Protests at COP30

Summary

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Global News Podcast: Protests at COP30

Host: BBC World Service (Charlotte Gallagher)
Date: November 16, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of the BBC Global News Podcast covers a broad spectrum of world's top headlines with deep dives into timely topics. The main focus is the large-scale protests outside the COP30 climate conference in Belem, Brazil, where demonstrators—many from indigenous and youth groups—demand urgent, concrete action on the climate crisis. Other key stories include escalating violence and political developments in Mexico and Colombia, legislative changes in Pakistan banning child marriage, threats to the Icelandic language, worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and an intriguing report on cheating at British pub quizzes. The episode features on-the-ground reporting, expert analysis, and powerful firsthand accounts while maintaining the BBC’s balanced and informative tone.

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Detailed Breakdown & Key Insights

1. Protests at COP30, Belem, Brazil

[02:04–04:52]

Key Points

• Thousands Protest for Climate Action:
  Demonstrators, including Amazonian indigenous communities, youth, and global climate activists, marched in Belem demanding swifter and bolder climate action from COP30 delegates.

• Indigenous Voices Highlight Stakes:
  Protesters articulate their struggle as fundamentally about survival—of people, nature, rivers, and the planet.

  • Quote:

    “We keep fighting for life. Our struggle is for life, for the life of nature, for the life of the springs, the river sources, so we can have a good planet, a planet that's healthy for everyone.” — Indigenous protester, [02:43]

  • Quote:

    “There is no point in exploiting more oil, more mining because the forests can no longer endure abuse. The climate is not negotiable.” — Activist, [03:00]

• First Major Protests at a COP in Years:
  Previous COP summits in Azerbaijan, Egypt, and the UAE were marked by protesters’ fears of detention. In contrast, Brazilian authorities have allowed and even encouraged civil action.

  • Notable Moment:
    “This kind of civil action has been something that has been encouraged somewhat by the Brazilian authorities… There have been two indigenous protests at the conference center itself, one of which did break through the security line.” — Ione Wells, Correspondent, [03:20]

• Key Issues Protesters Want Addressed:

  • Rapid phase-out of fossil fuels.
  • Reparations from wealthy nations or oil/energy companies for climate damages.
  • Implementation (not just promises) of financing for poorer countries’ energy transitions.
  • Enforcing agreed commitments from previous COPs.

• Lingering Questions for Delegates:
  Ione Wells concludes that entering the final week, the pressure is on delegates to explain how previously made promises regarding climate financing and fossil fuel transition will actually be delivered.

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2. Ecuador: Potential Return of US Military Bases

[04:52–08:37]

Key Points

• Ecuador votes in a referendum on whether to amend its constitution to allow foreign military bases, banned since 2009.
• Security context: President Daniel Noboa frames this as crucial to combat the massive surge in drug-related violence.
• The US sees Ecuador as strategically vital due to its extensive Pacific coastline, which is a main route for South American cocaine headed for North America and Europe.
• Environmental Concerns: Talk of a base on the Galapagos Islands draws controversy over potential ecological damage.
• Analyst Luis Fajardo highlights uncertainty over both location and the referendum’s likely outcome.

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3. Mexico: Youth-Led Protests Against Violence and Corruption

[09:33–11:20]

Key Points

• Protests in Mexico City and nationwide reflect rising anger, especially among youth (“Generation Z”), over escalating violence, insecurity, and corruption.

  • Quote:

    “The state is dying.” — Protester, [09:33]

  • Quote:

    “It's a country where you can be murdered and nothing happens.” — Protester, [09:33]

• Recent high-profile killings, including the assassination of anti-crime mayor Carlos Menso, fuel outrage.

• Government claims that these marches are influenced by foreign digital campaigns and political opponents.

• President Scheinbaum resists calls for a new “war on drugs,” citing bloody results of past crackdowns.

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4. Icelandic Language Under Threat

[11:20–13:32]

Key Points & Notable Quote

• Former Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir voices concern that Icelandic is endangered by English's overwhelming digital/social media presence.

