Russian strikes hit dozens of locations in the Ukrainian capital

Summary

Global News Podcast Summary BBC World Service | Episode: Russian strikes hit dozens of locations in the Ukrainian capital | Released on July 31, 2025

The latest episode of the Global News Podcast by the BBC World Service delves into several pressing international issues, ranging from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to humanitarian crises in Nigeria, technological concerns regarding children's screen time, and more. Hosted by Jackie Leonard, the episode provides comprehensive coverage, expert analysis, and firsthand reports to keep listeners informed about critical global events.

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1. Russian Strikes Devastate Kyiv

The episode opens with a harrowing report on recent Russian military strikes targeting Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. At [00:00], Jackie Leonard outlines the severity of the attacks: "Russian strikes kill at least nine people in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv." The assault involved a barrage of drones and missiles hitting at least 27 locations, resulting in significant civilian casualties, including a six-year-old boy.

Jonathan Beale, BBC's defence correspondent in Kyiv, provides an on-the-ground perspective at [02:35]:

"There were more than 300 drones fired from Russia towards Ukraine overnight... It's been a fairly quiet few days, partly because of thunderstorms... but certainly last night it was quite intense."

He elaborates on Russia's strategic objectives, particularly the focus on the town of Chasiv Yar, highlighting the ongoing nature of the conflict despite recent sanctions and ceasefire attempts. Jonathan emphasizes the resilience of Kyiv's civilians amidst continuous threats:

"The dead included a six-year-old boy and his mother, a child of five months has also been injured. So a very heavy, difficult night for Kiev."

Despite the relentless attacks, demonstrators in Kyiv remain steadfast. Following the strikes, a significant rally took place outside Ukraine's parliament building supporting President Zelenskyy's bill to restore the independence of two key anti-corruption agencies. Vitaly Shevchenko, BBC Monitoring's Russia editor, discusses the political implications at [05:50]:

"This vote shows that he's still very much in control. He's not a lame duck... It begs the question of what was the point in the first place of allowing this to damage Ukraine's credibility as a fighter against corruption."

The episode underscores the intertwined nature of military conflict and internal politics in Ukraine, illustrating the challenges President Zelenskyy faces both on the battlefield and within his government.

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2. Efforts to Salvage Ceasefire in Israel-Gaza Conflict

Shifting focus to the Middle East, the podcast discusses U.S. diplomatic efforts to address the dire conditions in Gaza. Steve Witkoff, Washington's special envoy, is actively engaged in negotiations to restore ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.

Vitaly Shevchenko provides insights at [07:53]:

"With regard to President Trump, he seems to be more and more concerned about the realities in Gaza... I think it's very much in Israel's interest to find a way to end the war."

Meanwhile, correspondent Yolande Nell reports from Jerusalem at [08:50]:

"Steve Witkoff is expected to meet different Israeli officials to talk about the ceasefire and hostage release deal... there's a lot of interest in the media reports that Steve Witkoff could indeed go to Gaza."

The episode highlights the complex dynamics of international diplomacy, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the political landscape in Israel, where moves towards recognizing Palestinian statehood have met with significant resistance. Yolande Nell elaborates on the international reactions and the sentiments of Israelis feeling increasingly isolated:

"Israeli officials are arguing that recognizing a Palestinian state harms ceasefire efforts and rewards terrorism. Meanwhile, Palestinians have welcomed this move as a long-sought goal."

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3. Humanitarian Crisis in Nigeria Amid Aid Cuts

A significant portion of the podcast is dedicated to the worsening humanitarian situation in northeastern Nigeria. Anne Soy provides a poignant report from Gwoza, detailing the plight of over a million internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

At [12:34], Anne recounts the struggles faced by families:

"I meet 40-year-old Aisha Abubakar. She abandoned her farm and fled after her family was attacked. She had 10 children; six have died, and four are alive."

The World Food Programme (WFP) is on the brink of depleting its food supplies due to drastic cuts in global aid budgets, including from major donors like the United States. Trust Mlambo, WFP's head of operations for northeast Nigeria, warns at [14:07]:

"We don't have any more to give. The situation is dire and it's desperate."

The cessation of aid is anticipated to exacerbate the situation, potentially driving more people into the hands of militant groups. Anne describes the daily struggles within the IDP camps, where families like that of Hawa Badamasi face malnutrition and the closure of essential clinics:

"Our survival depends on these essentials. But this might just be the last batch she receives here."

The report underscores the urgent need for international support to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and mitigate the risk of increasing insurgency fueled by desperation and hunger.

