Global News Podcast - Zelensky fires popular defence minister

Episode Date: July 16, 2026

President Zelensky of Ukraine has sacked his popular defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who'd been in the job just six months and was seen as a key figure in the expansion of drone warfare against Russia. Also: As the US launches more strikes on Iranian coastal facilities, Tehran says it's in an existential struggle with the US and its security is dependent on controlling the Strait of Hormuz. The acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche is grilled at the start of his Senate confirmation hearing. France votes to legalise assisted dying for some adults with serious or fatal illnesses. A new international survey suggests that global perceptions of China are becoming more positive, while those of the US are deteriorating. Argentina to face Spain in the football World Cup final after a 2-1 victory over England. Researchers working in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo say they’ve discovered a new species of monkey.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] Photo: Ukraine's sacked defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov Credit: Reuters/Tom Nicholson

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How did the United States build the largest soft power empire in the world with the help of some tiny metal objects? I'm Tristan Redmond, one of the hosts of the global story podcasts from the BBC. To mark 250 years of the United States, we speak to Roman Mars of 99% invisible. This soft power, this influence, was an incredible invention. For more, listen to The Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Pete Ross and in the early hours of Thursday the 16th of July, these are our main stories. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has sacked his popular defence minister,

triggering criticism and some incredulity at the time when Kiev is taking drone warfare deep into Russia. Iran says it's in an existential. struggle with the US and its security is dependent on controlling the strait of Hermuz. Also in this podcast, Joy in Argentina. I'm really happy. I'm thrilled. And it ended in victory because Argentina always turns the game around in the final minutes. After the men's national football team defeat England 2-1 in the semi-final of the World Cup. And scientists in the Democratic Republic of Congo say they've discovered a new species of monkey.

Being the defence minister of a country at war is a difficult job, but Ukraine's Mikhailo Federov seemed to be doing well, leading the military's technology push and winning over the public with a startup-inspired management style that flew in the face of the establishment. But after only six months in the row, and with Ukraine on the front foot against Russia, Mr Federov is stepping down.

BBC monitoring's Vitaly Shivchenko told me why he'd been pushed out. Very few people outside the corridors of power in Kiev know exactly what happened. On the face of it, it's a very puzzling decision. Because just two days ago, Vladimir Zelensky, the president, he said that the Ukrainian army's position currently is the best ever. and this is, to a huge extent, thanks to Mikhailo Federov, a youthful, digital-minded reformer at just 35. He was the youngest minister, and he's done so much to bring Ukraine to the very edge of digital public services.

And he was trying to do the same in the army. One of the things he's achieved, he's greatly increased the role of drones, And as will, as everyone including the Russians, will know, this is working rather well for the Ukrainians. There's been various leaks and reports and rumors, including that his being so reformed, he's upset too many apple carts by fighting corruption. Other people say that he has been in conflict with Alexander Siersky, the commander in. chief of the Ukraine army. Other people say that he's been spending too much money. But the fact is,

I've seen so many expressions of support for him in Ukraine and outside of Ukraine are saying, well, this is a huge mistake, it's a shot in the foot. And the person who is supposedly going to replace him, the current Interior Minister, Ihor Klamenka, he's got a completely different standing and his image is slightly stodgier. You've talked about the positive impact that he has had, Federov, on the Ukrainian war effort. What's likely to happen now he's leaving the post? Well, in his farewell message on social media,

he's saying that he is planning to continue working as part of what he calls the mission to win. and he says to be continued. On the one hand, six months, especially for the defence minister, is such a short time. On the other hand, President Zelensky would be keen to show that he is doing something to continue reforms, continue taking Ukraine into the future.

But how long, how deep is Voldemar Zelensky's substitution bench, is a big question. He can't keep replacing key figures endlessly. And very briefly, how's this news actually gone down in Ukraine? Consternation. Shock. Nobody is quite certain why this is happening because people like Mikhail de Federov, they are popular. They've been seen as doing really, really well. Fatali Shvchenko. The latest from the Strait of Hermuz now, as the US and Iran continue to wrestle for control there amid escalating strikes from both sides. The U.S. military has announced that on Wednesday night it conducted yet more strikes against Iran's coastal defense system.

