US seizes second oil tanker off Venezuela's coast

Summary

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Global News Podcast (BBC World Service)

Episode: US Seizes Second Oil Tanker Off Venezuela's Coast

Date: December 21, 2025
Host: Anna Holligan

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Episode Overview

This edition of the Global News Podcast delivers comprehensive coverage of the US’s escalating actions against Venezuela, including the dramatic seizure of a second oil tanker, and explores diplomatic, political, and societal impacts. Other top stories include commemorations following the Bondi Beach terror attack in Australia, renewed negotiation efforts between Ukraine and Russia, updates on the families of Israeli hostages, a historic spaceflight by a wheelchair user, and the discovery of a “lemon-shaped” exoplanet.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. US Seizure of Venezuelan Oil Tankers and Escalating Tensions (01:35–06:57)

• Second oil tanker seized: The United States released footage of military forces seizing a second oil tanker off Venezuela this month, alleging the oil funds narco-terrorism. Venezuela denounces the actions as theft and piracy.
  • "The US has released dramatic footage of its military forces seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, ten days after taking control of another ship in similar circumstances." (02:34)
• US military buildup in the Caribbean: There’s an intensification of the US Navy presence, including its largest warship sitting near Caracas, reflecting a steadily mounting pressure campaign on Venezuela.
  • "Last month, the largest warship in the world, the Gerald R. Ford, was placed within striking distance of Caracas." (04:46)
• International law and regional responses: Deep unease is expressed by Brazil’s President Lula da Silva over the risk of war, warning of humanitarian catastrophe. In contrast, Argentina’s pro-US president welcomes the intervention.
  • Lula: "An armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian catastrophe for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world." (03:23)
• US motivations: Officially, Washington cites fighting drug traffic and terrorism funding, but experts suggest this is tied to long-standing opposition to Maduro’s rule and broader regional ambitions.
  • BBC Correspondent: "There is a deeper narrative here, however... [Trump] had very openly said he wanted a different president for President Maduro." (05:08)
• Venezuelan reaction: Maduro’s government accuses the US of “piracy” and colonialist designs, asserting that the interventions are really about seizing Venezuela’s wealth.
  • "They have accused the United States of murder and theft on the high seas and they've likened the US President and the United States to pirates of the Caribbean." (06:00)
• Escalation outlook: Despite threatening rhetoric, US actions have stopped short of ground strikes, focusing on sanctions and blockades.
  • "President Trump is very well known for keeping all options on the table... his strategy appears to be one of escalating the pressure... other than ground strikes at the moment." (06:36)

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2. Israel-Hamas Hostage Crisis and Civil Mobilization (06:57–12:11)

• Wind-down of Israel's Hostage Families Forum: With only one hostage remaining in Gaza, the civil group that mobilized support for hostages’ return is scaling down its activities.
  • "We are still in the 7th of October, but we were strong." – Family member (08:00)
• Civil action and global campaigning: The Hostages Families Forum united over 10,000 volunteers, held nearly daily rallies, and shifted Israeli public opinion toward supporting a ceasefire deal.
  • "Bring them home became the rallying cry of the hostages and missing family forum..." (09:02)
  • Forum strategist: "We could work hard on Israeli public opinion to ensure that if a deal came into place, it will have a sound civilian majority..." (09:41)
• International advocacy and political tensions: Foreign officials visited Hostages Square; the forum had to "bypass their own government" to reach the world.
  • Journalist Tal Schneider: "This place became like a foreign ministry for the country, for the families of the 250 people." (10:25)
• Lingering trauma and accountability: Despite releases, pain remains over those who were not saved and families seek closure.
  • "I had to fight for them as well, because they became my family. We still have to keep fighting for Ani because his family deserves closure." – Campaigner (11:08)

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3. Australia’s Response to the Bondi Beach Terror Attack (12:11–15:16)

• Nation mourns after mass shooting: Vigils and memorials are held one week on from an ISIS-inspired attack that killed 15 during Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach.
• Political response: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese orders an urgent review of police and intelligence service capabilities in "a rapidly changing security environment."
  • "This review will make sure that they are properly equipped to cope with what the Prime Minister is describing as a rapidly changing security environment in this country." (14:09)
• Rise in anti-Semitic attacks: The Jewish community voices long-standing concerns regarding security, amid broader national grief and calls for action on gun control and hate crime.

