What we know about latest Ebola outbreak

Summary

Global News Podcast (BBC World Service)

Episode: What we know about latest Ebola outbreak

Date: May 18, 2026
Host: Charlotte Gallagher

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Episode Overview

This episode provides an in-depth update on the latest Ebola outbreak threatening the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its neighbors, with a focus on the heightened risks around containment and response, given a new, rarer strain of the virus and the lack of vaccines or treatments. The episode also covers other significant global stories, including developments in the Ukraine conflict, Shakira’s tax victory in Spain, the impact of data centers on the UK countryside, a tragic scuba diving incident in the Maldives, new trends in the watch and French wine industries, and a cruise ship hantavirus outbreak.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ebola Outbreak in the DRC and Neighboring Countries

Segment: [01:26] – [07:09]

• Situation Update:

  • Latest Ebola outbreak started in DRC’s eastern Ituri province, has now spread to Uganda, with Rwanda and South Sudan on high alert.
  • Around 80 deaths, 246 suspected cases so far.
  • This outbreak involves a unique and rarer Ebola species; no current vaccines or treatments available.

• Containment Strategies:

  • Jean Casseir (Africa CDC):

    “We don’t have vaccines, we don’t have medicines. We are mostly relying on public health measures. It means providing appropriate information to population on how to handle the issue, how to handle funerals… providing the protection measures for health workers and also this wash component, water and sanitation component.” [03:16]

• Community Concerns:

  • Goma residents are especially fearful; infection risk for children returning home from school is a prevalent worry.
  • Rafael Mahima Casali (Resident):

    “Once they come home, they can infect the whole family.” [04:03]

• Challenges in Response:

  • The outbreak is in a remote, impoverished, armed conflict region, which complicates aid and surveillance.
  • WHO faces a funding crisis, adding more pressure.

• Comparison to 2018-2020 Outbreak:

  • Previous control success hinged on robust healthcare response and new vaccine (which doesn’t work on this new strain).
  • Importance of community engagement and overcoming mistrust of authorities is critical.
  • Body bags with clear windows were a small but essential improvement for safe burials.

  “Trying to persuade people who often are quite mistrustful and sometimes with good reason of central government, that they are there to help.” – Joe Inward, BBC Correspondent [05:15]

  “Ebola … doesn’t spread in the same way that Covid does. You need to have close contact. You need to exchange bodily fluids. And some of the problems are to do with ingrained practices around funerals.” [05:54]

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2. Ukraine Conflict Update

Segment: [09:19] – [13:00]

• Russian Summer Offensive Looms:
  • Russian forces prepare for major operations; intense drone warfare in Donetsk region.
• Firsthand Soldier Accounts:
  • Ukrainian soldiers describe days in “the kill zone,” constant threat from drones, harsh winter, limited supplies.
  • Kenya (Ukrainian Infantryman):

    “Every time when we had to come out of our positions, we prayed we would come back alive.” [10:55]
    “Some of us survived, some didn’t. My comrade got very ill and one day he didn’t wake up. He died from hypothermia.” [12:37]

• Modern Warfare Paradox:
  • Despite technology, the human cost of warfare is profound and present.

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3. Shakira’s Tax Fraud Victory in Spain

Segment: [13:00] – [15:35]

• Background:
  • Dispute centered on 2011 tax year—Spanish authorities claimed Shakira was a resident; she argued frequent travel and lack of ties.
• Court Ruling:
  • Spanish high court rules in her favour; tax agency to reimburse ~$70 million, including fines and interest.

• Shakira’s Reaction:

  “After more than eight years of enduring brutal public targeting… the National High Court has finally set the record straight. There was never any fraud, and the administration itself could never prove otherwise... Today that narrative crumbles, and it does so with the full force of a court ruling. My greatest wish is that this ruling sets a precedent... serves the thousands of ordinary citizens who are abused and crushed every day by a system that presumes their guilt...” [14:30]

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4. Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak

Segment: [07:09] – [09:19]

• Details:
  • Outbreak on cruise ship from Argentina to Cape Verde; 3 deaths, dozens quarantined.
• Precautions & Response:
  • Ship docked in Rotterdam, 27 people disembark, routine disinfecting and quarantines.
  • Dutch authorities emphasize low risk; no protests or panic locally.

