Machado gives Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal

Summary

Global News Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode: Machado gives Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal
Date: January 16, 2026
Host: Will Chalk (BBC World Service)
Key Contributors: Will Grant, David Willis, Helen Ockendon, Stephen McDonnell, Evan Davis

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into a tumultuous period in international politics and society, with a focus on Venezuela’s political future following a dramatic gesture by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado giving her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump. Other key issues include US domestic unrest over immigration enforcement, chilling firsthand testimony from Iran’s protest crackdown, new revelations about Antarctica’s landscape, diplomatic efforts between Canada and China, the rise of non-alcoholic beverages, and the discovery of ancient mummified cheetahs in Saudi Arabia.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Venezuela’s Uncertain Future and Machado’s Unprecedented Gesture

• [02:15] Maria Corina Machado, barred from running for president but prominent in the opposition, meets Donald Trump at the White House. She presents Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal, seeking his endorsement.
  • Motivation: She aims to demonstrate respect and build a bridge, referencing the historic Lafayette-Bolivar medal exchange as a symbol of shared struggle for freedom.
  • Trump’s Reaction: Trump publicly thanks Machado, calling the gesture a “wonderful” sign of mutual respect, but withholds a clear endorsement.
  • Context: Trump’s administration recently ousted Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro via military means, and the US is weighing who should lead the country.

“I presented the President of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize.”
— Maria Corina Machado ([03:13])

• [05:01] Will Grant explains Machado’s position and the complications in Trump’s support:

“She is staking a very serious claim... to head the government to be the president following elections. So, you know, it's not surprising that she has met with Donald Trump, even if he was initially quite dismissive of her possibilities of being president.”
— Will Grant ([05:01])

• The US appears to cooperate more with acting leader Delsey Rodriguez, seen as a safer bet by Trump’s team.

2. US Domestic Turmoil over Immigration – Minnesota Protests

• [08:19] Trump threatens to deploy the military to Minnesota amid explosive protests against the presence of thousands of armed federal immigration officers.
  • Protests erupt following two shootings by ICE agents, leading Minnesota’s governor to accuse the federal government of a “campaign of organized brutality.”
  • Legal context:
    • The President’s ability to deploy the military domestically is legally limited. David Willis ([09:52]) discusses the rarely-invoked Insurrection Act and notes Trump’s willingness to bend norms.

“Members of the military are prohibited from being used in domestic, civil or criminal law enforcement. The Insurrection act of 1807 grants an exception... it's more than 30 years since the law was last invoked.”
— David Willis ([09:52])

• Trump remains unfazed by criticism and continues to vow deportation campaigns, despite accusations of authoritarian overreach.

3. Iranian Protest Crackdown – First-hand Account

• [13:36] The BBC hears powerful, chilling testimony from "Puna," an eyewitness to deadly repression in a small Iranian city.
  • Details of violence: Security forces fired live ammunition at protesters and bystanders, with “shoot, they fall” brutality.
  • Ambulances were under police control, making urgent care unavailable.
  • The community was deeply traumatized, with families mourning young loved ones on every street.
  • Protest suppression was rapid and total in smaller towns.

“They were shooting people. It is just like computer games. You shoot, they fall. You shoot, they fall... I was shouting, saying, I want to call an ambulance. They were saying that all the ambulances are under the control of the police.”
— Puna, eyewitness ([14:16])

4. Science: Antarctica’s Hidden Landscape Revealed

• [18:28] Researchers using new mapping techniques reveal thousands of previously uncharted hills and ridges under Antarctic ice.
  • The findings, published in Science, are vital for improving sea level rise predictions.
  • Lead author Helen Ockendon stresses the relevance for policymakers:

“It’s really important to know this everywhere so that those models of how sea level is going to change in the future can be more accurate.”
— Helen Ockendon ([02:03] and [18:28])

5. Canada-China Diplomatic Thaw

• [23:26] Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visits Beijing, signifying a potential turning point in tense bilateral relations, focusing on trade (especially agriculture, energy, finance, and electric vehicles).
  • Stephen McDonnell explains the historical context and recent improvements since the end of the “two Michaels” saga and Meng Wanzhou’s release.
  • Ottawa is keen to diversify trade as US-Canada relations falter.

