Global News Podcast - Myanmar's jailed ex-leader moved to house arrest

Episode Date: May 1, 2026

Myanmar's military government says the detained democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been moved to house arrest, and her sentence reduced to 18 years. State media have shown a picture of the Nobel laureate sitting with two uniformed men. Her son says the published image is old and he has had no reassurance that his mother is still alive. Also: Republicans and Democrats clash over a deadline for Donald Trump to secure authorization from the US Congress to continue the war against Iran; Britain's terror threat level is raised to "severe", a day after two Jewish men were stabbed in an attack in London; Islamist militants in Mali call for the country to come together to bring down the military government, days after trying to seize power; and a new sculpture by the the elusive British street artist, Banksy, suddenly appears in central London. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: [e-mail]

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Charlotte Gallagher, and in the early hours of Friday, the 1st of May, these are our main stories. Myanmar's military government says it's moved the detained democracy leader Ang Sang Suu Kyi to house arrest and reduced her sentence. Republican and Democrat politicians have clashed over a deadline for President Trump to seek authorization for continuing the Iran War. And Britain's terror threat level is raised to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely in the next six months. Also in this podcast. Perhaps the state visit has been the catalyst for just getting this over the line and the kings added that little bit of royal sparkle to make the deal work. Why Scotch whiskey distilleries are celebrating.

Myanmar's military government says the country's former leader, Aang Ssu-Chi, has been moved from prison to house arrest. A statement from the president said he had commuted her remaining sentence, now reduced to 18 years, to be served at the designated residence. The long-standing pro-democracy leader was deposed by a military coup in 2021, following elections in which her party won the majority. She was arrested and imprisoned on charges her. allies describe as politically motivated. In New York, UN spokesman, Stefan de Jharak, welcome to the latest

development. We appreciate the commutation of Ansan Suu Kis to a so-called house arrest and a designated residence. It is a meaningful step towards conditions conducive to credible political process. Both the Secretary General and Julie Bishop, his special envoy for Myanmar, have been calling for months now for the swift release of all political prisoners. State TV also broadcast a picture of Aang Sang Suu Kyi alongside two uniformed men, the first time she's been shown on state media in five years. But her son, Kim Aris, is sceptical. I have to say that nobody has provided anything to confirm this.

There has been no independent verification whatsoever. The images that have been released so far, have been old images, and that has been clearly verified by a number of different sources. Nobody has reached out to me, and I have had no communication with her. I asked our correspondent in Thailand, Jonathan Heard, what more we know? Well, nothing, apart from what the authorities have said, and they've not said much, but you wouldn't expect them to either. I mean, the fact that they're talking about her, they keep referencing her,

they keep referencing her condition to every meeting they have. between the coup leader and foreign dignitaries like the Thai foreign ministry has been recently. The facts, I mean, Kim Maris says that they've proved that photograph is old. None of us has ever seen that photograph before. The only photograph of her we've seen, the only image we've seen of her since the coup when she was arrested, was a grainy picture of her face masks in court for her first hearing back in May of 2021. So the fact that this different image of her looking, relaxed, talking to police officers, is being broadcast on state television

while they're announcing a reduction in her sentence and this apparent move to house arrest, you have to take it significantly. Everything the military does is meant to symbolize something or signify something. I mean, her family and friends are understandably skeptical. There has been no proof of life so far, but I do not believe this military regime,

which is seeking international legitimacy at the moment, would be talking about her condition, being fine and, you know, them changing her prison terms if she were no longer alive. Beyond that, we don't know, but you have to take seriously the fact they're doing this now. And I think it signals an almost certain change in her status at some point. And most of us watching Myanmar assumed that at some point the military will release her when it is most advantageous for them in terms of their international reputation. What we do not believe is that she will be allowed to have anything like the role that she had previously. Remember, she was released from the previous

period of house arrest in 2010 and allowed to rejoin politics and eventually led her party to electoral victory. That is a very different environment from today and it's very unlikely that at the age of 80 she would be allowed to play that kind of role again. So it's part of a strategy really to kind of get Myanmar less isolated on the world stage? Absolutely. And look, this comes out on top of the election that the military held. There were three stages of it concluded in March. So you've now got a parliament. It's dominated by the military party.

