Twin earthquakes strike Venezuela

Summary

Global News Podcast – Twin Earthquakes Strike Venezuela (June 25, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this episode, the BBC World Service’s Chris Barrow presents urgent breaking news on two major earthquakes striking Venezuela, a state of emergency in the region, and corresponding rescue efforts. The episode also highlights coverage of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations, experimental Ebola drug trials in the DRC, a controversial Chinese advert, World Cup football updates, an in-depth look at a cult-linked murder in the US, and spotlights a documentary on a prison music studio in Cameroon. The episode closes with a remarkable new image of the Milky Way’s center from the Euclid Space Telescope.

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Twin Earthquakes Strike Venezuela

[01:08–05:31]

Immediate Aftermath and Local Accounts

• Venezuela's government declared a state of emergency after "two major earthquakes struck seconds apart," centered near Caracas.
• Reports confirm fatalities and “extensive damage.”
• A Caracas resident describes the horror:
  • “All the walls were cracked... When we went downstairs, it was like a scene from a horror movie.”
    — Resident account relayed by reporter Vanessa Silva [02:17]
• Infrastructure severely affected — power outages, metro closure during rush hour.
  • “A lot of buildings are without electricity after the earthquake... metro system is completely closed.”
    — Street interview in Caracas [02:36]
  • Reports from social media show “videos...from infrastructure collapses in the city.” [03:12]

Emergency Response and Vulnerable Areas

• Coverage from correspondent Will Grant:
  • Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed building collapses in Caracas; number of trapped people still unknown.
  • Tsunami warning (including Aruba, Bonaire) has been lifted.
  • The tremors were “felt as far away as Bogotá, Colombia.” [03:29]
• Many Caracas residents are “too scared, fearful of aftershocks, to go back inside their apartments at this stage.”

Urban Vulnerability

• Caracas includes both earthquake-resistant modern districts and vulnerable, informal neighborhoods:
  • “Whole swathes of the city...are very vulnerable to earthquakes.” [04:19]

Emergency Services Strained

• Venezuela’s stretched resources:
  • “Ambulance services, fire services, all these sorts of things are not what they once were...they are certainly well trained.” [04:56]
• Barrow summarizes: “It’s just a question of whether or not [emergency personnel have] been dispatched to the right parts of town.” [05:31]

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United States 250th Anniversary Celebrations

[05:31–09:44]

National Festivities and Political Overtones

• 2026 marks the 250th (“semiquincentennial”) of US independence.
• President Donald Trump opens the Great American State Fair in Washington with a grand speech:
  • “Those timeless American principles...built us into the greatest, strongest and most exceptional nation the world has ever known.” [05:59]
• Hal Griffith describes the scene as “a mixture of nostalgia... and the hallmarks of a Trump rally” with “lots of MAGA hats” and overt displays of patriotism. [06:32]

Events and Public Perception

• Celebrations will span 16 days, focused on the National Mall.
  • “One person described [it] as...the most epic party in all American history.” [07:01]
• Events include food stalls, performances, and military displays:
  • “We just had a B2 bomber fly overhead at the end of one song and the words ‘military might’ come up on the screen.” [07:36]
• On the political implications:
  • “It’s talking about America...from the right, really seeing it as the land of the brave and a country of military might.” [08:06]
• On national unity:
  • “We know that approval ratings are low and...support for the war in Iran is low as well... So it’s not a moment of national unity, although that’s the message.” [08:51]

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World Cup 2026: Football Updates

[09:44–12:48]

Results and reactions

• Scotland suffered a 3–0 defeat to Brazil in Miami.
• Canada lost 2–1 to Switzerland but advances to knockout stage—historical for Canadian men’s football.
  • “We lost, but I feel like we won. ... We’ve never been to the knockouts.” — Canadian fan [10:34]
  • “This is the best Canadian men’s football has ever been and it’s can only get better.” — Correspondent Isaac Fannin [10:55]
• On Scotland’s loss:
  • “They have a nervous wait because that 3–0 defeat... means...hoping some teams will do them a favor.” [11:58]

Tournament Organization

• Matches are played simultaneously in group stages “so everyone knows exactly what they have to do and they can’t collude.” [12:48]

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China: Controversial Dettol Advert Withdrawn

[13:13–16:44]

Background and Content

• A 3-minute micro-drama ad by Dettol provoked outrage:
  • “I can afford not to be a virgin, but my future wife absolutely cannot... she must be clean and uncontaminated by other men.” [13:42]
• The ad then pivots, presenting Dettol as a solution to “toxic men.”