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5. Maldives Scuba Diving Tragedy

Segment: [18:08] – [21:28]

• Incident:
  • Four Italian tourists and their instructor lost during a dive in a deep cave system; bodies later found in the third segment of the cave.
  • One Finnish rescue diver also died during recovery efforts.
• Possible Causes:
  • Suspected oxygen depletion, oxygen toxicity, or being disoriented in the cave.
• Broader Questions:
  • Investigation underway into whether the group had proper approval for such a deep, technical dive.

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6. Data Centers on Farmland: UK Community Backlash

Segment: [21:28] – [25:57]

• Context:
  • Plans for a massive data center in Potters Bar, north of London, spark local opposition.
• Resident Concerns:
  • Loss of productive farmland and green space, increased urban sprawl and noise.
  • Ros Naylor:

    “You're losing a large part of the countryside. You're using up a large amount of productive farmland that has produced agricultural crops for centuries.” [22:30]

  • Odette Garvey:

    “You can't eat data.” [23:02]

• Industry Perspective:
  • James Tyler (Equinix):
    • Justifies location based on need for low-latency connections to economic hubs.
    • Promises thousands of trees planted and 50% of site preserved as green space.

    “The amount of time it will take information to travel from this data center into central London… is less than a millisecond. And that really matters to our customers.” [24:58] “If we want the economy to grow and thrive, [data centers are essential as they] underpin so much of our underlying economic growth.” [25:43]

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7. Swatch x Audemars Piguet: The Watch Craze

Segment: [25:57] – [29:49]

• Phenomenon:
  • Police called to Swatch stores worldwide as crowds descend for the new “Royal Pop” watch, which is a collaboration with luxury maker Audemars Piguet.
  • Reselling the $100 watch for over $1,000.
• Cultural Shifts:
  • Revival in interest for pocket watches and British watchmaking brands, with new consumers (including the young) driving demand.
  • Roger Smith (Watchmaker):

    “If you want to get headlines, there’s no better way than to release a pocket watch... anything that engages with the young and introduces them to watches, I’m in favor of.” [27:46, 29:00]

  • Swatch’s practicality and history, vs. luxury and legacy of AP watches, is discussed for their unique draws.

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8. French Wine Losing Out to Beer

Segment: [29:49] – [31:45]

• New Trend:
  • For the first time, beer consumption has overtaken wine in France (10 million liters more beer).
  • Wine drinking down 40% over three decades while the population grows.
• Reasons:
  • Beer now seen as glamorous, especially craft beer.
  • Economic concerns; beer is cheaper, particularly for young adults.
  • Greater health consciousness and a shift toward alcohol-free options.
• Cultural Note:
  • Despite changes, wine still seen as fundamental to French identity by 90% of respondents.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We don't have vaccines, we don't have medicines. We are mostly relying on public health measures… funerals… water and sanitation component.”
  – Jean Casseir, Africa CDC [03:16]

• “You can’t eat data.”
  – Odette Garvey, Potters Bar resident [23:02]

• “After more than eight years of enduring brutal public targeting... the National High Court has finally set the record straight. There was never any fraud...”
  – Shakira [14:30]

• “Every time when we had to come out of our positions, we prayed we would come back alive.”
  – Kenya, Ukrainian infantryman [10:55]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Ebola outbreak coverage: [01:26] – [07:09]
• Cruise ship hantavirus: [07:09] – [09:19]
• Ukraine frontline stories: [09:19] – [13:00]
• Shakira tax case: [13:00] – [15:35]
• Maldives diving tragedy: [18:08] – [21:28]
• Data center opposition in UK: [21:28] – [25:57]
• Swatch/AP watch frenzy & British watchmaking: [25:57] – [29:49]
• France’s wine-to-beer shift: [29:49] – [31:45]

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Tone

The episode maintains the BBC’s measured, factual, but engaging reporting style, blending urgent news with human-interest stories, and always seeking context and diverse viewpoints.

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This comprehensive episode balances urgent public health matters with social, economic, and cultural news, offering global listeners a wide-ranging snapshot of the day’s most important developments.

Transcript

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Gideon Long]

All?

