Iran claims progress in US nuclear talks

Summary

Global News Podcast – Iran Claims Progress in US Nuclear Talks

Host: Charlotte Gallagher (BBC World Service)
Date: February 18, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode covers a range of major global news stories, with a primary focus on purported progress in the Iran-US nuclear negotiations held in Geneva. It provides updates and expert insight on perspectives from both sides, the broader geopolitical backdrop, and the risks of escalation. Additional coverage includes turmoil in Peruvian politics, military tensions in northern Ethiopia, a landmark corporate settlement for the weed killer Roundup, fears over asteroid impacts, developments in international sport regarding Russian and Belarusian athletes, and a major criminal case in Sweden.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Iran-US Nuclear Talks: Hopes, Tensions, and Red Lines

Segment: [01:05–06:52]

• Atmosphere of the Talks:
  • Charlotte Gallagher introduces the apparent easing of war fears after both sides in the Iran-US nuclear talks express some positivity, although the perception in Washington remains pessimistic.
  • The talks occurred against a backdrop of heightened military activity, especially on the US side, with more warships being moved into the region.
• US Perspective:
  • Quoting US Vice President J.D. Vance:

    “They agreed to meet afterwards. But in other ways it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through.”
    [02:21, J.D. Vance]

  • Vance emphasizes continued US engagement but holds out the possibility that diplomacy may reach a natural end if no agreement is made.
• Iranian Perspective:
  • Kazzrinaji from BBC Persian describes the Iranian foreign minister as sounding “positive” about the talks' atmosphere, but emphasizing that “bringing them together takes a lot of work” and a deal is not imminent.

    “The Iranian foreign minister said what is not on the table is surrender.”
    [03:18, Kazzrinaji]

  • Iran reiterates its willingness to negotiate but underlines it will not capitulate.
• Tehran’s Compromises and Warnings:
  • Chief International Correspondent Lise Doucet reports from Tehran:
    • Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister acknowledged the need for compromise, specifically to achieve sanctions relief.
    • While both sides “prefer a deal,” both are visibly preparing for possible conflict:

      “Both sides are saying they prefer a deal. They hope they can do it through diplomacy. But both sides as well are saying they’re preparing for war.”
      [05:35, Lise Doucet]

    • Iranian naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz and escalating rhetoric from President Trump reinforce the sense of brinkmanship.

Memorable Quote:

“It is a moment of great unpredictability and also of great peril.”
[06:41, Lise Doucet]

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2. The Ukraine Conflict: Stalemate and Sacrifice

Segment: [06:52–10:45]

• US-Russia-Ukraine Talks:
  • While nuclear negotiations ended, the US also participates in Ukraine-related talks in Geneva, with unresolved issues regarding Russian demands and recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy.
• Ukrainian Military Perspective:
  • Brigadier General Oleksandr Pivnenko of the National Guard of Ukraine (interviewed by Jeremy Bowen) defines victory as the cessation of suffering:

    “For me personally, it means stopping the killing of our soldiers and the civilian population of Ukraine. In military terms, it means taking back our territories.”
    [07:51, Pivnenko]

  • Pivnenko is resolute that Ukrainian forces and people will not simply surrender territory for a deal.

    “No one will give up territories. If there is an order to withdraw, then we will withdraw. But will the population of our country accept that? We have lost too many of our people and too much territory to simply stop and just give away land.”
    [08:27, Pivnenko]

  • Admits Russian advances in drone warfare and the high cost for both sides, noting:

    “The price Russia is paying for this war is very high... For them... after the war it will be much harder because they will have to explain to their people what this war was for and what the losses were.”
    [09:33, Pivnenko]

  • Rejects the idea that a ceasefire equates to territorial concession.

    “The main question for us is at what price a ceasefire. I think everyone would agree to that. But loss of territory, we will not give anything away. Every Ukrainian you ask will tell you the same. No one will give anything away just like that.”
    [10:11, Pivnenko]

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3. Political Chaos in Peru

Segment: [10:45–14:35]

• Removal of Peru’s Interim President:
  • Jose Harry ousted by Congress over corruption, continuing a pattern of political instability—seven presidents removed in recent years.
• Chifa-gate Scandal:
  • Details include allegations of corruption involving meetings in Chinese restaurants and improper appointments.
• Public Sentiment and Institutional Instability:
  • Explained by expert Luis Fajardo:
    • Legislative ease in president removal and repeated disappointment with political outsiders who promise reform but fail to deliver.

