Ex-Bangladesh leader sentenced to death

Summary

Global News Podcast (BBC World Service)

Episode Title: Ex-Bangladesh leader sentenced to death
Date: November 17, 2025
Host: Oliver Conway

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers breaking news and analysis on major global events, covering the shocking death sentence of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s Al Fasha, President Trump’s reversal on the Epstein files, a BBC investigation into a historic Iraqi civilian massacre, US actions against alleged Venezuelan narco-terrorists, pioneering AI in brain cancer treatment, and the rise of "granny hobbies" like knitting. Featuring correspondents and expert voices, the episode dives deep into each headline with on-the-ground commentary, personal testimony, and insights into the broader implications.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Bangladesh: Former PM Sheikh Hasina Sentenced to Death

• Announcement & Reactions
  • Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity for killings during last year’s uprising. She was tried in absentia after fleeing to India. Hasina called the verdict "biased and politically motivated."
  • "We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence, that is sentence of death."
    — Farwa Ama, Asia Society Policy Institute [01:23]
  • Courtroom erupted in applause upon sentencing, highlighting deep societal divides [02:22].
• Political Fallout
  • The verdict is expected to worsen political polarisation and unrest in Bangladesh, particularly among supporters of Hasina's Awami League, which has been barred from upcoming elections [01:47–02:15].
  • Discussion on the logistical and diplomatic hurdles of Hasina’s extradition from India and the implications for future elections [03:56–04:51].
  • "Bangladesh has called on the Indian government to immediately hand over Sheikh Hasina and her former interior minister under an existing extradition treaty."
    — Oliver Conway [04:51]
• Diplomatic Tensions with India
  • India faces a dilemma: extradite a former ally or further harm ties with Bangladesh.
    — Anbarasan Atirajan [05:18]
  • "There is also a political consensus within India cutting across party lines not to send her back. So it is going to be another diplomatic wrangle."
    — Anbarasan Atirajan [06:33]

Notable Quotes

• "For the vast majority of people, they witnessed what happened during July, August 2024... So there is widespread anger within Bangladesh because neither Ms. Hasina nor the Awami League Party… have expressed any remorse and there have been demand for apology that has not come yet."
  — Farwa Ama [06:45]

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2. Sudan: Humanitarian Crisis in Al Fasha (Darfur)

• Conflict Update & Atrocities
  • The paramilitary RSF seized Al Fasha, triggering mass atrocities: survivors report mass executions and sexual violence.
  • "I think Darfur is the epicenter of global inhumanity right now."
    — Tom Fletcher, UN humanitarian chief [11:26]
• Desperate Need for Aid
  • UN teams demand urgent access amid security concerns and underfunding. Over 100,000 people have fled, with dire needs for those remaining or displaced [12:53–14:36].
  • "The UN’s head of relief, Tom Fletcher, has told the BBC his teams need urgent access to the city to help civilians. He also called on the world to do more to stop the supply of weapons to the rival armies in Sudan."
    — Oliver Conway [11:10]
• Personal Testimonies
  • "A woman I met… had seen her husband murdered in front of her… she managed to scoop up the young malnourished child of her neighbor and carry the child all the way to Tawila from Al Fasha... she’s somehow the lucky one because she got to us."
    — Tom Fletcher [11:26]

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3. US Politics: President Trump’s Reversal on Epstein Files

• Republican Party Dynamics
  • Trump reverses stance, urging House Republicans to release the Epstein files under mounting pressure.
  • "He took to true social and encouraged House Republicans to vote on it, to release it, saying that there’s nothing to hide, as he says."
    — Kelly Meyer, News Nation [08:33]
• Reasons for U-turn
  • Trump is frustrated by relentless media coverage, pressure from his base, and wants to shift focus to issues like affordability [09:26–10:33].
  • "Can we just vote on this, move on and get back to talking about what he wants to talk about now, which is affordability?"
    — Kelly Meyer [10:02]
• Content of Files
  • There is ongoing confusion between documents already released and those held by the Justice Department [10:36–11:10].