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4. Historic Spaceflight: First Wheelchair User Blasts into Space (15:16–17:36)

• Michaela Benthaus’s milestone: The 33-year-old German aerospace engineer becomes the first wheelchair user to enter space, flying aboard Blue Origin’s rocket.
  • "Michaela Benthaus... made her dreams come true when she left her wheelchair behind to blast off into space..." (15:43)
• Flight experience: Journey lasted 10 minutes, with three minutes of weightlessness; Benthaus expresses joy and hope.
  • "I didn't only love like the view and the microgravity phase, but I also loved all the going up." – Michaela Benthaus (17:05)
  • "You just showed the world that it is possible. What would you say to folks?" – Bowen Yang (17:11)
  • Benthaus: "I think you should never give up on your dreams, right?" (17:16)
• Broader impact: Represents a breakthrough in inclusive space tourism and accessibility.

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5. Ukraine War: Prospects for Negotiations and Media Realities in Occupied Territories

A. Diplomatic Shift: US-Led Talks with Russia & Ukraine (20:50–22:59)

• US proposals for direct talks: President Zelensky expresses conditional support for rare direct negotiations with Russia facilitated by the US, with possible European participation. Washington stresses Kyiv will only sign a deal on its own terms.
  • Zelensky: "Indeed, the United States of America said that they would have a separate meeting with representatives of Russia and they proposed such a format..." (21:55)
  • "But with American envoys offering Ukraine security guarantees, it seems likely that Kyiv will be expected to make territorial concessions." (22:33)
• Odessa missile strike: Seven killed by Russian attack underscores the ongoing violence.

B. Russian Occupied Ukraine: Media Manipulation and Information Blackout (22:59–27:56)

• Pro-Russian content creators: Young bloggers showcase “life under occupation” in glowing terms, omitting the devastation of invasion. Many train at "Donbass Media Centers" in newly occupied areas.
  • "Maria's blog is one of hundreds of channels run by often young, attractive men and women... broadcast pro-Russian content..." (23:33)
  • Elizaveta (content creator): "I wanted to show the reality that we are living, not what it's sometimes written in the news." (24:38)
• Propaganda efforts: Education centers foster hundreds of new pro-Russia content producers; experts see this as a systematic campaign to control the narrative and influence domestic/foreign audiences.
  • "They've created this network of media centers, propaganda outlets, let's put them that way, that aggregate information, but also produce it on an industrial scale." — Ilya Yablokov (26:22)
  • "This is how post-truth reality works." (27:35)
• Media suppression: Reporters Without Borders calls the occupied regions “information black holes.”

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6. Science Spotlight: The Mysterious Lemon-Shaped Exoplanet (27:56–30:44)

• Discovery: Astronomers find a Jupiter-sized exoplanet with a distinctive lemon shape orbiting the remnant of a dead star, heavily influenced by intense gravitational forces.
  • Maya Belesney (Stanford): "This dead star... is the size of a city, only 10 kilometers in radius, but it weighs almost two times the mass of our sun... it has a really strong gravitational pull... causing this planet to be distorted into this lemon like shape." (28:28)
• Unusual composition: Surface covered in carbon — never before observed in a planet — raising major questions about planetary formation.
  • "We're not sure if this is really a planet or the remnant of a star... the outside is just covered in carbon, which is something that has never been seen before." (29:17)
• Scientific implications: The finding challenges existing models of how planets are formed and leaves astronomers debating its true nature.
  • "It's really incredible and honestly, it raises more questions than answers..." (30:15)