    • “People have really lost trust in a lot of Peruvian political institutions.”
      [13:25, Luis Fajardo]

  • New interim president to be selected pending elections in April.

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4. Renewed Fears of War in Northern Ethiopia

Segment: [14:35–17:53]

• Potential for Regional Conflict:
  • Renewed hostilities feared between Ethiopia and Eritrea, with Tigray region as a focal point.
• Sources of Tension:
  • Goetl Trombol (Oslo New University College) highlights breakdown of relations since the 2022 peace agreement:
    • Eritrea accused by Ethiopia of supporting insurgencies and encroaching on territory, portrayed as an “enemy hostile state.”

    • “We have seen over the last year and a half that Ethiopia has been ticking off all the boxes to portray Eritrea as an enemy hostile state due to their destabilizing activity and also encroachment on Ethiopian territory.”
      [16:06, Trombol]

  • Tigrayan displacement (approx. 1 million people) and unresolved territorial control persist since the 2022 Pretoria agreement.

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5. Bayer’s $10 Billion Roundup Settlement

Segment: [20:19–21:13]

• Corporate Settlement:
  • Bayer offers to pay over $10bn to resolve lawsuits linked to Roundup weedkiller and cancer.
• Scope:
  • Payout available to those diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma tied to Roundup prior to February 17, 2026.
• Context:
  • Despite lawsuits, regulators continue to deem glyphosate (the active ingredient) as safe.

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6. Asteroid Threats and Planetary Defense

Segment: [21:13–23:41]

• NASA’s Warning:
  • No current protection against city-destroying asteroids; tens of thousands remain undiscovered.
• Detection Efforts:

  • Dr. Hannah Wakeford highlights upcoming surveys, like the Vera Rubin Observatory, and past missions like DART for deflection experiments.

    “What we always want for this is just pre warning.”
    [23:41, Wakeford]

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7. Russian and Belarusian Athletes Readmitted to the Paralympics

Segment: [23:41–26:07]

• Policy Shift:
  • International Paralympic Committee allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their flags at the next Winter Paralympics, overturning a four-year ban.
• Reaction and Implications:

  • 6 Russian and 4 Belarusian athletes invited; expected to draw scrutiny and possible backlash.

    “It does feel as if we are moving towards Russia and Belarus perhaps being reinstated.”
    [24:54, Katie Forkingham]

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8. Shocking Sex Trafficking Case in Sweden

Segment: [26:07–27:59]

• Details of the Case:
  • Man in his 60s accused of selling his wife for sex to over 100 men; wife says exploitation lasted more than three years.
• Legal and Social Response:
  • Prosecutor Ida Annestet:

    “He has exploited this woman financially and it should be considered an aggravated crime on the basis of the large scale of it, the big financial gains he’s made, and because he’s used this woman in a particularly careless way.”
    [26:57, Annestet]

  • Equality Minister Nina Larsson:

    “These are shocking and horrific accounts. It’s a form of slavery. Men should not be buying women’s bodies.”
    [27:46, Larsson]

• Legal Context:
  • Swedish law criminalizes the buyer and facilitator, not the seller (victim). The accused husband faces up to 10 years if convicted.

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9. Tribute to Songwriter Billy Steinberg

Segment: [28:36–30:10]

• Renowned lyricist behind hits like “Like a Virgin”, “True Colors”, “So Emotional”, and others has died at 75.
• Remembered as a “visionary lyricist who transformed deeply personal reflections into anthems in which millions found themselves.”
  [30:05, Family statement]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Iran’s Position:

  “The Iranian foreign minister said what is not on the table is surrender.”
  [03:48, Kazzrinaji]

• On Ukraine’s Resolve:

  “No one will give anything away just like that.”
  [10:11, Pivnenko]

• On Swedish Trafficking Case:

  “It’s a form of slavery. Men should not be buying women’s bodies.”
  [27:46, Nina Larsson]

• On the Precariousness of Iran Talks:

  “It is a moment of great unpredictability and also of great peril.”
  [06:41, Lise Doucet]

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Timeline / Timestamps for Major Segments

• Iran-US Nuclear Talks: 01:05–06:52
• Ukraine Conflict Interview: 06:52–10:45
• Peru Political Crisis: 10:45–14:35
• Ethiopia-Eritrea Tensions: 14:35–17:53
• Bayer Roundup Settlement: 20:19–21:13
• Asteroid Defense: 21:13–23:41
• Russian/Belarusian Athletes: 23:41–26:07
• Swedish Sex Trafficking Case: 26:07–27:59
• Billy Steinberg Tribute: 28:36–30:10

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Conclusion

This densely packed episode delivers up-to-the-minute insights on high-stakes diplomacy, military and political crises, corporate settlements, scientific anxieties, evolving international sports policies, and a scandalous criminal case, rounded off with a tribute to a musical legend. The tone remains measured and incisive, reflecting the BBC’s commitment to detailed, balanced journalism.

Transcript

[Jeremy Bowen]

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[Charlotte Gallagher]

This is the global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Charlotte Gallagher and in the early hours of Wednesday 18th February, these are our main stories, the ongoing Iran US nuclear talks we hear from Geneva and our correspondent in Tehran. Congress in Peru votes to remove its interim president on corruption charges and why the prospects of war in northern Ethiopia are growing. Also in this podcast, the German drugs giant Bayer offers to pay more than $10 billion to settle claims that its weed killer roundup caused cancer. And are Russian athletes about to be allowed back into the Olympics? Fears of a military conflict between Iran and the US Appear to have eased after the Iranian foreign minister said the two sides had made progress in Geneva at the latest talks on some guiding principles that could pave the way for a nuclear deal. But the view from Washington is less optimistic, with the US Vice President J.D. vance giving a more downbeat assessment on Fox News.

[Jeremy Bowen]

In some ways it went well. They agreed to meet afterwards. But in other ways it was very clear that the president has set some red lines that the Iranians are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through. So we're going to keep on working it. But of course the president reserves the ability to say when he thinks that diplomacy has reached its natural end. We hope we don't get to that point, but if we do, that'll be the president's call.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Donald Trump has changed his position on Iran repeatedly in recent days and weeks, at times calling for regime change, then saying he believes a deal is possible during the recent anti government protests, for example, he initially pledged to help protesters, saying the US Was locked and loaded. But then thousands of them were killed by their own government and the threat of an imminent US Military strike receded despite a rapid and significant buildup of American warships in the region. Kazrinaji from BBC Persian is in Geneva. He gave us this assessment.

[Jeremy Bowen]

The talks have now ended and the Iranian side has commented on it. We have the Iranian foreign minister sounding positive, saying that the whole atmosphere was more positive this time and that the two sides are negotiating and the direction is a good direction. But he also adds that the differences are such that bringing them together takes a lot of work. So it seems that at least the Iranian side thinks that there's going to be another round of talks between Iran and the U.S. although the Iranian foreign minister says they haven't fixed when the next round of talks is going to be held or where. Indeed. But nevertheless, it seems that we are one step away from eventual war, if you might sort of call it, because the Americans are bringing in more military hardware. Another huge aircraft carrier is on its way here. So these talks were held under that massive sort of threat of military intervention. The Iranian side is aware of that, is very keen to say that they're going to talk about Iran's nuclear issue. But the Iranian foreign minister said what is not on the table is surrender.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Our chief international correspondent, Lys Doucet is in Tehran.

[Lise Doucet]