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4. The Debate Over Children's Screen Time

Transitioning to societal issues, the podcast explores concerns about children's screen time and its impact on developing brains. Technology editor Zoe Kleinman delves into the scientific debate surrounding this topic at [16:55].

Zoe challenges the prevailing narrative by questioning the robustness of existing research:

"The evidence base that we have for all of this is not there, and they argue is actually quite flawed... You're asking people to self-report how much screen time they've had and how it made them feel."

She highlights inconsistencies in research findings, noting studies that show minimal links between screen time and negative outcomes compared to other everyday activities. Jonathan Beale adds at [18:19]:

"The evidence would be the link. And that would put to bed the potato thing, wouldn't it?"

Zoe further discusses the lack of conclusive evidence regarding the neurological impact of screen use, citing studies that found no significant changes in children's brains despite high screen exposure. However, she also acknowledges the contrasting views of some psychologists who advocate for minimizing screen time to avert potential mental health issues.

The segment prompts a reevaluation of how society approaches digital consumption among children, emphasizing the need for more rigorous scientific studies to inform policies and parental guidelines.

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5. Ancient Tattoos Reveal Insights into Siberian Culture

In a captivating exploration of history and archaeology, the podcast covers the discovery of intricate tattoos on a 2,500-year-old ice mummy found in Siberia. Science correspondent Georgina Rannard reports on the significance of these findings at [28:45].

Trust Mlambo describes the tattoos:

"They're a mixture of wild animals battling... another tattoo shows this mythical creature, the griffin... my favorite one actually is this tiny little rooster with a long neck."

Archaeologists utilized high-resolution scans to examine the tattoos in unprecedented detail, revealing the sophisticated techniques employed by the Pazaryk people. Ben Brown adds at [29:59]:

"Tattooing is a practice that's very important for a lot of people around the world today... back in the day, it was already a really professional practice with extremely sophisticated designs."

The analysis suggests that the tattoos were meticulously penciled onto the skin before being inked using bone needles, highlighting the advanced craftsmanship of ancient Siberian cultures. This discovery not only sheds light on historical artistic practices but also bridges connections between past and present tattooing traditions.

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6. Russian AI-Driven Disinformation Campaign Targets UK Workers

Addressing cybersecurity threats, the episode unveils a BBCverfy investigation into a Russian-linked disinformation campaign that clones the identities of British public sector workers using artificial intelligence.

Olga Robinson reports at [21:02]:

"Aaron, an emergency service call operator from Preston, had his voice stolen by a Russian-linked disinformation network to create an AI fake pushing pro-Russian messages."

The fabricated content aimed to sow fear ahead of Poland's presidential elections, a key ally in the Ukraine conflict. Guillaume Koester, CEO of CzechFirst, comments at [22:40]:

"They are trying something new. They are throwing spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks."

The operation has expanded its tactics, exploiting public sector workers' identities, with at least four others affected. This sophisticated approach poses significant risks, as the quality of AI-generated fakes becomes increasingly indistinguishable from genuine communications, potentially undermining public trust and national security.

Aaron, the affected emergency medical adviser, expresses his concerns at [21:41]:

"Why would the Russians choose me? It's quite scary really."

The segment underscores the evolving nature of cyber threats and the critical need for robust security measures to protect against identity theft and misinformation.

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7. Myanmar's State of Emergency Lifted Amid Election Plans

The podcast also examines the political developments in Myanmar, where the military junta has lifted the state of emergency that has governed the country for four years, signaling plans to hold elections by year-end.

Ben Brown analyzes the implications at [23:26]:

"It's really a technicality... They've renewed this state of emergency eight times. Not renewing it now means they're serious about holding an election, possibly in December or January."

However, the legitimacy of such elections is highly questionable. Ben Brown further explains at [24:34]:

"Most countries would never hold an election under these conditions... The military is organizing it, and the most popular party, Aung San Suu Kyi's party, will not be able to take part."

There is skepticism about the election's fairness, given the ongoing armed insurgencies and the marginalization of significant population segments. International support, particularly from China, may influence the junta's decision to proceed, hoping for a semblance of stability despite the country's fractured state.

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8. Gender Differences in Pilot Performance Under Stress

In a segment exploring gender dynamics in high-stress professions, the podcast presents findings from a study by the University of Waterloo. Dr. Naila Ayala discusses how female pilots outperform their male counterparts in emergency simulation scenarios.

At [26:19], Dr. Ayala shares:

"Females in these high-stress emergency situations tend to perform better, even though we didn't find any differences in visual attention."