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Memorable Quotes & Notable Moments

• Lula da Silva on US Presence:
  "An armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian catastrophe for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world." (03:23)

• BBC Correspondent on US Motivations:
  "President Trump, when he was first elected, had very openly said he wanted a different president for President Maduro." (05:08)

• Hostage family member (Israel):
  "We are still in the 7th of October, but we were strong." (08:00)

• Michaela Benthaus (Spaceflight):
  "I think you should never give up on your dreams, right?" (17:16)

• Ilya Yablokov (Russian disinformation):
  "They've created this network of media centers, propaganda outlets... that aggregate information, but also produce it on an industrial scale." (26:22)

• Maya Belesney (on the exoplanet):
  "This dead star... is the size of a city, only 10 kilometers in radius, but it weighs almost two times the mass of our sun... causing this planet to be distorted into this lemon like shape." (28:28)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• US Seizes Oil Tanker, Venezuela Tensions: 01:35–06:57
• Israel Hostage Families Forum: 06:57–12:11
• Australia Bondi Beach Attack Aftermath: 12:11–15:16
• First Wheelchair User in Space: 15:16–17:36
• US-Led Ukraine-Russia Talks: 20:50–22:59
• Russian-Controlled Ukraine, Media Propaganda: 22:59–27:56
• Bizarre Lemon-Shaped Exoplanet: 27:56–30:44

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This episode presents a richly detailed account of fast-moving global headlines—interweaving high-stakes geopolitics, civic movements, science breakthroughs, and human resilience—delivering sharp insight, expert commentary, and first-hand voices to listeners who want to stay truly informed.

Transcript

[BBC Correspondent]

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[Matt Rogers]

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[Anna Holligan]

This is the global news podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Anna Holligan and in the early hours of Sunday, 21st December, these are our main stories. For the second time this month, the United States says it's seated seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Commemorations are taking place across Australia one week on from the terror attack at Bondi Beach. Also in this podcast, Ukraine's President Zelensky says the US has proposed fresh face to face negotiations between officials from his country and Russia. And an engineer from Germany becomes the first wheelchair user to blast into space.

[Bowen Yang]

That was so cool.

[Matt Rogers]

Like to feel every stage of going up. You just showed the world that it is possible. I think you should never give up.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

On your dreams, right?

[Anna Holligan]

The US has released dramatic footage of its military forces seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela 10 days after taking control of another ship in similar circumstances. Washington claims the oil is being used to fund narco terrorism. But Venezuela has accused the United States, United States of theft and kidnapping. In recent months, the US has been building up its military presence in the Caribbean Sea, carrying out deadly strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug smuggling bows. President Trump hasn't ruled out the possibility of war against Venezuela, something other regional leaders are deeply troubled by the Brazilian President Lula da Silva warned that armed conflict would have catastrophic consequences.

[Matt Rogers]

More than four decades after the Falklands War, the South American continent is once again astonished by the military presence of a foreign power. The limits of international law are being tested. An armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian catastrophe for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world.

[Anna Holligan]

But Argentina's president, an ally of Mr. Trump, told the same meeting that he welcomed the US pressure to, in his words, free the Venezuelan people. Our correspondent in Washington, Sean Dilley, told me more about this latest oil tanker seizure.

[BBC Correspondent]

They had helicopters, they had military personnel, they had the Coast Guard. So in reality, we would have to say apprehended. But I think it's safe to say that that looked pretty much to us like they seized it.

[Anna Holligan]

To what extent does this escalate the situation?