“Mark Carney said... they were forging ahead with this new partnership, that both sides could make historic gains, particularly in agriculture, agri, food, energy and finance.”
— Stephen McDonnell ([23:26])

6. The Rise of Non-Alcoholic Drinks

• [26:55+] A look at the booming non-alcoholic beverage market, extending beyond the January tradition of “Dry January.”
  • WHO and industry data show steady global growth, especially as consumers seek healthier lifestyles and governments target health impacts of drinking.
  • Small producers led the trend; now major beverage companies are launching alcohol-free versions.
  • Anecdotes from Ghana (the first non-alcoholic bar in Accra) and industry experts illustrate the sector’s momentum and potential.

“The trend for non elk grew initially in Europe, in the U.S. 10, 15 years ago. But... now you’re seeing really strong non Elk growth coming out of India, out of China, South America, Africa.”
— Martin Lodewijks ([28:06])

7. Archaeology: Mummified Cheetahs in Saudi Arabia

• [31:27] Discovery of naturally mummified cheetahs in Saudi caves, with some remains dating up to 4,000 years old.
  • The preservation has enabled DNA sequencing, shedding light on the extinct Arabian cheetah and informing possible future reintroductions.

“What makes the discovery particularly valuable... scientists were able to sequence genomes from the preserved tissue, and the analysis indicates these Arabian specimens were closely related to the Asiatic and Northwest African cheetahs.”
— Carla Conti ([31:27])

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• [03:13] Maria Corina Machado: “I presented the President of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize.”
• [05:01] Will Grant: “She is staking a very serious claim... to head the government to be the president following elections.”
• [09:52] David Willis: “Members of the military are prohibited from being used in domestic, civil or criminal law enforcement. The Insurrection act of 1807 grants an exception...”
• [13:36] Puna (Eyewitness from Iran): “They were shooting people. It is just like computer games. You shoot, they fall. You shoot, they fall...”
• [18:28] Helen Ockendon: “Having that high resolution of all those lumps and bumps can really affect how the ice is moving...”
• [23:26] Stephen McDonnell: “Any improvement is a gain... But there are practical trade measures that they're talking about.”
• [28:06] Martin Lodewijks: “Now you’re seeing really strong non Elk growth coming out of India, out of China, South America, Africa.”
• [31:27] Carla Conti: “The analysis indicates these Arabian specimens were closely related to the Asiatic and Northwest African cheetahs…”

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Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 02:15 | Machado meets Trump, Nobel medal exchange | | 05:01 | Interview: Will Grant on Venezuela’s future | | 08:19 | Protests & federal response in Minnesota, US | | 09:52 | David Willis explains the Insurrection Act | | 13:36 | Iranian eyewitness “Puna” on protest violence | | 18:28 | Antarctic mapping and climate science | | 23:26 | Canada-China diplomatic/trade reset | | 26:55 | Non-alcoholic drinks market analysis | | 31:27 | Discovery of mummified cheetahs |

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains a factual, analytical, and frequently urgent tone as presenters move across global flashpoints, expert interviews, and firsthand accounts. The coverage balances in-depth analysis with compelling personal testimonies and global perspectives.

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Conclusion

This episode provides a sweeping look at pivotal moments in world affairs: from a dramatic political gesture in Venezuela, to unrest and authoritarian moves in the US, to scientific advances and archaeological discoveries. Each segment is marked by firsthand insight, expert analysis, or evocative reporting, making it essential listening for anyone seeking a grounded, global understanding of current events.

Transcript

[Will Grant]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

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[Evan Davis]

This is.

[Will Chalk]

The global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Will Chalk and at 04:30 GMT on Friday 16th January, these are our main stories. The Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corinna Machado has given her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump, but there's no sign she secured his backing to lead her country after talks at the White House. Mr. Trump has threatened to send soldiers to put down protests in Democrat run Minnesota over the presence of thousands of federal immigration officers. The Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is visiting China hoping to improve strained relations. Also in this podcast, a first hand account of the violence faced by demonstrators in Iran, far from the big cities. And scientists say a new map has unmasked the landscape beneath kilometers of Antarctic ice.

[Helen Ockendon]

So it's really important to know this everywhere so that those models of how sea level is going to change in the future can be more accurate.