The study revealed that in emergency engine failure scenarios, female pilots identified the crisis quicker, maneuvered the aircraft more effectively, and maintained recommended airspeeds during landing. Conversely, male pilots exhibited larger deviations from optimal performance under similar stress conditions.

Dr. Ayala emphasizes the need for further research:

"There's more research that needs to be done to identify these different strengths and weaknesses... to build off of the current training protocols to something more adaptive to the individual."

The findings contribute to ongoing discussions about diversity and training in aviation, highlighting how different approaches can enhance safety and performance.

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9. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The episode concludes with a reminder to listeners to explore additional content and engage with the podcast through various channels. Jackie Leonard summarizes the breadth of topics covered, reinforcing the podcast's commitment to delivering comprehensive global news with expert insights.

Listeners are encouraged to view the high-resolution images of the Siberian mummy's tattoos on the BBC News website and participate in ongoing discussions via email or social media, ensuring a continuous dialogue on the critical issues presented.

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Notable Quotes:

• Jonathan Beale [01:25]: "We're alive and I hope the apartment will be okay too. I was just lying in bed when there was a really bright flash, then a very loud explosion."

• Vitaly Shevchenko [04:57]: "It's an amazing U turn... It proves Ukraine's credibility as a fighter against corruption."

• Trust Mlambo [14:07]: "We don't have any more to give. The situation is dire and it's desperate."

• Zoe Kleinman [16:55]: "The evidence base that we have for all of this is not there, and they argue is actually quite flawed."

• Olga Robinson [21:02]: "Aaron... had his voice stolen by a Russian-linked disinformation network."

• Dr. Naila Ayala [26:19]: "Females in these high-stress emergency situations tend to perform better."

This episode of the Global News Podcast provides an in-depth exploration of significant global events, offering listeners a nuanced understanding of complex issues through expert analysis and firsthand reporting.

Transcript

[Jackie Leonard]

This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Jackie Leonard and at 13 hours GMT on Thursday 31st July, these are our main stories. Russian strikes kill at least nine people in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. And Washington's envoy Steve Witkoff is meeting the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try to salvage ceasefire talks and help improve the dire conditions in Gaza. Also in this podcast, the World Food Press program in Nigeria says drastic aid cuts have left a million displaced people at the mercy of Jihadists.

[Ben Brown]

It will be much easier for the militants to lure other youths to join them and spiral the insecurity across the whole region.

[Jackie Leonard]

And what do we need to know about children and screen time and how to protect developing brains? We start in Ukraine where the capital Kiev has come under fire again by a barrage of Russian weapons. At least nine people were killed and dozens more were injured as drones and missiles hit at least 27 locations. Several districts of the city were attacked and an apartment block was destroyed. The dead included a six year old boy. This man was in his apartment when the attack happened.

[Jonathan Beale]

The main thing is that we're alive and I hope the apartment will be okay too. I was just lying in bed when there was a really bright flash, then a very loud explosion. We heard blasts before, but nothing like this.

[Jackie Leonard]

Our defence correspondent in Kyiv, Jonathan Beale, told us more.

[Jonathan Beale]

There were more than 300 drones fired from Russia towards Ukraine overnight. Most of those focused on the capital Kiev. And it's been a fairly quiet few days, partly because they're thunderstorms. So quiet in the sense. No, not many Russian strikes going on, but certainly last night it was quite intense. Also missiles fired lighting up the sky as they hit the ground, that orange glow lighting up the night sky. And there have been significant civilian casualties and among those killed includes a six year old boy and his mother, a child of five months has also been injured. So a very heavy, difficult night for Kiev. It's not the first time, remember this has happened, but I think the timing is significant.

[Jackie Leonard]

Yes, this is just a few days after President Trump issued a new cease fire deadline to Vladimir Putin. Russia doesn't seem to be taking much notice, does it?

[Jonathan Beale]

No, it doesn't. And let's be honest, there have been lots of sanctions imposed on Russia and it may have made the economy how Russian government tries to make its budget work more difficult. But at the end of the day they are able to get around these sanctions. And the threat of more sanctions from President Trump has clearly not changed the direction of President Putin's war. And it's not just a war in the air, it's a war on the ground too. And that is continuing?

[Jackie Leonard]

Yes, that war is continuing. Russia says that it's made an important advance in the east of Ukraine. What can you tell us about that?

