--:-- Asma Khalid: This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Varies by location, while supplies last. See Associate or Lowe's.com for more details and qualifying items.
--:-- Asma Khalid: America is changing. And so is the world. But what's happening in America isn't just a cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.
--:-- Asma Khalid: I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C.
--:-- Tristan Redman: I'm Tristan Redman in London.
--:-- Tristan Redman: And this is The Global Story. Every weekday, we'll bring you a story from this intersection, where the world and America meet.
--:-- Tristan Redman: Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Julia McFarlane.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: In the early hours of Friday the 12th of September, these are our main stories.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: FBI agents investigating the killing of the influential conservative activist Charlie Kirk have released photos of a person of interest.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: Brazil's former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has been found guilty of attempting a coup after losing the last election.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar has been suspended hours after he was charged with treason and crimes against humanity in a move that raises fears of a return to civil war.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: Also in this podcast...
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: I actually went to the former prime minister's residence and it is completely destroyed. There's nothing that's left there. You see burnt out pictures, windows that are blown out.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: The aftermath of this week's protests that toppled the government in Nepal.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: The date 9-11 is forever engraved into the American psyche. And this year, at commemorations across the country, those who attended were in shock over the killing on Wednesday of Charlie Kirk, the prominent conservative campaigner, commentator and influencer.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: He was 31 years old.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: At the 9-11 commemoration at the Pentagon, President Trump opened his speech with these words.
--:-- President Trump: Before we begin, let me express the horror and grief so many Americans at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk have felt.
--:-- President Trump: Charlie was a giant of his generation A champion of liberty And an inspiration to millions and millions of people Our prayers are With his wonderful wife, Eric And his beautiful children Fantastic people they are We miss him greatly Yet I have no doubt that Charlie's voice And the courage he put into the hearts of Countless people Especially young people will live on.
--:-- President Trump: President Trump went on to say he would be posthumously awarding Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: The FBI has released two photographs on X of a person of interest in the shooting.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: Earlier, the FBI's special agent in charge, Robert Bowles, gave an update on the investigation.
--:-- Robert Bowles: This morning I can tell you that we have recovered what we believe is the weapon that was used in yesterday's shooting. It is a high-powered bolt-action rifle.
--:-- Robert Bowles: That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled.
--:-- Robert Bowles: The FBI laboratory will be analyzing this weapon.
--:-- Robert Bowles: Investigators have also collected footwear impression, a palm print and forearm imprints for analysis.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: As of this morning, we have received more than 130 tips.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: I got more from the BBC's Arunade Mukherjee in Washington.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: What really stood out was that they had initially held off on releasing photographs of the person of interest expressing a degree of confidence in the progress that they felt they had made.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: They said they would only approach the media if they thought they needed help, but then that changed a few hours later when they posted these two pictures of the person of interest seeking any information about him.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: They've now also announced a reward of $100,000 for any information, which really illustrates the urgency the investigators are now feeling as we cross the 24-hour mark since the shooting took place.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: Well, just to recap, some of the critical parts that came out of the update was the fact that they believe they've recovered the weapon that they believe was used in the shooting.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: They've got some footwear impressions, forearm prints and palm prints, and also some understanding of the movements that this person would have undertaken.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: And also, most importantly, the first time that we understood something about the individual, that they appeared to be of college age is what they said.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: I think hopefully there could be some more updates and details in the next briefing.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: And Arunideh, the president has blamed what he called the radical left and promised a crackdown in that address that he gave earlier.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: What do you think is going to happen now?
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: Well, he has expressed in very strong words how he feels about Charlie Kirk and his killing.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: He announced that he will be awarding him posthumously the Presidential Medal of Freedom, ordering flags to be flown at half mast.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: There is a lot of anger and fury over his killing.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: While Donald Trump was quick to blame the radical left, as you said, there have been voices which have used stronger words.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: There have been many who've also demanded retribution.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: So this is likely to dominate the discourse and continue to divide, you know, in a sense going forward.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: But I think the first and foremost focus, as President Trump himself said, would be on catching the person who did this when they figure out what exactly was the motive.
