Russian general dies in Moscow explosion

Summary

Global News Podcast (BBC World Service)

Episode: Russian general dies in Moscow explosion

Date: December 22, 2025

Host: Celia Hatton

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Episode Overview

This episode covers a range of major global news stories with a focus on breaking developments and deeper analysis:

• The killing of a senior Russian general in a car bomb attack in Moscow, with discussion on its implications for the war with Ukraine.
• Ongoing border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, and the complexities behind recent failed peace negotiations.
• A sweeping cybercrime crackdown across Africa, resulting in hundreds of arrests.
• An Indonesian climate lawsuit against Swiss cement giant Holcim.
• Personal stories from Ukrainian soldiers at the front, buoyed by a global Secret Santa initiative.
• Economic insights on record gold prices and the impact of trade wars, leading to the Jim Beam distillery shutdown.
• Celebrating the centenary of Winnie the Pooh.

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Key Stories and Insights

1. Russian General Killed in Moscow Explosion

[01:36–05:56]

• Incident Details:

  • Lt. Gen. Fanil Salavadov, head of Russia's Operational Training Department, died after a car bomb explosion in Moscow.
  • A neighbor described panic and confusion:

    “I saw policemen, firefighters and ambulances arriving. I thought somebody needed help so I went outside and asked the neighbors…” – Eyewitness (02:43)

  • Investigation is ongoing, with Russian authorities quickly blaming Ukrainian intelligence, though other scenarios are being considered.

• Context and Analysis:

  • This is the third high-ranking Russian general killed by explosions inside Russia within a year, as noted by Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg, who visited the crime scene.
  • The incident reflects how the conflict with Ukraine "has sort of come to the Russian capital." – Steve Rosenberg (03:50)
  • Possible motivations: to damage the Russian military leadership or demonstrate Ukraine's reach.
  • Rosenberg points to parallels with previous assassinations, such as that of Gen. Igor Kirillov.

• Quote:

  “We’re now almost four years into Russia’s war in Ukraine. And in a sense, the war has sort of come to the Russian capital.”
  — Steve Rosenberg (03:50)

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2. Thailand–Cambodia Border Conflict: Failed Peace and Renewed Talks

[05:56–08:21]

• Peace Deal Unravels:

  • Recent fighting continues despite an October peace deal, brokered alongside Donald Trump.
  • Thailand’s foreign minister criticized the rushed nature of the original agreement, suggesting it was orchestrated to accommodate Trump's schedule.

• Diplomatic Dynamics:

  • Thailand openly rebuffed Trump’s claim of brokering a ceasefire.
  • The two nations will return to talks under the bilateral General Border Commission.

• ASEAN Implications:

  • The situation is unprecedented in ASEAN’s 58-year history.
  • Thailand’s actions are seen as undermining the organization’s tradition of peaceful dispute resolution.

• Quote:

  “The Thais were very unhappy with it...Thailand will start to scale down. The Thai military has gained small amounts of territory but significant advantage.”
  — Jonathan Head (07:25)

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3. Massive Cybercrime Crackdown Across Africa

[08:21–11:27]

• Operation Sentinel:

  • Interpol-coordinated action spanned 19 countries, resulting in nearly 600 arrests and millions of dollars recovered.

• Types of Crimes:

  • Business email compromise, digital extortion, and ransomware were the main focus areas.
  • A highlighted case involved a fraud network mimicking fast-food brands, defrauding over 200 victims of $400,000 (Ghana–Nigeria).

• Impact:

  • Cybercrime now comprises an estimated 30% of reported crimes in East and West Africa.
  • Operations and cases were reported in Senegal, South Africa, Benin, and more.

• Quote:

  “Cybercrime...accounts for what they estimate to be 30% of all reported crimes in east and West Africa. And so it’s something that they’re taking very seriously.”
  — Mayeni Jones (09:56)

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4. Indonesian Islanders Take on Swiss Cement Giant over Climate Change

[11:27–15:56]

• Landmark Case:

  • Four Indonesian islanders are suing Holcim in Switzerland, blaming its emissions for raising sea levels and damaging livelihoods.

