Hamas requests help to retrieve the bodies of Israeli hostages

Summary

Global News Podcast – "Hamas requests help to retrieve the bodies of Israeli hostages"

Host: Alex Ritson, BBC World Service
Date: October 16, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode covers several significant global updates, centering on the ongoing challenges in the Israel-Gaza ceasefire, including Hamas’ request for assistance in recovering the bodies of Israeli hostages. The episode also reports on Syria’s ongoing search for justice after the civil war, an escalation in US-Venezuela tensions, Ukraine’s battle to maintain railway infrastructure amidst Russian attacks, a breakthrough study on men's age and fertility, and the return of sumo wrestling to London.

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Main Stories & Key Discussion Points

1. Gaza Ceasefire Under Tension: Hamas Requests Assistance

Timestamps: 01:08 – 04:24

• Ceasefire Agreement at Risk:
  Hamas claims it is striving to fulfill the ceasefire’s terms by returning the bodies of Israeli hostages but says it needs help retrieving the rest from beneath Gaza's rubble.

  • Only nine bodies have been handed back so far, whereas Israel expects 19 more.
  • The difficulty is compounded by the destruction and accessibility under the rubble.

• Israeli Suspicion and Pressure:
  Israeli Defense Minister demands a “comprehensive plan to defeat Hamas” if the deal collapses.

  • “The expectation was not that Hamas would end at nine bodies,” – Barbara Plett Usher, 02:29
  • The situation places serious strain on the ceasefire.

• Reciprocal Releases:
  Israel has begun returning the bodies of Palestinian prisoners (90 so far), but families in Gaza are struggling to identify them due to the lack of names and the condition of the remains.

  • BBC’s investigation revealed some Palestinian bodies show markings around wrists and ankles, suggesting they may have been bound, raising further questions (03:33).

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2. Life after Ceasefire in Gaza

Timestamps: 04:24 – 08:44

• Food Shortages & High Prices:
  Civilians in Gaza City face food scarcity and inflated prices. People are stockpiling in fear of the Rafah border closure.

  • “So the food is still limited. High prices and not all food is available. Some canned food, you’re talking about some flour, something that people can barely live on.” – Raghad Salem, 05:33

• Housing Crisis:
  Many residents are homeless, living in tents or unable to afford skyrocketing rents.

  • “We’re talking about $3,000 too much for a Gazan family here.” – Raghad Salem, 06:47

• Security and Violence:
  Reports of Hamas members securing the streets and executing individuals for profiteering during the war; eyewitness accounts confirm public punishment and torture.

  • “I actually heard about that and I saw that with my naked eye... I didn’t want to see the view, actually. It was horrific.” – Raghad Salem, 07:58

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3. Syria: Lost, Missing, and the Pursuit of Justice

Timestamps: 08:44 – 13:32

• Families Seek Justice for the Disappeared:
  As Assad remains in exile, Syrians gather to share stories of loved ones missing from the civil war era.

  • “When Bashar Al Assad is hanged, we will get our rights. He is responsible for the officer who tortured my husband.” – Sharifa, family member (translated), 10:36

• Discovery of Mass Graves:
  New evidence is being uncovered in the form of mass graves near Damascus, further documenting regime atrocities.

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4. Venezuela: US Military Escalation and Political Motives

Timestamps: 18:04 – 22:06

• Trump’s Authorisation of CIA Operations:
  President Trump confirms covert CIA operations inside Venezuela to target drug cartels, citing prison releases and drug trafficking as justifications.

  • “I authorized for two reasons, really... they have emptied their prisons into the United States... and the other thing are drugs.” – Donald Trump, 18:35

• Venezuelan Response:
  President Maduro condemns US actions as a CIA “coup d'etat,” escalating tensions.

• Strategic and Political Analysis:
  BBC’s Luis Fajardo notes the US targeting is also influenced by domestic politics, particularly concerning the Venezuelan American electorate in Florida.

  • “There is also, cynics would argue, a domestic political reason for this increasing confrontation...” – Luis Fajardo, 21:23

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5. Ukraine: Railways Under Attack

Timestamps: 22:06 – 27:22

• Frequent Strikes on Rail Infrastructure:
  Russian attacks on Ukraine’s railway infrastructure have intensified, with half of all strikes in the last two months alone.

