India strikes Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir

Summary

Global News Podcast Summary
Episode: India Strikes Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Host: Rachel Wright, BBC World Service

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1. India Launches Strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir

[00:37 - 05:06]

In the early hours of Wednesday, May 7th, India initiated missile strikes targeting nine sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. This offensive was a direct response to a militant attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir two weeks prior. The Indian government asserts that the strikes were aimed at "terrorist infrastructure" and were "focused, measured and non-escalatory," explicitly stating that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted.

Ambarasan Etharajan, South Asia Regional Editor, provided detailed analysis:

"It's a fast developing story... India says that they were targeting what they call terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan administered Kashmir."
[02:14]

Pakistan has vehemently condemned the attacks, calling them an infringement on its sovereignty. The Pakistani military has vowed retaliation, stating:

"These strikes will not go unanswered and that it would respond at a time and place of its own choosing."
[03:53]

Despite the high tensions, both nations have faced international pressure, particularly from the UN and China, to exercise restraint given their nuclear capabilities. However, with Pakistan's firm stance, the situation remains highly volatile, with reports of civilian casualties emerging from Muzaffarabad.

2. Oman's Mediation Leads to Ceasefire Between US and Houthis in Yemen

[05:06 - 09:49]

Amid escalating conflicts in the Middle East, Oman has successfully brokered a ceasefire between the United States and Houthi fighters in Yemen. This agreement ensures that neither side will target the other, safeguarding American vessels in the strategically vital Red Sea and Bab el Mandeb Strait, which accounts for approximately 15% of global shipping traffic.

Saeed Bard Al Bu Saidi, Omani Foreign Minister, announced:

"Efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides... ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping."
[05:51]

Hugo Bouchega, correspondent in Jerusalem, highlighted the exclusion of Israel from the deal:

"There has been no mention of Israel... The Houthis have also been attacking Israel, indicating these attacks are likely to continue."
[06:22 - 07:16]

The unexpected nature of the announcement coincided with a significant Israeli airstrike on Sana'a's airport, demonstrating the fragile nature of regional stability. With President Trump slated to visit the Middle East, speculation abounds regarding forthcoming announcements, potentially related to normalization of relations between Israel and other countries.

3. Canada Prime Minister Stands Firm Against Trump's Claims

[09:49 - 11:00]

In a tense exchange at the White House, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rebutted President Donald Trump's provocative suggestion of making Canada the "51st US state." Trump's assertion included claims that the U.S. provides Canada with "free military protection," to which Carney responded firmly:

"It's not for sale, won't be for sale."
[10:57]

This stance was pivotal in Carney's re-election, underscoring Canadian resistance to Trump's anti-Canadian rhetoric and the imposition of tariffs on Canadian exports. The impassioned defense highlighted the delicate balance global leaders must maintain to avoid counterproductive tensions.

4. Friedrich Merz Becomes Germany's New Chancellor Amidst Political Turmoil

[11:00 - 13:23]

After two unsuccessful attempts, Friedrich Merz of the Conservative CDU party was elected Chancellor of Germany, narrowly securing the position after overcoming internal dissent within his coalition. Berlin Correspondent Jessica Parker reported on the unprecedented event:

"Friedrich Merz may cut a tall, confident figure, but he had fallen short... the first time that's happened in post-war German history."
[11:47]

The initial phase of Merz's tenure has been rocky, with the opposition far-right party, Alternativa for Deutschland, criticizing the government's stability and Merz's leadership capabilities. Speculations arise regarding underlying issues such as discontent over leadership figures and government job distributions.

5. India and UK Sign Landmark Trade Deal Enhancing Bilateral Commerce

[14:26 - 16:57]

After three years of negotiations, India and the United Kingdom have finalized a significant trade agreement aimed at boosting bilateral trade, projected to add £25 billion to the economy by 2040. This deal facilitates easier exports of British products like whiskey, cars, and cosmetics to India, while reducing tariffs on Indian clothing and footwear entering the UK market.