  • Quote:

    “When we don’t have the same amount of material in Icelandic, it’s very difficult to compete… We also need to continue to write in Icelandic. You know, I find it more difficult obviously to speak English than Icelandic. We talk differently about weather, and we talk a lot about weather.” — Katrín Jakobsdóttir, [11:55]

• Emphasizes the value of language in identity and the necessity of creating native content to preserve linguistic heritage.

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5. Pakistan: Balochistan Bans Child Marriage

[16:48–19:59]

Key Points

• Balochistan passes legislation banning child marriage (<18 years), with potential 3-year imprisonment for offenders, facilitators, or officials registering illegal marriages.

• Law hailed as “landmark,” particularly in this conservative region.

• Sociocultural impact: Greater opportunity for girls’ education, health, and independence.

  • Quote:

    “For ordinary people, especially for young girls, this means they can have access to education, they can have access to better health... once you get married, all your lifetime opportunities come to an end. So this means a lot for the millions of young girls in Pakistan.” — Ambarasan Ethirajan, [18:54]

• Opposition parties claim the law violates Islamic law, but activists and many citizens view it as vital progress.

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6. Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: Rain Adds to Misery

[19:59–22:18]

Key Points

• Heavy rain causes severe flooding in Gaza, compounding hardship for displaced families living in tents.
• UN and aid workers highlight the inability to deliver adequate shelter due to Israeli restrictions on aid convoys.
  • Quote:

    “Flood prevention requires equipment that is not available in Gaza, including tools to drain waterways... Millions of urgently needed shelter items remain stuck in Jordan, Egypt, and Israel... awaiting approval to enter Gaza.” — UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, [20:26]

  • Quote:

    “People live in tents and makeshifts. They don’t have anything to protect them... What makes it very difficult is that the situation of people in Gaza is fragile and they are not prepared...” — Yusra Abu Shrek, [21:10]

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7. Colombia: Surge in FARC Dissident Attacks

[22:18–25:13]

Key Points

• Over 200 FARC dissidents launch a major attack with drones and explosives on a police station in Mondomo, Cauca province.
• Civilians and infrastructure were caught in the crossfire, police called for reinforcements, and ambulances were blocked.
• Though FARC was officially dissolved, multiple smaller groups remain, conducting operations rooted in drug trafficking and political grievances.
• President Gustavo Petro’s handling of the violence faces criticism; recent airstrikes against rebels resulted in child casualties.

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8. Vatican: Pope Leo XIV Hosts Hollywood

[25:13–27:06]

Key Points & Notable Quotes

• Pope Leo XIV meets Hollywood stars (including Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee) to discuss the role of cinema in inspiring hope and reflecting on humanity’s wounds.

  • Quote:

    “Do not be afraid to confront the world’s wounds. Violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addiction, and forgotten wars are issues that need to be addressed, acknowledged and narrated.” — Pope Leo XIV, [01:50]

  • Quote:

    “Good cinema does not exploit pain. It recognizes and explores it... Giving voice to the complex, contradictory and sometimes dark feelings that dwell in the human heart is an act of love.” — Pope Leo XIV, [26:12]

• The Pope received gifts (including a football jersey and a solidarity bracelet) and emphasized the importance of cinemas as “the beating heart of communities.”

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9. British Pub Quiz Cheating Scandal

[27:06–30:03]

Key Points & Notable Quotes

• The Barking Dog pub in Manchester bans a quiz team after staff catch members using smartwatches to cheat.

• The story gains international attention, and the pub’s creative measures to catch the cheaters are recounted.

  • Quote:

    “We started setting some particularly awkward questions and very difficult songs on the music round and stuff and then they were still getting them right.” — Mark Rackham, Pub Owner, [28:50]

  • Quote:

    “We caught them so solidly well and they couldn’t do anything other than accept it and take themselves off into hiding, I think.” — Mark Rackham, [29:15]

• After the ban, regulars return with greater vigilance ("I didn’t wear my smartwatch because I didn't want to be done"), reflecting the quirky, competitive nature of British pub culture.