--:-- Arunade Mukherjee: I think it'll all start from there.
--:-- Mariana Spring: Charlie Kirk was one of the most important and influential conservative activists and media figures in America, with millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram, and a monthly listenership of more than half a million for his podcasts.
--:-- Mariana Spring: He first rose to prominence when he was 18, skipping college and co-founding Turning Point USA, a political action committee promoting conservative politics, holding regular events at high schools, colleges and universities.
--:-- Mariana Spring: Many young people in America have attributed his influence to the recent growth of right-wing conservatism among the youth.
--:-- Mariana Spring: But while he was popular and charismatic for some, his opinions were also controversial, provocative and very divisive for others.
--:-- Mariana Spring: Here's a flavour of some of his views over the years.
--:-- Mariana Spring: When blacks in America did not have the same rights they had today, they were less murderous there was less break-ins why is that so i'm sorry are you trying to say that blacks thrive under subjugation i'm saying they i'm asking you the question the data shows they were actually better in the 1940s it was bad it was evil but what happened something changed we should have a honest and clear reductionist view of gun violence but we should not have a utopian one you will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won't have a single gun death. That is nonsense. It's drivel, but I think it's worth it. I think it's worth to have a cost of unfortunately some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God given rights
--:-- Mariana Spring: My wish for the left is that you will become liberal again and no longer leftist Free speech is a liberal value It is not a left value You should be allowed to say outrageous things You should be allowed to say contrarian things. Free speech is a birthright that you gave us and you guys decided not to codify it. And now it's poof, it's basically gone.
--:-- Mariana Spring: Charlie Cook, I don't think we can underestimate what a big influence he has, particularly in the online and the social media world.
--:-- Mariana Spring: He's someone who's cultivated and built that profile ever since he founded Turning Point USA back when he was 18.
--:-- Mariana Spring: When he died, he was 31 years old when he was killed.
--:-- Mariana Spring: And in that time, his influence and reach has increased exponentially, not least because of the relationship that he has with Donald Trump and the way in which he supported his campaigns.
--:-- Mariana Spring: And when we spoke about this on AmeriCast before, we were talking about how crucial someone like Charlie Kirk was to Donald Trump's re-election as president because he gets this online world.
--:-- Mariana Spring: He knows how to use podcasts or alternative media outlets in order to get a message out there.
--:-- Mariana Spring: Loads of clips of him go mega, mega viral, mainly because they often are quite controversial.
--:-- Mariana Spring: They're showing debate. They're showing discussion.
--:-- Mariana Spring: And lots of people either totally agree or very, very, very strongly disagree with him.
--:-- Mariana Spring: But that's how this stuff gets promoted by the algorithms, the recommendation systems, because it triggers that strong reaction.
--:-- Mariana Spring: And he absolutely created, I guess, the blueprint, you might say, for political activists who are now social media influencers and are known all over the world, not just in the United States.
--:-- Ione Wells: Next to Brazil, where the Supreme Court has convicted the former president Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election.
--:-- Ione Wells: All but one of the judges on the five-member panel found him guilty.
--:-- Ione Wells: The ruling makes Mr Bolsonaro the first former president in the country's history to be convicted of attacking democracy.
--:-- Ione Wells: Our South America correspondent Ioni Wells is outside the court in Brasilia.
--:-- Ione Wells: This was a very dramatic moment here in the Supreme Court in Brasilia, the moment that a third judge found Jair Bolsonaro guilty on all charges, which all relate to him masterminding a coup to cling to power after losing the last election.
--:-- Ione Wells: Some of the allegations that we heard in courts were pretty wild.
--:-- Ione Wells: They included things like the fact that he called a meeting with military commanders to propose a coup to them and even knew about a plot to assassinate his election rival, now President of Brazil, Lula da Silva.
--:-- Ione Wells: a plot that was printed out by an aide of his at the presidential palace.
--:-- Ione Wells: Now, all these charges that he's been found guilty of potentially carry a sentence of more than 40 years, although we're just waiting at the moment to hear what that sentence may be.
--:-- Ione Wells: But this is significant for Jair Bolsonaro because it certainly puts an end to any further political ambitions for him going forward.