• Industry’s Role:

  • “Cement production could be up to about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. So it's a huge, huge contributor.”
    — Isabella Kaminski (12:19)

• Legal Challenge:

  • Plaintiffs must prove a causal chain from Holcim’s emissions to local climate impacts.
  • Holcim argues the case is a matter for policymakers, not courts, and that its emissions are only a small part of the global total.

• Outlook:

  • Even sympathetic courts elsewhere have not held companies directly liable, but legal momentum may be shifting.

• Quote:

  “These cases are slow...But they can help to draw attention to the problem. And perhaps one day they can help people who need the compensation for real, tangible changes.”
  — Isabella Kaminski (15:38)

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5. Ukraine War: Frontline Morale Boosted by Secret Santa Scheme

[18:32–22:30]

• Personal Stories from the War Zone:

  • Ukrainian soldiers receive gifts from a global Secret Santa program, lifting morale during the fourth wartime Christmas.

  • Arslan, the founder, shared the emotional toll on civilians and soldiers:

    “People are tired. If we are tired, so how tired are the soldiers? But this is the main reason we should do so.”
    — Arslan, founder (19:51)

  • Irina, a Kyiv resident, buys practical gifts for a soldier:

    “He just wrote that he wants something warm...I hope that it will help someone to survive.”
    — Irina (20:48, 21:22)

  • Vlad, a soldier in Donbass, notes the tangible emotional support:

    “Presents from Secret Santa are something that lift troops spirits. So of course we're waiting for our gifts.”
    — Vlad (21:55)

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6. Record Gold Prices and Economic Uncertainty

[22:30–24:44]

• Surge in Gold (and Silver) Prices:

  • Gold hit over $4,420/oz, a 68% rise in the past year – the largest since 1979.
  • Silver is up 138%, due to both safe-haven demand and industrial use.

• Reasons:

  • Lower US interest rates, poor returns on other assets, global economic pessimism, geopolitical risks (including Venezuela blockade, US-China rivalry), and central bank purchases.

• Quote:
  > “At times of uncertainty, gold is seen as a solid and stable asset. You can hold it, you can put it in your vaults. Its value doesn't tend to decline long term.”
  — Theo Leggett (23:17)

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7. Jim Beam Distillery Halts Production amid Trade War

[24:44–28:36]

• Shutdown Causes:

  • American whiskey giant Jim Beam will halt its main distillery in Kentucky for 2026, citing trade uncertainty from Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada.
  • Lowered whiskey sales also tied to Canadian boycotts and high domestic taxes.

• Broader Fallout:

  • The complex process of planning multi-year alcohol production is upended by tariff unpredictability.
  • Similar disruption seen in automaking and other industries requiring long-term planning.

• Quote:
  > “One of the reasons is tariffs and the trade war... But we're also still living in a cost of living crisis. Prices are still high and...people, consumers are pulling back on spending on things like alcohol.”
  — Siranjara Tiwari (25:57)

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8. Winnie the Pooh Turns 100

[28:36–31:54]

• Centenary of A.A. Milne’s Beloved Character:

  • Original “Winnie the Pooh and the Bees” story published on Christmas Eve 1925 in London’s Evening News and broadcast on the BBC the following day.
  • Alan Bennett reads a passage – “These are the wrong sort of bees.”

• Universal Appeal:

  • Winnie the Pooh continues to enjoy global popularity:

    “Sales of Winnie the Pooh books are 60% up on last year. Harper Collins new centenary editions are walking off the shelves like hot lamingtons. It’s absolutely extraordinary...”
    — Frank Cottrell Boyce (31:12)

  • The books’ themes of innocence, kindness, and identity resonate internationally, transcending their English roots.