  • “Almost every day. For the last two months, we have been experiencing targeted attacks on Ukrazali’s NATO infrastructure and power transmission facilities.” – Ukrainian official, 23:43

• Personal Accounts:
  Train workers recount harrowing survival during attacks. The railway system is presented as a vital symbol of national resilience.

  • “My eyes went dark. There was fire everywhere. Everything was burning. My hair caught fire a little.” – Olha Zolotova, train conductor, 24:28

• Officials Brace for Harsh Winter:
  “This winter is likely to be the hardest out of the winters we have survived already...” – Oleksandr Petsovskiy, Ukrainian Railways CEO, 26:30

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6. Science: Age and Men’s Fertility

Timestamps: 27:22 – 30:51

• Genetic Risks in Older Fathers:
  New Wellcome Sanger Institute study links advancing paternal age to increased genetic mutations in sperm, which heighten risks for offspring.

  • “By sequencing sperm, we found that among men in their early 30s, around one in 50 sperm carry a potentially disease causing mutation. And by age of 70, it’s closer to one in 20.” – Rahala Rabari, 28:00

• Real-World Implications:
  Lead author Matt Neville clarifies that though risks rise with age, overall danger remains low, and decisions should be individual.

  • “We think that younger men who expect to have children much later in life could consider freezing their sperm.” – Matt Neville, 29:35

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7. Sports: Sumo Wrestling Returns to London

Timestamps: 30:51 – 34:24

• Historic Tournament at Royal Albert Hall:
  For only the second time outside Japan, elite sumo wrestlers compete in London, bringing centuries-old traditions.

  • “I saw the ring and my heart is pounding. I hope the audiences will enjoy the sumo.” – Sumo wrestler, 31:58

• Tradition, Diet, and Popularity:
  Wrestlers and organizers share insights into sumo’s appeal and preparation—from traditional attire to 70kg of rice consumed daily.

  • “Sumo is more tradition than sports and that’s what people feel so close about sumo.” – Sumo wrestler, 32:33

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Gaza hostage exchange:
  “The expectation was not that Hamas would end at nine bodies. There’s still 19 left.” – Barbara Plett Usher, 02:29

• On living conditions in Gaza:
  “The prices is so high. So people cannot afford the prices here.” – Raghad Salem, 06:27
  “Electricity is also limited. Most areas get only a few hours, if at all.” – Raghad Salem, 07:02

• Syrian quest for justice:
  “When we cut the head of the snake, our hearts will heal and we will make peace with each other.” – Sharifa, 10:36

• US-Venezuela conflict:
  “I authorized for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America... and the other thing are drugs.” – President Donald Trump, 18:35

• Ukrainian resilience:
  “It was very scary because there was fire... Thanks to quick action, the fire was contained to one car.” – Alexander Leonenko, 25:59

• Sumo’s appeal:
  “You’re fighting with your opponent with just your body. You don’t have anything, you’re almost naked. And that’s the appeal.” – Sumo wrestler, 32:33

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Additional Segments

• Ariane Titmous' (Titmus) Retirement (13:32 – 17:01):
  The celebrated Australian swimmer retires at 25, following a health scare before the Paris Olympics.
  • “It was a tough one... but I’m really happy with [the decision].” – Ariane Titmus, 13:57

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Conclusion

This episode offers frontline reporting and personal narratives from multiple global hotspots, contextualizing major political and humanitarian shifts and providing expert analysis on complex international issues, from the Middle East to Eastern Europe and Latin America, as well as glimpses into sports and science that underscore broader societal trends.

Transcript

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[Luis Fajardo]

Every now and then I rinse it.

[Alex Ritson]

Out and I need downy rinse tonight and I need it more My kid.

[Raghad Salem]

Wears a bed and the smell never leaves I don't know what to do I'm always in the dark the sweat.

[Alex Ritson]

And dead shark smells like a dark dark I'm downy rinsing tonight Downy rinse fights stubborn odors in just one wash. Impossible odours get stuck in.