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4. BBC Investigation: US Marines and Haditha Massacre (Iraq)

• New Evidence & Unanswered Justice
  • A BBC investigation raises serious doubts about the trial of US Marines over the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, 2005; key evidence and witness testimonies suggest a flawed process with no convictions.
  • "This is a room where my whole family was killed. Even though it's painful for me… I insist on coming here to remember my siblings, my parents, and the life we used to live."
    — Safa Yunus, survivor [15:32 & 00:34]
• Forensic & Legal Revelations
  • Forensic expert Mike Maloney reacts to new courtroom audio contradicting previous Marine testimony.
  • "Now he’s going eight feet into the room, which is the shooter position… Mendoza confessed to everything except for pulling the trigger."
    — Mike Maloney [17:36–17:54]
• Victim Demands for Justice
  • "This man should have been imprisoned from the moment it happened. There should be justice. At the very least, I should get a small part of the justice my family are owed."
    — Safa Yunus [18:15]

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5. US–Venezuela Relations: Narco-Terrorist Designation

• Escalating Tensions
  • The US plans to designate an alleged Venezuelan cartel as a foreign terrorist organization, accusing it and President Maduro of deep involvement in narco-trafficking [19:22–21:27].
  • The move is viewed as connected to increased US military activity in the Caribbean, suggesting more than just anti-trafficking efforts — potentially aiming to pressure Maduro's regime to step down.
  • "The US is essentially characterising Maduro as a drug trafficker, essentially giving itself license... to target him or those close to him."
    — Ione Wells, South America correspondent [21:04]

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6. Cutting-Edge Cancer Research: AI for Glioblastoma

• New Hope for Aggressive Tumors
  • UK researchers, using AI and mathematical modeling, aim to predict regrowth of glioblastoma tumors after surgery, hoping to develop better, personalized therapies.
  • "This is a grade four brain tumour and it comes back, it recurs, and the research is going to try and find ways to stop that happening."
    — Dr. Karen Noble, Brain Tumour Research Charity [21:50]
  • Study expects to inform clinical trials within next five years [23:40].

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7. Social Trends: The Rise of "Slow Hobbies"

• Knitting Goes Mainstream
  • Crafts like knitting are booming among young people, inspired by influencers like Mette ("Petite Knit").
  • "I started knitting when I was like 6 or 7 years old and my grandmothers taught me. Now I’m the one who teaches my grandmother new techniques."
    — Mette, Petite Knit [24:10]
  • Slow hobbies are linked to improved mental health and sustainability:
    • "I think it makes people become interested in knitting because you get kind of a relationship to your sweater… You will not just throw it out when you get tired. You will keep it and mend it if it's broken."
      — Mette [24:53]
    • "The actual knitting, where you sit with your yarn and your knitting needles... you cannot make AI do that for you."
      — Mette [14:41, replayed at 25:52]
  • This trend is seen as a response to consumerism and the acceleration of daily life by technology.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Death sentence for Sheikh Hasina:
  "We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence, that is sentence of death." — Farwa Ama [01:23]
• Courtroom Reaction:
  "As soon as the verdict was read out, it was met with applause… forcing the judge to actually intervene and say, we must maintain decorum in the court." — Arunade Mukherjee [02:22]
• UN’s Tom Fletcher on Darfur:
  "Darfur is the epicenter of global inhumanity right now. I'm meeting survivors of mass executions, survivors of mass rapes…" — Tom Fletcher [11:26]
• Safa Yunus, Haditha survivor:
  "I want the people who did this to be held accountable and to be punished by the law." [16:21]
• Trump's frustration over Epstein files:
  "Can we just vote on this, move on and get back to talking about what he wants to talk about now, which is affordability..." — Kelly Meyer [10:02]
• On knitting as therapy and resistance to AI:
  "The actual knitting, where you sit with your yarn and your knitting needles… you cannot make AI do that for you." — Mette [25:53]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00–02:15 — Bangladesh ex-PM sentenced to death: news, political context, and national/international reactions
• 02:15–06:45 — In-depth analysis: implications for Bangladesh’s politics and India relations
• 06:45–07:49 — Bangladesh’s ongoing societal divides and search for closure
• 07:49–11:10 — Trump’s U-turn on the Epstein files: background and implications
• 11:10–14:36 — Sudan: UN’s call for urgent humanitarian access and personal testimonies
• 15:32–18:55 — BBC Haditha massacre investigation: survivor and forensic revelations
• 19:22–21:27 — US designates Venezuelan cartel as terrorist group; broader foreign policy context
• 21:27–23:40 — AI and brain cancer research: promise and challenges
• 24:03–26:28 — Knitting and slow hobbies: cultural trends, influencer insights, and societal impacts

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Tone & Language

The episode delivers gravitas when covering conflict and injustice, shifting to thoughtful and personal testimony for survivor stories. Coverage of slow hobbies adds a gentle, optimistic tone, contrasting with the earlier intensity.

