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This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.
I'm Pete Ross.
In the early hours of Saturday the 14th of February, these are our main stories.
The Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has addressed a vigil in Tumbler Ridge for eight victims of a teenage shooter, commending people for opening their hearts when the world falls apart.
The French and German leaders have defended the European project at the Munich Security Conference, urging the continent to do more for itself.
Also in this podcast, I told myself that it was inconceivable that this man who shared my life could have committed these horrors.
It was a descent into hell.
Giselle Pellicot, the woman at the centre of the largest rape trial in French history, tells the BBC she was crushed by the horror of her ordeal.
We start in the remote Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge.
With a First Nations prayer, a local community began a candlelit vigil to honour the victims of one of the worst mass shootings in Canadian history.
Eight people were killed and dozens injured by a teenager on Tuesday.
Most of those who died were children.
Addressing the crowd, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, named the victims and had this message for their families
When we leave here tonight and some of you go back to quiet houses, some of you go back to empty rooms.
Please know that you're not alone.
When you wake up tomorrow and the world feels impossible, know that millions of Canadians are with you.
When the cameras leave and the quiet sets in, know that we still exist. will be here.
And know that we shall need you too.
Because Canada is a community that relies on each other's grace.
And may that grace bless us all.
Earlier, flowers were laid at a makeshift memorial to remember those killed.
The shooter, Jesse von Rutzler, was found dead at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot injury.
Our North American reporter, Shimmy Jolaoso, was listening to the Prime Minister's speech and told me what she made of it.
He appeared quite emotional at times, trying to push a message of solidarity, saying that he knew that there were no words that could fill the silence in the homes of the families that lost loved ones.
He said he was there to show that Canadians are with the families.
And he said that Tumbler Ridge, the town, is one full of grace and that they are dealing with their loss gracefully.
He also spoke about the victims.
He mentioned one of the children that were killed, Kylie Smith.
He called her beautiful, kind and innocent.
He also referred to one of the boys that were killed, Abel Mwansa, calling him bright, ambitious and someone who loved school.
He read out the names of all the victims.
Did we learn anything about any of the others or what else did he have to say?
Yes, he read out the names of all of the victims.
He read out Takaria Lampert's name, a 12-year-old student at the school who he said, loved K-pop, demon hunters and crafts and cooking.
He mentioned Zoe Benoit, who was 12 years old.
Her family earlier in a statement called her resilient, vibrant and smart.
He also mentioned Ezekiel Schofield, who was 13 years old.
He said that Ezekiel was an aspiring hockey player who always had a smile.
And he wasn't the only person to address the crowd this morning or today.
Who else appeared and what did they have to say?
No, there were other local community leaders, including an indigenous leader who gave a prayer.
There was also one of the police chiefs who mentioned how he has lost a child about 14 years ago and understood what the families were going through.
And it was just a message of love being pushed by all the community members that...
This isn't something that the town will recover from anytime soon, but because there's such a tight-knit community it's a town of less than 3000 people and a lot of people know each other that that sense of community, that closeness, is what's going to help them through the days ahead.
The Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of global leaders to discuss defence issues, is underway amid a backdrop of growing tension between the United States and Europe, particularly since Donald Trump threatened to annex Greenland.
He doesn't think Europe has been paying its way when it comes to its own defence and has relied too much on America.
But on the first day of the conference, European leaders defended their actions.
The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said the US still needed Europe.
In the era of great power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone alone.
So let's repair and rewire transatlantic trust.
Jürgen Hart is a member of the German Parliament and foreign affairs spokesperson for the Chancellor's Christian Democratic Union.
He agrees that Europe needs to chart a new course over regional security, while still hoping for strong transatlantic relations.
I think the last three months show how it works.
If someone would have told me in November the European Union and the other European NATO partners, like UK and Norway, would face the threat of 28 bullet points on Ukraine by Donald Trump, a mysterious process down to the 20 points we have now agreed between US and Europe and Ukraine.
And second, to bring the president of the United States away from his mysterious plan to integrate Greenland into the US.
In both, Europe was successful.
And I think this is the way we have to go.
We have to do the things that we think that are necessary for us.
And with that we will impress our American partners, because they have reliable partners in us concerning defense, but also concerning economics and concerning security, making more independent from nations like China or Russia concerning energy or concerning new technology.
For example, if you talk to members of the US Senate from both parties, I think there's a huge majority to continue close transatlantic cooperation, not only defense, but also economic-wise and in other political fields like rule-based world order and other things.