I have to say that here in Tehran, we had spoken to one of the top negotiators, the deputy Foreign Minister, Majid Thak Ravanchi, just before they left for Geneva. And he was really indicating that the Iranians understood now that they had to make compromises if they wanted to see sanctions lifted. And so we believe that they did make some compromise proposals and that may be helping to move the talks along. Both sides are saying they prefer a deal. They hope they can do it through diplomacy. But both sides as well are saying they're preparing for war. Yesterday, Iran announced that its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were carrying out naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz. That's an absolutely critical waterway for the world's maritime traffic. So both of them are saying don't. For President Trump. He's saying, if you don't do a deal, I'm going to hit you again. And remember, Iran did see that 12 day war last year with Israel, which drew in the United States attacking its nuclear sites. And Iran is saying, well, if you hit us, we're going to hit you back with even Greater force. You really feel that this is the twilight zone where you have an 86 year old Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who, his health is ailing. He's always been a very cautious leader and now he has presided over. There was a war last year. There's been this new wave of protests. Huge challenges facing the Islamic Republic. In fact, the biggest challenges that they have faced to their rule since their own uprising in 1979 which ousted the Shah. Is there going to be a deal? There's some signs in which there could possibly be a new deal. Will that be enough? Will it just be a pause? Or will there be another deadly war? It is a moment of great unpredictability and also of great peril.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Lise Doucet in Tehran, where she's been allowed to report by the authorities on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian service. Straight after those talks in Geneva, the US took part in another set of negotiations in the Swiss city, this time on Ukraine. Just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia's full scale invasion, a major sticking point is Moscow's demand for Ukrainian forces to withdraw entirely from the eastern Donbas region. A red line for Kyiv. And hours before the talks got underway, there was another wave of Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities. Those talks will resume on Wednesday, but expectations are low. To get a Ukrainian perspective on the push for peace, our international editor, Jeremy Bowen spoke to Brigadier General Oleksandr Pivnenko, Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine. He began by asking him what victory for Ukraine would look like.

[Oleksandr Pivnenko]

For me personally, it means stopping the killing of our soldiers and the civilian population of Ukraine. In military terms, it means taking back our territories. I understand that perhaps this is not realistic today, but potentially in the future it is very important. I believe that at the moment the priority is a ceasefire and survival.

[Jeremy Bowen]

The Americans seem to have an idea that it will require you to agree to the Russian demand to give up territory that you still hold in the east, which are considered to be important to Ukrainian defense.

[Oleksandr Pivnenko]

I actually believe that this is impossible at the moment. A ceasefire along the line of contact is something we can still understand, but no one will give up territories. If there is an order to withdraw, then we will withdraw. But will the population of our country accept that? Because we could have negotiated and simply given up, for example, Luhansk and Donbass and ended the war there was. We have lost too many of our people and too much territory to simply stop and just give away land.

[Jeremy Bowen]

Now the Russians made a lot of mistakes early on in the war, but what I've read is that they've made a lot of advances with drones and some analysts say that they're ahead of Ukraine in that. Is that correct?

[Oleksandr Pivnenko]

Yes, that is true. At the beginning, they did not pay attention at all, but now they act very intelligently. They know what they are doing and they know how to use the resources they have. I believe the enemy is very strong and learns very quickly.

[Jeremy Bowen]

I've listened to Donald Trump a lot since he became president again. He believes that you have to make a deal because otherwise you are going to lose.

[Oleksandr Pivnenko]

We are losing territories, but, you know, we are a very difficult opponent in this war. The price Russia is paying for this war is very high. We may be losing territories, but. But we are striking their economy, their manpower and their equipment for them. The wartime period may not feel as hard, but after the war it will be much harder because they will have to explain to their people what this war was for and what the losses were.

[Jeremy Bowen]

But do you think that Donald Trump is correct when he says, unless you do a ceasefire deal very soon, that there's a risk you'll lose the war?

[Oleksandr Pivnenko]

Not entirely. We can fight for several more years, but I believe that in general, killing people for territories and resources, this is not the Middle Ages. This war must end. Everyone feels this fatigue, but everyone wants the war to end. The main question for us is at what price a ceasefire. I think everyone would agree to that. But loss of territory, we will not give anything away. Every Ukrainian you ask will tell you the same. No one will give anything away just like that.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

That was Brigadier General Oleksandr Pivonenko speaking to Jeremy Bowen. Peru has been plunged into a fresh wave of political chaos after Congress voted to remove its interim president, Jose Harry, on corruption charges. It was an overwhelming vote against him just months after he was chosen to lead the country. After the previous president was ousted over allegations of corruption and links, organised crime, some took to the streets to protest about Harry's scandals, including allegations about the women he's appointed. He was incapable. Women entered all the time and left with high salaries. Who does this money belong to? The people, he said. These women went to the palace for work. What work? What work have they done? I've been Speaking to the BBC's Latin America expert Luis Fajardo.

