Global News Podcast - WHO warns of growing cholera crisis

Episode Date: August 29, 2025

The World Health Organization says a resurgence of cholera in a number of African countries is putting more strain on already stretched health services. The WHO says more than 400,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths have been recorded worldwide this year, fuelled by conflict, poverty and flooding. Also: President Trump cancels Secret Service protection for the former US Vice-President Kamala Harris, and why more Germans are opting for non-alcoholic beer.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]

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You're listening to the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. Hello, I'm Oliver Conway. This edition is published in the early hours of Saturday, the 30th of August. The World Health Organization warns of a resurgence of cholera. President Trump canceled Secret Service protection for the former Vice President Carmala Harris. And two weeks after National Guard troops arrive in Washington, D.C., do residents feel more or less safe? Also in the podcast. When I started posting online, people start they're reaching out. Once you make dress for somebody and they like it,

they tell their friend, they tell others, they've been able to make over 4,000 prom dresses. Why teenagers are looking to Africa for their high school prom dresses. The World Health Organization has warned of a worsening cholera crisis, with outbreaks reported in 31 countries. Sudan has been among the hardest hit, but Chad and the Republic of Congo are now also facing an unusual rise in numbers. The WHO said that in total this year, there have been more than 400,000 cases and almost 5,000 deaths. Dr Jean Kassar is Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

We need a multisectoral coordination and sustainable financing. It's time for Africa to start to invest. We also say the second pillar is early detail. detection and a rapid response. We need to strengthen the laboratory system. We need to strengthen the surveillance system. The third one is about water and sanitation and hygiene. We need to accelerate the equitable access to safe water and sanitation in hotspot,

but also other places where we have displaced people. But we are also calling for our partners. It's time to stop this cholera. It's time to stop people dying from cholera. Dr. Jean Kassaya. Last month, a cholera outbreak was detected at a refugee camp in eastern Chad, which spread quickly to surrounding villages. The health system there is already under strain from an influx of refugees,

mostly from Sudan and US aid cuts. Dr Alan Miner leads the public health team at the UN's refugee agency. He has just visited a camp in Chad. We've installed hand-washing stations, dispatched medicines and supplies. We launched hygiene promotion campaigns with community health promoters, but the needs are massive, and the challenges are great. With cases being reported across multiple refugee sites and host communities, we're also seeing a high case fatality rate well above the WHO threshold of less than 1%.

And this is pointing to delayed access to healthcare and worsening of health and sanitation conditions. It's really a very worrying situation that we need to work together to be able to support the government to control. The ongoing rains are not making the situation any easier, and they were only worried about the spread of color across different villages. I was with the Minister of Health on the ground and seeing him first-hand lead the response, and he's appreciating the support he's received so far from the government and from the international community, but also the solidarity is seeing refugees and the host communities working together to try and get ahead of the response. but they need medicines, they need supplies, they need clean water, they need proper sanitation facilities. Without this, we'll hardly be able to control the situation. On top of that,

we're facing a dire shelter situation with the needs not being adequately met. Dr. Alan Miner from the UN Refugee Agency. The former US Vice President Kamala Harris is about to embark on a high-profile tour to promote her new book about her failed presidential campaign. but she'll be doing it without the secret service protection she was expecting. President Trump has revoked an extension to her security that was signed off by Joe Biden. Our North America correspondent Arunaday Mukherjee told us what it means. Ms. Harris will essentially lose the agents that are assigned to protect her and her property in Los Angeles where she's based.

Also, what is important is not just that physical security, but also she will lose proactive threat intelligence that is carried out consistently to identify and try and preempt any potential threats. So in that context, it is important. Now, by law, the outgoing vice president of the United States has granted six months of U.S. Secret Service protection, but the former president had given it an extension for 12 more months before he left office. But the argument from the Trump administration is very clear

when they justify their decision. They say, one, that it's already been six months, and also that a recent threat assessment found nothing alarming that would warrant extending the security service cover past what is legally mandated, that is the six-month period. So what's been the reaction to the removal of this secret service protection? Well, as expected from the political opponents, there is criticism. You've got California governor, Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bess, who both expressed outrage at the announcement. They're talking about political retaliation, the fact that they've gone ahead and revoked these security clearances.