Public and Official Response

• Widespread public criticism on Chinese social media, especially from women.
  • “Thousands of social media users... very critical... these have drawn outrage from women saying they feel objectified.” — Celia Hatton [14:49]
• Dettol issued a public apology and pulled the ad.
  • “Outsourcing creative work does not mean outsourcing responsibility.” [14:49]
• Recurring issues: this controversy follows a similar Dettol ad backlash last year.

---

Experimental Ebola Drug Trials in DRC

[19:49–23:59]

The Outbreak and the Experimental Response

• New Ebola drugs to be trialed amid a Bundibugyo Ebola species outbreak.
• Over 1,094 confirmed cases (277 deaths); virus present in DRC and Uganda.

The Science Explained

• Two experimental drugs:
  • An antibody treatment (“stick[s] to viruses” and helps immune defense)
  • Remdesivir, a general antiviral (“interrupts viruses...from replicating”)
  • “We don't have any approved drugs or vaccines for this particular species of Ebola.” — James Gallagher [20:51]
• The trial will test whether either drug reduces fatality.

International Involvement

• US to provide antibody drug stocks for clinical trial:
  — “The United States has changed [its policy] and say that it is going to make this drug available both on compassionate grounds and also as part of this clinical trial.” [22:20]

On Vaccines vs. Drugs

• “Drugs are going to be about ... treating people ... or dosing people who you think are ... at a very high risk. ... The vaccines do a different job. They train your immune system ... for much longer protection.” — James Gallagher [23:13]

---

US “Zizian” Cult Murder Case

[23:59–26:44]

The Case

• Michelle Zyko, 33, is charged with her parents’ 2022 murder; part of the Zizian group.
  • The Zizians: “An informal group...with beliefs like anarchism and veganism... most members are transgender or nonbinary.” — Helena Berg [24:25]
  • Practices include “forced sleep deprivation” for “enhanced cognitive abilities.”
• Group linked to six deaths, some ex-members and associates.

Prosecutors’ Allegations

• On the night of the murders:
  • “On New Year’s Eve of 2022...her mother...explained that she was sorry for the rift... went unanswered. Several hours later, a car is seen approaching the Zyko home.... Richard and Rita Zyko are executed.” — District Attorney Tanner Rouse [26:02]
• Michelle Zyko believed to be at the scene; evidence led to charges.

---

Cameroon: Jail Time Records Prison Documentary

[26:44–30:31]

Film Details and Impact

• Jail Time Records wins Best Documentary at Tribeca Festival.
  • “The film follows... three artists, the gang gather around the recording studio... shows the music process...and musical moments.” — Co-director DNA Roach [27:06]
• Studio empowers and rehabilitates prisoners at overcrowded New Bell prison, Cameroon (built for 800, now 6,000+ inmates).
  • “For me, the beautiful thing about it is this instrument of resistance... voices can be heard, even going through healing.” — Steve Happy, co-director and former inmate [27:38]
  • “Having an outlet is an incredibly powerful and humane thing.” — Taika Waititi, filmmaker [28:30]
• Aim to replicate the studio concept globally.
  • “Our dream is for the project to expand to as many prisons as possible...” — DNA Roach [29:56]

---

Astronomy: Most Detailed Photo of Milky Way’s Center

[30:31–32:45]

The Image and Its Significance

• European Space Agency's Euclid telescope captured an image revealing “more than 60 million stars” at Milky Way’s center.
  • “It kind of looks like somebody’s just thrown glitter across the cosmos. This thing is teeming with stars.” — Prof. Catherine Heymans [30:56]
  • Describes the visual: blue baby stars, red old stars, golden swirling gas, and nebulae.
  • “Euclid managed to do that in a day. It would've taken 270 times longer...with Hubble.” [31:45]
• Scientific hope that this data will fuel new discoveries about star formation and exoplanets.