[Luis Fajardo]

Peru has been experiencing a very substantial amount of political instability. The last issue involving the interim president, Jose Harry, following a series of scandals. The latest, which was called by the Peruvian media chifa gate, referring to the name given to Chinese restaurants, like the one where Harry was seen apparently meeting with a Chinese businessman. There were allegations of corruption and as a result, a series of political events took place that finally led this Tuesday to the removal of Heri by the Peruvian legislature. This is only two months before the presidential election which is due on April.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

And what has Jose Harry said?

[Luis Fajardo]

Jose Harry repeatedly had insisted in his innocence, as has been the case of nearly seven previous leaders in Peru who had been removed from office. All of them have said that they had done nothing wrong. However, they have been facing again this extreme amount of political instability. It is said that it is because of institutional design in Peru, the fact that it is relatively easy for the Peruvian legislature to remove presidents from office, and also a great deal of very negative public attitude towards politicians. There's a lot of a belief that the political class in Peru is unresponsive to citizens needs after this repeated scandal. And this has created this situation where Peru has experienced again multiple presidents over a short period of time of a few years.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

What, Luis, are the people of Peru looking for in a leader? What do they want them to change about Peru or improve about Peru?

[Luis Fajardo]

Peru is in an unusual situation in Latin America in the sense that its economy is doing relatively well. Actually, Peru is one of the leading exporters, receiving a lot of investment both from the US and from China and from other places. So the economic problems that are at the center of the discussion many times in other parts of Latin America are not so intense in Peru. What people definitely are arguing against is against this sense of corruption in the public's fear of impropriety from the leaders in Peru. And time and time again they have elected outsiders who have promised to clean up Peruvian politics. And time and time again they have been disappointed. And this is, according to many experts, part of the explanation for this political instability. The fact that people have really lost trust in a lot of Peruvian political institutions.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

So what happens now? Who's going to be in charge?

[Luis Fajardo]

The Peruvian legislature is due to meet on Wednesday to select a new interim president who would be in charge of the office until the elections in April. This is not unprecedented in Peru, again contributing to the sense of political instability across the country.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Luis Fajardo to Ethiopia now, where there are growing fears that a major regional conflict could be about to break out. The last time that happened was in late 2020, resulting in an absolutely ruinous two year war in which hundreds of thousands may have died. There was also mass sexual violence and systematic starvation. Once again, rival forces are gathering from both the federal government and the Tigray region. So what's caused this escalation? Goetl Trombol is a professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at Oslo New University College and a specialist on the region.

[Goetl Trombol]

The main antagonist might be Eritrea and Ethiopia. Their relationship has been deteriorating since actually the peace agreement with the former war in Tigray in 2022, when they were allies in that war, they had now turned against each other. So that's the main confrontation. But Tigray forces, as you mentioned, they have aligned themselves apparently with Eritrea. So it is also a conflict brewing between Addis Ababelbad, the federal government and the regional authorities in Tigray.

[Jeremy Bowen]

And what's the reason for the breakdown in relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, who themselves fought an absolutely awful war getting on for 30 years years ago. Then there was a peace agreement just before the turn of the millennium. What's prompted this breakdown in relations?

[Goetl Trombol]

Well, according to Ethiopian authorities, they are accusing Eritrea of being on their soil as an enemy force. Eritrean soldiers are in Ethiopia, they claim, in northern Ethiopia. They are accusing Eritrea of abiding and abetting Ethiopian insurgencies, particularly the WHNO Amhara insurgency, but also the orumu. We have seen over the last year and a half that Ethiopia has been ticking off all the boxes to portray Eritrea as an enemy hostile state due to their destabilizing activity and also encroachment on Ethiopian territory. And this is done in a way, both in formal letters to the UN Secretary General, but also direct responses to the Asmara government in order possibly to justify the right of of self defence against Eritrea.

[Jeremy Bowen]

You're saying, look, the main source of tension we should be looking at an international conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. But the chances are is that it could play out in the north, which obviously would make sense geographically because they share a northern border.