[Will Chalk]

So it's been a big day for the two women vying to be central in the future of Venezuela. Opposition leader Maria Corinna Machado has met Donald Trump at the White House in October. She gained international prominence by being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her long fight for democracy in her country. Back in 2023, she won the opposition primary by a landslide, but was barred from running in the presidential election. Many thought that following the recent American military operation to seize President Nicolas Maduro, she would be the obvious candidate to replace him. But so far Mr. Trump has failed to officially endors saying she wasn't respected enough to lead the country. The White House has said the meeting went very well. This is what Ms. Machado said after the meeting, surrounded by supporters and press. I presented the President of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize.

[Puna (Eyewitness from Iran)]

And I told him this.

[Will Chalk]

Listen to this.

[Puna (Eyewitness from Iran)]

200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simon.

[Will Chalk]

Bolivar a medal with George Washington face on, was given by General Lafayette as a sign of the brotherhood between the United States, people of the United States and the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom against tyranny. Well, the Nobel Peace Prize and presumably the medal that goes with it is something Donald Trump has made no secret that he months badly and he has expressed his gratitude in a social media post saying the move was a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the acting leader, Delsey Rodriguez, has been walking a diplomatic tightrope. She's trying to meet Trump's demands without alienating Maduro loyalists who control Venezuela's security forces and feared paramilitaries. And while this was all going on in Washington, she was delivering her State of the Union address in Caracas. She told Parliament Venezuela was engaging with the US. There is a stain on relations between the United States and Venezuela.

[David Willis]

And we said that we would resolve.

[Will Chalk]

It diplomatically, face to face, as Bolivar taught us, and not be afraid, let us not be afraid of diplomacy. Our Central America correspondent, Will Grant, is in the Cuban capital, Havana, where tributes are being paid to 32 of the country's soldiers and security personnel, personnel who were killed in Venezuela during the US capture of Nicolas Maduro. I asked Will what Ms. Machado had been hoping to achieve in her discussions with the US President.

[Will Grant]

Maria Corina Machado was, if you like, the opposition politician behind the winner of the election last year, Edmundo Gonzalez. So she is staking a very serious claim to playing a, a major role in any future government in Venezuela, arguably, of course, to head the government to be the president following elections. So, you know, it's not surprising that she has met with Donald Trump, even if he was initially quite dismissive of her possibilities of being president. You know, it's going to be interesting to see how that personal relationship begins to fare now that Nicolas Maduro has been removed from power and whether or not this sort of peace offering, if you like, of the Nobel Peace Prize medal is sufficient to sort of smooth over any differences they might have.

[Will Chalk]

Yeah, you mentioned the medal there. I mean, it was probably a bizarre moment. Do you think that will really help win Donald Trump over I mean, quite.

[Will Grant]

A lot has been made of it in terms of the US Media and other parts of the media looking at the fact that it could have impinged on, you know, his perception of her, that she went on to accept it when he felt it was, you know, it was rightfully his. I'm not so convinced that that really is behind the fact that the Trump administration is working with Del Cid Rodriguez as an interim president in Venezuela. I think it seems like there were security and intelligence assessments of the opposition's plan for government, and it was deemed that they weren't ready or they weren't sufficient and that Washington would essentially be having to prop up a proxy government for years and that they didn't think that was effective as working with the other parts of the Maduro administration once he was out of the picture. Nevertheless, it is, of course, extraordinary that she would hand over the medal to Donald Trump.

[Will Chalk]

And meanwhile, we've got Delsey Rodriguez with this almost seemingly impossible task of continuing Maduro's socialist agenda, but also appeasing the US and to make things harder while she was speaking, she had Nicolas Maduro's family in Parliament today.

[Will Grant]

So there's that on the one side, there is where I am in Cuba and that dynamic, too. So, of course, the Cuban relationship with Venezuela has been key. So, you know, there will be people, of course, in Cuba who are extremely worried about what the future holds if Del C. Rodriguez continues to make overtures to Donald Trump. But there are also people in Venezuela who, you know, who deem that this is supposed to be a socialist administration, a socialist government with close ties to Havana and anything sort of working the other direction, whether or not that's sending new quantities of crude oil to the US Instead of sending them to Havana. You're right, she has a very, very difficult task in trying to juggle those two extremely different visions. So far, they've plotted a sort of strange path in the middle, but I'm not quite sure how long that can last before something starts to give.