• Quote:

  “Are you a miserable Eeyore, are you a too bouncy Tigger, or are you a Pooh? Pooh is more complicated than all of them...But Pooh is easy to identify with.”
  — Frank Cottrell Boyce and Mayeni Jones (30:50–30:58)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote (abridged for clarity) | |------------|------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:50 | Steve Rosenberg | "The war has sort of come to the Russian capital." | | 07:25 | Jonathan Head | “The Thais were very unhappy...Thailand will start to scale down. The military has gained small amounts of territory.”| | 09:56 | Mayeni Jones | "Cybercrime...accounts for what they estimate to be 30% of all reported crimes in east and West Africa." | | 12:19 | Isabella Kaminski| "Cement production could be up to about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions." | | 15:38 | Isabella Kaminski| "These cases are slow...But they can help to draw attention to the problem." | | 19:51 | Arslan | "People are tired. If we are tired, so how tired are the soldiers?" | | 21:55 | Vlad (soldier) | "Presents from Secret Santa...lift troops spirits. So of course we're waiting for our gifts." | | 23:17 | Theo Leggett | "At times of uncertainty, gold is seen as a solid and stable asset." | | 25:57 | Siranjara Tiwari | "Tariffs and the trade war...people, consumers are pulling back on spending on things like alcohol." | | 31:12 | Frank C. Boyce | "Sales of Winnie the Pooh books are 60% up on last year...absolutely extraordinary." |

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Episode Tone & Style

• Matter-of-fact, urgent, but human and empathetic, especially in features like the Ukrainian Secret Santa segment and the Winnie the Pooh celebration.
• Analytical and insightful, particularly in the business and political discussions.
• Accessible and global in perspective, aiming to inform listeners quickly and clearly on key international issues.

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For further listening and updates, search for “BBC News Global News Podcast” on your preferred platform or visit bbc.co.uk.

Transcript

[Celia Hatton]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

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[Celia Hatton]

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Celia Hatton and at 16 hours GMT on Monday 22nd December. These are our main stories. A top Russian general is killed in an explosion in Moscow. Cambodia and Thailand head back to the negotiating table months after signing a failed peace deal alongside Donald Trump. And nearly 600 people are arrested across Africa in a cybercrime investigation. Also in this podcast.

[Toby Luckhurst]

Videos posted online show Ukrainian soldiers, battle hardened men in well worn uniforms tearing into presents and.

[Celia Hatton]

Beaming with joy, bringing some Christmas cheer to the front lines in Ukraine. And the residents of a small Indonesian island seek justice for climate change starting in the Russian capital. Officials in Moscow say a Russian general has been killed in a car bomb explosion. These people live nearby.

[Isabella Kaminski]

I woke up and panicked.

[Celia Hatton]

I saw policemen, firefighters and ambulances arriving. I thought somebody needed help so I went outside and asked the neighbors if.

[Ad Voice]

They needed any assistance.

[Celia Hatton]

It was frightening at first. I thought a shahed or some other Ukrainian drone had been shot down. I started reading the news, but there was no information about the incident. So I only learned about it this morning.

Lt. Gen. Fanila Salvorov headed Russia's Operational Training Department. And the Kremlin has been quick to point the finger at Ukraine. Svetlana Petrenko is a spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee.

[Alan Bennett]

The inspection of the scene is ongoing.

[Celia Hatton]

Eyewitnesses are being questioned and security camera.

[Alan Bennett]

Footage is being reviewed. Various versions of the killing are being examined, one of which involves the possible role of Ukrainian intelligence services in organizing the crime.

[Celia Hatton]

Moscow has blamed Kyiv for the death of two other senior generals who've died in explosions inside Russia in the past 12 months. We heard more from our Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg.

[Steve Rosenberg]

Well, first of all, let me say I went down to the scene of the explosion this morning and the, the wreckage, the mangled wreckage of, of the car is still there, hasn't been taken away. Investigators say that early this morning, just before 07:00 local time, a bomb which had been concealed under the vehicle was detonated. Lt. Gen. Fanil Salavadov was inside the car. He was badly wounded. He later died of his injuries. And this is the third Russian general to have been killed in the last 12 months. So we're getting used to hearing things like this happening. So to an extent, a sense of shock. However, as I say, these attacks have happened before, and we're now almost four years into Russia's war in Ukraine. And in a sense, the war has sort of come to the Russian capital.

[Celia Hatton]

I mean, assuming it really is Ukraine behind this, is this an attempt to do some damage to the Russian military? Are these generals really quite important, or is this just a flex from Ukraine to show how far Ukrainians can penetrate inside Russia?