---

Memorable Quotes

• On the Venezuela earthquake:

  • “All the walls were cracked...when we went downstairs, it was like a scene from a horror movie.” — Resident via Vanessa Silva [02:17]

• On American power:

  • “There has never been anything like the United States of America. And together we are making it bigger and better and stronger and far more exceptional than ever before.” — President Trump [06:29]

• On football progress:

  • “We lost, but I feel like we won. ... We've never been to the knockouts.” — Canadian fan [10:34]

• On controversial Chinese advert:

  • “Outsourcing creative work does not mean outsourcing responsibility.” — Celia Hatton [14:49]

• On Ebola response:

  • “We don’t have any approved drugs or vaccines for this particular species of Ebola.” — James Gallagher [20:51]

• On prison music and healing:

  • “For me, the beautiful thing about it is this instrument of resistance... voices can be heard, even like going through healing.” — Steve Happy [27:38]

• On the Milky Way image:

  • “It kind of looks like somebody’s just thrown glitter across the cosmos. This thing is teeming with stars.” — Prof. Catherine Heymans [30:56]

---

Key Timestamps

• [01:08] – Main headlines and start of Venezuela coverage
• [02:16–03:25] – Caracas residents’ experiences and infrastructure impact
• [03:29–04:51] – Emergency services and vulnerability discussion
• [05:31–06:53] – Opening of US 250th celebrations
• [09:44–10:55] – FIFA World Cup: Scotland, Canada, and tournament logistics
• [13:13–16:44] – Dettol advert controversy and cultural analysis
• [19:49–23:59] – Ebola outbreak: drug trial plans and scientific context
• [23:59–26:44] – US “Zizian” cult murder case overview
• [26:44–30:31] – Jail Time Records documentary and prison music studio
• [30:31–32:45] – Astronomy: Milky Way's center image explained

---

Conclusion

This episode offered impactful firsthand accounts of the Venezuela disaster, insightful global reporting on social, scientific, and cultural developments, and stories revealing both the unity and divisions shaping current events across continents.

Transcript

[Chris Barrow]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Chris Barrow]

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Chris Barrow and in the early hours of Thursday, 25th June. These are our main stories. A state of emergency has been declared in Venezuela after two major earthquakes struck seconds apart, causing fatalities and extensive damage. Celebrations have officially begun in Washington to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. And a major drugs trial to help fight the latest Ebola outbreak is about to get underway. Also in this podcast Kind of looks

[Professor Catherine Heymans]

like somebody's just throwing thrown glitter across the cosmos. This thing is teeming with stars.

[Chris Barrow]

Astronomers have taken the most detailed picture yet of the center of the Milky Way. A state of emergency has been declared in Venezuela after two major earthquakes struck Venezuela seconds apart. The epicenter was close to the capital, Caracas. It's understood there have been fatalities and extensive damage. This resident said her home had been left in ruins.

[Celia Hatton]

All the walls were cracked.

[Helena Berg]

We managed to open the door, but there was a cloud of smoke so we couldn't see much when we went downstairs. It was like a scene from a horror movie. I only saw the building superintendent with a baby and one family from that building get out.

[Chris Barrow]

Our reporter Vanessa Silva spoke to us from the streets of Caracas.

[Various Interviewees]

A lot of buildings are without power electricity after the earthquake that hit the north of Venezuela around six in the afternoon today. A lot of people are trying to look how to go back to their homes. The metro system is completely closed, all the stations. So it was just at the time that people were getting out the works before even that. Today is a holiday. All the structure shakes very strong in the capital. In my home, I can see how many things fell down and broken. In my building, one of my neighborhood, she fell down and break her arms. I don't know at this moment how many victims are. But we can see videos coming from social media, from infrastructure collapses in the city.

[Chris Barrow]

America's correspondent Will Grant is following developments.

The Interior Minister, Dios Dado Cabello has been on state television and said that there are collapsed buildings in Caracas. So we're trying to find out exactly how many and whether or not people are trapped inside. Of course, we've seen images of emergency services on the scenes there. A tsunami warning has now been lifted. It was triggered for parts of the Caribbean, Arruba and Bonaire, and obviously for Venezuela itself. The tremors were felt as far away as the Colombian capital, Bogota. And it does seem that many thousands of residents of the Venezuelan capital Caracas, remain outside their homes. Their buildings may have been cracked or they may simply be too scared, fearful of aftershocks, to go back inside their apartments at this stage, how well prepared

is Venezuela for seismic activity? Because it's not the first time, it's

far from the first time. There's a combination really of parts of a place like Caracas that are very well prepared, with modern buildings, well resistant for earthquakes and built up to code. And obviously whole swathes of the city that are very informally built, creeping up the hillsides of the Avila national park, the well known shantytowns, the barrios where homes are made of bricks. There's plenty of parts of the city that are very vulnerable to earthquakes. It's just a question at this stage of working out how much of those have been affected.