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Summary

This packed episode weaves urgent international headlines—executions, civil conflict, and political maneuvering—together with in-depth reportage on past injustices, scientific innovation in health, and the comforting resurgence of slow crafts. With firsthand accounts, expert analysis, and emotional resonance, each story explores both the human and systemic dimensions of today’s biggest global developments.

Transcript

[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 Monday 17th November, the ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is sentenced to death over the killings during last year's uprising. The UN humanitarian chief calls for aid workers and investigators to be allowed urgent access to the devastated Sudanese city of Al Fasha. And a u turn from President Trump on the Epstein files. Also in the podcast.

[Safa Yunus]

This is a room where my whole family was killed. Even though it's painful for me to come to this house, I insist on coming here to remember my siblings, my parents and the life we used to live.

[Oliver Conway]

A BBC investigation raises doubts about the trial of Americans accused of killing Iraqi civilians 22 decades ago. A court in Bangladesh has sentenced the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to death. She was found guilty of crimes against humanity over the killing of hundreds of people during the uprising against her last year. She was tried in absentia after fleeing to India and called the verdict biased and politically motivated. As the judge announced the death penalty, there were cheers inside the court in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

[Farwa Ama]

We have decided to inflict her with only one sentence, that is sentence of death.

[Oliver Conway]

Security was tight in Dhaka following a series of crude bomb attacks in recent days. Farwa Ama of the Asia Society Policy Institute says the verdict will deepen the political divide in Bangladesh.

[Safa Yunus]

There is largely going to be a polarized reaction. Of course. There are certain factions within the country that are still very much pro Hasina of Army League supporters on the ground and you could see some instability and unrest as you've been seeing in the last week. And in any case, the Iwami League is not allowed to contest in the elections that are coming up in the February and her son has come out and said that there could be confrontation, serious confrontations in the leave up to the February elections if the Army League is not given a seat at the table.

[Oliver Conway]

Shortly after the verdict was announced, our correspondent Arunade Mukherjee gave us an update from outside the court.

[Arunade Mukherjee]

The first thing that the judge announced was the fact that Sheikh Hasina was found guilty under those charges of crimes against humanity. After that, he detailed all the various incidents that had taken place, talking the people in court through specifics of the allegations and charges that she was facing, following which he said that there is only one sentence, that is death. She, along with her former Interior minister or home Minister, have been sentenced to death. The police chief, who was also standing trial, in fact, incidentally, he was the only person who was actually present in court. Both of the others have been tried in absentia. The police chief has been sentenced to five years. The judge said he will be getting a more lenient sentence given that he was present and he cooperated with the investigators. But the scenes inside and outside court are truly fascinating. As soon as the verdict was read out, it was met with applause within the courtroom, forcing the judge to actually intervene and say, we must maintain decorum in the court and outside as well. Where I'm standing, I've been seeing a small group of people erupt in joy and sort of chance sloganeering, saying, we demand that Sheikh Hussina be hanged. There are also sort of chants in support of the verdict that I can hear just outside the court premises. A very loud chance, in fact, as soon as the verdict came out. So it has certainly been an emotive trial and the verdict equally eliciting those kind of emotions as I can pick up here on the ground.

[Oliver Conway]

Yeah, we can hear the security forces in the background there. What does this verdict mean for a divided nation?

[Arunade Mukherjee]

Well, a couple of things. One that most importantly, I think we need to figure out how this is going to be executed. Sheikh Hasina and her former interior minister are not here. Sheikh Hasina is in India. And you know, she has refused to return. Whether this verdict will give the Bangladeshi authorities more ammunition to go to the Indian authorities and say, look, this is a special tribunal that has ruled against Sheikh Hasina. She needs to be brought back to Bangladesh. Whether that will happen is something we need to find out and watch. What kind of reaction will India give to this, given now we have this verdict. Also politically speaking, Bangladesh has been functioning under a caretaker government since Sheikh Hasina left the country. Elections have been called in February. Given Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death. The Avami League, which is her party, has not been allowed to contest in these elections. This, that verdict is also a watershed moment for Bangladesh politics about what happens in terms of filling the political space in the country.