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Memorable Quotes

• Climate Activist (COP30):

  “There is no point in exploiting more oil, more mining because the forests can no longer endure abuse. The climate is not negotiable.” — [03:00]

• Katrín Jakobsdóttir (Icelandic language):

  “It's important that we learn other languages too. But we also need to continue to write in Icelandic… It's based on using verbs. We have a certain tradition of descriptions of people. So there are all sorts of differences between languages which makes it so beautiful to study them.” — [12:40]

• Pope Leo XIV (On cinema):

  “Giving voice to the complex, contradictory and sometimes dark feelings that dwell in the human heart is an act of love.” — [26:12]

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Key Timestamps

• COP30 Protests — [02:04–04:52]
• Ecuador Referendum on US Bases — [04:52–08:37]
• Mexico Violence Protests — [09:33–11:20]
• Icelandic Language Threatened — [11:20–13:32]
• Pakistan Child Marriage Law — [16:48–19:59]
• Gaza Flooding Crisis — [19:59–22:18]
• Colombia FARC Violence — [22:18–25:13]
• Vatican & Hollywood — [25:13–27:06]
• Pub Quiz Cheating — [27:06–30:03]

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This episode provides a nuanced global snapshot with thoughtful on-the-ground reporting, direct voices from those affected, and a balance of urgent, heavy news with a lighter cultural close.

Transcript

[Narrator/Host]

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[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

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[Narrator/Host]

Do not be afraid to confront the world's wounds. Violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addiction and forgotten wars are issues that need to be addressed, acknowledged and narrated.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Let's start in Brazil. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Belem on Saturday, where the UN's climate conference COP30 is taking place. Activists converged on the Amazonian host city, urging delegates to take more decisive action in the fight against global warming. As discussions reached the halfway stage, some of the protesters included indigenous Brazilian communities, youth groups and climate activists from around the world. Here's what two of them had to.

[Narrator/Host]

We keep fighting for life. Our struggle is for life, for the life of nature, for the life of the springs, the river sources, so we can have a good planet, a planet that's healthy for everyone.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

I wish world leaders would understand that.

[Narrator/Host]

There is no point in exploiting more oil, more mining because the forests can.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

No longer endure abuse. The climate is not negotiable. The Demonstrations outside the conference hall were among the first major protests at a COP summit in four years. Our correspondent Ione Wells was there.

[Correspondent]

Thousands and thousands of protesters have turned out on the streets of Belem. Some are indigenous groups from both here in Brazil, but also around the world. Others are climate activists getting here to call for various things. As we mark halfway through the COP30 climate summit. Some of the banners and posters here are calling for a more rapid phase out of fossil fuels. Some calling for reparations from richer nations or even from oil companies, energy companies, towards areas that have been damaged by the impacts of climate change. This is actually something which we haven't really seen at COP summits over the last couple of years. The last ones in Azerbaijan, in Egypt, in the United Arab Emirates, protesters were afraid that they may face arrest, even detention if they went out on the streets like this. Here though in Brazil, this kind of civil action has been something that has been encouraged somewhat by the Brazilian authorities. That have been some protests in and around the conference center. There have been two indigenous protests at the conference center itself, one of which did break through the security line. Here though, the main message from people going in to the final week of COP 30 summer negotiations will be how are they actually going to deliver on some of the promises that have been made at previous cops? This includes things like how are richer nations going to finance foreign nations transition away from fossil fuels and how are some of those wealthier nations as well going to move away from fossil fuels in their energy systems? These are things that have been agreed in the past, but now this COP is really about how do they get implemented.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Ione Wells, is Ecuador about to allow U.S. troops on its soil again? Well, that question will be answered as the country votes on Sunday in a referendum to decide whether to change the constitution and allow foreign military bases with which have been banned since 2009. President Daniel Noboa has said such bases are key to fighting organized crime. As Ecuador has become a major drug trafficking hub and the US has launched a military campaign in the region. BBC Monitoring's Latin America expert Luis Fajardo told me more.