[BBC Correspondent]

I think it would be hard to say that it escalates it beyond the realm of anything we were already in because there was another tank of seized 10 days ago called the skipper. President Trump, not long before that, had posted to social media in a message, in his words, to drug dealers and pilots to consider the airspace above Venezuela as closed. So it's part of escalating tensions. And let's not forget that since the summer, there have been escalating military resources posted to the area. Initially, the US Navy were there. As time went on, those numbers increased. And last month, the largest warship in the world, the Gerald R. Ford, was placed within striking distance of Caraca. So that pressure is ratcheting up. But this is an expected consequence of the blockade of sanctioned oil that President Trump had announced earlier in the week.

[Anna Holligan]

And what's the strategy? What's Washington's strategy here?

[BBC Correspondent]

On the face of it, the US Is concerned about the transportation of drugs coming to America and harming Americans. And they're also concerned, separately linked, they would argue about oil that they argue is going to fund illicit terrorist organizations. There is a deeper narrative here, however. President Trump, when he was first elected, had very openly said he wanted a different president for President Maduro. So there are some very deep, complex reasons behind this. If they were totally what's being presented on the surface? Well, people ask, well, what about the neighboring countries that are also involved in the transportation of drugs? And of course, many of those drugs destined for Europe and many drugs that come in to the United States via Mexico. So there's the story they tell publicly and no doubt stories that they don't necessarily share quite so openly.

[Anna Holligan]

And any response from Venezuela?

[BBC Correspondent]

Repeatedly, President Maduro has accused the United States president and the country more generally of having colonialist ambitions. With the seizure of the skipper 10 days ago, they said, well, this goes to show it's not really about drugs and it's not really about President Maduro. This is about wanting Venezuela's. So they have accused the United States of murder and theft on the high seas and they've likened the US President and the United States to pirates of the Caribbean.

[Anna Holligan]

There was a warning from the Brazilian president that war could cause a humanitarian disaster. Is that looking like something on the horizon?

[BBC Correspondent]

Well, President Trump is very well known for keeping all options on the table. There haven't been ground strikes, although President Trump is indicating that he would consider it. That notably hasn't happened yet. So his strategy appears to be one of escalating the pressure on President Maduro through means other than ground strikes at the moment.

[Anna Holligan]

Sean Dilly reporting from Washington. With just one Israeli hostages remain still held by Hamas in Gaza. Israel's hostages family forums largely winding down its operations. The campaign group was set up after 251 hostages were taken during the deadly Hamas led attacks on Israel. 168 returned alive with the help of thousands of volunteers. The forum organized near daily demonstrations. As tensions rose with Israel's government, it went global in its efforts to return captives to their families. Our Middle east correspondent Yulan now reports.

[Field Reporter]

Welcoming in the Jewish Sabbath in Tel Aviv's Hostages Square the events led by the family of Rankavilli, the last hostage in Gaza. The young police officer was killed by Hamas fighters in a Kibbutz on 7th October two years ago. His father Itzhak is determined to bring his body back for burial.

[Matt Rogers]

We are still in the 7th of October, but we were strong.

[Anna Holligan]

We are waiting for him and we do whatever we need.

[Matt Rogers]

And this gives us hope, the support of the people.

[Field Reporter]

From the start, people power has been key to the hostage families. There was chaos after the Hamas attacks which killed some 1,200 people in Israel with more than 250 missing. Distraught families gathered for the first time in Tel Aviv one week on from the assault. Among them was Gil Dickman, whose cousin Kamel Ghat was being held in Gaza.

[Matt Rogers]

We were together in this. It fell on me that this is actually real, that okay, now we're going to face this unbelievable challenge of understanding where all these people are in getting them back home. And the second thing was understanding that okay, we're in this together. I'm not going to stand alone.

[Anna Holligan]

Bring them home, bring them home, bring.

[Field Reporter]

Them home became the rallying cry of the hostages and missing Famil Forum, backed up by more than 10,000 volunteers and funded by donations. After the first truce of the Gaza war broke down, with about half of the hostages released, polls suggested Israelis prioritized defeating Hamas over the return of those still held captive. The Forum brought in political strategist Lior Khorev.

[BBC Correspondent]

It appeared that everything was stuck and the public opinion was against us.