[Oliver Conway]

Aruna Day Mukherjee outside court in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. Well, Bangladesh has called on the Indian government to immediately hand over Sheikh Hasina and her former interior minister under an existing extradition treaty. A statement from India's Foreign Ministry said simply it noted the verdict. Our global affairs reporter, Anbarasan Atirajan used to be based in Bangladesh and told me about Sheikh Hasina's relationship with the Indian government.

[Farwa Ama]

She fostered very close ties with India during her 15 year rule. So India may find itself in a tricky situation because sending her back would be like letting down a one time ally. And at the same time, if they find, like many legal experts were pointing out, that if they say that the charges were politically motivated, the trial was not fair, she was not given enough chance, then Delhi can deny the extradition request from Bangladesh. But this will further worsen ties between Delhi and Dhaka because since the interim government took over after the fall of Sheikh Hasina, the ties have been deteriorating. See, for India, Bangladesh is not just a neighboring country. It is strategically important for its border security, especially for its northeastern states, given that there were militancy in the past. And they also share close cultural and linguistic ties. So for the past one year, you know, there was tension in ties between India and Bangladesh and there is also a political consensus within India cutting across party lines not to send her back. So it is going to be another diplomatic wrangle between India and Bangladesh.

[Oliver Conway]

Now, speaking from India, she has acknowledged that they lost control of the situation during the uprising. But at the same time, she says the verdicts are biased and politically motivated. How will all that go down in.

[Farwa Ama]

Bangladesh now for the vast majority of people, they witnessed or they saw what happened during July, August 2024 when there was a violence crackdown, hundreds were killed and a couple of thousand injured people were there. So the families are still suffering. So there is widespread anger within Bangladesh because neither Ms. Hasina nor the Awami League Party, they have expressed any remorse and there have been demand for apology that has not come yet. So for the vast majority of the people and the families of the victims, it is not just about justice. They also want closure. And that closure can come only when there is a remorse and then apology. So she will be seen as someone who left the country, who fled the country and did not have the courage to apologize. Course, Ms. Hasina denied all these charges and says politically motivated and she did not give direct orders. But it will continue to divide the nation. Because Awamilee is still an influential party, there are some number of supporters within that country.

[Oliver Conway]

Our global affairs reporter, Anrasan Atirajan. Now it is a spectacular U turn from President Trump. After putting heavy pressure on Republicans not to release the Epstein files, he has now said they should vote to do exactly that. The documents held by the Department of Justice are separate from the emails released last week and have been subject of intense interest from MAGA supporters during the election, President Trump promised to release the files before deciding against it once he came to power. Now, in the face of a possible rebellion of up to 100 Republicans, including Maga loyalists like Lauren Boebert and Nancy Mace. He has bowed to the inevitable. As Kelly Meyer from the News Nation website explained to Rob Young, it's really.

[Kelly Meyer]

A reversal of what he's been saying over the past week, and that was really trying to urge House Republicans not to sign on to this discharge petition or bring this to a vote to release the Epstein files in the House. And then on Sunday night, he took to true social and and encouraged House Republicans to vote on it, to release it, saying that there's nothing to hide, as he says. Although at the same time, he does call this a hoax on the side of the Democrats, though he is also at the same time calling for an investigation into any type of files around Bill Clinton or others that may have been in the orbit around Jeffrey Epstein. So there's been some back and forth on this, a bit of a reversal. And this vote is coming up on Tuesday.

[Farwa Ama]

Is it clear why Donald Trump appears to have changed his mind then, just from covering him?

[Kelly Meyer]

He seems to be frustrated, of course, at the amount of coverage this is getting. And I think he's probably hearing the reporting and the commentary of and the pushback really from many in his base, too, that also want to see these released. And then kind of seeming as though he's getting fed up with fighting back on it and then just saying, okay, just release it, then there's nothing to hide. It seems as though that's the position he's been taking, at least right now. But he, he does seem to go back and forth on this.

[Farwa Ama]

So it's an issue which is frustrating.

[Oliver Conway]

Him because of its coverage.

[Farwa Ama]

People are talking about this rather than about some of the other issues he'd rather they talk about.

[Kelly Meyer]

Y like mentioned that alluded to that in his true social post. He said, can we just vote on this, move on and get back to talking about what he wants to talk about now, which is affordability, which is the issue that came up in the election that cost Republican seats and Democrats had wins that night. And he was frustrated that Republicans weren't talking enough about affordability and what his administration's been doing. And he wants to focus in on that because he knows he's losing support on that. When a lot of the oxygen in Washington is being taken up by the Epstein files.

