Jamaicans hunker down for Hurricane Melissa

Summary

Global News Podcast – October 28, 2025

Jamaicans Hunker Down for Hurricane Melissa

Overview

This episode from the BBC World Service’s Global News Podcast centers on breaking global events, with its lead story on Jamaica bracing for catastrophic impact from Hurricane Melissa—the year’s strongest storm. The podcast also covers geopolitical developments in Japan, Russia’s latest nuclear missile test, animal welfare in horse racing, scientific insights into the dawn chorus in birds, cyberbullying allegations against France’s first lady, the global “K-beauty” phenomena, and a light look at Justin Trudeau’s post-premiership celebrity pairing.

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Key Segments and Discussion Points

1. Hurricane Melissa Slams Jamaica

Timestamps: 01:08–05:37

• Current Situation: Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a category 5 storm with winds near 300 km/h, bearing down on Jamaica.
• Preparedness: Over 2,000 people are in shelters; 800 shelters open, 133 active. Evacuation orders have been issued, especially for coastal and flood-prone communities, but compliance is mixed.
  • “Persons have been battening up their homes... putting up shutters, purchasing plyboard... a lot of sandbags... stocking up on bottled water and tin food.”
    — RJR Gleaner Correspondent (03:24)
• Forecast & Concerns: Catastrophic flash flooding and landslides feared, with up to 40 inches of rain anticipated due to the storm’s slow movement.
• Potential Impact: Besides humanitarian disaster, economic consequences are expected.
  • “Melissa could prompt an economic as well as a humanitarian disaster for Jamaica.”
    — David Willis (05:20)

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2. Japan–U.S. Relations and Historic Prime Minister

Timestamps: 05:37–09:36

• Political Development: Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, hosts President Trump, both leaders voicing mutual optimism.
  • “It’s a great honor to be with you, especially so early in what will be, I think, one of the great prime ministers... That’s a big deal.”
    — President Trump (06:31)
• Trade Tensions:
  • Japan seeks to avoid increased US tariffs, focusing on the vital car and agricultural industries.
• Security & Resources:
  • Both countries aligned on defense enhancement and rare earths cooperation, key to reducing US dependence on China.
  • “Donald Trump is pushing into an open door with Sanai Takaichi because she is known to be a hawk on defense.”
    — Shaima Khalil (08:32)

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3. Horse Racing Under Scrutiny for Animal Welfare

Timestamps: 09:36–13:02

• Findings: Australian report finds record 174 horse deaths on racing tracks in one year, raising alarms about cruelty and industry practices.
  • “Horses are dying on the racetrack because they are being pushed way too far, they are being pushed way too fast, and they started way too young.”
    — Helly Erhardson, Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (10:12)
• Underlying Issues:
  • Overbreeding, profit-driven systems, and lack of transparency on fate of retired horses.
• Positive Change:
  • Introduction of CT scans reduced Melbourne Cup deaths—a model for broader reform.
  • “Why won’t they introduce CT scans of all horses all year round, no matter which racetrack? They would certainly do that if they put welfare over profit.”
    — Helly Erhardson (12:50)

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4. Science Explains the Dawn Chorus

Timestamps: 13:02–15:13

• New Research: South Korean study identifies how birds’ motivation to sing at dawn increases with delayed sunrise, as tested in zebra finches.
  • “The longer the birds had to wait, the more intense the sound of their dawn chorus... their desire to sing increases.”
    — Isabella Jewell (14:45)
• Cultural Reflection: The dawn chorus has inspired art and poetry for centuries, reinforcing our wonder at nature.
  • Quoting Shelley:
    “Teach us sprite or bird, what sweet, what thoughts are thine? I have never heard praise of love... Or wine that panted forth a flood of rapture so divine.”
    — Percy Bysshe Shelley (13:35)

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5. Russia Tests New Nuclear Missile

Timestamps: 17:52–20:27

• News: Russia announces successful test of a nuclear-powered cruise missile, “Storm Petrol” (Skyfall by NATO), evading arms control treaties.
• Expert Insight:
  • “This new system doesn’t have a gas or electric motor. It has a nuclear reactor for propulsion... We are entering very dangerous territory... this new Cold War nuclear arms race dynamic that nobody wants and nobody really understands where it’s going to end.”
    — John Wolfstahl, former National Security Council director (18:51, 20:06)

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6. Brigitte Macron Cyberbullying Trial

Timestamps: 20:27–24:17

• Context: Ten people face trial in France for cyberbullying the First Lady with baseless rumors.
• Significance:
  • Large public and media interest; defendants largely unrepentant.
  • Brigitte Macron frames her legal stand as a battle against online harassment, risking further publicity to challenge bullying.
  • “She said... it was becoming not only very embarrassing and distressing, but also a distraction from Emmanuel Macron’s role and position.”
    — Catherine Norris Trent (22:08)
• Cultural Shift:
  • French society’s shifting attitudes toward private lives and salacious rumors, with transgender themes adding fuel to the story.