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[Charlotte Gallagher]

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Charlotte Gallagher and 16 GMT on Monday 18th May. These are our main stories. Health authorities scramble to stop the spread of Ebola after the latest outbreak threatens the Democratic Republic of Congo and its neighbors. Ukraine claims Russian forces are preparing for a major offensive in the summer. And pop star Shakira scores a tax victory in Spain. Also in this podcast, you're losing a large part of the countryside of productive farmland. Building it on agricultural land is not the answer. You can't eat data. Why? Opposition against the building of some of Europe's biggest data centres is growing in the uk. First to news of yet another outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. The head of the World Health Organization is due to speak about the issue at a conference in Geneva at the weekend. The WHO declared the outbreak, which began in the DRC's eastern Itauri province, as a public health emergency of international concern. It's now spread to neighboring Uganda. Rwanda and South Sudan are also on high alert. So far, around 80 people have died and there are 246 suspected cases. Health officials are scrambling to contain it. The unique species of the virus is proving an extra challenge as currently no treatments or cure are available the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Casseir, said educating the public about health and hygiene measures will be key.

[Ryan Seacrest]

We don't have vaccines, we don't have medicines. We are mostly relying on public health measures. It means providing appropriate information to population on how to handle the issue, how to handle funerals because we don't want to see again people being infected because of funerals, providing the protection measures for health workers and also this wash component, water and sanitation component.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

With one case recorded in the DRC city of Goma, residents are worried. Rafael Mahima Casali is one of them.

[Joe Inward]

I'm afraid, like any human being, because we have children at school and they

[Colin Patterson]

still come into contact with a lot

[Joe Inward]

of people, we don't really know who they might be around or play with.

[Colin Patterson]

Once they come home, they can infect the whole family.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Our correspondent Jo Inward has been telling me more.

[Joe Inward]

This outbreak of this slightly rarer species of Ebola is centered around Ituri province. Now, Ituri is right on, on the eastern border of the drc. This is a, a really impoverished part of a really impoverished country, really remote. And there seems to be a spreading of this virus throughout the communities there, the remote communities. What they are concerned around is that this virus, which is incredibly dangerous, leads to internal bleeding, to haemorrhaging and often to death, is going to be spreading in these remote communities, away from the eyes of health care workers. They're trying to get resources onto the ground. But the problem is a it's really remote, B, it's a really dangerous part of the world. There's lots of armed groups, there's some linked to is there's another group you mentioned, the city of Goma, that's in the hands of a rebel group. And on top of that also the World Health Organization is facing a funding crisis. So this is a real cause of concern for them.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

People might remember the really big outbreak in 2018-2020. And you were there, weren't you? You were in the drc. What was it like?

[Joe Inward]

Yeah, I was based out in Africa at the time and we did about five trips. It was a really, really serious outbreak. This lasted for more than two years, claimed about two and a half thousand lives. And the way they brought it under control at the time was with a huge healthcare response right across the region. Really well funded at the time. And what they did is over the years or the months, they obviously learned quite a lot of lessons. Firstly, the crucial one was developing a vaccine. Now that was for that strain. They haven't got one for this new strain. But the key message they seem to be putting out is that community engagement is the most important thing. Trying to persuade people who often are quite mistrustful and sometimes with good reason of central government, that they are there to help. And we saw these health care centers where they had got clear plastic kind of almost cubicles to treat people in with. The doctors were able to reach them through gloves that allowed their families to see that they were being treated and to still communicate with them. Slightly more grim, we saw these body bags which they had developed to put a clear plastic window in. Now, that sounds like a small thing, but it allowed families when they were burying their loved ones to be able to feel like they were interacting with the body without putting themselves at risk. Because actually, Ebola, it doesn't spread in the same way that Covid does. You need to have close contact. You need to exchange bodily fluids. And some of the problems are to do with kind of ingrained practices around funerals, that sort of thing. And that's why it's so hard to crack.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Do you think the response this time around shows that they've learned from that huge outbreak?

[Joe Inward]

I mean, certainly as soon as it was announced, they seem to be trying to mobilize quickly. I mean, there was a. I was listening to a spokesperson from the World Health Organization speaking yesterday and she was saying they've got a transport plane of aid in already, but really that's not going to scratch the surface. They have said that they need to get much, much more in. And as ever with these things, it's not just about communication. It's going to be about money as well.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

That was Joe Inwood. And we'll have more on this new Ebola outbreak on our YouTube channel. Search for BBC News on YouTube and you'll find the global news podcast in the podcast section. There's a new story available every weekday. Meanwhile, efforts to contain another serious outbreak are continuing. Three people died and dozens of people were put in quarantine when hantavirus spread on board a cruise ship on a trip from Argentina to Cape Verde. Most passengers were evacuated last week when the ship moored off tenerife, but a 25 person crew and two medical staff remained for the final leg. The ship has now arrived at the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Anna Holligan joined us from a boat alongside the Dutch cruise ship as it approached its final destination.