[Steve Rosenberg]

Well, possibly both. I mean, Lieutenant General Salvadorov was a, you know, a senior figure. If you're the head of the Operational Training Directorate of the, the General Staff of the Russian Armed forces. And that's, that's a pretty senior role. I mean, that particular part of the Russian military deals in combat training, readiness for operations, and things like that. So it would be a sign. I remember a year ago when General Igor Kirillov was killed walking out of his apartment block in Moscow. A bomb had been hidden in an electric scooter that exploded back then. There were sources in Ukraine that claimed that Kyiv was behind that attack. So I think the Russians strongly suspect there is a Ukrainian link here. But investigators publicly are saying they're examining different theories, including that the Ukrainian secret services may have been behind this.

[Celia Hatton]

Steve Rosenberg in Moscow. Let's go to the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia now. Fighting's been continuing there even though the two sides signed a peace agreement alongside Donald Trump in October. And now Thailand's foreign minister has said that pact was rushed through by White House officials so that it could be signed by President Trump when he visited the region. That admission, just as the two sides say they're going to meet for a fresh round of talks, a Southeast Asia correspondent is Jonathan Head. I asked him how much stock we should put into this next round of negotiations when we've just heard the reported situation around that last deal that was signed.

Well, I think the Thais know that they've got to stop at some point. I think what's been more surprising is that Thailand has been willing to ignore Donald Trump's pressure completely. I mean, they've snubbed him. He claimed to have got a ceasefire a week ago. And the Thai said, that's absolutely not true. They said they don't have to listen to anyone. As you heard, the Thai Foreign Minister Sysak has just effectively reprimanded the Americans in his very polite diplomatic way. He's a very diplomatic man for rushing the big announcement they made in Kuala Lumpur. We all knew when we covered that it was being done for show for President Trump that the Thais were very unhappy with it. And in effect, what the foreign Minister is saying is we will do it in our own time, but there will be this meeting between the commanders, the military commanders on both sides under what's called the General Border Commission. This is an already established bilateral process where they can sit down actually on the border and start working out their differences. And I think that will be the point at which Thailand will start to scale down. The Thai military has gained small amounts of territory, but given itself significant advantages up on the sort of mountainous northern border of Cambodia, it's pushed Cambodian forces back. It's inflicted really quite a lot of damage on Cambodian infrastructure. If the Thai intention was, and we've kind of heard that sentiment from some of its military commanders to teach Cambodia a lesson for in its, its view, for failing to observe the previous ceasefire, I think they probably figure they've reached that stage. But this, you know, this is pretty profound stuff for ASEAN. I mean, in 58 years of history, ASEAN member states have never fought each other like this before. The whole organization is built on the premise that you manage your differences peacefully. And they've done it for 58 years. So the ties in particular with this rather aggressive approach in this round of fighting have really gone against that ASE spirit.

Jonathan Head Cybercrime, in which criminals target individuals or companies, is a growing problem across Africa. Often it's done by sending malicious links and emails or text messages. Now, a huge police operation codenamed Operation Sentinel across several African countries has led to nearly 600 arrests and the recovery of millions of dollars. Our correspondent in Johannesburg, Mayeni Jones, told us more about it.

[Mayeni Jones]

It was coordinated by Interpol, which is the international policing organization. And it involves 19 African countries that range from kind of South Africa, which is the continent's most industrial countries, to less developed countries like South Sudan, the drc, Republic of the Congo. And basically they focus on three main areas. So one of them is what they call business email compromise, when somebody kind of impersonates a senior person at a company and tries to get employees at that company to wire money or share sensitive information. They also looked at digital extortion and ransomware, which is when some software is deployed to an organization's computer system, locking them out, and then you have to pay them, pay the criminals money in order to get access to your system again. And the reason why they focus on those three areas is because these were identified by Interpol as being the kind of biggest growing threats across the continent.

[Celia Hatton]

So can you tell us more about that? It sounds like Interpol's dedicating a lot of resources to tackling cybercrime in Africa. How serious a problem is it?

[Mayeni Jones]

Yeah, they say that it's a really big growing problem in Africa, that it accounts for what they estimate to be 30% of all reported crimes in east and West Africa. And so it's something that they're taking very seriously. And also by its very nature, cybercrime, you know, it doesn't just affect people on the continent, it could affect people all over the world. So in their rationale, they kind of say we need to kind of coordinate agencies, policing agencies across the continent and beyond if we're going to try and stop these crime from being carried out.