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[Alex Ritson]

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Alex Ritson and in the early hours of Thursday 16th October, these are our main stories. Hamas says it's trying to fulfill the terms of the ceasefire deal in Gaza, but needs help to retrieve the bodies of hostages from under the rubble. The the Israeli Defense Minister has called for a comprehensive plan to defeat the group if it reneges on the agreement. President Trump has confirmed that he has authorized covert CIA operations inside Venezuela. Also in this podcast, a study suggests the older men get, the less likely their sperm will produce healthy children.

[Rahala Rabari]

We found as men get older, their sperm pick up new genetic changes which can be passed on to their children.

[Alex Ritson]

Hamas has said it's committed to fulfilling the terms of the ceasefire deal with Israel, but needs help to recover bodies from the rubble of Gaza. Two more bodies were transferred on Wednesday, but with anger mounting in Israel at the failure to hand over 19 others, the Israeli defense minister says he's called for a comprehensive plan to defeat Hamas. How serious is this threat to the ceasefire? Barbara Plett Usher is in Jerusalem.

[Barbara Plett Usher]

Well, it certainly has shaken the ceasefire because this is the core of it to hand back all of the hostages, living and dead, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The deadline, of course, as we know, was 72 hours, but there was always an acknowledgement that not all the bodies would be able to be found in time. But I think the understanding was that Hamas had a lot of those dead bodies at hand to be able to give back. And so the Israelis got suspicious when they only got four on Monday and they said this is a violation of the ceasefire. You've got to do better than this. And then Hamas started handing more back. So it's now handed back nine. But then suddenly it said, this is all we've got and we are committed to the ceasefire and we're working very hard to meet its terms. But frankly, the rest of the bodies, relocating and recovering them will be really hard work. So the expectation was not that Hamas would end at nine bodies. There's still 19 left. We still have to wait for Israel's official response to this as well as the United States.

[Alex Ritson]

Now, I understand that Israel holds many Palestinian bodies and some of those have started to be handed back to the Palestin.

[Barbara Plett Usher]

Yes, that is part of the agreement. They are supposed to hand back a certain number of bodies of Palestinians that they have, and they have now handed back 90, 45 yesterday and 45 today, Wednesday, to Gaza. The forensic people are doing tests to try to identify the bodies and look at the condition of the bodies. But the difficulty is that so far they have not received names, they've received numbers, so they finding it difficult to identify the bodies, especially because some of them are not recognizable. Furthermore, we sent out a freelance cameraman into the hospital where the bodies are located, and he took some images that appeared to show marks around the wrists and ankles of some of these bodies that looked as if they'd had their hands and feet tied. We have asked the Israeli military about that, but haven't heard any response.

[Alex Ritson]

Barbara Platt Asher talking to my colleague Oliver Conway. Meanwhile, people in Gaza are beginning the daunting process of rebuilding their lives. News about what's going on there, the availability of food, the security situation is difficult to get. Israel hasn't allowed foreign journalists to report freely from inside the territory. But the BBC has spoken to some Gazans about what life is like following the ceasefire. My colleague James Menendez talked to Raghad Salem, a journalist who lives in Gaza City. He started by asking her about reports that people are stockpiling food.

[Raghad Salem]

After the announcement that Israel is going to limitly close Rafah borders, people were like afraid of the limit limitation of food entrance. So after Hamas's delays in handling the body parts yesterday, so this was a situation so people were afraid of the lack of food again. So maybe they were trying to store food again because, you know, they have lived a situation of famine and starvation.

[Alex Ritson]

How much food is there to buy at the moment in the shops? Is there a lot to buy now?

[Raghad Salem]

There is not many because Gaza City is still partially closed, because people aren't returning back to the city, they are gradually returning back. So the food is still limited. High prices and not all food is available. Some canned food, you're talking about some flour, something that people can barely live on.

[Alex Ritson]

And where are you living at the moment, Raghat, if I may ask?

[Raghad Salem]

Yes, of course. I am currently living in the western part of Gaza City, you can say next to the Gaza Seaport. This is the only neighborhood that is still, you can say the life is stable, that we can live in, kind of habitable.