[Anna Holligan]

It's a surreal sight, actually. After almost 50 days at sea, this Dutch cruise ship is returning to the port. 27 people on board, those people will be taken ashore, they will disembark, they will undergo some kind of disinfecting routine. There are cabins at the dock and some of the people will be kept in quarantine. Here in the Netherlands, there are four Dutch citizens on board. The Dutch will go into quarantine, isolation at home. The others will probably be held here for a period of about 40 days to be sure they're not infected. But the latest that we've heard from the, the cruise operators ocean wide is that everyone on board is asymptomatic at the moment. So this is, as the WHO has been saying, purely a precautionary measure.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

And as you said, that the whole say the outbreak is still low risk. But how are people feeling in the Netherlands about this boat docking?

[Anna Holligan]

We haven't seen any of the kind of protests that we witnessed in Tenerife and in fact no sign at the Port of Rotterdam of any discontent or discord among the Dutch population. I think the Dutch have been quite keen to show that everything is now organized, well orchestrated, in contrast to the scenes witnessed on board the ship over the last 47 days.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

That was Anna Holligan. The Ukrainian military claim Russian forces are preparing for a major offensive in the summer. Russian troops are already approaching the outskirts of a strategically important city in the eastern Donetsk region. The BBC's Abdul Jalil Abdor has spoken to Ukrainian soldiers, some of whom spent 225 days inside what's known as the kill zone.

[Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov]

A Ukrainian soldier is lying on a hospital bed while nurses are rubbing his body with alcohol. His call sign is Kenya and he has just come out from the front line where he spent 225 days. When you went in, did you expect that you would spend so much time at the position?

[Gideon Long]

Nobody knows when they would return. Commanders tried to change us several times, but each time our replacement failed to reach us because of drones. In the end, Foch helped the incoming team and we were swapped.

[Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov]

Kenya is an infantryman from the 93rd Brigade. His unit defends Konstantinovka, a strategic city in eastern Ukraine. Kamikaze drones hunt down everything that moves there. And the area along the front line that's within the range of these machines is called the kill zone.

[Gideon Long]

Every time when we had to come out of our positions, we prayed we would come back alive. At night we had to put on an anti drone cloak to protect us from thermal cameras, but they would last for 20 minutes at the most.

[Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov]

Hani stayed at the frontline position for 122 days. He is Originally from the Palestinian territories, he came to Ukraine as a student in the 1990s and stayed. Now he says he's defending his new home. The scariest moment for Hani was when the Russians discovered his position.

[Ryan Seacrest]

First they dropped explosives and sent kamikaze drones. Then two assault troopers tried to go into the basement where we stayed. They threw grenades and blew up an anti tank mine that destroyed the entrance. They thought we were all dead, but our basement was very big and we survived.

[Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov]

It's the paradox of modern warfare. As machines increasingly replace humans on the front line, the role of troops becomes even greater. But that comes at a cost.

[Ryan Seacrest]

There was constantly a shortage of water and food. Drones that delivered supplies would often get destroyed before they could reach us. In winter it was extremely cold. We couldn't make a fire.

[Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov]

This was one of the harshest winters in Ukraine for many years. How did you survive it?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Some of us survived, some didn't. My comrade got very ill and one day he didn't wake up. He died from hypothermia.

[Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov]

The battle for Kostiantynivka is continuing. And while most fighting is done by drones, today it is the foot soldiers who hold Ukrainian territory.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

That was Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov. The Colombian singer Shakira has been battling with Spain over a giant tax bill. And now the high court there has cleared her of tax fraud. Judges have ordered the treasury to reimburse the superstar millions of dollars that she paid as a fine. Our entertainment correspondent Colin Patterson has been following the story.

[Colin Patterson]

Eight years this has been going on. Shakira, one of the biggest Latin music stars on the planet. Hits like Waka Waka Hips don't lie, things I've heard you do in karaoke.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Charlotte, my secrets are coming out.