[Jonathan Beale]

So this is the claim from Russia about the town of Chasiv Yah, which I've been to many times. It's an important strategic goal for the Russians because it does give them high ground and it gives Ukraine high ground to defend. But Russia clearly targeting that city because then they believe they can move on to other cities like Poros, which is already under huge threat, and Constantinople. So getting more of the Donbas essentially. So we have seen on social media scenes of Russian flags being raised in Chasiv Yar. That said, Ukraine is adamant that Russia does not control Chasiv Yar in its entirety and that fighting is still going on. But you know, this is a pattern we've seen repeated throughout the war where a fierce battle goes over against a town or a city. Slowly but surely, given that the Russians throw lots of resources, lots of people and a lot of them die at taking these objectives, that this looks like it will be the next one to go.

[Jackie Leonard]

The overnight attack in Kyiv did nothing to deter demonstrators who gathered outside Ukraine's parliament building today. They were holding a rally in support of President Zelenskyy's bill to restore the independence of two key anti corruption agencies, reversing a bill he introduced only last week. Ukraine's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of it. BBC Monitoring's Russia editor Vitaly Shevchenko told us more.

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

It's an amazing U turn. Last week Parliament voted on a bill essentially handing over control of these two key agencies to a political appointee, a Zelenskyy loyalist. And predictably that triggered those massive protests. Thousands of Ukrainians taking to the streets across Ukraine saying that this is not what we want. And also predictably, Ukraine's Western allies have expressed concern. Now not one of those MPs who voted to curtail those agencies authority. Well essentially they did the opposite. They backed a presidential bill restoring their independence by a huge number. 331 for not a single one against.

[Jackie Leonard]

You describe it as an amazing U turn. Has this damaged President Zelenskyy.

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

What this vote shows is that he's still very much in control. He's not a lame duck. I was listening to the debate in Parliament before this vote and the MPs, they made critical angry noises saying that we're not going to be dictated, we're not going to follow whatever the EU tells us or the President tells us. But yet in the end they voted the right sort of way. It begs the question of what was the point in the first place of allowing this to Damage was done to Ukraine's credibility as a fighter against corruption. But this vote, pretty much unanimous, is probably the best way of containing that damage.

[Jackie Leonard]

Can you just explain for us how big an issue is corruption in Ukraine right now?

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

It has been a huge issue for decades, for generations. Having said that, over the past years Ukraine's made huge strides. Well, mainly thanks to those two agencies in fighting corruption. International ranks Ukraine pretty highly in its Corruption Perceptions Index. And over the past years we've seen numerous examples of high ranking officials being exposed. And now the fear that caused all these protests and all this concern was that if those agencies were subordinated to a political appointee controlled by the government, years of hard work would have been undone.

[Jackie Leonard]

Vitaly Shevchenko of BBC monitoring to the Middle east now and the person Donald Trump entrusts with much of his diplomacy. Special envoy Steve Witkoff is back in Israel today. He's meeting senior Israeli officials to discuss how to get more aid to civilians in Gaza and efforts to kick start stalled ceasefire talks. So could this trip be more successful than previous visits, particularly as President Trump has been coming under increasing pressure to intervene in the humanitarian crisis? Denn Ross is a longtime former Middle east envoy for the U.S. i think.

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

With regard to President Trump, he seems to be more and more concerned about the realities in Gaza. I don't believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu can say no to him. And that's also one of the reasons I think Witkoff is going out there to impress Prime Minister Netanyahu on what the administration needs to be done. So there's a climate that is changing here. I think it's very much in Israel's interest to find a way to end the war. Obviously, Hamas has a say in that, but I think if the Israeli position were to change to one in which it would announce that they will end the war, provided all the hostages are released with the understanding that if Hamas tries to reconstitute itself, Israel will act again. I think it would be difficult for Hamas not to release the hostages under those circumstances.

[Jackie Leonard]

And our correspondent in Jerusalem, Yolande Nell, told us more about Mr. Witkoff's visit.

[Yolande Nell]

Well, local media are expecting him to meet the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu about now, but we haven't had an official schedule. He's coming here really at a critical Moment expected to meet different Israeli officials to talk about the ceasefire and hostage release deal after efforts to secure this deal really stalled. Last week, you had both Israel and the US Pulling their negotiators out of indirect talks that have been going on for weeks in Qatar. And in recent days, we've had Israeli officials being quoted threatening punitive action against Hamas if it does not in the coming days accept this deal for a 60 day truce and returning hostages. That is on the table. At the same time, the deep humanitarian crisis in Gaza. And we had President Trump earlier this week saying that the US And Israel would team up to set up new aid centers in Gaza. Now, the White House has not given any information, Israeli officials have not given any information about what that might mean. And that's why, against that backdrop, there's a lot of interest in the media reports that we've had that Steve Witkoff could indeed go to Gaza, as he has done once before since taking up his job to see things on the ground for himself and to look at those controversial aid sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

[Ben Brown]

And as I mentioned in the introduction, Israel does appear to be increasingly isolated diplomatically. Certainly more countries like Canada is the latest to talk about potentially recognizing Palestinian statehood. What is the reaction to all of that where you are in Jerusalem?