[Matt Rogers]

As a civil society organization, we could.

[BBC Correspondent]

Not impact whether or not going to be a deal.

[Matt Rogers]

But we could work hard on Israeli.

[BBC Correspondent]

Public opinion to ensure that if a deal came into place, it will have a sound civilian majority within the country.

[Field Reporter]

With mass protests and powerful interviews, the Hostages Families Forum became a force to be reckoned with. It led to growing tensions with the Israeli government. But polls indicated a shift in public opinion so that most Israelis supported a ceasefire deal to bring home the hostages. Visiting foreign officials made sure to go to Hostages Square and the Forum's nearby headquarters. Recalls Israeli journalist Tal Schneider. This place became like a foreign ministry for the country, for the families of the 250 people.

[Matt Rogers]

So they kept going 24, 7 for two years.

[Field Reporter]

Someone was thinking from the early start on how to grasp the international media attention. It was very, very important, and I think they needed to bypass their own government. Ultimately, it was a foreign leader, the newly elected U.S. president, working with regional mediators who secured the hostages release, brokering deals between Israel and Hama. Early this year, a prominent campaigner, Mikhail Levy, was emotionally reunited with his brother Orr. But after Israel ended the ceasefire, he continued to demonstrate with the relatives of others held captive.

[Matt Rogers]

I couldn't just be happy. I had to fight for them as well, because they became my family. We still have to keep fighting for Ani because his family deserves closure.

[Field Reporter]

Since the last 20 serving hostages came home in October, the bodies of others have slowly returned. The remaining funds of the Hostages Families Forum are now supporting the Gavilis, and the group's left its offices and taken down the stage in Hostages Square. Painful questions linger over why more lives weren't saved. The Hostages Families Forum recently released Hamas videos found in Gaza showing six hostages, including Carmel Gatt, celebrating Hanukkah months before their captors killed them. The hostage crisis continues to cast a long shadow over Israeli society, even as many take heart from the family's message of endurance and solidarity.

[Anna Holligan]

Yulan now reporting. The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has ordered a review into the police and intelligence services. One week after the mass shooting at Bondi BEACH In Sydney, 15 people were killed when two gunmen opened fire on crowds gathered to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Many within the Jewish community have long warned about a rise in anti Semitic attacks, while other Australians say the attack has shaken their sense of safety. One week on, people gathered for a beachside vigil next to a makeshift floral memorial honoring those who died. Our correspondent Phil Mercer in Sydney has more on this day of reflection.

[Bowen Yang]

It's very difficult to think of the events of last week given that it seems such a long time ago now. So much has happened. We've had funerals, we've had the political leaders promising various measures around gun control and hate speech, promising to make Australians safer. But Here we are, seven days after 15 people were murdered on Australia's most famous stretch of sand, the flags on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They are at half mast as they are on government buildings and other buildings right around the country. After dark, many of these buildings will be bathed in yellow light to honor those who were killed and wounded in the attack. The Prime Minister, Mr. Albanese, will attend a special memorial at Bondi Pavilion today. And Australia will pause to share its grief after one of its darkest ever weeks.

[Field Reporter]

Today we've also heard Australia's Prime Minister.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

Albanese saying he has ordered a review into the police and intelligence services in.

[Field Reporter]

The wake of this attack.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

Just tell us a little bit more about that.

[Bowen Yang]

We've been hearing from government ministers who say that they've had complete faith in both the intelligence services and the police, but this review will make sure that they are properly equipped to cope with what the prime Minister is describing as a rapidly changing security environment in this country. Mr. Albanese, the Prime Minister, says that the attack in Australia a week ago was inspired by isis. And this review will be extremely thorough, according to to the prime Minister. It will look about how things might be able to change the processes and the powers to make Australians safer. And as you say, the review will be pretty prompt and it will be published in April. So certainly in the last seven days, we've seen a lot of grief. We've seen funerals, anger and sadness, but also we've seen at great pace the political response to this around gun crime, the response to, to anti Semitism and now the response to Australia in terms of reviewing the performance and powers of its intelligence services and the Australian Federal Police.