And President Trump again insisted that Iran wanted to reach a settlement. The Islamic Republic of Iran is not happy right now. It should have been done 47 years ago. Should have been done at least during the 47 year period. And it wasn't other presidents didn't do what was right. They should have done it a long time ago. Would have been done it. been much easier. They want to settle so badly. They don't like what we're doing. And they do want to settle. We'll find out whether or not we settle with them or we just finish it off. For its part, Iran's top negotiator has said his country's national security depends on maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz. I got more from our Middle East analyst, Sebastian

Usher. What's become even clearer these last five days of escalating attacks is how far Iran is prepared to go to keep that control of the Strait of Hormuz. There's this other channel that's been opened up near Amman, and it's essentially fired rockets missiles to deter ships from going through that rather than the area next to Iran, the one that it has authorized. It approves. And that, of course, has triggered these much stronger attacks by the US. What we heard from Iran's chief negotiator, Mohamed Baguagadabath, he made it very clear that that is the matter of national security in terms of an existential war, as he described. with the US. Those arrangements, that control, must be maintained. So that's where we stand.

We already knew this, but every day is making that clearer. What we don't know, obviously, is where this will lead. And what about pressures from within Iran? They're making these proclamations as escalations day after day, but is there any pressure from anywhere for de-escalation? I think what we got a sense of, again, from what this top negotiator, Mohamed Baguagalbath, was saying, he essentially said that it would be a strategic error to separate negotiation from war, but essentially they go hand in hand. And I think that's how they see it. But he has been seen, I think, more as one of those who is advocating for more negotiation. We know, obviously, our hardliners for revolutionary guards who've taken an even stronger role within the regime.

We know perhaps the supreme leader now, the son of Ali Hamene, he's threatened revenge, how personal that is, how far they're prepared, beyond what Galabath described as the realistic and long-term goals and strategy of Iran, is there also that element that they want revenge, that they want to take this as far as they can. And then you have to look at, you know, the situation hasn't changed that much for Iran. It's ease. This short period of ceasefire has eased some of the economic pressure briefly on Iran because the blockade was lifted. That US blockade is now back in place. So that pressure is building. And again, With the Strait of Hormuz now essentially being all but closed again,

we've seen a dribble of ships now going through. Oil prices rising. So that economic pressure is building on the US and President Trump. And both of those, what we've seen so far may be nothing compared to what in a month or so we'll see in terms of the pressure on both countries. That might be the moment when something will give. At the moment they both seem capable of continuing what one of my colleagues described as sparring essentially rather than going back to all at war.

moment clearly neither side wants to admit that that's essentially what seems to be happening. But this is a very long way from any type of ceasefire. The deal memorandum of understanding now seems completely finished. So where do we go next? Sebastian Usher. Washington next and Capitol Hill, where President Trump's choice to lead the Department of Justice, acting attorney general Todd Blanche was grilled at the start of a Senate confirmation hearing. Democrats, as well as some Republicans sought to establish just how independent he would be, bearing in mind that he used to be the president's lawyer. The Democratic Senator Dick Durbin told Mr. Blanche

that Americans deserved someone who would fight corruption rather than satisfy the president's personal grievances. So Mr. Blanche was asked by Mr. Durbin, would he describe the president as a friend? I'm his lawyer, was his lawyer, and now I'm the Deputy Attorney General. So I met him as his criminal defense attorney. I'm not sure there's very many people who have ever had a criminal defense attorney who calls that person their friend. I now have a...

Well, let me put this way. Are you enemies? No, we're not enemies at all. No. President Trump began his second term by pardoning those who'd been convicted of storming the Capitol building on January the 6th, 2021. Mr. Blanche was asked whether he thought that was the right thing to do. The Constitution gives the President the full person. to pardon anybody for any reason he wants. And so I don't question President Trump's authority or is a decision to do so. We got more from our Washington correspondent, Tom Bateman. One of the big issues that Democrats were pushing Todd Blanche on was the Epstein files,

his role in the release of those, and also the fact that he had interviewed Ghislane Maxwell, the accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, who was jailed over her role. And after that interview with Todd Blanche, had been moved to a lower security facility. Now, Democrats were really unhappy about that. He said there was no wrongdoing whatsoever. But on the release of the files, he admitted some mistakes, particularly over the fact that the names of some survivors and victims had not been redacted in some files.

He apologized for that. The other really big issue here is the critics of the administration and of Todd Blanche believe that his role, as a former defense lawyer, a personal defense lawyer to President Trump, has now sort of mutated into this role leading the justice system as President Trump's protector-in-chief and masterminding the use of the legal system for retribution to prosecute Mr Trump's political enemies.