They're also questioning how this may put her in. in danger in public life. Now, Ms. Harris faced several security threats during her time in office. That is also a fact. Former Secret Service officials have said that the dangers were compounded by the fact that she happened to be the first woman and the first person of color to serve in office. So there have been threat perceptions in the past, but at the moment, you know, as I said, the Trump administration's argument is very clear. And she is not the first high-profile person to have their security detail removed by Donald Trump. Well, since he returned to the White House, Donald Trump has revoked Secret Service

protections for a number of people. You've got the children of the former president, Hunter and Ashley Biden. You've got Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. And what's also interesting is, beyond the political opposition, you've also had, you know, several people who have been Trump allies or advisors in the past. You know, for instance, the former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who's had his security detail taken away. You've got John Bolton. That name was in the headlines over the last few days with that raid that took place from the FBI. He was the former National Security Advisor who incidentally also has become quite a vocal critic of Donald Trump. So obviously all of this is

going to be viewed and seen through that political lens as well. Arunaday Mukagi. For the past two weeks, National Guard troops have been patrolling the US Capitol, Washington, D.C. After President Trump said they were needed to deal with a crime epidemic, as he put it. He's been told he needs the approval of Congress to extend the deployment beyond 30 days. But he's also threatened to send troops to other Democrat strongholds like New York and Chicago. His opponents point out that violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at a 30-year low. So how have the patrols been going? Tom Bateman has been finding out. I'm on a suburban street in Washington, D.C. and lined along the road are about 10 to 15 SUVs,

Jeeps, vehicles with their, all their windows blacked out and inside are people with vests, flat jackets, saying FBI, U.S. Marshals heavily kitted up, and they've just gone and raided a house. Open the door. Open the door. Police. Go open the door. I'd say more than 25 of these officers.

They were crouching down on the floor, shouting for who's inside. They went in about seven or eight of them for more than, say, 10 minutes, came out empty-handed, just with a piece of paper, and now they're leaving. What did you find inside, guys? I knock on the door of the basement flap that's been raided.

There's a man inside, but he doesn't want to talk. Sorry, to bother, I'm from BBC. We were just filming earlier. I just... All right, okay. We later asked the FBI why they raided the House. They wouldn't comment saying only it was part of an increased law enforcement presence in Washington, D.C. We'd spotted the squad roaming the streets at dawn in blacked-out vans.

The White House says they are targeting rampant violent crime, but the teams have mostly cracked down on lower-level offences and especially undocumented migrant workers. Out, out, out now. Out now. Another day, we're alerted to a raid via an online neighborhood community group. Out of our neighborhood.

This is a hardworking man. Abla another. Here, on a street corner, agents in vests and masks are being filmed, stopping a van for a landscaping firm. Inside it, several men who appear to be of Latino origin are being questioned. Locals, including Nick Joyce and Lauren Gillesie,

are coming out of their houses, outraged at the stop and demanding the agents identify themselves. Do you guys have warrants? Can we get some identification from you guys? How do we know you're real cops? We later asked federal agencies about this raid too and they wouldn't comment. These have become a daily event in this part of D.C.,

a neighborhood with a large Hispanic community. Claudia Schlossberg saw it happen. I think what we all felt, many of my neighbors came out, we kind of felt helpless. What do you say, though, when, I mean, Trump, in the election campaign said he's going to carry out the biggest deportation exercise in history and people voted for that. Well, I don't think people believed him. He also said he was going to go after the worst of the worst and criminals. That's not what he's doing. Police figures show that

violent crime has fallen over the past fortnight in Washington compared to the same period last year, a number being lauded by the White House, although some experts say such reporting figures lag and links to Mr. Trump's crackdown are not yet clear. Much of the feel of this for people in the northern suburbs, especially, has been the immigration rate. Nearby is Gloria's Salvadorian restaurant. Last week, a raid took place in the street opposite where a car's windows were smashed in by eight. Oh my God!