[Alex Ritson]

And what about all those people who have returned from the south to discover that their homes are just rubble? Where are they living?

[Raghad Salem]

Many of them, they prepared their tents to put them in the places of their houses. Some of them are asking for houses here that can be rented. But actually the prices is so high. So people cannot afford the prices here.

[Alex Ritson]

Yeah, I mean, how much is for example? I don't know, a two or three bedroom apartment.

[Raghad Salem]

Yeah, we're talking about $3,000 too much for a Gazan family here.

[Alex Ritson]

$3,000 for what?

[Barbara Plett Usher]

For a month.

[Alex Ritson]

For a month?

[Raghad Salem]

In a month? Yes.

[Alex Ritson]

Gosh, that is a lot.

[Rahala Rabari]

Yes.

[Alex Ritson]

And what about power? Do you have power at the moment?

[Raghad Salem]

Electricity is also limited. Most areas get only a few hours, if at all. Many rely on small generators or solar panels.

[Alex Ritson]

And what about the security situation, the internal security situation? We've been hearing about these clashes between Hamas fighters and members of Gaza's clans. I mean, has that all been going on?

[Raghad Salem]

Yes, worth mentioning. Yesterday I was walking in the market and I suddenly saw some people, a group of people, they are like from 20 to 28 years old, and they were apparently from Hamas's groups. So they were like trying to secure the city from what we can say, militias and groups like that.

[Alex Ritson]

And have you heard these reports of people being executed by Hamas for not, you know, for falling out of line?

[Raghad Salem]

I actually heard about that and I saw that with my naked eye. They dragged a person who used to sell people money for high price during the war. So they dragged them from his workplace, I guess, and they dragged him in public. I didn't want to see the view, actually. It was horrific.

[Alex Ritson]

Well, what happened? Did they shoot that person?

[Raghad Salem]

I asked the public there. They said that they are going to shoot him. I don't know, they didn't actually, but they were like torturing him in front of many people in an open area so that all people can see him.

[Alex Ritson]

Raghat Salaam, a journalist who lives in Gaza City. Syria's interim president Ahmed Al Sharrar visited Russia on Wednesday for the first time since overthrowing Bashar al Assad last year. He told President Putin that he would respect past agreements with Russia, which gave Assad vital support to help him stay in power during the civil war and still has military bases in Syria. Many Syrians want Russia to hand over Bashar Al Assad, who fled to Moscow to face allegations of war crimes. The horrors of Assad's crackdown during the civil war are still being uncovered. More than 180,000 people remain unaccounted for. And as our senior international correspondent Ola Guerin reports, families of the killed and the disappeared are demanding answers and justice.

[Ola Guerin]

I'm in the village of Sheba. It's in eastern Ghouta on the edge of Damascus. And I'm in a community hall which is absolutely packed. Women have been pouring in. They're holding up photographs of fathers and brothers and sons who are still missing. On the wall in front of me, there are more photographs hung in rows showing young men and older men and the dates when they disappeared. Some in 2012, some in 2013. We've been told that in this village alone, more than 400 men have gone missing. We were invited to join this gathering called a truth Tent, a place where families share stories of loved ones forcibly disappeared by the Assad regime in the new Syria. Many, like Sharifa, are ready to speak out.

[Jessica Stewart]

When Bashar Al Assad is hanged, we will get our rights. He is responsible for the officer who tortured my husband. When we cut the head of the snake, our hearts will heal and we will make peace with each other.

[Ola Guerin]

There is a real sense here of loss and of grief and of anger. Families want to know when the guilty will be held to account and when they can hope for justice. From the stage, Najwa, one of the organizers, urges the women to be strong and be patient.

[Alex Ritson]

When I hear your stories, it's. It breaks my heart.

[Ola Guerin]

That son of a pig Bashar broke.

[Alex Ritson]

Us for 14 years. The only thing I ask of you is don't give up.

[Ola Guerin]

Don't stop pushing.

[Alex Ritson]

It's not going to happen overnight.

