringing these cases.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

The social media companies themselves have said.

[Helena Merriman]

That the evidence you're putting forward falls short of proving that they are responsible for alleged harms so that is how they, they will argue against this. How difficult is it, do you think, to be able to explicitly show that it was social media activity that led to the harms that you're describing here?

[I]

Well, there's a reason why they call it a trial. It is our burden of proof, one that we gladly assume. I think when a fair and impartial jury has an opportunity to hear this young woman's story, they will reach the conclusion that social media played a substantial role in her injuries.

[Interviewee/Expert (various, e.g., Susan Pollack, Barbara Sahakian)]

What do you think the potential ramifications.

[Helena Merriman]

Of this case could be in the future?

[I]

The most important ramification of this case is that for the first time social media is being subject to trial. That in and of itself is a huge change and a sea change. An industry that heretofore has thought of itself and behaved as though it were totally immune from any kind of accountability.

[Oliver Conway]

And that was Matthew bergman. In response, YouTube says the allegations in these complaints aren't true. Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, also strongly denies the claims and says its confident evidence will show its long standing commitment to supporting young people. The world number one men's tennis player Carlos Alcaraz has reached the semi final of the Australian Open for the first time. But he and his big rival Jannik Sinner have had to play without their normal fitness trackers watch like health monitors they wear on the wrists. Both have been told to take them off. Health analysis devices are not currently permitted at Grand Slam tournaments, but are allowed at many other games. The top women's seed, Irina Sabalenka isn't happy about it.

[Helena Merriman]

I don't understand why, because the whole year we are wearing on WTA tournaments. All of the tournaments I play, we wear. Whoop. It's just for tracking my health. I don't understand why Grand Slam are not allowed us to wear it. And I really hope that they will reconcile, consider the decision and let their players track their health monitor.

[Oliver Conway]

So why are the rules different? I asked Jonathan Dureko, BBC tennis reporter in Melbourne. Well, that's a good question.

[Jonathan Dureko]

We've not quite got to the bottom of it yet. So players are allowed to wear these during matches on the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour, but Grand Slams don't allow it. And we think that's because they've not got collective agreement at the moment to allow these devices, which are known as wearables, to be used by players to collect data and help benefit them. Terms of their conditioning.

[Oliver Conway]

Are there other devices that they could use instead, like rings, for example?

[Jonathan Dureko]

Not at Grand Slams. These are not permitted at the moment. As I said, they are permitted on the tour matches. And it's that inconsistency which has baffled quite a lot of people, to be honest. I think in the near future that the Grand Slams will decide that it is fine, but it's just a matter of them. The four Grand Slams, that's Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open all getting around the table and decided that these wearables are fine for the players to use at the four majors.

[Oliver Conway]

And why do players feel it's so important to monitor their health continually throughout a game?

[Jonathan Dureko]

Well, player welfare has been a big discussion point in tennis for a long time, actually, and that's the physical and mental demands. So these devices allow them to track things like heart rates and blood pressure, breathing, and also sleep. So they think it's going to be really beneficial for them to be able to track this data 24 7, collect it, and then make informed decisions about their physical condition.

[Oliver Conway]

Is this just because people have got so used to tracking everything about themselves in the modern age? Because, of course, you never had these kind of things in the old days.

[Jonathan Dureko]

Yeah, that's right. I mean, the technology is new or newer, and it plays a big part in things. I mean, you know, a lot of listeners will have these devices and they use them during their exercise. Technology is obviously there. And in tennis and within sports scientists in tennis, they're kind of thinking, well, why is this not allowed? Because in American sports, particularly NFL, MLB and mba, they collect data from all their athletes and across the teams, and then they're able to make these uniform decisions and affect change, you know, rule changes in areas as well. So people want to use it more.

[Oliver Conway]

Jonathan Jiraco at the Australian Open in Melbourne. And that is all from us for now, but the Global News podcast will be back very soon. This edition was mixed by Russell Newlove and produced by Stephanie Zakrissen and David Lewis. Our editor's Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time. Goodbye.

[Helena Merriman]

If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau. Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.