Global News Podcast – "Floods in Indonesia Kill 600 People"

BBC World Service | Host: Nick Miles | Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode opens with the devastating floods and landslides in Indonesia, where more than 600 people have been killed, focusing on on-the-ground rescue efforts and survivor accounts. The podcast also covers the recruitment of young African men as fighters in Russia’s war in Ukraine; the health risks of ‘forever chemicals’ found in household products; a new HIV prevention injection in Southern Africa; a high-profile corruption case involving a UK Labour MP in Bangladesh; South Korea’s largest ever data breach; and a quirky record for the world’s largest afro. Each segment brings voices from those most affected, expert analysis, and key contextual updates.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Floods in Indonesia: Catastrophe in Sumatra

• [02:12] Host Nick Miles sets the tone: More than 600 deaths after days of torrential rain and a tropical storm lead to catastrophic flooding and landslides on Sumatra.
• Eyewitness Survival:
  • [03:00] Rosmina, a survivor:

    “Suddenly, someone ran from the garden. ‘Come on, run, run. The big water’s coming,’ he said. So I immediately ran to save my child.”
    She escaped just in time as water rose to her family's knees; many survivors report days without food or access to clean water.

• On-the-Ground Update:
  • [04:12] Niki Wedadio, BBC Indonesian in West Sumatra:

    “Before the flash floods happened, there were some houses, residential houses in the streets, but now they are all gone... The hills have been cut off in two. Before, there were trees — now, just big stones.”
    Rescue teams are using ropes to cross rivers; entire areas remain isolated, and aid is only accessible via air drops or relay systems between villages.

2. African Mercenaries in Russia’s Ukraine War

• [07:07] Reports emerge that over 1,400 young African men from at least 30 countries have been sent to fight for Russia after being lured with promises of well-paying jobs.
• Personal Tragedy:
  • [08:22] Susan Kuloba, mother of Kenyan recruit David Kuloba, tells her son’s story to reporter Ann Soy:

    “He told me, ‘Mom, I have to go. The pay is very good. We’ve been told over US$7,000…’ He sent me a photo, I was shocked — he was dressed in a combat uniform.”

  • David is later killed in action; Susan is left with only official documents and an impossible path to claim compensation:

    “I can’t say for sure, but [the compensation] is around $100,000. When I read these messages, my heart breaks so much.” [11:10]

3. ‘Forever Chemicals’ Threat in Households

• [13:11] The BBC investigates harmful chemicals (PFAS) prevalent in household products. Journalist Katrin Nye undergoes personal testing:

  • “The safe level would be less than 2 nanograms per milliliter. Your level is 9.8.” [15:45]

• Health Risks & Advice:
  • PFAS found in cookware, makeup, tap water—linked to cancer and infertility.
  • Limiting exposure is challenging, but switching products and informed shopping can help.

  • “The realistic answer is that you cannot avoid PFAS chemicals completely. You can try and limit your exposure…” [16:55]

4. Cuban Missile Crisis: Lessons for Today

• [18:08] Previewing a new BBC podcast series, “The Bomb,” Anna Foster interviews Max Kennedy (nephew of JFK) and Nina Khrushcheva (Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter).
  • Nina Khrushcheva:

    “What do you want me to do, to back off? What, you wanted me to start World War Three?” [20:18]

  • Max Kennedy:

    “We didn’t really understand how incredibly close the two countries came to nuclear war… Had we bombed, the world would have been obliterated.” [21:45]

  • Both express a wish that today’s leaders would show similar responsibility in crisis:

    “I wish our leaders today would have been as responsible as John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev were in 1962.” (Nina, [22:16])

5. New HIV Prevention Injection & Funding Cuts

• [27:35] Introduction of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection almost 100% effective at preventing HIV infection, is being rolled out in Southern Africa.
• Funding Woes:
  • Dr. Glenda Gray, paediatrician and HIV researcher:

    “I had USAID funding to invest in HIV vaccine research and development in Africa, and this has been completely cut... $46 million across many countries stopped.” [28:12]

  • Cuts to PEPFAR and USAID hamper not only research but the supply chain for treatment and diagnostics, especially in the highest-burden areas.