[Oliver Conway]

Thousands of pages have already been released.

[Farwa Ama]

Do we know how much more there is?

[Kelly Meyer]

We don't really know exactly what more there may be. I believe the ones that were released just last week came more from the estate rather than what the Justice Department may have. And you even hear Chuck Schumer posting on X tonight, that's why we're holding the vote is to have you release them. But then he's saying back to the House, just vote to release them. But then they're saying back, well, you can just release it. It's the Justice Department. Show us everything you have. I'm sure he'll be asked about this, and if he could just take this in his own hands. And why not just release everything he has right away?

[Oliver Conway]

Kelly Meyer, White House correspondent from News Nation. The civil war in Sudan has brought huge suffering to civilians over the past two and a half years. But things have got even worse with the fall of the besieged city of Al Fasha in Darfur. The UN's head of relief, Tom Fletcher, has told the BBC his teams need urgent access to the city to help civilians. He also called on the world to do more to stop the supply of weapons to the rival armies in Sudan. He has visited Darfur and been hearing harrowing stories from people who fled to the relative safety of Toowheela, 80km away. It's utterly grim right now. It's desperate. And I think Darfur is the epicenter of global inhumanity. Right now I'm meeting survivors of mass executions, survivors of mass rapes. A woman I met two days ago in Tawila, she'd seen her husband murdered in front of her. She'd escaped. Her neighbor had been murdered. She'd managed to scoop up the young malnourished child of her neighbor and carry the child all the way to Tawila from Al Fasha. But on the way, she'd been attacked and her leg had been broken, and somehow she managed to escape again. And yet she's somehow the lucky one because she got to us, she got to our medical center, and the child is being looked after. The child will survive despite being severely malnourished, and she will survive. But she's saying, what happens when they come here? And she's also asking, where is the help? Where is the world? Tom Fletcher of the un, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or rsf, took Al Fasher from the rival Sudanese armed forces last month and are accused of committing atrocities there. Our Africa reporter Akisa Wandera is covering the story from Nairobi.

[Safa Yunus]

The Sudan Doctors Network, the medical group, said that they had 32 confirmed rape cases among girls and women who are either trying to flee Al Fasha to Tawila or inside Al Fasha. Some of the assaults happened in Al Fasha or on their way to Tawila as they were fleeing. And this particular group say that they are holding the RSF accountable for these rape cases that they say they have confirmed in a period of just about a week. So these are the same stories that we've been hearing since before El Fasha fell back to the RSF. And even after October 26 when they took over the town, the UN has continued to describe it as a very dire situation, very brutal. Tom Fletcher says that he's having very difficult conversations there with the rsf. He has arrived in that town on a mission specifically to break the deadlock when it comes to aid delivery. But it's difficult to tell whether they will be able to break that deadlock with the rsf, especially because they are in control of this particular area. And the needs are dire for the hundreds of thousands of people who are still either inside Al Fasha and those who are currently fleeing to Tawila. Almost 100,000 people have fled the city so far. The need is certainly massive and the UN wants in. But there's a combination of reasons that make it difficult. One of them is the security risks, the blockade tactics that have been witnessed since this war began, and of course, the underfunding that a lot of humanitarian organizations have consistently been talking about, making access very difficult and uncertain for them.

[Oliver Conway]

Akisa Wandera. And still to come on the global.

[Mette (Petite Knit)]

News podcast, the actual knitting where you sit with your yarn and your knitting needles. You have to do that with your hands and you cannot make AI do that for you.

[Oliver Conway]

Unraveling the story behind the rise in slow hobbies like knitting, A BBCI investigation has uncovered evidence raising serious doubts about the trial of US Marines over the killings of 24 Iraqi civilians in 2005. The shootings in the town of Haditha triggered the longest war crimes investigation of the Iraq conflict. But no one was convicted of the killings. Lara El Ghibali has this report.

[Safa Yunus]

This is a room where my whole family was killed. Even though it's painful for me to come to this house, I insist on coming here to remember my siblings, my parents, and the life we used to live.

[Lara El Ghibali]

Safa Yunus was just 13 when US Marines stormed her house, shooting her father, mother, aunt and five young siblings. The white door to their home is still riddled with bullet holes.