[Celia Hatton]

And what countries specifically are really involved in this? Or where are these, where are these operations really located?

[Mayeni Jones]

So, yeah, it's a really wide range of countries. So, for example, they've given a few examples of some of the issues that they tackled. There was one that was a kind of a cyber fraud network that was operating between Ghana and Nigeria. And apparently they managed to defraud more than 200 victims and, you know, steal over US$400,000. And basically what they would do is they would mimic, well known fast food brands. They would collect payments from users thinking that they're ordering their fast food, but then the orders would never come. And so 10 suspects were arrested in that case in Ghana, and They said over 100 digital devices were seized. So that's one example. But they've also tackled cybercrime in Senegal, in South Africa, in Benin Republic. So it's kind of spread all around the continent and it show just how widespread this problem is becoming.

[Celia Hatton]

Miami Jones in Johannesburg. And you can hear more on that story with Miami and me on YouTube. Just search for BBC News, click on the logo, then choose Podcasts and Global News Podcast. There's a new story available every weekday. Now, what can we do about the effects of climate change, especially in those places which are most vulnerable? One answer in recent years has been to try to take those deemed responsible to court. And today, in what could be a landmark case, a court in Switzerland has said it will hear a case in which four residents of an island in Indonesia are taking against the Swiss cement company Holcim. Isabella Kaminski is a climate change journalist who's following the case. My colleague Tim Franks asked her why the islanders are targeting a cement manufacturer.

[Isabella Kaminski]

The cement industry is a huge driver of climate change. It's a very, very carbon intensive process. And that's from two reasons. The way you gather your materials, mainly limestone, and put them in huge kilns which are treated to really high temperatures. And that heating is usually done using fossil fuels. So that releases emissions. But on top of that, the chemical reaction that takes place inside also releases carbon dioxide. And so estimates vary, but some of them suggest that cement production could be up to about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. So it's a huge, huge contributor.

[Celia Hatton]

I can understand it's an unarguable case as far as scientists are concerned, that man made climate change is leading to terrible effects on people's lives right now. And this is an island in Indonesia which is suffering and is at greater risk. But is it clear what legal hurdles the plaintiffs will need to surmount to prove that this particular Swiss cement company is responsible for the misery that awaits them?

[Isabella Kaminski]

They have to prove a chain of causation between the Swiss company's actions and the consequences on their island of flooding, of rising sea levels and all the other impacts they're going to have? And they're doing that by saying, look, Ho Chi has generated this amount of greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are a certain proportion of global emissions that has contributed to climate change. And climate change is what is affecting US and they've got a growing body of evidence to be able to back up those claims. Now, various people have tried to make that case in court, but no one's yet succeeded. So we don't know yet if a court will buy that argument. But we know that there have been several legal cases in other countries where courts have shown themselves to be quite sympathetic to the principle and suggested that the reasoning is pretty sound.

[Celia Hatton]

In addition to seeking damages, I understand that the plaintiffs are demanding a greater reduction in the company's greenhouse gas emissions. I mean, Holsim has given us a statement today saying that it's fully committed to reaching net zero zero by 2050 and it's shown its commitment over the last two decades. Presumably that is going to be central to their arguments, although in fact, I think they're also appealing against whether it is an admissible case.

[Isabella Kaminski]

I'm sure the courts will be looking at their track record and their commitments, but that isn't really what's central to this case in court. What Hortense has been arguing. Firstly, it says it doesn't think this is a matter for the courts, that it's really up to politicians to legislate on this issue, which many other companies have argued as well. But in court it's been saying if it were forced to cut emissions, then other companies would just come in, fill that market gap and overall emissions wouldn't go down and that actually its emissions are a small drop in the ocean. We know that other courts have roundly rejected that in several cases and said actually even the smallest contributor is part of the bigger problem and you can't just brush that away. How they'll deal with companies broader commitments is yet to be seen.

