BBC

Forty years ago, the world’s worst nuclear accident took place at Chernobyl, in what was then the Soviet Union. When news of the disaster began to emerge beyond the Iron Curtain, one of those paying close attention was Adi Roche in Ireland. At the time, Adi was working as a peace educator, teaching about nuclear weapons and Cold War tensions. She went on to found Chernobyl Children International, which became one of the most significant and sustained humanitarian responses to the disaster. Over the years, she brought aid and medical support to Ukraine, Belarus and other affected regions, established a paediatric cardiac programme for children born with heart defects, and helped arrange for children from Belarus to be adopted in Ireland.

Colm Flynn meets Adi Roche to hear about the work that has shaped her life, and the Christian faith that she says has sustained her through it.

This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world.

Artificial intelligence companies including OpenAI, Anthropic and SpaceX are preparing for potential stock market listings in 2026, as investor interest in the sector pushes combined company valuations towards the trillion-dollar mark.

President Trump has also decided against signing a planned executive order on AI regulation today, a move being closely watched by technology companies and investors.

And Universal Music Group and Spotify have signed a new agreement around AI-generated music — including covers and remixes that imitate artists’ voices and styles — raising fresh questions about ownership, consent and how musicians should be compensated in the age of AI.

(Picture: REUTERS/Kent Nishimura)

The government has published its long-awaited guidance on single-sex spaces. The guidance states that spaces such as changing rooms and toilets must be used on the basis of biological sex. We'll find out what this means for businesses, organisations and transgender people who access these spaces.

Also on the programme - the streets of Birmingham are a sea of claret and blue as Aston Villa revels in its Europa League triumph, but we'll hear about a Villa fan club in Ghana that is also celebrating. And a marine mammal scientist explains how she's proved that beluga whales can recognise themselves in a mirror.

A day after the US's indictment of former Cuban president Raul Castro, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Havana has accepted an offer of $100m in aid but that the chances of a negotiated settlement was "not high". Could the US be considering an imminent invasion of Cuba?

Also on the programme: Amid a growing number of cases, a hospital treating Ebola patients in Congo is set on fire; and the new research suggesting that Beluga whales recognise their own reflections.

(Photo: Rubio speaks to the press before boarding his plane at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, May 21, 2026 Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS)

Anna reaches the end of her tether, and Tracy faces a shock.

There has been international condemnation of Israel's treatment of pro-Palestinian activists who were on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video showing himself taunting activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. Also, Iranian state media is reporting that Pakistan's military chief is visiting Tehran later today in a bid to mediate peace efforts between Iran and the United States. The Justice Department in the Philippines has ordered the arrest of a senator, Ronald Dela Rosa, wanted by the International Criminal Court in connection with the country's war on drugs. Air France and Airbus have been found guilty of manslaughter over a 2009 plane crash which killed 228 people. In India, a satirical political collective themed around cockroaches - the Cockroach Janta Party - has attracted millions of online followers. NASA is set to launch a new space telescope, Roman, that it says will be able to capture images of vast tracts of the universe. A village in Ghana has been holding its own celebrations to mark the victory of Aston Villa Football Club in the Europa League.

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Elon Musk's space X is going public, in what could be the biggest initial public offering in history. Leanna Byrne speaks to Dr Stephanie Hare about the significance of the IPO.

We also hear from Azadeh Moshiri in India about why the cockroach has unexpectedly become India's new political mascot.

In Mali, separatist group, Azawad Liberation Front have renewed attacks in the northern part of the country with the aim of creating an independent Tuareg state. We hear from a Sahel security expert on the origins of the group, and their recent alliance with Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) - al-Qaeda's armed affiliate in West Africa and the Sahel.

And, some lawmakers in Ghana are considering a bill to introduce compulsory DNA testing to combat the increase in paternity fraud cases in the country.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Keikantse Shumba, Bella Twine, Blessing Aderogba and Godwin Asediba

Technical Producer: David Kinyanjui

Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga

Editors: Priya Sippy and Maryam Abdalla

There has been international condemnation of Israel's treatment of pro-Palestinian activists who were on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces.

Also on the programme: the first case of Ebola has been announced in the rebel-held territory in eastern Congo; and an online political group in India called The Cockroach Janta Party ‌has amassed nearly 15 million followers on Instagram in less than a week.

(Photo: Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, gather at a port before their departure in the southern Turkish resort of Marmaris, Turkey on May 14, 2026. Credit: Reuters)

Freezing of bus and rail fares by Minister Kimmins "irresponsible" without a plan to fund