[Expert/Analyst]

President Daniel Novo of Ecuador had campaigned basically on the issue of security. Ecuador has been suffering a great deal of drug related violence in the last few years, even though it it had traditionally been one of the more peaceful countries in the region. And the central piece for many people of this referendum is as you mentioned, presenting to the people the option of allowing again US bases in Ecuador. They had been present for a few years, but a few years ago a Leftist government ordered the removal of US bases there and a constitutional prohibition which is now what is being considered for potential repeal during this referendum.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

And why does the US want bases in Ecuador?

[Expert/Analyst]

It is seen as a very important post to try to control drug trafficking. Of course, there has been a lot of recent attention to the US military buildup in the Caribbean, in another coast of South America, as part of what the US describes as a counternarcotics effort there. But however, the fact is that most of the cocaine leaving the area lives from the Pacific Coast. And Ecuador is a crucial point in this drug trafficking. It does not produce a lot of cocaine, but it is next door to Colombia. And a lot of Colombian cocaine uses the Ecuadorian coastline to leave towards markets in North America and eventually in Europe. So it is seen as a very important potential point for the US to try to counter this flow of narcotics leaving South America.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

And something that certainly stood out to me, Luis, about this was where it could be built, this base. Because there was talk about the Galapagos Islands and obviously, of course, they're ecological treasures. What would that mean for the environment if they were built there?

[Expert/Analyst]

Certainly a lot of controversy over that specific point you're mentioning. Of course, Galapagos being a very environmentally sensitive area. It is true that During World War II the United States actually had a military base there. At that time the main issue was trying to exercise surveillance over the area near the Panama Canal, which was of course a very sensitive area. Now, of course it is about drug trafficking. And there is a lot of opposition to any possibility of the bases being actually located there. In Galapagos. There have been many other sites, apparently Manta, which is in the Pacific in the coastline of Ecuador, and a place where the base, where the US base used to be located until 2009 that is talked about as a possible site for the military installations, the US military installations, if they are eventually authorized. So there's a lot of resistance. The Cuadoran Prescott has also been saying that it is not clear that it would eventually be in Galapagos if the bases are finally allowed in Ecuador.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

And is it likely to pass this referendum?

[Expert/Analyst]

Polls say that it is a mixed picture. It is not clear at this point.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

That was Luis Fajardo. Representatives of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwanda backed M23 rebel group have signed a new framework for peace in Eastern Congo. The agreement was signed in Doha following mediation by Qatari officials with support from the US and African Union. David Bamford reports.

[Narrator/Host]

The fighting caused by the M23's resurgence in Eastern Congo has displaced millions of Speaking in Doha, the American Africa envoy Massad Boulos said the framework document covered eight protocols. These include a ceasefire, prisoner releases and ways to ease disputes over resources and ethnic tensions. The agreement does not include any binding commitments. Kinshasa is demanding the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from Congolese territory.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Kigali says this can happen once the.

[Narrator/Host]

Ethnic Hutu FDLR militia that threatens Rwanda is disbanded.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

David Bamford Protesters in Mexico City have been clashing with police in front of the government palace. The rally had been organized by young people angry with the increasing violence, insecurity and corruption in the country. One protester told us the state is dying, while another said it's a country where you can be murdered and nothing happens. Terry Egan reports.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

With a series of high profile killings, Mexicans say security is the country's most pressing issue.

[Narrator/Host]

Protesters kicked and banged on fortified metal barriers surrounding the national palace in Mexico City.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

Security forces have used tear gas to control the crowd.

[Narrator/Host]

People also chanted slogans against President Scheinbaum's party.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

Marches are also being held in other cities.

[Narrator/Host]

Mexico's government says the march is backed by a paid digital campaign from abroad and by opposition and business figures.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

While youth groups known as Generation Z.

[Narrator/Host]

Have been spearheading the rallies, they've also attracted support from other organisations angry about.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

High profile killings, including the murder of.

[Narrator/Host]

The outspoken anti crime mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Menso. The 40 year old was gunned down.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

During a public event earlier this month.