Is the emergency service response quite good in these kinds of situations?

There is the access good again, it's relative. I mean, the economic crisis in Venezuela over recent years has meant everything has been stretched to breaking point. Ambulance services, fire services, all these sorts of things are not what they once were. As the sort of oil money ran out during the Maduro regime, things I think have been improving a little in recent years in terms of the economy. And they're certainly well trained. They are very, very experienced in that regard. So I think there is good personnel on the ground. And then it's just a question of whether or not they've been dispatched to the right parts of town.

Will Grant. Now to Washington, where celebrations for the United States 250th birthday have officially begun. The fourth of July this year marks two and a half centuries since the adoption of the Declaration of independence. In 1776, Donald Trump opened the Great American State Fair in Washington, an exposition across the Capitol which will celebrate various aspects of American culture and history.

Those timeless American principles did not just win a revolution, but they built us into the greatest, strongest and most exceptional nation the world has ever known. There has never been anything like the United States of America. And together we are making it bigger and better and stronger and far more exceptional than ever before.

I spoke to our correspondent at the event, Hal Griffith.

[Hal Griffith]

It's a mixture of nostalgia, Talking about the USA's 250 year history and pulling on that sort of a state fair and childhood memories that some people have. And then, yes, it's also got the hallmarks of a Trump rally. Lots of MAGA hats, plenty of stars and stripes, and the main act of the President himself, who, after some musicians pulled out, is at the top of this bill.

[Chris Barrow]

Yeah, just tell us what the festivities will involve over the next few days. And it seems like the celebration's gone for weeks.

[Hal Griffith]

Yeah, 16 days altogether. In what? Well, one person from the stage described would be the most epic party in all American history. What does it mean? Well, it means lots of stalls on the Mall between the Monument and Capitol Hill. And then events like this where people come out and cheer, hear some singing and get all patriotic together. If you want to spend $20 on roast turkey or on maybe some pretzels, then there's lots of food from around America on offer as well. So, as I said, it's drawing on that sort of sense of nostalgia and patriotism. But there are political overtones and a military overtone as well. In fact, we just had a B2 bomber fly overhead at the end of one song and the words military might come up on the screen, showing American military dominance and sending that message that America sees itself as the most powerful country in the world.

[Chris Barrow]

Still, you mentioned some of the music acts that dropped out in the run up to this event. Just tell us a little bit about some of the replacements and some of the people who are still in the event because not everybody dropped out.

[Hal Griffith]

No, not everyone. We've just been hearing from New York tenor Christopher Macchio. He was performing Hallelujah as that bomber flew overhead. We've also got some country singers. Another singer who'll be here to celebrate the 90s later in the week will be Vanilla Ice but as I said, it's got far more of a sort of political sense and a patriotic sense than a music festival here. It's. It's talking about America from a certain position from the right, really seeing it as the land of the brave and a country of military might rather than maybe more nuanced and a celebration of American diversity.

[Chris Barrow]

Obviously, people who have turned up will probably be supportive of the event, but what does the country think of this overall? I guess perhaps there's a bit of a mixed bag there.

[Various Interviewees]

Yeah.

[Hal Griffith]

As you say, anyone who's come here to be part of it is probably going to be hugely supportive of that message and of President Trump. As I look out, we're definitely seeing thousands here. So they have managed to fill the allocation and bring people to D.C. bumped into some people who are visiting from out of state, and while they weren't sure exactly who was on the bill, they knew that President Trump was going to be here. So they are definitely drawing in a crowd, but not everyone. And this is not a moment of great unity within America. We know that approval ratings are low and that support for the war in Iran is low as well. We've seen that play out within Congress today with some Republican senators questioning the President on the ongoing action and the situation in Iran. So it's not a moment of national unity, although that's the message that is being given from the stage.

[Chris Barrow]

Hal Griffith in Washington, D.C. and during the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. declaration of Independence, we'll have a special podcast looking at the state of America today. And if you have thoughts or questions on that, we'd love to hear from you. Do email us, it's globalpodcastbc.co.uk and if you can include a voice note, that's even better. Thank you so much. Now, there have been mixed emotions for two of the teams at the Men's Football World Cup. It was a disaster for Scotland. They were beaten 30 by Brazil in Miami, whereas co hosts Canada were beaten 2:1 by Switzerland. But they still go through to the knockout round for the first time ever as runners up in Group B. And Canadian fans were relatively pleased with the result. Canada won their first ever game in the last game.

