Global News Podcast - Heathrow shutdown causes travel chaos

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

Counter-terrorism police investigate fire at Heathrow power station. Also: Sudan's army recaptures presidential palace in Khartoum and Abercrombie & Fitch's former boss is accused of abuse by 40 men.

You're listening to the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. We are recording this at 14 hours GMT on Friday, the 21st of March. Europe's busiest airport Heathrow is shut for the entire day, causing travel chaos around the world. After nearly two years of civil war in Sudan, the army recaptures the presidential palace in Khartoum and the former boss of Abercrombie and Fitch is accused of abuse by 40 men. Also in the podcast... There's only been three made, so incredibly rare. I think that with commission it will exceed a million dollars.

ET goes under the hammer. will exceed a million dollars. ET goes under the hammer. Every day around 230,000 passengers travel through Heathrow in West London, making it the busiest airport in Europe. But today its runways are quiet, with no planes coming or going after a big fire knocked out the electricity supply nearby. More than 1,300 flights are affected and aviation consultant John Strickland says it could be some time before services return to normal.

The way this is going to play out is really a small version of what we saw with the 9-11 terror attacks way back more than 20 years ago and while that was a much more widespread challenge for Heathrow, this is exactly the same because the airport being closed entirely means many many long-haul flights were already on their way to Heathrow and there will be frantic efforts by airline staff to get other aircraft on route diverted to other places. Lucy Adler is stuck at Delhi Airport back where she started after nine hours in the air. So I was on a 5am flight out of Delhi, which was supposed to land at Heathrow for sort of 10am. And

literally exactly halfway through, Captain woke us all up and kind of said, hey, there's been a problem. There's been a fire at Heathrow. And actually, you know, we're going to need to, and we all thought he was going to say, land at a different airport. What he actually said was turn around and go back to Delhi. So yeah, it was a bit of a shock to the system to hear we were like flying a whole nine hours to end up back where we started. Our correspondent at Heathrow Airport, Charlotte Gallagher, told us more about how this all happened. Well it was a pretty dramatic fire. There were essentially flames shooting out of the

top of this substation which isn't at Heathrow Airport but it's pretty close by and it supplies the majority of Heathrow Airport's power and people living near the substation said it sounded like an explosion and their houses were rocking. Around 100 people had to be evacuated from their homes and actually when we arrived this morning we could smell the smoke, it was pretty strong. So there was obviously this huge concern about the fire and then now of course there's this huge issue with Heathrow Airport. It should be incredibly busy at the moment.

Where I am now it's deserted. There aren't even any cars being allowed near the airport. The only cars are police cars and they're here to turn people away and tell them to go back home. Yeah I mean what does that mean for passengers not just here in the UK but around the world? Well because this airport is so crucial and deals with hundreds of thousands of passengers every day and 1300 flights every day, it's having a huge knock on effect because the aircraft aren't where they're supposed to be.

So they've not taken off from Heathrow to go to various airports around the world, airplanes that are stuck at various airports to come to Heathrow, they're stuck there. So it's this huge strategic mess basically. They don't know where to put people at the moment. And some airplanes have been able to land nearby airports like Gatwick Airport.

Others have gone to Munich, they've gone to Paris, they've gone to Shannon and Ireland, but it's having this massive effect. And even though the airport will be hopefully back open at midnight tonight, there's not gonna be this magic wand that means everything's gonna go back to normal and the schedule will be up and running because the aircraft simply aren't where they're supposed

to be. So there's going to be a couple of days of really significant disruption at Heathrow Airport and other airports across the world. And presumably quite a lot of costs. Who will pay that? Will it be the airport itself or airlines? It really depends. So some airlines will be paying compensation to their passengers, but some airlines won't be covered by the same sort of rules. And then of course the airlines will be approaching Heathrow Airport and saying, hang on a second, you know, this isn't our problem that you didn't have the power and we're out of pocket probably by millions of dollars. So that will have to be sorted out. And of course as well in the coming days there'll be this huge inquest into finding out how a fire could take out Europe's busiest airport and cause all this disruption and of course they'll want to find out how it happened and how it can never happen again.