And Donald Trump saw with a reaction of the Senate on his Venezuela activities that he cannot be sure that there's a majority in the Senate, kept by the Republicans, for him to do such operations abroad.
And I think this was also one of the reasons why he stepped down from the Greenland point and why he now is more soft in his wording on defense in Europe and defense with Europe.
As long as we are standing close together in Europe not only European Union, but important nations like Norway, like UK we have the chance to impress US and to make sure that Americans see an advantage in close cooperation with us.
Instead of that was the US president told them.
And I'm sure that we can recover transatlantic cooperation on that way.
German MP Jürgen Hart.
Giselle Pellico, the woman at the centre of the largest rape trial in French history, has told the BBC she was crushed by the horror of her ordeal, but that she's a survivor.
51 men, including her husband, were convicted of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault at a trial in Avignon in 2024.
She was drugged by her husband at the time, so she didn't know the offences had taken place.
Giselle Pellico has spoken to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire about her experience.
You should be aware this interview contains descriptions of sexual abuse.
I told myself that it was inconceivable that this man who shared my life could have committed these horrors.
I told myself that my life was in ruins, that I had nothing left apart from my children.
It was a descent into hell, for me but also for them.
Our family was totally destroyed.
We were crushed by the horror.
You were actually angry with yourself that you hadn't noticed anything in the nine years at least, that he was drugging you with his own anxiety and insomnia medication, poisoning your glass of wine or your food in the evening.
Why were you angry with yourself?
Because I didn't realise anything.
I saw nothing.
I think it was right at the beginning when he started drugging me, in fact.
I didn't remember what I'd done the day before.
So I said to him you're not drugging me by any chance.
And when I saw him break down in tears, I immediately thought there might be something wrong, because I have an excellent memory.
And there I couldn't remember at all what I'd done the day before.
You made the remarkable decision to let the world know who you are, to waive your legal right to anonymity, which meant the trial of all these men would be opened up to the public and the media and everyone would know who you were.
Why did you choose to do that?
When I decided against a closed hearing, I wanted the shame to shift to the other side.
I'd carried that shame for more than four years.
That self-inflicted pain I felt meant victims were being punished twice, and I thought that if I was able to overcome it, all victims could do it too.
Shame must be carried by the accused, not the victims.
Monsieur Pellicot was given the maximum jail sentence for what he did to you, 20 years in jail.
Will you ever see him again?
I haven't had the opportunity to go and see him and I hope to do so.
That's also part of my way of rebuilding myself.
So I think I need to go and see him to get answers.
There has been an outpouring of support for you from people around the world, particularly women, who began to wait for you each day at the court and formed a guard of honour as you walked into the building and then applauded you as you left the building.
You wrote that the crowd saved you.
Yes, you go through hell in a courtroom.
You're really humiliated.
Nothing has changed much, in fact.
Victims are still made to feel like the guilty party.
So yes, when I came out, the applause gave me enormous strength.
And seeing my name plastered on the walls of Avignon...
This name as a banner, my story as an example, it gave me a lot of strength.
Alone, it would have been very difficult, I think.
Madame Pellico, if I may, I feel like you are one of the strongest women I have ever met.
Where does that strength come from?
I think it's in my DNA.
I was born like this because I experienced tragedies very young through my grandmother, through my mother, and I always saw these women smiling despite everything they'd gone through.
So I think it was passed on to me from a very young age and I've built myself like that, always standing upright and dignified.
You say you have found love again.
Yes.
Some people may be surprised by that.
I've always been focused on other people, on the future.
I didn't think at all about falling in love or even wanting to.
But life put a man in my path who has the same values, the same principles as me and who's also been through many ordeals in his life.
And we had this stroke of luck.
We fell in love like teenagers when neither of us was expecting it.
So you see, life always holds beautiful surprises.
It's brought a lot of colour into our lives.
Giselle Pellicombe, who is speaking to Victoria Derbyshire.
President Trump has announced he's sending a second aircraft carrier group to the Middle East, warning it would be a bad day for Iran if it fails to make a deal on its nuclear programme.
Iranian and American negotiators met in indirect talks earlier this month in the Gulf state of Oman.
They were described by both sides as positive, although little progress appears to have been made.
In Iran itself, people are struggling with inflation of around 60 and a rile currency in freefall against the dollar.
It's an economic crisis rooted in decades of crippling international sanctions, as well as mismanagement and corruption, the financial woes which sparked the recent protests, which spiralled into major unrest.