[Celia Hatton]

I know those subject to the predations of climate change say it's urgent, but from what I understand, it took three years even for the court in Switzerland to decide that it was going to take on this case. So presumably there's unlikely to be any rapid conclusion to it.

[Isabella Kaminski]

That's absolutely true. These cases are slow. They're not a substitute for policy and change on the ground. But they can help to draw attention to the problem. And perhaps one day they can help people who need the compensation for real, tangible changes which are being made to their lives in negative ways.

[Celia Hatton]

Environment and climate change journalist Isabella Kaminski still to come in this podcast, I've.

[Alan Bennett]

Just been thinking and I've come to.

[Steve Rosenberg]

A very important decision. These are the wrong sort of bees.

[Celia Hatton]

A very special bear. Winnie the pooh turns 100. Hi, I'm Cindy Crawford and I'm the.

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[Celia Hatton]

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[Celia Hatton]

This is the Global News Podcast. Despite back and forth diplomacy in recent weeks aimed at halting Russia's war on Ukraine, there's no sign of the conflict ending and Ukrainian troops are about to spend a fourth Christmas on the front line. So to boost the mood, many Ukrainians and people elsewhere are taking part in a Secret Santa scheme allowing people to send and gifts to soldiers. Toby Luckhurst reports from Kyiv.

[Toby Luckhurst]

Videos posted online by the Secret Santa scheme show Ukrainian soldiers battle hardened men in well worn uniforms tearing into presents and beaming with joy, You can see how much these presents mean to them. The scheme was the brainchild of Arslan, a 27 year old living in Kyiv. He started the program in 2022, the first year of Russia's full scale invasion. It's now gone international, with people in more than 30 countries organizing gifts for Ukrainian soldiers. People can sign up for the scheme through a telegram chat bot, and they're then matched up with someone at the front who will receive the gifts. But Arsan admits it's getting tougher to find people willing to take part.

[Steve Rosenberg]

Every year the situation is going a little bit harder because emotionally people are tired and I need to do more marketing things.

[Toby Luckhurst]

People are tired?

[Steve Rosenberg]

Yeah, yeah. And not just people. If we are tired, so how tired are the soldiers? But this is the main reason we should do so. Rare and frontline are all together to win this war.

[Toby Luckhurst]

Well, it's not the first place I would come if I were buying a Secret Santa gift. It's a mountain and outdoor supply shop in the north of Kyiv in the Oberlon district, surrounded by boots, wet weather gear, tents. We've come here with Irena, who's taking part in the Secret Santa program. She's been matched with a soldier, and she's come here to buy him something he could really use.

[Isabella Kaminski]

My defender also soldier. His name is I.

[Celia Hatton]

He just wrote that he wants something warm.

[Toby Luckhurst]

The shop assistants here are all very helpful. All of their husbands are serving at the front, so they get regular feedback on what's best to keep people warm and dry. And it turns out I can be quite helpful too.

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[Celia Hatton]

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[Toby Luckhurst]

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[Celia Hatton]

Why not?

[Toby Luckhurst]

Irina says she plans to add in some coffee, sweet sweets and a power bank to her Secret Santa gift. But the clothes are the most important part.

[Celia Hatton]

I hope that it will help someone to survive.

[Toby Luckhurst]

To find out how soldiers view these gifts, we spoke to Vlad, currently serving in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region, the main focus of Russia's invasion. He and his unit have taken part in the Secret Santa program twice already. He says, with things tougher than ever now on the battlefield, gifts like these can be a vital boost.

[Celia Hatton]

The state of morale is tough now.

[Alan Bennett]

The enemy's pushing us from all sides. Presents from Secret Santa are something that lift troops spirits. So of course we're waiting for our gifts.

[Toby Luckhurst]

He's worried it'll be a rough Christmas. He says the Russians always try to disrupt Holidays with attacks so the troops can never really relax. But Vlad insists he's not just going to receive gifts, he's sending some home too.

[Celia Hatton]

Of course, I'm buying my family something. How can I leave my girls without any gifts? For the new year, I'm planning to give my wife a chain and my daughter little earrings.

Toby Luckhurst In Kiev, it's been a theme of 2025, gold hitting record prices. And it's just happened again. So is this a sign that the world is on tens hawks waiting for a possible banking collapse or something more innocuous? Our business correspondent is Theo Leggett.