Now, he completely denied all of that, but there was still a big push on that from Democrats, which is why many of them are going to clearly oppose and reject his confirmation. But the problem for Mr. Blanche is, this is going to be a raising, a thin vote, it looks like, over his confirmation. So he has to get every Republican on board. There are at least two here, Tom Tillis and John Cornyn, who are skeptics, who don't, won't necessarily vote for him and we're pushing him hard over the issue of President Trump's so-called anti-weaponization fund and his role in that legal settlement. Now, again, he said this was all by the book,

although he tried to distance himself from the fund. It seems like one of those Republicans was convinced by his answers. but still there's going to be clearly a very, very tight vote. Another day of hearings to go, other witnesses to hear from, including survivors of Geoffrey Epstein. So still a lot of work for Top Blanche clearly to do to try and get this confirmation through the Senate. Tom Bateman.

Out of the 10 best-selling fiction paperbacks in the UK this week, nine of them involve the death of at least one female character. The genres range from crime and historical fiction to domestic noir, a sub-genre of crime fiction where stories are set at home. This is hardly a new trend from Daphne de Maurer's novel Rebecca to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. A murdered or endangered women has become one of fiction's most commercially successful genres. So why does fiction keep returning to the same plot? And is it a problem?

My colleague James Menendez asked Laura Wilson, a writer of thrillers and psychological crime novels for young adults. No, I don't think it's a problem. I think the domestic noir, which is super popular at the moment, it goes back a long way earlier than Rebecca, Wuthering Heights is a domestic noir, if you like. But I think one of the reasons that it's so popular at the moment is because it takes place in and around the home. And statistically, women are the biggest consumers of all fiction, and that's true of crime fiction. And there's this paradox there, which is that home is the place where we should feel the most safe. And it's a very good way to explore that, those anxieties around that. Yeah, we should make clear that actually, you know, it's not men buying these books about women be murdered or endangered for some prurient reason. I mean, women are buying these books in huge numbers.

Yes, they make up the majority of sales. But I think that the needle has sort of shifted on this a bit from the, time when you got the heroic male detective who was investigating the murder of a woman which would take place in the first pages. And all we ever knew about this poor woman was that maybe her name and that she was a blonde, a redhead or a brunette, as if those things were personality types. And it was just really an excuse for the man to be terrifically heroic. Now I think there's much more thought behind it. And it's much more a way for readers to explore these dark emotions and also maybe to understand a bit more about threats and red flags.

And when you're writing, are these questions going through your mind? Yes, constantly. You mentioned earlier about sort of being prurient or unnecessarily sensational. And I think it's very important to steer away from that. But the fact is that crime fiction is one of the best ways of exploring social issues in any kind of fiction. And it is reflecting reality. that while men who are murdered will very often get murdered by a stranger, women are often murdered by people who should absolutely be the ones who love and cherish them.

So there's this sort of terrifying contradiction at the heart of it. Laura Wilson. Still to come in this podcast, a crucial vote in France. As lawmakers approve a landmark. assisted dying bill. Is the American dream still possible? I'm Asma Khaled, one of the hosts of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. One of the most successful exports of the United States has ever sold the world

is the American dream, that tantalizing promise of a better, freer, richer life. But is it still attainable? I feel like the American dream is alive, but not well. For more, listen to The Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. is the Global News podcast. Argentina, the defending World Cup champions are in the final again after defeating England 2-1. Football fans in Buenos Aires,

many wearing messy shirts erupted into cheers as a last-minute goal cemented the win. Streets in the Argentine capital, which were practically empty while the semi-final was being played, quickly filled with thousands of supporters keen to celebrate their team's victory once the match had come to an end. I'm really happy. I'm thrilled.

It was an extraordinary blessed team and it ended in victory because Argentina always turns the game around in the final minutes. Let's go. This team represents the passion of all Argentines, along with the unity our country stands for. There's a lot of love, a lot of happiness and a lot of celebration today. The match itself was a tense and ill-tempered affair. with pushing and shoving after the final whistle

between some players from both sides. And in a controversial moment, a number of Argentina players celebrated their win on the pitch with a banner in support of their country's claims to the British Falkland Islands. Our sports correspondent John Bennett told me it was a game of two halves. An incredible comeback by Argentina yet again. Remember, this is a team that was 2-0 down earlier in the tournament

in the knockout stages against Egypt and managed to win 3-2. This time 1-0 down, Managed to win 2-1. Enzo Fernandez with the equalizer with five minutes to go. And then in injury time, La Taro Martinez with the header. Across from Lionel Messi, by the way, who is having an incredible tournament at the age of 39.

