Global News Podcast The Happy Pod: The hug that stopped a bombing
Mar 28, 2026
Nathan Newby, a Leeds hospital patient awarded the George Medal, shares how he calmed a would-be bomber with conversation and a hug. Then it jumps from seven dogs in China sparking a drone-led rescue, to a long-overdue apology for women football pioneers, Washington’s cherry blossoms, and even hummingbirds sipping fermented nectar.
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Nathan Newby Talked Down A Hospital Bomber
- Nathan Newby stopped a hospital bombing by staying with an armed man for two hours and talking him out of attacking nurses.
- After seeing the pressure-cooker bomb, he decided running might trigger panic, hugged the man to calm him, and focused only on protecting others.
Why The Seven Dogs Moved As One
- The viral dog pack likely showed social cohesion, not a strict leader protecting an injured member.
- Heather Thomas says dogs synchronize movement, stay with familiar companions when fearful, and navigate home by scent, landmarks, and repeated experience.
How Ghana Turned Mothers Into Early Educators
- Ghana's kindergarten project improves learning by treating mothers as active teachers, even if they never attended school.
- Lively Minds uses local-language play and everyday tasks like counting trees or naming vegetables, which also raises women's confidence and status in their communities.