[Yolande Nell]

I mean, it's just been a sort of consistently angry reaction that's come from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign affairs saying that this both harms cease fire efforts and it gives a reward for terrorism to Hamas. And, you know, that was a big policy shift announced by Canada, as we've had by other close allies of Israel, France and the UK in recent days. All of them saying this is conditional, this move that they're suggesting they could make to recognize a Palestinian state. Canadians are talking about it needs reforms to the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank. But really this is getting a lot of attention. Israelis do feel increasingly isolated internationally. While the US Is standing by the Israelis. I've just been at a rally with hostage families calling on Steve Wyckoff to do more to try to get their loved ones released from Gaza. But there the people were saying that they felt betrayed somewhat because they believe that, you know, hostage releases should come before any recognition of a Palestinian state. Of course, the Palestinians have really welcomed this move. It's something that President Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, has really been pushing for with other officials, especially those in the west bank, for years now, since back in 2014 we had the last direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalling with nothing really, you know, to replace those in the last decade.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Yolande Nell and she was speaking to Ben Brown. The UN in Nigeria says it will today run out of money needed to continue supporting over a million people displaced by militants. The Boko Haram group is considered one of the world's deadliest. It has killed thousands of people across northern Nigeria and forced tens of thousands more to flee and seek refuge in UN camps. But now the World Food Programme says cuts to global aid budgets, including by us, which was the biggest donor, could leave people hungry and force families back into the hands of insurgents. Anne Soy reports from Gwoza in northeastern Nigeria.

[Anne Soy]

I'm walking in the middle of the internally displaced persons camp in Gwoza and there are children all around me. Millions of Nigerians across the northeast have fled to camps like this one over the last 10 years for their safety. They are fleeing from militants. And just beyond the camp, I can see in front of me they are beautiful hills, but it can be misleading because just beyond those hills, that's where the militants are located. And I'm told from time to time they do come into the camps to attack people. I meet 40 year old Aisha Abubakar. She abandoned her farm and fled from home after her family was attacked. I had 10 children in total. Six have died and four are alive. Some of my children died of illness.

[Trust Mlambo]

While others were abducted.

[Anne Soy]

My husband was killed too. And that means Aisha is entirely dependent on aid. It's food distribution day at the camp. There are easily hundreds of people here seated in the shade, women on one side, men on the other. They are holding debit cards that are loaded with cash. So rather than give them food in kind from the World Food Program, they get cash. And there are retailers here. They have grains, they have cooking oil, they have all sorts of food supplies. So the internally displaced people will buy the food using their cards, but it's the last amount they are receiving.

[Ben Brown]

Our warehouses are empty.

[Anne Soy]

That's trust. Mlambo, the World Food Programme's head of operations for northeast Nigeria. So you don't have any more to give them?

[Ben Brown]

We don't have any more to give. The situation is dire and it's desperate.

[Anne Soy]

So if the support that you've been giving these people ends, where does that leave them?

[Ben Brown]

It will be much easier for the militants to lure other youths to join them and spiral the insecurity across the whole region.

[Anne Soy]

For years, Nigeria has failed to tackle the insurgency. What's clear is that the crisis is not waiting. Things are Getting worse by the day. I've come to the Hauseri Bay Nutrition Centre in Gwoza. I can see dozens of mothers here who have brought their children. Some of them are sat on a mat, others on plastic chairs waiting for their turn to be seen. 25 year old Hawa Badamasi has brought her children here. She's just received the news from the medics. Her oldest, Amina, who's three and a half, is malnourished. I feel so bad. Every mother wants her baby to be healthy. Hawa and other mothers here do not know it yet, but this clinic, as well as many others in this region may just close because of funding cuts. I asked her where it would leave her and her family. The people are in a difficult situation and there are no farmers. When the farmers enter the bush to farm, they get killed. The aid has stopped and people are killed in the farm. What are we going to do with our lives?

[Trust Mlambo]

We will be in a dire situation.

[Anne Soy]

With no food and no medicine. Our survival depends on these essentials. As she leaves the clinic, Hawa is given a bag with the nutrition supplement to take home to continue the treatment. But this might just be the last batch she receives here.