But this Argentina side, they have the quality, but they also have the will to win. They have amazing character. And they have the know-how when it comes to these fine margins. They're back in the World Cup final and they thoroughly deserve it because it was an incredible response to going 1-0 down. After they conceded that goal from Anthony Gordon, he gave England the lead.

It was all Argentina, complete domination, and a deserve win in the end. A deserve win for Argentina and celebrations for them, but for England, obviously, on the other side of that, some disappointment. What about the manager Thomas Tucco? Is he going to be getting some criticism following this game? He was brought in specifically to kind of take England that extra mile,

wasn't he and he's failed to do that. You've hit the nail on the head there, Pete. That's exactly why he will be getting so much criticism because Garry Southgate was the previous manager and on paper did a fantastic job. But he was criticised because they took the lead in games but went too defensive. That was the case in the 2018 World Cup semi-final.

That was the case in the Euro's final in 2021. 1-0-up in both games and they ended up losing because they were too negative. Thomas Tuchel went so negative. ultra defensive with England 1-0 up in this game and arguably went too defensive too early and yes the criticism has already started from experts from pundits and the media

as to Thomas Tuchel's approach because he was brought in to not be negative to get the better of these fine margins but yet again England have fallen short England of full and short but Argentina making it to the final they'll be joined by Spain who booked their place in the final on Sunday yesterday, what a game that's going to be.

Yeah, a clash of styles as well, because on the one hand you've got Spain, who as a collective unit, have been the best team by far at this World Cup. It was an astonishing performance against the brilliant France side in the first semi-final. They completely smothered France. It hardly gave them an opportunity.

And now you've got Argentina, who are a brilliant team for different reasons. They have that amazing individual in Lionel Messi, and they also have that will-to-win, that character. So a fascinating final. I think I would make Spain favourites because of the way they performed in their semi-final. But how can you ever write off Argentina

when they keep coming up with these incredible comebacks? John Bennett. A new international survey suggests that global perceptions of China are becoming more positive, while those of the US are deteriorating. The study by the Pew Research Centre also says that more people have greater confidence in China's leader,

Xi Jinping. than the American president Donald Trump. The BBC's Tessa Wong has been reading the survey. 25 out of 36 countries surveyed this year that Pugh has found. They have actually a strong preference for China over the US, and that's the first time they've seen this flip. They've also found that when they asked people in many countries what they thought of Citing Ping and Donald Trump,

they found that while most people had low confidence levels in those two leaders, people actually favoured C a bit more than Trump. So we've got a picture now. that shows us, you know, there's low confidence in Trump, worsening views of the US, and high confidence in C, and much more positive views of China. And one analyst I spoke to said, this reflects how on edge people are feeling around the world about the volatility of US foreign policy. So let's bear in mind that this poll was conducted just weeks after Trump's rhetoric about annexing Greenland, the US captured the Venezuelan leader, Nicholas Maduro, and the US war in Iran. That began during the polling

period. So that no doubt was on people's minds. And throughout this time, China has thought to portray itself as a rational actor, a predictable superpower. It's invested a lot into the so-called global south. It's invested in technological advancements. They have made a real impact across the world, such as electric vehicles and AI. It's quite interesting to see that the most positive views of China, which came from Pakistan, and the most negative views about China, which came from Japan, they're both in Asia-Pacific. Other countries that also had quite negative, views of China still tend to also be in this region. That's South Korea, Australia and the Philippines. And actually, the survey found a pattern across the world. The wealthier the country is,

the more negative the view is of China still. The one exception is Singapore, because it's got a high GDP and also a very positive view of China. Tessa Wong. France has voted to legalise assisted dying for some adults with serious or fatal illnesses. The lower house of the country's Parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that has been championed by President Macron since he was elected for his second term in office. However, opponent's claim assisted dying is open to abuse. The bill will have to be examined by the powerful constitutional council. Our Paris correspondent James Waterhouse sent this report. Majority 253 for 305, counter 19199. The Assembly National has been described the culmination of a struggle after 14 years of parliamentary battles.

