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The Global Story: The global network hunting predators on the internet

The Global Story: The global network hunting predators on the internet

Warning: this episode includes discussions of child sexual abuse and upsetting scenes. The BBC has been following a global team of undercover officers as they investigate the most hidden corners of the internet to stop those who exploit and harm children. A dedicated network of specialist investigators has successfully tracked and caught serial paedophiles who operate across the dark web with the same sophistication and secrecy as international organised crime syndicates. We speak to Special Agent Greg Squire who has dedicated his life to rescuing children who might otherwise never be found. His story is featured in the BBC documentary The Darkest Web and the BBC podcast World of Secrets: The Darkest Web. For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts. Producer: Xandra Ellin Executive producer: James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Greg Squire in The Darkest Web: Inside the internet’s most hidden corners to save kids – BBC World Service Docs)

The Happy Pod: I invented a way for my brother to communicate

The Happy Pod: I invented a way for my brother to communicate

Ari wanted to help his brother Ben engage with the world after he lost the ability to walk, talk or move his hands. So he designed and built him a bespoke communication and entertainment system - allowing him to chat, go online, watch TV or play video games with just two buttons.

Also: the endangered Mexican amphibian found in a river in the UK. Experts say the young girl who captured the axolotl probably saved its life.

The women using their own experiences with breast cancer to tackle cultural taboos about the disease in Uganda, and encourage others to get treatment.

After the Boston marathon, we hear from an elite female athlete hoping to inspire others by running the race while 22 weeks pregnant. And we find out why two runners stopped to help another who collapsed within sight of the finish line.

Plus a statue honouring a giant rat who sniffed out landmines in Cambodia; and why a nature festival has had to clarify that visitors should come fully clothed.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson

Image credit: NARBE House

The Global Story: The AI model that’s ‘too powerful’ to be released to the public

The Global Story: The AI model that’s ‘too powerful’ to be released to the public

Anthropic - one of Silicon Valley’s leading AI firms - recently announced that they have built a model which is too dangerous to be released to the public.

Instead, they are only giving access to the model to a handful of big companies, to help them find security vulnerabilities.The company says the model has already found weak spots in “every major operating system and web browser”. Is this a genuine example of a company acting responsibly, or more of a carefully calibrated publicity move?

We speak to the BBC’s North America tech correspondent, Lily Jamali, about whether this is a watershed moment.

The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

Producers: Viv Jones and Aron Keller

Digital producer: Matt Pintus

Mix: Travis Evans

Executive producer: James Shield

Senior news editor: China Collins

Credit: Jurassic Park (1993) / Dir: Stephen Spielberg / Universal Pictures

Photo: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Reuters/Denis Balibouse.

The Happy Pod: Filling the empty chair left by my best friend

The Happy Pod: Filling the empty chair left by my best friend

We meet the man helping to tackle loneliness by offering strangers somewhere to sit and chat. Dean Perryman started the Empty Chairs project, honouring the memory of his best friend. After he posted the concept online, it has been replicated around the world.

Also: How technology has allowed a dancer with a muscle-wasting disease to see herself performing on stage again. A headset allowed Breanna Olson to control a digital avatar with her brainwaves in real time. Plus, we meet the 95-year-old swimmer still breaking records and showing no signs of slowing down. Brazil gets its own tartan. And we introduce you to Marcus, the black labrador too friendly to be a guide dog, but who's found his calling supporting cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson

Photo: Dean Perryman hosting an Empty Chairs event in his distinctive orange hoodie. Credit: @EmptyChairsUK

The Global Story: The medications that can trigger sex and gambling addictions

The Global Story: The medications that can trigger sex and gambling addictions

A BBC investigation has heard from hundreds of people who say they developed sex and gambling addictions after taking a category of prescription drugs called dopamine agonists. Millions of people in the US and around the world have been prescribed these medications, which are used to treat various illnesses, from Parkinson’s to depression. But they have well-established side effects: around 1 in 6 people who take them develop impulse control disorders. Noel Titheradge, investigations correspondent, shares the story of one American woman who developed hypersexuality after she took a dopamine agonist drug. Like many of the patients Noel has spoken to, she says she was not warned that her medication could dramatically change her personality. Noel’s investigation is also a BBC podcast series. Search for ‘Shadow World: Impulsive’. If you have any concerns about medication you’re taking, speak to your doctor.

For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.

The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

Producers: Viv Jones Executive producer: Bridget Harney Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins Photo: A mixture of pills. Credit: Lauren Hurley/PA Wire

The Happy Pod: From a small town, to the moon

The Happy Pod: From a small town, to the moon

The mayor of Ingersoll beams with pride at the Canadian town being represented on Artemis II. Ingersoll is home to 15,000 people, including the astronaut Jeremy Hansen - who is the mission specialist. Also, we speak to two former NASA astronauts about why the Artemis II mission has gripped people around the world.