[James Gallagher]

Amazing.

[Various Interviewees]

Put up a really good performance there.

[Chris Barrow]

We lost, but I feel like we won.

[Various Interviewees]

We've never been to the knockouts.

[Isaac Fannin]

It was a great performance, especially in the second half. I wish we did not lose this game.

[Commercial Announcer]

We would have loved to win.

[Chris Barrow]

But they did play great and it

[Helena Berg]

was fun to watch.

[Hal Griffith]

I'm sad they didn't tie.

[Chris Barrow]

Our correspondent Isaac Fannin was at the Canada match.

[Isaac Fannin]

People were obviously disappointed to see their team lose and obviously lose the opportunity to stay in Canada. But I think there was a pride at the way in which they had put on such a good fight. Canada have never gotten this far at a World Cup. They'd never won a match before their game against Qatar. So I think after the match there was definitely a sense of, yeah, we may have lost, but listen, this is the best Canadian men's football has ever been and it's can only get better. They're now in the knockout phase. They're going to be waiting to find out who they'll play. It's a shame that they're not going to be staying in Vancouver. They'll play their knockout round of 32 match in Los Angeles. But I think there is definitely a sense of, do you know what, we are just so happy to see our team competitive on the world stage.

[Chris Barrow]

My esteemed colleague Wendy Urquhart was supporting Scotland in the Scotland Brazil match, and for some reason her Telly was 20 seconds ahead of mine. So I knew what was happening in advance and it didn't sound like it was going well all the time. 3 nil down to Brazil. But Brazil are a good side, though. So was everybody just a bit too hopeful about that result?

[Isaac Fannin]

Well, it was just one of those. It's football, you know, you never know when it might surprise you. And I think Scotland, with the vibe of the team and the fans who have taken America by storm, Boston and then exactly going in Miami, I think they've become the darlings of everyone who has watched them. And I think there was a hope that they could go into the match against Brazil needing to not get thumped and potentially go far in this competition. Now, though, they have a nervous wait because that 30 defeat to Brazil means that Scotland will be waiting nervously to see the results and hoping that some teams will do them a favor. But yeah, that result against Brazil did not go very well for them.

[Chris Barrow]

Okay, so not four fully game over. And just briefly, Isaac, I know you know, these sort of things, the match is happening simultaneously. Is that to maintain the excitement of who's in and who's out? Is that the reason behind that?

[Isaac Fannin]

Exactly. So it's to give every team that's playing an opportunity. A few years ago, two teams, I think Austria and West Germany played in a match where they both knew they needed to win one nil and that would send them through. And so they got rid of that. And so the last group gets, they make sure everyone plays together so everyone knows exactly what they have to do and they can't collude to get the result that everyone needs. So that's why they all play together at the same time.

[Chris Barrow]

Isaac Fannin in Vancouver to China now, where an advert for a laundry disinfectant product has been withdrawn after claims of sexism. The advert is a 3 minute video micro drama which features a young man explaining the qualities he looks for in a woman. And it angered many with this line, I can afford not to be a virgin, but my future wife absolutely cannot. Fortunately, I met this current woman clean

[Various Interviewees]

and uncontaminated by other men.

[Chris Barrow]

Well then the drama flips and presents Dettol brand laundry disinfectant as a solution for women to use to deal with what's described as toxic men. But on social media in China, users have complained that the advert in fact objectifies women and men and they've called for a boycott of the brand. Celia Hatton spoke to our China media analyst Kerry Allen about the controversy surrounding this ad.

[Celia Hatton]

This advert was a micro drama which is like a little vertical video that you watch on your phone on platforms like Instagram or TikTok. And it was meant to be a video that called out sexism, but it sort of backfired. And what it did was the the story of this micro drama. It was about a man who was trying to find a girlfriend, but he was saying that he wanted a woman who was clean, untouched by other men. And eventually he finds a girlfriend, but she calls him out for toxic misogyny for his views. And then at the end, Dettol presents itself as the solution against toxic men who are just like bacteria.

[Chris Barrow]

So what has been the reaction to this?