[Oliver Conway]

At six o'. Clock, allegations that US Marines massacred Iraqi civilians. Congressmen ask, did the US army hide the truth?

[Lara El Ghibali]

On November 19, 2005, a roadside bomb blasted a US convoy, killing one Marine and injuring two others. The Marines then launched a house to house assault that left 24 Iraqi civilians dead.

[Safa Yunus]

They were Innocent people. We hadn't been accused of anything. We didn't even have any weapons in the house. I want the people who did this to be held accountable and to be punished by the law.

[Lara El Ghibali]

Mike Maloney is a forensic expert who investigated the case and examined the room where Safa's family were killed.

[Oliver Conway]

Time 12:24.

[Arunade Mukherjee]

Photography started checking for defects.

[Farwa Ama]

We're going to be here longer than we thought.

[Oliver Conway]

That back bedroom was horrific.

[Arunade Mukherjee]

We had what appeared to be two.

[Oliver Conway]

Adults and five children that were basically killed on a bed.

[Lara El Ghibali]

One of the Marines, Lance Corporal Mendoza, admitted to killing Safa's father, though crucially, Mendoza said in his courtroom testimony, he didn't enter the bedroom where the rest of the family were killed.

[Oliver Conway]

When I open the door, the first thing I see is women and kids.

[Arunade Mukherjee]

Laying down on the bed.

[Oliver Conway]

I closed the door.

[Lara El Ghibali]

That was Mendoza's story for years. But BBCI has uncovered courtroom audio from another hearing four years later when he gave a different account.

[Oliver Conway]

I went inside the room. I tried to take a better look at what's going on. You walked about how many feet into the room? I walked about 8ft.

[Lara El Ghibali]

We played this to investigator Mike Maloney.

[Oliver Conway]

This is the first time I've heard this, so this is just amazing to me. Now he's going eight feet into the.

[Arunade Mukherjee]

Room, which is the shooter position.

[Oliver Conway]

What I'd say is Mendoza confessed to everything except for pulling the trigger.

[Lara El Ghibali]

Mendoza was never charged with any crime. He maintained that he never shot women and children. He did not respond to our questions. Safa is now a mother with three children of her own. We showed her Mendoza's testimony for the first time.

[Safa Yunus]

I didn't know who killed my father. This is the first time I'm seeing his face. This man should have been imprisoned from the moment it happened. It should have been impossible for him to see the light of day. There should be justice. At the very least, I should get a small part of the justice my family are owed.

[Lara El Ghibali]

Another Marine said in three statements that he took part in shooting Safa's family, but he withdrew those statements before the trial. The only Marine who was prosecuted was the squad leader, Frank Wouteridge, but he took a plea deal and walked free. The Marine Corps has told the BBC it is committed to fair and open proceedings as set out under US military law.

[Oliver Conway]

Lara El Ghibali. And you can watch the BBCI documentary no Justice Just Kills on iPlayer in the UK and on the World Service YouTube channel. The US says it's planning to designate an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel as a foreign terrorist organization. The group is accused of having links with major figures from the Venezuelan government, including President Nicolas Maduro. President Trump spoke to reporters in Florida before boarding Air Force One.

[Arunade Mukherjee]

We may be having some discussions with.

[Farwa Ama]

Maduro and we'll see how that turns out.

[Oliver Conway]

They would like. They would like, would like to talk. Our South America correspondent, Ione Wells told us how the announcement from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio fits in with the US military buildup in the Caribbean. The US has carried out at least 21 strikes so far on alleged drug trafficking vessels, killing at least 83 people. But this intense military buildup all seems a bit much for an operation that the U.S. says is about targeting these relatively small drug trafficking vessels, something that's normally in the remit of coast guards. And that's why many observers here in the region believe that this is also about putting military pressure on Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro himself to leave office from 24 November. The US intends to designate the Cartel de los Olas as a terrorist organization. Now, Washington claims that this group is led by President Nicolas Maduro, members of his inner circle. Maduro has always strongly denied this and the US has never published evidence publicly of Maduro's direct involvement in any drug trafficking. But it's why it's really significant, because the US is essentially characterising Maduro as a drug trafficker, essentially giving itself license, I think, to target him or those close to him as part of what it's described as its wider military campaign against alleged narco trafficking. Ione Wells Brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer. One of the most aggressive types is glioblastoma, with an expected survival time of just 12 to 18 months. After surgery, some cancer cells can remain and tumors can grow back. Now, researchers in the UK are using AI technology, analysis of cancer cells and mathematical modeling to predict the regrowth of tumors in the hope of improved treatment and life expectancy. Verity Phillips has already beaten the odds. Having been diagnosed in 2022, she needs brain scans every four months, wondering every time, when will it happen? How long will I be lucky for?