Plus, the garden designed to support people with Parkinson's disease. It will go on display in May at the British Chelsea Flower Show, and then find its roots at a specialist hospital. The woman who has a memorial bench in honour of her survival. The couple who held a sustainable wedding in Utrecht Central Station and, the rescue operation in New Zealand which reunited Molly the dog with her owner Jessica, one week after they were separated.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson.

The Happy Pod: The decades long wait for the World Cup

The Happy Pod: The decades long wait for the World Cup

We now know the 48 nations that will be competing in the summer's FIFA World Cup. The final two sides to qualify - Iraq and the DRC - have each waited decades to return to the competition. We hear from jubilant fans of both teams.

Also, a small rural village in South Korea, which is at risk of extinction, is celebrating the birth of a baby for the first time 17 years. A community in Washington DC has come together to rebuild a bookshop that was destroyed in a fire. An ancient abbey in the north of England is experiencing a tourism boost thanks to a Taiwanese pop star. A British schoolgirl has invented a pair of glasses designed to help people with dyslexia. In Japan, people have been taking part in a Grand Prix like no other: an office chair race.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson.

The Global Story: Are we heading for World War Three?

The Global Story: Are we heading for World War Three?

It’s been almost a month since Israel and the US launched their war against Iran, and already there have been strikes in more than a dozen countries, with reports of over 2,000 people killed across the region. As the war drags on and more countries get involved, there are concerns this conflict could escalate into something truly global.

We speak to Emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford, Margaret MacMillan, and explore how world wars start, how they end and what can be done to avoid them.

The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

Producers: Chris Benderev and Lucy Pawle

Executive producer: James Shield

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: U.S. Military aircraft perform 4th of July flyover past New York City and New Jersey, 4 July 2020. Photo: credit: Reuters/Mike Segar

The Happy Pod: The hug that stopped a bombing

The Happy Pod: The hug that stopped a bombing

A patient who stopped a bomb attack at a hospital has revealed he hugged the would-be-attacker to calm him down. Nathan Newby spent two hours talking to the armed man and persuaded him to abandon his plan. He received the George Medal for bravery from King Charles this week.

Also: how a viral video of pack of dogs has captured the attention of animal lovers across China and beyond.

England's Football Association has apologised to a women's team who defied its fifty year ban on female players. The sport's governing body praised the Manchester Corinthians as trailblazers.

And: Millions of people are flocking to see Washington DC's beloved cherry trees in full bloom. The National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates international friendship, as the trees were a gift from Tokyo over a hundred years ago.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson.

The Global Story:How does war affect a child’s brain?

The Global Story:How does war affect a child’s brain?

For nearly forty years, Fergal Keane has reported for the BBC from some of the world’s most brutal conflicts – in Gaza, Iraq, Rwanda, Sudan, Ukraine and beyond – and in that time interviewed scores of children who are the innocent victims of adult wars.

As he came to understand the impacts of trauma on young minds, Keane began too to experience his own mental breakdowns – the result of a troubled childhood and a career spent running towards danger – and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD.

In today’s episode, he reflects on what he has learned from his own experiences and reporting about how childhood traumas can be treated, and the hope for those living through today’s wars.

The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.

Producer: Hannah Moore

Executive producer: Bridget Harney

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Displaced children play in Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Haitham Imad/ EPA/ Shutterstock.

The Happy Pod: Beers, braids and bonding

The Happy Pod: Beers, braids and bonding

We meet the men on a mission to help fellow Dads connect with their daughters, through a movement called 'pints and ponytails'. It's a chance to learn how to do a range of girls' hairstyles, over a couple of beers. But organisers say they leave with more than just salon skills - as the shared experience encourages men to open up about other parenting challenges.

Also: an unexpected solution that could help in the fight againt both plastic pollution and Parkinson's disease.

Rhinos return to a national park in Uganda for the first time in more than forty years. It's hoped they'll help establish a thriving population -- improving the ecosystem, creating jobs and attracting tourists.

Plus - aging well: Researchers found that around a third of people over the age of 65 saw improvements in their physical and mental abilities.

And how a holiday souvenir from Morocco turned out to be a previously unknown type of rock.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson

The Happy Pod: Turning my toddler's tales into tunes

The Happy Pod: Turning my toddler's tales into tunes

Stephen Spencer has set his daughter's stories to music. What started as something he posted for his few followers has turned into a social media sensation, with fans around the world left smiling, laughing or even crying by the catchy tunes and often bizarre lyrics.

Also: how a chance conversation between two women on a train led to one donating her eggs so the other could have a baby. When Anita revealed her fertility issues, Ginny instantly offered to help.

A surgeon who successfully operated on a patient hundreds of kilometres away says it opens up new possibilities for people around the world. He was able to remotely control a surgical robot in real time, thanks to advances in technology.

In Singapore, medical students are learning to be more compassionate doctors by studying poetry. Those behind the course say it helps the students to understand nuance in how patients are feeling.

Plus are dogs that howl along to music actually singing, and how a sly fox accidentally made a transatlantic voyage.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson.

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