Our chief international correspondent, Lise de Sette, is reporting from Iran, on condition that none of her material is used on the BBC's Persian service.
These restrictions apply to all international media organisations operating in Iran.
Lise reports from a market in Tehran.
We're just pushing through the crowds here coming in to any of the markets in Tehran, but this one is such a feast.
It's beautiful to behold, but it's painful too, because it's a measure of rising prices and the rising pain in people's lives.
This is here from some of the shoppers.
Prices are so high.
Are you hopeful that there will be a deal between President Trump and Iran?
I think we will reach an agreement.
There will be?
Yeah, I think so.
Because the future is really dangerous.
Nobody knows if the United States is going to attack Iran.
It will have very terrible consequences.
What do you think could happen here?
No one knows.
Were you in Tehran during last year's war?
Yes.
And what was it like?
Terrible, unfortunately.
It was scary.
Yeah, it was really scary.
So that would help, do you think, help your life if there was at least a deal, a nuclear deal?
For sure.
If you have a deal, probably they decrease the sanction.
And I think the condition become better.
So just explain to me, how does the sanctions affect your life?
Like, what can't you do?
For sure.
For sure.
The prices have doubled 10 times more, the price of dollar.
Usually we could travel to the different countries, even in United Kingdom.
But these days with the price of pound come to 2013, it's very expensive.
More expensive, more pollution, more dangerous.
Every more that you can think in really bad way.
Why did you go to the streets?
For me, it was just bad management about price, about the bad quality of life.
If they fix the economy, would that be enough?
For me, one of the things is economic subjects.
For the other person, some political options.
Different person has different objectives and different things and different problems.
When you were out on the streets last month, what was it like for you?
It was a mix of everything.
Many persons were together and just you could see that they have problems, but not the same problems.
And because of this, it was so dangerous.
And did you hear shooting?
Did you see people killed?
Yes.
Tell me about that.
I just closed my eyes and ran away because I couldn't tolerate and I can't do anything for him.
Really scary.
So let's move a little way from the crush of people around the fruit and vegetables into this warren of shops.
Let's go inside this one.
How is business these days?
It's not good that much.
The price is day and day higher.
What is most affected?
Which goods?
If we look on the wall of all these goods, what is most affected by the inflation?
I think saffron.
Saffron?
Why?
It's Iranian saffron.
Yes, Iranian saffron.
It's up to double price.
Is it a problem of sanctions, the international sanctions?
I think, yes.
What do you want to happen?
What will help your life to be better?
I think to come and save us.
You want the monarchy back?
Yes.
And why do you think that's better?
I think it's better.
Reza Pahlavi wants the United States to attack Iran.
Do you support that?
Yes, absolutely.
It's been so striking on this visit how many people are ready to share their views, at least when they're reassured that it will just be their voices on the radio.
And sometimes the views are so bravely expressed.
But whatever the differences that we hear, everyone seems to agree that life gets ever harder and something's got to change.
Still to come in this podcast, on Valentine's Day.
Online dating promotes this idea that people are replaceable.
Modern dating has become very gamified.
It can feel a little bit like online shopping.
Growing numbers of young people say they're turning to period dramas to escape the horrors of the modern dating scene.
I've spent the last three decades trying to better understand money across the boardroom, the newsroom and the trading floor.
That's longer than most podcast hosts have been alive.
But even I've got questions.
Join me Merrin's Hubset Web every week for my show.
Merrin Talks Money from Bloomberg Podcasts, where I have in-depth conversations with fund managers, strategists and experts about how markets really work.
And join me for a separate episode where I answer listener questions on how to make those markets work for you.
Follow Merrin Talks Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Last week the Israeli government approved plans to adopt sweeping new powers in the occupied West Bank.
The changes will allow Israel to increase its control in the territory and make it easier for Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian land.
The UN called on Israel to reverse the decision, saying it jeopardises the prospect for a two-state solution.
Our Middle East correspondent, Lucy Williamson, went to the city of Hebron, which contains several Jewish settlements which are illegal under international law and where the control of different areas are divided between Palestinian authorities and the Israeli military.
Welcome to Hebron, welcome, hello.
In Hebron, power, like the city, is divided.
Welcome!
Here in the vegetable market, as in most of the city, Palestinian authorities are in charge.
But metres away through an Israeli military checkpoint, Israel's army guards around 700 Jewish settlers living among more than 30000 Palestinians.