She'll be able to see it over their shoulders here for over a decade. She tells me people are now scared to walk home, always looking over their shoulders. National Guard troops deployed at train stations and tourist sites have sparked protests. have sparked protests, but others here say they feel safer. More presence, more eyes. I'm former law enforcement myself. The more you have, the better. Donald Trump is determined to extend his Washington crime crackdown. And so this Democrat-dominated city has become a test case, pitting a president who wants to be seen as crime fighter-in-chief with those who warn of a new American authoritarianism at the White House.

Tom Bateman in Washington, D.C., Staying in the US and high school proms are a right of passage. They're also an opportunity to make a statement about identity and fashion. Dressmakers, big and small, can earn tens of thousands of dollars each prom season. And African designers are increasingly tapping into the market through a growing trend on social media. The hashtag African prom dress now has more than 61 million views on TikTok. Nyan Fisher from Miami found her Nigerian designer on Instagram.

resulting in a custom-made, greened, sequin dress. Well, it was a very unique experience. Everyone was so amazed. They said it was very different, the fabric. Everyone said, I looked like a princess. It just was very, like, cultural and amazing. So what is drawing young Americans to these outfits? Shakirat, Arag Babu, is a Nigerian designer and boss of Kira's Fashion Cave.

I started learning from a nearby shop, then the majority of the things I learned was from YouTube. And when I employed workers, then I learned better along the way. We have about 60 staff at the moment. We have a very big store, and we are also moving to another store in the next few weeks. Because of the kind of dresses I do, when I started posting online, people started reaching out.

Once you make dress for somebody and they like it, they tell their friend, they tell others that have been able to make over 4,000. prom dresses. Usual prom dresses, depending on the kind of fabrics that we use, between $300 to $1,000. When you want customized dresses or maybe they are highly embellished luxury dresses between $1,000 to $2,000. The majority of people that buy a product, I have Americans or African Americans over there.

I would say, I think about two types of dresses that people buy lots. The first one is any dress that thought that has rhinestone at the top, they really like those kind of dresses because it shimmers. The second one is corset dresses that comes with 3D. When a dress, a corset lace dress that the top part has a lot of wirework, beadwork, embellishment. They always love those kind of dresses. Nigerian designer Shakurat Arag Babu. And still to come on the Global News podcast.

I think most people still drink alcohol, but they do it more consciously and do it in between mixed with alcohol-free beverages. Why more Germans are turning to alcohol-free beer. It may seem impossible for things to get any worse in Gaza City, given that famine has been confirmed there. But Israel has now declared it a dangerous combat zone and said it will no longer pause fighting to allow aid deliveries. The Israeli defence forces also announced

they'd recovered the bodies of two Israeli hostages taken in the Hamas massacre of the 7th of October. Gaza City is currently home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Some have sought refuge in two churches, a Catholic and a Greek Orthodox one. Al Jelda told the BBC he's one of 450 people, including children with disabilities, sheltering in the Greek Orthodox Church. Our survival and our lives depend on remaining here, because leaving this place would mean certain.