[Celia Hatton]

There's been a lot of reaction over the past week. Thousands of social media users on platforms like Sina Weibo very critical of this, particularly the male characters comments in the advert. These have drawn outrage from women saying that they feel objectified. It has resulted in Dettol having to issue an apology. They said they recognized that it's offended many people, especially women, and they take responsibility. They've also pulled the ad. They said that it was a video created by a third party influencer. But newspapers have been saying that outsourcing creative work does not mean outsourcing responsibility. So it makes clear that China's taking this advert very seriously. I mean, for People's Daily to comment, this is one of the top newspapers in the country ruled by the state. So they see this advert as really quite damaging.

[Commercial Announcer]

And it's interesting because it's not the first time Dettol's had to pull an ad in China.

[Celia Hatton]

It's not? No. There was a similar case of this only last year. There was an advert that featured a line, a woman was just returning from a wedding and there was a message in it that she wasn't clean. And again, you know, just basically kind of playing on women's experiences and drawing criticisms. Like that advert similarly had a very negative reaction. And newspapers have been saying today that they think that it's not learning its lessons. And when a company does adverts like this that come under controversy, especially ones from foreign countries, it does lead the charge for a boycott. So you do get a lot of newspapers that kind of get together and they say you shouldn't buy these products. These companies just want to take advantage of China's big consumer market wanting to spend. And at the same time, they're sowing divisions between men, women. The advert itself is just really critical, has offended a lot of people. So a message is really being sent out that not just a Dettol, but to other companies that if they create a damaging environment within China, that they could risk losing a lot of money.

[Chris Barrow]

Our China media analyst, Kerry Allen. And still to come in this podcast, how a music studio has changed the lives of inmates inside a prison in Cameroon.

[Various Interviewees]

The beautiful thing about it is this instrument of resistance and voices can be

[Chris Barrow]

heard, even like going through healing.

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Various Interviewees]

I sold my car in Carvana last night.

[Celia Hatton]

Well, that's cool.

[Chris Barrow]

No, you don't understand. It went perfectly. Real offer down to the penny. They're it up tomorrow. Nothing went wrong.

[Commercial Announcer]

So what's the problem?

[Chris Barrow]

That is the problem. Nothing in my life goes to smoothing.

[Various Interviewees]

I'm waiting for the catch.

[Chris Barrow]

Maybe there's no catch. That's exactly what a catch would want me to think.

[Commercial Announcer]

Wow.

[Chris Barrow]

You need to relax. I need to knock on wood. Do we have wood?

[Hal Griffith]

Is this table wood?

[Commercial Announcer]

I think it's laminate.

[Hal Griffith]

Okay.

[Chris Barrow]

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[Hal Griffith]

That's close enough.

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Fees may apply. Granger knows. When you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail. Filters ready to clog. H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it.

[Chris Barrow]

This is the global news podcast. A major drugs trial to help fight the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is set to start next week. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the strain of the virus that continues to spread in the DRC and has also reached neighboring Uganda. So now the World Health Organization says two different drugs will be used inside the drc. The trial will evaluate whether either of these drugs can help reduce death rates in patients. The head of the who, Tedros Adhanomgabiesis, said the health systems were under pressure to cope with the virus, which had circulated for months before it was officially declared. Despite the good progress we have made, we still face major challenges and the outbreak is continuing to outpace the response. There are now 1094 confirmed cases with 277 deaths. Our health and science correspondent James Gallaher spoke to Celia Hatton about the experimental drug trial and what it hopes to achieve.

[James Gallagher]

You have to remember that we don't have any approved drugs or vaccines for this particular species of Ebola, the Bundy Buju species of Ebola. And so it kind of means we don't really have the tools in the armoury that we would have for, for other types of Ebola. So what you have to do is you take your experimental medicines and then you actually have to see if they are going to work in the real world. So there are two promising ones that are going to start their trials next week. Hopefully one of them is an antibody. So that's something very similar to what your immune system does when it fights an infection. It produces antibodies and they stick to viruses and then the immune system mops them and kills them. So this is one that's been manufactured in a laboratory, and the idea is that this should be able to track all different types of Ebolas, no matter what species of Ebola it is that causes any particular outbreak. So that's one of the ones that's going to be trialled. The other one is something called Remdesivir, which you may remember from COVID because it's more of a generic antiviral. It's not being tested in here, but it interrupts the ability of viruses to replicate and divide and make more copies of themselves inside the human body. So the idea is if you give that at the right moment when somebody is sick with Ebola, then you might again be able to improve their chances of surviving that infection.

[Commercial Announcer]

James, can you explain more about the United States involvement in supplying one of these experimental drugs?