British Prime Minister Zakir Starmer hailed the agreement:

"This is the biggest trade deal that we, the UK have done since we left the EU... measured in billions of pounds into our economy and jobs across the whole of the United Kingdom."
[14:45]

Archana Shukla, Business Correspondent in Mumbai, detailed the specifics:

"Tariffs on whiskeys and gins have been cut by half to 75%, while car tariffs have been reduced from 100% to 10% under a quota system."
[15:20]

The pact not only strengthens economic ties but also sets a precedent for India's ongoing trade negotiations with other major economies, including the United States.

6. Syria's Forensic Efforts Uncover Mass Graves Amidst Post-War Recovery

[16:57 - 23:46]

Five months following the fall of President Assad, Syria grapples with the harrowing task of identifying and recovering victims from mass graves scattered around Damascus. Tim Franks reports on the meticulous and challenging efforts undertaken by forensic teams to address the atrocities committed during the regime.

Hussein Alawi Al Memphi, a former driver for Assad's medical services, provided a chilling firsthand account:

"The hardest part to see was the bodies, how they were tortured. To see that, the torture on them, it was hard to process."
[20:35]

The forensic identification center, led by Dr. Anas Alhurani, faces significant hurdles due to high costs and sanctions impeding access to necessary DNA testing kits. Currently, the process is painstakingly slow, with estimates suggesting it could take years to account for the approximately 130,000 missing Syrians.

"In random mass graves... it takes us sometimes months for a single case."
[23:24]

7. Discovery of One of the World's Oldest Football Pitches in Scotland

[23:46 - 26:05]

Challenging the widely held belief that modern football originated solely in 19th-century England, historian Jed O'Brien unearthed evidence of a structured football pitch in Scotland dating back over 200 years. This historic find includes a 200-meter long grass patch with goals and flags, suggesting organized play long before the sport's formal codification.

Jed O'Brien emphasized the significance:

"It's time for history to be rewritten... but it's still not known how similar the exact rules of this game were to the one which came 200 years after."
[25:16]

The discovery is based on a letter from Reverend Samuel Rutherford in the early 1600s, expressing frustration over football matches disrupting Sunday worship. Archaeological excavations at Moss Robin Farm corroborated these accounts by revealing remnants consistent with an early football pitch.

8. Upcoming Papal Conclave: Behind the Scenes of the Holy Decision

[26:05 - 27:22]

As the Vatican prepares for the conclave to elect the next Pope, Saeed Bard Al Bu Saidi provided insights into the seclusion and solemnity of the process:

"All of the cardinals will be staying essentially on the premises of the Vatican... They'll have access to no mobile phones or any other electronic items."
[26:18]

The conclave involves daily voting sessions in the Sistine Chapel, with the decision signaled by the burning of ballots—black smoke indicating no decision and white smoke signaling the election of a new Pope. The environment underscores the gravity and tradition of this pivotal moment in the Catholic Church.

Notable Quotes

• Hussein Alawi Al Memphi on Syrian mass graves:

  "The hardest part to see was the bodies, how they were tortured. To see that, the torture on them, it was hard to process."
  [20:35]

• Saeed Bard Al Bu Saidi on the conclave:

  "In the future, neither side will target the other... ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping."
  [05:51]

• Mark Carney responding to Trump's statehood proposal for Canada:

  "It's not for sale, won't be for sale."
  [10:57]

Conclusion

This episode of the Global News Podcast provides an extensive overview of critical international developments, ranging from escalating military tensions between India and Pakistan to groundbreaking historical discoveries in sports. Through expert analysis and firsthand accounts, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted global landscape as of May 2025.

For more detailed reports and in-depth coverage, subscribe to the Global News Podcast and stay informed on the latest international news and insights.