[Colin Patterson]

This is all about her tax bill for 2011 in Spain because she was married to the Spanish footballer Gerard Piquet, who at the time was playing for Barcelona. And the tax authorities consider Shakira to be a resident of the country. But what Shakira argued was that year she played 120 concerts in 37 different countries and did not crucially spend the 183 days in Spain that would have made her liable to have to pay tax there. Also, she didn't have a home. She says she said she didn't have children there or a business there. And now the high court has come out in her favor returning this verdict of eight years ago. The Spanish tax agency having to reimburse her around $70 million. That's including the fine she pa paid and the interest that she's paid on them.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

And has she said anything yet about this?

[Colin Patterson]

She has. She's actually issued a very, very angry statement, which I think is worth reading, she says. After more than eight years of enduring brutal public targeting, orchestrated campaigns to destroy my reputation and sleepless nights that ultimately impacted my health and my family's well being, the National High Court has finally set the record straight. There was never any fraud, and the administration itself could never prove otherwise. Simply it wasn't true. Yet for nearly a decade, I was treated as guilty. Every step of the process was leaked, distorted, amplified, using my name and public image to send a threatening message to the rest of the taxpayers. Today that narrative crumbles, and it does so with the full force of a court ruling. My greatest wish is that this ruling sets a precedent for the treasury and serves the thousands of ordinary citizens who are abused and crushed every day by a system that presumes their guilt and forces them to prove their innocence at the cost of economic and emotional ruin. The victory is dedicated to them.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Tell us how you really feel, Shakira. That was Colin Patterson. Still to come in this podcast,

[Gideon Long]

Les

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Francais adore le Piedor why France's long term love affair with fine wine is fizzling out.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Charlotte Gallagher]

This is the Global News podcast. Last Thursday, a group of Italian tourists went scuba diving in the Maldives, but four of them and their instructor never returned. Since then, rescuers have attempted to retrieve their bodies from caves, but there was a further tragedy at the weekend after one of the rescue divers died. Today, the government in the Maldives say four of the bodies have now been located. Our global affairs reporter Anbarasan Etarajan is following the story.

[Anbarasan Etarajan]

Since Monday morning, a group of specialist divers from Finland, arranged by the Italian government as well as the Maldivian Defense Forces divers have been searching underwater. This is Wawu Atoll, south of the capital Mali in the Maldives. And initially they were supposed to do orientation diving, basically to understand the topography under the water. Now, a short while ago, the Maldivian government and the Italian Foreign Ministry announced that the divers they had located the four bodies out of the five. The first body was found on Thursday itself. And I earlier spoke to the Maldivian government spokesperson Mohammed Hussain Sharif, and this is what he had to say. The dive team led by the Dan experts from Finland confirmed that they found

[Mohammed Hussain Sharif]

all four missing Italian researchers and as was previously thought, the four bodies were found inside the cave.

[Anbarasan Etarajan]

Not only inside the cave, but well inside the cave, into the third segment

[Mohammed Hussain Sharif]

of the cave, which is the largest part.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

And do we know how the initial divers died? Because they were experienced divers. They weren't amateurs. They were really good at this.

[Anbarasan Etarajan]

When you hear this government spokesperson, it is very clear that they went deep inside this cave. We are estimating about 100 meters or more in the third segment. So there have been various theories given by the specialist Maldivian divers. Probably they ran out of oxygen. That's one possibility. The fact that all the four bodies were found in the inner compartment shows that that's one reason. The second is people are talking about the composition of the cylinders, what is the percentage of oxygen? You know, there is an oxygen toxicity when you go very deep under the water. Your body reacts in a different way to these oxygen inhaled through the cylinders. And the third, I mean, obviously something happened that, that kicked off the sand and the dust completely disoriented the divers. So these were some of the reasons why this could have happened, because this is quite unusual for the Maldivians and also for the country. It's the worst diving incident in the country. So they are trying to find out what led to this one, number one. And the second thing is whether they were permitted to go such a deep distance. It was about 60 meters. Yesterday I was talking to one of the Maldives government of We Shall See was saying that they were allowed to go for recreation purpose only 30 meters. And it is 60 meters. You know, every meter counts when you go under the water, the pressure is increasing. And then they said there was no mention of cave also in their proposal initially. So how this happened, why they were allowed to go, these are all subject to investigation now. The Maldives authorities in the next few days are hoping to work towards retrieving these bodies.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

That was Ambarasan Etarajan. Data centers are becoming an ever bigger part of our lives. They're vast warehouses of computers powering everything from AI chatbots to how people people file tax returns online. They're springing up around the world and many more are coming. But for people living nearby, the impact can feel very real, from concerns over noise and water use to rising energy demand. So as the AI boom drives the need for ever more digital power, how do communities learn to live with data centers? Gideon Long reports.