[Jackie Leonard]

That report by Ann Soy in northeastern Nigeria. One of the great fears of modern times is that we are somehow rewiring children's brains by the use of screens, rewiring them in a way that reduces their capacity and causes them mental decline that will affect them as adults and, and so affect all of society. Australia seems to be leading the way when it comes to direct measures to limit screen time, most recently planning to ban YouTube accounts for under 16s to go alongside bans on TikTok and Instagram, etc. In Britain recently, an online safety bill was partly aimed at reducing access to pornography. But what about the wider question of screen time for children which so many parents grapple with all the time? Here's our technology editor, Zoe Kleinman.

[Zoe Kleinman]

The reason I started looking into this is because we see so many headlines about, you know, the worries and the fears of screen time. And there are some scientists who are saying, actually if you look at this scientifically, the evidence base that we have for all of this is not there and they argue is actually quite flawed. So they say the way in which this data is gathered is generally quite unscientific. You're asking people to self report how much screen time they've had and how it made them feel. You're not necessarily necessarily asking them what it was they were doing, you know, on their Screens during that time, were they doom scrolling or were they learning a language and talking to other friends around the world, you know, what else was going on in their lives at the time. And they also say there's issues with correlation. So for example, in one big data set they found there was a small link between increased screen time and depression, but there was the same statistical link in the same data set between reports of feeling depressed and whether or not the person had eaten potatoes in the last seven days. So, you know, the argument is that, that you're sort of looking for something in data that's not really scientifically there yet. There's also some studies that suggest blue light is really bad for you before you go to sleep, it stops you sleeping. But equally there are others that say, do you know what, it doesn't make much difference at all. There really isn't the conclusive evidence scientifically that we might think there is, even though obviously parents will say, well, we can see it.

[Jonathan Beale]

Yeah, but that's the point, isn't it? The evidence would be the link. And that would put to bed the potato thing, wouldn't it? Because what is missing with the potatoes is a link between the two and that is what a lot of parents think is actually there and is visible to them.

[Zoe Kleinman]

Yeah, and I spoke to one neuroscientist several years ago actually, who said she thought screens were changing children's brains and this was like a climate emergency situation, you know, that we really should be a lot more worried about it than we are. But the science has never really backed that up. One study looked at the brain scans of 11 and a half thousand 9 to 12 year olds and didn't find any changes. You've got to also bear in mind that everything changes your brain. That's how we learn. And you know, that the evolution of our brains happens quite so slowly. One neuroscientist said to me, if our brains changed dramatically very quickly in response to environmental factors, we'd be extinct by now because, you know, we wouldn't be able to keep up with our environment around us. And there are some concerns that by making screens a forbidden fruit, are we driving it underground? Are we making it harder for children to feel like they can ask for help? And because there aren't really any consistent official guidelines. So there are lots of pediatric bodies that don't have any screen time guidelines at all. The World Health Organization does have some, but it's really more geared around keeping children, children active rather than keeping them on their screens. You know, are we creating an unlevel playing field here where we're going to have some tech savvy children and some who aren't and then when they do get online they're likely to be more vulnerable. That said, there are others who say no, that, you know, there is absolutely no controversy around this. Screens for children are bad. One one psychologist I spoke to Jean Twenge's worked with Jonathan Haidt, who's very well known in this space and she says she started out looking at why depression rates were rising dramatically in US teens and she didn't set out to prove that smartphones were evil, but it was common denominator that she could find and she thinks the only answer is to delay them for as long as possible.

[Jackie Leonard]

Zoe Kleinman was speaking to Justin Webb. Still to come in this podcast, what archaeologists are learning from the tattoos of a mummified woman discovered in Siberia.

[Ben Brown]

What I hope people take away from it is the increased sense of respect and awe for the people back in the day.

[Jackie Leonard]

A BBCverfy investigation has revealed that the identities of British public sector workers are now being cloned using AI by a Russian linked disinformation campaign. An emergency medical adviser from Preston in northwest England was stunned to learn that his voice had been faked in a campaign spreading fear ahead of Poland's presidential election earlier this year. Olga Robinson has more.

[Jonathan Beale]

Ambulance service Is the patient breathing?

[Olga Robinson]

Earlier this year, Aaron, an emergency service call operator from Preston in England, recorded a video for the NHS, the UK's public health service, about his work during the Easter holidays.

[Jonathan Beale]

Hello, my name's Aaron. I'm an emergency medical advisor on one of the 999.

[Olga Robinson]

To his surprise, his voice was stolen by a Russian linked disinformation network to create an AI fake pushing pro Russian messages.