Transcript

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[Rachel Wright]

This is the global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Rachel Wright and in the early hours of Wednesday, 7th May, these are our main stories. India launches strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan administered Kashmir. Pakistan vows to retaliate. Oman says it has mediated a ceasefire deal between the US and the Houthis. In Yemen, Canada's newly elected prime minister tells Donald Trump his country will never be for sale. Also in this podcast, Friedrich Merz becomes Germany's new chancellor after surviving a shock defeat during an initial vote in Parliament. And we hear testimony from a Syrian man who drove truckloads of bodies to mass graves under the Assad regime.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

The hardest part to see was the bodies, how they were tortured. To see that, the torture on them, it was hard to process.

[Rachel Wright]

We start in Pakistan where explosions were heard near the city of Muzaffarabad in Pakistan administered Kashmir just after midnight local time. The Indian government says it attacked nine sites across Pakistan in response to last month's militant attack on tourists in Indian administered Kashmir. Just before recording this podcast, we got the latest from our South Asia regional editor, Ambarasan Etharajan.

[Ambarasan Etharajan]

It's a fast developing story and about an hour ago we were getting reports of these explosions in Mosafarabad in Pakistan administered Kashmir. And within a few minutes the Indian government issued a statement saying that they were targeting what what they called as terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan administered Kashmir. This comes tensions following the attack on tourists and Indian administered Kashmir two weeks ago. And there have been a lot of pressure from within India that India had to respond forcefully because Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting the separatist rebels in Kashmir, a charge denied by Islamabad. Now what the Indian government is saying, that our actions have been focused, measured and non escalatory in nature and that that no Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. But then the Pakistani military has come out with a very strong statement saying that the strikes will not go unanswered and that it would respond at a time and place of Its own choosing. So now we are getting reports of civilians talking about these explosions in Mustafarabad and there are reports of casualties, but we cannot independently confirm the versions by both sides, both India and Pakistan, what really happened on the ground. There are multiple lines coming out on agencies and by Pakistani and Indian media. At the moment, we cannot confirm any of those things. What we know is that there have been explosions inside Pakistan and India says that it carried out missile strikes inside Pakistan.

[Rachel Wright]

The Pakistan Prime Minister has issued a statement. What has he said now?

[Ambarasan Etharajan]

They've strongly condemned these attacks and what they call it as the Foreign Ministry also talking about this is an attack on the sovereignty of. That's a very major charge against India. Now, both these governments have been talking for the past few weeks on how you know, how and when they will respond because people are expecting some sort of military action against Pakistan by Indian forces, but nobody knew what level of military action or how forcefully they will respond because the UN and international players have been urging both sides to show restraint because this can easily go out of control because these are two nuclear armed rivals and there is also the China factor. So there were a lot of appeals from the other players to both countries to show restraint. But what we are witnessing now is this an ongoing situation. Now this all depends on how Pakistan is going to respond and what chain reaction it is going to create in India.

[Rachel Wright]

Ambarjan Ever since the start of the war in Gaza, Houthi fighters in Yemen have been launching attacks against Israel and commercial ships in the Red Sea in support of Hamas and the Palestinians. In response, the US has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis which are backed by Iran. This was stepped up significantly in March. President Trump has said this would now stop as the Houthis have capitulated because they don't want to fight the US Anymore. The Gulf's state of Oman said it had negotiated a ceasefire in return for the safe passage of commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Omani Foreign Minister, Saeed Bard Al Bu Saidi, announced the deal in a post on X. We voiced part of his statement following.

[Saeed Bard Al Bu Saidi]

Recent discussions and contacts conducted by the Sultanate of Oman with the United States and the relevant authorities in Sana'a in the Republic of Yemen with the aim of de escalation. Efforts have resulted in a ceasefire agreement between the two sides. In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels in the Red Sea and Bab el Mandeb Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping.

[Rachel Wright]

About 15% of global shipping traffic passes through the Red Sea. The deal, though, doesn't include Israel. As I heard from our correspondent in Jerusalem, Hugo Boshega.