[Anna Holligan]

Phil Mercer reporting from Sydney. There now to a flight being celebrated as a breakthrough for inclusion in space tourism. A German engineer has become the first wheelchair user to travel to space. Space. She launched from Texas on a blue origin rocket. Carla Conti has been exploring this story.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

Chamber pressure looks good.

[Field Reporter]

Who gets to go to space is changing. On Saturday, Michaela Benthouse, a 33 year old aerospace engineer from Germany, made her dreams come true when she left her wheelchair behind to blast off into space on board of a rocket ship. After damaging her spinal cord in a mountain bike accident in 2018, Mikayla thought whatever chance she had to explore space had just vanished. But since the injury, her passion only grew stronger as she began researching ways to make space exploration accessible to people with disabilities. Now she has become the first wheelchair user to travel to space. Launching from Texas with Blue Origin, the space tourism company founded by Jeff Bezos. She was accompanied by a retired SpaceX engineer also born in Germany, Hans Koenigsmann, who helped organize and sponsor her trip. The flight lasted around 10 minutes, with roughly three minutes of weightlessness. This was the moment Michaela and her five crewmates began to float.

[Matt Rogers]

Hey, guys.

[Field Reporter]

Oh my goodness. And as they touched back down on Earth, the adrenaline was still running high. I didn't only love like the view.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

And the microgravity phase, but I also loved all the going up.

[Matt Rogers]

That was so cool. Like to feel every stage of going up.

[Bowen Yang]

You just showed the world that it is possible. What would you say to folks, I.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

Think you should never give up on your dreams, right?

[Field Reporter]

The mission, known as NS 37 is the 16th suborbital space tourism launch carried out by Blue Origin, the cost of which has not been revealed. This comes at a time of fierce competition for private space companies as they battle for dominance in commercial space flight.

[Anna Holligan]

Carla Conti reporting. Still to come in this podcast, the Curious Lemon Shaped Planet. That's fascinating scientists.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

Imagine if you had like a ball of play, doh. And you put it next to a really strong vacuum. The vacuum would kind of suck the front and create this shape. And that's exactly what's happening in this system.

[Matt Rogers]

You don't just live in your home, you live in your neighborhood as well. So when you're shopping for a home, you want to know as much about the area around it as possible. Luckily, homes.com has got you covered. Each listing features a comprehensive neighborhood guide from local experts. Everything you'd ever want to know about a neighborhood, including the number of homes for sale, transportation, local amenities, cultural attractions, unique qualities, and even things like medium lot size and a noise score. Homes.com we've done your homework.

[Martha Stewart]

I'm Martha Stewart, and I believe the best gifts are not only beautiful, but useful every single day. And Lenox has brought timeless beauty and lasting quality to our tables for generations. And their Lenox Spice Village is the perfect holiday gift for someone you love or for yourself. Spice Village transforms everyday spices into inspired memories filled with warmth and joy all year long. Give a gift that lasts beyond the holidays. Discover the [e-mail] SpiceVillage your pet is.

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[Matt Rogers]

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[BBC Correspondent]

With Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.

[Bowen Yang]

Hey Bowen, it's gift season.

[BBC Correspondent]

Ugh.

[Matt Rogers]

Stressing me out. Why are the people I love so hard to shop for?

[Field Reporter]

Probably because they only make boring gifts.

[Matt Rogers]

Guides that are totally uninspired. Except for the guide we made in.

[Bowen Yang]

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[Matt Rogers]

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[Bowen Yang]

Or Best gifts for me that were.

[BBC Correspondent]

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[Matt Rogers]

Check out the guide on marshalls.com and gift the good stuff at Marshall's.