Charlotte Gallagher at Heathrow. Well the police investigation into the blaze is being led by counter-terror officers although the authorities say there's currently no indication of foul play. As we heard from our Home Affairs correspondent, Daniel Sandford. Clearly there is a huge amount of concern that a fire at a single electricity substation could have taken out one of the world's biggest hub airports and that is causing great concern and it's because of that the impact that this fire has had that rather than this the cause of the fire just being investigated by the London Fire Brigade and specialist fire investigators

counter-terrorism police are involved. It's not because at this stage anyone's seen anything to suggest that the fire was deliberately caused and was sabotaged but it's because of the possibility in the back of people's minds. Well, could some hostile state or a terrorist group have spotted this vulnerability and decided to target it? So, counter-terrorism police are leading the police side of the investigation. They're quite clear that at this stage there's no evidence of foul play, but they'd be foolish not to look for it and so that's what they're doing and also if at some point down the line it does become clear that this

was a deliberately caused fire you wouldn't want the counter-terrorism of police officers to then get involved you know several days down the line you want them to be involved from the start. Daniel Sanford. When civil war broke out in Sudan nearly two years ago, the rapid support forces captured most of the capital Khartoum, including the presidential palace. Now, after months of fierce fighting, the army has taken it back. Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar!

Footage from inside the palace showed troops and volunteer fighters waving flags and wandering around rooms littered with rubble. A spokesman for the Sudanese army, Nabil Abdallah, said they now controlled key parts of the capital. In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful, in a timeless heroic battle, our forces crowned their successes today in Khartoum, where they were able to crush the remnants of the terrorist militia of Dagalo.

In the areas of central Khartoum, the Arab market and the buildings of the Republican Palace, a symbol of the sovereignty, pride and dignity of the Sudanese people. And in the buildings of the ministries. Well, it marks a big victory for the armed forces, though the RSF say the battle is not over yet and a drone strike is reported to have killed a number of journalists and army officials. I got the latest from our correspondent in Sudan, Barbara Platasha. There has been a lot of celebration at the palace because the Sudanese army recaptured

it early on Friday morning. The soldiers entered the complex spend a real a moment of victory for the army this has been a goal that they've been wanting to achieve for a very long time the military objective is is sort of obvious really it's a bit is it's it's to reclaim the capital but not just parts of the capital the center where the seat of power is and that at the palace is a potent symbol of that

uh... it's not clear though where the front lines are and how much the RSF has been pushed back. The army said it had regained several key locations in central Khartoum around the palace. But the RSF has said that the battle isn't over and after the soldiers entered the palace, it responded with a drone strike, what they call a suicide drone strike that is only one way. It has only one impact. The rapid support forces claim to have killed dozens. What we know is that a number of

journalists who were there from Sudan state television were killed as well as several senior media liaison officers from Sudan's army. So this is a way for the RSF to say we're still here and that even if we've been pushed out physically, we can still attack remotely. But nevertheless, is this still a big victory for the armed forces? Yes, it is because losing the capital was a big defeat for the Sudanese government. RSF took it over very early in the war and the Sudanese government and army had to move their operations essentially to port Sudan. They are the de facto government but they're not in the capital and Khartoum is centrally located, Khartoum has all of the strategic institutions and as long as

the RSF was holding it, it was holding more than its natural homeland, its natural base which is the west of the country Darfur. for all those reasons, it's a very important step for the army to be able to take back the capital. Now as I said, there will still be fighting as the RSF fighters are still in the city. They do control an area to the south and the military has indicated that the offensive will continue, continuing to push them out. But the overall picture is that the army is, what, slowly pushing back the RSF across the country? The army has made significant gains in certain parts of the country, especially in central Sudan. This was Jizira State, which the RSF took over, sort of a surprise attack,

because it's really outside of its natural range of control. The army took that back a couple of months ago ago and since then it has really been on the forward foot pushing from the central Sudan towards Khartoum, coming towards Khartoum from the north as well, coming at it from all different sides, clearing the districts of the city and then culminating in the center squeezing the RSF there and trapping them there in order to get control. So they have taken back large parts of Sudan. Having said that, the RSF has the west of Sudan and also parts of the south. So what you're seeing actually is a hardening of divisions between zones of control of the army and the RSF.