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7. The K-Beauty Boom and Authenticity Debate

Timestamps: 24:17–28:10

• Trends: Korean beauty (“K-beauty”) products are soaring worldwide—with exports up six-fold since 2011.
• Authenticity Debate:
  • Some global brands use Korean ingredients but manufacture elsewhere, raising questions of legitimacy.
  • “The first thing that I am thinking now is that the products should mostly be manufactured by a Korean manufacturer... made with Korean expertise.”
    — Seungu Kim, co-founder, Hwarangpum (26:14)
  • “It’s literally Korean Beauty. A company that’s registered in Korea and officially tested and approved by Korea Food and Drug Admin…”
    — Chang Nam Jang, K Beauty Industry Association (27:14)
  • Ultimately, Korean consumers and regulatory standards seen as the decisive factor in defining true K-beauty.

---

8. Justin Trudeau & Katy Perry: Canada’s New Celebrity Couple?

Timestamps: 28:10–32:08

• Headline: Former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is seen in Paris holding hands with American pop star Katy Perry.
• Canadian Reactions:
  • Some view it as harmless, light news; others see political irony.
  • Historical context: Trudeau’s father’s high-profile romance with Barbra Streisand.
  • “Right now, relations between Canada and the US... are a little bit frozen. Nobody wants to go to America, nobody wants to cross the border... but the relationship between our former Prime Minister and an American superstar is with us.”
    — Gronja Maguire (29:02)
• Modern Politics & Celebrity:
  • The blurring of political and celebrity spheres, with “celebrity politicians” engaging in public life post-office like the Obamas, Clooneys, and Prince Harry/Meghan.
  • “So I think we’ve just got a new couple. A new star couple has been born.”
    — Isabella Jewell (31:06)
• Personal Notes:
  • Trudeau’s “divorce dad vibes” and struggle for personal identity after high-profile leadership.
  • “There are people... who look at that and think, well, okay, and good luck to you, Justin, as you figure out what life looks for you.”
    — Stephanie Levitz (31:36)

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Notable Quotes

• John Wolfstahl (Nuclear arms):
  “We are very rapidly entering this new Cold War nuclear arms race dynamic that nobody wants and nobody really understands where it’s going to end.” (01:41 / 20:06)
• Helly Erhardson (Horse racing):
  “The racing industry has become even more relentless in their pursuit of profit at the expense of the horses.” (10:58)
• Shaima Khalil (Japan–US):
  “There’s a lot of goodwill between those two leaders... but putting the pleasantries aside... there is a lot of difficult conversations to be had.” (06:52)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:08: Introduction to headline stories—Hurricane Melissa, Japan’s new PM, Russian missile
• 02:50: Hurricane Melissa—Jamaican response, shelters, government actions
• 04:10: Forecast and impact concerns for Jamaica
• 05:37: Japan–US diplomatic summit
• 10:12: Horse racing fatalities and industry criticism
• 13:24: Science explains the dawn chorus
• 17:52: President Trump and nuclear missile test reactions
• 20:27: Brigitte Macron cyberbullying trial
• 24:44: The K-beauty authenticity debate
• 28:10: Trudeau–Perry celebrity relationship analysis

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Conclusion

This episode delivers a comprehensive snapshot of urgent global developments, from looming natural disasters and international security threats to evolving culture, science, and celebrity. The reporting maintains the BBC’s signature clarity and insight, blending hard news with human stories and expert analysis—offering both context and compelling perspectives on the world’s current events.

Transcript

[Nick Miles]

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This is.

[Nick Miles]

The Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Nick Miles and in the early hours of Tuesday 28th October, these are our main stories. Hurricane Melissa has intensified into the strongest possible storm category with winds of nearly 300 kilometers an hour. President Trump has held talks with Japan's new Prime Minister promising a stronger relationship than ever before. Also in this podcast, concern after Russia says it's tested a new nuclear powered missile.