--:-- Ione Wells: Ione, you say he could face a sentence of more than 40 years. He's already quite old. So what are the prospects for him now?
--:-- Ione Wells: Well, that is an interesting question, because while a sentence could be of more than 40 years, because of his age and his ill health, he may well try to appeal to have that turned into a house arrest.
--:-- Ione Wells: He is currently already on a house arrest while this trial has been ongoing.
--:-- Ione Wells: He's been facing poor health since he was stabbed on the election campaign in 2018.
--:-- Ione Wells: Interestingly, also Congress here in Brazil, where his party have a majority, is trying to push through a new law that would grant him amnesty.
--:-- Ione Wells: So while this verdict is very clear, his punishment is still somewhat unknown.
--:-- Ione Wells: And Dione, he's obviously been a longtime ally of President Trump who has spoken out about this trial. He's been very critical.
--:-- Ione Wells: What's the latest we've heard from him?
--:-- Ione Wells: Yeah, that's right. Donald Trump had already used this trial as an excuse to impose 50% tariffs on Brazil and sanction one of the Supreme Court judges who was leading this case.
--:-- Ione Wells: Donald Trump has reacted to this verdict saying he was surprised and very unhappy that Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted.
--:-- Ione Wells: He's in the past referred to this trial as a witch hunt.
--:-- Ione Wells: Interestingly as well, we've also heard from Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who has been lobbying on his father's behalf in the US recently.
--:-- Ione Wells: He says that he expects the US to impose further sanctions against Brazilian officials after his father's conviction.
--:-- Ione Wells: So we haven't yet heard any formal confirmation of that from the US, but certainly interesting to watch in the next couple of days whether the US decides to ramp up its punishments on Brazil for targeting one of Donald Trump's allies.
--:-- Sebastian Usher: And as we record this podcast, we've just learned that Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.
--:-- Sebastian Usher: South Sudan's Vice President Riek Machar has been suspended hours after he was charged with treason, murder and crimes against humanity in a move that raises fears of a return to civil war.
--:-- Sebastian Usher: He's accused of involvement in an attack by a militia on federal forces earlier this year.
--:-- Sebastian Usher: The move further escalates the power feud with his long-term rival, the President Salva Kier.
--:-- Sebastian Usher: Mr Machia has been under house arrest since March after a militia from the ethnic community to which he belongs attacked a military base in the north-east of the country, killing more than 250 soldiers.
--:-- Sebastian Usher: The government has said that Mr Machia was responsible and must be held accountable.
--:-- Sebastian Usher: But many inside and outside the country fear that his detention will lead to a further unravelling of a fragile power-sharing agreement that ended the civil war in the world's newest country.
--:-- Samira Hussain: As we record this podcast, the streets of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are reported to be quiet after days of violent protests.
--:-- Samira Hussain: At least 30 people have been killed since the unrest began, sparked initially by anger over displays of wealth and opulence by relatives of politicians, which then exploded after access to social media sites was blocked and a deadly crackdown ensued.
--:-- Samira Hussain: Everything came to a head when the Prime Minister dramatically resigned and now military leaders have been holding talks with protesters to pick an interim leader for the country.
--:-- Samira Hussain: One of the youth leaders, Ojaswi Rajthapa, explained what their aims were.
--:-- Ojaswi Rajthapa: Right now the first thing is the interim government The second thing is dissolving the current parliament And the third thing is maintaining law and order in the country These are the three things that we are looking forward for now Other than that, the other isn't us, the political isn't us We have to discuss it in the whole team before we present it to the society Before we present it to the world
--:-- Samira Hussain: Our correspondent Samira Hussain is in Kathmandu
--:-- Samira Hussain: Right in front of me I actually not too far from the parliament building and there is a very heavy military presence.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And it's something that I have seen on the streets here in the capital of Kathmandu all throughout the day.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And it's a completely different scene from the chaos that we saw earlier in the week and all of that violence and this eruption of flames, especially when it came to the Parliament building and even the Supreme Court.
--:-- Samira Hussain: But if you move further down, I actually went to the former Prime Minister's residence, and it is three buildings, sort of a corner kind of lot, and it is completely destroyed.