[Hugo Bouchega]

This was a surprise announcement that was made by the president. And there has been confirmation of what he announced by Oman, saying that he had acted as mediator in these talks between the Americans and the Houthis. So the Houthis would stop its attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, and in return, the US Would halt its attacks on Houthi positions in Yemen. But what is very important here is that there has been no mention of Israel in these statements by Oman, by President Trump. The Houthis have also been attacking Israel. And there has been some reaction from a senior Houthi officials indicating that these attacks by the Houthis on Israel are likely to continue.

[Rachel Wright]

And. But is Israel going to stop attacking the Houthis as part of this agreement, or is that not part of it?

[Hugo Bouchega]

Yeah. So it doesn't seem that Israel has been involved. And in fact, some reports in Israeli media suggested that the Israeli authorities didn't know that the President was going to make this announcement. What is also interesting is that this announcement came hours after a huge airstrike by the Israeli military targeting Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. The airport was the main target. The Israeli military said this was infrastructure that was being used by the Houthis and that this was in response to that missile attack by the Houthis on Sunday that hit an area just. Just outside Ben Gurion Airport, which is the main international airport in Israel. So what we're hearing from the Houthis indicating that these attacks on Israel are going to continue. I think the tensions between Israel and the Houthis are likely to continue as well.

[Rachel Wright]

But Oman seems to have been playing a crucial role in the negotiations between the US and the Houthis. Why have they been so involved?

[Hugo Bouchega]

Yeah, let's not forget that there have been some talks as well between the Americans and the Iranians being mediated by Oman. And this is something related to Iran's nuclear program. Now, the Houthis are obviously supported by Iran. And I think what Oman has said is that perhaps these negotiations between the Houthis and the Americans were part of a strategy to try to de escalate tensions across the region. So it could be that what happened here, this deal between the Houthis and the US could be part of these bigger talks and bigger conversations happening between the Americans and the Iranians, which have been mediated by Oman.

[Rachel Wright]

Looking ahead, President Trump will be in the Middle east next week. And mentioned that there will be a big announcement before that. Do you have any idea or inkling whether that might refer to something in the Middle East?

[Hugo Bouchega]

So what the president said came just hours after his special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Whitcock, said that there could be an announcement of more countries normalizing relations with Israel. So no details about which countries he could be talking about, but also the expectation or perhaps the hope that negotiations could try to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

[Rachel Wright]

Hugo Bouchega, well, when the US President made that announcement, he was speaking to reporters at the White House after receiving the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney for talks. There have been tensions between the neighbors. After Mr. Trump suggested Canada should become the 51st US state, Mr. Carney stressed his country was not for sale and never would be. Our North America editor Sarah Smith reports.

[Simon Jack]

A friendly greeting outside the White House with matching fist pumps from the two men for the cameras suggests they want to try to get along. But there's history here. Before the Canadian prime minister arrived, Donald Trump posted on social media saying America does not need Canadian cars, energy or anything else except their friendship, and claiming that the U.S. gives Canada free military protection. Then, sitting beside Mr. Carney in the Oval Office, President Trump was asked if he still wants to make Canada the 51st American state. It would be a massive tax cut.

[Rachel Wright]

For the Canadian citizens.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

You get free military, you get tremendous.

[Rachel Wright]

Medical cares and other things. I do feel it's much better for Canada. As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

It's not for sale, won't be for sale.

[Simon Jack]

It was Mark Carney's promise to stand up to Mr. Trump that helped him to win re election last week. Canadians want him to push back against the anti Canadian rhetoric as well as the tough tariffs that have been put on their exports to America. But as other world leaders have found, antagonizing Donald Trump can be very counterproductive.

[Rachel Wright]

Sarah Smith in Washington. Next to Germany, where after two attempts to secure a parliamentary majority, the leader of the Conservative CDU party, Friedrich Merz has now been elected chancellor of Germany. He lost the first vote, falling six votes short of the 316 majority he needed, the first time that's happened in post war German history. Our Berlin correspondent Jessica Parker reports.