[John Wolfstahl]

We are entering very dangerous territory. We are very rapidly entering this new Cold War nuclear arms race dynamic that nobody wants and nobody really understands where it's going to end.

[Nick Miles]

And we find out the real reason for the dawn course Viewed from space, Jamaica and much of the southern part of the Caribbean is covered in a vast swirling mass of cloud. At ground level, Hurricane Melissa is causing havoc and destruction with winds of up to 300km an hour. At the time of recording this podcast, the hurricane is bearing down on Jamaica and due to make landfall in imminently. Meteorologists are warning that torrential rain will batter the island as well, and because the storm is moving very slowly, it's likely to cause widespread damage, severe floods and landslides. It is now confirmed as the world's strongest storm of the year. Milton Walker is head of broadcast news at RJR Gleaner Communications in Jamaica.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

We have 2002 persons in shelters. There are 800 shelters that are open, 133 are active so far and the persons are in shelters in four parishes. All hospitals remain open, but the government is concerned about three or four of them which are on the coastline and Milton.

[Nick Miles]

People on the island are used to storms and hurricanes, but perhaps not of this strength. What would you say the mood is amongst the people that you're speaking to and what are they doing to try to protect their own properties?

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Well, you know, persons over the last four or five days have been battening up their homes, putting up shutters, purchasing plyboard to board up their windows and also a lot of sandbags we've seen being mounted to protect their homes from flooding and stocking up on bottled water and tin, food and other non perishable food items. The government has also been issuing evacuation orders for about six or so communities. The people though have not been very willing to obey those instructions. The Prime Minister issued compulsory evacuation orders and the police and the army went into some of those communities.

[Nick Miles]

So what are the prospects for the coming hours? Our correspondent David Willis is monitoring developments from Los Angeles.

[David Willis]

The National Hurricane Centre here in the US is predicting catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides once Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica. A tropical storm force winds are expected to spread across the island starting actually in the next few hours. With hurricane force conditions reaching the southern coast of Jamaica early on Tuesday morning and dumping up to 40 inches, it's thought of rain in some places moving across the island during the day. More than 880 shelters have been set up across Jamaica. Evacuation orders have been issued for people living along the coast and those in flood prone areas are being urged to move to higher ground. And the flood prone warnings are significant because the capital Kingston is surrounded by mountains, the Blue Mountains as they're known, which rise to over 7,000ft above sea level. And it's feared that water pouring down the slopes could easily inundate low lying coastal areas leading to the flooding and the landslides that everybody is fearing. Yet despite a lot of precautions in place, trimming of trees, blocking windows, stockpiling food and so on, there are fears that Melissa could prompt an economic as well as a humanitarian disaster for Jamaica.

[Nick Miles]

David Willis in la. She may only have been elected last week, but Japan's first ever female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has already been hosting President Donald Trump in Tokyo. The self styled Iron Woman of Japan will be hoping to build a strong relationship with the American leader. And as Takaishi still started by Laying out her vision.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

On diplomacy. I am determined to restore dynamic Japan's diplomacy to protect Japan's own national interests. In addition, I am ready to promote further collaboration with you and with the United States toward our shared goal of achieving a free and open Indo Pacific.

[Nick Miles]

For his part, President Trump had warm words for his host and said it was important to acknowledge her victory.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

It's a great honor to be with.

[Nick Miles]

You, especially so early in what will.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Be, I think, one of the great prime ministers.

[Nick Miles]

I'd also like to congratulate you on being the first woman prime minister.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

That's a big deal.

[David Willis]

That's a big deal.

[Nick Miles]

And I want to congratulate you on that.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

I think that has to be called out.

[Nick Miles]

Our Tokyo correspondent, Shaima Khalil gave me her assessment of today's meeting.

[Podcast Advertiser]

There's a lot of goodwill between those two leaders. And I must say what really stood out for me is how much praise he's given her, the fact that he said what he said in that clip. But also, you know, starting off by saying, if you need any help, if you need any advice, I'm always here to help Japan. And it just felt to me that the late former Shinzo Abe, who's been a close mentor to Sanae Takaichi and a close ally and friend to Donald Trump, who was killed over three years ago, was very much present in spirit between those two leaders. But putting the pleasantries aside, and I hate to be the cloud in these silver linings, there is a lot of difficult conversations to be had. Japan doesn't have a lot of room to maneuver. Washington could still reimpose tariffs. Japan wants to avoid this at all costs. And I think there are two rooms of vulnerabilities that are very obvious to Tokyo that it really needs to strike a balance with. And that's the car industry. This is the backbone of their economy. And exports now, they're at 15%. They do not want to go any higher. They want to keep this steady. But also agriculture, because expect Washington in the nitty gritty of the business deals to push on more axis and to Japanese markets when it comes to things like rice, soybeans and dairy. And while Sanai Takaichi could make an opening, she will also have to strike a balance of trying to reassure the farming industry, the very powerful farming lobby that is in charge of a lot of rural voting, that their industries, their livelihoods are not at risk.