--:-- Samira Hussain: There's nothing that's left there. You see burnt out pictures, windows that are blown out, old burnt motorcycles in the alleyway.
--:-- Samira Hussain: I mean, it's really just an incredible scene.
--:-- Samira Hussain: But then if you look just in front of it, the buildings there are perfectly intact.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And I spoke with one woman who actually lives across the street from where the prime minister's residence is.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And she described watching it go up in flames and just these protesters that came running.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And there was this real visceral anger.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And you saw that they were trying to take it out on the building itself.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And there was, of course, concern for her own safety and the people in her home, but also for her own home itself.
--:-- Samira Hussain: But then she quickly saw just how the protesters were actually very protective of any other homes around the area.
--:-- Samira Hussain: So a real sense of, you know, their anger was directed towards the prime minister and not anyone else. in that neighborhood.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And Samira, the military has been engaging with the protesters on what should happen next. I mean, what's going on with the talks?
--:-- Samira Hussain: Well, so remember, as a result of the protests that turned violent, we saw that the Nepal's prime minister resigned, and as did his entire cabinet.
--:-- Samira Hussain: So now we're sort of in a situation where there's not really any functioning government in the country.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And so you have the military that is sort of taken control in terms of maintaining law and order.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And now the military is trying to facilitate some kind of interim government.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And they're doing so by negotiating with the leaders of this student movement, what they have been calling the Gen Z movement.
--:-- Samira Hussain: What makes this challenging is that this all happened really very quickly.
--:-- Samira Hussain: And this Gen Z movement doesn't really have any clear leadership.
--:-- Samira Hussain: It's quite a few different student organizations that are sort of coming together in kind of a collective, but they're not speaking with one single voice.
--:-- Samira Hussain: So it's proving to be challenging in terms of trying to meet their demands when demands may not necessarily be cohesive.
--:-- Ione Wells: The United Nations Security Council has held an emergency meeting to discuss Israel's strikes on Hamas targets in the Qatari capital, Doha.
--:-- Ione Wells: The meeting was delayed from Wednesday, so the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Tani, could take part.
--:-- Ione Wells: The council adopted a statement which condemned the airstrike, but didn't name Israel as the perpetrator.
--:-- Ione Wells: Speaking through an interpreter, Mr. Altani expressed his anger at Israel's actions.
--:-- Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Tani: Qatar is making tireless efforts to save lives, and this attack puts the international community before a test.
--:-- Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Tani: Israel, led by extremists, bloodthirsty extremists, have gone beyond any borders, any limitations, when it comes to behavior, not only among states, but among individuals.
--:-- Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Tani: We're unable to predict what Israel can do. How can we host Israeli representatives when they have committed this attack?
--:-- Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Tani: Have you heard of any state that is attacking a mediator this way?
--:-- Danny Danon: This strike sends a message that should echo across this chamber. There is no sanctuary for terrorists. Not in Gaza, not in Tehran, not in Doha. There is no immunity for terrorists.
--:-- Danny Danon: And yet, here in this council, some members chose to give Hamas legitimacy, even protection.
--:-- Danny Danon: Israel will not. We will act against the leaders of terror wherever they are hiding.
--:-- Dr. Paul Jordan: Next year marks the 70th anniversary of Eurovision, an annual song contest televised across the continent and beyond.
--:-- Dr. Paul Jordan: Its original purpose was to boost collaboration between European broadcasters.
--:-- Dr. Paul Jordan: But one of them, RTE, the Irish national broadcaster, has announced that Ireland won't take part in the competition next year unless Israel is no longer part of it.
--:-- Dr. Paul Jordan: Israel has been a contender since 1973, but the Gaza war has made its presence controversial for some.
--:-- Dr. Paul Jordan: Sean Lay asked him if Ireland's actions was unprecedented.
--:-- Sean Lay: It is, because in the past we have had countries withdraw, but there have been very specific cases.
--:-- Sean Lay: So, for example, Georgia, when the contest was taking place in Russia, Azerbaijan, when they were hosting it, Armenia withdrew.