[Jonathan Beale]

I have many friends who are paramedics in Poland. They are terrified of the upcoming election.

[Olga Robinson]

I tracked Aaron down on social media and told him his identity had been stolen. When we finally interviewed him, he told us the fake scared him.

[Jonathan Beale]

Why would the Russians choose me? Why would it be me that they've chosen out of all those thousands of videos that are out there on Facebook and Instagram?

[Olga Robinson]

In this case, the operation seemed to try and spread fear ahead of the May presidential elections in Poland, which is a staunch ally of Ukraine. We've also found that the quality of fabricated videos like this is getting more sophisticated. We've compared the audio of the fake featuring Aaron with his real voice and found that it's similar.

[Jonathan Beale]

I don't think my friends or family would have been able to tell it was fake, I think they would have probably believed it was real.

[Olga Robinson]

Independent researchers have also helped us to confirm that this is part of an extensive Russian disinformation campaign, which BBCVerify and other analysts have been tracking for years. Previously, they impersonated dozens of media outlets, journalists and academics, but now seem to have broadened their tactics to exploit British public sector workers. Guillaume Koester, the CEO of CzechFirst, a Finnish analytics company that has previously linked the network to Russia, says that the operation keeps evolving.

[Jonathan Beale]

They are trying something new. They are, you know, throwing spaghetti on.

[Jackie Leonard]

The wall and see what sticks.

[Olga Robinson]

Aron is not the only one to have his identity cloned using AI. We found at least four other British public sector workers whose videos have been exploited like this. Luckily, none of their fakes went viral, but there's no guarantee that another one wouldn't.

[Jonathan Beale]

I warn my little brother and my little sister about using social media sensibly. So for my video to be used, it's quite, quite scary really.

[Jackie Leonard]

That report by Olga Robinson. The military junta which seized power in Myanmar four years ago has for the first time lifted the state of emergency under which it's been ruling the country. The juntas announced plans to hold an election at the end of the year. Our Southeast Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head, explained what the move means.

[Ben Brown]

It's really a technicality. Although, of course, the state of emergency is the fig leaf under which the military has given itself the aura of legitimacy ever since it deposed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi 4 and a half years ago. You have to remember the Myanmar military, they wrote a constitution under which Myanmar has been operating way back in 2008. So while many people say they violated it with the coup, they do try to adhere to it. Under that, they could declare a state of emergency for six months. So they've renewed this state of emergency every six months. It's been renewed eight times. The reason they've not renewed it this time, the last one's just expired, is because under the constitution, you can't hold an election if a state of emergency is in place. That means all this talk of an election at the end of the year is serious. The military wants to hold an election possibly December, possibly January, despite. Despite the fact that it doesn't control a lot of the country. There's armed insurgency and a great deal of it that a large part of the population is unlikely to take part. But they're still pushing ahead. And I think the fact that they've suspended the state of emergency shows that they're set on doing it, but given.

[Jackie Leonard]

All those conditions that you just mentioned, is Myanmar in any state to hold a free and fair election?

[Ben Brown]

Most countries would never hold an election. This state, it's certainly going to lack credibility of any real kind, particularly as the military is organizing it. The most popular party, Aung San SUU Kyi's party, will not be able to take part. And they've just passed a pretty savage law that penalizes any sort of criticism of the election process, any attempt to disrupt it. And the fact is there will be disruptions if they try to hold it. There's no doubt that the various insurgent groups will try to stop it. They've said it's not legitimate. It shouldn't happen. Behind Myanmar, though, there is some diplomatic support, partly from China. We believe, not that China approves of much of what the Myanmar military has done, but that China views some kind of election, even if it's deeply flawed, as the only off ramp from the debilitating civil war that Myanmar's stuck in. And I think that might encourage the generals to push ahead in the hope that they come up with some kind of government that can be worked with to find a solution to this ongoing conflict.

[Jackie Leonard]

Will ending the state of emergency actually make any other difference to normal life?

[Ben Brown]

I doubt it. You know, I think the military has got a very firm grip. You know, there's extreme violence, they operate with impunity, and much of the country is aerial bombardment. The war won't stop, and I think most Burmese won't notice the difference.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Jonathan Head. Now, would you feel safer in a plane being flown by a female pilot or a male one? New research is suggesting that women perform better than males in some scenarios. A study by the University of Waterloo in Canada of pilots in their early stages of licensing has shown that female pilots make fewer flight control errors in simulations when stress levels increase. But that's not the full picture. As the lead researcher, Dr. Naila Ayala.