[Simon Jack]

As MPs arrived to vote, it seemed as though the day would run like clockwork. But then the bombshell. Friedrich Mertz may cut a tall, confident figure, but he had fallen short. Some MPs within his own coalition had, it appeared, not voted for him to be Chancellor. An unprecedented failure. As chaos ensued, we tracked down Johann Vorderfull, Mertz's choice for Foreign Minister. Excuse me, sir. BBC News, can you tell us what on earth has happened? Why has Friedrich Mertz lost his mate?

[Unknown Host]

The simple reason is that not enough parliamentarians from the coalition voted for him. This is democracy in a free country, so of course it's an obstacle, but not a catastrophe.

[Simon Jack]

It's not exactly known why some MPs failed to initially back Friedrich Mertz in this secret ballot. There's speculation about disgruntlement with key leadership figures and over the distribution of government jobs. But MPs from both the coalition's centre left and centre right parties were quickly urged by colleagues to act responsibly on the second round. Mr. Mertz made it through. Nevertheless, his first day in office has been a PR disaster. The main opposition party, the far right Alternativa for Deutschland, said it revealed this government's fundamental weakness and Mr. Mertz's pledge to be a strong leader for Germany and Europe at a time of great insecurity has been seriously undermined.

[Rachel Wright]

Jessica Parker still to come, it is.

[Hugo Bouchega]

Related that on first coming to the parish, there was a piece of ground on Moss Robin Farm where on Sabbath afternoon the people used to play at football.

[Rachel Wright]

Was football played in Scotland 200 years before England?

[Zing Singh]

I'm Zing Singh.

[Simon Jack]

And I'm Simon Jack.

[Zing Singh]

And together we host Good Bad Billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

The podcast exploring the lives of some of the world's richest people.

[Zing Singh]

In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names.

[Simon Jack]

Yep, LeBron James and Martha Stewart to name just a few.

[Zing Singh]

And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire that's.

[Simon Jack]

Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World Service.

[Zing Singh]

Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

[Rachel Wright]

India and the UK have agreed a landmark trade deal after three years of on off negotiations. The deal will make it easier for UK firms to export whiskey, cars and other products to India and cut taxes on India's clothing and footwear exports. Here's the British Prime Minister, Zakir Starmer.

[Hugo Bouchega]

This is a historic day for the United Kingdom and for India because this is the biggest trade deal that we, the uk have done since we left the eu. And it's the most ambitious trade deal that India has ever done. And this will be measured in billions of pounds into our economy and jobs across the whole of the United States kingdom.

[Rachel Wright]

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi also described the agreement as an historic milestone with more here's our business correspondent in Mumbai, Archana Shukla.

[Archana Shukla]

From British chocolates, cosmetics to whiskies and cars, all of this would become cheaper for Indian consumers as India has cut tariffs significantly. Talk of whiskeys and gins where tariffs have been cut to half to 75%. Or on cars where tariffs have been cut from 100% to 10%. But under a quota, UK has cut taxes on footwear, textiles and food products where Indian companies will get bigger market access in the United Kingdom. Remember, Both India and UK do trade worth 42 billion pounds which would get an additional boost of 25 billion pounds by 2040 according to the deal. Where India has scored a big positive in this deal is on Social Security where it exempts companies to pay Social Security taxes in multiple countries. It will be a positive for Indian companies like in the IT sector that send employees on short term visas to the uk but the deal does not mention anything about contentious issues like immigration, student visas or on the controversial carbon tax that the United Kingdom eliminated levies on imports on a product such as steel. But even then, the trade deal becomes very significant. Remember, it is the first big trade deal between two major economies signed since US President Donald Trump's tariffs upended global trade. Both India and UK have been looking for newer markets to sell their products and secure trading partners also. This would lay down the groundwork for what India put offer to its other trading partners, especially the United States, with which it is also negotiating a trade deal.