[Narrator/Host]

Shocking the entire nation. He had been demanding tough action against the armed cartel members who terrorize the country. President Scheinbaum has been acting against cartels but resisting calls for another all out war on drugs.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

Previous attempts by her predecessors have ended with bloody results.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Terry Egan next that's one of the most famous poems in Iceland put to music. It's from the 13th century and we're playing it because the former prime minister Katrine Jakob Dotir has told the BBC she's concerned her native language is under threat. She said the 350,000 people who speak Icelandic need to do more to fight for its future.

[Guest/Interviewee]

We have seen radical changes in our society for the last decade or so simply because of new technologies. The younger generation is really surrounded by all sorts of material, mainly in English because English is of course the lingua franca in this part of the world. They're playing video games, they are watching TikTok videos, YouTube stuff, and of course all this is just one click away, so I can absolutely understand that. It's fascinating and it's good that they learn to speak English. However, when we don't have the same amount of material in Icelandic, it's very difficult to compete to preserve the Icelandic language. That's really part of our history, because Iceland used to be part of the kingdom of Denmark, a Danish colony, if you like. And then the Danish language was very influential in Icelandic. So there was quite a movement here in Iceland of those who wanted to preserve the Icelandic language and connected it with our fight for independence. It's important that we learn other languages too. And not least, coming from a small island, we need to understand the rest of the world, but we also need to continue to write in Icelandic. You know, I find it more difficult obviously to speak English than Icelandic. We talk differently about weather, and we talk a lot about weather. We use words a lot in our language. It's based on using verbs. We have a certain tradition of descriptions of people. So there are all sorts of differences between languages which makes it so beautiful to study them.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Katrinyarkob's dot ear still to come on.

[Narrator/Host]

This podcast, we started setting some particularly awkward questions and very difficult songs on the music round and stuff. And then they were still getting them right.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

How to catch a cheat at a pub quiz.

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[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Pakistan has one of the highest number of child brides in the world, more than 19 million. But could that change? The country's province of Baluchistan has passed a new law making child marriages illegal with immediate effect. But opposition politicians tore up copies of the bill as it was tabled claiming it violates Islamic law. Our global affairs correspondent and Barasan Atarajan has been covering the story and he spoke to my colleague Alex Ritson.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

Now this comes after years of campaign by civil society activists, government officials and also various UN agencies. And it is being described as a landmark decision because Balochistan itself is a very conservative province where there have been number of reported cases of child marriages. Those who get married at the age of 14, 15. This creates huge complications and we are talking about millions of people involved in this and the UNICEF says it's one of the highest figures in the world. Now the local government has passed this bill. According to this New law, anyone found to be involved in child marriage marrying any woman below the age of 18, they can be imprisoned up to three years. One, number two, it is also applicable to anyone who is arranging the marriage from the family, anyone who facilitates or even the government officials who register these weddings, they will also face imprisonment as well as fine. And the government officials have been instructed to check the identity cards of both males and females before they can register and solemnize the weddings. So these are the various rules and they are imposing now and also making it illegal with immediate effect because this is causing a huge problem within the society. But it is not without any resistance because opposition parties as well as Islamist parties, they were saying, you know, this was against Islamic law. So that is why there was a lot of opposition.

[Narrator/Host]

This is a prevalent practice. What do ordinary people think of this?

[Reporter/Correspondent]

They see this as a first step towards stopping this practice. Because you need a legal framework. At least you have the law. This previous law was 1929 during the British colonial era. Now, both male and female should be 18 years of age. Now, even though the Pakistani government centrally banned then, each province can have their own laws. Sindh province, for example, passed this about 10 years ago on Islamabad earlier this year. So it takes time even for a conservative country like Pakistan, so that the rules are imposed step by step in various provinces. For ordinary people, especially for young girls, this means they can have access to education, they can have access to better health, they can continue to schools and universities. And many experts point out what kind of psychological and even physical impacts a child marriage is having, especially early pregnancies and then complications related to pregnancies. And then once you get married, all your lifetime opportunities come to an end. So this means a lot for the millions of young girls in Pakistan.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Ambarajan as if the people of Gaza have not faced enough over the last couple of years, they're now having to cope with heavy rain. Over the last 24 hours, the water has got into tents housing displaced Palestinian families, leaving them with soaked bedding and belongings. The United nations spokesperson Stefan Dejarik says that Israeli restrictions on getting supplies into Gaza are hampering ability to help Proper.