death. And if death comes even while we are inside, then let it be inside the church. Well, Father Issa Musla told BBC Arabic he and his fellow clergy would not under any circumstances abandon the people who'd sought refuge. We will remain until relief comes from heaven. We do not have weapons to fight, but we resist with the word of God, a word of justice, fairness and truth. Fleur Hassan Nahom from Israel's foreign ministry says the Israeli military has no choice but to continue its assault on Gaza City. We have a terrorist regime ruling a people attacked us in the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust

and what's more is that they've said they'll do it again. And so if any country had that type of threat on their southern border, threatening their civilians, their children, their women after what happened on October 7th, I think any responsible government would work to eliminate. eliminate that threat. There's 50 reasons to continue, which is the hostages that are still there. We want them home. But Hamas has warned that Israel's offensive will subject any hostages in the area to the same risks as Palestinian fighters. The authorities in Kenya have expressed fears of a resurgence of a doomsday starvation cult, thought to be behind the

deaths of more than 400 people whose bodies were found two years ago. More bodies were recently unearthed during an ongoing exhumation. It's believed people were starved and suffocated as a result of adopting and promoting extreme religious ideologies. A senior Kenyan official has told the BBC the government is working on a new law to strengthen the regulation of religious organisations. Anita Nkongay reports. Government pathologists draped in white hazmat suits have camped out here in the coastal village

of Kwabin Zarro. Their task? To dig up over 27 gravesites believed to hold dead bodies. So far, more than 30 bodies and 72 body parts have been found in shallow graves scattered around 5 acres of forest. Roughly 800 kilometers across the country, Karla Nauyuga's life has come to a standstill after she discovered her husband, who disappeared from months ago, was one of the bodies exhumed recently. their two children are still missing. He told me he was going to his home village. The last phone call we had, he told me that we have going to stay with God, and I told him have a safe trip.

Parents expects his disappearances linked to self-proclaimed Pastor Paul McKenzie's teachings, who's alleged to have led a starvation call to the prosecutor's claim led to the deaths of over 400 people two years ago. He started listening to those teachings four to five years ago. He changed and he didn't want the kids to go to school. When the kids will fall ill, he said, God will help them. The site of the new graves are just 12 kilometers away from the Shaka Hula forest. For Anivu Konde, who is a resident of the Kwabinsaro village,

these recent deaths have brought up fears that the daily salvation cult may be back. We are living in fear. You can't go anywhere. You're afraid in the dark. We are fearful. You can't leave your child alone because you don't know what would happen to them. Self-proclaimed pastor Paul McKenzie was arrested and pleaded not guilty to murder and other related charges in 2024. Authorities say that they suspect that these recent bodies died under similar circumstances. 11 suspects have been arrested so far with three of them believed to be Mackenzie's former followers.

Roda O'Nancha, the Regional Commissioner for the Coastal Region, says they found a link to Paul McKenzie. People that are coming back, or the people that were here, are the people that we rescued in 2023. And some went back home. We've realized that some of them were not fully accepted by their families or communities, where they come from. For now, Kailan remains waiting for news about her children

and whether authorities will confirm her worst fears. Those kids went along with him, thinking they're going to heaven. That report from Kenya by Anita Nkongay. As you may have heard in our earlier podcast, Thailand's constitutional court has dismissed yet another Prime Minister, Petongtan Shinawat, over a leaked phone call she had with the former Cambodian leader, Hun Sen. Well, now her one-time coalition partner,

the Conservative Pumjai Tai Party, announced it has enough support to form a new government. The party of Paitongtan Shinawat, Pua Thai, has named a candidate of its own for Prime Minister. James Menendez spoke to Pichai Naritapan, a minister from Puatai. It's quite sad for me and for a Pertai party. Personally, I think the Prime Minister working so hard and she has a good intention to improve the country. And in fact, the economy are looking good, like exporting for this year is going up like, you know, 14% already up to seven months. And so I think I'm moving good for the economy of our Thailand. And then we have the investment going up, you know, last year we have $1.14 trillion.

And this first half the year we have $1.05 trillion, you know, it's like $31 billion. Okay, so the economy is doing well. but did the now former Prime Minister, did she make a mistake in the way she handled that leaked phone call to Hun Sen? Personally, I think, you know, when you like know know somebody for 30 years, you know, they're close to you, so you speak in a way that, you know, like a close friend, a close friend to the family, you know, so that's normal.