[Nick Miles]

So those contentious trade issues aside, Shia, there were an area of agreement, if you like, amongst security issues, particularly rare earth metals.

[Podcast Advertiser]

Absolutely. And I think this is where Japan has a lot of room to maneuver, has a lot of leverage, if you will, because remember that Washington really wants to move away from its reliance on China when it comes to rare earth minerals that really go into everything from electric vehicles to the defense industry. And China all but monopolizes this. And it has been playing hardball by restricting exports in the midst of this US China tariff war. So I think with agreements with Japan, with Malaysia, with Thailand, with Australia, Donald Trump goes into that upcoming Xi Jinping meeting in a much stronger position. Japan is known to have a wealth of these rare earth minerals, but they're underwater, so they will need the know how to mine them. And I think defense as well. Donald Trump is pushing into an open door with Sanai Takaichi because she is known to be a hawk on defense. She wants Japan to be stronger militarily. And she's already promised a 2% hike in defense spending as early as this March. So we know that Washington wants more on this and I think he will get it because I think Sanai Takei seems open in that regard.

[Nick Miles]

Shaima khalil, Horse racing is big business. It's estimated to be worth $400 billion a year. But it has a growing number of critics, and that is because so many horses still die on the racecourse. In fact, a new report by the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses, or CPR in Australia, has found that a record number of them are dying. The report says 174 horses died as a result of injuries sustained during races or training between August 2024 and July of this year. CPR's general manager is Helly Erhardson.

[Helly Erhardson]

Horses are dying on the racetrack because they are being pushed way too far, they are being pushed way too fast, and they started way too young. We're seeing horses who die on the racetrack in Australia on average every second day. And these are horses that 85% of the time will fracture a front limb. We're also seeing horses who die from fractured pelvis, internal bleeding, exercise induced bleeding. We're seeing horses who simply collapse and die from a heart attack in front of race goers.

[Nick Miles]

HELLY I had perhaps naively assumed that safeguards for animals, horse racing in particular, was improving year on year. That's clearly not the case as far as you're concerned.

[Helly Erhardson]

No. I think this record number of horses dying in the past year is clear evidence that the racing industry has become even more relentless in their pursuit of profit at the expense of the horses that they rely on to exist.

[Nick Miles]

One animal rights group in the United States called Horse Racing Wrongs says that death is built into the horse racing systems. Killing is inevitable. Do you think that's true and what can actually change that?

[Helly Erhardson]

Yes, I totally agree. The cruelty is inherent in racing because it's an industry that's built on profit. And as long as that's the case, welfare will always come second. That's what we see proof of all the time. And it's not only the deaths that happen on the racetrack. The numbers of horses killed from training and track work were twice as many as the ones we could detect dying directly on the track. The massive overbreeding of racehorses is not just an issue in Australia, that's worldwide. You have to breed thousands and thousands of thoroughbreds to try and find that one special horse that might be a winner. And sadly, there's no transparency into where these horses end up when they're done in the racetrack. On average, they race for about three years. But horses live for 25 years. The horse racing industry in Australia is a billion dollar industry. And then they could afford a proper retirement plan for their horses.

[Nick Miles]

So do you think reform is impossible?

[Helly Erhardson]

There are plenty of things we could do to improve their lives and lower the risk. A few years ago, they introduced mandatory CT scans to avoid more horses being killed on the Melbourne cup race day. And since 2021, when they introduced the mandatory CT scans, there hasn't been any on track deaths during the Melbourne Cup. And we're just saying, why won't they introduce CT scans of all horses all year round, no matter which racetrack? They would certainly do that if they put welfare over profit.

[Nick Miles]

That was helly Erhardson. No matter where you live, if there are birds around, you will get a dawn chorus as the sun rises. Scientists in South Korea now think they might have an explanation as to why it happens. As the newsroom's Isabella Jewell reports.