[Gideon Long]

I'm on the edge of a field just north of London. It's a lovely spring day and the field is full of yellow flowers from the rapeseed crop that's planted here. And I'm here because there's a plan to build a big data centre here, one of the biggest in Europe. And some of the local residents from the nearby commuter town of Potters Bar are not happy about it. And with two of them, Ros Naylor and Odette Garvey. Ros, what have you got against this plan?

[Charlotte Gallagher]

You're losing a large part of the countryside. You're using up a large amount of productive farmland that has produced agricultural crops for centuries.

[Gideon Long]

And Odette, you live nearby. What does this land mean to you and what will it mean to you if the data centre is built?

[Anna Holligan]

It'll be devastating. There won't be our place to come to it'll. Just be another urban sprawl with warehouses and concrete and a green space would be gone forever.

[Gideon Long]

We need data centers. They have to be built somewhere.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Yes, but building it on agricultural land is not the answer. You can't eat data, Odette.

[Gideon Long]

What about that argument, though, that we do need data centres? I mean, I guess you use technology, you use mobile phones, you use computers, as we all do. And there is an argument that we have to build these data centers somewhere, so why not here?

[Anna Holligan]

I'm not against data centers. It's just where we place them. I thought I was going to stay here to retire and I don't think

[Charlotte Gallagher]

this is going to be the dream anymore when this is.

[Colin Patterson]

Well, even.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Even you were saying earlier, Odette, that she doesn't want to walk here anymore because the prospect of it makes her feel so sad.

[James Tyler]

We have to do archaeological digs as part of the planning process.

[Gideon Long]

Right on the other side of the site, just a few hundred meters away, I meet James Tyler, the managing director for the UK at Equinix, the company that will build and operate this data center. The site looks very different here. Not as pretty. The rapeseed has been hacked down to stubble and you're much closer to the busy M25 motorway that surrounds London. So, James, just give me a sense of what this area will look like once the data centre is constructed. At the moment, it's an arable field, or clearly was used for agriculture. There are electricity pylons here, there are trees. You can see the motorway from here. What will it look like once the project is complete?

[James Tyler]

We'll build a number of data centers that will be very sympathetic to the local environment. We'll be planting thousands of trees, we'll keep at least 50% of the entire site as green, and then we'll be building new pathways and making sure that the site really remains very accessible to the local community.

[Gideon Long]

A lot of people say we need data centres, but why do they have to be built so close to London, in the southeast of England, which is already very heavily populated and heavily built on?

[James Tyler]

The business that Equinix is in is serving customers who need applications to be highly responsive. And milliseconds, whether that's financial transactions, health care, support systems, the amount of time it will take information to travel from this data centre into central London, for example, over the fibre networks, is less than a millisecond. And that really matters to our customers.

[Gideon Long]

So building this data centre, let's say on a disused industrial site in the north of England, or. I don't know in the north of Scotland or a remote part of England,

[James Tyler]

that's just not going to work well for our customers. Latency matters and proximity to economic hubs matters.

[Gideon Long]

And what do you say to those people who have listened to your arguments and still say, we need all the green space we can get and this shouldn't be built here?

[James Tyler]

I would say that the UK needs to continue to invest in very high quality data centre infrastructure if we want the economy to grow and thrive because it underpins so much of our underlying economic growth.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

That was Gideon Long. Police were called to Swatch stores across the UK over the weekend to control crowds. In Paris, police fired tear gas because it became so rowdy. A fight broke out in Milan and in New York, one person queuing at the watch shop described it as a mosh pit. And that's all for a new swatch. It's called the Royal Pop and it's a brightly colored pocket watch. It's also a collaboration with the luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet, which may explain a few things. Their watches normally cost more than $20,000, but the new Swatch collection sells for hundred and it's already flooding the resale market at luxury prices. The BBC went out to speak to some shoppers hoping to get their hands on one of the watches. I am hoping to get a Swatch ap.

[James Tyler]

Do you know, I've been here for three days ongoing.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

I feel like it brings us back

[James Tyler]

to school days to somewhat where you're lining up in the lunch queue or in the playgrounds or whatnot.

[Ryan Seacrest]

What?

[Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov]

What's going on?

[Anbarasan Etarajan]

What did you just get today?

[Joe Inward]

The Royal Swatch AP collab.

[Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov]

And what are you going to do with it?

[James Tyler]

I'm going to keep this for my collection.

[Abdul Jalil Abdurasalov]

Oh, really?

[Charlotte Gallagher]

You're not going to sell it?

[James Tyler]

Why not?

[Ryan Seacrest]

One day. If the price is right.

[Joe Inward]

You know, they say if the price

[Ryan Seacrest]

is right, anything is for sale, but

[James Tyler]

right now, absolutely not. No chance.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

So did. How much?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Just over a thousand.

[Mohammed Hussain Sharif]

A thousand?

[Charlotte Gallagher]

So a profit of 900 quid?

[Gideon Long]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

What have you done with the money?

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Gonna have to come back and try buy some more. So what does this tell us about how the watch industry is changing? Sarah Montagu has been digging into this with one of the best watchmakers in the world, Roger Smith of Roger W Smith, whose watches are worn by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Ed Sheeran.

[Mohammed Hussain Sharif]

Well, it surprised me, but I think if you want to get headlines, there's no better way than to release a pocket watch. I mean, for me Pocket watches, they did sort of die out. But I've noticed with my clients more latterly there is more interest in requests for pocket watches.

[Sarah Montague]

British watchmaking, I mean, we think of the Swiss, but and, and I think we used to think of Britain as being good at watchmaking. Is there a revival with people like you?

[Mohammed Hussain Sharif]

Certainly, yeah. I mean, there is. I mean, when I started making watches many, many years ago, the industry within Britain was non existent, with exception to George Daniels, who used to make one watch per year. More latterly, there has been a groundswell of interest and several years ago I helped form a group called the alliance of British Watch and Clock Makers. And since then there's been a huge resurgence in businesses, people setting up companies to make watches and clocks within Britain. So yeah, it's going through some exciting times, right?

[Sarah Montague]

Well, presumably even more exciting if people are putting their phones down and wanting to buy, well, even, I mean, these brightly colored ones, Audemars Piguet. Would you want one of those?

[Mohammed Hussain Sharif]

I bought one of the Swatch pieces. The, the other Swatch Amiga Speedmasters. You know, I may just buy one. I may buy one just for the sheer hell of it and because, yeah, I think, I mean, my nephew contacted us the other day, he would like one and he's going to be camping out trying to get one of these watches. So, yeah, it's anything that engages with the young and introduces them to watches, I'm in favor of.

[Sarah Montague]

Okay. And just, just briefly, I mean, Swatch, I think is a pretty neat thing if you're, if, if the battery goes, you, you just go and it, you just get, it gets re. Replaced for you. What is special about an AP watch? Just in a few sentences, I think

[Mohammed Hussain Sharif]

it's a history, it's a story, it's. There's something for young people to dive into there and explore and find out about fine watchmaking.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

That was Roger Smith speaking to Sarah Montague. Finally, France has a rich history of winemaking and drinking. But that's now changing. A group which follows trends in wine drinking says beer has overtaken wine for the first time in France's modern history. Stephanie Prentiss reports.

[Stephanie Prentiss]

One of France's most famous wine adverts from the 80s, a time when daily wine with lunch and dinner was common. But its popularity has been steadily declining since then. And now the country famous for its luxury champagnes and heritage reds has a new favorite. New research into drinking habits last year shows that beer consumption and outstrip wine by 10 million liters. And that over the past three decades, wine consumption has fallen by almost 40%, while France's population increased by about 15%, according to the experts. Three major factors are at play. Beer getting a rebrand is more glamorous, with craft beers surging in popularity the economy and the fact that beer is less expensive, particularly for young adults and a general shift of people being more health conscious and choosing alcohol free options. The team also pointed out that the famous long lunch often seen on screen is on the decline. Despite the shift, French people overwhelmingly still see wine as key to the national identity, with more than 90% of people asked in a recent recent survey saying it's a cornerstone of their culture and a noble product that boosts the country's image globally.

[Charlotte Gallagher]

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm going to have a glass of wine now. That was Stephanie Prentice and that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email [e-mail] let us know where you're listening and we'll try to give you a shout out and put a pin in our world audience map for your this edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Rosenwin Durrell and the producer was Adrienne White. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Charlotte Gallagher. Until next time. Goodbye.

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