[Will Chalk]

Well, that was Will Grant in the Cuban capital, Havana. Let's go back to the US for this next story, though, because President Trump has threatened to send in the military to quell persistent protests in Minnesota. Demonstrators there are angry about the deployment of 2 to 3,000 armed federal immigration officers to Minneapolis. Hundreds of residents took to the streets after an illegal immigrant from Venezuela was allegedly shot and injured during a traffic stop on Wednesday. And that would be the second shooting by an ICE agent there in a matter of days. Renee Goode was shot dead by an immigration officer on January 7th. Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz has accused the Trump administration of launching a campaign of retribution. News reports simply don't do justice to the level of chaos and disruption and trauma the federal government is raining down upon our communities. Two to three thousand armed agents of the federal government have been deployed to Minnesota. Armed, masked, under trained ICE agents, are going door to door, ordering people to point out where their neighbors of color live. They're pulling over people indiscriminately, including US Citizens, and demanding to see their papers. This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government. So if Donald Trump does send the military in, how exactly would it work? That is a question I put to our North America correspondent, David Willis.

[David Willis]

Normally will. Members of the military are prohibited from being used in domestic, civil or criminal law enforcement. The Insurrection act of 1807 grants an exception to that in the event that the commander in chief decides that members of the military are needed to quell a rebellion. And that allows the occupant of the White House to either send in members of the armed forces or take command of soldiers in a state's National Guard. Now, a Supreme Court ruling has determined that the president alone can indeed decide if the conditions have been met that justify a move such as that. It's more than 30 years since the law was last invoked. In fact, that was at the behest of the governor of California during the Los Angeles riots back in 1992, and it was only implemented on the very rarest of occasions prior to that. President Trump, of course, we know, has already taken the unusual step of federalizing National Guard soldiers in order to assist in that immigration law enforcement crackdown in Democrat run cities such as Los Angeles, Portland and others, to the objection, of course, of state governors in those areas.

[Will Chalk]

We heard a bit there of some of the criticism Donald Trump's been receiving over this, but obviously, you know, if there's anyone who shrugs off criticism, well, it is Donald Trump. Do you think it's likely he'll pay attention to this?

[David Willis]

Well, that's right, and very unlikely, I would think. President Trump has made curbing illegal immigration the centerpiece of his second term in office. He's vowed to deport millions of people who are in this country illegally, despite growing accusations of authority, authoritarian overreach. And he continues to blame state officials for, as he sees it, failing in their duty to protect ICE agents who are simply trying to do their job and enforce the law. Mr. Trump has threatened several times in recent months to implement the Insurrection act in response to court decisions that have blocked his attempts to deploy the National Guard in some parts of the country. And asked if the president was serious about invoking the Insurrection act. The Homeland Security Secretary, Christy Noem, said she didn't know, but she added that it was his constitutional right.

[Will Chalk]

David Willis in Washington. Families of protesters killed in Iran have told the BBC the authorities are demanding large sums of money for the return of bodies. Relatives say they're being asked to hand over thousands of dollars so they can bury their loved ones. In some cases, hospital staff have been warning people to collect bodies before they can be seized by the security forces. One human rights group says more than two and a half thousand people have been killed in the unrest. First hand accounts of what's been happening in Iran are hard to come by, given the communication difficulties and the need for safety of those who want to speak freely. But the BBC has heard an eyewitness account of shocking brutality from an Iranian l in the UK who was back in her home country last week. She wasn't in a big city, but had clear sight of the events in the town in which she was staying from her family's balcony on the fourth floor. We're calling her Puna, which is not her real name, and we're not giving the name of the town. We've also revoiced her answers to protect her identity. She started by describing to my colleague Evan Davis the violent events she witnessed.

[Puna (Eyewitness from Iran)]

A week ago on the 8th of January. It was about 8 or 9pm, something like that. People, especially young people, went to the streets to protest. They were very angry. You know, when we were talking to them, oh, please take care. They were saying that, oh, we don't have anything to lose. They said that the economy is so terrible, the situation is so terrible, the inflation is so terrible that we don't have any hope for the future. So we go to the streets, we protest and we don't care what will happen to us.