[Anna Holligan]

This is the global News podcast as officials in Florida hold another round of U S LED talks on Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he would support a U.S. proposal for rare direct contact between Ukrainian and Russian teams if it led to prisoner swaps or opened the way for talks between him and Vladimir Putin. Russia's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev is in Miami and has been meeting Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff and President Trump's son in law, Jared Kushner Mr. Dimitriev told reporters that discussions had so far been constructive. Our correspondent Samira Hussein reports from Kyiv.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

President Zelensky said the proposed face to face talks would include Ukraine, Russia and the United States. The last time Russia and Ukraine held negotiations in person was in July when the two sides agreed on a prisoner exchange, but not much more. Speaking to reporters in Kyiv, Mr. Zelensky acknowledged the new American proposal.

[Matt Rogers]

Indeed, the United States of America said that they would have a separate meeting with representatives of Russia and they proposed such a format, as far as I understand, Ukraine, America, Russia.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

Mr. Zelensky added that the US has said the Europeans could also be present in the talks, a prospect that may not go down well with Russia as its relations with Kyiv's main allies are strained. The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has insisted Washington is not trying to force Ukraine to accept a peace deal and has said no agreement will be made unless Kyiv signs up to it. But with American envoys offering Ukraine security guarantees, it seems likely that Kyiv will be expected to make territorial concessions. This is likely to spark a fierce backlash from many Ukrainians, and this latest flurry of diplomatic efforts to end the war comes after seven people died in Ukraine's southern region of Odessa in a Russian ballistic missile strike.

[Anna Holligan]

Samira Hussein Since Russian forces invaded and captured large parts of eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin has tightly controlled news about life in the occupied regions. In recent months though, videos from pro Russian bloggers and content creators detailing life under occupation have attracted thousands of online followers. But many have described those videos as disinformation, as James Beardsworth has been finding out.

[Matt Rogers]

Across Russian occupied Ukraine, hundreds of content creators are making slick, professional looking videos celebrating life under Russian occupation. Mariupol is becoming better and better every day. Its changes are literally shocking, says 23 year old content creator Maria Cushkine. Maria's blog is one of hundreds of channels run by often young, attractive men and women which broadcast pro Russian content from occupied Ukraine to tens of thousands of followers. One of those creators is Elizaveta Cheryakova, a 21 year old from Mariupol. Despite her city being almost completely flattened by Russia's invasion over three years ago, Elizaveta now posts pro Russian content posing in front of the Russian flag and celebrating the Kremlin's rebuild of her city. I asked her why she began making her videos. She is voiced by one of my colleagues as she didn't want her voice to be broadcast.

[Field Reporter]

To be honest, I always want to create a content even before all the famous events and when everything changed. I saw that my city was often presented on the Internet as a ghost town. And I wanted to show the reality that we are living, not what it's sometimes written in the news.

[Matt Rogers]

The bloggers carefully choreographed their videos, often showing newly built apartment blocks, shops and restaurants built by Russia, but rarely mentioning the death and destruction caused by the war or who started it in the first place. Elizaveta told me more about how she believes her city has changed since Russia's arrival.

[Field Reporter]

There is a feeling that the city is coming to life, that life is gradually getting better, that the constant internal tension that used to be in the background has gone.

[Matt Rogers]

Like many other content creators in the region, Elizaveta learned how to make her eye catching content at the Donbass Media Center, a series of newly opened schools across occupied Ukraine. The centres offer free vocational video making courses to people under 25. Pavel Khodbovsky is a blogger and teacher at the school. He told me more about the centers. The Donbass Media center is a school of bloggers. A few hundred people have studied here in Donetsk, in Lugansk, in Mariupol and one in Melitopol. It's very cool because somebody needs to say what is happening in our region in order to tell, let's say, residents of Britain or France, so that when they watch the content, they understand that their government or the Ukrainian government is trying to sell them something that is far from the truth. Ilya Yablokov is an expert on Russian disinformation at the University of Sheffield in the uk. He has been monitoring these schools. They've created this network of media centers, propaganda outlets, let's put them that way, that aggregate information, but also produce it on an industrial scale.