[Ola Guerin]

But more evidence is being uncovered in rural Damascus. We saw bones where crops should be. I'm in the countryside about an hour from Damascus, in an area of open fields. We've come here because we got word that a mass grave has just been discovered, and we're now at the site. There are about two dozen people here. Some are police in uniform, some are locals. There's livestock still here in the area. We've been told that more than a hundred remains are located here. It's believed that they were local people who tried to flee the area, but were killed by the regime as they tried to escape. On the ground in front of me, there are some items of clothing scattered around. There's a jumper, a man's jumper, a brownish color, we've been told, that belonged to a 20 year old man called Samer, who had been married just 10 days before he was killed. His brother Qasim found the jumper.

[Alex Ritson]

Samer was a civilian. He had nothing to do with armed groups at all. My three nephews are also here. They all fled because of hunger. The regime wouldn't let any food come in.

[Ola Guerin]

Walking along here, there's a shoe and over here a green bomber jacket. Nearby bones have been found and a skull. This is a country still grappling with its painful past, still searching for its dead, and a country where many are still waiting for justice.

[Alex Ritson]

Orla Guerin. The Australian swimmer Ariane Titmous has announced her retirement from the sport at the age of only 25. Although she's won four Olympic gold medals and is widely regarded as one of the greatest middle distance swimmers of all time, Titmus is the current world record holder for the 200 meters freestyle. And she says it wasn't an easy decision to make.

[Jessica Stewart]

A tough one, a really tough one, but one that I'm really happy with. I love swimming. I've always loved swimming. It's been my passion since I was a little girl. But I guess I've taken this time away from the sport and realised some things in my life that have always been important to me are just a little bit more important to me now than swimming.

[Alex Ritson]

Even so, 25 does seem quite young to be retiring. A question I put to Jessica Stewart, a journalist for the ABC in Brisbane.

[Jessica Stewart]

Yeah, it certainly does. In the swimming world, you'd think that's the peak of your powers, especially coming off back to back gold medals at the Olympics. But for Ariane Titmous, she's decided to move on to the next phase of her career. And while it may have shocked many in Australia, waking up this morning hearing that news, I don't think it shocked too many in the sporting world because she was on that year long break and perhaps it was a hint that she was kind of contemplating this and wanting to just really think about her future. But she's made the decision and she'll go out on, on the biggest of highs, I guess you could say.

[Alex Ritson]

Yeah. In a social media post she said she'd realized some things were now more important to her than swimming.

[Jessica Stewart]

Well, for people that don't really know Arnie as We call her, that's her nickname here in Australia. She had a bit of a health scare heading into Paris and it actually interrupted her preparations, which is what made that victory last year for her all the more impressive. She had a tumor that was found on her ovaries and she had to have a procedure in the lead up to the Paris Olympics and it kind of put her out of the pool for some time, but I think it was a pretty big scare for her. And she revealed in some interviews at the time that she was really concerned about whether or not it would impact her ability to have children at the time. And all, all those things were going through her head and the sacrifices you make as a professional athlete and also the things that, you know, you miss out on by delaying things like starting a family and motherhood and all those things to chase the pursuit of greatness in the pool.

[Alex Ritson]

Because Australians are still reeling from the decision of the tennis player Ash Barty to retire, also at the age of 25.

[Jessica Stewart]

Yeah, it's funny you mentioned that because I was saying this morning that this feels quite Barty esque, doesn't it? I remember at the time that felt like the huge bombshell that it was because an Australian winning the Australian Open and then just weeks later she comes out and goes, oh, by the way, I'm going to retire now. I've kind of ticked that box and I'm going to move on to the next phase of my life. And it does feel like that too with Auntie decision to retire. Yeah, it's just a very fascinating decision, but one I think that obviously she's put a lot of time into and it shows just how comfortable she is with where her career is at and what she's achieved in that time in the pool. And she did start at a very young age from an international perspective, so 25 doesn't feel like that young in the context of how long she's been swimming for Australia.

[Alex Ritson]

The ABC's Jessica Stewart on the retirement of Ariane Titmouse. Still to come in this podcast, sumo wrestling returns to London, bringing with it 1500 years of tradition.

[Sumo Wrestler]

I saw the ring and my heart is pounding. I hope the audiences will enjoy the sumo.