The law will give an adult the right to an assisted death under strict conditions. They would have to have an incurable condition and be suffering from physical pain. The individual must consider that pain unbearable and it must be unresponsive to treatment. They must also be able to express themselves in a free and informed way. A doctor will be responsible for their eligibility and the person can pull out at any. point. If those conditions are met, the patient would take a lethal substance themselves or have help if they're physically unable to do so. Under the direction of the Prime Minister, Sebastian Le Corno, the legislation will now be examined by France's powerful constitutional council,

and opponents say they won't give up, with some arguing the law indirectly discriminates against disabled or vulnerable people who might feel pressured to take their lives in order to not be a burden. James Waterhouse. Researchers working in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo say they've discovered a new species of monkey that has orange-coloured lips. It was first photographed back in 2008. But in a paper in the journal Plus One,

scientists have confirmed that it's a genetically distinct species. Here's our science correspondent, Victoria Gill. This search started with one blurry photograph of an unusual-looking monkey taken nearly 20 years ago. That led scientists to set out with cameras, microphones and genetic tests that have now confirmed that this primate with black fur and pinkish-orange lips is a distinct species. It belongs to the wider group of colobus monkeys, plant-eating primates that don't have thumbs and that live high in the tree canopy.

Its bright facial colouring could be a visual signal, perhaps to help attract a mate. The monkeys also have a unique call to announce their presence in dense forest. The team chose the Latin name Colobus Conguensis in recognition of the natural diversity in DRC. They hope that now the animals are officially a new species, they can be formally protected. Victoria Gill The port of Rotterdam is Europe's largest freight hub built on land, reclaimed from the North Sea and long powered by fossil fuels. The port hosts some of Europe's biggest oil, chemicals and container terminals, but it now presents itself as an example for green ports,

with a climate plan that promises to slash its energy emissions by 90% by 2030. But the sprawling industrial hub faces a new climate lawsuit that questions whether a port of this scale can ever truly turn green. Here's our Netherlands correspondent, Anna Holligan. The port of Rotterdam has a problem. Our current emissions are 29. million tons of CO2. The equivalent of

60,000 return flights from Amsterdam to Los Angeles. We're driving through the vast industrial site with Mark Van Dyck, head of external relations, the Port of Rotterdam Authority. It's not very good. Sometimes we are just

waiting till there is one magic solution that suddenly solves all the climate emissions. Well, I can promise you that won't be there. Standing on the edge of a grassy verge, the horizons dominated by cranes, bulk carriers and container stacks, the visible parts of a vast energy and chemicals hub. Just step down a little bit because we don't need to be in this.

Sheltering from the wind, director of the environmental group, advocates for the future. Michael Van Vinson. We are not asking to shut down the port immediately. This is a really big industry. We are still, as a society, very dependent on it. He's launched a lawsuit to compel the port to reach its own climate targets faster. Among other things, the poor is developing a hydrogen hub, investing in on and offshore power. And there's also an effort to mitigate CO2 emissions with carbon capture and storage.

So do you think those innovations that they're working on will have any real impact? To be honest, no. We've just boarded a gleaming white. yacht. I have to get my sea legs back on. Hi, you're on the boat of the Port of Rotterdam. Oscar Van Vane is the port's director of innovation. We try to work together with the polluters and slowly face them out, as fast as possible, of course.

It's such a challenge when the core business is so fossil fuel intensive. We say we rather have it grey here than black elsewhere. So find innovative ways to face it out and face the new energy carriers in. What do you think will make the biggest difference? As Europe, we have to create a level of playing field. We want our part to be a greener. Do you see innovations being capable of getting to the point where the people who are working in the fossil fuel industry now

will have been redeployed into something that's cleaner and green? Absolutely. There still be factories, only what we call. coal, culls anymore, but it will be hydrogen. Also with the digital transition, with every new technology, people were afraid of their jobs, but that it resulted in more jobs, only different.

For instance, also AI. It can help us do our job better. But many of the biggest emitters in this port answer to headquarters in the US or China, if the rules in Rotterdam become too tight, they can simply move. And a contrast in legislation sharpens Rotterdam's concern

and the activists resolve. If we can get a court to say, you really need to do something against climate change, that can set the precedent not only for the Netherlands, but for the world as a whole. The port insists they are heading in the same direction. The disagreement is over how fast and how radically to change.

Anaholicin. And that's our own. all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at the global podcast at BBC.co.uk. 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 big story. This edition of the Global News podcast was mixed by Daniel Fox. And the producers were Alison Davis and Charles Sanctuary. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Pete Ross. Until next time, goodbye.

Is the American dream still possible? I'm Asma Khalid, one of the hosts of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. One of the most successful exports of the United States has ever sold the world is the American dream, that tantalizing promise of a better, freer, richer life. But is it still attainable? I feel like the American dream is alive, but not well. For more, listen to The Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.