[Martha Stewart]

If you look at the pictures, you.

[Matt Rogers]

See absolutely regular boys and girls. These guys are being trained to spread the message about the war in Donbass, or rather the peace in the Donbass. I put those claims to Elizaveta personally.

[Field Reporter]

I don't promote anyone's interest. I just live in my city and show my reality. I'm a patriot of my country. But this is not about work or promoting interest.

[Matt Rogers]

Videos posted by the Donbass Media center show hundreds of teenagers doing presentations about what they call Russia's new regions, with prizes, including trips to Moscow for the most successful students. According to Ilya, the content is created with a wide range of audiences in mind, both to show Moscow's occupation as a positive thing to a Russian domestic audience, as well as show an alternative reality of home to the millions of Ukrainians that were forced to flee their homes. Imagine yourself living as a refugee. You question quite a lot of things. So that message is to create the cognitive dissonance. This is how post Truth reality works. Media Freedom Group Reporters Without Borders have described the four Ukrainian regions partly occupied by Russia as information black holes, where they say only Kremlin mouthpieces are allowed to work.

[Anna Holligan]

James Beardsworth reporting. Now let's take you out of this world for a moment because scientists say they are baffled by a bizarre lemon shaped planet that defies explanation. The exoplanet, which is outside our solar system, is the size of Jupiter and was discovered with the help of the James Webb Space Telescope. Maya Belesney from Stanford University was involved in the study and told Rebecca Kesbi. What makes it so remarkable, the very.

[Science/Space Correspondent]

Special thing about it is its shape and its composition. This is a very unique system. It's 2000 light years away from us and we have a planet like object orbiting around the remnant of a dead star. And this dead star is very interesting because it's the size of a city, only 10 kilometers in radius, but it weighs almost two times the mass of our sun. So it has a. Yes. And it has a really strong gravitational pull. And it's this pull that is causing this planet to be distorted into this lemon like shape. You can imagine if you had like a ball of color Plato and you put it next to a really strong vacuum, the vacuum would kind of suck the front and create this shape. And that's exactly what's happening in this system.

[Field Reporter]

Interesting. Do we know if it's like made up of gases or whether it's actual matter? What kind of planet is it?

[Science/Space Correspondent]

Yes. So the surface has gas and presumably it's getting denser and solidified in the middle as it cools down. It's difficult to say what this really is. So this is actually a tough question to answer. We're not sure if this is really a planet or the remnants remnant of a star. And so what the focus of this study was was to study sort of what's on the surface, because that's really all we can see. When astronomers measure light coming from stars or planets, that light is really only telling us what's on the surface. So it's really difficult to tell what's actually on the inside. But from what we can see, the outside is just covered in carbon, which is something that has never been seen before.

[Field Reporter]

Goodness. I mean, all this sounds very bizarre. In fact, in terms of what we know of other planets and univers, you.

[Anna Holligan]

Believe that this is what you were.

[Field Reporter]

Seeing and how does it help us understand space, or does it change what we understand about space?

[Science/Space Correspondent]

It's really incredible and honestly, it raises more questions than answers. Our team has been debating for almost a year now about what this object really is. You know, it fits the definition of a planet. It's the same size, it's the right mass, it's the right density. But planets form from all the debris that surround stars, and that debris contains all sorts of atoms, not just carbon. We can't explain with planetary formation models how this can be a planet.

[Anna Holligan]

Maya Belesney from Stanford University and that's all from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topic topics covered in it, you can send an email to globalpodcastbc.co.uk this edition was mixed by Chris Lovelock and the producers were Ariane Kochi and Chantal Hartle. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Anna Holligan. Until next time. Goodbye.

[Field Reporter]

Foreign.

[Martha Stewart]

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