But there's no question the regime wants to move into a different relationship with the world. And hopefully with its own people. Remember, the biggest challenge facing Myanmar right now is the civil war that's still going on, an extensive armed opposition to the military. That's not changed. And that will continue and they will continue to be fighting. But at some point, there has to be some kind of attempt to end the war, and that will mean some sort of accommodation between the military and its opponents, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

Her status, her stature is still enormous, so she has a role to play. But you can be sure the military is not going to lose control of the process and is not going to allow any situation in which Aung San Suu Kyi and her party could ever be as prominent as they were in the past. That was Jonathan Head. President Donald Trump is facing a looming deadline relating to the war against Iran. Under U.S. law, the president is supposed to seek authorization from Congress to continue a war beyond 60 days. That deadline will pass at midnight Washington time, but it's not clear if the White House will seek an authorization. The U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Heseth argued in Congress on Thursday that the 60-day clock stops during a ceasefire.

but that's not how the Democrats see it. Here's the exchange between Mr. Hegseth and Democrat Tim Kaine. On Iran, ultimately, I would defer to the White House and White House counsel on that. However, we are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire. So you're not in. It's our understanding, just so you know. Okay, well, I do not believe the statute would support that. I think the 60 days runs maybe tomorrow.

And it's going to pose a really important legal question for the administration. We have serious constitutional concerns, and we don't want to layer those with additional statutory concerns. Well, the U.S.-Iran ceasefire may be holding for now, but Donald Trump has made it clear that the U.S. Placade of the Strait of Hormuz will continue for as long as he needs it to, and he's expected to meet with Central Command shortly to discuss the next steps in Iran. I asked our North America correspondent Peter Bose, who has the final say on whether the 60-day clock is stopped or not? The simple but somewhat confusing answer is that there's no single referee on this matter. Under the war powers resolution, the president must end hostilities within 60 days unless Congress authorises them. Now, the White House, that's Donald Trump and his advisers, can argue that the 60 days, according to the calendar, doesn't apply by claiming that a ceasefire pauses the clock.

another route could possibly be to argue that the operation in Iran doesn't rise to the level of hostilities, but that would seem unlikely, less likely. Now, Congress can challenge whatever interpretation the White House puts on it. Members of Congress could disagree publicly, more likely the Democrats than the Republicans, but that would very much be a political argument. Congress could try to pass a resolution or a law to force the president, to end military action. But given the political balance of both the House and the Senate, that would be pretty much a non-starter. And in any case, the President could veto any law.

Most likely this is going to be a battle of wills politically. If the deadline passes and the administration ignores it, could Mr Trump lose political support from not just obviously the Democrats, but the Republicans as well? Yes, potentially. It will strengthen the argument of Democrats, that he is overreaching his executive power by sidelining Congress. Some Republicans may feel uneasy about being overlooked, but perhaps, I think, most significantly, does the country have the stomach for this war to continue unchecked by Congress?

We know that the president's poll numbers have been falling. Americans are feeling the pinch as a result of the high fuel prices, and the longer this goes on in an election year, I think could mean significant. political jeopardy for Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans as they try to hold on to the House and the Senate in November. And the White House is stressing that the ceasefire still stands. Yet there's a report that Mr Trump is going to be briefed on options for more military strikes

against Iran as well. Yes, the White House is pointing to this ceasefire. But as you say, reports that the president is being briefed on further options, I think underlines the uncertainty about what comes next. They complicate the arguments that this conflict is winding down. There is, I think you could say, a degree of fog of war here. We don't entirely know what is going on behind the scenes. And as for those reports, they do suggest that the president is being presented with

options that range from a short, sharp wave of airstrikes to more sustained pressure of the kind that we've been seeing over the last few weeks. through a tightening of the naval blockade. There are also suggestions of some sort of contingency planning around the US securing the Strait of Hormuz. Peter Bose. Here in Britain, the terror threat level has been raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely in the next six months. It comes after two Jewish men were stabbed in North London earlier this week.