[Isabella Jewell]

It'S nature's alarm clock. Wherever you are in the world, birds break into song at dawn. The melodic phenomenon has inspired artists for hundreds of years.

[Nick Miles]

Teach us sprite or bird, what sweet, what thoughts are thine? I have never heard praise of love.

[David Willis]

Or wine that panted forth a flood.

[Nick Miles]

Of rapture so divine.

[Isabella Jewell]

A verse of To a Skylark by the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. And there we see the sense of wonder inspired by our feathered friends. But now we may be closer to understanding why they do it. Scientists at the Korea Brain Research Institute conducted a series of experiments on zebra finches, a species found in Australia and Indonesia. The birds were raised in a laboratory, and the researchers controlled the lighting in the room. What they found was that the birds would stay silent when it was dark and would begin to sing when the lights came on. But the team then began to play with the timing of the lighting, turning it on several hours before and then after the natural time of dawn. The scientists said that the longer the birds had to wait, the more intense the sound of their dawn chorus. They even trained the birds to press a lever to gain 10 seconds of artificial light and found that the birds would press it frequently when the light was delayed. Their conclusion? That the zebra finches build up their motivation to sing overnight in the time between waking up and the sun rising. In other words, when the birds are prevented from singing by being in darkness for longer, their desire to sing increases.

[Nick Miles]

Still to come in the global News.

[Gronja Maguire]

Podcast, you know, in Canada, it feels like he's got a bit of divorce dad vibes happening. There are people who look at that and think, okay, and good luck to you Justin, as you figure out what life looks for you.

[Nick Miles]

Is it a celebrity couple to rival the Obamas or Harry and Meghan?

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[Nick Miles]

Not appropriate that was the uncharacteristically understated reaction from President Trump as he described Vladimir Putin's announcement on Sunday that Russia had tested a new nuclear powered cruise missile. Moscow says the missile covered more than 13 and a half thousand kilometers during a 15 hour flight. The Russian leader was dressed in military fatigues when he publicly shared the news about the missile. Called a storm petrol by the Russians, but known as a Skyfall by NATO, this is after all, a unique product unlike anything else in the world. Moreover, I remember well when we announced.

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That we were developing such a weapon.

[Nick Miles]

Even highly qualified specialists told me that yes, this was a good worthy goal, but not achievable in the near future. So how serious a moment is this? John Wolf Stahl is a former Senior director at the U.S. national Security Council for Arms Control and Non Proliferation.

[John Wolfstahl]

Unlike cruise missiles that the United States and Russia have had for many, many decades, this new system doesn't have a gas or electric motor. It has a nuclear reactor for propulsion. So in addition to carrying a nuclear warhead, it is powered by a small nuclear reactor which allows it to fly for potentially days at a time. For the last 15 years or so, Russia has been investing heavily in a very diverse set of what we call novel nuclear delivery systems. In addition to developing long range missiles that can maneuver in flight, long range underwater torpedoes that can go at very high speeds, they have been developing this nuclear powered cruise missile which is designed to attack its target from unpredictable directions in order to evade potential US And European missile defenses. This is a system that's not covered by any of the existing arms control agreements, including the new START Treaty, which is due to expire in February. We are at a point where both Russia and the United States are moving to expand their nuclear arsenals largely free of any transparency, verification or controls. We are entering very dangerous territory where neither the United States normally, or Russia or China for that matter, who is building up its nuclear arsenal, feels constrained, increasingly feel that nuclear weapons are usable politically and potentially usable in a military sense. And so we are very rapidly entering this new Cold War nuclear arms race dynamic that nobody wants and nobody really understands where it's going to end.

[Nick Miles]

Weapons expert John Wolfstahl. Ten people are on trial in France, accused of cyberbullying the country's first lady, Brigitte Macron. Malicious posts alleged to have been made include claims that she was born a man for which there is absolutely no evidence. If convicted, the defendants face up to two years in prison. Catherine Norris Trent from the TV news channel France 24 was in court for day one of the hearing. She spoke to Sean Lee.