Barbara Platasha talking to me from Port Sudan. More than 40 men have now come forward to accuse the former chief executive of Abercrombie and Fitch of rape, sexual assault or drugging. Mike Jeffries, who was charged with sex trafficking in October, is facing multiple lawsuits alleging he assaulted men under the pretext of offering them possible modelling opportunities. The BBC's Rhianna Croxford broke the original story and has continued with her investigation. Lawyers have told me that these allegations now span 22 years, from 1992 when Mike Jefferies became chief executive of Abercrombie and Fitch, all the way to 2015 shortly after he stepped down. Now these claims have been brought by former models but for the first time they've also been brought by

former employees or people who were employees of the company at the time. Now some men have said that they were assaulted during photo shoots or while auditioning to be on Abercrombie campaigns. And this really matters because it raises serious questions for the company about what steps were taken to protect staff, but also to hold Mike Jefferies to account. He was both chief executive and chairman during this time. He wielded extraordinary power. So what checks and balances were in place?

We're talking about holding him to account. These are civil claims, but is he also facing criminal charges? That's right. If you remember back in October, he was arrested and charged with running an international sex trafficking and prostitution business. And he was arrested alongside his British partner Matthew Smith and a middleman for the couple. And it followed a podcast series and a documentary that the BBC did called The Abercrombie Guys which revealed that they were behind a highly organised operation scouting young men for sex around the world. Now they've all pled

not guilty to those charges, they're now out under house arrest and are waiting to hear about a trial but they've always denied the allegations. And what has the company Abercrombie and Fitch said? So Abercrombie didn't respond to our requests for comment but they have previously said that they are appalled and disgusted by the allegations but it's quite a tough time for the company. They're also facing lawsuits accusing it of negligence. And just last week, a court ruled that the company had to pay for Mike Jefferies legal fees as he defends these criminal charges

and also these civil lawsuits. And that's a bill that's likely to run into millions. And it matters because Abercrombie is a public company. It's got shareholders, it's accountable to who could take legal action if they're unhappy about how their money is spent. But it's also got paying customers around the world. It's got 750 stores worldwide. So lots of questions. This could have big ramifications. Yeah.

I mean, what does happen next? On the criminal side, as I said, we're still waiting to hear about a trial. I understand that prosecutors are still interviewing potential witnesses. On the civil side, well, we have to wait and see. It might be that these lawsuits also go to trial, but they might also settle. And if there is a settlement, that's going to be a hugely expensive process and a hugely expensive outcome. Rhianna Croxford, the authorities here in the UK say South American drug gangs are dropping cocaine in the sea off the British coast to be picked up by smaller boats and brought ashore.

The consignments are attached to flotation devices equipped with trackers, as our correspondent Angus Crawford found out when he went out with the UK Border Force. See go! Hear that? It's Flash the Sniffer Dog and his handler. See go! This way! Paws sound on metal as they search below decks on a container ship. Flash stops, sits and points with his nose. He's just made the find of his life. Okay, put it in chest.

Cocaine, almost one and a half tons. The street value, tens of millions of dollars. All hidden inside a shipment of bananas from South America. Yes, good boy! I met Flash last week at sea on a Border Force patrol boat. Seeker, catch your moment. Clear to him, Seeker. That is a slip and up. He and his team have been busy with record seizures of cocaine,

especially in British coastal waters, pointing to a worrying tactic used by criminals. Charlie Eastor from Border Force explains. They're bundled into around 30 kilogram blocks with life jackets, which would then be inflated, attached to them. They're all tied together, and that would be thrown overboard and then collected.