[Alan Bennett]

Well, Celia, the latest record was a little above $4,420 an ounce. That's 68% higher than the price at this time last year. And that's the biggest annual increase since 1979. So that gives you an idea of just where gold has been going this year. And there's a lot behind it. There are immediate factors and there are longer term factors. So the immediate factors, gold's price tends to rise. People move into gold when other assets like shares and bonds aren't performing well or aren't likely to perform well. And that's part of the context here. The United States has just cut interest rates. Further cuts are expected next year. That reduces the comparative disadvantage over gold, which obviously doesn't pay you a return. There's wider economic pessimism which the interest rate cuts are linked to, which suggests that companies won't be making some such good profits in the coming months and therefore returns on shares won't be as strong. And of course there's all the geopolitical uncertainty that we've got at the moment, most recently the blockade on Venezuela, but also the conflict in Ukraine, the ongoing rivalry between the US and China, uncertainty over US trade policy. I could go on. But times of uncertainty, gold is seen as a solid and stable asset. You can hold it, you can put it in your vaults. Its value doesn't tend to decline long term. So you've got that. So all of that has been helping to push the up the gold price. But it's not the only thing. The other thing that's been going on for a few years now is central banks around the world have been buying gold and they've been buying gold potentially because they're worried about assets being frozen by sanctions and that kind of thing. So Russia and China are among some of the biggest buyers of gold. And when you have a relatively finite supply, which we have with gold, if central banks buy up a Lot of it. There's less to go around for everyone else. So when everyone else moves into gold, there is a shortage and the price goes up. And that's what we've been seeing over the past year.

[Celia Hatton]

Okay, so a lot of play when it comes to gold. A lot of things coming into play there. What about other precious metals?

[Alan Bennett]

Well, silver has also been rocketing. In fact, I think the price of silver is up about 138% over the past year. And that again, part of it is it's a solid and stable asset. It's a commodity that you can move into when other assets aren't doing as well. But there are also a number of industrial uses of, of precious metals as well. And when you get the combination, this is what appears to be happening with silver of increased industrial usage plus people moving into it as a relatively safe asset, then again, the price will go up.

[Celia Hatton]

Theo Leggett. Well, as Theo mentioned, the global economy faces increasing uncertainty. Even big brands with decades of success behind them are feeling the pinch. One of them, the American whiskey maker Jim Beam, says it's going to stop producing bourbon at its main distillery for all of next year. That decision comes in the midst of President Donald Trump's trade war with Canada, which has contributed to a significant decline in sales of American alcohol across the border. Siranjara Tiwari is our business correspondent and she tells us what else led to the decision.

[Siranjara Tiwari]

There's a few things at play, but it does seem that Jim Beam, which is one of the largest makers of American whiskey globally, is one of the casualties of Donald Trump Trump's trade war. Now, the distiller has said that uncertainty over trade, the inability to plan its business has impacted its own business and operations. And that's one of the reasons it's pausing production for the next year at its main distillery in Kentucky. Now, there are other things as well. Like, for example, this whiskey is made in barrels and there is basically an oversupply of these barrels in the state of Kentucky. And they are taxed at a higher rate the older they get. So when you think about aged whiskey, they actually become more valuable the longer they stay. But one of the reasons there is this oversupply is because of lower sales. People just aren't buying whiskey. Now, one of the reasons, yes, again, is tariffs and the trade war, it's impacted demand and people's ability or desire to spend money on things like alcohol. But we're also still living in a cost of living crisis. Prices are still high and there therefore, again, people, consumers are Pulling back on spending on things like alcohol.

[Celia Hatton]

Ok, so can you give us a rundown, then? These big brands, what kinds of tariffs are they facing at the moment?

[Steve Rosenberg]

Yeah.