[Catherine Norris Trent]

There was a great deal of commotion at the courthouse with a large number of journalists not only from France but around the world present. So lots of TV cameras and also quite a large queue of people, members, members of the public, queuing up to trying it in the public gallery. In fact, there wasn't enough room. An overflow courtroom had to be provided. There's been quite a bit of public attention in this case, and we saw some people there who appeared to be supporting those who'd written these tweets about Brigitte Macron, applauding some of those who were accused as they arrived at court with their lawyers. It was a bit procedural inside the courtroom. The lawyers taking a long time going through the identities and backgrounds of the those who were accused in the doc were all defiant. They're all pleading not guilty, and some of them saying that they absolutely didn't regret writing online what they had been writing about Brigitte Macron.

[David Willis]

It's perhaps no surprise that the Macrons are taking action of their own, I think, in the United States against a social media influencer there who's big in the sort of MAGA movement that supports President Trump. Presumably, given that these rumors have dragged on for years, they've kind of lost patience with them.

[Catherine Norris Trent]

Yeah, I think that's it. These rumors have been swirling for really quite some time and came to a head in the years after Covid when they got a large presence online with lots of views for podcasts and other articles and books that have been reported on these rumors. These are unsubstantiated claims, but there's been a few figures who've been really pushing this narrative. And Brigitte Macron has said in interviews that she'd basically had enough, that whenever she went on state visits around the world, accompanying her husband, that people were aware of this wherever she went in the world. And she said that often it was the spouses of foreign leaders who commiserated with her about these claims. So she felt it was becoming not only very embarrassing and distressing, but also a distraction from Emmanuel Macron's role and position. And she's made something of a point of taking a stand against cyber bullying, saying that she's taking this on despite the risk that it might give it more publicity, but saying she's taking a stand against bullying online, that this is her battle.

[David Willis]

Really, there's something significant changed in France. I mean, one thinks of for years when, I mean, French presidents, other public figures were kind of committing adultery left, right and center. There was a sort of media blackout on people's private lives. And to get to a stage where something like this, such kind of an offensive rumor against somebody about how they were born and how they choose to live has been given such publicity, including by the mainstream media.

[Catherine Norris Trent]

Yeah, I think something has changed, but I think it's the salacious nature of the rumors surrounding Brigitte Macron that have really caught people's imagination, really titillated them. She is 24 years older than her husband and they did meet when he was very young. She was his drama teacher and he was still a teenager. Now, the couple say they didn't get together until later on, but that has sparked a lot of rumors about the nature of their relationship. But the rumors surrounding the supposed nature of her being born a man, which again is an unsubstantiated claim that has really caught on online. And I think it's that the transgender nature of the debate, which has made it different.

[Nick Miles]

That was Catherine Norris Trent from France. 24. Until recently, France and Italy led the way when it came to beauty products. But then along came the Korean or K Beauty trend. Korean skin care products now dominate exports, particularly to the us but with thousands of companies branding themselves as K Beauty, are people getting the real thing? David Kan reports.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

K Beauty began its global rise in the early 2010s with BB blemish bomb cream leading the way. The trend grew before exploding. In 2017, total K Beauty exports went from US$650 million in 2011 to $4 billion in 2017, a six fold increase in just over six years. And the industry kept growing.

[John Wolfstahl]

We expect to do over 14 million sales in 2025.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

This is Ann Majeski, director of retail relationship with Soulceuticals.

[John Wolfstahl]

And we've seen global acceptance. We've recently started selling in India, Latin America, Europe, Europe and Australia.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

But here's the twist. SeoulCeutical is not a Korean company. In fact, they are based in America and manufacture their products in America. An American company. The website does however feature a page titled really Korean Saying. It's one of the most common questions they're asked.

[John Wolfstahl]

What we were seeing that allowed us to identify it as K Beauty were the ingredients things like snail mucin, centella, Asiatica, green tea. We source our key ingredients in Korea because we wanted to be able to legitimately say we are a K beauty brand.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Not everyone would agree with this. The first thing that I am thinking now is that the products should mostly be manufactured by a Korean manufacturer. And that doesn't just mean using Korean ingredients, but it also means the products are made with Korean expertise and know how. Meet Seungu Kim. He and his wife Elisa Aronpa Kim co founded Hwarangpum. Although they are based in Finland, all of their team except Elisa are Koreans and they manufacture their cosmetic products in South Korea. The most important thing that we both absolutely agree is that the branch basically should develop its concept and ideas and products with a Korean perspective. That can come through in the ingredients, the design or cultural elements. Basically anything that clearly connects to the brands, to Korea or at least reflects a Korean influence. But it still doesn't answer the question of what K Beauty is beyond philosophy and culture. So I decided to speak to someone who might have an idea. This is Chang Nam Jang, chairman of K Beauty Industry association, the only K Beauty organization officially approved by the South Korean government. It's literally Korean Beauty. So a company that's registered in Korea and officially tested and approved by Korea Food and Drug Admin, the kfda, it has stricter regulation for certain ingredients.