[Will Chalk]

Just before you go on Pune, you were not involved in the protest, you were just sort of observing this?

[Puna (Eyewitness from Iran)]

We were observing this, yes. We're not the active protesters. We were observing it from the balcony. So we went to sleep and it was about 2:45am that we woke up with a horrible, horrible shooting noises. And when we went to the balcony, we saw that there were some people, I'm not sure the irgc, police or other people, their faces were totally covered. They were shooting people. It is just like Computer games. You shoot, they fall. You shoot, they fall. You shoot, they fall. They shot some of them, the hands and the feet, and they could again stand up and run away with the help of their friends. But we saw and we witnessed one very, very young man who was shot in the chest. There was terrible bleeding. I was shouting, saying, I want to call an ambulance. They were saying that all the ambulances are under the control of the police. If the ambulance comes, this person will never get to the hospital.

[Will Chalk]

What was the talk in the town the next day? Obviously something very, very traumatic has happened to a town.

[Puna (Eyewitness from Iran)]

The next morning in the town we were seeing many young people in the street and we were asking them what had happened that they couldn't talk. It's so horrific because many of their friends had been killed. You know, you can't believe there's not that many people in this town. And everyone we talked to said, my friend fell down after they were shot in front of my eyes. And then the second night, the 9th of January, they started shooting people directly at them. Just very early. It was 10 or maybe 11pm, maybe just an hour after the protests started in the streets. There were people on the back of a Toyota, you know, just like isis, something like this. And they're shouting, if you're brave enough, come out, come out and see what will happen to you. They were going in all the alleys, in all the streets and they were shouting to people to come out. And it was something, you know, for example, imagine this 19 years old boy, they followed him with a Toyota and they found him in a dead end and shot him. I think they had some orders that gave them more freedom to do whatever they wanted to do.

[Will Chalk]

You came out of Iran, how much contact have you had with your friends and relatives?

[Evan Davis]

What are they saying now about what's happening?

[Will Chalk]

Have the protests still ongoing in the.

[Puna (Eyewitness from Iran)]

Small towns from where we were in the north, after the second night and the third night, they're saying that the armed forces are so dominant in the town that my mom was saying that I am seeing more armed forces than ordinary people. I think that they have suppressed it in small towns because it is easy and they have killed a lot. And one thing I forgot to tell you, that on the morning of the 10th of January, that we were leaving our hometown to be able to get to the airport. In every street in that small town, one family was mourning a young dead loved one.

[Will Chalk]

An eyewitness there to the events in Iran a week ago. Speaking to Evan Davies. Now for more on Iran and Many of the other big stories we cover, you can go to our YouTube search for BBC news, click on the logo, then choose Podcast and Global News Podcast. There is a new story available every weekday, right? A fact for you. We know more about the surface of some planets in our solar system than we do about what lies between the vast ice of Antarctica. But researchers are making breakthroughs. They've developed a new map of the continent's underbelly, revealing thousands of previously undiscovered hills and ridges. They hope the research, published in the academic journal Science, will improve understanding of how the continent might respond to climate change. The study's lead author is Helen Ockendon.

[Helen Ockendon]

Having that high resolution of all those lumps and bumps can really affect how the ice is moving. So it's really important to know this everywhere so that those models of how sea level is going to change in the future can be more accurate. And that really helps policymakers and governments to make decisions about do we need to build a 10 meter or a 20 meter seawall? When do we need to do it?

[Will Chalk]

With more details, here is our climate reporter, Mark Poynting.

[Evan Davis]

Thanks to data collected by satellites, scientists have a good understanding of Antarctica's icy surface. But what lies beneath has remained more of a mystery. In fact, more is known about the surface of some planets in our solar system than much of what's under the continent's ice. Now researchers have used a new approach to create what they believe to be the most detailed map of the landscape yet. The ridges, mountains and channels shape how fast the glaciers above move. And understanding the topography could help scientists work out how quickly the ice might retreat in a warming climate. The scientists say more research is needed to give greater confidence in their findings, but they hope the new map will ultimately improve understanding of the potential impact on sea levels from Antarctica's melting ice.