[Narrator/Host]

Flood prevention requires equipment that is not available in Gaza, including tools to drain waterways from tents and also to clear solid waste and rubble. Millions of urgently needed shelter items remain stuck in Jordan, in Egypt and Israel as well, awaiting approval to enter Gaza. Since the ceasefire began on October 10, Israeli authorities have rejected 23 requests from nine of our partners to bring in nearly 4,000 pallets of critical supplies, including tents, ceiling and framing kits, bedding, kitchen sets and blankets.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Yusra Aber Shrek is the Gaza Coordinator for the International Network for Aid Relief and Assistance.

[Guest/Interviewee]

We are in the winter season officially in Gaza, but the intensity of rain was not expected to be like this. During the first few minutes of raining, the streets flooded not only with water, but also with sewage, with the clay, with garbage as well because the infrastructure of Gaza Strip is destroyed after two years of bombardment and operation. So it's very bad. People live in tents and makeshifts. They don't have anything to protect them. They didn't receive tents or tarpaulins to prepare for such season and such floods. And what makes it very difficult that the situation of people in Gaza is fragile and they are not prepared not only with tents or the housing, but also with the clothes, the children and elderlies and everyone don't have warmth or heavy clothes to protect them from the weather conditions.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Yusra Abu Sharak in an escalation in Colombia, more than 200 dissidents from the FARC rebel group have used gunfire, drones and explosives to attack a police station. Several officers were wounded and dozens of homes and buildings destroyed in the fighting. Our reporter Mimi Swaby told Alex Ritson.

[Reporter]

More this is a massive attack and one which has shocked the country due to the number of militants. Fighters from a breakaway faction of a mostly disbanded rebel group stormed the town of Mondomo in Cauca that's near to Cali and parts of the Pan American highway are temporarily shut. And that is because militants supposedly blocked the highway using trucks and they also blocked ambulances from trying to respond to the attack by puncturing tires. Police really quickly called for reinforcement and we understand that some officers have barricaded themselves in the police station. So a very scary scene and an eruption of violence which is not uncommon in the Kalka region. This is a kind of traditionally a stronghold for Marxist insurgents and other illegal armed groups and a hotspot for drug cultivation as well, sparking and fueling that violence but on this scale really is something we haven't seen in a while.

[Narrator/Host]

These sound almost like military tactics, but FARC was supposed to have been disbanded. What's going on?

[Reporter]

So the FARC was disbanded under a peace plan after decades long armed conflict. However, we've seen numerous distant groups come from the farc. So these smaller groups have splintered off and created their own kind of ideology and policies and fighting techniques and all of that under kind of former FARC ideology and come training as well. And they have branched off into multiple areas of the country. So like I said, in Cauca, that really is a stronghold for some groups. But also in the Amazon region and further south, there are many areas across the country. And the left wing president Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla fighter himself, has really been criticized for not doing enough to tackle this violence, which is seemingly on the rise.

[Narrator/Host]

Is this about politics or is it more about the drugs trade?

[Reporter]

So Gustavo Petro has recently stepped up military action to try and really squash and contain this violence, including airstrikes. But these airstrikes have also been condemned for sometimes killing innocent civilians. We saw this week alone that six children who are said to be victims of forced recruitment were killed in an anti guerrilla strike in the southern Amazon region. But it's also part of pressure Colombia is facing from the US to crack down on drug trade. So yes, it is politics trying to kind of stop violence as it's terrorizing many communities, just like in Mondomo that we saw this attack on the police station. But it does all come down to drug trafficking, drug trading and groups fighting over control and against the government.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Mimi Swaby Pope Leo has hosted some of Hollywood's biggest stars at the Vatican, describing them as pilgrims of the imagination. The Pope said films make a valuable contribution in reflecting humanity and in the inspiring Hope. And that his favourites are the Sound of Music, Nuns, of course, and It's a Wonderful Life. Our correspondent Sarah Rainsford sent this report. This was a first for the Vatican, a Pope hosting a celebrity crowd from the world of cinema. Beneath the stunning frescoes of the Clementine hall, film stars and directors from Italy itself. And from Hollywood, Cate Blanchett, Spike Lee, Monica Bellucci. Just some of the names from a long cast list. Here to meet the first American Pope. Leo XIV told his guests that cinema had great power to bring hope and to entertain. But he urged them not to shy away from what he called the world's wounds.

