Thanks for downloading the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Chris Bero and at 13 hours GMT on Thursday the 1st of August, these are our main stories.

As we record this podcast, we're getting details of a major prisoner exchange

between the US and Russia. Thousands of mourners in Iran have attended the funeral

procession for the assassinated Hamas political chief Ishmael Haner and demonstrations have been taking place in

several Nigerian cities against the high cost of living.

Also in the podcast?

All governments need to be uncomfortable with this while we change

because as it is unless we start changing the way we work we will never close those gaps.

Australia struggles to improve the lives of indigenous communities.

Just before we started recording this podcast, the Biden administration in the United States announced a prisoner exchange with Russia.

A senior US administration official confirmed that it expected to soon secure the release of three American citizens imprisoned in Russia.

Our correspondent Sarah Rainsford is following the story.

If we're talking about what's officially confirmed then we can say that the White House has

confirmed that three American citizens will be released by Russia and will be heading home to the

United States. Now those are extremely high profile names you've been mentioning

them Evan Gerschkevich a journalist with the Wall Street Journal, Paul Wielen, a former US Marine, a man who was in

Russia on holiday back in 2018 when he was arrested and accused and then convicted of espionage and also Kormacheva who is again a

journalist who was arrested. She's a dual national. She was arrested when she was visiting

family back in Russia.

So three US citizens, we have now had it confirmed

from the White House.

...