[Will Chalk]

That was Mark pointing. Still to come in this podcast.

[Evan Davis]

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[Will Chalk]

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[Will Chalk]

This is the global news Podcast the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Beijing for a meeting with the Chinese President Xi Jinping. Mr. Carney is facing a difficult balancing act after years of strained relations, so he would have welcomed the warm words of his host, President Xi, who has expressed optimism about improving ties between the two countries. Mr. Khani is also under pressure to boost Trade without angering the US or compromising concerns about national security and human rights. Our China correspondent, Stephen McDonnell, told me what the two sides were hoping to get from the visit.

[Stephen McDonnell]

Relations have been so bad between Canada and China, any improvement is a gain for them. So they'd be expecting it to be better. I mean, it couldn't be any worse considering how frosty relations had been between Ottawa and Beijing. But there are practical trade measures that they're talking about. So. So to give you an idea of some of the things that Mark Carney, who is, by the way, Canada's first Prime Minister to Visit here since 2017, what he has been saying to Xi Jinping over the last hour at the Great hall of the People. So both sides have described this meeting as a turning point for their two countries. Mark Carney said that, you know, they were forging ahead with this new partnership, that both sides could make historic gains, particularly in agriculture, agri, food, energy and finance. And this is what I believe we can do, like in the immediate future. So very, very optimistic from him. But also, you know, they have these meetings often. It's all symbolic, our two great countries, yada, yada, yada, and everyone leaves feeling quite good about it. But this is a pretty substantial delegation which has come here from Canada. And we're being told that apart from these kind of big picture meetings on the sidelines, they are negotiating well to attempt to work out a way that China could sell more electric vehicles into Canada. And that means reducing tariffs on those cars which Canada, just like the US and Europe, had placed on China's EVs, accusing Beijing of artificially propping up these industries. Now, if that can be worked out, well, China's going to buy more raw materials. China's going to buy more agricultural products from Canada. Now, that. Why would that be important to Canada? Because everyone can see that its relationship with its previous number one ally, the US Just across the border, is kind of running off the rails at times with this unhinged government in the US putting tariffs on Canada despite their free trade agreement. And so Ottawa's looking around for other places to deal with. And even though you've got to send your goods all the way across the Pacific, a long way to China, this is a country with deep pockets. And even the smallest boost in trade with China can mean a lot of money going both ways, really.

[Will Chalk]

So that's what they want. How difficult is that going to be to achieve?

[Stephen McDonnell]

Well, not so difficult to tell the truth, because really, the cause of the tensions, those things have gone away. People remember there were these two Canadian Michaels controversially thrown in prison here in response to Canada detaining Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive, at the U.S. s behest. Now all of that's been worked out, you know, so that that considerable pressure and distrust that came from that period. Now that the Michaels have been released, now that Meng Wanzhou has is back in China, well, they can. It's like enough water's gone under the bridge, so I think they can work things out. And what Canada's trying to do is to say, let's get back to how this all started. We were one of the first countries to recognize the People's Republic of China back in the 70s. It's a kind of bond like that that we need to focus on.

[Will Chalk]

Stephen McDonnell speaking to me from Beijing. Right. We are well and truly into January. The festive season has come and gone. And you may well know someone who has proudly declared they're not drinking alcohol this month because they are doing what's known as Dry January. However, new data shows that more of us are choosing to cut our alcohol intake all year round. Imran Raman Jones has been exploring the growth in the non alcoholic drinks industry.

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It starts off there in the mash tun.

[Evan Davis]

We're at a brewery just outside Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, and founder Sonja Mitchell is explaining how her beer is made. But there's something different about the product here. It's brewed with almost no alcohol. Sonia's company, Jumpship and many other brewers around the world have been gearing up for a big few weeks as the Dry January movement that's going a month without alcohol has grown in recent years. But increasingly people are choosing to reduce their alcohol all year round. World Health Organization data suggests alcohol consumption has been falling since about 2013. And according to global drinks industry research body IWSR, worldwide alcohol sales have been flat since 2019. Martin Lodewijks is their president and managing director. The trend for non elk grew initially in Europe, in the U.S. 10, 15 years ago. But I think over the last five years, what's really changed is that you're now seeing really strong non Elk growth coming out of India, out of China, South America, Africa. The growth in sales varies quite dramatically depending on the country and globally, non elk products are about 1% of the total industry. So it's a small but growing market. Good news for someone like Sonja Mitchell. At Jumpship Brewery, I worked with a.