[Rachel Wright]

Archana Shukla in Mumbai. Five months after the dramatic fall of President Assad, Syria is trying to emerge from the ruins of civil war and the decades long dictatorship. Hundreds of thousands of people are known to have died in prisons and torture centers. And the job of tracing these people and finding their remains will be a monumental task. Tim Franks reports from Damascus where he heard testimony from a man who for years drove truckloads of corpses to Assad's mass graves around Damascus.

[Unknown Host]

Just here where I am standing, it's pretty certain that there is a mass grave. We're the first international media to come to this site and we've come with one extraordinary witness.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

My name is Hussein Alawi Al Memphi. I also go by Abu Ali.

[Unknown Host]

What was your job?

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

I was a driver in the Assad army working for the medical services department.

[Unknown Host]

Okay, you were a driver, but what was your cargo?

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

My cargo was human being bodies of the deceased people they would be collecting from the Harasta military hospital. Once that trailer was filled, then I would hook it to the truck, then drive it to the mass grave. And it will be 16 meters long truck.

[Unknown Host]

Okay. A 16 meter trailer filled with bodies. That's hundreds.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

It would average about 200 bodies to the trailer, sometimes 150.

[Unknown Host]

Okay, and how often were you making.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

This journey in this specific location? We would do two trailer trucks per week.

[Unknown Host]

Okay, and who do you think these, these bodies were? Where, where did they come from? There was some.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

I guess there are civilians, mostly civilians. The only identifying things were on the bodies were numbers or sometimes stickers that's stuck on their chest or their foreheads. And the numbers were always referring to the intelligence branch where specifically the civilians were tortured to death.

[Unknown Host]

Right. So we're at the site of one big trench here. This is the third one we've seen and there are several others here just at this big trench. Have you any idea how many bodies this might have accommodated?

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

Yes, it's in thousands.

[Unknown Host]

Thousands of bodies here.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

Yes, there are thousands of bodies.

[Unknown Host]

How do you, how have you processed this?

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

Once I park my truck and pull the bodies in, you cannot say anything, good or bad. You have to be silent because of the other intelligence agencies. They were there. What I would do, I will walk away and look at the sky or look at Damascus. Because this mass grave oversee the city of Damascus. It was very disturbing. The hardest part to see was the bodies, how they were tortured. To see that, the torture on them, it was hard to process.

[Unknown Host]

It's one thing, and it is an enormous thing to exhume the human remains from these mass graves. It's another order of magnitude to work out who these people were when they died, how they died, who was responsible. The next step will be taken here in the Forensic Identification laboratory. It's pretty much brand new. It's in Damascus. And Dr. Anas Alhurani is one of the senior staff. So we're walking into a bare room which has got two medical tables and on each table there are just row after row of femurs.

[Rachel Wright]

Yes.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

What we've gathered from one of the mass graves. And it's a mixed mass grave.

[Unknown Host]

What do you mean by mixed mass grave?

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

The mixed mass grace, meaning that body was thrown one after another. That means all the bodies were on top of each other and it was extracted in a random way.

[Unknown Host]

Do you have the capacity to do DNA analysis?

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

There are a lot of difficulties with the DNA tests. One of them is the high costs to do one single DNA test. It cost two and a half million serum pounds.

[Unknown Host]

That's about 250 US dollars.

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

Yes, that's for one single test. And in the example of mixed mass graves to put all the parts of the body, you might do 20 to 25 DNA tests. And for sure, I think that there are a lot of difficulties getting the DNA test kits from outside due to the high costs and sanctions. We've got informed that some of these chemicals could be used in different things, in military use or other things, and that's why it was prohibited.

[Unknown Host]

So we've got the femurs of 32 bodies in this room. Some observers say there's maybe 130,000 Syrians who had disappeared by the last regime. At the rate that you are going, how long will it take to identify Syria as missing?

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

I can tell you that in random mass graves where all the bodies are together, it takes us sometimes months for a single case.

[Unknown Host]

It takes months to identify a single case?

[Hussein Alawi Al Memphi]

Yes. So it will take us a lot of years to close the subject of the missing ones.