Although officials say the decision to increase the threat level, is not solely a result of that attack. Daniel Sanford reports. The UK threat level has not been at severe since the aftermath of the murder of the South End MP David Amis in 2021. Since February 2022, it's been at substantial, which means the risk of an attack is assessed as likely. But the level was moved back up to severe,

suggesting an attack is highly likely. The decision was made by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, and afterwards, Assistant Commissioner Lawrence, Taylor of counterterrorism policing explained why. The UK has been experiencing a gradual increase in terrorist threats for some time, driven by a rise in both Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorism. Our casework is increasing across a number of ideologies, and within that we are seeing an elevated threat to Jewish and Israeli individuals

and institutions in the UK. We're also working against an unpredictable global situation that has, consequences closer to home, including physical threats by state-linked actors. That's a reference to concerns that Iran and Russia in particular have been paying proxies to carry out attacks. But the security minister Dan Jarvis' message was one of reassurance. People should be alert and vigilant and not alarmed. They should be reassured that our world-class intelligence services working very closely with the police and with government are working around the clock to keep the public safe.

Counterterrorism policing said they'd be reviewing all public events, including two big marches planned in London in a fortnight's time, one pro-Palestinian march, and one on the same day organised by the anti-Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson. Daniel Sanford. Islamist militants in Mali have called for the country to come together to bring down the military government. In an online statement, the Al-Qaeda,

affiliated jihadist group, Jinim, urged political parties, the armed forces, separatist groups and traditional leaders to unite against the government. It comes amid a tightening blockade around the capital Bamako. On Wednesday, Jinim warned that nobody would be able to enter the city. Eyewitnesses say hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the outskirts of the capital. Abdallah, who's a resident in Bamako, gave us this account of the situation on Thursday. Currently today, we are at peace. We don't have any sense of panic. As you have previously mentioned, during the past weekend, we had a terror attack on here where our Ministry of Defense has passed away. But all the terrorists have been contained during the weekend. And currently, we are not experiencing anything except a curfew that is going on here. The president has addressed the nation. two days ago, since then, the calm has been restored. Currently, right now, security-wise, people are really confident to them

because the last government had very much issues with terrorism, especially in the northern part of Mali. The population, security-wise, have a lot of confidence in the government. The main issue of the fight is that before they used to control the areas without being privately outside and claiming it. But underneath, you will see that the rebels are the ones that are controlling the cities. But Paul came, they started reaching them out. So that is why now we're seeing emerging fights.

Whiskey distillers in Scotland are thrilled that President Trump is removing some tariffs and restrictions on Scotch whiskey imported to the US. Mr Trump said his decision was made in honour of King Charles and Queen Camilla's state visit to the US. and because it would also help American bourbon producers who sell their used barrels to distillers in Scotland. Our Scotland editor, James Cook, reports. For a year, the whisky industry, the UK government and the Scottish government

have been lobbying the White House to remove the 10% import tax on scotch. President Trump was also under pressure at home because a fall in whiskey sales caused by his tariff led to producers in Scotland buying fewer used bourbon barrels in which most Scotches aged from Kentucky. Speaking in the Oval Office, President Trump explained his decision. I just took all the restrictions off, so Scotland and Kentucky can start dealing again, and I did it in honor of the king and queen who just left the heading back.