--:-- Sean Lay: This is the first time we've really had what looks like a bit of group action going on, with Ireland specifically saying they won't take part of Israel there.
--:-- Sean Lay: Iceland have also made some noises around that, and Slovenia too.
--:-- Sean Lay: There are rumours in other countries as well, Spain too.
--:-- Sean Lay: So it is the first time we've really seen a bit of kind of block solidarity, I guess, against a certain country participating.
--:-- Sean Lay: It's very interesting and it's very complicated.
--:-- Sean Lay: And I think it's going to really cause a lot of problems for the organisers, the European Broadcasting Union.
--:-- Sean Lay: RTE seems to have lifted the veil on what is usually very private dealings within the European Broadcasting Union.
--:-- Sean Lay: because they say that the General Assembly of the EBU back in July, according to RT, a number of countries raised concerns about the participation of Israel.
--:-- Sean Lay: And then it goes on to say that RT wishes to thank the EBU for the extension of the option to withdraw from participation without penalty.
--:-- Sean Lay: So it's not going to cost it anything, even though presumably the EBU could end up with some expenses if the programme is not being broadcast as widely as would normally be the case.
--:-- Sean Lay: Indeed and you know countries pay a participation fee so the less countries you have in the more expensive it is for everyone else.
--:-- Sean Lay: It's a great shame that this has actually happened but unfortunately you know Eurovision reflects the issues of the day.
--:-- Sean Lay: It's meant to be apolitical and to a certain extent they've been largely successful at that given that you've got Azerbaijan and Armenia.
--:-- Sean Lay: Those two were at war at one point and yet for one night of the year they shared that stage.
--:-- Sean Lay: That's a really powerful symbol but this is also slightly the EBU's own doing.
--:-- Sean Lay: They kicked out Russia and Belarus. Now, technically, that was because their broadcasters broke the rules.
--:-- Sean Lay: They broadcast government propaganda, which was against rules. Technically, the Israeli broadcaster has not broken the rules.
--:-- Sean Lay: But there are questions around what is happening within Israel and Gaza too which does have an impact on other participating countries and their views of Israel and their participation
--:-- Sean Lay: RTU also says in its statement that in part its decision is a reflection of its concern about what it calls targeted killing of journalists in Gaza, because RTU as well as being an entertainment broadcaster is also a news broadcaster.
--:-- Sean Lay: Can you conceive Israel being forced to withdraw?
--:-- Sean Lay: I think the only way Israel would withdraw is if the broadcaster was expelled for breaking the rules and so far they haven't.
--:-- Sean Lay: I think Israel are really strong in terms of they want visibility and they're quite staunch about that.
--:-- Sean Lay: That's why they take part in events like World Cup, the Olympic Games.
--:-- Sean Lay: But ultimately, it's now a judgment call for the EBU.
--:-- Sean Lay: Do they alienate long-standing participants at the expense for one country or do they play to the crowd?
--:-- Sean Lay: It's a really tricky one because you can't then have a mentality where certain countries say no to one country participating.
--:-- Sean Lay: It's against the spirit of the event.
--:-- Sean Lay: But that said, this is quite an unprecedented situation.
--:-- Sean Lay: And unfortunately, it's now a tragic humanitarian one.
--:-- David Remick: Let's return now to our main story, the death of Charlie Kirk in the United States.
--:-- David Remick: It seems that America is united in only one thing, in lamenting how polarised it has become.
--:-- David Remick: It's certainly an unhappy state of affairs, as David Remick, the editor of the magazine The New Yorker, told Evan Davis.
--:-- Evan Davis: I do remember when there was a terrible slaughter in a church in Charleston, South Carolina, that Barack Obama's way of reacting to this was to try to bring the nation together with the most conciliatory, even spiritual language, possibly when he led a church service in song, in the most moving way possible.
--:-- Evan Davis: That didn't end gun violence, hatred or racism, but it was a gesture toward national healing and conciliation, even at the worst time.
--:-- Evan Davis: And I'm not sure I see that now when Elon Musk gets on social media and calls the Democratic Party the party of murder.
--:-- Evan Davis: And I wish that the president's own statement last night were more in the direction of what Obama displayed in South Carolina.