[James Gallagher]

Yeah, that's the antibody one that I mentioned. What the United States has said in the past is that they had some, we don't actually know how much they had some stocks of this experimental drug that hadn't been tested against Bundy Bujo, but that they were going to make that available for U.S. citizens that might become infected. And that would include, for example, healthcare workers who go from the United States to affected places and may become infected while they're there. We've seen that happen in multiple previous outbreaks and indeed in this one. So the idea was it would be reserved for those people. But now the United States has changed that and say that it is going to make this drug available both on compassionate grounds and also as part of this clinical trial. Again, we don't know exactly how many doses of it are going to be available, but it is going to be made available.

[Commercial Announcer]

And just to be clear, these drugs that we're talking about, they're not vaccines.

[James Gallagher]

We do have vaccines for some species of Ebola, but not for the Bundy Bugeau one. And hopefully we will see trials of specific vaccines for this species of Ebola this year. They are being researched in the laboratory at the moment, but the two do very different jobs. So the drugs are going to be about either treating people to once they have become infected or dosing people who you think are a very high risk of just having been infected. And you're trying to nip that infection in the bud by treating them really early. So that will be the goal of the drugs. The vaccines do a different job. They train your immune system in order to be able to fight an infection. And if you can get that to work, then you should get protection that lasts much longer. Longer, because the drugs will only work while you're taking them.

[Chris Barrow]

James Gallagher, now a member of a cult like group in the United States, has been arrested over the deaths of her parents. A prosecutor in Pennsylvania says 33 year old Michelle Zyko has been charged with the murder of Rita and Richard Zyko, who were shot dead at their home in 2022. Michelle Zycho is associated with the group the Zizians, which has been linked to several killings across the United States. I spoke to our reporter Helena Berg about this unusual group.

[Helena Berg]

The Sissians are an informal group which centres on beliefs like anarchism and veganism. Most of the members of the group are transgender or non binary and they hold really strong convictions about the importance of animal rights and the need to resist the rise of artificial intelligence. They also have some pretty unusual theories about how the brain works and they engage in practices like forced sleep deprivation because they believe that being severely tired actually enhances a person's cognitive abilities. Now, the Zizians claim that they are not a cult. In fact, they don't even identify as a group. And the person who appears to be their leader, a woman named Zizla Zota, has rejected the assertion that she even is their leader. However, the group certainly has a lot of features of what would commonly be considered to be a cult.

[Chris Barrow]

So the group itself, if you can call it that, has been linked to the deaths of six people across the United States?

[Helena Berg]

That's correct. So these are all ongoing murder investigations and some Zizian members are actually already in prison awaiting trial for these cases. Two of those deaths are people who were members or ex members of the Zizians. Another was the group's landlord at one point. He was stabbed to death last year. And another is a border agent who died in a highway shootout involving some Zizian members. Now, the final two killings linked to this group are those of Rita and Richard Zyko. Their daughter Michelle, who's a member of the Zizians, has now been charged with first degree murder.

[Chris Barrow]

And what is it that prosecutors are alleging that Michelle Zaiko's involvement is in the two deaths?

[Helena Berg]

Prosecutors in Pennsylvania alleged that Michelle was at least partially responsible for the fatal shooting of her parents. They say they're not sure if she was actually the one who pulled the trigger or not, but they do believe she helped orchestrate their murders. This is what District Attorney Tanner Rouse alleges happened on the night they died.

[Hal Griffith]

On New year's Eve of 2022, which happens to be Michelle Zyko's birthday, her mother, Rita Zyko, reached out and explained that she was sorry for the rift that had grown between them. That text went unanswered. Several hours later, a car is seen approaching the Zyko home in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania. Here in Delaware county, two individuals at least get out of that car. One can be heard saying something at the time was indistinguishable. Sounded like it could have been Mom. The lights go on in the home and Richard and Rita Zycho are executed.

[Helena Berg]

Prosecutors say they've now gathered overwhelming evidence that Michelle was at the scene of the crime. And that's what's led to those fresh murder charges. Michelle doesn't appear to have entered a plea yet, but she has previously denied killing her parents.

[Chris Barrow]

Heleneberg A documentary called Jail Time Records was a big winner at this month's Tribeca Festival in New York. It tells the story of what's believed to be the first recording studio inside an African prison. The creators now want to show it to inmates at the New Bell prison in Cameroon where it was filmed. From New York, Tom Brook reports.