We've just come through an Israeli military checkpoint right in the middle of Hebron to speak to Palestinian activist Issa Amro.
He lives here in the part of the city where Jewish settlers live side by side with Palestinian residents.
The atmosphere is tense.
Any change in the delicate balance of powers here could lead to real friction.
Israel has said it will start providing municipal services here and allow Israeli citizens to buy Palestinian property right across the occupied West Bank.
Outside Issa's house, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish couple is picnicking.
A settler neighbour appears from an alley.
On the wall inside, there's a plaque for Palestine.
What a view you've got.
I get the best view in Hebron.
You really do?
Yes.
But unfortunately, I had to cover it with fence, so it hurts me a lot.
Through the window, a vast Israeli flag flutters over the neighbourhood below.
It's about that they were expanding a lot without any legal basis.
Now they are the law.
It's annexation of the land without me.
Israel has also said it will expand its control over so-called heritage sites across the West Bank and will take over planning at two key religious sites used by both Muslims and Jews.
Asma al-Sharabati is acting mayor of Hebron.
These announcements and regulations would decrease the influences of all the Palestinian institutions and Palestinian authorities.
They can simply put their hands on any building declaring that this building is old or ancient.
Jewish settlements in the West Bank are rapidly expanding.
Zvi Sukot, a lawmaker with the far-right religious Zionism party, lives in one.
His boss, Israel's finance minister, has said the expansion of Israeli control in the West Bank was burying the idea of a Palestinian state.
Judea and Samaria is the Jewish homeland of the people of Israel and I expect there to be full Israeli sovereignty here.
But in the meantime we can at least supervise, so there will be no environmental harm and we won't harm the heritage of the people of Israel, even if it's in Palestinian-run areas.
These changes demolished the agreements Israel signed decades ago laying out the path to a Palestinian state, and they also undermined the Palestinian Authority, due to one day takeover Gaza from Hamas under Donald Trump's plan.
Burying the idea of a Palestinian state could also bury Trump's plan for Middle East peace.
Lucy Williamson, A BBC investigation has uncovered damaging side effects of certain prescription drugs which impact impulse control and can trigger behaviour such as hypersexuality and compulsive gambling.
The medications in question are known as dopamine agonist drugs and are used across the world to treat people suffering from conditions such as Parkinson's and restless leg syndrome.
Some users say that they've lost their life, savings and homes to debts they've racked up through gambling, while others say that the medication has caused the breakup of their family and even led to criminal behaviour.
Our investigations correspondent Noel Titheridge gave the details to my colleague Leila Nathu.
These impulsive behaviours manifested in different ways.
So for some people, they develop gambling addictions.
Some people develop sexually impulsive behaviour.
Some people develop compulsive shopping or binge eating, but all felt a struggle to control their actions.
And how did they link those new behaviours to the drugs themselves, rather than actually something that might have been part of the condition they were initially suffering from?
Well, the striking thing for many of them is that they didn't link their behaviour and the medication until it was too late.
We've met people that have lost tens, hundreds of thousands of pounds to gambling.
People whose sexually impulsive behaviour has put them in significant risk.
And often there's a moment of revelation years down the line where they discovered that actually the medication was known to cause impulsive behaviour.
Lots of people say they had no proclivity, no taste or appetite for the sorts of behaviours they then engaged with.
People have told us of their sexuality changing.
People have told us that who've never bet even on a horse race in their life become huge gamblers.
Had any of them been warned about the possible impact and what they could possibly suffer from?
Well, we've spoken to over 200 people.
The vast majority of them say that they weren't warned properly, even if they were made aware that impulsive behaviour was a possible side effect.
It was only in the context of medication leaflets that listed heartburn hiccups, and actually they could never have imagined that the behaviour would be so significant.
Presumably, Noel.
As part of this, you've been in touch with the manufacturers of the drugs and medical regulators.
What have they had to say?
Well, the manufacturers say that these drugs were extensively trialled, that they've been repeatedly, and continue to be approved by regulators across the world.
And they say that side effects are clearly stated.
Now, the government in the UK has said that our findings are hugely concerning.
But as yet, the UK drug safety regulator has said there are no plans to change warnings.
Noel Titheridge speaking to Leila Nathu.
For filmmakers, getting an Oscar is a dream come true and can be the pinnacle of their career.
The nominations for this year's awards have been announced, but the nominees will have to wait until next month to find out if they've won.
The BBC's Regan Morris spoke to one Hollywood director who's up for two awards for two different films.