The only problem is nobody thinks that he will leak this is unethical. Why do you think he did leak it, given that they are family friends? Yeah, you know, I know they have very, very close in the past for 30 years. The reason to me, I believe, like, Hunsen popularity is going down quickly. He's been in power for over 40 years, and I think he and his son's poverty is in bad shape, so he did what he have to do. You know, breaking the friendship is quite hard and very harsh. The way he did it, I think, you know, he destroyed himself just to, like, bring back his

property for his son. What do you think it means for the government? What needs to happen now? I mean, essentially, does it mean there has to be elections in Thailand? No, not yet, not yet. The government is trying to have a vote for the new prime minister, though. They haven't dissolved the parliament yet. We still can try to vote for the new prime minister and set up the new government.

That's what it is. Yeah, but the new prime minister will need a mandate, won't he or she? Yes, yes, have to be, you know, more than. half of the majority, yes. Does it mean that it's going to be a rather chaotic situation in Thailand for the next few months? It's going to be chaotic for the next few days only. We should know within a few days who will get the most vote, I believe, and then the vote will proceed, and then we will have the new Prime Minister to set up the new government,

but whether the government will last or not, it depends on the structure of the government. Pichai, Naritha Pan, from Poitai. Germany is famous for its beer festivals, particularly the October Fest in Munich. But on the whole, Germans are drinking less beer, with sales at their lowest level for more than 30 years. However, the thirst for non-alcoholic alternatives has reached a record high. Bethany Bell has been to Bavaria to find out what's driving the change. bottles of beer being put into crates at the Erdinger Brewery near Munich. They've been making beer here since the 1880s,

but these days about a quarter of their production is non-alcoholic. Erdinger's CEO, Stefan Klais, says that while the culture of German beer is resilient, drinking habits are changing. I'm a brewer by heart, and we need to, find a way to make beer, and even if it's a non-alcoholic, attractive for young people. That's something you need to crack, to understand in which occasions the young people taking beer. There's no algorithm who tells you you need a beer now. At the Café Cosmos in Munich, Barman Louis von Tucher says many of his customers are becoming

more health aware. I had my youth in the 2000s and I remember people being put off if you told them maybe you should have a glass water in between and they would be really offended until I don't need water. So now that's changed. Everybody is a little bit more conscious about their consumption. I think most people still drink alcohol but they do it more consciously and do it in between mixed with the, like, alcohol-free beverages. I mean, beer is such a symbol of German culture and identity. Can you imagine it going away? I mean, we see these dropping numbers of beer drinking.

I don't think necessarily is going to go away. It's just a slight shift. I mean, I guess we sell, like, 150 to 500 litres of normal beer at night compared to, like, maybe if it's wild, 20. liters of alcohol-free beer. So there's still a huge gap between those two. Welcome to the Sankerva folk festival here in the town of Bamberg,

a five-day-long celebration in its winding medieval streets. There's music, local sausages, and of course, stall after stall selling alcoholic beer. They're doing a roaring trade. Pascal, who's lived here for 30 years, told me beer is part of the culture. Beer is very important for the city at all. And we have a lot of breweries here and people come here for the beer and for the festival. I can't imagine that the consuming of beer here in Bamberg is really less than before.

Standing outside a beer garden, Magdalena, a student, agreed. I'm looking around and everybody's having like a glass of beer in their hand so I guess it's like a really big part of it especially in this part of Germany like beer is just I don't know even a massive part of daily life even though it's not healthy we all know that but it's just a big part of life I feel like especially in our generation like people tend to drink less on a daily basis but yeah it's still it's still Germany it's still the very up yeah from Bavaria by Bethany Bell. And that is all from us for now, but the Global News podcast will be back at the same time tomorrow. This edition was mixed by Jack Wilfan and produced by Chantal Hartle and Stephanie Zackerson.

Our editors, Karen Martin, I'm Oliver Conway. Until next time, goodbye.