[Narrator/Host]

Good cinema does not exploit pain. It recognizes and explores it. This is what all the great directors have done. Giving voice to the complex, contradictory and sometimes dark feelings that dwell in the human heart is an act of love.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

There was a round of applause as he warned against cinemas closing around the world, calling them the beating heart of communities. Then came the individual greetings and the gifts.

[Narrator/Host]

I gave the Pope, a nearby Nick Jersey. He's the 14th pope, so is number 14.

[Expert/Analyst]

This is the first time probably the.

[Narrator/Host]

Hope has ever talked about cinema.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

So it was very uplifting.

[Correspondent]

It was a bracelet that was I.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Wear in solidarity with people who are displaced. His Holiness words today were a Real charge not to shy away from difficult, painful stories.

[Correspondent]

And he was talking about tears that.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Often people are unable to shared in their everyday life as well as laughter. You know that often happens in the cinema. Leo XIV is still stamping his mark on the papacy, but six months in, he is clearly keen to engage. And today from Hollywood, this was a sprinkling of stardust. Sarah Rainsford. Finally, no one likes a cheat, especially when it might cost you money or drinks at the bar. Now one pub in the north of England has banned a team from taking part in their weekly quiz. And after catching them not playing fair. And the story has spread around the world. The newsroom's pub regular David Lewis has this report.

[Narrator/Host]

It's a curiously British night out. Test your trivia, show off your jam packed facts to your mates or date and if you get lucky, win some cash. The Great British Pub quiz has been a staple of entertainment and a way to get the punters in and drinking for generations. But honesty is the byword. Don't know the capital of Cambodia, Avoid looking it up on your phone. Unsure how many actors have played James Bond? Do not ring your roommate to find out. Now one public house, the Barking Dog in Manchester has had enough. After the same team kept winning and claiming a pound 30 bar tab, that's about $40, awkward questions were asked. Who were these brainiacs? How did they do it? Was something afoot and it was impacting too. Some regulars gave up and turned it down, costing cash at the bar. And then a clue. Bosses at the boozer received a tip off. An anonymous source told the team what to look for. Then boom. Staff spotted contestants on one table mumbling into their smartwatches. Answers sought, illicit info received. Mark Rackham, who owns the pub, told BBC Manchester how the trap was set. We started setting some particularly awkward questions and very difficult songs on the music round and stuff and then they were still getting them right.

[Reporter/Correspondent]

What were they like when you actually said, listen, I don't think you're allowed.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

Here anymore because we think you're cheating?

[Narrator/Host]

Bang to rights is the phrase that springs to mind. We caught them so solidly well and they couldn't do anything other than accept it and take themselves off into hiding. I think. Now the story of the eggheads poached has spread. Reporters from as far as Australia, New Zealand and Canada have been in touch and covered the story. But the show must go on. A journalist from the BBC popped into the pub for this week's quiz. Seventeen teams took part. But the scandal looms large. One returning quiz goer Jack was taking extra precautions. I didn't wear my smartwatch because I didn't want to be done, he said. Teammate Grace admitted she felt blindsided by the alleged cheats. We just thought at first they were incredibly intelligent, she said.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

That was David Lewis. And that's all from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co uk. You can also find us on x@bb abc world service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. This edition was mixed by Rebecca Miller. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Charlotte Gallagher. Until next time. Goodbye. This is the story of the One as head of maintenance at a concert hall, he knows the show must always go on. That's why he works behind the scenes.

[Narrator/Host]

Ensuring every light is working, the H Vac is humming, and his facility shines.

[BBC Presenter/Reporter]

With Grainger's supplies and solutions for every challenge he faces. Plus 24. 7 customer support. His venue never misses a beat. Call quickgranger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.