[BBC Announcer]

At the BBC we go further so you see clearer. Through frontline reporting, global stories and local insights, we bring you closer to the world's news as it happens. And it starts with a subscription to BBC.com giving you unlimited articles and videos, ad free podcasts and the BBC News channel. Streaming live 24. 7. Subscribe to trusted independent journalism from the BBC. Find out more at BBC.com join.

[Alex Ritson]

There'S been a sharp escalation in the United States targeting of the government of the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Donald Trump has said he would allow the CIA to conduct covert operations from inside Venezuela. Asked at the White House whether the US Was considering strikes on suspected drug cartels inside Venezuela, President Trump had this to say. I authorized for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. They came in through the. Well, they came in through the border. They came in because we had an open border policy. And the other thing are drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, so you get to see that. But we're going to stop them by land also. Shortly after Mr. Trump made the comments, President Maduro condemned what he called coup d' etat orchestrated by the CIA, adding no to regime change. Since the beginning of September, the US military has carried out at least five attacks against Venezuelan boats in international waters in the Caribbean Sea. The White House alleges the vessels are smuggling drugs, referring to them as narco terrorists. Luis Fajardo is our South American expert from BBC Monitoring in Miami.

[Luis Fajardo]

This seems to give strength to those who have been arguing for some time that significant US military deployment that has been seen around Venezuela in the last few weeks was not going to be limited to just attacking small drug trafficking boats. People across Latin America were wondering why this big deployment seemed to be limited again to targeting relatively small drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean. Now, of course, the speculation is that the US is planning something more directly against the Maduro administration, an administration that the White House has accused of complicity in corruption and in participating in activities of drug trafficking. So, of course, there's going to be a lot of expectation across Latin American media, certainly in Venezuela, but not only in Venezuela, about how significant these potential US actions could be in the next few days.

[Alex Ritson]

The US cites Venezuela's involvement in the drugs trade as its justification for all of this. How significant a player is Venezuela?

[Luis Fajardo]

Venezuela is not the center of the cocaine industry. In particular, it has cocaine activity, which has a lot to do with the fact that it is a neighbor of Colombia, which is the absolute epicenter of cocaine growing and exporting in the world. In fact, most of the cocaine that leaves Colombia lives not through Venezuela and to the Caribbean, trying to reach the U.S. but on the opposite ocean. It leaves Colombia by the. That does not mean that Venezuela does not have a role in the cocaine trade there's in fact very substantial evidence that some cocaine from Colombia gets sent to Venezuela and then not only to the US but to other parts. The drug traffickers are looking at other export markets, for example, in Europe. And Venezuela is said to have some degree of participation in this, but it definitely is not the center of the cocaine industry.

[Alex Ritson]

So if it's not the drugs trade, what is it about?

[Luis Fajardo]

Definitely the US has had a very antagonistic relation with the Maduro administration and before Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez. There is also, cynics would argue, a domestic political reason for this increasing confrontation between the US and the Venezuelan government. The US has a substantial Venezuelan American community which is particularly active in Florida, in the state of Florida. And it is said to have a growing importance in US electoral politics, at least in Florida. And the Trump administration has been seen as willing to try to please this electorate, which turned very strongly in favor of President Trump during the last US presidential election.

[Alex Ritson]

BBC Monitoring's Luis Fajardo. During more than three and a half years of war, Ukraine's rail network has been targeted by Russian attacks. It has 180,000 employees overseeing track from the eastern front lines to beyond Ukraine's western border. Ukraine's government says half of all attacks on the railway have taken place in just the last two months. It accused Russia of logistical terrorism deliberately targeting freight and passenger trains alongside attacks on power infrastructure. As winter approaches, our correspondent Gary o' Donoghue sent this report from Kyiv.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

At this train depot in Darnitzia in the east of the capital, Kyiv, engineers are taking on some major work repairing a piece of rolling stock which took a direct hit in late August. So I'm just climbing onto a locomotive that's been hit by a drone at the end of August and there's a huge impact point on the side of the train that's blown the whole side off and there's wires on the floor. The place has now been gutted. The way all the seats have been taken out, there's a lot of ash all around. And this was, this took place on a night where there was a massive attack on Ukraine's rail infrastructure. As I climb down from the train, I meet Oleksiy Balester, a deputy minister in the government department responsible for the railways. He says the Russians are now targeting every part of the rail network.