It was a big deal. They've been trying to get this for a long time. Distillers in Scotland are now breathing a sigh of relief. They say the tariffs stifled trade with their most valuable market, costing them around 150 million. pounds in lost exports over the past year. Graham Littlejohn of the Scotch Whiskey Association says the industry is delighted. This is a real boost to the industry to see tariffs go back to zero in our largest global market and it's real thanks to the huge amount of negotiation that's been

going over many months at a very senior level and perhaps the state visit has been the catalyst for just getting this over the line and the Kings added that little bit of royal sparkle to make the deal work. The First Minister John Swinney said the removal of the tariffs was tremendous news. for Scotland. The UK government called it great news, and Buckingham Palace said the King sent his sincere gratitude and would be racing a dram to the president's thoughtfulness and generous hospitality. That was James Cook. Still to come. I turn 65 next week, so I think I have to start looking back because looking forward is a much

shorter journey. We talk to the Hollywood legend and now pensioner George Clooney. This is the Global News Podcast. There have been violent clashes between Australian police and rioters outside a hospital in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The unrest erupted hours after a man was arrested for the abduction and murder of a five-year-old Aboriginal child. The protesters gathered outside, calling for payback, which is a traditional punishment under Aboriginal law in Central Australia. The BBC Simon Atkinson is following the story from Queenie. So this five-year-old girl who's been referred to now as Comanji Little Baby for cultural reasons.

Her name isn't being used as the request from the family. She went missing in the early hours last Sunday. She was at home in a camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs in Northern Territory. And it was discovered in the early hours that she was missing. And it led to one of the biggest police hunts we've seen in the territory for a very long time. It was named quite quickly a man who police were looking for, who was believed. had abducted the little girl. And there was, of course, hope that she'd be found safe and sound, but her body was discovered Thursday afternoon in Australia.

And what more do we know about this man who's been arrested? Well, we know that he's Jefferson Lewis. He's 47, and as I say, police had named him as a suspect immediately after the departure of the girl. After her body was found, he was named again as being hunted. And we know that he was arrested late on Thursday 90 in Alice Springs. It seems what had happened is that he'd been identical. by members of the local Aboriginal community, it appears he's been beaten up and that when police and paramedics

have gone to the scene to try and arrest him or to get him out of there, they too have been turned upon. And so this is what led to these very violent scenes in Alice Springs overnight. Police lay up to 400 people gathered outside the town's hospital and this led to clashes. We've seen footage of items being thrown,

projectiles, rocks and sticks, and police using tear gas and rubber bullets as well. the police have said that they understand that this is a community which is in grief, but also that the actions that have been seen overnight are completely unacceptable. And the community are calling for payback. Can you explain what that is? I mean, it's a tricky one. I mean, this isn't simply physical revenge. That is often part of it. But in its origins, it's much more around doing something that brings kind of peace and balance to the community. and it's something which goes back within Indigenous culture

and does still exist to some extent, but obviously it exists in parallel with the colonial policing which we have in Australia today and the modern day policing. And so it is kind of a very complex relationship, but it is something which definitely does go on, but I think it's important we don't characterise it as purely a revenge killing, for example. Simon Atkinson.

Works of art by the elusive British street artist Banksy usually appear without any warning on the side of a building in an unsuspecting British town. This time he's strayed away from his trademark style of graffiti on a wall to an entirely different genre, a statue in the centre of London. Our correspondent Helena Wilkinson has been to see it. The statue, and it's a big one, very big, stands atop a large plinth in a prominent location in central London. It's of a man in a suit walking forward with one foot off its base. In his right hand he's carrying a flag, again a big one, which mid-flap covers his face. The statue dominates Waterloo Place in St James's, an area designed to celebrate imperialism and

military dominance in the 1800s. Piccadilly Circus and the Mal are closed by. Banksi's signature is near the bottom of the plinths. As news spread about the artist's latest work, crowds gathered to see for themselves. I think he's saying we are all being led off the edge of a precipice by somebody who has no idea where we're going. I mean, it's quite a cool sculpture and I'm just amazing how it can just appear here, you know?