[Rachel Wright]

Dr. Anas Al Hourani from the Syrian Forensic Identification center, ending that report from Tim Franks in Damascus. It's generally believed that the game of football in its modern form was invented in 19th century England. But one historian says he's discovered a football pitch from over 200 years before that in Scotland.

[Jed O'Brien]

Alfie Habersham reports running around large fields chasing after ball shaped objects. That's been happening around the world for centuries. But a nearly 200 meter long patch of grass with goals, flags and 20 men who aren't allowed to touch the bull with their hands, that's a great source of national pride here in England. We invented the biggest sport in the world and drew up its rules in 1863. But football historian Jed O'Brien thinks that's not quite right.

[Hugo Bouchega]

I have always thought football has been played in Scotland for hundreds of years. Not mob football, proper football. And of course it's always been very hard to prove it because working people never kept records.

[Jed O'Brien]

But now a piece of evidence to back up his theory. A letter from the Scottish Reverend Samuel Rutherford in the early 1600s. It expresses anger that weekly football matches on Sunday are getting in the way of the day of worship.

[Hugo Bouchega]

It is related that on first coming to the parish, there was a piece of ground on Moss Robin Farm where on Sabbath afternoon the people used to play at football. This is one of the most important sentences I have ever read in football history.

[Jed O'Brien]

The letter even goes on to order that large stones are put in the way to stop the matches. And that's what led Mr. O'Brien and his team to dig up evidence of what they say is now the world's oldest pitch. Here's one of the archaeologists about 20.

[Rachel Wright]

Centimeters deep in this test pit here. And what the stone is sitting on is a slightly clear, what we call an old ground surface. So this backs up the story that a barrier was put across an open space. It's not about stock control, it's not about agriculture, it's not about land boundaries and ownership. It's a temporary barrier to stop a particular event happening, in this case, football.

[Jed O'Brien]

Mr. O'Brien says it's time for history to be rewritten, but it's still not known how similar the exact rules of this game were to the one which came 200 years after. That may be the real test of whether Scotland deserves credit for what we consider to be the beautiful game.

[Rachel Wright]

Alfie Habersham, before we go, a reminder that ahead of the conclave that begins on Wednesday, my colleague Nick Miles has recorded a special edition of the Global News Podcast with our religion editor.

[Saeed Bard Al Bu Saidi]

For the entire period of the conclave, all of the cardinals will be staying essentially on the premises of the Vatican in this guest house. They will have access to no mobile phones or any other electronic items like that. They'll be able to read no newspapers. They'll have no communication with the outside world. They'll move from the guest house each day to the Sistine Chapel, a stunning chapel, of course, with some of the most famous frescoes in the world, painted by Michelangelo, of course. And that is the holiest of voting chambers, if you like, for the coming days. So there can be up to four votes a day. The first we'll hear of anything having been decided is when we see smoke from the chimney. It'll be black smoke when the voting papers are burnt if there's no decision. But if there is a two thirds majority on any single candidate, then we will see white smoke. And it's after that that the new Pope will walk out on the balcony of St. Peter's behind me.

[Rachel Wright]

For more on that, listen to Global News Podcasts. How will the next Pope be chosen? And that's all from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topic 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 global newspod. This edition was produced by Judy Frankel and mixed by Caroline Driscoll. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Rachel Wright. Until next time, Goodbye.

[Ambarasan Etharajan]

Foreign.

[Zing Singh]

Singh and I'm Simon, Jack. And together we host Good Bad Billionaire.

[Simon Jack]

The podcast exploring the lives of some of the world's richest people.

[Zing Singh]

In the new season, we're setting our sights on some big names.

[Simon Jack]

Yep, LeBron James and Martha Stewart, to name just a few.

[Zing Singh]

And as always, Simon and I are trying to decide whether we think they're good, bad or just another billionaire that's.

[Simon Jack]

Good Bad Billionaire from the BBC World World Service.

[Zing Singh]

Listen now, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.