[Alex Ritson]

Almost every day. For the last two months, we have been experiencing targeted attacks on Ukrazali's NATO infrastructure and power transmission facilities. Over the last four years of the full scale war, 50% of all attacks on the railway have taken place in just the last two months.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Back in central Kyiv, I'm at a hospital to meet a train conductor who was badly hurt in another recent attack on a passenger train in Shostka in the north. Olha Zolotova was one of 30 people hurt. She's got multiple injuries and just had surgery on her hip. She told me what she remembered of the attack.

[Raghad Salem]

My eyes went dark. There was fire everywhere. Everything was burning. My hair caught fire a little.

[Alex Ritson]

I was trapped by. But thanks to the men, I was.

[Raghad Salem]

Able to get out.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Officials here point to two principal factors which they believe have led to the intensified spate of attacks. First, Russia's increasing capacity to produce large numbers of long range drones. And second, a near stalemate on the frontline of fighting itself and a consequent focus by Russian planners on disrupting supply lines. Instead, the railways are now a battlefield in their own right, says Oleksandr Petsovskiy, chief executive of Ukrainian Railways.

[Alex Ritson]

They've become very, very targeted in doing everything possible to stop railways from serving our near frontline regions or stopping us.

[Luis Fajardo]

From supplying our export goods towards the ports.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

So we're at the Kyiv Central Station, really the node of the whole country, when there's been an attack on the railway. They have special ceremonies here to make awards to those conductors, drivers who've been involved in strikes and attacks on the railway. They call the recipients iron heroes. Alexander Leonenko is getting his certificate today for help putting out the fires at the dungeons.

[Luis Fajardo]

It was very scary because there was fire.

[Alex Ritson]

In short, the train consists of nine cars. Thanks to quick action, the fire was contained to one car.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Ukraine's railway system is not merely a mode of transport. It is a central pillar of Ukraine's war effort and a powerful national symbol of resilience. But the company's chief executive, Oleksandr Petsovskiy, acknowledges the reality. Things can only get tougher.

[Luis Fajardo]

This winter is likely to be the hardest out of the winters we have survived already. Having said that, I don't want to sound like we are desperate, so we are gearing up for this hard winter. We psychologically are prepared to dealing with.

[Alex Ritson]

A lot of difficult situations. But I think Ukrainians are high in their spirits.

[Gary O'Donoghue]

You hear this music all the time at Kyiv railway stations. It's the city's anthem. The railway's goal, never to cancel a single service or destination. Certainty, say officials, prevents panic and creates resilience. Ukrainians will need plenty of that resilience over the long, hard months ahead.

[Alex Ritson]

Gary o' Donoghue in Kyiv Often, when talking about the effect of age on trying to have a baby, the focus is on women. But men are affected too. Here in the UK, the number of babies born to fathers over 60 has risen by 14% in the past year. And research now suggests this might cause health problems for their children. According to a study from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, older men are more likely than previously thought to pass on disease causing mutations. We heard from the two lead authors, Matt Neville and first Rahala Rabari.

[Rahala Rabari]

By sequencing sperm, we found that among men in their early 30s, around one in 50 sperm carry a potentially disease causing mutation. And by age of 70, it's closer to one in 20. To give a bit more details, we studied about 100,000 sperm from men aged between 20 to 80 years old. And we found as men get older, their sperm pick up new genetic changes which can be passed on to their children. What's really interesting is that not all of these changes are random. Some keep appearing in the same genes because they give cells a small growth advantage. So over time, these mutations, many of which are linked to disease, become more comm in sperm of older men. And essentially, as men age, their sperm don't just collect more mutations they actually favoured and selected for. And this shows that the germline isn't static, it is an active evolutionary arena.

[Alex Ritson]

And Matt, if these older men pass on these mutations, what can that mean for the children?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

Those numbers that Raheli quoted are based off of any known single gene disease. But the diseases that really increase the most with men's age are generally quite severe developmental disorders in children. This is because the mutations that give sperm progenitors the strongest competitive advantage for growth also seem to ones that most impact normal development in life.