[Goetl Trombol]

Well, the Pretoria Secession of Hostilities Agreement which was signed in November 2022, ending the war on Tigray, has not been fully implement. There are key issues of return of internally displaced people. There are about 1 million Tigrayans not being displaced from their homes. And also return of control of territories West Tigray and parts of southern Tigray are not under the administrative control of the Tigray authorities.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Kjetul Tromvol, a professor at New University College in Oslo, talking to Tim Franks. Still to come in this podcast, prosecutors in Sweden say they suspect a man may have exploited and sold his wife for sex with more than 100 other men.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

These are shocking and horrific accounts. It's a form of slavery. Men should not be buying women's bodies.

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[Charlotte Gallagher]

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The German drugs giant Bayer is offering to pay more than $10 billion to settle claims over the weed killer Roundup, which has been linked with cancer. Most of the settlement money would go to resolving current and future legal claims. Samira Hussain reports Bayer has been dogged.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

By the Roundup cancer claims after the German pharmaceutical firm bought Monsanto, the company that made the weed killer, a decade earlier. Over the years, the company has had to pay billions of dollars in lawsuits despite glyphosate, the main ingredient in the weed killer, being deemed safe by regulators around the world. According to the proposal, anyone who can prove they were diagnosed with non hodgkin's lymphoma and were exposed to roundup before February 17th of this year can file a claim and receive a portion of the settlement.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

That was Samira Hussain. NASA is warning there is no known protection against thousands of asteroids which space chiefs say they can't track down. The space debris of various sizes is shooting around close to our planet and they say it could cause damage if one were to hit a populated area on Earth. Dr. Hannah Wakeford is associate professor in Astrophysics at the University of Bristol in England. We asked her what scientists are doing to mitig the danger.

[Dr. Hannah Wakeford]

We are looking for these, what have been dubbed these city killers because they're asteroids. In this middle size region. If you have something much, much bigger, it's a kind of cataclysmic event like what happened before the annihilation of the dinosaurs. And if you have something small, we see it break up in our atmosphere and we get small meteorites hitting the Earth many times a year and it does very little. There's this middle ground where something bad could happen that won't be a planet killer, but could much cause significant damage. And those are the middle ground ones that are the hardest for us to find.

[Jeremy Bowen]

Why haven't we done anything about it?

[Dr. Hannah Wakeford]

We have been doing stuff about it for many, many decades now. So there are a number of different telescope missions as well as scientific investigations that are being done continuously to hunt for these. It's just a really hard thing to do. So there's still, we think, tens of thousands left that we need to discover and categorize and understand. So in the coming years we've got a number of different surveys going online like the Vera Rubin Observatory which is in Chile, which will be surveying the sky every single night for 10 years. And we'll be able to find hundreds, thousands of these rocks. And we've got other telescopes like jwst, which is the biggest telescope we've ever sent into space, that is going to be surveying our nearby asteroid field and trying to understand and characterize these medium sized objects. We had this really amazing experiment which was launched in 2021 and actually impacted an asteroid, a nearby asteroid. It was a mission called dart and the idea was that if we fly a spacecraft at high velocity into an asteroid, can we change its trajectory? Can we change where it's going to end up hitting? And this was a really successful mission, but it took four years for us to build Dart and it took 10 months for it to get out to the asteroid to impact it and change its position in the sky. So it takes a little of time. So what we always want for this is just pre warning.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

That was Dr. Hannah Wakeford. A major change in international sport. And as so often with these things, it's not so much the sport, but the politics. Because the International Paralympic Committee has voted to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under their national flags at next month's Winter Games, it would overturn the ban imposed four years ago after Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine. Katie Forkingham is a BBC sports reporter at the Winter Olympics.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