We also found Bluetooth trackers attached to the drugs, which we often see. Criminals here with satellite phones are told exactly where to go by drugs gangs in South America. Some even use Apple air tags to pinpoint the exact location of the drugs. Officers even have a name for it, the ASDO, which stands for At Sea Drop Off. It's become clear just by virtue of the number of seizures and the multiple tonnes of cocaine that we have seized over the last two years that this is a significant and persistent threat. However, I am confident that we are able to identify, track, locate, seize and

ultimately prosecute and imprison those who are involved. Just off the starboard side of this border force cutter is another named eagle and beyond that one of the fast boats they use in enforcement action. 2024 was a record year for cocaine seizures but with hundreds of miles of coastline to patrol the smugglers well they just keep trying. Which is why they need the fast boats, jet powered, a vital tool when it comes to intercepting shipments. With millions of pounds of drugs floating in the water it can be a race between smugglers and border force to see who gets there first. But with super fast boats like this it gives the authorities the upper hand. Bags full of drugs routinely wash up on the beaches of southern Britain, the result of

failed drop-offs. Consignments are now also routinely stopped by law enforcement. Just last week a court heard how four men tried to bring in a tonne of cocaine they'd picked up at sea. Two were hired just for their boat handling skills. Despite the fast boats, new tactics and record seizures, the drugs do still get through. Recent figures show cocaine deaths in England and Wales

at a 30-year high. The authorities say they adapt to any change in tactic by the smugglers. Border Force officers stand ready to counter new threats, with flash too, of course. Eagle KTM, I believe I've got you there, that's lovely. Thank you sir, traffic cleared to enter, following the central face at 12 at 3.0. Our report from sea by Angus Crawford. And still to come on the Global News podcast. There are a lot of floods for example happening because of melting of glaciers.

The livelihoods have changed, people tend to migrate from one place to another. So it's when you ask me how many people are actually impacted, it's really everyone. Stark warnings about the planet's melting glaciers. Now. Namibia's first woman president, Ntumbo Nandi Ndaitwa, has been sworn in at a ceremony in the capital Vindhuk. The 72-year-old is a former freedom fighter and veteran of the governing South West Africa People's Organisation, SWAPO. The BBC's Mpoh Lakaj asked her about land reform

and the challenges of being a woman politician. The whole issue is not that you were elected because you are female. It was on your merit that the people who nominate and supported looked at you. Of course, because in the world, including Africa, we have very few women president. That's why it has been advocated in that way. But it's a good thing that we as countries, we are realizing that just as men, women can also hold the position of authority in our respective countries.

We saw what recently happened in Nigeria. Senator Natasha Akpoti Adwagan says she's been facing sexual harassment at work. So I wonder what goes through your mind when you hear stories like these, especially in relation to this particular topic, in relation to female leaders. You know, I'm a woman activist and I will continue to fight gender-based violence. That is not a unique story coming from Nigeria. We are hearing it all over the world that women are being sexually victimized. You are hearing women being asked sex favor in order maybe to be employed or to be promoted. And of course, it's a very, very difficult issue to deal with because not all the victims are ready to come out, but definitely we have to fight it. One of the elements that is put

in our constitution is the land rights, that the land belongs to the state except that one is privately owned, which can be expropriated with fair compensation. We then say, fine, we will not go to outright expropriation, but let us have a policy of willing buyer, willing seller, so that the government can buy the land from those who privately owned it, knowing also that the way they got it is through colonial occupation. But here we have to respect our constitution. So then we start to have now the land tax that those who have it, they have to be taxed. And that to a certain extent is pushing some to sell it so that we have land redistribution. Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwa, Namibia's first woman president.

2025 has been declared Year of the Glacier by the United Nations to try to focus attention on the threat to the world's ice fields. The UN is warning that many glaciers will not survive the century, putting hundreds of millions of people at risk of drought, water shortages and flooding. Imogen Folks reports from Switzerland. I'm high in the Swiss Alps, 3,300 metres above sea level. People come from all over the world to see these views, soaring snow-capped peaks and the blue ice of glaciers. But it's a view that's changing. Global warming is causing glaciers to melt at record levels.