[Alex Ritson]

And so should we be advising older men not to have children or are there alternative treatments?

[Gary O'Donoghue]

No, we wouldn't say that. We'd say that that this information, like the risks linked to maternal aging, is simply something for families to weigh when they're making their own decisions. So we think that younger men who expect to have children much later in life could consider freezing their sperm. Or older men planning a family might explore available screening options a bit closer. But we would emphasize that the overall risks remain quite low for typical reproductive ages. And these procedures can be costly, so it won't necessarily be practical for everyone.

[Alex Ritson]

And yet, I guess, Rahela, this is going to become a more pressing issue as the population ages and people wait to have children.

[Rahala Rabari]

Yes, you are correct. As more people have children later in life and the average Number of new mutations that are passed on will increase slightly across the population. But what's encouraging is that our work helps pinpoint where and how this happens. And by understanding these processes, we can develop better ways to screen, predict, and even reduce risks risk in future. So while delayed parenthood may slightly raise mutation and disease risk in children, advances in genetic screening and reproductive technologies are likely to outpace that.

[Alex Ritson]

Rahala Rabari and Matt Neville from the welcome Sanger Institute. Sumo wrestling has come to London. The Royal Albert hall is hosting a full five day sumo tournament, only the second one ever held outside Japan. Elite wrestlers have flo in from Japan to take part in what organizers say will be a celebration of the sport's ancient traditions and rituals. This report from Tim Muffet. Strength, power, tradition and spirituality. There's no sport quite like sumo wrestling. Its origins go back more than 1500 years. And for the first time since 1991, an official tournament is about to take place in the uk in London's Royal Albert Hall. In the world of sumo, this is big news. Grand Sumo tournament in London. What's it like being in the UK ahead of this historic sumo event?

[Sumo Wrestler]

I saw the ring and my heart is pounding. I hope the audiences will enjoy the sumo. So I came here today and I'm very moved by what they built here. So I'm very looking forward to it.

[Alex Ritson]

Hoshou Yu and Ono Sato have both reached sumo wrestling's highest level, yokozuna. There'll be more than 40 wrestlers taking part at the Royal Albert hall, but these two are the favorites and they've fought many times before. What is it about this sport which makes it such a popular one in Japan?

[Sumo Wrestler]

So the rule is very simple. You can push the opponent outside the ring and you win. So that's very easy to understand. And also you're fighting with your opponent with just your body. You don't have anything, you're almost naked. And that's the appeal. I think sumo is more tradition than sports and that's what people feel so close about sumo. Even when we go out in our days off, we have to wear kimono. So I think that sumo being rooted in tradition is what people like.

[Alex Ritson]

It's 34 years since sumo last came to London. Some people think are slowing down, but it doesn't look like it here in London.

[BBC Announcer]

Look at him.

[Alex Ritson]

It was hugely popular. And just like then, the Royal Albert hall has been undergoing a major transformation. What we're trying to do here is to really show the history and ritual and heritage that sumo encapsulates and have you had to get in extra food?

[Luis Fajardo]

Yes, we have.

[Alex Ritson]

We have a, a chef, Chef Naomi, who's been brought in especially, and we've worked with, with the hotel to prepare all of their meals and exactly what the wrestlers would eat. I think we're getting through 70kg of rice every day. The wholesaler of noodles has run out. There are no weight categories in sumo, so being heavier can give you an advantage.

[Sumo Wrestler]

Sumo wrestler's diet consists of two meals per day because the morning we use it for practice, so it's lunch and dinner. So we have to cram as much calories as we can in those two meals. It's been 34 years since the last sumo tournament was held in London and I wasn't even born back then. So I would like for the UK fans and the European fans to have as much fun as possible watching our game.

[Luis Fajardo]

See you in London. See you in London.

[Alex Ritson]

Tim Muffet with that report. And that's all from us for now. But there'll be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or that topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on X@BBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. This edition was mixed by Daniel Fox and the producer was Ed Horton. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Alex Ritson. Until next time. Goodbye.

[BBC Announcer]

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