6. UK Labour MP Sentenced in Bangladesh

• [31:22] Tulip Siddique, UK Labour MP and niece of ousted PM Sheikh Hasina, has been sentenced (in absentia) to two years in prison in Bangladesh for alleged corruption, a case mired in accusations of political vendetta.
  • Reporter Arunajoy Mukherjee:

    “This is not the only case; there are others at various stages. Supporters brand it a witch hunt—a common seesaw in Bangladesh politics.” [32:12]

7. South Korea’s Largest Data Breach: Coupang Hack

• [34:28] Jake Kwon in Seoul:
  > “Names, phone numbers, addresses, and order histories of some 34 million customers—more than three-quarters of all adults in South Korea—have been stolen… This is really shocking.”
• Investigation focuses on a former employee (a Chinese national); the breach has triggered customer lawsuits and broader scrutiny of data-security practices.

  • “This gives very intimate details of what their lifestyle may be like… A lot of people were concerned that scammers might try to use this information to defraud them of money.” [34:58]

8. Largest Afro World Record

• [36:24] Jess Martino of New York claims the Guinness World Record for largest afro:
  • “So, it’s height, width and circumference. My width and my height I wasn’t really worried about, but my circumference I was concerned about… The circumference is 6 feet 2 inches.” [36:50]
  • Measuring required three people and an official adjudicator.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Indonesian floods:
  “Many roads are still closed, are still inaccessible… that’s the only way [to get aid to survivors].” – Niki Wedadio [05:26]

• On African mercenaries in Russia:
  “Mom, what could I have done? The job we were told we came to do has been changed after a few days.” – David Kuloba’s last messages (narrated by Susan, [10:08])

• On PFAS:
  “It also makes me worry that I have passed on a lot to my kids… You will have passed on for sure.” – Health expert to Katrin Nye [15:55]

• On Cuban Missile Crisis:
  “The scariest part to me was that there’s an inexorable nature of conflict… bringing them closer and closer to doom.” – Max Kennedy [23:36]

• On HIV program funding:
  “The funding from USAID and PEPFAR was to improve quality… not just overall funding.” – Glenda Gray [29:10]

• On Bangladesh political cycles:
  “Whoever is in power goes after who was in the opposition, and who comes back to power goes after those who were part of the previous regime.” – Arunajoy Mukherjee [32:50]

• On South Korea data breach:
  “I use it [Coupang] at least once a week… Even my work address is out there now.” – Jake Kwon [34:45]

• On Guinness afro record:
  “Because it was so wide, first he [the adjudicator] had one person help him. Still the ruler was too big, so he had another person come.” – Jess Martino [37:22]

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------|------------| | Indonesian Floods | 02:12–07:01| | African Mercenaries in Ukraine | 07:07–13:06| | PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ | 13:11–17:45| | Cuban Missile Crisis podcast | 18:08–23:55| | HIV Injection & US Funding Cuts | 27:35–30:34| | UK Labour MP in Bangladesh | 31:22–33:47| | South Korea Coupang Data Breach | 34:28–36:17| | World’s Largest Afro | 36:24–38:07|

Tone & Language

The language is factual, empathetic—sometimes raw in personal accounts, but always clear and explanatory. Direct speaker quotes are employed to enhance authenticity and ground the reporting in lived experiences.

Summary Takeaway

This rich, tightly-paced episode threads together the urgency of global tragedies—both sudden, like the Indonesian floods, and slow-moving, like chemical exposure and digital insecurity—with hope in medical breakthroughs and personal triumphs, including individual stories of survival and achievement. It brings the listener closer to each front, emphasizing the real-life consequences of global headlines.