[Various Interviewees]

It's being called a documentary musical. The film Jail Time Records spring spotlights what the filmmakers claim is the very first recording studio inside a prison on the African continent. Shot over several years at the overcrowded Nubel prison in Cameroon, it shows how music through the recording studio has become a powerful force within the jail. DNA Roach co directed the documentary. Basically, the film follows the life of three artists. The gang gather around the recording studio so it shows the music process. It shows excerpts of their life, intimate confessions and musical moments. The co director, Steve Happy, who was himself incarcerated at one point in the prison. The recording studio and the music give the prisoners a sense of self esteem and empowerment while behind bars. For me, the beautiful thing about it is this instrument of resistance, this instrument where we can really record memories, where we can really share, like friendship, love and voices can be heard, even like going through healing. The documentary has won support from some influential figures in the film industry, including top New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi. The music that comes out of there is amazing and I think just in terms of the power of art in relation to redemption and what that can mean to someone who, you know, some of these people are in prison for life. I think having an outlet is an incredibly powerful and humane thing. While the recording studio has met with the approval of the prison authorities, not everyone might be happy with a film documenting a prison recording studio that could be seen as celebrating music that's come from hardened criminals. DNA Roach Again, what do you say to people who are uncomfortable with that? The process we're doing is a rehabilitation process. Basically like we enter the prison without any judgment and it's the only way we can really approach this kind of work. And also music, as any creative process, is also a way of self discovery, going within yourself and maybe coming to terms with things you've done and hopefully changing. This month, the team behind Jail Time Records brought their film to New York City, where it had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival. Since winning three awards at the festival, including the best documentary feature, it's been on an upward trajectory. For the filmmakers. The hope is that the concept of a recording studio inside a prison can spread to other countries and other institutions. DNA Roach Our dream is for the project to expand to as many prisons as possible, to kind of build as many studios as possible and create this opportunity for more and more people. In the wake of its Tribeca Festival success, the filmmakers want their documentary to reach audiences, including inmates at the New Bell prison in Cameroon where the film was shot. The jail was built to house just 800 prisoners, but now 6,000 live there. So this film will highlight not just the creative talents of these prisoners, but also the overcrowded conditions in which they live.

[Chris Barrow]

Tom Brooke reporting. Astronomers have taken the most detailed photograph yet of the center of the Milky Way, revealing more than 60 million stars in a single picture. The European Space Agency says the extraordinary level of detail could open a new chapter in the search for planets beyond our solar system. The shot was captured by the Euclid Space Telescope. We heard more from Scotland's Astronomer Royal, Professor Catherine Heymans.

[Professor Catherine Heymans]

This is an absolutely gorgeous image. Well worth a quick image search for Euclid Milky Way. You are going to be staring into the heart of our own Milky Way galaxy. And if you're not in a position to image search right now, let me describe it to you. So it kind of looks like somebody's just thrown glitter across the cosmos. This thing is teeming with stars. And you can see these bright blue stars. These are young baby stars. There are red, older, deader stars in there. But the defining feature of this image is this kind of swirling, golden, cloudy fuzziness. And that is the gas and the dust that's at the heart of our galaxy. And you can zoom in on the image and you'll see some of these clouds are brightly lit up. These are nebulae. They're creating brand new stars. And some of the other clouds are really sort of dark and looming. And these are cold gas clouds that are sort of blocking out the light from everything behind them. But gravity is pulling them together, heating them up. And in the future, new stars will be forming there as well. What's really special about Euclid is it has this really wide view. So this patch of sky that we're looking at here, I want you to imagine you're holding your eyes, arm outstretched, and you've got your two fingers pointed up. So this patch of sky is about the size of your two fingernails and a bit of the top of your finger. You might think that's a small patch of sky. But in astronomy terms, that's a big patch of sky. Now, Euclid managed to do that in a day. It would have taken 270 times longer to do that with the Hubble Space Telescope. And that's just because Euclid's got this really wide view of the universe and because it's up above the Earth's atmosphere, which makes everything blurred out. When we look with our telescopes from the ground, we can resolve all of the details of the stars in this dense region of our own Milky Way galaxy.

[Chris Barrow]

Professor Kathryn Heyman's there. And that's all from us for now. If you'd like to get in touch, though, do email us. It's globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on XBC World Service and use the hashtag globalnewspod. Also, don't forget our sister podcast, the Global Story that goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Chris Ablackwa. The producers were Helena Burke and Paul Day. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Chris Barrow. And until next time. Goodbye.

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