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Professional brewer on the first recipe. We brewed a few different versions. One was terrible, One was okay and one was brilliant which kind of gave me the confidence to take it the next step to scale commercially.

[Evan Davis]

The non alcoholic drinks market was pioneered by smaller craft producers. But in recent years the huge drinks companies have also got involved. Newbie Theater 000% alcohol Perno Ricard launched alcohol free Beefeater gin and Diageo says its Guinness 0.0 saw double digit growth in sales last year. Martin Lodewikes again moderation is extending. So instead of doing what I want.

[Will Chalk]

To do for 11 months and then.

[Evan Davis]

Behaving myself for one, I'm going to.

[Will Chalk]

Sort of try and just sort of.

[Evan Davis]

Moderate my consumption more consistently over the course of the entire year. Johnny Forsyth of Mintel, the global research agency says his research shows campaigns such as Dry January are not the main reasons behind the rising in growth in alcohol free drink sales. It's really the kind of the consumers being much more conscious about their health and also governments realizing that drinking alcohol puts a lot of pressure on their health systems and investing a lot of money in anti drinks advertising.

[Stephen McDonnell]

I quit drinking in 2018 and I.

[Evan Davis]

Quickly found out that in Accra there were few places that you could go.

[Stephen McDonnell]

To to hang out socialize without alcohol.

[Evan Davis]

John Asagonde is an entrepreneur and writer based in Accra in Ghana.

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Ghana.

[Evan Davis]

I run Eden Bar, the first non.

[Stephen McDonnell]

Alcoholic bar in Ghana and in West Africa we craft our cocktails to mimic the sophistication and you know, the taste and feel of a traditional cocktail.

[Evan Davis]

Have you seen a change in kind of attitudes towards drinking?

[Will Chalk]

Most definitely.

[Evan Davis]

Of course I can take the credit.

[Stephen McDonnell]

To myself because Accra has a population of over 3 million people and I'm just doing my own bit in my small canal.

[Evan Davis]

Mintel's Johnny Forsyth thinks we have not seen the peak yet. A market like Germany. Our figures show that it accounts for 8.5% of all alcoholic beer sales. In many other markets that'll be just around 1%. But what it does show is that this has got significantly more Runway to go.

[Will Chalk]

Jonny Forsyth ending that report by Imran Rahman Jones. Three words you don't hear together very often. Naturally mummified cheetahs. It's what researchers in Saudi Arabia have found deep inside a remote cave network preserved for centuries by cool dry air. The find has allowed scientists to extract rare DNA from a population that disappeared from the region decades ago. Carla Conti has the details.

[Helen Ockendon]

In northern Saudi Arabia, a wildlife expedition has uncovered an eerie time capsule. Seven naturally mummified cheetahs hidden deep in the inside desert caves. The cool, dry and stable conditions inside the caves preserved the bodies for long periods, with some specimens dating to around 130 years old and others close to 2000. Alongside the mummies, the team also documented skeletal remains from more than 50 other cheetahs, including specimens estimated at roughly 4,000 years old, suggesting the caves were used repeatedly over many generations as shelter from extreme heat. What makes the discovery particularly valuable, though, is the DNA. Scientists were able to sequence genomes from the preserved tissue, and the analysis indicates these Arabian specimens were closely related to the Asiatic and Northwest African cheetahs, two subspecies still alive today. Cheetahs became locally extinct on the Arabian peninsula in the 1970s. With so few Asiatic cheetahs left in the wild, largely confined to Iran, the researchers say the results could help guide any future reintroduction. Saudi Arabia has already started preparing for that possibility, breeding prey species like oryx and other antelope and creating conservation areas. But experts warn it would take long term commitment, and it's still unclear how well cheetahs from another subspecies would cope in Saudi conditions.

[Will Chalk]

That report by Carla Conti and that is 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 topics we've covered, 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 Charlotte Hadrouterzymska. The Beginning producer was Ariane Kochi and Moussafar Shakir. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Will Chalk. Until next time. Goodbye.

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