[Dr. Karen Noble]

Or even the words. Unfortunately, Verity, there is nothing can do for you. I've got four amazing children in my life and I want to be in their future. I know my tumour can't be cured.

[Lara El Ghibali]

But as long as I am breathing.

[Dr. Karen Noble]

I will not give up.

[Oliver Conway]

The research will be carried out at the University of Nottingham in central England. Dr. Karen Noble from the Brain Tumour Research Charity told us more this is.

[Dr. Karen Noble]

A grade four brain tumour and it comes back, it recurs and the research is going to try and find ways to stop that happening. We can better understand the glioblastoma cells which remain after surger because sadly, it's impossible to remove all of those cells. We could intervene with new therapies before the tumour returns. And actually scientific evidence has indicated that the glioblastoma cells at the tumour's edge, so those are the cells that left after the surgeon has tried their best to remove all of it infiltrate, and these infiltrate the healthy brain and these closely resemble the eventual recurrence of that tumour. Sadly, there's been no treatment optimization options since over 20 years. So 20 years ago, temozolomide was introduced. That's still the first line of treatment. So it's surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But we know, sadly for most patients with glioblastoma, their tumor will recur. The treatment isn't helping to stop the growth of the tumour. And so what's exciting about this research is the scientists are going to understand more about the genes that have switched on or off in those cells that are left after surgery. The hope is the doctors will now know more about the biology of those cells left over and hopefully will then be able to identify earlier treatment based on the biology of the tumour that that will lead to longer recurrence free time. Hopefully then the patients will be able to live the longer lives. This is a study at the moment, so this is a study to collect the data, to inform the model, but they are hoping that within the next five years the team at Nottingham will be able to roll out clinical trials using this approach.

[Oliver Conway]

Dr. Karen Noble. Now, have you ever heard of granny hobbies? Well, crafts like knitting or crocheting are not just exclusive to older generations, but have become increasingly popular among the young and a valuable industry. Much of the resurgence is down to the rise of knitting influencers. Julia McFarland traveled to Copenhagen to meet one of the biggest in the business.

[Mette (Petite Knit)]

Denmark is home to one of the most prolific and influential people in the knitting industry. This is Mette, better known by her online label, Petite Knit. I started knitting when I was like 6 or 7 years old and my grandmothers taught me to knit. I learned the most basic stuff from them and now I'm the one who teaches my grandmother new techniques. Her online patterns have racked up millions of downloads and are stocked in pretty much most knitting stores around the world. You'd be very hard pressed to find a knitter that hasn't heard of her. It seems like it's been a perfect storm. We had the pandemic. Lots of people taking on new hobbies, wanting to learn something new. We have people increasingly being a bit disillusioned with consumerism. I think it makes people become interested in knitting because you get kind of a relationship to your sweater. If you made it yourself, if you spend hours and weeks or months making it, you will not just throw it out when you get tired. You will keep it and mend it if it's broken. I think it's a really good practice to make your own clothes. There are lots of studies coming out showing that slow hobbies, mindful hobbies, just like knitting, things that have long term goals and require diligence and patience are good for mental health. I agree. Yeah, I really find that knitting is a kind of therapy. In a busy everyday life with work and kids and school and kindergarten and activities, I still use knitting. Even though I made knitting into my work, I still use it as a way to, like, sit down in the evening and just relax, calm down and like, be with my thoughts. The actual knitting, where you sit with your yarn and your knitting needles, that, that's. You have to do that with your hands and you cannot make AI do that for you. As much of the world becomes increasingly fast paced, with AI gobbling up more and more of our daily lives, the knitting industry seems a curious outlier of people choosing to go back to the ancient formula of two sticks and a piece of yarn.

[Oliver Conway]

Julia McFarlane. And that is all from us for now, but the Global News podcast will be back very soon. This edition was mixed by Kai Perry and produced by Richard Hamilton and Stephanie Zakrison. Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time. Goodbye.