We've been told that six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will be able to compete under their flags at the Winter Paralympics, which start next month. It's the first time that we'll have seen a Russian flag at the Paralympics since the Sochi 2014 Games. So well over a decade. How this has come about is basically the International Paralympic Committee lifted its ban on athletes from the two countries competing at the Games at the end of last year. The governing bodies that govern the specific sport said, we're refusing to do that. In December, Russia and Belarus appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the decision made by the governing body for skiing and snowboarding. And they won that appeal, which meant that skiers and snowboarders from those two countries could start to compete and accumulate the ranking points that they would need for the Paralympic Games. The two countries have been awarded what are called bipartite invitations to compete at the Games. The one that's relevant in this case is that it allows athletes who haven't had the chance to qualify because of extraordinary circumstances. And it's important to know that these are given to the specific athletes, they're not given to the federations. The IPC has invited these athletes to compete. It's obviously been a massive story here at the Olympics where Russian athletes are competing as neutral athletes. They're not competing under the flag, they can't wear the colours. It does feel as if we are moving towards Russia and Belarus perhaps being reinstated. That could come as soon as the LA Games in two years time. This Summer Games. The IPC have obviously moved first, so it'd be interesting to see whether that now piles pressure on the IIC going forward or whether the IPC will receive quite a lot of backlash for this. This will draw the eyes onto the Paralympic Games. You know, we're two weeks out now until it starts and I think everyone will be certainly looking towards to see what the reaction is from athletes that will be competing against these Russian and Belarusian athletes. If there are any medals won for Those countries, certainly the names that are doing the rounds of who the athletes could be, they have Paralympic champions among them, world champions among them. So the chances of seeing these athletes on the podium seems really quite high.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Katie Forkingham at the Winter Olympics To Sweden now, which is being rocked by a gruesome criminal case. A man in his 60s is suspected of exploiting his wife to sell sex with her to more than 100 other men. Stephanie Zakrissen reports.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

In October of last year, a woman in northern Sweden contacted the police, accusing her husband of selling her to other men for sex. The man was arrested and investigators have been trawling through phones, looking at text messages, emails, bank transfers and videos. First, police said a handful of men were alleged to have been involved. Then it was 30, then 70. Now they say it could be as many as 120 individuals from across Sweden. Here's prosecutor Ida Annestet.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

What I'm saying is that he has exploited this woman financially and it should be considered an aggravated crime on the basis of the large scale of it, the big financial gains he's made, and because he's used this woman in a particularly careless way.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

Parts of the police investigation have now been made public, revealing details from some of the interviews with a woman. She says the alleged facilitation has been going on for over three years. And while prosecutors don't want to comment on whether she was drugged or otherwise indisposed, she says she has trouble remembering some of the days when this was all happening. The revelations have caused uproar in Sweden, with police and criminologists labelling it a unique case. This is equalities Minister Nina Larsson.

These are shocking and horrific accounts. It's a form of slavery. Men should not be buying women's bodies. It doesn't belong in society and it doesn't reflect the human values we want to have in Sweden.

Sweden's law on prostitution bans the buying of sex and the trafficking or facilitating of others for sex, but not the person selling, in this case, the wife of the suspect. The husband could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. He denies any wrongdoing. The trial is expected to begin before Easter. Several of the suspected sex buyers are also facing charges, but trials against them have been postponed as the investigation has grown. Prosecutors say they will not be able to charge every sex buyer in the case, since it would take years to bring them all to justice.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Stephanie Zakrisson. Finally, the Grammy winning American songwriter Billy Steinberg has died at the age of 75. He was a key figure behind a string of chart topping hits including Madonna's Like a Virgin. Lisa Costello looks back at his career.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

Like a Virgin.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Touch alongside Tom Kelly.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

He wrote other classic 80s and 90s songs including Whitney Houston's so Emotional, the Bangle's Eternal Flame and Cyndi Lauper's True Colors.

[Grainger Advertiser]

Shining through I see your true colors, that's why I love you.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

He helped write five U.S. no. 1 singles and won a Grammy for his work on the title track of.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Celine Dion's 1996 album Falling into youo.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

He went on to co write songs.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

In the early 2000s such as JoJo's Too Little Too Late and Demi Lovato's.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

Give youe Heart a Break.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

In 2011, when he was inducted into the Songwriters hall of Fame, Billy Steinberg.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

Was described as one of the most.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Successful songwriters whose songs turned into enduring classics. Paying tribute, his family said he was a visionary lyricist who transformed deeply personal.

[Stephanie Zakrisson]

Reflections into anthems in which millions found themselves.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

So many good songs. That was Lisa Costello and that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at [e-mail] you can also find us on XBC World Service. And don't forget our sister podcast, the Global Story. This edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Mark Pickett. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Charlotte Gallagher. Until next time. Goodbye. Support is available 247 with Verbo Care. We're here day or night, ready whenever you need help because a great trip starts with the right support.