It's blind nationalism to me. It's just like that flag covering our face trying to show our country, it's leading us off a cliff. Banksy statue has been done in a similar style to other historical oove nearby, which include the Crimean War Memorial. The street artists' representatives told the BBC

his statue was put up in the early hours of this morning. A video of its installation was also posted on his social media. It shows a lorry with lifting gear, putting up the statue and a number of people helping assemble the plinths. It all happened in the hours of darkness. It remains a mystery how Banksy managed to get something so large on top of the plints, unnoticed, in an area littered with CCTV cameras. Works by the street artist, whose real identity isn't known,

have previously appeared on both private and public property. They are widely interpreted as political statements. They're also often removed after they appear, sometimes selling for millions at auction. That was Helena Wilkinson. Finally, earlier this week, the Oscar-winning Hollywood actor, George Clude, received the prestigious chaplain award in recognition of his work as both an actor and director. Clooney shot to fame in the hospital drama ER and disappeared in more than 50 films. He's also an outspoken critic of President Trump and his policies.

Our correspondent in New York, Tom Brooke, has been to meet him. At Lincoln Center, New York's performing arts complex, the spotlight was on Hollywood star and filmmaker George Clooney. As the Chaplin Award tribute, the focus was on his body of work, and that made him a little uncomfortable. I turned 65 next week, so I think I have to start looking back because looking forward is a much shorter journey. So I haven't had much of an opportunity to look back. I think it'll be a little awkward tonight.

Call anesthesiology and get an E&T surgeon down here now, please. George Clooney first really broke through to become a household name more than 30 years ago in the top-rated medical television series ER. Millions of Americans took us. strong liking to Dr. Doug Ross, the compassionate pediatrician he portrayed. You can't have me scared there for me. Co-star from that time, Juliana Margulis, has warm memories of him.

His generosity of spirit, he's funny, he's kind, he's a prankster, self-deprecating, in the best way. Clooney transitioned very successfully from television into movies, making an impact in films that included the crime romance out of sight, but it was Ocean's Eleven in which he played Danny Ocean, a master thief and conman that confirmed him as a major movie star. There have been missteps.

His performance in Batman and Robin was heavily panned. This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy's methods to keep silent. Clooney has also directed several feature films, including Good Night and Good Luck, which focused on the legendary CBS television newsman, Edward R. Murrow. Good evening. Last year, in a Broadway stage adaptation, Clooney portrayed Morrow himself as a man speaking,

truth to power. He's concerned about the state of journalism in the U.S. today and the difficulties in delivering truthful stories. I worry about our ability to find the filters that are able to figure out which ones are true or not, but that's kind of the world we live in now. In particular, when you look at things like SORA II and Deepak's and how we're going to have a very difficult time believing our own eyes anymore, it's going to be trickier. George Clooney is also well known as a supporter of the Democratic Party in the United States and Democratic political candidates. He has sparred at times with President Trump. He once referred to him as a knucklehead.

In return, the president has called George Clooney a fake movie actor. What do you make of those kinds of judgments by him? Well, I mean, it's childish and I don't care. If you're not comfortable with your own skin at this point, I mean, it's easy. Those are silly arguments about silly points. You know, his supporters might dismiss you as a disgruntled liberal. I'm a proud liberal. Liberals have stood for an awful lot of very good in the country.

believe that women should be allowed to vote and that black should be allowed to sit in the front of the bus. So I have no problem being a proud liberal. You speak your mind quite often politically, but if you look at Hollywood in the past few months, people haven't been that outspoken. Why do you think that is about what the Trump administration is doing? Well, I don't know.

It happens while I grew up, there was the women's rights movement, there was a civil rights movement, there was the anti-Vietnam movement. If you weren't speaking out, you weren't part of it, you weren't part of the discussion. and that's how I was raised.

And people make their own decisions and make their own choices, and that's, I think, fair and good. Although George Clooney took on French nationality a few months ago, he nonetheless sees himself as an American citizen who he says loves his country. The US has become deeply polarised politically, leading some commentators to declare it a broken nation. But Clooney, although concerned, says, I have great hope. We're going to fix it.

Thank you very much. That was Tom Brooke and George. Clooney. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at global podcast at BBC.co. You can also find us on X at BBC World Service. Use the hashtag Global NewsPod. And don't forget our sister podcast, The Global Story, which goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one story.

This edition of the Global News podcast was mixed by Zabihula Karush and produced by Stephen Jensen and Wendy Urquhart. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Charlotte Gallagher. Until next time, goodbye.