273 billion tonnes of ice is disappearing every year. Michael Ksemp of the World Glacier Monitoring Service says we're already feeling the effects in rising sea levels. Currently glaciers are contributing to sea level by about one millimetre a year. That sounds nothing one millimetre, right? But it has a huge impact, a small number, a huge impact. Every millimetre of additional sea level rise is going to flood another 200,000 to 300,000 persons every year. Glaciers are also a crucial source of fresh water. They store the winter snow and release it in spring and summer for crops and drinking water. Less ice means disrupted water supplies, flooding and landslides. Sulanya Mishra of the World Meteorological Organisation says the consequences will affect

us all. So when there are a lot of floods for example happening because of melting of glaciers, the livelihoods are changed, people tend to migrate from one place to another. So it's when you ask me how many people are actually impacted it's really everyone. Every slight increase in the Earth's temperature speeds up the thaw. If we don't act to limit global warming, scientists say, most of the glaciers I can see up here will be gone by the end of this century. And if that happens, they warn, we will lose so much more than a beautiful view. Imogen Folks reporting from Switzerland. There's growing concern over a viral AI tool

that makes people appear overweight. Critics say the chubby filter, as it's known, should be banned from TikTok. Jessica Sherwood from the BBC News social team has been investigating. The trend is quite big on TikTok, but it comes via a tool called CapCut, so anybody can make them,

and then the filter goes into TikTok and then everyone can use it. So basically you upload a picture of yourself and then the filter will turn you quote unquote chubby and there's also another filter where you can put a picture of yourself in and it will make you incredibly skinny and people online were saying that they were going to use it for like summer fits ball and then for the chubby filter they were kind of like mocking it and saying that they didn't want to look like that and yeah it's gotten a lot of backlash basically on social media for people using the filters. Yeah why would you want to post pictures of yourself looking fatter?

I think a lot of the people doing it were doing it for what they would say was a laugh like they would put it on there and poke fun at themselves I can't believe I look like this I would never let myself get like this. And then obviously understandably people have then taken to social media and said this is really quite harmful that you would post something like this and that it's body shaming. Yeah I mean critics are obviously here gonna have a field day because there have been plenty of concerns on social media about how it affects people's view of their own appearance. Obviously, body image and body shaming is nothing new, it's been going on for decades.

But on TikTok specifically, now that we've got the instruction of AI, it's not just comparing yourself to celebrities or influencers, you can now actually compare yourself to a hyper unrealistic version of yourself one way or the other, which is obviously quite dangerous and very harmful as well. Jessica Sherwood. The original model of the friendly alien from Steven Spielberg's 1982 hit ET is being auctioned at Sotheby's in New York. It is a metre tall and is expected to fetch nearly a million dollars. Film memorabilia expert Harry Malcolm says it is worth it. It is incredibly rare and the provenance is unbelievable because it's come from the Carlo

Rambaldi estate. The guy was a designer. He also worked on King Kong and Krull and Dune and others. I think that with commission it will exceed a million dollars. ET especially because it's been highly documented that there's only been three made. One was probably done for rehearsal, one for the actual filming and one for commercial. So incredibly rare. But the whole memorabilia prop environment to the moment is a really, really strong marketplace. You only have to look at last year, Paul Newman's Tag Hauer watch from Le Monde sold for $15.5 million. Harry Malcolm. Just before we go, as you may know, we did a special Q&A podcast on Ukraine

a couple of weeks ago, but we are still getting emails. So we're going to do it all over again at the beginning of April. If you'd like to get involved, please do send us your questions on the war, peace negotiations, Donald Trump's intervention and anything else. Our email address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. And if possible, please record your question as a voice note. Thank you. And that is all from us for now. But the Global News Podcast will be back very soon. This edition was mixed by Rebecca Miller and produced by Richard Hamilton. Our editor's Karen Martin. I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time, goodbye.