My name is Gita Ganber, and I'm the director of The Perfect Neighbor.
We were nominated for that as Best Documentary Feature, but I'm also nominated for The Devil is Busy for Best Documentary Short.
What are the chances to be nominated twice?
Honestly, it's like a thrill and an honor, and our minds are kind of blown.
A perfect neighbor tells the tragic story of a mother killed by a woman who repeatedly called 911 on children playing around her home.
I'm like the perfect neighbor documentary is made almost entirely of police body camera footage and it turned out to be about 30 hours of material.
It went back two years leading up to the murder and then even afterwards there was footage and there was interrogation footage.
We felt that this is so rare that you see the community as they were before a terrible crime occurs and you see this beautiful multiracial community living together, loving each other, raising kids together.
And then this one outlier i rely heavily on my faith while i'm here, because the devil is busy out there.
Gone bear is also nominated for co-directing the devil is busy, a short documentary which tells the story of an abortion clinic in atlanta seen through the eyes of its security guard.
Before I send them in, I look in their eyes.
I say to them, you're safe now.
Gunbear has woken up early for Oscar nominations several times and been disappointed.
So this year, she decided to sleep in.
And then...
I was awake till 3 a.m., staring at the ceiling.
And then, so I actually did sleep through the nominations.
And my husband, who's a producer on The Perfect Neighbor Nakon Kwantu, came screaming into the room with my co-director from The Devil Is Busy on the phone.
So that's how I found out about both.
And the Oscar goes to... The winner is...
Geeta Ganbir ending that report from Regan Morris.
As couples across the world mark Valentine's Day today, there's a simple card and a bunch of flowers still cut it.
Not if you're used to the yearning and dramatic declarations of love from renowned romantics from the literary world like Mr Darcy, from Pride and Prejudice.
These great lovers have inspired increasingly popular period dramas on TV and film, and they're influencing our views of modern romance, as Anna Aslam reports.
With elegant ball gowns, lingering glances and perfectly timed rainstorms.
There's an irresistible pull of a love story set in another era.
That's seen in the rising popularity of shows like Bridgerton, the new Wuthering Heights movie and the endless remakes of Pride and Prejudice.
But the reasons behind Gen Z's obsession go beyond the superficial lavish sets and predictable storylines.
Many young women say period dramas offer an escape from the uninspiring modern dating scene.
The main reason why a lot of women, myself included, love period drama so much is that it showcases beautiful, healthy love stories.
I think with the rise of online dating today, that type of love story might be difficult to find, because online dating promotes this idea that people are replaceable.
Modern dating has become very gamified.
It can feel a little bit like online shopping, but in period dramas the stakes are always higher.
Commitment means something, and you can't just ghost someone and expect to never face any consequences.
So I do think that period dramas give us that emotional depth that we don't always experience in real life anymore.
That's the view of two women in Canada and India.
But what do the experts make of our enduring love for historical dramas?
Dr Faye Woods, Associate Professor in Film and Television at Britain's Reading University, told us it's about more than just romance.
Period dramas kind of favours female protagonists who feel like kind of women out of time that we as a contemporary audience can understand.
So you can kind of see why viewers that maybe feel like they have a lack of control in their own lives due to social and political instigability, who can maybe struggle with a lack of emotional transparency in relationships, could favour programmes with heroines who are faced with this in historical bodies but are able to kind of push past these barriers.
Critics argue these slow burn dramas set unrealistic expectations of real life romance and glorify historical societal issues.
But they offer something that's caught people's attention.
So many fans of a good romance will no doubt spend this Valentine's Day in an alternate universe, filled with billowy white shirts and strict courtship etiquette.
Anna Aslam.
And that's all from us for now.
If you want to get in touch, you can email us at globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk.
You can also find us on X at BBC World Service.
Use the hashtag Global News Pod.
This edition of the Global News Podcast was mixed by Nick Randall.
The editor is Karen Martin.
I'm Pete Ross.
Until next time, goodbye.
I've spent the last three decades trying to better understand money across the boardroom, the newsroom and the trading floor.
That's longer than most podcast hosts have been alive.
But even I've got questions.
Join me, Maren Subset-Webb, every week for my show Maren Talks Money from Bloomberg Podcasts, where I have in-depth conversations with fund managers, strategists and experts about how markets really work.
And join me for a separate episode where I answer listener questions on how to make those markets work for you.
Follow Maren Talks Money on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