[Siranjara Tiwari]

So what's happened with Donald Trump's trade war ever since he announced those Liberation Day tariffs back in April, is all these countries and negotiators have been trying to bash out some sort of deal to agree on a tariff. But in the meantime, these businesses, they're not able to plan their next year or their following year supply. And some industries, like, you know, distilleries and alcohol makers, which take. The production process takes years. Also automakers, plane makers, all these manufacturers, they have to plan years in advance. So all of this uncertainty has just caused this chaos. But there's another thing really affecting this industry, liquor, and that's the sort of spats between particular countries. For example, the US and Canada, they've had a big trade spat. And in response, many Canadians decided to boycott American liquor in protest. And some provinces are still banning American liquor from their shops. That's having a big impact on sales for America, which is Canada's biggest trading partner, Siranjara Tawari.

[Celia Hatton]

And last, it's almost a century since the publication of A.A. milne's first story to mention Winnie the Pooh, a short story about a bear who likes honey and the wrong sort of bees. Here's part of that story read by the playwright Alan Bennett.

[Alan Bennett]

I've just been thinking and I've come.

[Steve Rosenberg]

To a very important decision. These are the wrong sort of bees, are they? Quite the wrong sort. So I think I shall come down. How? Asked Christopher Robin. Winnie the Pooh hadn't thought about this. If he let go of the string, he would fall bump. And he didn't like the idea of that.

[Celia Hatton]

Children's author Frank Cottrell Boyce and the writer James Campbell have been speaking to Nick Robinson about how the first story came to be published.

[Frank Cottrell Boyce]

It was essentially a teaser after the huge success of the first Winnie the Pooh book. When we were very young in 1924, they'd hoped to bring out the Winnie the pooh book in 1925, but there were various delays. Evening News, which was then London's largest circulation paper, offered to print a story, Winnie the Pooh and the Bees, as Alan Bennett was beautifully reading. Was the story chosen and it made a really big splash. It was right across the Evening News on Christmas eve. So in two days time, Christmas Eve 1925, and then repeated the following day, the BBC, then of course the British Broadcasting Company, an independent company, as it was in those days broadcast the to all of its listeners on the Home Service on Christmas Day afternoon. So it was a really big splash. It was equivalent to perhaps one of the Harry Potter launches today. And it really set the scene. And of course, it was the first story where the name Winnie the Pooh appears, although the bear had appeared in When We Were Very Young, under the name of Teddy Bear. This is the first name and we.

[Celia Hatton]

Have loved the bear, but all the other characters ever since Frank. I mean, Winnie the Pooh is one of those things, like you've already mentioned.

[Frank Cottrell Boyce]

Harry Potter, where you could be a Gryffindor or a Ravenclaw or whatever.

[Mayeni Jones]

And I think the same with Little Women.

[Frank Cottrell Boyce]

People decide whether they're Meg or they're.

[Mayeni Jones]

Joe or the Beatles.

[Frank Cottrell Boyce]

You decide whether you're John or you're Paul. It offers this sort of range of options. Are you a miserable Eeyore, Are you.

[Celia Hatton]

A too bouncy Tigger, or are you a poo?

[Frank Cottrell Boyce]

Poo is more complicated than all of them.

[Mayeni Jones]

But Pooh is easy to identify with.

[Frank Cottrell Boyce]

He's called the bear with very little brain.

[Mayeni Jones]

But he's often solving problems. He's actually quite clever.

[Celia Hatton]

What's fascinating, James Campbell, is that it crosses cultures, doesn't it?

[Steve Rosenberg]

It's.

[Celia Hatton]

When you first read it, it's very, very English. But it isn't in its appeal, is it?

[Frank Cottrell Boyce]

Absolutely not. And interestingly, I'm talking to you today from Australia and I've been in Singapore a few weeks ago and I was absolutely fascinated by how much Winnie the Pooh material is on display, is up for sale here in Australia. Sales of Winnie the pooh books are 60% up on last year. Harper Collins new centenary editions are walking off the shelves like Hot lamington's. It's absolutely extraordinary and it's quintessentially English. I say English rather than British. I think it is, but yet it appeals universally across the world, I think, because it is completely timeless. It has for us just this wonderful feeling of childhood innocence and kindness and generosity.

[Celia Hatton]

Children's author Frank Cottrell Boyce and the writer James Campbel. 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 at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag globalnewspod. This edition was produced by Stephanie Tillotson and Peter Goffin. It was mixed by Andy Mills. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Celia Hatton. Until next time. Goodbye.

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