Ukraine war: Russia launches 'surprise' attack

The court on the island of Saipan is expected to allow the Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, to walk free and return to his native Australia. Also: the Kenyan president, William Ruto, has described violence during huge protests against tax rises as an unprecedented attack on the country's democracy, and scientists in Japan are working on creating human-like skin for robots.

Julian Assange has for years fought extradition to the United States, accused of leaking a huge quantity of classified defence documents. He will now return to Australia, where his wife Stella Assange is waiting for him. But first, he has to appear in court in a United States territory in the pacific. Also on this podcast, protests erupt in Kenya over new tax proposals, Israel's supreme court orders ultra-orthodox religious students can no longer avoid being drafted into the military, and why a sample of dirt and rocks from the far side of the moon has scientists excited.

The head of the UN children's agency says Sudan is one of the worst places in the world for children. Also: France's Macron warns of civil war if extremists win snap polls, and Spanish nuns are excommunicated for rebelling against Vatican over property deal.

Footage posted on social media show people shooting at police cars. Among the dead are 15 police officers. The attacks targeted churches and synagogues in Derbent and Makhachkala. Investigators say five gunmen were killed. Most of the attackers, they said, came from one small area of Dagestan. In its first comments, the Kremlin dismissed the possibility of another wave of Islamist violence in the Northern Caucasus. Also: a huge fire at a lithium battery factory in South Korea kills 22 people including 18 Chinese workers, and Princess Anne - the sister of King Charles - has been admitted to hospital in England after an incident involving a horse.

Gunmen in the southern Russian republic have killed police officers and a priest in what officials are calling acts of terror. Also: the US prepares to receive two new pandas from China, and the man whose home was turned into a cannabis farm.

The Supreme Court has ordered a retrial for Toomaj Salehi who was sentenced to death after speaking out in support of protests that had exploded across Iran. Also: the new documentary about the designer of the wrap dress, Diane von Furstenberg, and the world's ugliest dog.

When Celia's daughter asked about regrets, she posted a message about a puffin sweater she wished she'd bought. Just days later, a man she'd never met sent her the exact same one for free - saying it felt so good to be kind. Also: The earthquakes being caused by enthusiastic fans during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. A BBC radio programme reaches 46 people celebrating mid winter in Antarctica. How artificial intelligence could help us understand what dogs are trying to say. Why a sculptor decided to create dozens of art galleries and museums around the world - underwater. And the festival celebrating the enduring traditions of Flamenco dancing - and bringing it into the twenty first century.Our weekly collection of happy news and positive stories from around the world.

Court in Switzerland sentences four members of the billionaire family to jail for exploiting domestic staff. Also: the fierce battle for a small Ukrainian town, and John F. Kennedy's watch will go under the hammer.

Lobby groups say at least 200 people were injured and more than 100 arrested across Kenya. Protesters say the controversial finance bill that includes additional taxes would choke the economy and raise the cost of living. Also: parts of southern China have once in a century flooding, while the north is hit by extreme temperatures and drought, how wild chimpanzees seek out medicinal plants, and Stonehenge marks the summer solstice - the longest period of daylight in the northern hemisphere.

The US ambassador to China tells the BBC that despite a competitive relationship, the two countries are now talking more regularly to prevent escalation in the disputed South China Sea. Also on the podcast: India's government is accused of failing the education system after cancelling an exam taken by nearly a million people, a look back on the life of Canadian film star, Donald Sutherland, and the Spanish feline that looks to be saved from extinction.