[Nick Miles]

At the end of the day, it's.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Determined by the consumers. If the product is developed in a way that suits the climate and the environment of Korea and is recognized as a viable product in the Korean market, then we would acknowledge it as K Beauty. And we believe that the KFDA's regulations reflect the Korean market's needs. Hwarangpum, the Finnish Korean skincare company you heard from earlier, decided to do exactly that. What we are trying to achieve is that we should be perceived or recognized by Korean customers as this is a Korean brand that is popular in Korea. So the customers are the ultimate decider on what KBUT Years.

[Nick Miles]

That report was by David Can. And finally, in Dating News, the the former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appeared in Paris with the American singer Katy Perry. The two were photographed holding hands at an event at the weekend. So how is this pairing going down in Canada, where Justin Trudeau was replaced as Prime Minister this year after nearly 10 years in office? The BBC's Evan Davis was joined by Gronja Maguire, comedian and co host of the Way They Were podcast about celebrity relationships, and Stephanie Levitz, senior reporter at the Globe and Mail newspaper in Ottawa.

[Gronja Maguire]

The joke here in Canada is this. Right now, relations between Canada and the us as your listeners might know, are a little bit frozen. Nobody wants to go to America, nobody wants to cross the border, buy American goods, but yet the relationship between our former Prime Minister and an American superstar is with us. A little bit of it is the light news we need up here in Canada. And a little bit of it is not really being talked about at all, except in political circles amongst the people who still very much loathe Justin Trudeau for how he was as Prime Minister, especially in the years, final months, I should say, of when he was in charge. And they're sort of fixated on it as some sort of proof point that in their view, he ought not to have been Prime Minister in the first place.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

Now, Granya, can you tell us about the family form? Because older listeners will. Will perhaps remember there is something of this in the Trudeau blood, isn't there?

[Isabella Jewell]

Yeah, well, famously, Justin's dad briefly dated and very nearly married icon Barbra Streisand. And I think that's the only thing Katy Perry will ever have in common with Barbra Streisand.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

But good for her.

[Isabella Jewell]

So I think they do have a tight Gronja.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

One of the serious issues, if we could try to make a serious issue out of this, is whether politics is becoming too celeb and whether public figures just see themselves in a kind of celebrity frame these days.

[Isabella Jewell]

Well, I think a lot of it is a lot of the celebrities that we're sort of thinking about in this are relatively young. So especially if we think about, like, American politics, like the. Barack Obama was in power for eight years and then he had this whole life afterwards, you know, that he. The whole idea, you go and sort of garden and then pop back. So they do have to sort of rebrand themselves. And I think it's really interesting that these sort of like, celebrity politicians, like, I would put Trudeau and Perry in the same category as like, like the Obamas, like The Clooneys like Harry and Meghan, where they have sort of vague charities, they give sort of bland speeches about the environment and have a podcast. So I think we've just got a new couple. A new star couple has been born.

[Nick Miles]

Stephanie. Who's doing more damage to the other's career or who's doing more benefit to the other? Who stands to win or lose most.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

From this relationship, do you think?

[Gronja Maguire]

It's a good question. There are folks in Canada who will point out that Justin Trudeau was Prime Minister when he was relative young. And a lot of the parts of being relatively young, say social media, were not anything he had any control over. He had no private life. And in the. In the meantime, his marriage unfortunately was disintegrating over time and he had three young children. So the pressures in office right now, you know, in Canada, it feels like he's got a bit of divorce dad vibes happening. Like when he finally took back over his own social media, he was shopping for kitchen supplies and it was very kind of sad. Dad. There are people who look at that and think, well, okay, and good luck to you, Justin, as you figure out what life looks for you. Because in reality, he. He was a celebrity before he even became prime minister. Because of his parents. He has always, because of the family, he has always operated at that sort of level.

[Nick Miles]

Stephanie Levitz with Grony Maguire and Evan Davies. And that is all from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News podcast later on. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk you can also find us on XBCWorldService. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. This edition was mixed by Martin Baker and the producers were Isabella Jewell and Paul Day. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nick Mars. And until next time, Goodbye.

[Correspondent/Reporter]

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[Correspondent/Reporter]

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