--:-- Evan Davis: In fairness, people on both sides of the political divide in the US have rather than sort of laid down any ill will today, they have kind of continued the argument.
--:-- Evan Davis: There is a sense of each side blaming the other.
--:-- Evan Davis: Trump blamed the left for its demonization of those on the right.
--:-- Evan Davis: The left have definitely blamed Trump for the kind of incitement of violence and the raising of the stakes in American politics.
--:-- Evan Davis: It's like, stop it. You've got to basically look to your own behavior and not be lecturing others, don't you, at a time like this?
--:-- Evan Davis: Partisanship and political argument is legitimate. That's part of what democracy is.
--:-- Evan Davis: But there is a tone of rhetoric that's hateful, that is at the very minimum unproductive and at the maximum a factor that leads to the worst possible result.
--:-- Evan Davis: I think it's legitimate when people raise the easy availability of guns.
--:-- Evan Davis: And I think it's too easy sometimes for people to say, well, now is not the time.
--:-- Evan Davis: I don't know when the time is because this has gone on now for decades and decades and decades in America.
--:-- Evan Davis: Do you worry that violence begets violence?
--:-- Evan Davis: That's a basic lesson of humanity that we've been reading about since ancient times all through the poems of W.H.R.
--:-- Evan Davis: And hatred begets hatred.
--:-- Evan Davis: But David, what proportion of the US population is spewing that bile?
--:-- Evan Davis: We also have a technology that accelerates this as never before.
--:-- Evan Davis: And hate speech that might have been limited to a private conversation at a bar between two people who've had too much to drink and are saying hateful things now is found in its plentitude online.
--:-- Evan Davis: And it helps inflame just the general atmosphere.
--:-- Evan Davis: I think that has to be true, not only where I live, but where you are.
--:-- Evan Davis: What social media has done, what our coarsened politics have done, what the all-too-easy expression of hatred and violence has done to our society is very evident.
--:-- Evan Davis: The internet did not invent political violence. But I do think it inflames the situation in a deeply unfortunate way.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: The Addams Family TV series of the 1960s about an eccentric and macabre family was so popular it spurred lots of remakes.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: The latest is the Netflix TV show Wednesday produced by Tim Burton and named after the family's daughter.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: And another character from the 60s a human hand called Thing has now become a huge star.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: It's played by Victor Dorobantu a magician from Romania where they filmed the series.
--:-- Rebecca Kesby: asked him how he was able to bring his character to life, given the viewer only ever sees his hand.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: Most of the process requires wearing this chroma suit, which in my case is blue, so they can remove my body easier in scenes.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: Another part of this process is the prosthetic makeup, which is amazing in our show.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: We have different stumps and wrists that we attach to my hand so that it helps with the look and with the move of thing.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: And the third biggest part of the process is removing myself in CGI.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: It's a painful process, but it's very enjoyable.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: How do you express emotion and get a character out of just your right hand?
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: Obviously, a difficult part is trying to show emotion and character without using a voice, subtitles, eyes, brows, mouth.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: We spent months and months trying to develop a language for things.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: I tried learning a lot of sign language, which apparently doesn't work for only one hand that stands on its own fingers.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: I use some bits of that, but also most of the part I'm improvising and trying to put my character into thing.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: I'm trying to imagine the hand as being a whole creature, imagining the legs, the hands, and also the eye level, which would be the stitches on the wrist.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: So I'm trying to use that.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: I'm trying to use tension in the fingers and the tendon movements.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: And is there anything you can tell us about this latest series that's just dropped?
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: Thing is discovering more about his past.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: He's getting more action. He gets a lot of fight scenes and a lot of, let's say, violence.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: He's more close to the family, to the Addams family and to his friends at Nevermore.
--:-- Victor Dorobantu: So Thing is more present. You can see Thing as a hero now, let's say.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: The editor is Karen Martin.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: I'm Julia McFarlane.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: Until next time, goodbye.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: And this is The Global Story. Every weekday, we'll bring you a story from this intersection, where the world and America meet.
--:-- Julia McFarlane: Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