[Dr. Naila Ayala]

Told Priya Rai, females in these high stress emergency situations tend to perform better, even though we didn't find any differences in visual attention, which was not at all something that we hypothesized.

[Yolande Nell]

This is about stress levels, right? So what are some of those situations where women are potentially dealing with it better?

[Dr. Naila Ayala]

This is one paradigm that we looked at in a wider range of nine different scenarios. So four of those scenarios were really easy. The nicest skies, weather conditions pilots could probably dream of. And then another four conditions were a little more difficult. Now, across all those different types of scenarios, it was in the last type of scenario, which was our emergency engine failure scenario, that we surprised pilots with where we started to see differences between female and male pilots. There was evidence of female pilots being able to identify the emergency quicker than male pilots. There was significant differences in their ability to maneuver the plane and land the plane safely, significantly faster than their male counterparts. And they were also able to maintain consistent airspeed and not deviate from the recommended airspeeds for final approach and landing compared to their male counterparts, which actually demonstrated significantly larger deviations from what was recommended during their final approach during these emergencies scenarios.

[Yolande Nell]

But actually, there were some scenarios, I believe, where you found better things about how men were reacting.

[Dr. Naila Ayala]

Yes. I think what this really shows us is that there's more research that needs to be done to identify these different strengths and weaknesses. And there's more innovation that is also required to be done and integrated into training organizations and training institutions so that they can actually almost build off of the current training protocols to something that's more adaptive to the individual.

[Jackie Leonard]

Dr. Naila Ayala. And a shout out to my cousin, the airline pilot, Janice Gibson. Archaeologists have produced high resolution scans of the tattoos found on a 2,500-year-old ice mummy found in Siberia. The decorations were on the body of a woman who was preserved in an ice cave. Our science correspondent Georgina Rannard told us more about that.

[Trust Mlambo]

Them, they're actually really beautiful, I think. So. They're on the arms and hands of a woman who's aged about 50. She was with the Pazaryk people in Siberia in the 5th century BC. And on the pictures from the scan, you can see these really thick black lines. They're quite large. And then the tattoos are a mixture of wild animals battling. So there's leopards encircling a stag. The sag's got kind of long back legs and antlers. Another tattoo shows this mythical creature, the griffin. So it's half lion, and then it has the head and wings of an eagle. But my favorite one actually is this tiny little rooster with a long neck and that was on her thumb, which they said sort of shows her flair.

[Jackie Leonard]

They are very beautiful. What do we learn from them?

[Trust Mlambo]

So we knew these ice mummies existed from these caves that were found in the 19th century. But these scans are the first time they've seen the tattoos in sort of very crisp detail. And they worked with a modern tattooist who himself decorates his own body with these ancient decorations. And his conclusions mean they think they pencilled the design onto the skin first and then used needles, probably made from animal bone. So it's really rare to get this level of detail from an ancient culture, and the archaeologists are delighted. So we spoke to Dr. Gino Caspari from the Max Planck Institute about his work.

[Ben Brown]

What I hope people take away from it is kind of increased sense of respect and awe for the people back in the day. Tattooing is a practice that's very important for a lot of people around the world today. And back in the day, it was already a really professional practice where people put a lot of time and effort and practice into creating these images. And they're extremely sophisticated.

[Jackie Leonard]

So, Georgina, how does this art, this, this technique compare with modern tattoos?

[Trust Mlambo]

So on first glance, when you look at the pictures, I think they don't look too different from what you would expect. I think some people think tattooing is quite modern, but lots of cultures around the world, indigenous cultures, have done it for centuries and clearly we. We know that they've been doing it for thousands of years. So you would think, oh, well, probably a modern tattooist could do this quite easily. But actually they think that these were quite difficult techniques called hand poking, where they're sort of obviously doing it by hand and sort of incising into the skin. And if you think about the conditions, they. They lived on the Central Asian step, probably very cold and windy at times of year, and these needles were made from animal bones, so they would have needed to be really careful about the risk of infection. You know, we know that when you tattoo, there can be blood. So I think it was probably a far cry from the sterilized tattoo parlors we think about today.

[Jackie Leonard]

That was Georgina Ranard, and if you'd like to see those images, do take a look on the science pages of the BBC news website. And that's it from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News News podcast later. If you would like to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, do please send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk you can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Just use the hashtag globalnewspod. This edition was produced by Alice Adderley and Adrienne White. It was mixed by Chris Lovelock. Our editor is Karen Martin. I'm Jackie Leonard and until next time, goodbye.